Granite City Fashion | Cocktails with the Girls

Can you believe it has been over eight months since one of these posts has been published on this very blog? Well what can I say I've been roaming the Granite City as a nudist and haven't had very much in the way of styling, so in light of my newly found clothes and obsession with the summer sales that have suddenly came into play I thought I would share a what I wore post revolving around my recent dinner and night out with the girls in Dundee because I must say I was pretty pleased with myself!

What I wore on my body

Whistles Jumpsuit - John Lewis Sale

This has to be one of my favourite purchases as late, I got it for the bargain price of £48 in the John Lewis sale, marked down from £120, who cares about last season right?!? It may not look like much but the fit and shape of this jumpsuit when I wear it is just perfect. Truth be told I have completely given up on trying to fit in with the summer shades, in style patterns and seasonal trends, I have fully embraced the dark side if you will and now focus on the style and cut of clothing rather than what the magazines are telling me is 'in' this month. Statement pieces for all seasons I say! 

Statement Necklace - Lisa's Wardrobe! 

No, sadly this isn't the name of a boutique, though I imagine if she did happen to open one from her wardrobe she could make a killing! As you guys undoubtedly know by now I'm pretty rubbish with accessories and jewellery and such and tend to just wear the same thing on a daily basis, but what can I say, inspiration struck Lisa seeing my jewel-less self and the rest as they say is history!

What I wore on my head and face

 

Head - Backcombed Pony

Having been told this looked 'mental but in a good way' I had to somehow sneaksy this hairstyle into a post, despite not actually getting a decent picture - ain't that just the way though. This style is super messy and super easy to do, and bonus for getting all of this hair out of my face for an entire evening. All you need is a bobble, hairbrush and thousands of kerbie grips, and you wish I was kidding!

How I made my face
Eyes -    L'Oreal Colour Riche Liner
              Benefit's 'Roller Lash Mascara'
              Make Up Revolution Iconic 2 Shadow Palette (1 & 8)

              Eyelure Enchanted Lashes in Posie

Brows - Sleek Brow Palette 'Light'

Face -    Smashbox Primer 

              MAC Pro Longwear Foundation NW15

              Collection concealer in Cool Medium

              Smashbox Contour Powders

Lips -     Rimmels Red Diva Liner

              MAC Brick o La Amplified Creme Lipstick

We had such a lovely chilled out time in Dundee and we looked 'too glam to give a damn' doing it (sorry guys I have recently discovered that phrase and have been looking to sneak that in for weeks!) I hope you enjoyed reading this post and having a nosy in my wardrobe as much as I enjoyed writing it, please let me know what you thought in the comments below and of course if you have your own OOTD posts those are one of my favourites to read or look at rather so be sure to leave me those links. As usual I look to respond to every comment left so be sure to drop your below, come chat with me on Twitter or if you'd like to see more of my postings and hostings come find me on Bloglovin'

Until next time folks, feeling too glam to give a damn (yes thats right twice in one post!)

H.Elizabeth x

Retail Therapy | Examples of Great Customer Service

Have you ever had an experience in a store or with a brand that has been so great you just had to give it a share? Well in the last four weeks I can safely say I have had the good fortune of having at least three experiences like this, I have encountered commited individuals who stand by the company brand, uphold their names and just take general pride in their work and what they do. Individuals who I have personally seen go above and beyond just for me, the customer, and you know I find that so often when we go online and confront the interwebs that we are shown such negative views, opinions and reviews and everyone is so quick to want to complain when they have had a bad experience, but very rarely do we read about these magnificent little moments in life where a complete stranger has made your day in the simplest of ways, and I really just want to contribute to that positivity today and share my recent experiences of fantastic customer service.

 

Lush, Union Street, Aberdeen
As some of you know I recently bought a shampoo bar from the Lush store in Dundee as part of my Dundee shopping splurge. Unlike my local Lush the ladies in that store didn't give me any extra information on the product I was buying which is fine because I thought I had an idea of how to use it anyway... well I was wrong. Within a week my shampoo bar crumbled to ginger nut biscuity consistency and washed away in my shower, to say I was a bit disappointed was an understatement. Undeterred I went to buy another at my own Lush and said I bought one the previous week and it crumbled (along with my hair hopes and dreams) Hearing this the shop assistant was incredibly shocked and extremely apologetic that nobody had shown me how to use this product, as compensation she gave me a freebie of a little round tin to keep my shampoo bar fresh, working and she also gave me a set of instructions on how to use the bar. To say I was chuffed was another understatement and today I wanted to recognise this young ladies generosity and thank her for not brushing me off or treating me like an idiot for my mistake.

 

Pure Spa Head Offices
To say I love Pura Spa does not do justice to how intense my feelings for this brand are, I have never had a bad word to say about them their facilities are always above par, their staff are so friendly and the atmosphere is nothing short of sublime in terms of relaxation. However as some of you know at Christmas I gifted my mum  a voucher which she wasn't too keen to cash in, so seizing the spa opportunity I have patiently waited for a package to come available that would suit my pre holiday needs, and I found one in the form of their Spring Spa Sensations, a foot ritual, booster treatment and use of the sauna for £49, a pretty great deal right? Well upon taking my voucher (which I paid £50 for) in to book this treatment I was turned away and informed that their 'seasonal deals' were vouchers and I could not buy a voucher with another voucher, and my paid for spa voucher was therefore exempt from any and all seasonal deals they may have (which sort of renders the voucher pretty useless for anything I ever book in for) I wasn't chuffed and spoke to their head office, who could not have been more helpful! The lady I dealt with via email said that it was not the case I couldn't also benefit from the Spa Sensations offer and booked me in fuss free online, apologised profusely and has said if there are any issues on the day to display my email chat with her (fingers crossed there won't be!)

 

So I know this post has been a little different to what you may be used to seeing here on Granite City Girl (mainly because I'm usually ranting or moaning about something negative... sorry!) but I hope it has made you feel the warm and fuzzies as much as it has for me. Have you ever found that an experience of great and attentive customer service has brightened not only your day but your entire week? I would love to hear all about your experiences in the comments below or Tweet the companies you just love the service of at me on Twitter! As always if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City posts you can follow me on Bloglovin.

 

Until next time folks, continuing to feel the warm and fuzzies.

 

H.Elizabeth x

Girls Day Out | Dundee Adventures

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I have done a post like this and this is mainly due to the fact that in my spare time I actually sit in a darkened room mulling over my friendless state... just kidding but today I am back with a special (to me anyway) edition of a day in the life with Granite City Girl centring around another girls day out. For me, and I'm guessing many others in my position, finishing university not only meant the ability to get out into the big wide world and pursue my chosen career path with confidence but it also meant that all of my university friends dispersed and returned to their respective home towns leaving me in the Granite City almost all by my lonesome so whenever I get the opportunity to go and visit them I jump at the chance. So after receiving an email from Dundee's Overgate shopping centre to attend a shopping, fashion, bloggery event last weekend I leapt and off I plodded to visit my good friend Lisa.

One thing I'll say about Lisa is she is never under prepared when I come visit, she has an agenda of events and a list of activities we could do for the weekend (which puts me to shame when she comes visiting me!) and because we had such fun that weekend I thought I would take you through a couple of the things we did that day and some of the places we went as a sort of day in the life of post, Dundee edition!

 

Tweet Chic at the Overgate

Promising days filled with fashion, shopping, discounts and fun, Tweet Chic did not disappoint. There were fashion shows featuring high street names such as New Look and River Island, impromptu dancing (which put me and my sweet sweet moves to shame once again) hair and make up demonstrations and a magic mirror which allowed you to virtually try on clothes (which unfortunately we didn't have the time to use) We literally spent hours in the centre just shopping and having a girly day and I came away with so many bargains that you'll soon be treated to another clothing haul. I'm looking forward to seeing what else the Overgate centre has up it's sleeve in the coming months because if this event is anything to go on then we are in for some retail treats!

Avery and Co
And now we come to the food portion of our girly day and trust me Avery and Co did not disappoint. I believe they are quite new to Dundee and as we don't have one in Aberdeen I was excited to go along and give them a go. Avery and Co have pitched themselves to online audiences as an independent eatery who provide a welcoming space designed to encourage people to eat, relax and linger, and my goodness did they deliver! First of all the food, oh  the food (can you tell I'm hungry as I type this?) As a starter we had the sweet potato quesidillas, and I do love a good sweet potato and for our main we enjoyed the tarka dal (which is a blend of lentils, onions, garlic and Indian spices served with cauliflower pakora and flat-bread) We must have spent a good few hours in there and it's not often I enjoy lingering in a restaurant post face stuffing but the tables are so openly spaced out, the staff were so friendly and the atmosphere was so relaxed that we didn't feel rushed out the door, the whole experience was just so pleasant, when I visit again I will definitely be pushing to go back there.

We did do a few other things that day such as visit the DCA for a drink (what a gem of a place by the way!) but I'm aware of my rambling on and on so I'll leave it there as two of the days highlights. I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into my life today these posts are quite few and far between but I really do enjoy writing them so stay tuned for more day in the life posts in the coming months, especially as I have some quite exciting events to attend shortly! But as always guys I love hearing from you so be sure to tweet at me or share your comments below, or if you'd just like to see more from Granite City Girl you can follow me on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, I'm going on an adventure!

H.Elizabeth x