What I Wore | Fairytale Fashion

Yaaay it's that time of year again (well that one day a year we get here in good ol' Aberdeen) where the sun has got his hat on and makes our great city glitter, Summer! And what better way to celebrate than to dig out the wardrobes summer finest, and in turn celebrate the up coming release of Disney's Maleficent at the end of May.

What I Wore on my Body

Vest - 'Who is the fairest of them all' Metallic Fairytale Vest, H & M (incredibly comfy!)
Jeans - High Wasted Light Wash Jeans, Topshop
Feet- Plain black pumps, New Look

What I Wore on my Head and Face 

Hair - Iron Curled Ends (using straighteners) otherwise straight all over.
Face - Nivea Moisturizer
Collection Lasting Perfection (Fair)
Eyes - L'Oreal Colour Riche Crayon Le Khol (Midnight Black)
I used a trio of colour from my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
Lips - Burts Bees Lip Balm

Given the weather has been so good my skin has been behaving incredibly well (I put it down to the rays we Aberdonians have been catching lately!) and all I have been using on a daily basis is my regular moisturizer and a touch of concealer to get rid of any redness or blemishes, fingers crossed this continues throughout the coming months!

So that is my homage to fairytales and princesses of Summer, it may be a tad dull but I'm afraid this is often as bright as we get here in Aberdeen. I have been working on a few new hairstyles inspired by the vintage ladies of the 1950's and 60's in addition to a few You Tubers I have been loving lately (Cherrydoll Face to name one, go check her out!) so if you enjoy trying something a little vintage and something a bit different stay tuned for my take on these timeless classics.

As always you can catch me on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up to date with the latest with Granite City Girl follow me on Bloglovin, catch you on the next one.

H. Elizabeth xx

Rituals | Foaming Body Wash Review

So as you may know from a previous post a fee months back I bought Glamours latest and greatest beauty box and I was so over the moon, intensely excited to try out all of the new products. Now I find myself needing to use an invisibobble over a regular hair tie, I am in love with the lush lashes Miss Manga has continued to give me and I wouldn't be without my minty Burt's bees!

However there was a wee surprise product which I did not expect to love even half as much as I do and that is the Rituals Zensation Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom Foaming shower gel sensation... Quite a mouthful I know! 

Usually unless there is a fantastically amazing sounding scent such as my Philosophy Apple pie gel, a wildly luxe brand like Molten Brown or even something a bit different from Lush, shower gel doesn't tend to enthuse me. So upon throwing this into my gym bag only last week I didn't think twice about what I had in store!

Scent

First of all the smell, my goodness the smell! Mouthwatering, sweet and positively luxurious. I tend to get confused hearing things like 'cherry blossom' or 'rice milk' unless it's spelled out for me like apples or strawberries I am pretty clueless. But such a gel deserves a beautiful name, top marks for my refreshing and femininely scented body after using this foamy delight.

Sensation

The feeling of the gel wasn't like the traditional foamburst you would expect from the likes of imperial leather, instead the gel is just that quite a runny gel like consistency much like a shaving gel rather than a shower gel... If you understand what I mean. It doesn't take too much to work the gel into a foamy lather of sweet smelling goodness and glides off your skin as smoothly as it leaves it.

My one and only criticism of this gel is that a little doesn't really go a long way, I was given a travel size in my beauty box and that really only did for two and a half washes, so I would say this is more a once in a while luxury product, no use for daily washes. Definitely recommend for those of you looking to add a bit of luxe to your shower routine.

RRP £8.50 (200ml, From Bath & Unwind)

Criticisms

If you guys would like me to review anything else which was included in this specific beauty box drop me a comment below, and if you guys have any recommendations for me for other beauty boxes you may have tried let me know and I will definitely check them out! As always you can catch me on Twitter and of course if you want to see more of my latest and greatest follow me on Bloglovin. Stay tuned folks.

H.Elizabeth xx

The Apology Post - Let's Catch Up

Hello everyone, so hopefully you have all noticed that I have been awfully awfully quiet as of the past couple of months so I would like to first and foremost apologize and promise it won't happen again any time soon. I also want to take this opportunity to summarize where I have been, what I have been up to and what you can expect from the Granite City Girl in the coming months!

Below is a list, as I do love listing everything, of everything, or rater most things, I have been up to the past two months of absence!

•  Solo trip to London to the London Super Comic Convention 2014. (Study purposes)
• Uni, Uni and more Uni. Dissertation was a killer but at least I got to do it on comicy, Marvely superhero goodness.
• My granda finally finally got out of hospital after nearly 3 months in high dependency!
•  After almost 6 years I quit my job at our local bakery to find something a bit different.
• Beginning multiple news jobs before finally settling at a city center aesthetics clinic which so far I love!
•  Training for my 10k's one of which is next week and another next month.
• Non stop wedding planning, as I type there is currently 83 days and 18 hours to go until the big day and I am so excited, stay tuned for my wedding updates and meltdowns!

Lately on the beauty side of things I have been experimenting quite heavily with vintage styles like the pin up looks, barrel rolls, victory rolls etc, which I will make a couple of detailed posts on shortly. I'm going to try and do a few summer hauls, wee life posts and event posts for you guys.

So I hope you stick around to see what I have in store in the next stage of my life post university! As always I am on Twitter and you can always follow me on Bloglovin.

H.Elizabeth xx

What I Wore | I've Been Lazy!

I'm afraid recently I have been slacking, not only with my blogging but honestly with my overall dress and appearance! Studying has taken over my life I'm afraid and I do apologise as soon as May comes I'll be back on the hardcore blogging, scouts honour. 

But for now here is another what I wore post to hopefully keep you going through this Granite City drought!

What I wore on my body

 

Jumper - Black 3/4 sleeved jumper, Topshop

   Dress - An oldie oldie black strappy dress with white florals

                                           Tights - Supercosy, Asda (ever faithful)

            Necklace - Lengthy key necklace, Urban Outfitters (apologies for the lack of close up)

What I wore on my head and Face

 Head - Lazily straightened, GHD Straighteners
Tres Emme Heat Defense Spray
Face - Still trying to go easy on my skin while my blemishes get to calm down
L'Oreal Infallible Foundation (Porcelain)
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (Fair)
Eyes - Easy on the eyes still too!
L'Oreal Colour Riche Eyeliner (Midnight Black)
L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

Lips - As many of you will know from my 'lippy' post I have been trying some new lip products and I have fallen in love with an oldie from my make up collection and that is Rimmels Coral Gold colouring. I love the way it looks against caspery skin as all of you red heads out there will know we can't wear a deep red without looking super intense (and if you can comment below with what you've been using!) The slight shimmer to this also means it's not too matte but not too glossy, striking a perfect balance for me!

This post hasn't showcased anything brand new from my wardrobe and just goes to show that you don't need to break the bank to create a new look for yourself, go and have a good rummage! If you've found any hidden gems lately comment below or share your OOTD! As always you can catch me on Twitter for a chat, or if you want to keep up with the latest Granite City posts you can give this blog a follow on Bloglovin!

H. Elizabeth

#Nomakeupselfie | Doing Your Bit

Hello everyone, so a week has passed since the #nomakeupselfiefor cancer swept the social media sphere throughout the UK at least, and if you don't know what I'm yapping about, where have you been?

Not only were those of you who took to the internets snapping pics of your faces au naturale, the majority I could see were even donating generously raising over a staggering £8m in a little over a week AND COUNTING for Cancer Research! As a PR and Communication student I was incredibly impressed that a campaign like this has had such an effect and it just goes to show the power we hold as internet users and social media sharers!

So today I would like to share with you what I plan on doing in aid of various charities this year.

(The first time I have appeared au naturale on the line, feeling good for charity)

Race for Life 10K

Last year my friend and I took part in another event in aid of cancer, one I'm sure you're all familiar with, the Race for Life 10k. For all of you ladies out there who have yet to participate in the Race for Life 5 or 10K run, it is a fantastic atmosphere where there is a real community sense and it a lot of fun. Being healthy and helping charity is a great boost and we were eventually able to raise over £200.00 to help beat cancer!

Baker Hughes 10K

This one is a race that is a little different and one more specific to Aberdeen over a UK wide run. It is called the Baker Hugues Running Festival and is not held for a specific charity but rather participants are given the opportunity to choose a charity which is close to them personally. So I intend to run for either a heart disease charity or lung disease as these are causes closer to my family which I always feel go unnoticed by the media. I have never taken part in the Baker Hughes Running Festival before but I am really pleased to be able to run for a cause which I have chosen myself.

Unfortunately this is all I have planned for my Summer sponsor activities, the Baker Hughes 10K is in May and the Race for Life in June, so I've given myself a bit of a challenge here but I am determined to raise over £100.00 per run, if you are feeling so inclined and generous this evening here is my Just Giving page for the Race for Life 10K.

What do you guys do for charity, and are there any specifically close to your hearts? Drop me a comment below, come chat with me on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City posts follow this blog on Bloglovin.

Stay generous everyone
H. Elizabeth

Ten things I learned about myself while travelling alone

Hello everyone, today I thought I would share one of the many adventures I have in life, my latest one being my megabus journey and beyond from Aberdeen to London for a mini weekend away all by my lonesome to visit London's Super Comic Convention 2014.

Now let me first of all start by saying I had the most amazing time, I met some amazing characters (literal characters if any of you are familiar with the cons) I had some downtime alone and lastly I discovered some pretty odd things about myself, some great, some not so. So without further a do here are the ten things I learned about myself while making my journey.

#1 Packing light is not my forte. In fact only last week I hunted far and wide for a tiny, smurf sized 'travel case' with no luck and decided a little extra room would do me good, HOWEVER upon packing my major - I'm packing for two weeks - case I managed to completely fill it...my arms did not thank me for having to drag that everywhere.

#2 Carrying a coffee, a case and a handbag ought to be an olympic sport - enough said.

#3 I cannot sleep on buses - much to my disdain.

#4 Junk food is my travel companion. Yes having done so well to stay fit and healthy this year for it all to go out the window for London, over the weekend I consumed 4 Aberdeen rolls, 9 mini cupcakes, 1 bag of popcorn, 6 mini pancakes, 2 cereal bars (the only healthy item!) 2 Mcdonalds meals, 1 ice cream sundae, half a pizza, a sausage roll, a DOUBLE sausage and egg mcmuffin and perhaps worst of all 9 bottles of Dr Pepper. Needless to say I am still suffering.

#5 My sense of direction leaves much to be admired. Yes in fact there were multiple occasions where the only reason I was able to tell which direction I ought to go in was to spin in a circle and stare at the tiny arrow on my mobile GPS.

#6 I am clumsy, first of all I THOUGHT I lost my ID and almost was not allowed admittance to my hotel room, I accidentally slept in my hotel room (with sketchy neighbors might I add) with my door unlocked the entire night, and finally 20 minutes prior to catching my bus home I went to the wrong bus station, panic ensues.

#7 As much as I feel like a neutral sort of person, there is no escaping, I am a true Scottish lady. Upon one very rude vendor refusing my cash due to it being 'too difficult' to change I was overcome with a ginger tinted rage and uttered the phrase which typifies us Scots when visiting England, 'it's legal tender!!!' Grr.

#8 Comic con is my calling, I've never felt more at home than around people who dress up as heroes, villains and all manner of creatures.

#9 I am a moody madam when I travel alone, on several occasions I put my bag on the bus seat (which I hate others doing) and pretended to be asleep, or attempted a menacing look in order to sit alone and retain my comfy space!

#10 I love throwing myself outside of my comfort zone, and I endeavour to do it more and more!

Have any of you guys ever survived a mega bus journey alone? Share your experiences and travel giggles in the comments below, send me a Tweet or if you'd like to keep up with my latest and greatest antics you can follow me on Bloglovin

And because I'm not a fan of text heavy posts here is a pic of Darth Vadar and Darth Sidious from the convention! (Post pending!)

H.Elizabeth

Cinema Outings | February, March 2014

Hello guys, today I thought I would share some of my monthly cinema outings with you guys since you already know how much of a cinema geek I am.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to the cinema as much as I would have wanted this past month because of coursework, wedding planning amongst other personal activities, so I'm afraid we are just going to have to make do with the main four I have seen this month.

Wolf of Wall Street

Let's start strong with the widely renowned 'Wolf of Wall Street' A twisted true story of the corruption that lives at the top of the career pedestal that is Wall Street. Following in the footsteps of 80's classic 'Wall Street' starring Michael Douglas, 'Wolf of Wall Street' shocks and awes with tales of  greed and excess from the biographical works of Jordan Belfort. I am a great lover of tales of money, excess and grandeur and the air of reality surrounding the 'Wolf of Wall Street' made this cinema treat that much sweeter. As I said much like the beloved 'Wall Street' but with more boobs.
Wolf of Wall Street Trailer

Lego Movie

I went in with high hopes, I really did but something didn't quite click for myself and the Lego Movie. Perhaps it's because of THAT song I just couldn't get out of my head, the shaky plot line or the potential that I feel was just wasted, unfortunately this will not be at the top of my 'to buy' list.
Lego Movie Trailer

The Book Theif

A very pleasant surprise came to me in the form of the cinematic adaptation of 'The Book Theif' seeing yet another WWII film release in the cinema made me want to snooze, but with some swaying my mother persuaded me to watch it with her and thank goodness I did. From the off there are tears, tension and terror, as we journey through newly occupied Nazi Germany through the eyes of a young girl and her family.
The Book Theif Trailer

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Reminiscent in parts of good old Monty Python skits The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comical and visual feast not to be missed by fans of Wes Anderson. Even if not to go for the storyline, the visuals are so perfectly placed offering the audience a delicious confection images and Ralph Fiennes dazzles as the camp and witty Mr Gustave H, whose performance is good enough to go see the movie alone, a far cry from his renowned performance as Voldemort that's for sure!

The Grand Budapest Hotel Trailer

Of the four my favourite is absolutely 'The Wolf of Wall Street' in fact I loved it so much so I have even went and bought the full autobiographical work of Jordan Belfort.

Are there any films you've been loving lately, cinema, DVD or TV, I'd love to hear your thoughts, drop a comment below come chat on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up to date with the latest posts on Granite City Girl come follow me on Bloglovin

H. Elizabeth