The Glasgow Vintage Co.

Since moving to the West End of Glasgow, a regular weekend activity is what i like to call 'Vintage Cocktails'.  Basically vintage shopping and cocktails.

Vintage shop, cocktail, vintage shop, cocktail ... you get the idea?

The west end is awash with vintage boutiques, all unique in their own style.  However, there is one that stands out as my favourite not only for it's authentic and quirky aesthetic but it's one the few vintage shops left in the west end offering reasonable and realistic prices for it's wares.

The Glasgow Vintage Co. is the sister store of Watermelon ... both located on Great Western Road.  Situated over 2 floors, ther are a plethora of goods on offer for women, men and children catering to all tastes.  The layout is spacious with women on top (aherm) and the men's section downstairs in the basement. 

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This magical emporium is decorated with a vintage bike, suticases, ornate mirrors and plush curtains in the fitting rooms.  There are shoes, bags and dresses adorning the walls and hanging from mirrors.  Jewellery is draped over an old fashioned dresser and you can find suitcases sporadically placed filled with belts, scarves and hats.

And it's not any old junk on offer, this is quality garments, hardwaring leather goods and timeless classics.  In fact, my husband and I stumbled across a stunning navy Burberry trenchcoat in the mens department ... unfortunately, it was a little on the long side for my other half and after much deliberation we left it behind ... and headed for a cocktail instead :) 

 

Vintage stores have become such a trend that sometimes they can be a little intimidating but The Glasgow Vintage Co has a welcoming atmosphere and are non judgmental to their customers.  I find in some shops if you aren't 'cool' enough or 'vintage' enough you can get some disparaging looks from both the owner and other customers. You can tell some retail experience is behind the success of The Glasgow Vintage Co, there is a real feel for the customer and what they want.

You can find The Glasgow Vintage Co located at 453 Great Western Road, close to Kelvinbridge Underground.  Definitely worth a visit.

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Style Crush: Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Hmmm, it's not often that I take inspiration from what is essentially a prostitute... but the styling on ITV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl is turning Billie Piper into Britain's style version of Carrie Bradshaw. 

I love the chic, retro feel about Belle's outfits and how it contradicts the judgment that comes with being an 'escort' by emulating absolute class and sophistication with a fun and quirky edge.

Palazzo jumpsuit, fur cape, hair bow - busy but beautiful

Mad Men-esque

I love how she is wearing the red Mulberry bayswater with all these outfits .... realistically not all of us can afford multiple designer bags so despite her ... aherm ... 'different' career choice, Billie Pipers character is still representative of the 'real woman' in the fashion stakes ... kinda.  

And all this is before even considering some of the amazing underwear she prances about in.  Even if some of the sex scenes from Secret Diary of a Call Girl make me cringe/gag, i'll still be watching just to see what she's wearing (or not depending what part of the programme i'm tuned into!).

Do rate Belle's style?

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Releasing my inner Dali ... with Diet Coke and Nails Inc

I mentioned on twitter yesterday that this weekend I would be getting crafty and creative for my sister in laws hen night in a few weeks.  I will keep those crafty plans a secret just now but if all goes well I will be sharing the results of my blingtastic creation in a couple of weeks.

I had forgotten about was another outstanding project ... a challenge to bloggers set by Nails Inc in conjunction with the latest collaboration with Diet Coke.  The task, to decorate a bottle of diet coke using the new shades from the collection and a some sparkling and pretty decorations as sent to me by Nails Inc.

In keeping with my leopard print nail that I blogged about here and my absolute love for animal print, I decided to take this bottle to the wild side.

It actually took all my might not to drink this as I love diet coke and I am currently finding it very difficult to wean myself off it!

I used denim and caramel on the below the diet coke logo with heather grey leopard spots and pink diamantes for a bit of frosting.  Above the logo I used heather grey and plum with caramel leopard spots and pearl decoration.  The cap was not left out either - now suitably adorned with pearls and sparkles.

Now it's far too pretty to drink from so getting creative has actually helped my diet coke addiction! :)

If you are one of the bloggers who was also prompted to get creative, link me up to your bottle designs in the comments, I would love to see what you came up with.

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Jonathan Saunders at Glassworks Studios

I have long been a fan of Jonathan Saunders.  There is always a sense of pride in us Scots when one of us does well and boy has Jonathan done good!

In fact in a former life I knew Jonathan but thats a whole other story... nowadays my insight to the life of this fantastic artist is through his designs of geometric, bold, colourful and architectural beauty.

There is something so modern and cutting edge about his designs and yet many of his bold geometric patterns remind me of art deco architecture of the 1940s.

You may remember last year I blogged about Glassworks Studios, an online fashion and lifestyle boutique who stock the best of todays contemporary designers making them readily available to the fashion conscious professional woman.

Well this week they welcomed some new collections to their already enviable online portfolio of designers and Jonathan Saunders just happened to be one of them.  Stocking his floral mosaic designs, Glasswork Studios have started with a small collection of Jonathans work but rich in colour and pattern.

You can view the collection here at Glassworks Studios and you can also view Jonathan's fabulous Spring Summer 2011 here on his own website.  It is to die for, patterns and brights alongside muted hues accented with oranges and yellows... simply gorgeous!

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Chanel Rouge Noir Dupe?

My favourite nail colour ever is the cult Chanel polish, Rouge Noir.  I have been wearing it since I was around 15 and for me it beats any other Chanel shade that has ever been released since.  As a teenager I had a poster on the inside of my wardrobe simply of a rouge noir adorned hand cupping a white rose - that's how much I obsessed over this polish.

To be honest I am not a fan of the consistency or quality of Chanel polish.  I find it chips easily and can be a little on the gloopy side, however I can put up with these insignificant details when it comes to achieving this delectable hue.

I don't like the price of Chanel nail polish so I am always after a cheaper alternative.  Lots of brands have tried to emulate the red based black of rouge noir for many years but none have managed to get that exact shade of dried blood that inspired the cult classic. Either too red or too purple, sometime just too black.

After repeated disappointment I stopped actively seeking out a dupe many moons ago and stayed faithful to my pricey Chanel.  However, a few nights ago I was rooting through my jungle of nail colour when I stumbled across this shade from drugstore brand N.Y.C.  I had completely forgotten I owned this colour ... obviously purchased then somehow lost it in the plethora of colours in my hidey hole. 

N.Y.C in Lincoln Center is pretty much an exact match for rouge noir.  You can see how similar they are sitting side by side in the bottle and even on the nails, to the untrained eye they are the same polish. 

Differences I notice on application is that N.Y.C formulation is thinner and a little runny.  It takes 2 coats to get the opaque gorgeousness of rouge noir but I went the extra mile and put a 3rd coat on.  I have not had even a hint of a chip and best of all, this polish seems to make my nails feel really hard and strong.  Something my nails are definitely not.  It dries super fast hence the name 'Quick Dry Nail Polish' ... promising to dry 'in a New York minute'.

On the other hand Chanel is a lot thicker to the point of gloopiness.  You can get away with one coat but I usually apply 2.  It isn't the quickest drying and also stays tacky for a while after, which i put down to the thick consistency.  As mentioned before, chipping comes thick and fast sometimes after just a few hours.

Chanel bottom, NYC top

 So how does this measure up price wise?

Chanel £17

N.Y.C £2.59

Ah this is a no brainer for me.  Despite being in love with Chanel on a whole even I can't justify the price against with the dissatisfaction of the products performance when I can get the colour I love so much for a fraction of the cost.

Even if rouge noir isn't your thing, I would definitely recommend you try an N.Y.C polish.  I will certainly be investigating the rest of their colour spectrum and at such a bargain price I can afford to pick up a few at the same time :)

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Berry Lips

I haven't always been obsessed with lipstick. 

In fact I only started wearing it properly about 2 or 3 years ago.  Before that I was attached to my lipgloss... preferably a Lancome juicy tube. 

These days I prefer a brighter, bolder definition on my smackers and since my last post  was about taking care of your lips I thought I'd show you one of the shades I have been getting great wear from at the moment but definitely needs a smooth lip.

It's Estee Lauders Extravagant Berry.  The sister to Extravagant Red which I wore in this post.  Estee Lauder lipsticks really are gorgeous in both colour choice and moisturising qualities.  This colour in particular is very long wearing.  It fades subtly through the day but it takes hours before a reapplication is required.

This is a gorgeous winter colour and I am trying to make the most of it before all the bright spring/summer colours are more acceptable to wear ... can't say I haven't started wearing them already.  In fact there is one gorgeous colour I am dying to share and I will get round to it soon.

 

These photos are pretty bad quality wise but I am sure you get the jist of what a gorgeous colour this is.  

I seem to go through stages of either lipstick or eyeshadow for that burst of colour to the complexion and just now is a definite lipstick phase.  It's such a simple and easy way to completely change your look.

Is anyone else getting their bright lippies ready for the spring/summer?

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Kissable lips with Nivea Hydro Care

Can you believe we are already in February? ... the month of Luuurrrvve!

That's right Valentine's Day is just around the corner and if you want to be guaranteed of a smooch on the most loved up day of the year, you better get those smackers in tip top shape.

I'll be honest Valentine's Day isn't sold on me but soft, supple, kissable lips is.

On Valentines day I hope to be stealing a kiss from this man ....

My husband - schwing! :)

... who comes a close second to this man ;) ...

James Franco ... Double Sch-wiiiing! ;)

...Keep dreaming!

I have been using Nivea Hydro Care Lip salve for the past 2 weeks now having been sent it for review purposes.  I had been suffering from dry lips due to the cold snap but during the day I never remember to apply a lip salve or balm to lips, usually opting for another coat of gloss which in fact ends up drying out lips even more.

I apply Nivea Hydro Care at night time before going to bed and also keep it sitting on my desk at work during the day to remind me to use it when lips are feeling particularly dehydrated.  This is a lovely salve to apply and doesn't layer on too thick at all.  It leaves a nice shine and a moisturising, hydrated feeling on the lips.  After a few days my dry lips had greatly improved, therefore the bright lipstick has come out instead of my neutral cover up I have been sporting for the past while.

Because it quickly absorbs and is non greasy it makes a good balm to wear underneath a lipstick, especially brights if you want to tone them down a little or prevent them from drying out your lips.

Nivea Hydro Care is available at Boots for around £2.

So who's your dream lip locker this V Day?

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