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Well hello there fashionphiles! This is your official one day's notice to make you aware of Etsy's early deals that are starting October 23rd (that's tomorrow if you're reading this in real time). This year Etsy is really extending their sales so you will be able to grab deals for the next month at all participating shops! I will be running the following sales for the entire duration of the sale period through the end of November! Highland Fashionista Vintage - 25% off orders of $60 or more, and buyers in *participating countries (*US, UK, Germany and Canada) can make offers on items marked final sale. Puzz Factor Vintage Puzzles - 25% off orders of $40 or more, and *participating countries can make an offer on all shop items The Etsy early deals sale will be running site-wide, so there will be many participating shops, so come have a poke around and pick up some deals, grab a sustainable holiday outfit, and help support small businesses!

If you've been around the blog a while, you will already know that I am an unrepentant zombie movie nerd. Yes, they all start in the same manner; maybe some powerful organization tries to play God by manipulating some DNA until such time as there is a lab leak or someone gets bitten by a lab rat or an inattentive worker mislays a test tube or accidentally mixes some organic matter then tries to cover it up then inadvertently becomes patient zero, but of course meanwhile nobody wants to listen to the lone wolf but exceptionally hot epidemiologist warning of the coming plague that he or she may or may not have actually had a hand in creating...anyway, I know you know how this goes, we all do. For those of us who enjoy zombie fiction, It's not the plot of these movies that make them so fun to watch - like I said, everyone already knows what's coming. No, the fun lies in how they choose to unroll said plot. The sweet spot for any zombie movie is that time right in the beginning of the film where you are on tenderhooks with anticipation. The filmmakers have a blank slate at that point, and we as the audience are quivering with anticipation. How is this thing gonna start? Who will go first? How fast will it spread? Is it gonna be airborne? Will the undead be fast? Slow and shambling? Hungry for brains or just really, really angry? Is it going to take the traditional head shot to put them down? (Yes to that last one. Almost always.) This is the bit where the storytelling decisions are made, and often the place where filmmakers show us something we've seen a million times, only done in a different way that makes it feel new. And that my friends, is the zombie movie high we're all looking for. During the sweet spot of a zombie movie the plot turbo-accelerates, causing the lead characters (and the audience) to quickly learn about the characteristics of the zombies. As our protagonists get better at killing the zombies off, their (our) knowledge base of the undead grows, and the sweet spot begins to wane. The sweet spot is soon replaced by phase two - survival mode. In survival mode, the characters are met with the realization that in the wake of the apocalypse, there is a slice of the still-human population that is every bit as dangerous as the undead. This is the part of the film where you will dig into your ethical dilemmas, ranging from the manipulation of the natural world to how far one is willing to go to survive. It's about losing your humanity either by force, persuasion, or by voluntarily giving it away. There are themes of surviving vs living. There is always an ethical dilemma in a zombie movie - you didn't think you were going to get away from this without being accountable, did you? Such is the allure of the zombie movie. What's even better is that after all that, have I spoiled the plot for you? No I have not. Because as we've just learned, the plot is beside the point. With no further ado, I present to you some of my favorite zombie movies. Granted, this is not an exhaustive list, and if you've got some of your own, by all means please pop them into the comments. If I haven't seen any of of them (unlikely) I'll definitely want to watch them! Five of My Favorite Zombie Movies Night of the Living Dead (1968) Any zombie movie list that does not include the original Night of the Living Dead is simply incomplete. Night of the Living Dead is a film about a group of people trapped in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse, trying to survive a night of being attacked by what we now identify genre-wise as the undead. This film, written by George Romero and John Russo (and directed by Romero) seems entirely corny when watched through our modern lens, but it was considered highly controversial when it was released, due to the shocking and graphic subject matter. That notwithstanding, the film quickly became a cult favorite, grossing 12 million domestically and 18 million internationally, making it one of the most profitable films of its time. Since then, Night of the Living Dead has occupied the primo spot as one of the most important horror films to really help create and shape the genre. Additionally, this film is often discussed in academia for its reflection of the socio-cultural changes that were sweeping America in the 1960s. 28 Days Later (2002) In addition to being completely and utterly terrifying, this 2002 film (written by Alex Garland and directed by the incomparable Danny Boyle) is credited for breathing new...er..."life" into the undead genre. Boyle's zombies are fast. Like, really, really fast, and angry AF. It's said that Danny Boyle himself does not classify 28 Days Later as a zombie film per se, but ask anyone what their top three terrifying zombie films are, and this will feature heavily. Just sayin'. This movie, based in the UK, is a tale of a very fast-moving epidemic of the "rage virus", a disease that (surprise surprise) escaped a lab after a test subject monkey ravaged someone. This movie really stood apart from the genre at the time of its release, as it has a really character-driven plot, beautiful cinematography, and a haunting original soundtrack by John Murphy. This movie also has a standalone sequel, 28 Weeks Later (directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo), and despite my usual distaste for sequels, it's every bit as terrifying, and stays true to the character driven, cinematic style of the original. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Another UK based cult classic is Shawn of the Dead. If you are unfamiliar with the handful of modern British comedies that have come out over the years starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (like the absolutely stellar Hot Fuzz), this is a great place to start. Shawn of the Dead is an irreverent comedic sendup of the zombie fiction genre, done to absolute perfection. When you watch this comedic interpretation, you'll notice the importance of the aforementioned zombie movie sweet spot, and how the writers (Pegg himself along with director Edgar Wright) expertly manipulate the sweet spot with great comedic success. I won't say more than that as not to call out any specific moments, other than to tell you that yes, the poster is correct. It's a romantic comedy. With zombies. Train to Busan (2016) If you're a genre nerd like me, you are already well aware of the fairly large amount of really good zombie content coming out of South Korea. Train to Busan is an excellent example of the genre, it essentially follows the traditional zombie movie sweet spot plot acceleration, but it hits hard, as one might expect from a zombie movie that essentially develops within the confines of a moving train. This film is character-driven, fast-moving, claustrophobic and heart-wrenching all in one (OMG the ending). This one is definitely on any zombie nerd's must-watch list. Train to Busan was written by Joo-Suk Park and Sang-ho Yeon, and was directed by Yeon. It was South Korea's highest-grossing film of 2016. There has since been a stand alone sequel called Peninsula, but I have yet to see it. Warm Bodies (2013) Since I had committed to only highlighting five films here, it was a toss-up for me whether I included Warm Bodies here or Zombieland, both similar comedic expressions of the genre that really sort of occupy the same space in my head and in my (cold, dead) heart. Warm Bodies is unique in that it opens eight years after the zombie apocalypse has already happened, so you don't have that sweet spot acceleration that you get with the traditional zombie movie plot. However, what you do get is the juxtaposition of some very recognizable (and hilarious) human behavioral traits coming from the undead protagonists in the film, and it makes for a delightful watch. The film was written and directed by Jonathan Levine and based on the 2010 novel (of the same name) by Isaac Marion. Five More Notable Zombie Films The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) Night of the Comet (1984) Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) I am Legend (2007) World War Z (2013) All of us are Dead (S. Korean TV series - 2022)

Hello again everyone! This is your thrifty fit check for Thursday, October 13th. This look is 100% secondhand, and although the pieces were individually purchased many years apart, put together this look probably cost me under $50! The Components of This Y2K Style Look The top in particular is a favorite. It's a Y2K staple; a 90s era plaid cotton blouse by the juniors brand My Michelle. Yes, you can wear juniors clothing in your 50s. I have now done the experiment and can say with some authority that you will not in fact, burst into flames. I Originally purchased this top for inventory for the Highland Fashionista vintage shop, but when I tried it on to photograph it I realized just how well it fit me, so I kept it. Sorry not sorry. When you try something on and it fits you like it was made for you, that's The Universe speaking to you. Far be it for me to go against the will of the universe. This blouse has many of my favorite late 90s style elements all in one place; a short puffy sleeve, a v neck cutaway collar with a ruffle, and fitted silhouette that requires no tucking in, but still looks streamlined. The skirt is 90s American eagle and is a simple low-waisted mini with the ubiquitous Y2K style patch pockets. The boots are from Dune UK. They were am impulse buy off of Ebay for £20, and have exceeded my expectations. I have never had a pair of white or cream boots before, and I am hooked. The harness style chain and slightly looser fit of the shaft on these boots makes them super easy to pull on and off, and you'll probably be seeing these a lot this season. That's the thrift check for the week - stay fabulous!

Welcome to Club Flamingo™, which incidentally looks a lot like an inflatable pool and some random beach toys perched in my sister's back garden, but I assure you, it is a resort, and it is very fancy. As we sit here drinking our craft IPA (socially-distanced of course), the pandemic rages on. Even places that have seen a significant drop-off in COVID19 cases (read: not the United States right now, sheesh) - these places are casting a rightfully suspicious glance at the upcoming fall and winter months. As much as we want to re-open, create our plans to go "back to normal" and just take an afternoon to go browse the local thrift shops, make "just a quick trip" to Sephora or Ulta and stick our fingers in absolutely every cosmetic sample and try every foundation and spray ourselves with absolutely every expensive perfume on the shelf, that would be unwise. Incidentally, if you are one of the people out there still doing this, please see yourself out now. Public health is a group effort, and health care professionals are tired. One thing that apparently is not, and may never completely be "back to normal" is my enthusiasm for cosmetics. As you know, I normally love to try new things, but I think the only times I've worn a full face of makeup for any reason since this whole pandemic started is when I've stepped in front of the camera for this blog - and I don't even always do it then. This new reluctance is probably not all pandemic-related; as I get older I find that I feel ridiculously painted-on when I put on a full face. Things look very different in real life than they do on-camera, and I live in pretty casual clothes these days. There's just something really odd to me about pairing denim and a t-shirt with heavy foundation, lashes, eyeshadow, lipstick.....it feels unbalanced to me. Plus it gets all over the inside of your hat if you decide you need one. And in the heat of summer? Yeesh. I also find that my skin is happier to have some time to actually breathe real air for a change. We tend to forget that the skin is the largest organ of the body. Mine is absolutely happier for the break. But one thing I have not grown weary of is the never-ending promise of cosmetics; like the selfish, manipulative boyfriends of our 20s (before we learned), cosmetics always promise you the world, often don't deliver, but we just keep coming back because let's face it, the promise is kind of exciting, isn't it? The cosmetic promise that I am drawn to right now is that of convenience and simplicity. That sounds sensible enough, but basically anything that promises me the world in one single product, I will reflexively open my wallet and just start throwing whatever currency is in there at it. I've been thinking about some of the things I've seen lately that come with such a promise that I would like to try, or that I have tried and and keep going back to. In time, I hope to work my way through the untested items on this list and review them for you in a later post. Multi-Tasking Products That Make Big Promises Weleda Skin Food Light You can't really do an internet search for top-rated moisturizers these days and not turn up the Weleda Skin Food line. I decided to try it after I recently emptied my second tube of the Marcelle City Day & Night Emulsion I've spoken about on previous posts. After reading some of the reviews of this product, I decided to go with the Light version of the Skin Food line, thinking that the original may be too emollient for me to use as a daily moisturizer. That was the right choice. This moisturizer smells divine, feels elegant and spreads well. It is very emollient, but does soak-in after a few minutes. One thing I will caution users about is that it does contain a lot of essential oils, making it a less than ideal option for those with sensitive skin. At first application, I feared I may fall into that category, but my skin soon got used to the ingredients and I tolerate it well. I can put this on my lips and my undereyes, but I would hesitate to get to close to my eye makeup if I'm wearing any, as it does have a rendancy to dislodge my mascara if contact is made. Tarte Cheek Stain This type of product is not particularly new, nor is the concept of the multi-tasking lip and cheek stain. I've tried several of these over the years, starting with the old standby from Bonne Bell (remember those!?) that I still miss to this day. One of the things I've noticed about this type of product over the years is that the cream formulations (Like Stila's Convertible Color) in particular have a tendency to color-change once they're on my skin, and they seem to not have very good staying power, especially if you don't wear a lot of other makeup to "anchor" it to your face. The Gel formulas however (like Benefit's BeneTint), do tend to have more staying power, but they can be fussy to apply - you have to be quick before they dry, then your fingers are a mess. Also, the colors of the gel formulas traditionally have tended to be blueish, which for an olive-skinned or tanned person can be problematic. This one appeals to me because it comes in nine...yes nine shades, yet calls itself a stain. I haven't tried this one yet, so at the moment I'm living off of the promise that this is the product that will make my life work. Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette I've always been wary of palettes, as I tend to be attracted to ones that do nothing other than reproduce shades that already exist in my collection. However, I make exception for this Charlotte Tilbury palette. Yes, it's a bit of a steep price tag for seven small palettes of color, but I think this is one of the only palettes I've ever seen that would work on just about every light to medium-hued skin color. When I think about all the cosmetic stuff I drag with me when I travel that I rarely ever touch once I'm at my destination, this sleek little palette suddenly seems like a much better deal. As much as I am a believer in budget products, I will give Tilbury her due for consistently being able to create products that look good on most people (her growing cult-favorite line of Pillow Talk products is another good example of this.) Once the humidity breaks this summer, I may very well be inclined to give this one a try - I can easily see myself packing for a trip packing only this thin little palette and a couple of skincare products.

If you've visited the vintage shop or even just have been reading the blog for a while now, my love of all things western and fringey will come as no surprise. This affinity is more than just a fangirl enthusiasm for the yee-haw factor, or an exaggerated expression of my Americanness here in the Scottish Highlands. To me, fringe acts as a sort of fashion fidget spinner; it's a completely functionless embellishment by modern standards, only really good for lulling us into a sense of calm with its swoosh, a pleasant diversion to play with while you stand in line at the DMV. But the underlying theme here is really that fringe is just fun. Fringe is the sartorial equivalent of throwing your hands in the air and yelling "Wheeeeeeee!" at the top of your lungs. Since things pretty much suck for a lot of people in the world right now, I think we could all do with a bit more simple, purposeless fun in our lives. This is certainly one way to take a step in that direction if you're so inclined. As purposeless fun goes, fringe is fairly easy to obtain, less sedentary than bingeing Netflix, and a whole lot healthier than booze. Here are a few pieces I've recently added to the shop and my personal collection. Because sometimes stock originally intended for the shop doesn't quite make it to its final destination. Sorry not sorry. Look 1 | L & B fringe leggings, similar | Chinese Laundry Austin concho booties | French Connection high low turtleneck sweater Look 2 | Vintage 80s Fringed Jacket | Free People Just Float On flare jeans | WalMart sunglasses Look 3 | Vintage 90s Fringed Suede Jacket Look 4 | Vintage 80s Cropped Suede Fringe Jacket Look 5 | Vintage 1970s Fringed Southwestern Suede Jacket | thrifted graphic tee, similar | squash blossom necklace (old), similar | Southwestern concho earrings (old), similar | denim leggings (old), similar |Frye boots (old), similar Look 6 | Thrifted Philosophy t-shirt, similar

The above photo is from an article I recently happened upon on the website Corporette. Despite the fact that I am not, never have been, and likely never will be a person with a corporate job, the article grabbed my attention because it was all about one's "daily shlep" - the sheer amount of stuff we carry with us to and from work, or anywhere else we may be headed. While I'm certainly not of the mind that there is a "right" amount of stuff to carry with you at any given time (that's personal and down to how much you're willing to carry), those of us who move about quite a bit can probably relate to my newfound near obsession with bags that are comfy, practical, and allow you to be hands-free. The Perfect Functional Hands Free Handbag It's not as easy as just finding a good quality, functional hands-free handbag that speaks to you that has a good crossbody style, or even a bandolier-type strap that enables you to covert it as you need to. I continually remind myself of this when I ram a bunch of my daily "essentials" (a term I use lightly when it comes to handbags) into my leather Dooney & Bourke Florentine Satchel, to date my absolute favourite handbag, and about 30 minutes in, if I'm wearing it as a crossbody, the bandolier strap is pinching my shoulder. Am I going to die? No. Does that mean I give up on my Dooney? GOD no. Never. But a substantial leather bag, loaded to the gills is probably not the bag for long-haul, hands free wear, if only because you end up thinking about it. Personally, I end up having to switch shoulders a lot if I'm out for a long time, because that little pinch of a reminder of its presence is annoying AF. I have finally laid aside my rather inflexible belief that the best bags are multi-functional and built like tanks, and come around to appreciate smaller bags that have been designed specifically to be worn as crossbody bags. Many of these can also work as a "bag inside a bag" - a small bag you can carry inside your larger tote for when you just want to nip in without the hassle of a large bag. Here are a few that I've come to appreciate, some vintage, some new. Have a happy, healthy, non-pinchy hands-free summer of finally getting to be on the move again! For more info on any of these bags, click on the photos!

For the record, I don't smoke. That's a piece of chalk. I was going for a look. And yes. I'm in Florida right now. It's long overdue, and the weeds I've been pulling around the yard this past week are a testament to that. But weeds notwithstanding, we've all had our wings clipped for a while, and now that moving around again is within reach, it is officially time to unleash my inner sartorial Florida Woman. That said, this look isn't really even true to the more modern permutation of Florida Woman. You know, the one that makes the paper after she pulls a baby alligator out of her yoga pants at a traffic stop, or goes on a shoplifting spree dressed as a giant turkey. No, this permutation is more old school. I'm thinking more along the lines of Slim Aarons Poolside meets Absolutely Fabulous. Florida Woman Fashion - Myth vs Reality Florida is an easy target, and I suppose for good reason. There is a loud contingency of people willing to stick their necks out to uphold our internationally recognized unhinged armed backwater MAGA on meth reputation. To each his own I suppose, but moving forward as we slowly dare to allow ourselves a smidge of hope for a more sanity-adjacent tomorrow, surely our warm weather wardrobes shouldn't feel like they too need to grow up and get all serious. To my mind, that would be a mistake. License to don insanely bright colors and patterns is one of the things I love about Florida, and by extension Florida woman fashion. I can throw on a flaming neon pink and green shift over my swimsuit, step into my cowboy boots, strap on my glitter flames motorcycle helmet and hop on my powder blue scooter for quick trip to the grocery store and be assured that I will absolutely not be the craziest-looking person in the place. In this post, I'm encouraging every one of you to embrace your inner Florida woman - the sartorial one, not the alligator-down-the-yoga-pants one. I'm featuring some recently (and not so recently) added pieces to the vintage shop, like this incredible late 60s-70s leopard print, kimono sleeve caftan I'm wearing. This baby is the real deal. You can click on the photos in the post if you want more info on any of these pieces. Not quite ready to go full Florida Woman? No worries. It's summer, the reality of going somewhere on vacation again is quickly becoming a reality again, and you can still incorporate fun, OTT tropical realness into your style game in small ways, no matter where you might be. *Baby alligators not included with any of the pieces featured.

I have been sort of conscious of the fact that I haven't posted about the hair thing in a while. I live with this mop of salt and pepper madness, so to me it's sort of a foregone conclusion, but there are SO MANY of you out there still responding to my grey hair transition posts even all these years later ( it has to have been at least seven years now), so it has been in my mind for a while to do a follow up. About six months ago I was admiring the bounce and definition of one of my colleague's natural ringlets. She told me she had been following The Curly Girl Method. This method of caring for naturally curly and wavy hair will be well familiar to many of you, but for someone like myself who has pretty much treated her hair as a thing you tie on top of your head and go, I had to look it up. I'll spare you the very detailed explanation here, but suffice it to say you do away with all things silicone, sulfate, blow drying (unless with a diffuser on cool), and heat styling. There are a lot of products involved (like...a lot of products) but you essentially just develop a routine that cleanses the hair without stripping, provides a ton of moisture, and as a result your hair's natural inclination, whatever that may be, takes over once your hair is healthy and hydrated. And so, the Wavy Hair Journey Begins... Long story short - after an initial "clarifying" shampoo to rid the hair of built-up silicones which coat the hair and prevent moisture from entering the hair shaft (ironically, I always relied pretty heavily on these to battle my considerable frizz), you go through a transition while your hair takes on moisture naturally and your "real hair" emerges. You guys. I was not prepared for my real hair. All these years of thinking I had "a slight bend" to my hair has been a lie. Every hairdresser who ever told me my hair had a "lot of body" has been a bad actor for the Flatiron Deep State. This is only day four, and I am already very solidly a 2b-3a on the wavy-curly hair scale. Everything about what I thought to be true of my hair, the constant frizz, the heaviness, the poofiness - all of it has been a result of my hair not being allowed to be who it really is. I feel like a terrible parent who forces her kid into gender-specific clothing in an attempt to "correct" something. I'm an abusive "hairent" (sorry), and I'm so very, very ashamed. I've managed to live nearly 50 years on the planet with absolutely no idea that I had hair this curly. So. Now what!? Well, definitely a haircut then. My self-scissoring ham-fistedness is not gonna cut it now that I have all these Medusa waves to contend with. I have made an appointment in the first week of August to go see someone in Glasgow who knows what he is doing with curly heads. For the first time in ages, possibly ever, I'm excited to go to a salon. So stay tuned for that - this is a work in progress. There's gonna be a new cut in my future, which I'll show you guys once I've done it. Until then, please feel free to learn from, and also laugh openly at, my ignorance. It takes a special person to go nearly 50 years without understanding her own hair type.

Welp...here it is. Phase one of the embracing of my waviness - I've cut my hair into a wavy shag. I can't say I ever thought I would voluntarily choose a style that got anywhere near *eek* curly bangs (thats a curly fringe for you UK dwellers), but I've been letting this cut settle in for almost a month now, and it really is absolutely perfect for the amount of time and energy that I normally want to spend on my hair, which essentially as little as possible. I find that I am wearing my hair down every day now, which for at least the past fifteen years or so has definitely not been my default. I use a loose ponytail with a silky scrunchie on top of my head to sleep, pull it out in the morning, and it's pretty much ready for action. If I need to floof it up a bit to get the waves to pop out more, I spray it with water to reactivate the product in it and scrunch my waves back into some sort of shape (that they themselves determine). Yes, this sometimes creates frizz, but I'm working on adding just the right amount of product to try and mitigate this. Finding the Right Products for My Wavy Shag Haircut Products however are still very much a work in progress. In my last post about my hair, I had been following the Curly Girl Method. While I have absolutely embraced some aspects of Curly Girl (like sticking to sulfate and silicone-free products), the method was not 100% right for my fine but dense salt and pepper waves - it was simply too much product. If you go online and watch a few videos of wavy and curly YouTubers demonstrating the method, the amount of product that these gals are putting on their heads is downright obscene. And, as it turned out, not at all what my hair wants or needs. When I was following the method by rote using the amount of product that was encouraged by the online multiverse, by day 2 my hair felt dirty and was somehow both frizzy and oily at the same time from all the product. It was also making my scalp itch. There was so much product sitting on my strands, my scalp, and at the bottom of my shower it's a miracle I didn't break my neck slipping on all the slime. Plus, my silver hairs were beginning to display a most unbecoming shade of yellowish green. Thankfully the hairdresser set me straight when I went for my cut. An old hand at managing textured hair, he essentially told me I did not need to go all the way down the Curly Girl rabbit hole to make this work. And thank the Gods for that. So for any of you who are trying to embrace your natural texture and like me, have fine, dense, wavy hair like mine (which is about a 2B-2C) , here are some things that might help you. As it turns out, against what everything online will tell you, less can actually be more with the conditioner - use a dab not much bigger than a dime, rub your hands together, and pull it through, concentrating on the ends. Comb it through before rinsing it out. All of it. (I use either a tangle teaser or my wide tooth comb to do this, btw.) Lose the deep conditioners. Instead, use your preferred everyday one (silicone and sulphate free), and just leave it in longer if you need a shot of moisture. Avoid products with heavy butters, oils, and waxes. Products designed for curly hair are notoriously filled with heavy shea butter, coconut oil, and other heavy products. Seriously, these days everything is coconut and/or shea butter. I'm getting pretty sick of the smell of coconut, and I love coconut. Yes, these products are natural, but they build up really quickly, and I found that they dulled my hair right down. You'll have to experiment to see what works for you and in what quantity. Pay attention to product ingredient labels. While you don't need a degree in chemistry (although it would definitely help), familiarize yourself with what all these long, funny chemical words actually are. One great resource is the Is it Curly Girl website, which has a page that lets you plug in ingredients and it tells you whether or not the product is compatible with the Curly Girl Method. Whether or not you follow the method to the letter matters not, because what the page does do is provide a breakdown of what each ingredient is in a product and what it does for your hair, making it easier for you to eventually recognize these ingredients and identify products that work. Ultimately, what works for me may not work for you, but if your hair is fine, dense, and a mixture of coarse silvers and natural color, here are some of the products that have worked for me thus far with this wavy shag haircut: Innersense Create Volume Hair Volumizing Lotion - a fantastic volumizing lotion that really helps bring out the curl. A teeny bit applied to soaking wet hair is all it takes. this product manages to be both incredibly lightweight and moisturizing, and is completely natural and environmentally friendly as well! Superdrug Mousse (UK) I stumbled upon this mousse because I was looking to try a bunch of Curly Girl friendly products out without breaking the bank if they didn't work. At £1.99, this mousse certainly does not break the bank. While I don't use this every day, it does provide a nice lightweight hold. Innersense Create Lift Volumizing Foam - this mousse is incredible. Like the Volumizing lotion, a little goes a long way with this Create Lift foam. This mousse is light enough to use with other products, but equally is effective enough to use on its own, and has amazing hold! Bonus - it smells amazing! Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Hydrating-Clarifying Shampoo - gently cleans and gets rid of buildup without stripping the living daylights out of your hair. Free of all the bad stuff, sulfates, silicones, parabens, mineral oil....all of it.

I've learned a thing or two in my 52 years on the planet, but nothing really prepared me for the sheer volume of untapped knowledge that I was going to have access to once I joined TikTok. Granted, a lot of what you see on TikTok boils down to where in the algorithm you end up, which of course depends on which rabbit holes you choose to go down...then of course there are the very real national security and data concerns.... But all that aside, last week, I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I found myself in the makeup TikTok algorithm! There I came across several videos all showcasing what the kids are calling "puppy liner." Twee name notwithstanding, puppy liner is essentially a more user-friendly version of a classic winged eyeliner, that works with the natural shape of your eyes to produce a flattering result that (allegedly) works on everyone. After watching a few of these videos, I realized that it did indeed look ridiculously easy, that I needed to check it out as a matter of urgency, and that I had probably been attempting (unsuccessfully) to achieve winged eyeliner the wrong way for pretty much the entirety of my life. National security be damned, this is winged eyeliner we're talking about here! Up until that point, I had mostly moved away from the liquid and felt liners that one needs to use to create a winged eye. This is really due to their difficulty of use (for me) and harsh appearance, which I realize now speaks more to my lack of skill than to the actual product itself. Of course there's also the inconvenient fact that putting on winged eyeliner in your 50s is a little like trying to put eyeliner on a 17 year-old hairless Shar Pei. It can be particularly daunting when you get it wrong, and hoo-boy do I excel at getting it wrong. Luckily for me, turns out it's never too late! Since adopting this ridiculously simple technique, I have done some version of a winged eye just about every day since I learned this little trick, and now I find it fun. Needless to say I've also been scouring the internet for every imaginable color of liner, trying to make up for lost time! Read on for the basics on how it works. Winged Eyeliner in Your 50s: Puppy Liner Basics As the kids on the TikTok tell it, the reason that puppy liner works so well on everyone is that instead of trying to create the upward flick of a cat eye by drawing it in an upward direction, you use the natural canthal tilt of your eyes as your guide. We'll get to what that is in a minute. This technique is quite subtle, and for people with quite positive canthal tilts it may not change what you're doing all that much if you do a winged eye on the regular. However, for those of us with maturing skin, hooded eyes, who anyone else who struggles with wings (or any eyeliner potentially ending up "above the fold"), it's a life-changing adjustment, even if it does at first feel a bit counterintuitive. Besides a good name for a band, what on Earth is canthal tilt? Having witnessed the absolute flurry of anxiety on TikTok that ensued after the canthal tilt filter was introduced, I'm not going to dwell too much on canthal tilt other than to provide a brief overview. I believe that using digital trends to inform any assessment that affects your self image is a slippery slope, and quite frankly, kinda dumb. However, from an eyeliner perspective, the filter does a pretty good job of putting the line in the right place, making it as good a jumping-off point as any. For the sake of neutrality, let us now turn to our good friends at Wikipedia for a quickie definition of canthal tilt to get started. The tilt of a line drawn from the outer corner (the lateral canthus) to the inner corner (the medial canthus) of one's eyes; a lower inner corner is referred to as a positive tilt while a lower outer corner is referred to as a negative tilt. There are all sorts of scientific (and a whole lot more pseudo-scientific) theories on how a positive (upwards) or negative (downwards) canthal tilt influences whether or not we percieive someone as attractive. I am not touching any of that with a 10 foot barge pole. This article is quite simply about where to start the base of your winged eyeliner. If however you're interested in learning more about canthal tilt, This recent article written by Danielle Sinay for Glamour goes into greater detail about what canthal tilt is, how it supposedly influences our perception of attractiveness, and why it is a source of consternation for those who harbor anxiety about all things appearance-related. A word of warning however if you're on TikTok and specifically wish to scroll the canthal tilt search results; the incels have grabbed hold of this trend mightily, so if you're going to wade in there I strongly suggest you tread lightly, bring something sharp with you, and always know where your exits are. My winged liner road map So this is what I started with; this is the notorious TikTok canthal tilt filter. If the filter is to be believed (and in the context of eyeliner it can be), I have a neutral to very slightly positive canthal tilt. You can see that over my nose it makes a slight v-shaped dip then very subtly goes up towards the temples. For me, that means my perfect winged liner will have a baseline right where the little line extends from the outer corner of my eye in a very gentle slight upwards slope in the direction if my temple. This is a lot less of a steep incline than I had been attempting to draw before, and a whole heck of a lot easier! A quick word about tools When I made my first attempts at this liner, I actually found that I was more relaxed and more able to practice without angst when I was using a cheaper tool that I didn't have to worry about wasting. Really, the only requirement when you're starting out is that you're comfortable with whatever eyeliner you choose, so I'm not gonna dwell on products too much at this point. That said, you'll have an easier time if you have a nice thin brush or felt tip to work with, and plenty of product left in whatever eyeliner you decide to use. For what it's worth, I've found that felt tip liners promise convenience and ease of use but ultimately are actually more problematic than liners you use with a little brush. Felt tips can be difficult to handle because product-wise the formula gets dry and they tend to skip and pull a bit, whereas with a brush you have more control over how much product is on the bristles and you can ensure a nice glide. Whatever tool you're using, create your winged eye using the following guidance, beginning with the bottom line based on your cantal tilt. I've made the liner orange for this particular demonstration so it stands out (it does look kinda cool though - Halloween). Start small. There is nothing wrong with using multiple small strokes to get there, that's how I do it. You can continue to layer and shape as you go, and you can use a q-tip and some micellar water to walk it back if you mess-up. As you get better with practice, you'll be able to use longer, more confident strokes. Personally, once I get the liner where I like it, I often will finish mine with a layer of eyeshadow on top to smoke it out and soften the edges, giving it a less "done" appearance. What you do after you get the basic shape done is completely up to you, but the basics stay the same. Play with it, have fun, and don't be afraid of color! PRODUCTS USED (includes affiliate links)| Loreal Infallible Super Slim Liner, Brown | Loreal infallible Flash Cat Eye Liner in Black | Mayblline Tattoo Studio Liner in teal | ELF Bite Size Eyeshadow in Cream & Sugar , Hot Jalapeno

A Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Yes, it can feel a bit odd celebrating the 4th when you live most of the year in the UK. Even if you happen to be doing it from the confines of your post international flight 10 day quarantine, as I am. Yes, best you stay right there...that's close enough. Don't come any closer, I could start to turn at any minute. You have to admit it's more than a little funny celebrating severed ties from British oppression when you are living in actual Britain with an actual British person, while paying taxes to the actual British government. Funny how things tend to level-out in life isn't it? Despite our best efforts, The Universe always manages to return to a state of homeostasis. If only we could get a copy of the script it's working from. That would be neat. Taking Back the Pants; Ultra Flare Star Jeans Okay, I know, I know. We have to talk about these pants. Yes, I know. Star print ultra flare jeans are a lot to take in. That's the point of the exercise - stay with me. I reached for these on purpose today, it being the 4th and all. I have heard a lot of consternation all over social media over the last several years regarding the co opting of symbols of Americana to serve extreme, right wing views. I'm not here to argue that this isn't a thing, because a brief internet search will demonstrate to even the dimmest of wits that this is absolutely, demonstrably a thing. Stars, flags, eagles...whatever, have all been herded into a corral that leads to a life of servitude to causes that they were never ever designed to support. Racism. Nationalism. Misogyny. It gets ugly. But here's the thing. When your spectacularly drunk uncle is making a scene in the parking lot of the local bar at closing time, waving his keys around and throwing verbal abuse at anyone who will listen, do you react by swearing off driving for life, changing your name, and moving to a different state to avoid any potential association? Of course not. You take away his keys, throw him in a cab and tell him to go work on himself. It's the same with these co-opted American images - the eagles, stars, flags...whatever, that many have come to associate with the right wing extremist idea of "patriotism" (read: violence). Why on earth would you hand over the metaphorical keys to these people? I'm wearing stars. It's a pair of jeans with stars on them. They're jeans, and jeans are for everybody - the way our country is supposed to be for everybody. However, our country isn't working well for everybody at the moment, so it falls to those of us who still have enough energy left to take the keys away from the violent extremists, the conspiracy enablers, the racists, the Q-loving mouth breathers, and all other manner of disinformation consuming no goodniks and send them off in a cab to go work on themselves. It is absolutely possible to love and appreciate your country and at the same time want it to do and be better, despite what the people at Fox tell you. This is not a zero sum equation, and it is a false choice to present it as such. It's simple really; be the change, wear the pants. Everybody gets to wear the pants.

Welp, it's fall. I can't deny it any longer. I generally like fall, but equally I'm not one of those people who goes mad every year and buys a zillion pumpkins, bags full of faux autumn-hued leaves from the craft shop, and pumpkin-spice everything (because, eew). I spend a bulk of the year in Scotland, where it literally always feels like fall, so it isn't exactly a huge transition. That said, this year, I still managed somehow to feel a bit caught-out by the changing weather. This past summer I spent most of my time sweating it out in the US in the heat, so I sort of feel like I've been suddenly thrust back into the cold and have had a bit of a slow start getting up to speed. So here we go. This is me throwing it into gear with a long overdue fall outfit of the day. With the exception of the boots, everything you see here is thrifted, but the corduroy shirt was practically new when I found it at the thrift shop, and I was actually able to still find a link to it online! I've offered you some other options as well should you care to attempt to recreate the look and don't have all the parts (the actual faux sherpa vest shown here is available in my eBay shop). And yes, many of the product links I offer are affiliate links where I might make a (very) small commission, but don't let that put you off - I promise not to spend my millions all in one place. Fall Layering Looks: From T-Shirts to Fleece-Lined Jackets and Back In One Afternoon I always think of fall as "forget your jacket at work" season. It's cold, even frosty in the mornings, but it heats-up in the afternoons forcing you to take off that cashmere sweater or favorite blazer and drape it over the back of your chair, then instantly forget it's there, where it shall remain as you slowly amass a pile of similar garments over the top of it with each passing day. Don't worry, you'll take them all home in mid to late November once it's properly cold out and you've run out of sweaters and blazers. While this look isn't really "office friendly" in the traditional sense, these days that hardly means anything since a lot of us are working from home at least some of the time. This is more of what I like to think of as an overall foolproof strategy for dressing in transitional weather, and is the same strategy I employ when shuttling between the cold of Scotland and the heat of Florida. At it's core, this fall layering look is a t-shirt and a denim skirt; a base look that can work with sandals in hotter temps as well. Using a base look like this is a ridiculously easy formula that I use religiously, and it never lets me down. Oh, and I almost forgot. See that t-shirt? That's not thrifted either. I actually got that t-shirt at Express... in the 90s. I know right!? I can't believe it's still in one piece, let alone wearable! Aztec print accent corduroy shaket | thrifted Levis a line skirt, similar | Dan Post "heartbreaker" vintage distressed boots (no longer available), similar | Knox Rose faux sherpa fleece lined vest (L) | Or Paz silver and cultured pearl ring (no longer available), similar | sterling silver feather cuff bracelet (no longer available), similar | Silver long dangle star and chain earrings (no longer available), similar | Accessorise UK sunglasses (no longer available), similar | thrifted belt, similar