FRIDAY FLAT CHAT:BATHROOM PLANNING

It's Friday Flat Chat time! Are you bored of these posts yet? It's been seven weeks since my offer was accepted and I've still got THREE weeks to wait until I get the keys... I'm feeling pretty impatient, although I am aware that I probably need to think about starting to pack!

I've been a bit more organised since last week's post- I've booked my internet move (and got sweet-talked into upgrading to a new package, aargh!) and I finally ordered my sofa, which handily will arrive just three days after I get my keys. I ordered the lamp I was swithering over, which brings my furniture total up to one sofa, one lamp, one vintage trunk, and one hedgehog cage... I really need to get to Ikea, stat!

All bathrooms linked on Pinterest

One room I don't really have to think about (but I am anyway) is the bathroom. Currently the room is very simple and very blue. There's blue cupboards, a blue bath, blue walls, white square tiles, and a blueish-grey floor. It's definitely bright, but it's not quite the subway-tiled claw-foot tubbed space of my dreams.

Still, I'm trying to be realistic. There's no way I could afford (or have the energy) to replace the bathtub for something massive and fancy, but as it's quite a little room I could definitely update the floor tiles, and maybe replace the wall tiles if I have some money left?

Bathroom soaps - Anthropologie
Cloud storage - MoMA
Bath bombs - LUSH  

The thing I'm most excited by is the fact I'll finally have a bath again! I adore the flat I'm currently renting, but it has a teeny tiny shower-only bathroom, and I've been surprisingly frustrated with my lack of bath - it's (weirdly?) one of the main reasons I thought about moving in the first place.

I am SO excited about finally getting to buy ridiculous LUSH bathbombs again, bring on the bubbles!

A TRIP TO GLASGOW

Sometimes it feels a bit exhausting trying to keep up blogging (on a fairly regular basis) alongside a full-time job. And other times, you get to do such fun things that it reminds you one of the reasons it's all worthwhile!

Last week I was invited, by the lovely hotel group citizenM, to visit Glasgow for an evening of 'art, nice drinks and bites'. I like all of those things! Despite only being 50 minutes away by train, I rarely venture West unless it's for work, so I was excited to try a bit of touristin' in Glasgow...

WHERE I STAYED

Photos by me / Joni Israeli

I was very kindly gifted an overnight stay in citizenM Glasgow (thanks guys!). I'd heard the hotel was pretty cool, but I'd never been in before, and I was seriously impressed. The rooms are pretty petite, but perfectly sized, with absolutely MASSIVE beds, a huge window (with an ace city view and blackout blinds), a rain shower (I am obsessed with these), plus free wifi, loads of free movies, and MAGICAL COLOUR-CHANGING ROOMS. 

I realise this makes me sound seriously easily-pleased, but this was so cool! You control the whole room from a mini ipad next to your bed, and you can set a pre-programmed mood, or change the colour by scrolling a (super satisfying) colour wheel. It also makes the room instantly amazing for selfies.

The whole hotel is lovely, with quirky features, chill-out areas, and just a nice vibe throughout. It's also surprisingly affordable - rooms start at £69. 

WHAT I DID

Clockwise: Turner Prize | Nicole Wermers | Queuing (by myself) in head to toe H&M | Bloggers unite!

citizenM's an art-loving hotel, so keeping in with this ethos, I was whisked away with a group of lovely Scottish bloggers to attend the preview of the Turner Prize, Europe's most prestigious visual art award, which is in Scotland for the very first time.

I often find it hard to comment on large-scale pieces of art - I'm worried I won't get it, or I'll find it a bit boring and then feel guilty for finding it boring. But I really loved Nicole Wermers' piece - a series of fur coats stitched onto chairs, and DOUG, a musical composition, was moving to listen to (although I reckon it would make more of an impact with a less-party crowd around).

It was ace to get the chance to explore Tramway (a venue I've always meant to visit) and finally chat properly to Scottish bloggers that I feel like I've known for ages, even though we hadn't talked before (hi Wardrobe Conversations!).

WHAT I ATE

I ate well. First of all we were served beautiful citizenM sushi, then after the exhibition we were whisked off to Stravaigin - a Scottish restaurant in Glasgow's West End that specialises in local food and wild ingredients.

It was fairly impossible to choose from their menu, but I managed -  Shetland salmon, followed by pork belly, then a Dulce de leche parfait with hazelnut brittle and brownie pieces. Oh boy. I was thoroughly defeated, but it was all delicious - it's worth a trip across the country just for that dinner!

It was all just lovely. Thanks to everyone who spoiled me so!

HALLOWEEN HOW TO: FURIOSA (MAD MAX) MAKE UP

It's October, which means the countdown to Halloween can begin! I'll be posting weekly halloween tutorials every Monday in October, which should hopefully inspire you if you have a Halloween party to go to (or just fancy being spooky). I'll say again, I am obviously not a makeup artist and I don't pretend to be! This is just my take on how to do different makeup looks, using items you'll have in your makeup bag.

First up in my halloween how-to series: Furiosa from Mad Max!

I saw Mad Max earlier this year, and I absolutely loved it. Yeah, Max is the title character, but Furiosa (played by Charlize Theron) is the star of the show. She fights the patriarchy, drives fast cars, and shoots down baddies, all while looking totally badass with one arm, and a shaved head covered in black oil.

Her look is really grungey, so I thought it would be a fun one to try and recreate for Halloween. It's so easy to do, I almost feel guilty for posting this as a tutorial - it's definitely a good look if you feel lazy but want to make an impact, or have no time to get ready.

To get Furiosa's super tough look, you will need:

• Black cream eyeshadow (I used a MAC paint point)
• Black powder eyeshadow
• Black pencil eyeliner
• Black cream eyeliner (I used an amazing Urban Decay cream eyeliner)
• Mascara

Start by painting your entire forehead with the cream eyeshadow. You could use black facepaint for this too, but I like using eyeshadow - I think it looks less 'flat' than paint would. Use a brush or your fingers, and get a fairly even coverage of black, and make sure to colour in your hairline too (It'll look even better if you brush streaks of black in your hair).

Next, bring the cream eyeshadow down so it covers your eyes and the bridge of your nose. Then get the black powder eyeshadow and dab this across the whole area. This adds a bit more texture to the black area, and also helps the cream stay in place.

Finally, line your eyes heavily with the cream eyeliner and use your fingers or a small brush to smudge out the line. Use the eyepencil to fill in your waterline, and the cream pencil to go over your brows. Add mascara and that's it! To complete this look, you just need to pull your hair back into a tight ponytail, and perfect your best mad-at-the-patriarchy look.

SUNDAY LINKS

Hello Sunday! This week has been ace, I've binge-watched loads of Nashville (so, so obsessed with that show), had a flying trip to Glasgow to stay in the absolutely beautiful citizenM and view the Turner Prize exhibition (more on this soon), saw friends, ate amazing food, and basked in the absolutely glorious sunshine. Phew!

A3 letter lightbox (also available in A4 here!)

"The only thing Danny Boyle’s London 2012 opening ceremony was missing was a section where hundreds of women skipped around the stadium singing the praises of opaques, and the fact that, thanks to our terrible weather, we can wear them for nine months of the year".
Lauren Laverne wrote a list of the 10 best things about being a British woman, and it is perfect.

The most exciting thing this week was obviously that they found water on Mars! I went to see The Martian this week, and I'd hugely recommend it, I loved it!

Ryan Adam covered 1989 and everyone went mad for it.  New Statesman looks at Ryan Adam's 1989 and the mansplaining of Taylor Swift.

Vice asks the important questions: was Avril Lavigne killed off and replaced with an actress? 

I'm turning 30 in December, and I swithered over doing a '30 before 30' project. I decided against it (it all seemed too forced), but I liked this list: things every grown human should maybe stop doing by the time they're 30.

The new Lazy Oaf x Casper collection has just been launched, and it is perfect for October! I am particularly obsessed with that fluffy jumper.

Young Adult fiction tends to go for plucky, likeable characters (think Harry Potter!), but antiheroes are on the rise with more YA girls behaving badly.

This was an interesting read...  why are kids in Japan so independent?

Edinburgh wonder-shoppe Hannah Zakari are holding a cocktail clutch bag workshoppe. There's only 10 spots available, so if you are interested, sign up quickly! 

FRIDAY FLAT CHAT: BEAUT BEDROOMS

There's only four weeks to go until move-in day. FOUR! Have I done anything productive, other than incessantly blog about how excited I am? No I have not. I need to order boxes so I can start packing, I need to book my internet moving day (and I should have done this a week ago!), I need to start ordering furniture so it will arrive on time, I need to do things. Aargh!

Bedrooms from pinterest

I've already blogged about my plans for my bright and colourful living room, and now I'm dreaming about bedrooms. The flat is such a colourful space, and I'm planning to leave most of it as it currently is (I love the yellow hall and living room and bright blue bathroom), but I don't think I can live with a lime green bedroom - the white paint is coming out!

I thought it would nice to balance all of the colour of the flat, with a very neutral and calm bedroom. At first I was drawn to all-white rooms, with soft splashes of colour, but now I love the idea of painting a grey feature wall, and pairing it with a white bed, black and white duvets, and brightly-coloured bedside tables (like this cute table from Ikea).

Because I'm a massive hipster-wannabe, I want to fill my house with filament lamps (pfft, who needs lamp shades anyway?). I absolutely love this black and brass lamp from Made, but I cannot fathom the 8-10 weeks shipping time... it's a lamp! It comes in other colours (like grey and nickel) that ship in 3 days, but I don't think I like them as much. Ah, what do I do? Do I order the black one and wait two months to get it? The struggle is real.

I'm not letting myself buy any room accessories until I actually move in (as I know I'll get carried away and then not have space/not like or need what I buy!), but I've already got my eye on this grey chevron throw...