A/W 2014 with Debenhams

Autumn has always been my favourite season, I absolutely adore it when the leaves start to turn and we get days that are cool and crisp with some sunshine beating through. It is no doubt in part due to the fact I  am definitely more of an autumn dresser, I always struggle in summer to fight the urge to layer and cover up so I am thrilled when its time to unpack the warmer wardrobe and get back to my comfort zone.  Last week I headed along to the Debenhams AW press launch to see what all was on offer this year and I left with a disgracefully HUGE wish list thanks to some seriously amazing looks on offer.  I was all over the dusky rose prints from Betty Jackson Black, H by Henry Holland as always had some incredible pieces on show ( including this amazing pink fur accented jacket) but it was actually Principles by Ben De Lisi that took me most by surprise on the night.Some of the evening dresses they have brought out are absolutely stunning and incredibly reasonably priced. 

Obsessed!

Of course it is not just my clothes I rotate as the seasons go by but my skin care wardrobe is sure to change too. Gone are my lighter moisturisers etc and in come the big guns ready to pump some moisture into my cold beaten skin so it was great to see some fab products on show on the night.  Ole Henriksen are a brand that are new to me but right now I am loving their cleanser and night treastment and am itching to try their new night gel, it was also fab to see Elemis showcase their gift sets which are always superb value and their masks are among my skincare staples. Benefit were showcasing some amazing gift sets including a huge blusher boxset that I am so excited to get a closer look at when they come out. I was thrilled to get a play around with some of the amazing Armani make up on the night, their luminous silk foundation makes the skin look FLAWLESS ( no wonder it is a Kardashian favourite) and the maestro brow product that was showcased is a must have. Multi-purpose to the point you can use it to touch up your roots and is completely waterproof, this little pot of wonder could not be more up my street, I can't wait to get in store and find the right colour for me. Last but by no means least is the Bare Minerals Bareskin serum foundation that I have heard some amazing things about and I was super impressed when I saw the shade range they had on offer, I am definitely heading in store to get colour matched and give it a go for myself.

Look at that shade range!

SWWWOOOON!

Beautiful Benefit Christmas sets

Too many amazing goodies all in one room- bloggers heaven! Thanks so much as always to the Debenhams team for putting on such a fantastic showcase and bringing so many amazing brands under one roof and letting us come along.

Introducing; Ellen Conlin Hair, Glasgow

the ADORABLE ellen conlin babies!

The other week the absolutely lovely team at Ellen Conlin Hair & Beauty in Hyndland, invited a few of us bloggers to come along and check out the salon and hear all about what they have to offer. I love exploring new places and its great to come across somewhere that has so many different strings to its bow. We were welcomed by the infectiously fun Ken and the gorgeous owner Ellen and I was settled right into a chair to have my hair put in the most beautiful up-do I have ever had! The stylist was absolutely listening when I was explaining how much I hate fussy prom style up do's and much prefer a more messy and loose style when she curled my hair and twisted it into a beautiful side bun with a pleat. I felt like a real pampered princess having my hair done while the super attentive staff were swinging by to chat while the other bloggers filtered in and got settled at various stations.

Loving my new up-do

While I was in the chair I had the chance to try out an amazing piece of kit from Nioxin which was one of the brands I was thrilled to learn more about on the night.

learning more about the condition of my scalp with Nioxin

I can only describe it as a super zoomed in close up wand that when hooked up to an Ipad allows you to see your own scalp in micro detail. I will be honest and say until this night my scalp is not something I had given even a moments thought to which is ridiculous considering I spend so long on the skin on my face! Having a scalp analysis was totally fascinating and it was great to come away more informed about what i can do to help my scalp and in turn have much healthier and stronger hair, who doesn't want that?? Look out for a full review coming soon, but I was lucky to come away with a starter kit of Nioxin products designed to give me that stronger and healthier scalp and hair that I am needing. I was so excited to get started that I jumped right in to giving them a go that night so I am looking forward to feeding back after using them for a month or so. This knowledge that the Staff at Ellen Conlin has is really admirable, everyone was so passionate about the areas they worked in and had so many good tips and tricks to pass on which was such a delight.

I then moved on to giving the make up range the salon uses a whirl. Priori's coffeeberry mineral foundation was buffed on to my skin and left it looking absolutely gorg ( if I do say so myself...!) I loved how even and glowy it looked without being thick or cakey. I haven't always had the best of results with longevity when using Bare Minerals but this formula was totally different and didn't feel as powdery which I loved. It has an SPF included which is amazing for a pigmentation sufferer like me, and it is really easy to apply and layer, I was not expecting to be impressed but I was so pleasantly surprised and seriously consider getting myself some for helping keep my shiny skin at bay.

Some amazing hairstyles show cased on the right, including mine bottom right!

I was delighted to hear the salon offers an extensive range of innovative treatments such as peels alongside light therapy, micro dermabrasion and nails and waxing treatments. I also loved that the salon has superb facilities ( tvs at all the hairdressing stations to me is pure luxury!) a wonderful buzzing atmosphere and some superb staff- what is not to love! We were even treated to a mini show by some of the trainee staff working in the salon who were so passionate and creative about what they were learning that they put together some show stopping looks together to show us. I loved how they were encouraged to really throw themselves into the challenge and organise the whole look from clothes to makeup and talk us through what had inspired them. You can really get a feel for how important the energy and creativity is at this salon which is not something I have encountered in many salons at all. The staff are so keen for customers to make the most of their look and get the most from their experience that they help out however they can, they even each have their own pinterest page where they collect their inspiration and styles to help customers out in getting the look the want. I thought this was such an original and unique service that just shows how much they want to go that extra mile for everyone who comes through the door.

I am already looking forward to heading along again to Ellen Conlin, I was blown away by how enthusiastic and engaging the team here were and I highly recommend paying them a visit.

You can contact the Hyndland salon on 0141 339 8823 but they handily have a Giffnock location also- 0141 638 0331 or you can take look at their facebook page for more info.