Spent a wonderful weekend in Manchester drinking wine (see reference pic) and swanning around the set of Friends.
Perhaps the only show that I've remained faithful to, I cannot tell you how excited I was to sit on that velvet orange sofa and sing 'smelly cat' to my heart's content - you can witness the joy here.
I was surprisingly impressed by how good the whole experience was - the highlight had to be seeing Rachel's 18 page love letter to Ross (front and back!)
I have to say that I'm not an avid dress wearer - especially of ones that venture out of my slightly gothic comfort zone (I actually referred to myself as a summertime goth yesterday in response to a question about my outfit on a v. sunny British day.)
However, there was something about this one from Lightinthebox that caught my eye; well, everything about it. Having been very kindly asked to pick out a few pieces, I knew this had to be one of my choices - the embroidery is so detailed, with the insects and cut out shoulders to keep that edginess. I am very much looking forward to twirling around in this across the pond avec baguettes and white wine.
I don't really know what I did before dry shampoo.
I seem to remember trying to use baby powder, as well as various other household items to add some life to my third-day hair.
When Batiste first entered my life it seemed too good to be true - something which saves time, energy and a bad hair day sounded like a dream. Not something you could buy from Superdrug.
However, Batiste was quick to become been a bottom of the bag, night out, morning after saviour; a frequent last minute purchase before the nearest Boots closes.
So when I got to test out their newest release - a dry shampoo and conditioner - I was all over it.
So what's it designed to do?
-Provide 18-hour conditioning, ideal for dry and damaged hair
- Target excess oil, without leaving a white residue
- Hydrate hair and give smoothness
How do you use it?
Much like dry shampoo, you give the can a little shake and spray it all over the lengths of your hair, before shaking it out.
However, with the conditioning aspect, you're instructed to avoid the roots.
I've added a poorly edited video to illustrate this.
So what did I think?
First of all the scent.
The one I tried was cocoa and cashmere, which smells divine and seems a little more grownup than the usual Batiste scents (I need all the help I can get).
One of the key marketed benefits of 2 in 1 is the lack of residue. Whilst my blonde counterparts had little problem with the original dry shampoo, it would leave me looking like Morticia Adams before brushing out (I'm a closet goth, so not an issue). True to word, this leaves no residue in my hair, nor any indication of what I'll look like in a couple of decades time.
Texture wise, my hair does feel a lot softer and smoother, as well as giving it a little boost. I spent yesterday on a TV set with my hair covered in hair spray and this seemed to hydrate my hair to a satisfying degree.
One thing I would say is that it doesn't give me the same amount of volume I'd get from original dry shampoo - although that's not what it's designed for, I think I just associate Batiste with volume.
However, if it's smooth and hydrated hair you're after, I would definitely give this a whirl.
I remember it being said to me over and over again. An artist doodling in the confined spaces of the maths exercise book or an author writing a ten-page novel in the back of a car. It's funny how those words never meant much at the time, simply because they were said so often. Being told that I was capable of anything and everything seemed like a natural part of my existence.
Seemed - past tense - being the operative word.
Don't get me wrong, I've had the best time growing up. I've had some amazing adventures and met some of the best people. Yet it's left me with a sort of emptiness, an almost homesickness for somewhere I never quite got to.
I've never really had a true, clean cut goal. Despite being ambitious, I've never really been able to channel that ambition to carve out a clear target. I've envied those friends that seemed to follow their chosen pathway with ease and have ended up doing the thing they always wanted to do. I wish I could have been the person that studied the thing they love and slots into a life that suits them, even if they didn't know it existed.
It's strange how at eighteen, you're really no different physically or mentally, and yet you're forced to make all of these decisions that dictate the rest of your life. That said, it's comforting how we're all ultimately in the same boat, trying not to capsize.
Although I'm far from unhappy, I'm far from where I want to be. I think I just need to work out just where that is.
Do you wish you had a map to take you through life?
