All Hallow's Read: Necronomicon; The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft

On a dank dark book shelf hanging in cobwebs I saw, by the merge light of the candlestick, the leather bound volume I had been searching for, the fearful letters scratched out in gold. The light flickered. I held my breath as I reached out my hand in the pitch darkness to click “add to shopping cart”. 

Necronomicon; The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, promptly arrived in the post via Amazon. The volume is a terrifyingly large collection of weird tales written by the father of modern horror. The volume has 36 gruesome short stories and poems accompanied by set of painfully etched illustrations, finally there is an afterword detailing the life and work of H.P. Lovecraft the writer. 

At a time when there was a lack in television or film images Lovecraft’s macabre fiction had a frightening impact on audiences. The stories have a gristly twist of science fiction and horror which were strange and refreshingly new at the time. 

This coming evening, under the cloudless moon, by the dim light of candles have a read of ‘The Dunwich Horror’ or ‘The Hound’; uncanny tales of unnatural children and grave-robbing, but be sure to turn on the light if you glimpse the shadow of an unseen monster weaving his tentacles towards you…

Necronomicon, is a must have for the library of anyone who is a fan of weird fiction or the English language, as each tale reveal the wide vocabulary of the author who was blessed with a near-photographic memory.

I brought this leather bound anthology to get into the spirit of All Hallows Read and sneakily borrowed the short tale I am Legend by Richard Matheson from a friend. 

What’s your favourite horror story? Will you be reading any horror stories this evening?

Listening while I blog... 
Walk The Night by Skatt Bros

  

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

I utter this phases probably a thousand times a year and I’m sure you must do as well... “I need a new wardrobe”. I must say I am currently suffering from fashion-frustration, being that the recession has hit the high-street shops of my home town and it is difficult to scour the sale-rails for anything that a passerby in the street could be wearing as well.

So when I heard that Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair would be hitting my hometown for a one off event I made sure that it was a definite date in my diary.

Judy’s, which is Britain’s biggest vintage fair, brings together vintage traders in over 30 cities and 6 festivals. For one day my local town hall was chock a block full of layered petticoats, frayed denim shorts and cosy knits, and when it all became a bit too much I could help myself to a cute little vintage cupcake and a cup of tea.

I had a nice day browsing the stalls and came back with some buysies which I’d thought I’d share with you…

 

I picked up the Tie Dye Midi dress from Memoir Vintage, available here. 

Also finally found a pair of Levi cut off shorts, which fit me perfectly, from Goldrush Vintage.

I’m so happy with my purchases as I’ve been searching for a midi bodycon dress and Levi shorts which fit me well for so long.

Check out Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair to see whether it will be coming to your hometown, they also have kilo sales for £15!!!

Listening while I blog...

Ready or Not by The Fugees 

 

I love Berlin: Colours Vintage and History

On my recent travels I visited Berlin and instantly fell in love with the meshes of time in the architecture, the vintage clothes bargains and free museums, while not forgetting the effortlessly good-looking men! 

Berlin is a colourful and vibrant capital and I highly recommend visiting if you have the chance.

What first captured my interest in Germany’s capital was the mixture of history and modernity in the architecture. The air-raids of the Second World War left a third of Berlin’s buildings decimated and rebuilding projects still continue.

Yet out of the ashes of the twentieth century has arisen a strikingly modern metropolitan. Bright purple piping twists through the capital. The streets are incredibility clean and at each corner of your eye you capture modernist shapes and colours even if it’s just a coffee shop billboard.

I started my day by visiting The Topography of Terror, a free museum, which situated on the former grounds of the Gestapo and SS headquarters and running along a preserved section of the Berlin wall. The outdoor museum or information centre has glass panels and exhibitions providing a chronology of the Nazi regime’s instruments of oppression. It is a great source of information and a good basis to start your museum visits in the city.

I also revisited the East Side Gallery, a section of the Berlin Wall which now is painted by artists from all across the world, serving as an international memorial for freedom. It is an interesting and poignant set of murals. It’s just a shame about the graffiti from random tour groups which feel the need to write woz ere 2005.

Finally I checked out Colours located at Bergmannstrasse 102, 10961. 

I keep repeating that I have been here just in case it turns into an urban legend. If you love vintage clothes and are in Berlin I would definitely recommend hopping on the metro to find this place. 

Colours is a large warehouse jam- packed with vintage clothes, shoes and accessories. You can find literally anything there: cheap yet amazing quality leather boots, plaid shirts, cut off levi shorts and flowery maxis.

They have a happy hour, which will make you re-think drinking happy hours in a whole new light, as the from the hours 11.00 to 15.00 on Tuesdays they offer 30% off clothes!

I missed the happy hour, but during the whole day they have an offer where you can buy clothes at the kilo.

I picked up this red chiffon top, for under 1 Euro!! And this good quality studded leather belt for under 10 euro.

This bag I also found in a vintage shop which I stopped at on the way to Colours for a 3 Euros!! 

Unfortunately only had one day to dot about this fabulous city but I’ve got the travel bug to go back, and if you’re planning Berlin and visit Colours take me with you!

Listening while I blog...
Wicked Games by The Weeknd
 

Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver Review

A common reaction I get when I bring out the Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver is...

“Wow that thing is huge!"

While a less common one has been...

“Can you make me a wavey toastie with it?”

Strangely enough I haven’t tried making a wavey toastie with the Jumbo Waver, but I do agree that this styling tool is on the large side.

I had been coveting this hair styling tool since blog reviews and hype about the Enrapture brand hit the internet about a year ago. 

The Jumbo Waver was pitched to deliver the bo-ho wave look worn by the Oslen twins and Kate Hudson, and it’s size plays a large role in this.

The 25 mm Jumbo barrels produce S- shaped waves, which I feel are dissimilar to the tighter looking waves produced by other crimping tools on the market. The titanium plating on the barrels are also a bonus as they give the waves a smooth and shiny finish. 

The best way to use the Waver is to divide your hair into sections. Starting with the underneath parts of your hair, clamp at the root away from the scalp for a few seconds and then move downwards overlapping on the last wave. 

What I can’t stress enough is HEAT PROTECT! HEAT PROTECT! Spray each section before starting unless you want to make a wavey toastie out of your hair. 

The process of styling with this tool does I admit take a while, and because of the size I do get arm ache. Also the Jumbo Waver can get hot so don’t get bored go off on a day-dream and accidently burn yourself with it!

The tool comes with easy to use heat settings for a low-medium-high heat. For my hair I usually keep it on low to medium setting. There is no way of knowing when you turn the Waver on that it has finished heating up, but it heats up quickly after about 2 minutes, and the tool comes with a heat resistant mat which is very handy.

The Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver is available at Boots, Debenhams, and other leading stockists for around £74.99.  

                                                                    Face

                                      Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer Light 2
                                                   Mac Studio Finish Concealer NW20
                                                Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation NW20
                                                   Body Shop Moisture Foundation 05
                                                                                Eyes 
                                             Matte Black from Sleek i-Divine Storm Palette 
                                                  Mac Fluidline Eye Liner Gel in Blacktrack
                                      Maybelline the Colossal Volum' Express Mascara Cat Eyes
                                                                                 Lips
                                           Mac Fashion Nomad Mattene Lipstick Styleseekers

I love my Enrapture Jumbo Waver and I am so glad I brought it! At the moment this is my go-to hair styling tool as it offers a different look to the regular hair straightening and curling. It also adds some volume to my shorter hair, but I would recommend adding some volumizing mousse to the roots of your hair beforehand. The effect can last in your hair for 2-3 days and you can have fun wearing it up or down.

I recently wore this look out on a night out. Starting out in a cute little Vinyl Vintage Night hosted in a restaurant in my hometown. The main attraction was Teapot Cocktails served with cups and saucers.  Here you can see me helping myself to some Long Island Ice Tea. 

What's your favourite hair styling tool? 

Listening while I blog...
Teenage Colour by College