My first experience of the Glasgow Film Festival

Last week I was invited along to the Glasgow Film Festival by ScotRail to enjoy a secret screening of The Lost Boys. Despite being an avid movie-lover ( a black Cinecard definitely accounts for serious movie buff status!) I've surprisingly never attended the GFF so was excited to experience all that it has to offer. If I'm honest, I’d never even heard of The Lost Boys before let alone seen it and I have this weird thing where I don’t like watching 'old' movies unless I grew up with them but given the circumstances I was willing to switch it up for the day. The ‘secret screening' aspect however really appealed to me - I've been an admirer of the Secret Cinema for years now so was excited to see where we'd end up.

After convincing my bestie to join me, we headed up to the Glasgow Film Theatre, sweeties in tow, to discover a sea of The Lost Boys fans eagerly waiting to board coaches to our secret location. Before setting off, a gang of motorbikes appeared, revving their bikes to create smoke clouds before leading the buses away. We weren’t entirely sure what this was all about at this point but everyone else seemed pretty excited by it so we went along with it.

I anticipated that we'd drive five minutes up the road to our destination but fifteen minutes later we were at least ten miles down the motorway and any ideas I had about location were out the window. Soon a big wheel appeared in the distance and the whispering of guesses began to take over the bus - we were headed to M&Ds theme park. The screening was set up inside a lavish marquee with an onsite bar, comic book stand and face painting area. We were also given passes to enjoy various rides in the theme park. With an hour to spare, Jill and I took our chances at one of the less scary rides before grabbing food and getting a few snaps on the carousel - before we knew it the screening was about to begin.

Led by a talk from the head of the GFF and a comic book creator it was obvious everyone was BUZZING about the movie beginning. Fast forward an hour and a half, the movie was ending to a roar of clapping and cheers (myself and Jill included).

I can honestly say this was one of my favourite movie experiences ever. Not only did I actually like the movie (which was surprisingly really funny) but the atmosphere of the crowd so made it special. The audience cheered and clapped throughout. Laughter was anticipated at each funny line and a few fans were even singing along to the soundtrack. The excitement from everyone was contagious.

Dropped back at the GFT, Jill and I walked down to Central Station to catch the train home. With the movie over, everything now started to make sense: motorbikes were a key part of the movie and it was set on a fairground. Missing posters that were dotted around the venue appeared in the movie and two of the main characters worked in a comic book store. I’m now suitably impressed by the attention to detail.

ScotRail is the official sponsor of this year's Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award. Running until Sunday (26 February) there's still plenty to see so be sure to check out what's coming up - https://www.scotrail.co.uk/filmfestival.

Seeking Sunrise

Setting my alarm for 3:45am you’d be right to presume I was either 1. jetting off to a tropical island, 2. on a VERY early shift at work or 3. just darn crazy. And well my friends, I have to say I believe most will think 3 is best suited to this story. The reason I was actually rising before the birds were chirping was in search of a sunrise. 

Let’s just say I have this thing for sunrises. In fact, I have a thing for that big yellow ball in general. I’m basically obsessed with everything the sun brings into my life. Warmth on my skin, BBQs in the garden, day trips to the beach, happy faces EVERYWHERE and of course picturesque sunsets. But one aspect of the sun that I rarely get to enjoy is the sunrise. Not because I love lazy mornings in my bed (quite the contrary actually) but because most people around me love a lie in. So after much persuasion I managed to convince my bed-loving boyfriend to join me in an early morning adventure to catch the sunrise.

After throwing on our clothes, and a quick brush of the teeth, we were on the road to Loch Lomond. We thought we might’ve missed the beginning of the sunrise but after choosing a spot on the loch that was surrounded by hills, we had plenty of time to spare. Before we knew it the sun was peering above the hills, instantly warming up the pretty baltic morning (I swear, it was about 2 degrees!). We then walked along the pier and really soaked up our surroundings before returning home for a warm breakfast in bed.  

I love how the images turned out and think they really capture the magic of a peaceful morning. This isn’t my typical style of blog post but I really loved trying to capture beautiful pictures as opposed to just an outfit or event.  

I really love the pictures and hope you do too so let me know if you would like to see more of this style of post.

It looks like the sun is beginning to peek through the clouds for another scorcher of a day in Glasgow. I seriously can't get over how lucky we've been with the weather over the last two weeks. It just makes ALL the difference. Long may it continue!

Happy sunny Saturday folks!

XoXo

Events round-up: Armani, Topshop, The Body Shop and Remnant Kings

Over the last month I've been blessed to be invited along to some pretty awesome events! Knowing what was ahead I thought I would gather up snaps from each event and do a round-up of all the best bits. From the Armani launch party to personal styling at Topshop and some sweet smelling (cocktail-esq) beauty products at The Body Shop there's a lot to get through so before I ramble on about how sad I am that the sun has disappeared (which FYI, while we're on the subject, I really am!) I better dive right into it.

First up was the Armani store launch party. As you can imagine, this was a pretty exciting event to be invited along to for obvious reasons: worldwide name, my first high end designer event and of course, sleek white interiors that make Instagramming easy peasy. Jokes. Well, not really.

Not one for shopping designer (not by choice but through a lack of funds, OBVS) I have to say I was highly impressed by the staffs attention to detail. There was never a moment we were without a drink or canapé and my coat was seamlessly taken off me and returned to me. If you're planning a designer splurge in the near feature make sure you include a visit to Armani (on Ingram Street), even if just to see the beautiful store in real life.

Next up was a personal styling event at Topshop hosted by Sheri Scott (aka Forever Yours Betty). I've always known that personal styling was available at Topshop but if I'm frank I thought it wasn't suited to me. I'm definitely not the most stylish person in the world but I've always felt confident that I dress well. Uneducated on the service, I thought personal styling was a completely clueless shoppers service however after this event I gotta say I've been converted. 

Not only was I in love with every outfit the team pulled together I'm also feeling reassured that booking into personal styling doesn't mean you HAVE to spend money. I think that this is probably an off putting factor for a lot of people but this couldn't be further from reality. The personal styling team are there to simply enhance the Topshop shopping experience and this is a perk I'm hoping to give a whirl in the near future.  

With sans-jacket temperatures creeping onto our weather gauge this weekend (fingers crossed), The Body Shop launch feels very fitting. Say hello to the brands new very yummy scented Pinita Colada range. Available in everything from body scrub to body butter this new scent ticks all the right boxes for me. I'm hoping to plan a last minute holiday and the body butter from the range is fo'sure making its way onto my holiday packing list. 

While I was at the event I also picked up the Instablur primer which I'm loving so far. I'm hoping to do a beauty haul of my fave products soon so stay tuned! 

Last up but certainly not least was the 70th anniversary for Remnant Kings. For anyone who lives in Glasgow and has ever dabbled in DIY, or even a makeshift Halloween costume, will know the store well. To celebrate the milestone the brand collaborated with London's biggest and best fabric store - Liberty of London to create their very own print. You can see the new print below (named 'Kings Meadow') which is available exclusively at all Remnant Kings stores. 

What I loved most about this event was seeing how much the stores and brand meant to the family who run it. The store has stayed within the one family for the entire 70 years and it's clear to see how passionate they are about their store and customers.

I'd love to know if you liked this type of post or prefer I keep events separate. 

I'm feeling pretty smug today as I've got a long weekend ahead of me with lots of exciting plans. It's a chilled one today but then The Boy and I are heading up north to visit my cousin and her BF. I'll be sure to take lots of snaps and share our weekend with you soon. 

Happy weekend folks!

XoXo

Coachella stylin' in the city

It's here! Festival season is upon us and we're kicking off with a pretty big one this weekend - Coachella, of course. Queue desert sunsets, metallic tattoos and epic hippie/western styling filling up our Instagram feeds. Whether you like it or not there's no escaping the 'what's hot' and 'who's hot' at the celeb hangout over the next two weeks. Despite being hugely jealous that I will once again be spending Coachella weekend in rainy Glasgow as opposed to the Palm Springs desert (come on 2017, please be my year), there's no denying that the festival is the best inspiration for festival styling for the summer ahead. But who's to say your favourite festival garment has to hang in your closet until you're enjoying music in a muddy field? No one, that's who. And well, here I bring you onto today's look.

After being approached by Boohoo to take part in their blogger suede campaign *cheesy grin creeps on to face*  I decided to take this flirty fringe skirt and create a city look with a nod to Coachella. I went for a relaxed evening look with an oversized shirt and heels that would be perfect for date night or a few cocktails with the ladies. I love how sophisticated the look is and to think how different this piece could look at a festival majorly excites me. I don't have any festivals in the calendar (yet!) but I do have two trips to Hampden Park to enjoy the queens of pop themselves - Beyonce and Rihanna - and there's no doubt that this skirt will be making an appearance for one of them. The skirt also comes in a blush colour which I think would look fab against a tan.

 Skirt - Boohoo

Shirt - Forever 21

Belt - Moschino

Bag - H&M (old)

Shoes - (from my mother!)

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I've actually got a free weekend with no plans and I couldn't be happier. Definitely a weekend of movie marathons, pampering myself and long lies in bed. Sheer bliss. 

XoXo

Some me time

In my day to day life, I'm surrounded by people at almost every hour of the day. I love being in the company of my loved ones more than anything in this world but occasionally I crave a little alone time - you know, just a wee hour here or there to walk around the house naked... JOKES! Don't worry there's no Rachael Green naked strutting going on at the Ahmad/Reid household.  What I really spend my time doing is painting my nails, listening to music, scrolling Insta and reading a magazine. So when The Boy told me he was going to Liverpool for a few days of work I decided to request a holiday, pack my bags and follow him down south. Woop.

There's nothing better than a new set of PJs to set you off for a weekend of, well lets face it, slobbin! I'm quite picky when it comes to choosing my sleeping attire - they have to first and foremost be comfy AF. This is actually a general rule for everything I wear in life.... sucking in your stomach for nine hours of the day is not my idea of fun. If it ain't comfy I ain't wearing it! Secondly, they need to be pretty - when I'm not looking my best I want something that will act as a good distraction from my shockingly pale face and scruffy hair. Finally, they need to be cheap because who wants to spend lotsa $$$ on something they sleep in.

I've recently become obsessed with silk pyjamas, I personally thing they look so chic on. Plus, you probably wouldn't think it but they're actually really cosy and for a cold blooded soul like myself this is essential. I couldn't believe my eyes when I spied this pair in Primark the other day. Silky, cute pattern and at a bargain price of £9, I was sold.

I've completely fallen in love with Liverpool. I think I can go as far as saying it's my favourite city outside of Glasgow. We're staying at The Hilton at Albert Docks and I would highly recommend staying here if you ever visit the city- it's the perfect location.

It's our last day here and my schedule is wide open so if you have any recommendations of where I should take my little booty today I would love to hear them?


XoXo