Granite City Girl's Digital Detox | Switching Off and Winding Down

Hello everyone, today I'm going to be talking a bit about a phenomenon sweeping the nation, particularly the Twitter and blogging world of late, it's an epidemic of sleep sprays, fluffy pillows and bedtime bliss, yes ladies and gentleman I'm talking about relaxation! It is true that since the New Year dawned on us everyone has kept up their side making an effort to eat a bit better, exercise more and perhaps most importantly get a few more hours or in my case minutes of shut eye every night. Not even I have been able to escape this inevitable eventuality that is the digital detox and this year have made a vow to get more sleep, relaxation and reading time by attempting to get into bed to wind down an hour earlier every night.

Switching off an hour earlier every night can be difficult if you have been conditioned to be switched on for what feels like 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and it can be particularly difficult if you're a writer, blogger or if your career lives online (or perhaps of course you're a serial procrastinator) but I would really urge you to give it a go even if just for a week to see what all of the fuss is about! Of course winding down means something a bit different for everyone, winding down for you could mean anything from taking your Nintendo into bed or listening to whale music when you're trying to drift off, but today I'm going to tell you what it has meant for me, how I've been staying grounded and finally the differences I have noticed both physically and mentally.

As silly as this may sound it has been a challenge moving from the sofa with an iPad to bed with a book has been a stretch for me, I am constantly wired, switched on and most importantly logged on, as I'm sure some of you have come to realise given my over active Twitter feed, and I think one of the biggest things for me was making bed time and wind down time something to look forward to, which in my case began with an inspirational book. Choosing a book in Waterstones has got to be the highlight at this point, there have been a great many highly coveted fashion, style and beauty books on the market right now but I chose the inspirational DVF biography, 'The woman I wanted to be' (which is brilliant and I highly recommend by the way)

To kick of my digital detox, I dedicated myself to an entire week of an hour early to bed, switching from switched on at 11.30pm to winding down at 10.30pm with an hours reading in bed, baby steps you know? The first night was easy I was actually in bed by 10pm and shifted through a fair chunk of my book, and so it went for pretty much my first week, by which time I had finished my book! Now given my first week went by in a tizzy of restful evenings, inspirational woman power and endless cups of lemon water and tea I'd say it went incredibly well, but how have I found it to have benefited my health?

First of all, I am so awake! I am having the best sleep that I have in years and I rarely wake up through the night anymore (which was quite frequent these past few months due to a disrupted routine) I drift off so much easier when I read before bed rather than surfing the net. In fact in addition to making sure I have no tech on before bedtime I have even began putting the TV in the living room off so there is complete silence in the house (you know other than the other half and the cat) Since getting more rest I have been able to go to the gym much more and am being able to put my new-found energy to good use, which in turn works wonders for my health. Oh and did I mention I'm much less of a Grinch to live with now?!

I really do recommend if you can to try and have an hour or maybe even half an hour of peace, quiet and relaxation before bed and get yourself into a routine to improve your overall health, energy and just your general mood if I'm honest. I'm going to aim to continue on this path and try to read a book every couple of weeks (especially if they revolve around female empowerment - any suggestions are welcome!) and I have even become so obsessed with relaxation I'm thinking of investing in a deep sleep spray. Have you guys become part of the digital detox generation of these past few weeks? Let me know how you have found it in the comments below or come share your tips for relaxation with me on Twitter. Of course as always you can keep up with the latest Granite City posts on Bloglovin!

Until next time folks, I'll be catching some zzzs

H.Elizabeth xx

Christmas Gifting | DIY Festive Lip Scrub

Recently I have been experimenting with various scents, flavours, food stuffs and colours in my kitchen, and as odd and potion like and, well, Breaking Bad as that sounds, don't worry it's all in the name of a cost effective Christmas. From a failed attempt at a gingerbread house, too embarrassing to share, to eventually ending with flour, sugar and all matter of ingredients all over my kitchen, living room and my cat, I accepted defeat at the hands of Baking Mad and moved on to something more my speed.

And so with the incredible success (if I do say so myself) of my own little DIY lip scrubs I thought I would share some of  my more festive scrubs with you so you don't have to go along and shell out £5.50 at Lush for Santa's Cola Lip Scrub (not that I am claiming mine are ANY better than Lush but they are tasty!) This is a super easy DIY and I bet you can find most of the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard, the only thing you may have to go on a little hunt for are small plastic containers to hold you lusciously lovely scrubs in.

Christmassy Lip Scrubs

What you will need

3 Tablespoons of caster sugar

3 Tablespoons of conditioning oil (you can use coconut oil, jojoba oil or extra virgin olive oil)

Flavouring of your choice (make sure it won't irritate your face!)

Small amount of food colouring of your choice (optional and remember your face!)

Small pots or containers (depending on how much you make add a bow for decoration)

What you need to do

 Measure out your oil into a small bowl

Add the sugar and mix well

Add the flavouring and colouring (if you have chosen to do so)

Scoop your finished creation into clean containers and you're ready to scrub!

As you can see I opted for the ever so traditional Red and Green, I had pondered going for a yellow food colouring to go for a gold ish scrub... but then I remembered yellow snow is not such a good look especially not for something to rub across your face day to day (good one if you want to give someone a slightly rubbish gift)

If you are looking to make it a little bit more Christmassy I would suggest adding the juice of some cranberries, which will enhance the taste of your scrub and may even give your lips a little bit of a glow (you will just have to add a bit more sugar to get the correct consistency) Flavour wise I chose vanilla (playing it safe following the gingerbread incident) but you could always go for something a little more festive like cinnamon, or dare I say ginger! And if you're feeling a bit more brave you could add some face friendly glitter or dazzle dust into the mix for added sparkle!

I hope you guys have enjoyed this beauty DIY which will hopefully save you some pennies and of course save you from the chaos that is Christmas shopping. I'd love to see your efforts if you decide to tackle this tasty lip scrub or anything that you have been making this holiday season, have you successfully erected a gingerbread house? Of course as you know I love to hear from you so be sure to drop me a comment below, tweet your photos at me on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City antics come find me on Bloglovin

Happy gifting folks.

H.Elizabeth x

Granite City Girl's Week Without Heat

For those of you who follow me on Twitter you will know that just last week I embarked on a journey back to health... back to healthy hair at least and I decided to go an entire work week without applying any heat styling or drying etc to my hair whatsoever. So I thought today I would share with you just how I got on, how I styled my hair and the overall results.

Just for a reference my hair without any blow drying, straightening or curling irons looks a bit like this, so I don't suffer from any MAJOR frizz or slicky greasy problems some people do when they go without heat can, in that sense I have been quite lucky, but it was still no picnic!

Just so I can clearly lay the parameters, I wash my hair every evening and I use a hair masque twice a week. I lightly towel dry my hair afterwards, brush it through and leave it to dry itself.

Hair Au Naturale

Day One

This was the day my hair was in the worst condition and it was definitely the day it took the most getting used to. My split ends were out in full force, but on the brighter side I was surprised to learn the style itself was actually not too bad, so all I had to do was give it a wee brush and off I went (although people at work did think I had just rolled out of bed)

Day Two

It seems even though I wasn't using direct heat to my hair you still can't escape some damage, especially with these cold wintery days! So needing a little bit of TLC I broke out my new Tres Emme Keratin hair masque, and indulged by leaving it on my head for about 10 minutes.

Day Three

After my hair care and TLC from the night before this was probably the day I noticed a considerable difference in my hair, it seemed much smoother especially at the ends (which are usually frazzled!)Unfortunately due to the lovely Scottish weather we've been suffering of late I had to just swish my hair into a pony for the day!

Day Four

Another TLC evening for my hair as it was treated to yet another indulgent hair masque, which it thanked me for the next day! Since I had an event on the Friday evening I thought I had better pay extra attention to it this evening and ended up wearing my rollers for a while while it dried minus heat obviously! It still came out voluminous of course but just not as I would have hoped!

Day Five

Using a barreled hair brush I got my desired volume without heat, just with spray! And you'd never have been able to tell I hadn't used any heat on my hair whatsoever if you were judging simply by the style. It's much more work than I am used to but if it's going to improve the health of my hair then I say go for it.

I survived my week without heat, and I do recommend you try it from time to time to give you hair a little break from styling and harsh temperatures otherwise you are at risk of causing some major damage in the long run! When I was younger I'm the first to hold my hands up and say yes I was guilty of OVER straightening my hair and no wonder it took so long to grow out my Snow White bob!

Of course if you must use heat for example if you have a special occassion or just cannot part with your heat styling tools be sure to use a good quality heat defence spray on your hair, below I have listed a couple of my favourites just in case anyone is interested in how I plan on maintaining my silky smooth locks now I have them back!

Heat Styling Product Choices



For day to day - Tres Emme Heat Defence Spray

For evenings out - VO5 Plump it Up Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion (Heat Defence)
For styling - Large barreled hair brush
For long lasting hold - VO5 Ultimate Hold Hairspray

I hope you enjoyed today's post, have you ever gone without something to improve the health of your hair or have you even gone without something to improve your skin and nails? Be sure to share you experiences in the comments below or come tell me about it on Twitter or if you're interested in keeping up with my latests come find me on Bloglovin

Until next time folks.

H.Elizabeth x

New 'Do | The Saks Experience

Hey guys so I fulfilled yet another Autumnal 'want' this past week and I underwent quite a dramatic (for me anyway) change to my head, which I thought I would share with you guys. As you'll know I've been chopping and changing my hair quite a bit and experimenting with different colours over the past few years (see my 'Hairstory' post if you'd like to follow my 'journey') and this Autumn I was looking for something different and outside the box for my traditional Goldilocks.

While I loved my hair in it's Strawberry Blonde state, with Autumn rolling in and my roots joining, I felt a bit like a hippy wandering around in dull weather with ombre locks and honestly my hair had gotten into such a bad condition through daily heat styling it was time for a chop and a change.

Saks in Union Square Aberdeen

So I paid a visit to my regular hairdresser establishment 'Saks' where I had booked in for a colour, cut and blow dry with a stylist (I reckon she is a senior stylist...she did a pretty ace job at least!) Now I love Saks, it took me a long long time to find a hairdresser I was comfortable with and genuinely enjoyed going to but I can safely say I am content, and to boot it's in my favourite haunt, 'Union Square' If you do ever find yourself in need of a chop and a change and you're about the Granite City I do recommend you give them a go!

Prior to anything touching my head I had my colour consultation and after confusing myself and the stylist, we decided on a warm toned brown with copper tones throughout which wouldn't wash out my skin given I'm such a Casper. And under I went!

The dye only took 20 minutes since my hair was so light, and my concerns about the damage I had already done to my hair was put at ease by the knowledge that the colour they used had conditioning qualities.

Once the colour came off and I was dried to perfection I was so pleased with the transformation, I honestly believe, as I believe with eyebrows, the colour and cut of your hair can do wonders for your face and I personally think darker compliments me far more in the Winter (with the disappearance of my freckles temporarily)

For the entire process I paid £73.00 which I always think is quite reasonable for the service you're receiving, I'm always happy to pay that little extra if the salon and the services they offer are professional, there is nothing worse than feeling like a nuisance when you're paying a bomb. In fact I was so chuffed with my new 'do and the service I have booked in again for a re-colour before Christmas (and I have NEVER had the same thing twice in  a hairdressers ever!)

So there you have it, my Saks Experience and my new 'do, what do you guys think? Share your good and bad salon experiences with me in the comments below, come have a rant with me on Twitter or if you'd like to see more of my beauty blogging and experiences keep up to date with me on Bloglovin

Thank you for the reads, until next time folks.

H.Elizabeth x

Girls Day Out | Pure Spa

Since finishing university, life has undoubtedly taken over and that's not just for me, but for my friends too who sadly upon graduating returned to their home towns (thankfully still in Scotland...phew!) leaving me all by my lonesome in the Granite City!

So in our efforts to keep in touch we decided that we would meet in our respected towns and cities once a month and either have an activity planned or go for a nice lunch or a little something at least! And this month we decided it was time to wind down and go for a spa afternoon!

Therefore I thought this would be a good opportunity to share my experience of the spa in general, the experience and specifics on my chosen treatments.

What happens when you arrive at Pure Spa

You'll sign in at the reception desk and be given a quick and easy form to fill in (if its your first time) detailing your choices and any ailments you might have. Last time I let them know about a problem I was having skin wise and this helped the therapist determine what kind of treatments and products to use, particularly if you're having a facial.

After filling out your forms a member of the Pure Spa team will escort you through what looks like a maze to a room where you can safely store your belongings and get changed into a big fluffy spa robe. If you're having a facial this is where you can remove your make up and tie up your tresses.

When you are all dressed and ready for some zen you will be taken through to their 'relaxation room' to get some peace, quiet and a beverage (peppermint tea is my poison) Because there was three of us this time this was a great time for us to sit and chat (quietly using our spa voice of course!) and relax in Pure Spa's amazing relaxation pods!

When our appointment times arrived we were all taken by our individual therapists to our seperate rooms to have our chosen treatments.

The Treatments I chose

This time I went for something called the Boosters package (£75) , whcih means  you can choose two treatments from a range of massages, a few miscellaneous treatments or from a variety of facials. Each treatment lasts half an hour which I personally think is better for a massage as I don't think I could lay for an hour without sleeping or flopping off of the table at the end!

Thai Bundle Massage

My lovely therapist asked me if I carried any tension in specific places or if there were any areas I'd particularly like worked on. I like to think I have quite good posture but sometimes this can relate to my stress being carried on my shoulders which is not good!

The massage itself was an experience, they use bundled herbal compresses to warm up the muscles along your back and your therapist will then proceed to stretch the muscles to open them up and repeatedly pat them with the compress. This massage is a detoxifying massage and you'll feel light and very fresh afterwards.

Pure Spa pitch this particuar massage as 'the ultimate tension releasing massage' which if the way I felt is anything to go on is absolutely true, I mean Pure Spa Aberdeen is bang in the middle of our busiest shopping centre and I felt millions of miles away! (thankfully)

Exotic Ginger and Lime Body Scrub

This is something I had before, so my repeat custom speaks for itself, but I'll explain what it is anyway just in case you fancied having a try of it yourself.

I love exfoliation, in fact at my previous job in an aesthetic clinic I was shamed for my love of it as too much exfoliation can scratch the skins surface in a bad bad way, but that's a discussion for another time! And hearing that I could be professionally scrubbed with two of my favourite scents I thought oh yes this is just for me.

These scrubs aren't great for people who are a bit sensitive or have irritation prone skin as the exfoliator is brushed on with a very hard bristled brush up and down your arms and legs (which you MUST remember to shave your legs for ladies!)

Having the scrub after my massage was smart thinking on the therapists part, I felt completely clean, refreshed and relaxed. Following your wash down in their AMAZING showers you'll be treated to a full body moisturisation to  keep your skin silky smooth and sumptuous.

After your treatments

Once you're all relaxed and refreshed your therapist will show you back through to the relaxation room, where they say you're free to stay as long as you like. Were that the case I'd NEVER leave! But we stayed and enjoyed our champagne flutes (filled with water might I add)

The Nasty Bit

PAYING and LEAVING!

In short I do recommend everyone treat themselves once in a while especially in a spa environment, I'm thinking of asking for an expensive facial for Christmas, maybe the diamond peel! Ooh!

Sorry for my unusually long winded post there guys, I was just so excited to share my ace experience with you and I feel like I've just threw up all of my words! Have you tried different treatments at Pure Spa or even another spa, I'd love to hear recommendations or other treatments I may want to try! Let me know in the comments below, come find me on the Twittersphere or if you'd like to keep up with my new posts catch me on Bloglovin!

Until next time folks!

H.Elizabeth x