The Girl with the Big Hair

Sunday, 1 November 2015

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

Getting fit the fun way

At the beginning of the year I set myself a challenge (or new years resolution if you will) to have fun with fitness. After joining a gym at the beginning of 2014 to get fit for my sisters wedding I wanted to experiment with exercise and find something that didn't leave me clock watching my entire workout.

First up was hot yoga. Feeling inspired by all the yogis on my Instagram feed I signed up for a 30 day trial at Bikram Yoga in Glasgow's West End. Even though I wanted to love the class there was a little incident that left me wary. Let's just say that half way through the very sweaty 90 minute class the room went dark, my face went white and I was told to 'SIT DOWN'.... lol. So, after my first near-fainting experience I really felt myself holding back and to be honest just not enjoying the class as much as I hoped.

Next up is one of my greatest loves - dancing. I managed to find an amazing teacher called Yasmin (fabulous name if I do say so myself :P) who teaches a contemporary / hip hop style class on a Monday night. Every week there is a new routine and I always LOVE her choreography. Me and the bestie also tried out her heels class - I couldn't believe how hard this was! After watching this amazing French trio effortlessly strutting it out to Beyonce I didn't think it would be too difficult but oh how wrong I was - dancing in heels is a lot harder than you would think! I've not been to Yasmin's class in a few months but I'm hoping to go back in the next few weeks.

Last week, I was invited along to Air Space to try out one of the Freestyle Fitness classes - I had no idea these even existed! Having only been to the trampoline centre once before I was more than excited to bounce my way to fitness and well, just have fun! After going over a quick five minute safety briefing we were directed out onto one of the courts (I think this was one of the dodgeball areas). The class was broken up with a 10 minute warm-up (off trampoline), 40 minutes of circuit style exercises (on trampoline) and a 10 minute cool down (off trampoline). For me, bouncing about on a trampoline is fun in itself so each exercise had me smiling (or laughing) from ear to ear. We had a guy named Liam as our instructor and he was amazing! He really pushed everyone but more importantly, he made sure we were having fun. To top it off, the centre had their own DJ who blasted out a superb mix. If there is one thing that keeps me going it is some upbeat, loud, music.

Jill and I had the best time at the class and we're already scheduling in our next visit. Freestyle Fitness costs £10 which I think is a little pricey for a fitness class however we were given a loyalty card which entitles you to a free class on your fifth visit. So, really if you think about it, the class only costs £8 per session which I'm more than happy to pay.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, each class burns between 500-1000 calories....BONUS!

XoXo

Interiors update - Next Home

If you're lucky enough to have control over decorating your home I'm sure you are with me when I say home shopping brings nothing but sheer joy and excitement into my life. Home shopping, for me, is generally a happier experience than clothes shopping. Perhaps it's because I'm less fussy when it comes to dressing my home than I am dressing myself, either way, me likes those home stores. A lot.

I have no problem what so ever spending my hard earned cash but for some strange when it comes to spending money I've been gifted I'll ummm and awww for ten minutes before me and my £20 voucher that I got for my birthday three months ago head back home together once again. So, before the house warming money and Next voucher The Boy and I had sitting on our kitchen shelf remained unspent for another weekend we headed to the Next sale to see what we could find. With winter on its way and a curtain-less patio door in our living room it was perfecting timing.

Unfortunately I didn't find any curtains in the sale but I did come across a few other treasures that I simply couldn't leave behind. Lets just say once the spending started I couldn't stop myself until it was all gone.

So, here I share with you my first homeware haul and potentially a little home inspo.

To fit in with our colour scheme, I was on the search for a pair of grey curtains. I came across this satin set with a silk border at the top. I couldn't believe the price - £55!! - and that wasn't even in the sale. Sorry I did't get a picture of them hanging up but hopefully you can visualise.

I'm a sucker for the latest trend and have fell head over heels for the marble and copper trends that have been going about. I spied this real marble frame in the sale and had to take it home with me. I think I only paid about a fiver for this - bargain.

I also picked up these adorable copper bowls. My little cousin gifted us with a set of copper wine glasses that I knew these would go perfectly with. I plan on debut-ing my little bowls next time I have my friends over for a few glasses of wine and nibbles.

I picked up this second frame as I liked the minimalistic style and thought it was quite unusual. I recently went through a traumatising iOS update in which I lost all of my 10,000 photos - yep, 10,000!!, so I've learned the hard way the importance of backing up your photos or get them printed. I prefer the latter so have set myself the task of getting my photos printed and either framed or put into a memory book.

I happened to have a few pictures lying about the house and these two made the cut. I didn't notice it at first but The Boy and my dad are wearing almost matching stripey tops and most likely the same age in the pictures .....weird!!

I love candles and how they fill a room with your favourite scent but my mum managed to convince me to try out a diffuser. I was never convinced that they would work but I've had it up for a few weeks now and it really does make the home smell fresh all day long.

Last but not least we picked up a pasta drainer. I'm sure anyone who knows me reading this will be SHOCKED to find out that this is not a second strainer I have picked up. That's right, Mrs Pasta-lover herself has lived for five months without the one kitchen utensil she absolutely needs. Lets just say I lost a few pasta tubes down the drain while trying to drain my pasta with a large spoon or pot lid.

I love all of my new home pieces and have already found myself re-routing towards the Christmas home department in most stores. Laura Ashley have some INCREDIBLE home bits that I just need to have. November is an acceptable time to start shopping Crimbo, isn't it?

XoXo

We like caged heels

Hey folks - happy weekend!

For the first time in what feels like FOREVER I have no plans for the entire weekend... Say what?! I'm actually so excited about this... It's a little sad.... Sorry how old am I?

Anyway I wanted to share a few snaps from a day out in Edinburgh last weekend. My cousin Naomi was down for the weekend and it was my other cousin Nadia's b-day so what better excuse for a little day out in Edinburgh. Me, the two cousins and all the BFs jumped on a train to Edinburgh, mini proseccos in the bag, ready for a day of lunch and cocktails. After a recommendation from my friend Tessa we decided to head to The Huxley bar and Sygn bar. After scooping down a lovely glass of prosecco with a touch of Edinburgh raspberry gin (my fave and if you're a Gin drinker you gotsta try it!) at The Huxley we headed to Sygn bar - thankfully only a 5 min walk away. After we made our way through the cocktail menu and devoured some delicious food we headed back West. I have to give a thumbs up to bar staff at Sygn - once our waitress realised it was my little cousins birthday she brought over a flaming tiki drink and card signed by ALL of the bar staff - soo lovely!!

Caged heels are definitely the shoe to be wearing at the moment if us girls are anything to go by. My cousins and I were close to spending the day together in the exactly same pair of Public Desire heels (similar) until Naomi switched hers for a different style (ironically still Public Desire and still caged).

I decided to make the most of the good weather and got my pins out. I wore a pair of faux leather baggy shorts from H&M (similar), a white blouse from Zara and a grey waistcoat from New Look.

I always love a visit to the capital. If you have any recommendations of bars, restaurants or attractions I would love to hear them!

Here's to a weekend of comfy PJs, watching movies and making music videos of myself on Musical.ly - if you download one app this weekend make it this one. It's the best fun you'll have! Who doesn't want to star in their own music video?!

XoXo

Ready for Autumn

Say hello to the first official day of Autumn!!

Despite the drizzly, grey weather we woke up to this morning, Glasgow is back to basking in some of the BEST Autumn weather, ever. Yesterday, as I was driving home from work (listening to a little Smooth FM because why not?) I started to think about Autumn and why I am LOVING it this year - deep thoughts for a car ride on my lonesome, I know.

The non-summer we got this year probably has a big part to play but I'm ready to embrace the new season with open arms and here’s a few of my reasons why…

Waking up to sunshine! It sometimes feels like we live under a permanent rain cloud in Glasgow so it’s been simply lovely to have numerous days (in a row!!) where the sun is shining.
Chilly mornings and warm afternoons – I lurve the way it looks winter-y in the morning before turning out to be a gawjus day.
Autumn colours – so far I’ve received not one but two (!) Autumn bouquets and I just love the orange/red tones. Falling leaves is also a personal highlight – especially when you get to walk over crunchy ones on a cold day. Is anyone else overly satisfied with the noise of crunchy leaves?
A/W fashion – again this is another nod to the weather but I love how it’s actually possible to wear Autumn fashion. Us Scots are normally forced to transition straight into winter gear whether we like it or not, but not this year. Autumn for me means getting to embrace light layering, to wear scarves and sunglasses or go bare legged with a cosy knit jumper.

Last week, I got an insight into what Debenhams have coming up for A/W. Sneaking off from the office for a rather fun lunch break, my colleagues and I jumped in a taxi and headed to The Blythswood Hotel for the A/W press show. Chunky boots, aviator jackets and glittery accessories were just some of the highlights for me. We also got to see new Nine by Savannah Miller collection which everyone was pretty excited for. I have a thing for khaki at the moment so I’m digging the green ‘Cara’ bag. There is also a gorgeous trilby hat and grey wrap cardigan that are perfect for the new season.

After checking out all the fashion we headed to the beauty room to enjoy a little mid-afternoon pamper. While the girls enjoyed getting their nails done I headed over to see the girls from Murad and somehow got myself in to getting a skin analysis from a rather odd looking contraption – the name has completely gone from my head. After getting a few snaps of my cheek the results were in and I’m not going to lie I was pretty horrified by what appeared on the screen – envision black marks, red scanning and yellow blotches all over your face. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as it looked and overall my skin was pretty good in terms of pigmentation, redness and spots (shocked to say the least!). I did find out however that the skin under my eyes are seriously lacking moisture and after seeing how my eyes will look in five years if I don’t start using an eye cream I’ve pushed an eye cream to the top of my priority list.

If you use an eye cream that you love let me know – would love some tried and tested recommendations!

XoXo

Santorini snaps

When I think about heaven on earth, there is only one place that pops into my mind and that's Santorini. Well, Santorini and a room made entirely of chocolate - but that's pretty obvious. Seriously though, Sanotrini is like no other place I've ever visited. Those dreamy sunsets I googled so much before jetting off were even more beautiful in real life. Every view is just, uh, there are no words...

In our short six days there we indulged in yummy food, watched an incredible sunset every, single night (and a surprise sunrise after a rather late night out), went on a boat trip, hired quads and of course, attended my friends beautiful wedding. Santorini is so romantic and definitely a wedding hotspot!

I think I took around 700 pictures on my iPhone, no joke. But to be fair a lot of these were triple, duplicates, taken from a slightly different angle, with/without people or with a pout, smile or stickey out tongue. The reality of my iPhone photo gallery....

So I don't overload you with pictures I've cut it down to give a little peek at what we got up to during our week in Santorini. Pictures from the good camera are coming soon and there may even be a GoPro video montage.

Arriving in Santorini

The view from our apartments. We stayed at the Agnadema Apartments. which I would highly recommended! It was in the centre of Firostefani which I rate as the best spot to stay in on the island.