Got my hair did

I’ve been a busy bee this past few days….it was my week off, but I’ve hardly had a lie in! I have been out and about, in, around and out of London….. but the weather has been lush so far and for that I and my legs are grateful!!!

I actually found time to get my hair braided:

Got my hair did (I thank Missy Elliot for the lyrics!)
Dalston, East London £40

It was the first time in 4 years I actually paid for someone to braid my hair; I usually do it myself as I like to save money and I’m quite particular about my hairstyles! But this cost me £40 which was quite reasonable and it was done in 2 ½ hrs (so quick!) compared to the 2 days I usually take to do my hair!

I have been growing out my hair since December 2011; my hair has been out for about a total of 4 weeks this year. For most of the time it has been in braids, which I did myself.

This style was inspired by the current trend of box braids and Solange Knowles; I feel so 90s! It’s heavier than my usual braids but I’m getting used to it. I'm looking to keep the braids in for about 4 - 6 weeks on the basis that i regularly cleanse and oil my scalp & hair. x

11 comments hair, personal

Share:

Let the Sun Shine!

So the sun and warmth has FINALLY paid a visit to the UK!

It has been a bittersweet weekend; just a reminder to surround myself with great loving people and live life. The good weather has made it a bit sweeter!

On Saturday, I got to see the Olympic Torch Bearers.......

On Sunday, I chilled in the park with friends and family...

We had an impromptu sports day, but just being in the sun with good people really made it a great day



Munching on Fruit Salad.....
T-Shirt: Nike
Shorts: H&M

Forecasts say that the good weather will in London until at least Friday; I just hope it doesn't interfere with the Olympic Opening Ceremony - which my sister won a ticket for!!

1 comment entertainment, personal

Share:

Mother v Daughter: Shoes

Summer has arrived in London *tears of happiness* and I have this week off work!!!!

Following on from my previous post about the debate over make-up, I follow with the next issue: shoes.

I have never really been a wearer of shoes, in particular heels. I preferred wearing trainers (or ‘crepes’ as I used to call them – London slang) and converses. I wore trainers during 6^th form, uni, and even to work. I even wore trainers to raves and clubs on occasion! I bought trainers at least 3 times a year and wore them until the soles wore all the way down.

Like the issue of make-up, it drove my mum mad…..she complained that I did not dress like a woman! That’s not to say I didn’t ever wear heels; I tended to wear kitten heels on one or two occasions and swiftly auctioned them off on eBay. I thought that many of the heels on the high street were nice to look at, but were impractical for the purposes of my life; plus I felt that high street chains did poor quality shoes.

My friend Samantha was like me; she almost exclusively wore trainers until 4 years ago when she started buying the highest heels and supporting my mum’s mission to get me in heels. Thanks Samantha(!)

But in the last couple of years, I have started going through a transformation and have become more open to wearing heels. I have actually stopped wearing trainers to work (my mum was well chuffed!) and have started to place my feet into lady like shoes a bit more often!

Now, I haven’t gone crazy with the heel height; the heels I own are typically 3.5 – 4 inches. they have been featured in my previous posts:

http://thatgoodgirlchi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/hazev-restaurant-canary-wharf-london.html

http://thatgoodgirlchi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/wedding-season-has-begun.html

http://thatgoodgirlchi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/mimic.html

Here is my latest purchase of heels:

Shoes - New Look
I always buy black shoes.....so I tried to be different!

I am (slowly) starting to warm to heels; but I will not be giving up my beloved trainers so easily! In fact I think it's time to purchase a new pair.........

4 comments personal, shoes, thoughts

Share:

Sugar Scrubbed Lips

"Look how rough and dry your lips are; and you’re going out like that” were the kind words of my mother about 3 months ago…….this was despite me using Carmex on a regular basis. Just as well I was going to Lush Cosmetics to pick up a present for a friend, because I also purchased Lush’s Lip Scrub in Mint Julips (mint chocolate).

Lush Cosmetics specialise in making fresh, handmade beauty products. With the exception of their liquid products, all cosmetics are preservative free.

The Lip Scrub is made up of the following ingredients:

Caster Sugar

Organic Jojoba Oil

Vanilla Extract

Tagetes Oil

Peppermint Oil

Limonene (which occurs naturally in essential oils)

The Lip Scrub has been very beneficial; I only need a small amount of the scrub to get rid of the roughness on my lips. After use my lips feel smooth and soft; I feel that my lip balm is a lot more effective after using the scrub.

The Lip Scrub smells so nice; the mixture of the vanilla and peppermint is a delightful smell. It also tastes nice as well! As it is made of caster sugar, after I have finished buffing my lips, I can simply lick it off! However I recommend applying the sugar scrub with a mirror because you may not be able to lick all of the sugar and could end up looking like you got into a war with a sugar doughnut…….

The Lush Lip Scrub costs about £4 - £5, which is not too bad considering it is handmade and I haven’t needed to use it every day. In fact I am still using the same scrub I bought 3 months ago and it is not even half way.

However, the ingredients are simple to purchase and you can even make your own scrub. In fact Yolandaas, of Pink and Leopard Prints has done a post on making your own scrub. You can check it out here.

Have you used Lush Cosmetics’ Lip Scrub before? Do you DIY?

5 comments bits and bobs, cosmetics, Lush

Share:

The Rain Has been Pouring…..

But that hasn’t stopped me getting on with life!

Readers, the weather in the London is absolutely crap as of late. Summer has stuck two fingers up to the UK in general. It’s been rain, rain, rain and 2 seconds of sun; but I’ve been out and about. I started the weekend with an NTC Class; only 11 ladies (including myself and our trainer) turned up, but we still went in hard!

Yep, this is a job for the washing machine...trainers included!
it was wet and muddy, but damn it felt good to work out in the rain!

It wasn’t all muddy hard work (which was actually quite fun!); it was my mum’s birthday on Friday, so as a treat, me and my sister dragged her to the nail salon to get a mani-pedi after my muddy workout. I decided to treat myself as well, especially as I haven’t been to get my nails professionally done in about 5 years…….

I got a simple manicure with hand massage and nail design;
consider it a treat for my previous muddy adventure!

In between the excitement of getting my nails did and attending Church, I managed to lose my travelcard, which also held my debit card, driving licence, and other significant pieces of my life. I am truly grateful to God that the misplacement happened in a Tesco Metro and one of the staff had found my travelcard and put it lost property. I heard that there was a hefty drunk woman trying to sell a travelcard in the area on that day – so happy it was not mine!

                                                                                                                                                            

On Sunday I’m going to the cinema to watch Magic Mike. Yep, I’m going to watch a film about strippers…….fine looking men getting their kit off. Ah, happy Sunday!

Yeah, this is a fairly random post…….Have a good weekend people x

Leave a Comment fitness, nails, ramble

Share:

Peanuts Guide to Life

Once in a while…..ok maybe every 3 weeks (girls you know what I’m talking about!) I get a bit weird. My mood gets funny, I overthink a lot more than usual and the world cannot do anything right.

Yesterday I went to the Bargain Bookshop at Kings Cross to see if I could add to my ever growing collection of books. There wasn’t much about and I was about to leave the shop, when I came across these little babies:

Peanuts Guide to Life by Schulz
Published 2007 by Ravette Publishing

Charlie Brown and friends provide pearls of wisdom; they keep it short and simple:

“I have a philosophy that has been refined in the fire of hardship and struggle…’live and let live’!” – Lucy on Life Philosophy; Peanuts Guide to Life, Book 1

“In the Book of Life, the answers are not in the back!” – Charlie Brown on Life’s Little Quirks; Peanuts Guide to Life, Book 2

“It’s better to live one day as a lion than a dozen years as a sheep” – Snoopy on Confidence; Peanuts Guide to Life, Book 3

The books are full of wit and wisdom, some obvious, some funny and some quirky. I found myself smiling as I flipped through the little books. I enjoyed reading the Charlie Brown comic strips and watching the cartoon show when I was younger.

Given the mood I was when browsing for books, I felt like the books had to be bought……and the £1 price tag per book was a bit influential as well!

And just to finish, here a couple of wise nuggets that should apply to everyone:

“No one need ever be ashamed of fingernails made dirty by a hard day’s work” – Linus on Effort; Peanuts Guide to Life, Book 3

“Sometimes all we need is a little pampering to help us feel better…..” – Linus on Self-Care; Peanuts Guide to Life, Book 3 (I definately need to act on this one!)

3 comments acquisitions, books, bookworm, reading, thoughts

Share:

Nike Training Club Live 07.07.2012

Hi Readers!

Over the weekend I attended the first ever Nike Training Club (NTC) Live Festival, which took place at the Old Billingsgate Market in Central London. As you may have read from my previous posts here and here, I am quite a fan of NTC!

It was a free (yep, FREE!) event, but entry could only be earned by clocking up minutes attending NTC classes and/or doing the workouts from Nike’s NTC app on iTunes. Again the classes and the app are free!

The event consisted of free classes (NTC and Yoga), manicures by Wah Nails, massages, 1on1 Q&A with personal trainers, nutritional advice and an opportunity to try out the new Nike Lunar Hyperworkout+ trainers. There was a chance to win a pair, but I didn’t win :¬(. I cannot lie, the trainers are pricey (from £170, ouch), but they are amazing! They can track your movements; when synced with your workout app, you can earn points and compete with other people.

Here are a few pics* from the day (taken on my Samsung Galaxy SII):

I didn’t get a manicure (boo!) but I enjoyed the classes, got lots of useful information to improve my workouts & nutrition, and got to try out those amazing trainers. The massage was heavenly……

The Festival finished with a live PA from Katy B, who I really like!

I was so happy to see her perform, and for free especially as she was due to perform at the Somerset House in Central London on 07/08 July 2012! Her live singing was great, as was her DJ and band. She is an avid supporter of NTC and regularly does the workouts with one of the Sonja, one of the Nike Master Trainers.

I think her album Katy on a Mission is absolutely brilliant and it is actually one of my favourite albums.

All in all, it was a great event; it was great being rewarded for all the workouts that I do! I look forward to next year’s festival x

**Nike have recently posted a video about NTC Live:

I actually appear for a split second within the first 4 seconds of the video starting....I'm the girl in the white Nike top jumping up for a photo (my split second of fame!)

*These pics are taken by me, but if you want to see more photos or want further info about NTC, you can check out NTC facebook page here

**Edited/added on 16.07.2012

3 comments entertainment, fitness, Nike, NTC, personal

Share:

Mimic

Hi Readers,

I haven't really done OOTD posts, because I usually just throw on any piece of clothing and go about my business......

Over the weekend I went to a friend’s birthday lunch. It was a casual affair, so automatically I thought to wear jeans and flats.

However, at the last minute, I changed my mind and wore this instead:

Blazer, T-Shirt, Leggings - H&M (featured in previous posts)
Boots - Topshop
Bag - Zara (recently bought on sale, £9.99)

My outfit is similar to Shirley's of Meek n Mild:

Source

Source

In fact, my look was inspired by Shirley. I had the same blazer as her and was able to recreate her outfit to my own taste, which I felt would be a good look for the lunch. I think she has great style. I always look forward to her posts. I encourage you to check out her blog here. She also has a YouTube channel, which you can access from her blog.

I received really nice compliments at the lunch, from the Birthday Girl and other guests!

8 comments clothes, outfit

Share:

My First Giveaway Win

Hi guys,

Just a quick post while i'm on the go...

I recently won a giveaway hosted by Kiwi of Kiwi Fashion & Beauty, which you can check out here.

This was my first giveaway success and I was very excited to receive my gift box.

Here is a pic of what I got in my gift box:

I am tempted to host my own giveaway......maybe when I reach 100 followers, eh?

4 comments acquisitions, bits and bobs

Share: