City Rush & Aveda Hair Stylin'

Last Thursday was the night I attended the Newcastle Business Awards. Now, in true Original Redhead style, of course I was running round like a crazy person attempting to look glam! And when Aveda Blow Bar in Fenwick, Newcastle invited me in for a complimentary treatment last minute I thought my fairy godmother must have been looking down on me!

 

So, after finishing a long day at work, I rushed to Fenwick (same night as the Newcastle Light Switch On) featuring X Factor's Abi Garrido & Samantha Lavery. If you have somehow not heard these girls, seriously listen. As you can imagine, the city was buzzing and busy. So I get to Fenwick, with 45 minutes to spare, remove my make up, cleanse, tone, moisturise, prime and then start my make up again. This time with a much more fierce twist than my usual daytime look.

 

 

Thinking it would be nice & quiet and calm was a mistake on my part, with the toilets being on the children's floor and many families attending the lights being turned on every squeal and blast of the hand drier has me feeling hyper sensitive. Think it's the most rushed I've ever felt as I knew I had an appointment. BUT somehow in super timing, I managed my skin, lashes, brows, contour & highlight and then had to rush down stairs. Lashes and a red lip could be applied as I'm running out to my taxi!

 

When I located Aveda (they are pretty new to Fenwick!) I was greeted by the lovely Anna. She took my coat and many bags and made me feel so relaxed. I was talked through all the treatments they provide including blowdries, hair styling, head & shoulder massages and a full range of products. So I explained to Anna my event situation and we agreed on a hair style. To be honest I was expecting a simple blow dry so this completely outdid my expectations from the off.

 

 

My hair was combed & prepped with the Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion to create weightless texture as a base to begin my styling. I might add, I have super shiny and least textured hair ever so this product is great for all you girls who struggle to hold a style.Then my hair was curled in sections with a Diva Professional cone shaped curling wand - loved the curl shapes created with this! Wider and bouncier at the root with the curl decreasing towards the ends of the hair.

 

 

 

 

Anna worked her magic and started pinning! I wanted a nice up do for this evening event and the curls really looked lovely pinned up. We discussed a few details of how I'd prefer my fringe to sit and I liked it sweeping one side of my head so we worked on that and then added some gorgeous whispy curls which gently grazed my face. Spritzed with hair spray for extra hold this hair style wasn't budging an inch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finished look I think you can all agree was a perfect hair-up for an evening event and this Aveda service really does help take the pressure off if you have an event/party coming up in the festive season. And on a time scale, I proved that it really is a valuable service! I made Anna aware of my short time scare and she really performed under pressure!!

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Best Burger I've ever tasted: The Grind at No 28

A few weeks back I was invited along to No 28 to showcase the launch of The Grind taking over their kitchen. If you haven't heard of No 28, you can read more about it here. I had heard of these guys from a few different food festivals over the year but I was yet to taste their food.
 

 

 

 

The chef served up our burgers and spoke a little about The Grind and the ideas behind the food. 1 thing I did notice just from his brief talk through, was the level of passion this company holds. I think this is really reflected in their food. So after explaining I was about to dig into their West Coast Classic & Beef Tallow Fries, it was nice to be left with the feeling that the people preparing your food actually care and have thought about it in detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admittedly I'm not a huge meat eater and I probably wouldn't pick a cheeseburger off a menu but this beauty really is something else. A hand rolled double patte topped with a secret sauce, relish and crunchy lettuce. And cheese. Don't forget the cheese. Oh my word. The cheese is like the best part. Envelop this all in a bun and I think it's safe to say this is one of the best cheeseburgers I've had to date. With a bite, your mouth is tasting the beef, secret sauce, signature relish with the texture of the lettuce and melted cheese - it's a magical coming together of quote simple flavours but done very well.

 

 

 

 

I also hadn't yet tried fries cooked in beef dripping - oh, what a sheltered life I lead. The dripping seems to give the fries a crispy finish which normal frying doesn't give. The fries were moreish, even after the monster burger I had just consumed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just when I was slipping into a food coma, they dished up these American Style Buffalo Chicken Wings with Stilton Dipping Sauce. Honestly, I don't like meat on the bone but I gave these a try - like it was a chore?! They were cooked perfectly, the chicken was succulent, full of flavour and the dipping sauce - delicious. Not my personal choice, but I see the appeal of these and they do taste amazing. Perfect for sharing but I dare anyone to want to share this food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're looking to try out The Grind, head over to Nelson Street in Newcastle at No 28 and sink your teeth into one of their burgers! They also do vegetarian options. For those who are having a lazy one, you can get your burger fix via Deliveroo!

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Have Faith in Winter Jewels

As winter approaches with the mind boggling selection of knits, textures, weaves, layering, pleats, patterns, prints and such on offer sometimes simplistic accessories really do take an outfit from everyday to polished. Crossify contacted me to do a little review of their Solid 9ct White Gold Cross Pendant. Crossify are new and stock a whole range of silver & gold cross pendants.

 

 

 

After waiting patiently for the postman, the pendant arrived in a black envelope and once opened revealed a little black box. (argh jewellery mail is my favourite!) Inside the box, there it was nestled on the black velvet inlay.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see the pendant is solid and very minimal. For a winter wardrobe, I think this would be styled in so many ways! Over a chunky knit jumper, with a pinafore and roll neck or even with a crisp white shirt. You can see on the bail that it is stamped and the cross itself is a smooth finish.

 

 

 

 

In mission to wear this as soon as possible I purchased a twisted sterling silver chain online. I thought this was a perfect for it to be strung around my neck (although the options are limitless, you could hang it on leather, cord, suede, snake chain, cable chain, box chain, rolo chain etc. I guess it depends on what kind of look you're going for and this is part of the charm of buying a pendant on its own. You can style it up anyway you feel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No fiddling neither, with this pendant the bail is a good size so my chain just slipped straight on. Which makes for good interchanging chains when you're on the move. For anyone thinking of purchasing, Crossify offer free delivery on all of their orders and this pendant retails at £69.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I have been styling mine with a navy knitted jumper. The white gold shine really does stand out against the blue and is a lovely go-to piece for those mornings when you're in a hurry. The thing I do love about this particular pendant is that its design allows it to be worn by guys and girls. Out with your fella and he needs to upgrade his outfit in an instant? Pass him your necklace and jobs done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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Spritzin: JKB ARGENT Millionaire Hair Mist

Everyone knows me as the girl with the ginger locks. I can be spotted in crowds with my gingery flame mane. So in these harsh, winter months (especially being a model) I really do have to keep my hair in good condition. So when JKB Argent sent me their sparkly new Millionaire Hair Mist I was itching to put it to the test - with plenty of hair at the ready!

 

On opening the parcel (blogger mail is always exciting), the first thing I noticed was the attention to detail in the packaging. The beautiful gold against the sodailte blue box is gorgeous. A weighty glass bottle topped off with a gold lid was nestled inside. I love when packaging is really thought out, surely you'd think its the product and what it can achieve is what matters. But I really do think that beautiful packaging shows that a brand has really thought about everything from shelf appeal to customer service to product development if they have took the time and care to get their branding right.  

 

 

So looking at the bottle, the product inside the bottle looks milky but when spritzing this, it has a gorgeous mist consistency which wraps around your hair and nourishes it. So what does the Millionaire Hair Mist do? The mist helps to give you a glossy mane, weather you're in a rush or just styling it. I have used this just after straightening and curling meanwhile also just spraying through my hair and brushing just to give a healthy sheen and both work well. This retails at £35.00 via their website, and considering the natural ingredients, packaging and the actual product itself seems reasonable (not to mention this has lasted me a good while and I have pretty long hair!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Millionaire Mist doesn't have a potent fragrance (like with many hair products which can be strongly scented and smell of chemicals) and also has organic aloe vera and blackcurrant extract. This mist also boasts to be paraben and sulphate free too. The ingredients have been carefully sourced and blended to create this product. As if the packaging and the product results didn't make me love this enough, the organic touch really does appeal to me. Natural scents and natural, organic products make me think of us thousands of years ago kinda like avatars using the rainforests as our free for all fresh beauty salons, with berries,charcoal and fruits.

 

 

 

I'm really excited to see what JKB Argent come up with next as this is their first ever product out on the market. Impressive, huh?

 

 

 

Until next time

The Original Redhead

 

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Pumpkins in my bath! LUSH Halloween Haul

The Halloween Collection everyone has been raving about. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, it keeps popping up on my feeds. So obviously I had to see what all of the fuss is about.

 

 

 

 

Off I trotted to my local Lush store (which is Eldon Sq, Newcastle) and bounded into the cloud of lushness. Those of you who have been into Lush, you know that smell.  I spotted the Halloween section and knew exactly what I had to do... Buy it all. Yep. That's what I did. And I have no shame ha!  

 

 

 

So first out of my bag is the Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar. Literally a glitter dipped bath bar. Glitter galore. If you love glitter then you need this in your life. If you despise glitter and its dark magic ways of getting everywhere then maybe avoid this one. This is specifically the one I've been seeing a tonne featured on social media. Probably because it is so 'instagrammable.' **

 

£3.95

 

**DISCLAIMER

 

I do not own the rights to this words and nor did I coin this phrase. This is all the work of fellow blogger Ruth. Ie. That is soooo instagrammable. The lighting is too dark in here, my photos really aren't instagrammable.

 

This bubble bar is to be broken off and melted under your running bath water (meaning it lasts a good while.) It smells like autumn in a bag. Even after a few days, I stuck my nose into the infamous Lush paper packaging bag and gave it a smell. Deep earthy tones and it's not a wonder as it is filled with essential oils which are released when it bubbles under warm water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next out of the bag (quite literally) was the Lord Of Misrule Bath Bomb. A gorgeous green bomb to be dropped in the bath with disarray and pure joy once you see it slowly froth away. A mischievous mixture of patchouli & black pepper oil with a deep wine coloured centre which reveals itself once the deep green exterior has vanished. When you get up close, you'll see this one is speckled with different colours. Kind of like a confetti covered bath bomb. On later inspection of the label, this one has popping candy in it. POPPING CANDY IN A BATH BOMB. I think life is now complete.

 

£3.95

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monster's Ball is the one with the character. I think we should name her Celia. Celia the Cyclops. This one has a sort of fruity smell to it, like mulled wine has a spike of orange. That's the only way I can translate this scent into words. And with the pink and blue, I'm guessing this one is going to be instagrammable when dropped into the bath leaving a trail of rainbow colours behind!

 

£4.25

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so these had me curious. I thought the Boo Melts were a crumbly sort of texture just like the bombs and bars. But seemingly I was wrong. These are a waxy melt texture and they are to be used in the same way as a bath bomb. Apparently when dropped into the bath, they melt away and create a creamy, scented haven for you to lie back and indulge in. With a musky vanilla scent with ginger and Fair Trade organic cocoa combined with mandarin oil and sandalwood, this one smells divine.

 

£3.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but never least is the Pumpkin Bath Bomb. I am itching to literally drop this from a great height into my bath and watch the orange sphere fizz away until there is no more. There is something quite satisfying about watching them disappear, right? This design really reminds me of old

school hand carved pumpkins which parents all over the world would slave over for one evening of the year. Pumpkin spice, orange and cinnamon are what I can smell from this beauty. Enriching the smell of home baking and bringing the nostalgia of autumn & Halloween to make us feel super cosy and satisfied.

 

£3.95

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as seasonal products go, I think Lush really hit the nail on the head with this. I'm looking forward to what they have planned for Christmas products.

 

 

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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