Beautiful Liverpool

The new offering from Leo Leigh and Andy Capper is up on VBS as part of the highly acclaimed (probably) Rule Britannia series, which also launched the insanely brilliant short Swansea Love Story (which I mentioned in one of my first ever posts).  Beautiful Liverpool is about the current steroid and tanning drug culture in the city that gave the world Brookside and Cilla Black.

Excuse me while I slather myself in fake tan and put a peg on my nose in an attempt to adopt the perfect Liverpudlian nasal pitch, ready for immersing myself in the first mini episode.  Bring on the grit, sleaze and cheeze.

Shoes or The Blues?

Ok, so I'm flying to Seoul today or tomorrow and I've packed too much.  Exactly one enormous bag too much. The obvious thing to be doing right now would be to downscale on what I'm taking.  Instead, I'm frantically figuring out how I can fit in a visit to H&M so that I can buy these suede sandals in all FOUR colours and what I can throw out of my bag to be replaced by them.

Apparently good shoes are hard to find in South Korea.  These are practical and look comfortable.  They're also only £7.99 each...

...I may or may not be transferring all my anxiety about my impending move on to frustrations about shoes.

Free People

THANKS FREE PEOPLE, YOU HAVE REVOLUTIONISED MY LIFE WITH THIS VIDEO.  IT'S ALL DOWN TO YOU THAT I NOW UNDERSTAND HOW TO TIE A SCARF.

Disney 1956

Having been to Florida seven times (yes, seven!), I've visited Disney World the same number of occasions.  And even though this video is of a different time and place, the 'Disney' aspect of it remains the same.  It's strange watching the video because the changes I can see are more to do with modernity rather than changes because it is a different location.  It reminds me of both my first visit to Disney where I giggled and gurgled on the teacups while wearing a baby pink dress, to my last visit at sixteen where I tried to be achingly cool in tight jeans and a band t-shirt while visibly scorning what I felt was another overly-capitalist manifestation of everything that was wrong with the world.

Both memories feel as surreal as the music laid on top of the vintage images in the video.

The film is a home movie shot by Jeff Altman's grandfather in 1956.  The man shaking his grandmother's hand is Walt Disney himself.

Big Hair

I have ridiculously flat hair which gets dry and knotty, but thankfully I go to the super Cardiff-based hairdressing salon Guy Christian where the staff are pros at helping you get the hair you've always wanted.  It's not just about the cut and the colour (although they are the only hairdressers I've ever been to that manage to highlight my hair right from the roots, without leaving that tell-tale gap) but about the after care and advice that they freely give to you, which is always spot on.

That's why it's exciting that they've just launched a new website selling products sanctioned by their stylists.  The best part about it is that they lend that very same aftercare advice to you whether you're a salon customer or just purchase products from the website as there's an option to email for tips on the products that are right for you, before you buy.

I emailed describing my hair type and what I wanted (to look like Brigitte Bardot, obvs) and they sent me the names of the products I needed and some ideas of how to style my hair using them.

This was the result.

Yes, a seemingly impossible feat, but surprisingly the products have really made a difference without any technical hairdressing know-how on my part.  

Nahht.

I have been incredibly impressed with the products I got though.  The only reason I can't achieve the beautiful, effortless beehive look is because of my idiocy when it comes to hair and make-up.  Luckily, the products have made a difference to my hair style with not much styling effort on my part.  And as a wash-and-go kinda girl this is just the way I like it.

I got the Wella Balance Scalp shampoo as I have scalp psoriasis but don't like using medicated shampoo all the time.  I loved it because it didn't smell strongly but had a fresh, clean scent (unlike my usual shampoo, which has a smell akin to carbolic soap) and it was gentle on my scalp.  It actually soothed it instead of irritating it and it also felt very luxurious as it lathered up thickly and really moisturised my hair.  A negative point is that it's quite a small bottle for the price, but because it lathers so much it's actually lasted a lot longer than I expected it too.

The Wella SP Volumize Leave-in Conditioner was the first product I chose to start off my quest for super-massive hair.  You apply this after towel drying and it acts as a detangler as well since it's a leave-in conditioner.  It made my hair much thicker, from root to tip, without any stickiness.  It gave me a lot of volume on its own, but I also got the Sebastien Thickefy lotion and found that both together gave me the volume I wanted (i.e A LOT of volume!)  It did work on its own though, and would probably suit someone who just wants an extra boost for the daytime.  The only downside to this product is that it comes in mousse form so your hands get a little messy when you use it.

The Sebastian Professional Thickefy Foam was my favourite product out of the three I tried.  I’ve been trying for so long to find a product that will bulk up my fine hair without making it feel heavy and sticky and this is definitely the best I've used (other products I've used include Tigi, Tresemme and L'Oreal products).  It has no strong scent, which I really like as I hate it when hair products smell overpowering – you so often use quite a few in your hair that it gets overbearing when the smells all start clashing together.  It’s also really versatile as you can use it whether you’re hair is wet or dry, although it works better if you apply it when your hair is still damp.  It also works better if you blowdry on a cool setting, giving a dramatic lift to your roots.  I did find that it makes your hair look/ feel considerably thicker even if you let it dry naturally, which is exactly what I wanted!

All the products are discounted and are sent out at once.  I got mine within two days of ordering.  Cardiff is severely lacking in independent hairdressers of the quality you get at Guy Christian, so support local and buy from the website AND get your hair done with them too.  Even if it's just to get your hair washed while sitting on a massage chair.

Creating Coachella

Whenever I think about Coachella festival my brain seems to go into American mode and I overexcitedly ponder about how 'sick' and 'rad' it would be to be able to go.  I'm already spasming with jealousy when I think about the lucky people who'll be dancing in the desert to MY favourite bands* while I'm stuck at home thousands of miles away, angrily making a shrine to The Strokes out of fake sand and cacti.

(a home-made portrait of Julian Casablancas.  Not made out of fake sand obvs.)

Orrrr just keeping up with the coverage online.  Which I can now start as The Creators Project have teamed up with Coachella this year.  If you don't know much about the project, it started off in 2010 promoting established and up-and-coming artists who use technology to create their pieces.  In 2011 they are commissioning their own art, becoming pioneers in the field of technological creation.  They'll be doing this in a big way at Coachella, fusing music and live art together with huge interactive installations.

In view of this they've created this trailer in the prelude to Coachella, featuring a 'physical manifestation' of Spiritualized's J. Spaceman singing 'Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space', as filmed by Jonathan Glazer:

Thanks to The Creators Project I'm no longer jealous of Coachella attendees.  It's made me realise that you don't need to actually attend festivals to enjoy them.  That's like, so 2010.  It's now all about locking yourself in your bedroom at your parents' house and living virtually and vicariously through the screen of your laptop, before, during and after the event.

Right...?

*an extensive list including Angus and Julia Stone, Animal Collective, Boys Noize, Brandon Flowers, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Cage the Elephant, City and Colour, Crystal Castles, CSS, Elbow, Empire of the Sun, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Foals, High Contrast, Hurts, Interpol, Jack Beats, Jack’s Mannequin, Jimmy Eat World, Kanye West, Kele, Kings of Leon, Klaxons, Mumford & Sons, Nas & Damian Marley, Ratatat, The Chemical Brothers, The Drums, The Kills, The New Pornographers, The Strokes, The Two Door Cinema Club and Yelle.


Makes me wanna cry die.

Naughty Barbie

I found these pictures thanks to a blog I've only just discovered, Diary of a Dead Barbie (which I'm loving at the moment).  It looks like Barbie's been getting up to all sorts...

 It seems that according to photographer Mariel Clayton, Barbie is a sadist!

Although you can laugh at the surreality of the images, they aren't just about humour.  Seeing Barbie in such incongruous poses approaches heavy issues such as suicide, abortion and sex trafficking in an alternative light, making them current and making you see them in new ways.

Check out more of Mariel Clayton's photography using miniatures and dolls.  It's wicked.