Groupon Review

I've not had my hair cut for months, I always hate paying £40+ for a cut and blow dry when I could spend the money on a dress or a night out and trim my fringe myself. Groupon offered me £30 to spend on any deal on their website and I knew I would use it to get a hair cut. My hair is so thick and unruly, and it has been bothering me during this good weather we've been having. The deal I went for was £20 for a cut, blow dry and conditioning treatment in the Cardiff branch of Burlingtons Hair. Groupon said the voucher had a value of £59.00.

I bought the voucher on a Saturday and it became valid on the Monday when the deal closed on the website. There were very few terms and conditions, the voucher was valid for three months and the value of it was based on a cut with a salon director.

I booked my appointment over the phone and let them know that I had purchased the deal on Groupon. It was all very simple and I managed to book an appointment that fitted in with my work schedule.

A senior stylist cut my hair which would normally cost £37.99 plus £10 for a conditioning treatment so a little less than the voucher value of £59.00 but I said that I didn't mind who cut my hair because I was quite specific about the time I needed my appointment. I'm sure that I could have specified that I wanted the salon director but I suppose this is something you would need to look at if you were going to use Groupon.

Kelly cut my hair and did a great job, I'm very fussy and never want much length off. She used Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioning treatments which left my hair looking super healthy. It was such a hot day in Cardiff and when I was having a little chat with Kelly I said I had to go to work after the hair cut so she put my hair up out of the way for me. She pinned loads of curls up at the back and pulled my hair off my face, sadly I only have a grainy phone photo from the front.

Overall, I found Groupon really easy to use and I think I got a great deal. The salon didn't rush the cut and I didn't feel like I was getting a budget service. I have now signed up to the email notifications and I will be using the site again. I had £10 left over to spend on the site and I got a deal where I get two pizzas and two cocktails for £10 in Soda Bar in Cardiff which I'm going to use this weekend to celebrate the end of exams with friends who are in uni.

Have you used Groupon before? What are your experiences?

Call me a safe bet, I'm betting I'm not

I thought I looked pretty good when I stepped out wearing this to work in the week but then I realised I looked like I did when I was 16 and should probably listen to some Brand New an fully embrace it. It's been so hard to know what to wear this week, I have to wear tights or something long because my job can be quite physical and nobody wants to catch a sneaky peak of my underwear. I'm wearing my new favourite item of clothing again which is my Orphan's Arms t-shirt, not stopped wearing it!

We have just plastered the hallway and will clean up all the lovely old tiles soon, will have to another house renovation update post soon. My room is practically finished!

T-shirt: Orphan's Arms via ASOS
Skirt: Primark
Shoes: flat shoes, TUK c/o Spartoo
Scarf: charity shop
Belt: New Look
Bracelet: giveaway prize from Danielle

I really wanted a dipped hem skirt, I loved the one from River Island but I'm a bit skint before pay day so I opted for the £7 one from Primark instead. They come up a little big so it might be worth down sizing if you are going to get one.

What have you been wearing in the sun this week?

P.S. I've been using my tumblr more recently which you can find here and there is a giveaway on my other blog Where Are My Knees.

Glasses: To embrace or avoid?

This year's autumn/winter catwalks are encouraging us to take a closer look at glasses, and to embrace them as a valuable addition to our outfits. The latest ensembles from Paul Smith, MaxMara and Marc Jacobs were all topped off with a good helping of specs-appeal, but I have to admit I'm not totally convinced. I believe there is a lot to be said for places like Ultralase, who offer would-be glasses wearers the chance to keep their faces frame-free! But I'm always willing to give a trend a fair run...

I like the idea put forward in Vogue, that you can have fun matching your make-up to your glasses; I mean, I'll take any excuse to buy some new beauty goodies, but I'll need a bit more persuading that four eyes are better than two before I rush out and spend a fortune on designer frames.

So I looked out for some glasses-wearing celebs to lead me along this somewhat untraveled road. First to crop up was the stunning Myleene Klass, who, I have to admit, does pull off her black frames with style. Abigail Spencer's ultra-geek glasses are another story. With such a pretty, petite face, why hide behind something of such excessive proportions?!

Looking at pictures of her, along with some ridiculous ones of Justin Bieber in huge white frames - purely for comedy value - it's clear you have to be careful to match your look with your frames, or they could completely over power you.

I never wear my glasses in public, I've always felt a little uncomfortable in them. Do you prefer to be bold with your choice of frames or go without?

Worn by you, loved by us

Tenovus, Wales’ leading cancer charity, launched a brand new campaign; ‘worn by you, loved by us’, which hopes to encourage people like you to donate their unwanted clothes to their local Tenovus charity shop and help the charity continue to support cancer patients locally. High street or high end, your fashion helps to fund the charity’s work!

Liz Rawlins, Campaign Manager, at Tenovus;

“Every single item donated to any one of our shops raises vital funds that enable us to support cancer patients and their families across Wales.

“One bag of clothing makes on average £20, and that £20 means we can continue to provide services such as treating people closer to home on our Mobile Cancer Support Unit, bereavement counseling and keeping our freephone cancer support line open 7 days a week”.

Tenovus are also encouraging people to take a look at what’s on offer in their shops - they held a photoshoot with Tenovus staff who were styled head-to-toe toe by stylist Dawn in clothing and accessories purchased from Tenovus’ shops in Cardiff and the Vale.

You can get involved with ‘worn by you, loved by us’ at www.tenovus.org.uk – find your local shops to donate your unwanted items to and check out the Tenovus fashion shoot and pick your favourite outfits or share the fashion shoot on your blog.

Alex:
Pink Skirt £3.00 Tenovus Penarth
Bag £3.00 Tenovus Cowbridge
Cream Leather Belt - £2.00 Tenovus Barry

Cat:
Pink and Cream Bomber Jacket £6.00 Whitchurch Road
Patterened Roller Skates - £7.00 Whitchurch Road

Rosie:
Dress - £9.00 Tenovus Albany Road
Cream Leather Belt - £2.00 Tenovus Barry
Floral Umbrella - £5.00 Tenovus Whitchurch Road

I adore all of those outfits but what I really love is the price! You can get a on-trend look from the Tenovus stores for a fraction of the price you would pay on the high street. Have you seen the shoot? what are your favourite looks?

I hope you dig out a few unloved items of clothing this weekend and donate them, it could do a great deal for someone in need.

'There's more to life than books, you know. But not much more.'

As many of you know, I work in a library. This week I got a chance to meet lots of other lovely people who work in libraries across Wales and a little further. I'm a member of CILIP (Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals) and the Welsh branch had a conference this week in a posh hotel in Cardiff. Huw Lewis who is Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage was there and a few of my colleagues were talking at the event. The theme was leadership and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It's really nice to speak to people who work in other libraries and it really made me think about where I want to be in a few years time.

I thought I had better make a special effort for the occasion so I wore some colour (usually wear black to work) and dusted off my smart satchel ready for the conference. One of my all time fave blogging ladies Sarah gave me this wonderful dress when we met up for Ldn Lunch a couple of months ago. This dress along with some other gorgeous ones are all to big for Sarah now but fit me perfectly. Nobody tells you that weight loss is expensive, all my money is going on new clothes so Sarah's donations were very welcome.

Dress: Topshop (via Sarah)
Cardigan: H&M
Shoes: New Look
Necklace: Dorothy Perkins

I don't usually go for matching make up, usually stick to pinks but I bought some orange YSL lipstick and matching gloss when I was in New Zealand a couple of years ago and I never wear it. Wearing and orangey peach dress was a great excuse to dig it out. Going to try and wear this more often. I have about 30 lipsticks and I vow not to buy anymore until I have used one up.

Do you get to go to any fun events with work? Can you guess where the title of the post is from?

I'm off to see The Horrors tonight and I will be wearing all black which is my usual gig attire, can't wait!

p.s. there is a Zaggora Viva HotPants giveaway running on my other blog Where Are My Knees