Why Did I Buy That Hairdryer?!

Why is the thought of a weekly blow-dry so much better than the final result?  I’m always so jealous of those people who have the time and money to have weekly blow-dries, and leave with Kate Middleton hair.  I on the other hand, always leave the hairdresser desperately want to re-do my hair as it just looks that little bit too far. However this still doesn’t stop me from always hoping a professional blow-dry will actually leave me looking like K-Midd/ Cheryl Fernandez-Versini (neé Cole)/Blake Lively.

So when I saw a tweet from SkintLondon (follow them here) last week offering free blow dries from GHD using the new GHD Aura, I thought why not?!  GHD’s make the best straighteners, so maybe their new hairdryer will actually allow my hair to do a little more than just hang limply.  I think what I really liked most was the fact that GHD were spending all day offering free blow dries to the general public. I wasn’t going to have to wait and hear all about it on a biased blog with some stunning blogger wearing free clothes, with her great hair, photographed in a great location looking perfect. I was getting to go.

I realise I am writing a blog…but I’m not a blogger.  These rambling don’t lend themselves to people sending me free stuff. I don’t photograph well. And as much as I love fashion and beauty and food, I don’t buy all the right things that are conducive to a popular blog.  I read an interesting article about fashion blogging here which kind of sums all that up. I lasted 2 weeks “working” in the fashion world (O Wonderland…it was not a pleasure) but have friends starting careers in fashion now and I feel for them.  This blog is obviously here to help me further my career in TV commentating, after my starring role in Rip Off Britain.

Anyways…I digress.

So managed to secure a post-work slot at the GHD headquarters in Soho.  This then made me want to go out after to show off my lovely blow dry. Date night was swiftly arranged for afterwards in Soho. Dream day really. Hopefully.

 I arrived, couldn’t get in the building and had to wait for a random person to leave the office to let me in. Not ideal. I then waited about, listening to someone else moan their appointment was meant to be at 6pm. It was now 6.55pm.  I worried slightly, but thankfully was  seen before her (I think she left without her blow dry…no idea what happened).  I met my lovely hairdresser who asked what I would like done. I stated very clearly that I would like a bit of volume and just some movement, as my hair always just hangs. She seemed to grasp this. As she was washed my hair, there was the usual commentary on how much hair I had and how thick it was. I warned her it takes ages to dry as it hold water but can’t hold a curl. This resulted in numerous varieties of blow dry sprays and mousse being used. Blow drying started, lots of curling was happening. The curls were then being pinned. And hour later the bottom section of my head was almost bone dry, but was yet to be blasted curled and pinned. People left, all with wonderful slightly volumized, K-Midd esque hair. I was the last one standing 1 hour and 30 minutes later.

The curls were unpinned, and on came that face you do when the hairdresser looks super pleased with themselves and you hate it. It was massive, truly massive. She then layered on the hairspray. I coughed. I thanked her, grateful I didn’t have to pay, then left. Not once did she try and sell me the hairdryer. No sales pitch. I didn’t get to hold the hairdryer and see how wonderfully light it is. Nothing. Just my new bouffant. I hated it. I definitely didn’t take any pictures. Then thankfully, an hour standing in the London heat outside my favourite little French bar, it was almost straight. Flat to my head. Back to normal.

I’m not buying the new GHD Aura hairdryer. I’m not paying for a blow dry either.

Why Did I Buy That T-Shirt?!

I am forever on the hunt for a good quality white tee.  Fashion magazines and blogs are always telling us that the perfect white tee is a wardrobe staple, but always suggest something that is £40+.  I refuse to pay that kind of money on something that could be ruined by an over enthusiastic mouthful of pasta.

I tried the Primark basic tees...and while at £3 I wasn't expecting to find the perfect tee but I was hoping for more than one wear before the seams twisted, and something with a little nicer cotton and little less stretch.  Other high street shops seem to struggle with a perfect white t-shirt, adding too many pockets or weird sleeves (yes Topshop I mean you).  But I refuse to spend silly money on something like a plain white tee.

Growing up Gap was always a port of call when out shopping with my mum. And now that I no longer fit into Gap Kids I still love it.  The jeans are amazing quality and they manage to make basics look a little more trend led.  They also always have amazing sales..which resulted in me finding my first ever perfect white tee.  It was super soft cotton, v-neck and loose fitting..and cost about £6. I wore that t-shirt to death. It started my obsession with rummaging through Gap sale rails for more perfect tees.

My most recent Gap white tee was the result of a bad day at work.  And the best way to resolve a bad day is some lunchtime shopping. I remembered there was a Gap at Moorgate after a frenzied and unsuccessful trip around New Look, and was obviously ecstatic when I saw the big massive sale sign outside. 5 minutes later I had bought some "sexy boyfriend jeans" and a new white tee. All for £21. Yes the tee was a little on the big side as there was only larges left...and I had to swap the jeans for the size down the next day (ego boosting trip much?) but I had found my new perfect white tee.

Now if only I wore less black and more light colours so it made its way into the washing machine a little more often.

Why did I buy that lip balm?!

Everyone loves Vaseline don’t they? I can’t say I use it for all those other things it supposedly does (have you heard it makes your eyelashes longer?!) but it is a fail-safe lip balm. And I love lip balm.  It is my ultimate impulse buy and I always buy more when I don’t need them.

I have noticed a number of shops recently stocking the big Vaseline tins containing 3 regular size Vaseline pots, and I think they have two different varieties depending on which pots are inside.  I thought this was genius…and obviously wanted to purchase. Immediately.  But the price put me off.  Over the past year I have been living well below the poverty line and favoured pound shops over luxury shops like Tesco and Boots.   And I was adamant that pots of Vaseline were only a pound.  So I was not forking out a fiver for 3 pots, even if they were of the flavoured and exciting variety.

But whilst doing my weekly food shop in Tesco (I now do weekly food shops….for proper food), I saw this amazing giant Vaseline tin on offer for a mere £3. Therefore at £1 a pot and not ridiculously overpriced, it has to be purchased.  Original, Aloe Vera and Rosy Lips were now in my possession and subject to weekly rotation.

Goodbye old, not-really-cola-flavoured lip balm from Primark. 

Why did I buy that mascara and eyeliner?

Today was the first payday of my first "real" job.  I have only worked 8 days of this month so it wasn't my full wage but it felt like enough to burn a hole in my pocket.  Even though I have created a spreadsheet for this month's budget (I work with spreadsheets...it seemed sensible/normal) and have earmarked almost all of my pay for bills and travel, I had to spend a little on my first payday lunch break.

I decided to treat myself to some much needed makeup.  I often overlook buying new makeup as I prefer to spend my dosh on other things but I was in desperate need for a new mascara.  So I toddled off to Boots (having all ready sourced the offers the previous day).  As someone who rarely buys new makeup, except nail varnish which I would buy as often as food if the budget allowed, I will only splash out if there is an offer on. In fact I'm not particularly brand loyal.  Foundation decisions are based upon who is offering 3 for 2 that week, as the perfect foundation is yet to be located.

However today's purchase was actual initially influenced by a blog post.  One of the few blogs I subscribe to is The Sunday Girl's beauty blog and love scrolling through the new post every morning that come via email.  She recently blogged about Maybelline's new Smokey Eye range and I was intrigued to try it and see if it worked...as eye makeup does not ever stay on my face!  You can read her post here.

So when I discovered that this mascara and eyeliner were both available for £10, I purchased them. The mascara is priced at £7.99, standard mascara price and cheaper than the MAC PlushLash I had been considering, with the eyeliner priced at £5.99.  I have to say £5.99 for an eyeliner is RIDICULOUS. I lost most within a week and will only buy Primark's £1 eyeliner as I don't see the point wasting money on a product that will get lost/broken/stolen.  But as a sucker for a makeup offer I bought them both...saving £3.98 YAY!

We can only hope they are worth the money when I test them tonight. First work drinks.

Why did I buy that pretzel?!

I am one of those people who will crave a Burger King the minute I see an advert, and I will not stop craving a delicious Chicken Royale until I get one.  In my recent times of poverty, this has proven to be an issue.  When craving a Chicken Royale during my recent "pissertation hell" I trotted along to my local next to the university to find that the remaining £4 in my purse would not purchase me a meal. I could afford the sandwich alone, but without money for a diet Coke, that would not make for a fun lunch.  I therefore continued my cravings until the next day, when some pocket money came in (receiving pocket money age 22 is cool yeah?) and I could finally afford to satisfy my Burger King lust. IT WAS GOOD.

So if an advert has this effect, imagine what happens with a free sample.  Free samples of cinnamon pretzels make me crave a big, massive pretzel.  In fact, in knowing that Westfield always dish out pretzel samples, I am now like Pavlov's dogs, salivating at the very idea of heading to Westfield.  On a recent trip to the west side Westfield, I had actually forgotten about pretzels.  I am usually shopping window shopping at east side Westfield and didn't quite make the connection that west side probably sold pretzels too.  After a massive late lunch I was stuffed.  Truly stuffed.  As I stormed about trying to find the impossible item with the world's biggest shopping hater, Ms Pretzel put the tray in my face.  I had to take a piece...they smelt sooooo good. And that was it. I was now craving a cinnamon pretzel.

I tried to carry on shopping, and when I almost started crying because I couldn't wear the teeny hotpants my best mate could, it seemed silly to buy one after the huge late lunch.  But my cravings got the better of me, as always, and I searched again (Westfield's are huge and maze-like) for Ms Pretzel to buy myself a whole, giant pretzel.

And it was worth it. Every single bite. If only free samples of granola bars had the same effect on me.

Why did I buy that Sudocrem?!

There is something going around at the minute called "The TOWIE Effect". And one of the many things I learnt at my PR internship is that it is used a lot, and appears to work. Most branded surveys will be doing well to get one or two national print 'NIBs'. You know the ones..."75% of women wear the wrong bra according to a survey by Debenhams". And a story about increased sales in products rarely gets a mention, unless it is obscure or due to some strange effect. This is where Superdrug hit gold. They reported on a huge surge in the sale of Sudocrem after the TOWIE girls were slapping it on during an episode. And it hit so many national newspapers, and even got coverage a few days later.

It becomes apparent that anything the TOWIE lot are doing, we want to do too. They are normal people (I use this term loosely), and appear to be using normal products that haven't been shameless plugged by PRs. This is where I find coverage doesn't equate to increasing consumer buying behaviour. We all want something with a little more integrity, no? Although my friend had used Sudocrem for years and raved about its wonders, it wasn't until The TOWIE Effect happened that I thought I must purchase this product. Everyone mass using a product must mean it's good!

However I didn't go out on a specific shopping trip to buy this product. I was out buying a rug with my flatmate (I'm very domesticated now) when I spied a Savers. I rushed over to hunt for St Moritz fake tan, that I have struggled to locate since moving to London. Obviously London once again disappointed me, and so I felt a need to purchase something else, as I can never leave these stores without purchasing some kind of discounted beauty product. And there I saw it. Sudocrem. All that brand recall hit me straight in the face, and as I explained to my flatmate that the whole nation was using it, I picked it up and bought it without a second thought.

So last night I slapped it on (after reading some online reviews of just how much to slap on and what it is actually going to do...). And I love it.

Why did I buy that cinema ticket?

I love films. Like really love them. And I love going to the cinema. "Waiting for the DVD" should only be reserved for those shocking comedies Hollywoods churns out with Paul Rudd and other middle age overweight men. Or most Brit horrors (Torrmented anyone?). Going to the cinema is a must for big budget action films and cult classics. And yes I do mean the Twilight Saga.

So last night one of my few friends who apparently also loves the cinema, or was simply that bored, asked if I wanted to go. I obviously said yes.....but what to see? After getting rid of the festive tripe, it boiled down to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Instead of choosing hotly anticipated cult film, I begged for Mission Impossible. All because of the trailer...and a certain Jonathon Ross interview with Tom Cruise. I love trailers! And this one was full of explosions, the strangely attractive guy from The Hurt Locker, and Simon Pegg.

So film chosen, we headed to the cinema. Now do I sound old when I say remember when the cinema cost a fiver to get in? It's now £8 for an adult! And as it was an IMAX screening it shot up to £12.50! We didn't even know what an IMAX screening was. We just hoped it didn't involve 3D glasses. Does anyone actually like 3D films? No. Good. Stop making these overpriced pointless films then.

As we sat down in front of what one cinema goer described as a wall not a screen, the annoyance of paying so much for a cinema ticket was heightened thanks to them playing the Mary Poppins soundtrack before the trailers. I soon relaxed though as the entire row in front of me jumped out of their seats as it started. We were now going to be deafened and most likely blinded.

As much as I love writing essays on films, I'll save you that joy. But the film was AMAZING. And to be honest the IMAX experience made it even better! Worth the £12.50 for a huge action film....or Frozen Planet. There is an idea!

Why did I buy a sledge?!

OK so I have already broken first rule of the blog...I didn't actually purchase the sledge. But this was for very good reason!!

As I was walking out the the tube station I noticed a very interesting advert for Decathlon (tube advertising is not pointless...it does still attract consumers attention!).  It was advertising a sledge. In central London.

Yes it has already snowed back home in Scotland, and I have been told on numerous occasions that London does get snow (suuuuuure) but I highly doubt that there is EVER enough snow to sledge in London. EVER. And if by any miraculous turn of events that enough snow does fall in London and it's cold enough to lie without the entire population of Scotland trampling all over it, where do you actually go??  I have yet to see a decent hill in London let alone a large grassy one.  So while in Scotland people have actual snow days where there are physical snowdrifts against your front door and getting to work is impossible, selling sledges in London appears to be as useful as selling flip flops in Antarctica. 

Here is a picture from a BBC article entitled "Heavy snow severe weather warning issued for London"...

And a picture from Scotland, which doesn't even begin to show the time I was snowed in for 3 days. Or had a 6 foot high snowdrift in my street that we built a tunnel through...

So lets be honest. Sledges are not required in London. Do not advertise them....no one needs to buy one!

Why did I buy the X Factor charity single?!

It happens every year. The X Factor finalists release a cover of a big ballad (previous singles have included Hero, You Are Not Alone and Heroes) with the proceeds going to various charities.  They have worked with Help for Heroes and Great Ormond Street Hospital, but it was this year's charity that really encouraged me to buy the charity single this year.

This year's charity is Together for Short Lives, and the VT before the X Factor finalists really struck a chord with me.  The family in the VT had 3 children all suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a horrible condition which causes progressive muscle weakness.  It was horrible to watch a mother describe the pain she will face as she will lose all 3 of her little boys.  It was even more horrible to think that I know someone who will also have to go through this.  My Mum's best friend's little boy also suffers from the condition and I couldn't help but well up. 

So today I bought the single. The actual physical CD.  And not because One Direction are also in the single (I have seen lots of people say that JLS and 1D are on the single to help sell more copies) but because I genuinely wanted to give to such a great charity.  When I got to Tesco and saw that singles now cost £4 I was shocked...I swear they used to be £2 (no wonder single sales are all online now!) but I was happy to pay that knowing that all the money was going to a great charity.

So whatever you think about X Factor, and however much you hate the song, please buy the single.  £4 could help make a child's short life just that little bit better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndsp5BVt2jY

Why did I buy that Easyjet breakfast?

So I flew home today.  This involved getting up at 5am, getting a bus, 2 tubes and a coach (which I only just managed to get on as the driver did not approve of me taking a picture of the booking confirmation instead of printing it).  After arriving at the airport I had to wait to check in (I stupidly forgot to print my boarding pass) and then queue again for 35 minutes for security. After checking my smashed Blackberry was not a bomb and a short speedwalk to the gate, I was on the plane. But I hadn't eaten, and obviously missed out on my leisurely breakfast at Luton airport.  I thought flying was meant to be glamorous?!

As the captain provides some light banter and the cabin crew announce they will shortly be passing through the cabin with a selection of beverages and hot snacks, I weigh up the pros and cons of passing the hour flight with no food or liquid passing my lips. The pros won.

At first I thought I'll just get a drink...8.45am is the perfect time for a Diet Coke. Aaaaa great it's Pepsi Max only..suck it up and deal with it. And minimum card spend is £5? That's a clever one Easyjet! So bacon baguette it is. I'm currently enjoying any opportunity to eat bacon at the moment.  When my local Subway at Aldgate told me they didn't do bacon, only Halal meats, I immediately wanted it. A Halal Subway is a bizarre concept for me, and without offending multicultural London, it's Subway and I love a good BLT.

So I asked for my Pepsi Max and bacon baguette, and then the clever sales strategy was thrown right back in my face..."Would you like to add crisps for only 25p more?"...."Ummm yes, OK. Salted thanks."  I fell right into that one. I didn't even consider my usual "will the passengers next to me think I'm a total fatty?" dilemma. I just thought there is a bargain right there.

I didn't even eat the crisps. They are in my bag upstairs.

In other food related news I had a half fried pizza supper for my tea. I'm at home....and only in Edinburgh do they ask "salt and sauce?" and know not to even ask what colour sauce. Easiest consumer decision ever.

why did i get a blog?!

So, since deciding to do a masters in consumer psychologyat the start of this year, I've become a bit obsessed with social media. I was already an avid Facebook user (you have to be at uni don't you?) and decided to get Twitter. First it was following the celebrities (mostly Made in Chelsea stars....) then I thought I have got Twitter to try get my dream job and get somewhere in London. So I started following fashion PR companies and branding agencies. It was interesting but I was really getting Twitter or how influential it could be!

Then I had a lecture from Matthew Zorpas (@prwonderland) on social media. He scared me when he said fashion PR's need to have 1000 followers to get anywhere....I had around 60. He talked about blogging, and how it can get you places. A few of my friends blogged, Lyndsey Clark (@lyndseyyy) and Carolaine Pino (@carolainepino) so I thought i should jump on the bandwagon. But what to blog about?!

I love fashion, love my vogue subscription and get a little obsessed with who is wearing who, but I'm not the sort of person who wears the latest trends and can tweet great pics of my outfits. I play it far too safe! So as I'm doing a masters in consumer psychology I thought I should stick to what I know. What makes me buy things? Why do i actually spend huge amounts of money (what I believe to be huge amounts considering how much I earn!) on a dress I believe I can only wear in London and not at home in Edinburgh?! So here it is...why did i buy that?!