Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

I haven't worn my hair down in ages.  Most of the time these days I scrape it up into a top knot and it is only on the odd occasion I style it down.

Needless to say all that tying up of the hair is making my scalp a bit sensitive and I sometimes get the odd headache so I thought I would give it a rest today.

I didn't want to go through the old hoo ha of washing, drying, styling, straightening my hair malarkey so I left it to do what it wanted which was a bit of a messy mass on my head.  It needed something, so I dug deep in my drawer of hair goodies (yes, I do have a dedicated drawer, bag, and bathroom cabinet dedicated to hair products!) ...  and out came Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray.  

Now I bought this such a long time ago with the aim to use it on holiday but in the end it only got used on a handful of occasions, mainly because my hair wasn't quite long enough at the time to suit a tousled barnet and the fact that I wasn't completely sold on it. 

I have been told by many that this surf spray is the best out of legions of sea salt spray products but for me I am not too sure. 

True, it has given me the texture that was required for my already beach wavey hairstyle but I can't help feel that it doesn't actually add to the wave in my hair which is what I want it to do.  In fact, my hair probably had more wave before applying the spray.  I want to 'spray and scrunch' and appear to have naturally beachy locks.  

I am not sure Bumble & Bumble does this.  Texture is all it gave me and in some areas of my hair the texture seemed a little 'coated' so to speak, as if I had applied a tonne of 80's style hair spray.  

I think it's great for a temporary fix and would be a heck of a lot better if my hair had been pre curled but for effortlessly beach ready hair I think there has got to be something better out there.  I would use this spray again in the event that I don't find anything better and if my hair has been curled or waved prior to using it.

I have a few more similar products that I can test my theory on so I will endeavour to keep you posted.

What's your favourite sea salt hair product? 

x

Blythswood Square Spa

You might remember a few months ago I attended a blogger event hosted by Scottish Ballet at Glasgow's 5 Star Blythswood Hotel & Spa.

At the event Blythswood kindly gave us some complimentary passes to their Spa's Thermal Experience so a few weeks ago, I got round to booking a girly day at the spa with my 2 sisters in law, Esther and Katie.

First of all, when you enter Blythswood Hotel, it is impossible to escape how gorgeous it is.  It previously was home to the Royal Scottish Automobile Club which is reflected in it's contemporary decor while keeping many of the traditional and somewhat breathtaking aspects of the building.

We were directed down to the spa level which feels like entering another world in comparison to the glitz of the main hotel, plush yet zen like furnishings, dimmed mood lighting, relaxing scents and friendly informative staff greet you as you enter.  The staff couldn't be more helpful, directing us to the changing rooms where you have your own personal locker equipped with towels, flip flops, robe and a bottle of water for your convenience.  They have thought of everything!

As we wanted to make a day of it, we had also booked treatments but that wasn't before experiencing the exclusive Thermal Spa.

The Thermal Spa was a true chill out experience, with various rooms taking you from wet to dry, hot to cold, awakening the senses whilst refreshing the skin.  I loved the Saunarium - basically a sauna with a viewing window over the pool.  The crystal steam room, Laconium and Trepidarium where all favourites of mine as they smelled utterly gorgeous and had to be nearly snoozing on the tiled benches.

The hydro pool brought us a bit of fun with pink, green and blue froth bubbling up from behind and beneath us, while the vitality pool provided some cool down time.

We then moved on to our treatments.  Mummy to be Katie went for the special Ila mother-to-be package while Esther and myself went for the Anne Semonin Anti Stress Back Therapy.

Well, I tell you, I have never had my butt cheeks pumelled before so this was a first, I did mention I had some pain in my lower back so I guess it only made sense for the therapist to really go at it.  Odd at first, eventually I realised the benefit as I slowly felt the tension releasing.  As for Esther, this treatment went down as one of the best massages she has ever had, and she is a seasoned spa junkie so she is in a good place to judge.

Katie felt suitably chilled after her treatment and was pleased not to be driving so she could snooze all the way home given her state of utter relaxation after he mummy to be package.

And that's where it all ended, we left the spa quite late in the day with a cumulative decision to make the most of our pampered state and head home to bed.

It was the best sleep I have had in a long time!

I am already looking forward to my next visit to the spa but if you are in Glasgow/Edinburgh I definitely recommend a visit to Blythswood Spa.

x

Rock the Kasbah!

I simply can't take it anymore, I NEED a holiday, so this week I booked a cheeky week in Morocco.  Three nights in Marrakech, 4 nights by the coast in Essaouira.

Some twitter friends helped me finally make a decision with tales of their own great experiences in Morocco.  Sometimes you gotta just love twitter.

It goes without saying, I am now obsessing over blogs inspired by Marrakech, looking for the best places to go and see and also looking for some inspiration for my holiday wardrobe.

I plan on making like Jade Jagger, kaftaning it up and accessorising for a bit of glam.  Hippy chic is what I like to call it ;)

Hopefully I will get the best of both worlds by staying in a Riad in the centre of the Medina in Marrakech before moving on to somewhere more plush by the sea in Essaouira.  I have longed to visit Morocco since I was a teenager so this is a bit of a dream trip for me, not sure why I left it quite so long.

I would love to hear from anyone who has been, where you recommend going, seeing, doing etc ... I have quite a few ideas but I don't want to miss a thing!!

I look forward to well and truly rocking the kasbah ... can't come quick enough!

x

GIVEAWAY: Serenata Flowers

A couple of weeks ago, I received some fabulous news but I had to sit on it for a while before it could be officially announced.

Well, I've now been given the nod and so I can finally tell everyone that I am going to be an Auntie again! :D This is my 11th new nephew or niece but it never gets any less exciting.

My sister in law has gone through a long and tough battle to get to where she is so it is an absolute delight to be able to share in the joy of her baby news.  I want to send her something to mark how special this news is and to wish her luck along the way so it was good timing that a pleasant idea popped up in my inbox this week.

Serenata Flowers are an online florist who offer delivery throughout the UK and beyond.  As well as floral arrangements, wine, chocolates and hampers are also available for delivery.  It's a great solution to sending a gesture of love, thanks or just a hello to someone.  As well as being quick and convenient it's lovely to be able to browse for the perfect arrangement whether someone is near or far, knowing that it will be delivered to their door as the ultimate surprise!

Having a browse, I have picked out a couple of faves which I think my sis in law would love.

The Pamper Dream Package - Mums to be should always feel pampered!

Purple Moon - This is my sis-in-laws favourite colour - this arrangement just makes me think of her!

Norma Jeane - She is a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe - these could be perfect!

Asides my sister in law, Serenata have given me an exciting opportunity to offer to readers of Saskia the Style Fairy.

Serenata are giving away a floral bouquet of your choice up to the value of £30 plus p&p for someone in your life you think deserves a little surprise.  This giveaway in particular is only open to readers in the UK and will only be delivered within the UK so please keep this in mind when entering.

All you have to do to enter is:

a) Be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect (if you follow through other means, please let me know as this will suffice)
b) Leave a comment in the box, finishing the poem below in your own words.

"Roses are red, Violets are blue ... (the rest is up to you!)" 

You can be as funny or heartfelt as you like and I will pick out whose poem tickles me or brings a tear to my eye the most ...

The giveaway will be open until midnight Friday 31st July.

Good Luck!

* This post was sponsored by Serenata Flowers

ALICE TEMPERLEY FOR TWININGS WINNER!!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway ...

The winner of this very gorgeous scarf was chosen through Random.org which picked out number 9 .... 

Who happens to be the very lovely .... 

LAURA!

Well Done Laura! An email will drop be dropping by soon to request your address info :D 

Thanks again to all who got involved, hopefully more giveaways will be popping up soon. 

x

Reiss Wedges

I shouldn't have done it.

I had no money, nada.  But I somehow managed to acquire a new pair of wedges.

After wearing my black Dune wedges to death, it really was a safe purchase to buy another black wedge.

However, these are much cooler, edgier and dare I say it a little bit more dangerous than the Dune offering.

I absolutely love love love the zip back detailing in these wedges and have in fact been on the search for a pair with this kind of feature for a while.  The split tone suede, leather effect makes these wedges rather special along with their peeptoe which thankfully doesn't allow my tootsies to pop out and be overly exposed.

The danger aspect is the height of these wedges.  I haven't measured but they are certainly higher than any other wedges I own.  Despite this, they are still delightfully comfortable to wear.  The soles feel like they are cushioned making me walk with a little bit of a spring in my step.

Despite being on a spending ban, I made an exception for these beauts, considering they were in the sale,  I feel I got a bargain.

I can always excuse them as a late (v.late) birthday gift to myself! ;)

x

Motilo: Social Shopping Online

Only just last night I was doing a bit of online browsing and I took to twitter to find out opinions on a particular item I was lusting after.  Fortunately the consensus from my twitter buds was the thumbs up but it reminded me what a lonely experience online shopping can be.

Let's face it, we all live busy lives, some of us hectic lives so online shopping is often a preferred method and in many cases a plain necessity.  As convenient as it is to have a parcel of goodies sent to your home for your perusal and omitting the dreaded changing room mirrors and awful lighting, it is a shame to miss out on the social experience with your bestests that once upon a time, in simpler days, was just so much fun!

That's where Motilo.com comes in.  Launched in April 2011, Motilo is an online community where friends can share the shopping experience in real time using webchat or just normal online chat.  It basically fuses fashion forward retail therapy with the delights of social networking through an e-commerce platform.

You don't need to be a member of the site to use it but to make use of the social networking tools, Motilo have teamed up with facebook so you can log in through your facebook id.  Not only are they on facebook but you will also find them on Twitter.

Updated daily, items are chosen from hundreds of different international websites by Motilo stylists and you can create 'looks' from any of the pieces on the site.  You can share 'looks' of different outfits with friends and if you want you can choose to buy them.

Motilo is still currently in beta but they hope to launch version 2 by October.

I went a little bit click happy when I tried out the 'create a look' facility on Motilo.  I decided to style up a few looks for a holiday.  Something a little dressy, something for the beach and something that I could party in all night long and come straight home to the beach bar!

Statement dress with skyscraper sandals for an evening of glamour

I am all over high waisted bikinis this summer!

Looking good at the beach party taking you all the way through to the next day!! 

While Motilo is still in beta version you can still get involved and be among the first to try out and make use of the site so I will hopefully see some of you on there!  As well as that they also have a fantastic competition running at the moment to win a Mulberry bag ... you know you want to ... you can enter here and/or here!

Happy Shopping!

*post sponsored by motilo.com