The Sunday Night Sit-Down

Another two weeks have passed in Rhamnousia land..and am I any wiser?  I learnt a new word so I'll say yes.

I've been super busy over these past two weeks, a paralegal on my team has left and the main case I am currently working on has gone to court.  I will also be turning 28 tomorrow..and will have to in work by half past seven as we're in court.  I'm fucking excited, I'll you that for nothing.  I've been working on this case even since I was a trainee!

These are my excitements and annoyances of the past two weeks..

Excitements

• Rainbows - I work in the sky, my office is quite high up and over these past two weeks we have been able to witness three rainbows.  The second one we saw was part of a double rainbow..which lead to an Australian associate Youtubing rainbows as he said he had not seen any in Australia.
• The gym - I haven't been there a lot recently because I hurt my leg but I am really enjoying my time there now, the time just fliiiiiiiiiies by.  I've also managed to shorten my workout to 30 minutes of hardcore cardio.
• Nandos - Been eating a fair bit of this recently and what else can I say, who the hell dislikes chicken?! Talking of which, I was in there last Saturday with my mum (the Glasshouse Street one) and this guy came in asking how you could get a Black Card (that entitles you to free Nandos..the dream for most of us).  I told him you had to be famous and his mate said that he was, he was on Channel U.  I told him he had to get as big as Example to have one..to which he replies "MAN'S A WAAAAAAASTE".  LOL.
• The return of TOWIE - I love TOWIE.  It used to be brilliant before but I find that since Mark and Kirk left, it's not as good as it was.  That still doesn't stop me watching it.  Gemma is getting on my tits a bit though, she whinged for ages about getting a man and now she has one, she keeps picking fault with him.
• Zaza Gelato - One word for this and that is BUFF.  I always get this when I go to Westfield, I love the Bosca de Tutti flavour (raspberry) and the Mint Choc Chip one.  Try them and you won't be sorry.  It's £2.50 per tub/small cone but you do get a fair whack..
• Bobbi Brown Gel Liner - probably one of my all time favourite beauty buys.  I have many other gel liners but this is the one that gets shown the most love.  I have had it for an absolute age now (since about 2008) and it has not dried out and is still going strong.  I've started wearing it to work everyday, just as a straight line over my lids and it really frames my eyes.  I can't wear this and pencil liner as it makes my eyes look really small. 
• NARS Albatross - A love I blogged about before, I have been using this every single day to highlight my brow bone and my cheeks and nothing else gives me a glow like it..  My only issue with it is man-made, I need to learn that a tiiiiiiiiny dab will do both cheeks and the brow.
• Slankets - I found one in Primark for a fiver, it went right in the basket! 
• Tapered trousers - I bought some of these from Dorothy Perkins, they are the trousers that featured in my Models Own post.  I love these.  They are so easy wear and the fit is very flattering.  I need to find myself some more of these..
• Going out with Simon - Been doing this a lot recently and I really enjoy it..nice to waste some of the money we spend too long earning.
• The sizing in Topshop - I never thought that Topshop sizing would be better than New Look but it is.  And talking of Topshop, I'd like to give a special hat-tip to Sarah..when this lady says a Topshop sale is about to start, you get on the Topshop website!
• House-hunting -  I love house-hunting, you seen loads of gorgeous houses and your mind kind of runs away with itself.  We saw a house the other day and the bedroom was gorgeous, it was the size of our entire flat..if not bigger, actually, I think it was bigger.  I fell in love with it but not only is it too far from work, it's also slightly out of our budget..and you can't make the puppydog eyes at your dad when you want a house.
• iPad - I have had two of these through work before but I never saw the point of them so I gave them to my brothers.  We bought my mum a 3 for Mother's Day and I have since received my 3 from work and now I see why people like them so much, they're so easy to use.  I'm not that a big a twat that I take it on the Tube in the morning and read the paper on it.  I did however, try and Turbanize Simon but it didn't work..
• My birthday - For the first time ever I don't really know what I want.  Well, that's a lie.  Took a trip to Selfridges with my mumsicle recently and found some purses that I quite liked..but then I don't know.. I can buy myself that and I think birthdays should be reserved for special things.  Can't see me asking for a Birkin going down too well!  Plus I'd be too scared to take it out in public.
• D & G's Medicine Man watch - the pattern on this reminds me of my childhood when I used to wake up early on a Saturday and be greeted by this girl's face on the TV.  This watch is brilliant for everyday work wear, chunky enough to not roll around and break and the face is quite bright too. My other two work watches are Cartiers.  One is a mens watch and the other is an oval faced ladies watch.  The latter is my favourite.  D & G should bring out a Lawyer Lady one..I'd be all over that!

Annoyances

• The word 'upcylce'  - I heard this on The Apprentice and I know what you're thinking..since when has The Apprentice ever been known for sprouting bollocks?  Well, this upcycle word just takes the piss.  Surely it just means refurbish?
• Men with no manners - They seem to always get off at Canary Wharf.  TWICE this week I was pushed by this certain bastard and come Wednesday I had had enough so I exacted revenge.  He won't be messing with me again! 
• People who think the Tube is made for them and them alone - This estupide woman who always gets on at London Bridge with me thinks the train is hers alone.  She holds on with one hand and leans against the pole with the other whilst she reads.  Her book was right in my face the other day and she was practically resting on my arm..swift words were had! 
• Useless people at work who think they know more than anyone else - I have been whingeing about a certain paralegal at work on Twitter.  She is so unprofessional, she asks the partner questions that you're not meant to, she doesn't realise that this is real life and you don't need to research everything and do background reading before you start working on things. 
• Finding a decent sports bra - This is really hard when you have DD boobs.  I have tried nearly all the ones I can from the sports shop, I refuse to pay a LOT of money for something I am wearing for an hour a day.  The best one I have found so far is from Tesco and I chanced upon it in their sale. 
• Finding a pair of decent black flats - NIGHTMARE!!!
• Finding some suede protection spray that actually works - Does one exist?! I mentioned in my other SNSD post that I had to engage in guerilla warfare to get some John Rocha shoes..ones I have been unable to wear as Simon wasted nearly all the suede spray on his Adidas trainers..wasteman.
• Living like a gypsy - No, not predicting the future but with a million bags around me.  The photo below will show you what I mean.  Three of those bags are gym bags, one is the slanket, the other contains bras and the last one is a Next dress.  I just don't seem to have time to do anything!
• Having to start work early and finish late..every day last week - NOT.IMPRESSED.  I was dead on my feet on Friday..perked up a bit over the weekend but not looking forward to starting work on Monday at half seven. 
• Missing TV shows - I have missed Facejacker for the past two weeks in a row, the same is true for Napoleon Dynamite.  I've not seen Eastenders all week and I only found out yesterday that Louis Theroux was back on TV.
• The new Blogger layout - WHAT.THE.HELL.  It's bloody rubbish!

A KIKO Haul

Can it be a haul if all you buy is four things?

How many constitute a haul?

Whilst I think about that, you guys have a look at what I got from KIKO two weeks ago.

It was another trip to Westfield, somewhere that I feel I am spending far too much time these days.. But then, thinking logically about it, I don't have time to shop for makeup during my lunchbreaks so I get my fix on the weekends..and I've had to make these many trips for returns and the like.

Anyway! Here is what I picked up..

Everything here was on sale, the lipsticks were £2.50 each and I believe the mascaras were about £3.90 each.  I spent about £12.00 in total which is not bad for four products..

The lipstick is in a shade that a certain person I know refers to as "shit lips".  She said the same about Revlon's Mink which is my current HG lipstick for those days when you want to look polished but not done up.  It works fantastically on darker skintones but will make you pale ladies look like you've been salad tossing with a less than desirable bloke.

I can only apologise for this out of focus shot.  I took about five and somehow deleted all bar the one that was out of focus.

This differs from Revlon's Mink in that it is totally matte and does give me a slight corpse lip look.  However, that is easily rectified with some clear (non sticky!) gloss.  I like the Rimmel Stay Vinyl ones.

The mascaras, one is a cheap and cheerful version of Clinique's Bottom Lash mascara.  It was marketed as being for false lashes, but me being unable to apply those yet (must really get onto it..) has not been able to try it for that.  I can't see it not working well for lower lashes as the brush is practically the same as the Clinique one.  The other mascara is for massive lashes and I'm yet to crack it open.

I had a look at the other items on offer but nothing really grabbed my attention as the shop was quite busy and I wasn't in the mood the stick around and wait my turn...we all have those days!

Since being in store, I have looked at Naz's blog and seen this pencil, which looks gorgeous..but I don't really seeing it in-store?   I did see some cream blushes but I think I'm kinda over them now so I left them alone too.

I will be doing a full review on all the items when I've used them enough.

In the mean time, what are your opinions in KIKO? Is it cheap and cheerful? Or cheap for a reason?

The Models Own Bottle Shop: What I thought..

Not since being so fascinated with the floor of the Prada concession  in Selfridges as a child has a shop ever excited me as much as this Models Own Bottle Shop does..

The idea for this shop is inspired but then I wouldn't have expected a bog standard shop from a brand who are constantly bringing out new shades and collections that are bang on trend.

I went to Westfield on Friday to do a deal with the lady in Dorothy Perkins (I bought trousers, the button fell off, I wanted to keep them so she gave me a discount) and I was adamant I would check the Models Own Bottle Shop out.

I went to Boots first, trying to pick up their new polishes as they were on 3 for 2.  However, the Hed Kandi one I wanted was sold out.  So, I headed off in search of the new store and found it with great ease.

The easiest way to find it is to find either the Apple shop, Zara, the taco place or Topshop and you will see the bottle shop.  Or, if you look for the massive Vue sign, you'll also find it.  If you're by MAC/All Saints/AX then right above AX is where the shop is.  If you know where the Nandos is (below the Vue) then you'll definitely see the bottle shop.

Anyway, I got the bottle shop, had a mooch around and was then approached by one of the ladies who worked there, she found me a sealed bottle of the Hed Kandi polish I wanted and then let me browse as I wished.  I picked up the bright blue from the Hed Kandi range and then another lady who worked there suggested I buy Fuzzy Peach as it would go wonderfully with my skintone.

I asked the lady if the shop was just a pop up shop and she told me that it was now a permanent fixture which is fantastic as I've always wanted to see all the MO polishes before buying and I find that Boots don't stock the entire range.

The shop was quite busy when I was there but I found all the staff to be really helpful.  My only issue (and this is a minor issue) was that the blue bottle of Hed Kandi polish was not sealed and had some polish around the rim..but hopefully I'll be able to return it for one that is sealed.

Also, I noticed that Models Own were saying that the store would have some exclusives which they may well do, I was too enamoured with the Hed Kandi polishes that I totally forgot to ask about these but will be doing so when I get back.

Apart from that, I'd definitely suggest getting down there and having a good old look.  They've also got the full range of brushes and makeup there which I thought was an added bonus..

You will notice that all the ladies who work there are equipped with iPads.  When you buy your polish of choice, they tap into the iPad what you have bought (exactly like when you're online) and then you pay via your chosen method.  The only reason why I think they do that is market research?  See which shades are most popular etc..

They run the same deals in-store that they do online, I bought these three for £12...

The presentation box is a nice touch and gives you the peace of mind that they're secure whilst you're shopping until you drop..

It would have been nice if they had Models Own bags..I was handed this blue bag which reminds me of the meat shop.  Yes, to Indian children, there's no butchers.  It's the meat shop.  Since the dawn of time (or since Indian meat shops existed in England), meat has been given to customers in these blue bags.  Now, the blue bags for meat are a bit darker than these but still..same colour family!

So, is it worth a visit? 
It doesn't take me long to get to Westfield but I would say 'yes'.  I know a lot of bloggers come down to Westfield to visit Inglot and now Kiko but I think the new Models Own shop is definitely worth a visit.  Nail polish is something that is really difficult to buy blind and as the store has everything Models Own sell, you'll be able to see if the colour you thought you wanted is actually the same in the flesh as it was on the screen.

The Sunday Night Sit-Down

Good evening everyone and welcome to another installment of my crappy life.  Well, I say that, my life isn't too crappy at all..I've got a roof over my head and food on the table..things that I am eternally grateful for.

Without further ado, here's what has been exciting and annoying me these past weeks..

Excitements

• My iPod - I bought this a fair while ago from Best Buy as my boss had a discount code and it was the cheapest price around.  I have been using this at every opportunity I get.  I seem to work easier when listening to music so it has been glued to my ears as I've been spending a lot of time in the case prep room on my Jack Jones.
• Nivea Tinted moisturiser - Comes in only one shade but I think it works really well on my skin.  I bought some Neutrogena moisturiser and that really messed my skin up.  The Nivea moisturiser came home with me as I was able to swap them.  I have been applying this with my ELF stipple brush and it is working well.  I buff this in and then add some Rimmel Stay Matte powder over the top and my face doesn't go orange.
• Losing weight - I have lost just over 5kgs in the space of four weeks.  I don't know how much that is in pounds but trousers are looser as are tops.  I'm going to carry on as it's not hard to bang out 40 minutes of cardio in the work gym.  My iPod has also been good to me in this respect, I have a gym playlist and it works brilliantly.
• My gym playlist - I added songs on here that I enjoy listening to and ones that push me to go further.  Queen's Don't Stop Me Now is very good for getting my arse moving, I find that RHCP (my favourite band of all time) are good at drawing out the start and end of their songs so that I get to listen to a full minute of guitar and bass and that doesn't feel like anything at all.  
• G-Company - Nachna Nai Onda ft. Ashok Gill - I have the five minute version of this song and it makes my run on the treadmill just fly by.  I listen to it four times (more than 20 minutes long) and it really helps get me moving and burning the calories off.  I would say it's the kind of song that you can't sit still to when you hear it, but then that's practically all bhangra music!  This song reminds me of Simon because he always says "I can't do bhangra" but you take him to a Punjabi wedding and try to keep him in his seat..the nachna nai onda means I can't dance in Punjabi.
•  Learning Russian - Simon learnt to speak Punjabi so now I'm learning to speak Russian, which is HARD.  Now I understand how hard he found Punjabi.  His grand-dad is Irish and I'm already fluent in that, all I need to know is drink, feck, arse, girls.
• Blusher - my fear of looking like a clown seems to have faded as I have been using every blusher I have on a daily basis.

Annoyances

• The lift at my parents' house - I do not know what is wrong with this thing.  I'm not a lazy twat in that I use it when I don't need to, I only use it when I have a lot of things that need carrying to my bedroom which is on the third floor.  I have used it twice and both times I have been stuck in it.  I know who does that, my brothers.  They think they're funny but one day I'll force them in it and get them stuck.  They're luck their bedrooms are on the first and second floors.  We had a lift in the old house but that never ever got stuck..and I seldom used it.  Maybe that's the link?
• The gym at my parents' house - My parents have finally finished this house and the gym is in action.  I used it yesterday and like a hero, did a 30 minute run on an incline that was torture.  Today, my whole body is aching..I just hope I recover by tomorrow.
• Flat shoes that are uncomfortable - I'm looking at you Oasis.  I bought some leather flats from here and they are super uncomfortable.  I look like a right dingus whingeing about flat shoes but it's true.  They cut my feet and have no grip.  I had to wear my running shoes around work on Monday..not a good look when you're meeting with Counsel. 
• People in a rush to get off Tubes - This has been pissing me off something rotten recently.  There is a guy who gets on the train with me at London Bridge (Jubilee line incase you fancy stalking me of a Monday morning) and he gets off at Canary Wharf.  Whenever we get to CW, he insists on pushing in front of me to get off the the train first.  He had been doing this for two weeks and it wound me up so much that this Thursday just gone, I hit him with my gym bag...and yes, I am proud of that fact.  The worst thing is that when he gets OFF the tube, he walks at a pace that would frustrate the slowest of walkers.
• My diet - I have stopped eating chocolates and sweets and I swear I want them more than I ever have before.  Instead, I've been chowing down on fruit which is no way as exciting!

All you ever wanted to know about eyebrow threading

I still remember the first time I ever got my eyebrows threaded.  I was strong armed into it by my mum and her best friend.  It was the last day of Year 8 at school and we'd been let out early.  We drove to the eyebrow place and the daughter of the aforementioned best friend had her brows done whilst I was leafing through some of copy of Asian Woman.

Then I was told that it was my time.

I sat in the chair, out came the thread and out came the tears and swears.  I didn't cry..the act of pulling hair out from just above my eye is what made my eyes water.

Every two weeks since that fateful day back in 1997, I've been going to get my brows threaded.  I've moved from my original theading place as she started charging more money than I wanted to pay her.  I now pay £2.50 and have been with this lady since about 2004.  I've also just realised that I've been having my brows threaded for the best part of 14 years..which makes me feel really old.

I talk a lot about the annoyance that is brow threading and thus, I get asked a lot of questions about it from people who read my blog or my tweets..or those who punish themselves by reading both.

So..these are the questions I've been asked followed by my answers...

The Sunday Night Sit-Down

Aloha everyone!

I'm not in Hawaii (although I wish I was as it is gorgeous there), I just felt like mixing up the language a bit being the culture vulture that I am.

I have had no time at all for blogging properly since my last post so I've decided to do a series of posts that will go out on different days of the week just about what I'm up to and things that are getting me excited as I've honestly had emails from people asking me these such things.

So..here's the first ever Sunday Night Sit-Down.  I've stolen the name from the Mafia Sit-Down because I'm a gangsta like that, me and Tony Montana go way back..

Today is Mother's Day and we were meant to be taking my mum to Annabels but she didn't fancy it so I had to butter the guy up and cancel our reservation at the last minute.  We didn't do anything too glamorous by way of substitution, just stayed at home and stuffed our faces with food.  This year she asked for nothing and thus, got nothing..

Anyway, here's what has been exciting me and annoying me over the past few weeks..

Excitements

• The Revlon Lip Stains - I bought two of these and I love(d) them both.  The colour was fantastic, I stored them upside down to prevent them drying out and application was a doddle.  They turned into an annoyance and those reasons will be made clear very soon.
• SALE SHOPPING! Yes, it is now March (eeesh!) but I got some very good bargains in the sale.  I got a pair of boots from Zara for a tenner, three pairs of leather shoes from Wallis for £15 in total, a pair of suede shoes from John Rocha for £12 (I had to engage in guerilla warfare for those..) and a House of Holland dress for a tenner.
• Working close to an underground station.  This might sound a bit stupid but it definitely isn't..  Do you know how far News Internation HQ is from Tower Hill station?  A good twenty minute walk.  My firm is heavily involved in the Leveson Inquiry and me and another associate had to oversee paralegals at NI HQ before Christmas and in January.  The paralegals are still there but another associate has taken the role over now.  It used to take me longer to walk to NI HQ than my actual Tube journey.  And another bit of interesting info for you..NI HQ is the building the use as the external shot of Reynholm Industries in The IT Crowd!
• Getting back to investigating financial crime.  Mergers and acquisitions are brilliant but financial crime is my baby.  I love seeing how defendants think they're too smart to be caught out..despite leaving massive paper trails and talking about their deals on recorded lines.  Seriously, you think you're financially savvy and you'll get away with it..you're regulated by the FSA which means they record your work phones and you're still talking about it.  And if you were so financially savvy, you wouldn't need to be getting inside tips, fools! 
• New sofas.  Yes, we finally have new sofas, they're huuuuge and they took me ages to get comfortable on.  They recline, they have a fridge compartment and a place where you can store food..EPIC WIN!  The only issue with this was that when the guys came to drop them off, their van broke down right outside our flat.  That caused issues as the road is small and no-one could pass.  It took two hours to rescue them and then they broke down a bit further down the road..
• Finally joining the work gym.  I've joined the work gym where I currently am (on secondment) and I have been going every single day.  Went spinning the other day and my leggings ripped but thankfully only my leg was revealed..although I was wearing very nice knickers that day so that would have been fine!
• The Big and Clever podcast.  I went through a phase a while ago where I went on a batshit crazy spree of downloading all podcasts that I thought sounded interesting.  Three or so months down the line, the only one I have fully listened to it the Big and Clever podcast.  The two guys behind this are fucking hilarious.  They're DJs by trade and they crack me up, one's called Danny Blaze and the other is Keith True.  I really don't know how these two are mates, they're so different..but then look at me and the boy.  If you've got an iPod (and who hasn't these days?) get these two on there, you won't regret it.  They go through the odd news stories of the week..well they try but Danny always has a story to tell after every single story.  He also has a fascination with Dear Diedre, who we both think is fictitious..  
• Late night driving with Simon.  I've mentioned before that we have all our deep conversations on these drives and this is true.  We have had a lot of these drives recently and every single time we end up talking about something different.  I enjoy staring at the buildings under a cover of darkness, the way the makeup of towns changes as we trek across London to our very own town. 
•  Suits.  I love watching this, mainly because it is so fake.  Yes, they work all hours in a law firm but their offices are ridiculous, no senior associates/partners in London have offices like that.  Never would you find a paralegal with her own office when new associates are in open plan.  And Rachel (the paralegal) is the sole paralegal in the department which is unheard of.  Plus, paralegals are the right hand men and women of lawyers both in the UK and the US.  Despite this she never communicates wit Harvey?  Having said that, I am in serious lust with Harvey Spector.  His sharp suits, the hair and the contoured cheekbones make me watch that show every single week.

Annoyances

• The Revlon Lip Stains - Perfect at first but they dried out VERY quickly.  I used one for a week and it was dry come the next Monday.  I have managed to get some more colour out of these but nothing like how they were at the start.  Revlon need to fix that.  My next ones to try are the NYC ones as the Max Factor ones are a bit offkey too.
• Spending my life in the case prep room at work.  The view from all the case prep rooms at work is stunning, on one side you see all of the City and West London, on the other it's Canary Wharf.  I enjoy spending a little bit of time in the case prep room as I can see my home from there (win!)
• People in the gym not wiping down the equipment.  I don't want to touch your sweat, bloody clean up after yourself! 
•  People eating my food from the work fridge and thinking it is fine to replace it.  Buy your own in the first place!
• Not spending enough time with Simon.  This year has been really busy for both of us.  He got a promotion at work, I'm not at my usual office so it's harder to run away and meet him for a coffee.

So..that's my first Sunday Night Sit-Down and there are more than enough to come!