Oil me up

I have never tried a hair oil treatment before. So, naturally as any fashion/beauty blogger would do, I oiled myself up, well my hair anyway. My product of choice was 'V05 give me moisture hot oil'.

The application is simple: hold the capsule under the shower or in the bath to heat it up, then apply to hair for a minute before washing off and partaking in the usual shampoo/conditioner routine. Post-treatment, pre-shampoo, my hair was noticeably smooth. The oil replenishes dry and damaged hair-which, no thanks straighteners+Winter winds my hair did need. After I had styled my hair I didn't see a big difference, however, but healthy hair needs moisture so I assumed the product had worked to repair my hair as it was a little smoother. However,seeing pictures of before and after the treatment the difference in shine, gloss and just general healthiness is noticeable!

Before (left) and after (right):

Verdict-The weekly treatment takes minimal effort, which is always a plus in my eyes. A great product for adding oomph and shine to hair. The capsules are great ideas as they allow just the right amount of product to be applied so oily, greasy hair wasn't a major problem. Remember though, when it comes to hair oils I am a novice!

Have you used this product? How does it compare to other hair oils?


The top five hair tracks I swear by:

1. Leave conditioner on whenever possible. I try to leave it on for about two minutes before washing it off-leaves hair so soft.
2. Salt spray! Whether you want to add some oomph to poker straight hair, or perfect your bedhead look. It doesn't have to be expensive, beauty shop's own brands are great. I use Superdrug's version. Beach hair in winter? Check!
3. When you have a day off, a lazy day if possible avoid the straighteners give your hair a well deserved rest!
4. Once a week treat your hair to a hair mask, there are plenty of treatments to choose, whether you want repair, hydration, nourishment, protection. Sit back in the bath and grab a magazine and a glass of wine for the ultimate relaxation.
5.  Finally, eat well. Vitamins and nutrients are key to healthy hair, as is drinking plenty of water.

What are your hair commandments?

 NG <3

Chanel pearls of wisdom

Coco Chanel. Innovator. Tastemaker. Icon. Genius. I could go on and on.

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same"

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different"

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous"

"There are people who have money and people who are rich"

"The most courageous act is to think for yourself. Aloud"

 As always, keep stylish.


NG <3

Braving the cold

This time of year I'm much more accustomed to wrapping up in a knitted scarf and wool coat, but wearing a cable knit jumper to go to a club is a step to far on the practical scale-so much so that it becomes very, very impractical (trust me, I recently wore a woolly beanie on a 'Where's Wally' themed night out in a club-not good!). So I opted to wear leather leggings for a night out, especially as I still haven't fully shaken freshers flu. But seriously, as if you need an excuse to wear leather.

I'm wearing Miss Selfridge top and leggings, River Island clutch, New Look wedges, and Primark bracelets.

This weekend winter I'm saying:

Keep it colourful

Go on, brighten up those dark nights. 

As always, Have a great weekend.


NG <3

 

The stage is set

If I had not known that Joe Wright was the director of 'Anna Karenina', I would have guessed it would have been a Baz Luhrmann film. Theatricality, drama, intensity-well the setting is a theatre after all. And that is what distinguished 2012's version apart from the rest of the adaptations, the theatre setting. It is so important to give a novel much loved by many people a people an unique twist, and I think Wright has achieved this. It does seem an odd concept at first, but then again no odder than Seth Macfarlane's Ted, but it worked perfectly. And the cast had a little something to do with this.

Aaron Johnson played a cool, cold Vronsky, one that I did not have much affinity to at all-Wright's intentions, I suppose. I have to say his youth brought a lot to the love story-a little more convincing than Sean Bean's Vronsky it has to be said. It was amusing to see Jude Law taking a different role to what we are used to. No longer the rom-com hero, he played Alexei Karenin- a man of high position, middle-aged and balding (seriously). I've never really considered Law to be a great actor but I was pleasantly surprised by his performance, as he created a detached, and at the same time, sympathetic character. Finally, Keira Knightley, was, well as Keira Knightley is in her speciality period drama, striking, engaging and as Karenina slightly naive.

Lenin is not as prominent as he is in the novel, taking a backseat to Anna's story. But then again it is inevitable to fit 864 pages into 2 hours without editing parts of the narrative out. It would have been pleasant for Kitty and Lenin's romance to be explored more deeply, and certain elements are missing. The main theme of the book is Lenin's struggle to find the meaning of life, and disappointingly, this seemed a very minuscule detail of the film, compared to the intense theatricality of Karenina and Vronsky's affair. Watching the film independently to the novel, I would not have identified Lenin'sstory to be a major theme of the novel, and I believe this is where the film is lacking.

Every cloud has a silver lining though, and that comes in the form of the lavish costume design. Jacqueline Durran says of the costumes;

"He (Wright) told me that he didn’t really want to make it historically accurate, costume wise: he wanted to stylise it. The way he wanted to stylise it was to concentrate on the silhouette of each character and to take an 1870s silhouette, but simplify the surface details so that it really had the architectural simplicity of 50s couture. What I had to do immediately was look at the 1870s shape then strip away all the surface detail and just be left with that pure shape."

 So, while not historically correct the costumes were ornate, magnificent, dreamy and to be quite frank, pretty darn spectacular. Think rich, deep colours, expensive (faux) furs, satin of the highest quality,and you're in the sumptuous design world of Wright's Anna Karenina. One costume is even featured in the Hollywood costume exhibit, as pictured below.

The verdict? Highly enjoyable, I recommend you watch, the best Anna Karenina adaption I have seen. Not a masterpiece though-crucial parts are missing, I completely understand the constraints involved, but I do think it would have been refreshing to see Lenin more. I would say watch out for an Oscar nomination within the costume and set design categories!


What did you think to Anna Karenina? Are you planning on seeing the film?


For more film news please check out URN where I will regularly be offering my thoughts on the world of film, every Friday 6-7pm GMT.



NG <3

Freshers

Firstly, my most sincere apologies. It has been a long time since I last posted, but I've been so busy lately as it has been my first fortnight of university! Between lectures, societies, sports and, what every fresher does best, partying, there has been little free time to blog. On the eve of the beginning of my third week though, I set some time aside to post which I promise will be a regular occurrence now I'm finally settling down to a routine and (partial) normality. I just wanted to share a few snaps with you guys from freshers week!!

 And my new room! Note-curtains belong to hall, definitely not my choice!!

Stay stylish!!

NG <3