November is here, I’ve flipped over to the appropriate month on my Alexander McQueen exhibition calendar from the Met (thanks, Marianna!), and that means I should thank my lucky stars for all the nice things that happened in October.
Moroccan Oil.
So, I mentioned in my round-up of September that I started swimming. I’m still swimming, 7 weeks after I started, to everyone’s great surprise. I love it. I love how my body feels after exercising regularly. I do not, however, love how my hair feels. Dunking my head into chlorinated water for 45 minutes, five times every week, followed by five hair-washes and five blasts with the gym hairdryers meant that my hair had turned frankly horrible. Luckily, I know Rachael, a hair genius, so tweeted her asking if my hair was just beyond repair, or if there was anything that could help.
The answer was Moroccan Oil. Not even joking, after one use, my hair was sleek and silky and bouncy and shiny and possibly even nicer than pre-swimming. I stole my Moroccan Oil off my lovely mum, but the next week we were given full-size Moroccan Oils in our goodie bags at the Blog Awards! What luck.
I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough.
Nice Girls.
Speaking of the Cosmo Blog Awards, the Moroccan Oil wasn’t the only nice thing I got out of it. The best thing was meeting lots of lovely, talented women. Go here for Gemma’s retro stylings or here for Alice’s brilliant tattoo blog or here for Jazzy Elizabeth’s aesthetic eye. Go to any or all of them to see the kind of thought and writing that makes blogging a good place. The best part is that when we met at the blog awards, they were all kind, funny, witty and warm. Good work, ladies.
Shame.
Maybe it’s testament to the fact my emotions are wired wrong, but I couldn’t squeeze out one single tear when I watched The Notebook. When I watched Shame, a film that revolves entirely around a sex addict, I was deeply moved. It’s out in the UK in January (I saw it at the London Film Festival), and I would strongly recommend giving it a go. It’s not at all an easy film in any way (just because the opening scene is Michael Fassbender’s bits, don’t let that mislead you), but it has the most stunning, memorable scene I’ve seen in a very long time; no nudity required.
Making My Mind Up.
I graduate next year and I’ve spent the last month wrestling with my brain to decide whether I should do a Masters or whether I should catapult myself into the world of work. I think I’ve decided, but I’m always open to persuasion. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!
The Launch of Bad Passion.
October saw the launch of Bad Passion, the second online venture from Jackie, a friend and an inspiration. At Bad Passion, she sources and sells amazing jewellery with a tougher edge than her other store, This Charming Girl. Both sites are brilliant, but I know that Bad Passion sells the kind of stuff that me and a lot of my friends go crazy for: huge, jewelled animal heads, skulls and claws. Brilliant.
This Must Be the Place – Talking Heads.
Last month I posted a link to the trailer for the film This Must Be the Place, and this month I’m giving you the video of the song that inspired it. Talking Heads have been one of my favourite bands since I was a child. My brother can testify that one of the musical highlights of our childhood was any time Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads would come on one of the home-made mixtapes my dad kept in the car. Once In A Lifetime is still brilliant, but This Must Be the Place is something else. Totally danceable, swooningly romantic, it’s my dream song. Click the video and get yourself addicted.