How I got my job: Fashion PR
The Aer Blowdry
Aer Blow Dry Bar, 172 Old Brompton Road, SW5
I only got my first real job-job last summer and up to then I'd been spending every single one of my spare pennies on commuting to London (and my spontaneous American road trip) so having great, sleek and blow-dried hair was a luxury I'd never really treated myself to. I think this was mainly due to having a quite unrealistic idea on how much one would cost if I'm totally honest: Aer's are a very reasonable £35, with upstyles costing £45 and packages of 6 or 12 blowrdys available to purchase (I'm SO tempted to invest in one of these!!)
The salon's interior decor is perfectly pretty: with pintrest-able pots of plants, gold trimmed mirrors, blush pink tiles and a pun-ny neon sign. Blowdry stations run along the wall, with two cute tables in the centre of the salon featuring sliding mirrors: enabling you to sit and gossip whilst getting your hair did.
I visited Aer with my friend Alice, whilst I opted the 'London' style (promising 'big loose waves') from the iPad filled with blowdry options and updo's Alice asked for sleek loose curls.
As a blowdry novice I was totally enchanted by the amount of hair brushes that were assembled in my hair to create this look: we counted seven in total. I definitely wouldn't advise attempting to recreate this at home, as it will most certainly end up with at least one brush totally and utterly stuck in your hair.
We had such a fun evening, the team were so friendly and sweet: ensuring that Alice's fringe was dried and styled how she likes it (there's nothing worse than leaving a hair dressers hating you hair - we've alllll been there), whilst also giving me tips on how to maintain volume in longer-length hair.
Aer's conveniently open from 7:30am on week days, closing as late as 8:30pm of Friday's enabling you to get a pre-meeting or wedding blow dry in the early hours, late before a spontaneous date or even as a treat on your lunch.
If you've already broken all your well-intended new years resolutions, make one you'll keep and treat yourself to a blow dry. I definitely will be :)
The concealer edit
A
great concealer can make all the
difference. The right one should brighten shadowy areas, disguise blemishes
and, when paired with your favourite foundation provide an even, smooth and
flawless skin tone: something often easier said than done.
Finding
the right one to suit your skins specific needs can often be a whole mission in
itself, I’m constantly on the search for one either to brighten my tired eyes
or hide a horrid blemish. I’ve tried a fair few and thought I’d share a
breakdown of what I apply and where. Along with a few little reviews of all my
all-time favourite concealers for good measure…
Under-eye dark circles
Before
applying anything to this area ensure it’s well hydrated with an eye cream, my
favourite is Clinique’s All About The Eyes (£26.50). Simply apply a
small amount with a fingertip around the eye area, this moisture rich product
helps to boost the skin’s natural production of collagen whist also de-puffing
with calming botanical ingredients – a dream. Once your eyes are happy and
hydrated apply a creamy concealer such as Rimmel’s Wake Me Up Concealer (£5.49) in a
shade lighter than your foundation. Instead of following the shape of your dark
circles, try out an upside-down triangle before setting with translucent powder
to stop any nasty creases.
If
you’re looking for something extra special, Charlotte Tilbury’s Miracle EyeWand (£29), is the ‘dynamic duo’ that it promises to be. The double-ended
‘wand’ combines both hydration and lift and has quickly become my go-to
concealer. An eye cream on one end, infused with hyaluronic acid with an
illuminating light-reflecting concealer on the other.
*Be
wary of where you apply light-reflecting and brightening concealers as they
actually make blemishes more visible, mattifying products are much better for blemishes.
Redness
To minimise redness, colour
correcting concealers such as Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage (£26.50) and NYX’s 3c Palette (£10) are key. A yellow-tinted concealer is great for evening out skin tone and
covering mild red blotches: use a flat-headed brush to precisely tackle your
problem areas, such as around the nose and on your chin. For cheeks, foreheads
and larger surface areas a kabuki brush is best.
Blemishes
Benefit’s Boi-ing Concealer (£17.50) is the one concealer you need if you
suffer from horrible troublesome blemishes. Providing an absolutely complete coverage,
it’s mattifying properties camouflage imperfections and discolouration entirely.
I first tried Boi-ing early last year at Benefit’s Brow Bar and was so
impressed by the coverage that I immediately purchased a pot. The Benefit girls
apply Boi-ing around your brows following the wax and it completely covers and conceals all redness.
Pigmentation
A creamy concealer such as Nars' Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22) and Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Eclat Radiant Touch Highlighting Pen (£25) are a great alternatives to a heavy foundations which can often accentuate the areas you're trying to distract from. Products which help to create a build-able coverage work wonders, apply with a brush before using fingers to thoroughly blend around the edges.
5 Tips to see you out of your style rut
For the last two weeks I’ve worn one of my trusty coats with the simplest outfit underneath, every single day: Seemingly over Christmas I lost the ability to dress myself properly. Being a gross sneezy mess for the whole holiday definitely allowed myself to get far too cosy and now I have no creativity when dressing in the morning. It’s not fun, but then style ruts rarely are.
In my head I
have a very clear style and look that, if I had a more disposable income would
allow for whole new, sleeker look. Everyone I follow on social media always
looks so effortlessly put together, that I have a constant yearning for new
clothes as if they’ll help.
I don’t think
I particularly have a ‘set style’ and that is where I think the problem stems
from, I like to try out trends, challenge myself with fun pieces and get
inspired by the people around me. Sometimes I really like things that aren’t
necessarily me and it’s led to me having a lot of quite random pieces in my
wardrobe: which I feel guilty about neglecting but awkward when I wear them. As
I’m now sharing a little room with my boyfriend this has led to so much mess. I
can never decide what to wear and clothes are constantly all over the place
from my daily sartorial woes.
So, in an
attempt to get out of the horrid repetitive cycle of buying, never wearing , hating everything I own and
then buying more clothes, I thought I’d share my new approach to ensuring your
new-season purchases don’t end up in the charity bag before the seasons
started.
1, Clear
out your wardrobe
This is the
most therapeutic thing I’ve done in a long while. There’s something so lovely
about re-discovering those silly nostalgic pieces: that loveworn
lumberjack shirt from Reading ’09, the
Marc by Marc Jacobs shorts and countless birthday dresses (I have no actual
reasoning being keeping my each of my birthday outfits from the last five years...)
My clear outs never usually get to the charity that’s printed on the bin bag they very quickly fill up, rather going onto my sister, mum and aunt instead. However the bags are a great place to start: with a great intention.
I hate the
whole ‘if you haven’t worn it in six months bin immediately’ nonsense, it’s
such a flawed logic. I instead go by the mantra that if I can’t remember the
last time I wore it, felt gross in it, or my sister would look better in it
then it goes to her. It’s simple and really effective.
If you’re
looking for an incentive to your clear out, organise a swap shop or sale with
your friends, as they say ‘one gals old Toppers dress is another’s treasure.’ I
personally wouldn’t bother with eBay or car boot sales, I’d rather see an
unloved Zara shirt go to a friend than have to haggle for a measly £3.
2, Look
back at old photos
Obviously this one’s a little easier if you have a blog, or YouTube channel but simply looking through last year’s Facebook pictures is such a great way to see what worked best on you.
Knowing what
works on you is the key to feeling comfortable and confident in your look, make
a note of pieces that highlight your natural shape and what you wore on those
nights out when you had the best time.
Regardless of
whether outfits look a little outdated it’s such an easy way to see what works
for your body shape, be that a pencil or pleated skirt, ankle grazers or
flared jeans, bodycon or belted dresses. The list is endless but knowing what to
avoid and eliminate from your wardrobe and shopping list is a great starting
point.
3, Go shopping with a friend
99% of my clothes shopping is done either
on-line or alone in-store. I’m the person who always asks store assistants for
advice as I never manage to coordinate the time I have free to shop well enough
to go with friend. This is something I’m actively trying to rectify, as the
people who really know you give you
the best advice and always know if you will actually regret not purchasing that one item of clothing that's momentarily caught your eye.
Whilst boyfriends are really good at knowing what you won’t wear, mine doesn’t share my love of culottes or jumpsuits: which means a lot of the time I’m left realllly undecided on things.
Whilst boyfriends are really good at knowing what you won’t wear, mine doesn’t share my love of culottes or jumpsuits: which means a lot of the time I’m left realllly undecided on things.
The best way to have a successful shop is to
hit up a city center or shopping centre mid-week, that way you get to shop in
all of your fave stores without the crowds and queues that are inevitable at
the weekend. Oxford Street and Westfield’s Stratford are my two favourite
places to shop. Invite a friend along and make a full day of it.
To make the most out of your day shopping take
some snaps of outfits you like, or specific styles that you could create a
capsule wardrobe around with you. Stay focussed and avoid asking people for
their advice either on social media or in a WhatsApp groups as your picture
will inevitably showcase the piece in the most flattering angle: trust your pal
who can see the garment up close and from a realistic angle.
Try not to worry or panic if you don’t find anything. I’m SO guilty of purchasing pieces for the sake of it, and it never ends well. If you want to be super on it check online to see when new-stock is dropping instore and time your shop around then, but often the styles or cuts in-store simply aren’t you. It may be a little disheartening but that’s okay. Save your pounds and come back next week/month.
4, Create a Pinterest board
Pinterest is pretty new to me, I only really
got into it recently when researching for test shoots, but it’s so bloody
useful.
I’m trying to use it weekly to curate an
online edit of ‘things I’d like to wear’ and ‘new ways to wear things I currently own’ and it’s going pretty well. It never ceases to amaze me how you
can own a whole look and have never considered layering it how another person has, teaming it with a bold bag or shoe.
It’s a constant way to challenge and inspire
your creativity and if you too are also pretty late to the Pinterest party I’d
really recommend it, especially if you’re after an image overhaul. Simply start
up a general style board and pin all your favourite looks, accessories and
outfits and go from there. You’ll quickly see which way your style’s heading
and one of the great things about Pinterest is that you’re able to see what
things in your size look like, giving you a very realistic vision and
expectation of outfit’s simply by searching ‘(your size) outfits.’
5, Get a friend to dress you
This may be easier said than done but one of
my favourite things about nights out when I was younger (read as under-age) was
going to my best friend’s house and her and her elder sister dressing me up in
their clothes before we headed into town.
Each weekend I’d wear something I wouldn’t
have necessarily chosen for myself and have the best time. It’s really interesting to see what others
would style you in and what other’s think suits you best as it’s often something
so different to what you’d usually wear. There's no better opportunity to completely try out a whole new look, with the most minimal amount of commitment.
Tweet me @sarahrharrison to let me know how
you get out of your style ruts!
6 Resolutions for 2016
In the midst of writing this post I concluded that it's better for me to avoid resolutions, mainly because they feel almost too finite. I feel like they bring a ridiculous pressure and I end up really resenting them and almost enjoy breaking them - which is wholly against the purpose of them.
Therefore
I've decided upon six hopefully
realistic goals for 2016 that
I'm going to try my up-most best to achieve...some that I'm going to look back
at on days when I'm feeling pretty useless in the hope that I'll have achieved
at least one thing on my list.
1. GO
BACK TO AMERICA
As you're
probably very aware from the many, many USA
Vlogs that have taken me soo long to edit, Tyler and I finally made
it out to America in the summer. It was undoubtedly the best, most fun month of
my life (thus far). We visited my dearest American pals from University and
fell very much in love with LA. I'm SO keen to repay my parents for the trip
(interning for many years left me with absolutely no savings)
and get back out there. We're already discussing a possible trip to Miami in
the summer and NYC (again - as two days totally wasn't enough) in the winter.
*on a
slight side note, my current dream is to go to a screening of The Tonight Show
with Jimmy Fallon, so if it’s possible to do that whilst we’re there 2016 will
be a reaaaaaaal dream come true.
2. HIT
10,000 SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE
I was
having so much fun filming, editing and sharing videos with y'all last year and
I'm so excited to start again - my videos will be resuming next week instead of
this as I'm annoyingly a poorly peach suffering from some hideous allergies and
no one needs to be subjected to my puffy face on camera at the mo.
I’m
looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and have really high
hopes for 2016 on YouTube, 10,000 may be a little optimistic but I'm going to
give it my best shot. In the meantime ensure you're subscribed here.
3. GET
SOME ABS
This year I turn 25 and I'm determined that this will be the year that I won't have a total meltdown when summer comes around. My boyfriend's brother and his fiancĂ© are also getting married abroad in May and I'm on a huge health kick in preparation of that. I’ve started some ridiculous but effective workout on a treadmill where I lunge whilst lifting weights, which I’m hoping will leave me feeling less self-conscious in front of everyone around the pool.
4. BE
A BETTER PAL
I was
such a sneezy mess over Christmas that I sadly missed out on catching up with
friends from home I realllly want to make as much of the time I have
this year as I can. I’ve never been good at managing time and I’m always either running
a little late or leaving things to the absolute last minute. I’m hoping to
change that this year and use my time more effectively: catching up with old
friends and making time for new ones.
5. HIT
OVER 1K ON INSTAGRAM
I've
realllly started to care a lot, maybs
too much about my Instagram
grid. Despite always stressing over each image and caption, once it's up I quite
like the whole thing. I wasn't especially 'on it' last year so I'm currently at
799/800/803 - you know that horrible moment you fluctuate between a nice round
number and a not so nice round number... Instagram's definitely my most used
app so, as I'm aiming to be super productive this year it'd be nice to really
utilise it.
I'm
actively trying to be a lot more on it this year so, if you're not following me
already come say hi here, I'm @sarahrosegoes
6. BE
PRODUCTIVE
I think
all the years I spent interning, assisting and freelancing have left me
constantly feeling like I’m not doing enough. Even now with a full time job I
always feel like I should be doing more. I re-started this blog simply because
I felt like I was being so inactive and unproductive in fashion and beauty
related things whilst the USA vlogs were going up on my channel. This year I’m
hoping to do a test shoot once a month
What are
your goals for 2016? Comment below or tweet me @sarahrharrison to let me know :)
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