I would say one of the consistent things in my life at the moment is my skincare routine. OBVIOUSLY I try out different products all the time as an easily persuaded millennial but these products are ones in which i swear by! I generally have dry skin but as i’ve gotten older my skin tends to be oily in my t-zone and regularly get hormonal breakouts.
Daily routine
So the first product I use is this Lavendar and tea tree cleanser. I generally use this product in the shower on wet skin (focussing on my t-zone) and to remove make up. My mum first introduced me to this product and i love it as my skin feels super fresh and doesn’t feel overwhelmed with loads of harsh chemicals.
The next holy grail product needs to be the Aveeno moisturising lotion. I use this after cleansing or after removing my make-up. This moisturiser is formulated with naturally active colloidal oatmeal which apparently helps restore the barrier within in the skin which therefore helps retain water.
To remove make-up I use Lush Ultrabland cleanser. I use this by applying the cream on top of my make up and rubbing it into my skin. I then remove the product by either using a damp cotton pad or with the lavender and tea tree cleanser. Ultrabland is my favourite Lush product and its one i will always recommend.
Following this, i am now going to talk about Face and Body Masks
Mask of Magnaminty is a face mask i believe is for everyone. It isn’t going to complete remove acne but it definitely helps clear out the aftermath of problem skin.
Origins Overnight Moisture Mask is one of my all time favourites! This mask is generally to be used before going to bed and left on overnight however i often wear this during the day as my skin is so dry especially in the winter. The bitter orange in this mask makes this product even more amazing as your skin not only feels nourished but smells great too.
Currently trying out.. Lush Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask and The Ordinary Niacinmadie 10% and Zinc 1% - in the hope to clear any hormonal breakouts!
So recently
my friend and I decided to run our own vintage stall at a local market called
Granny Would be Proud in Glasgow’s Hillhead Bookclub venue. We both have
collected a huge amount of clothing over the years so thought we would set up a
stall to clear some space as well as make some extra money. The stall was a
success so I thought I would write a little blog with some hints and tips on
what I learned from the experience.
1. Find a
prime location
So first things first where will you set up?
This is a crucial aspect of setting up a stall as it is important for the location of your
stall to be accessible to potential customers as well as to you as a seller. We
looked at a number of different companies which organised market events however
many were expensive or were only open to businesses. We found Granny Would Be Proud
market and decided this would be the best option as the event is held in
Glasgow’s West end and has grown in popularity over the years. In addition, the
organisers of the event charged £25 for 6ft space including a table which was
ideal for our stall as this is very cheap especially as we were both
contributing to the fee.
2. Organise
and plan
This may
seem obvious but on the day of the market being as prepared as possible is key as it is essential to set up quickly in order to be
ready for customers arriving. Writing a list of everything you may need as a
customer yourself is one way to make sure you have all the small essentials
such as price tags, plastic bags, rails and a mirror for example.
3. Market
and Promote
It is
important for any brand to market itself and even though we were only running a
stall we thought it was important to promote ourselves so that people knew what
sort of items we planned to sell and where to find us. As we were on a budget we decided to set up a Facebook event page inviting all
of our friends and family, as well as, making sure the event was made public. On the
week running up to the market stall we posted photos of some of our items and
this helped in encouraging people to come along as they could see what type of
pieces we had for sale.
4. Consider Payment Methods and Display
In this day and age majority of people tend to carry around less cash and pay with card. Taking this into consideration we decided to use iZettle which is app that lets sellers use a small card reader through your phone to make card payments. The app was really simple to use and was definitely worth the charge as many customers paid with card as they had no cash on them. Following this, we made signs that informed customers that they could pay with card and also used signage to display the prices of our items. We also used a mannequin to showcase some of the clothes and displayed the shoes and bags in interesting ways to further attract customers.
5. Evaluate and Reflect
Lastly, it is important to make a note of everything that was sold at the market stall. This is because it will give an idea of what type of items sell in future and how much customers are willing to spend. The first market will never be perfect so evaluating and learning from mistakes made are crucial in order to run a successful market stall in the future.
I set off with a group of friends to first explore the city of Amsterdam and then end the trip at Dekmantel festival on the outskirts of the city. My time in Amsterdam was split into embracing the city’s culture, shopping and partying at one of the best European festivals (in my opinion).
Shopping in Amsterdam was an aspect in which I really enjoyed as although parts of the city looked like they could have been any high street in the UK there are loads of cute cobbled lanes filled with vintage and designer boutiques to explore and find unique pieces.
My two favourite vintage shops that I would recommend visiting when in Amsterdam are Episode and Time Machine Vintage. Episode have a number of stores however I visited the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat shop which I think is their biggest store. I would recommend allowing plenty of time to rummage as there is so much to peruse for both men and women. Time Machine vintage is located in Nieuwe Hoogstraa and was one of my favourite vintage shops in Amsterdam. This is because the store had a great atmosphere through playing classic retro music and their friendly staff members who appeared to be enjoying the music as much as us!
There are so many museums in Amsterdam to go and see but one which I would definitely recommend is the modern art gallery Stedelijk. Below are some of my favourite exhibits featured at the museum.
The last few days of our trip were spent at Dekmantel festival in Amsterdam Bos. The festival was amazing as there was multiple stages with a variety of dj's playing such as; Helena Hauff b2b Dj Stingray, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Dixon and so many more. The only issue was deciding who to go and see!
The festival had a really easy-going atmosphere and also had spotlessly clean toilets which was amazing especially when you are used to manky festival toilets in the UK! Here's a video of the last song played on Saturday night at Dekmantel 2016.
