Love Benefit Cosmetics?

Well do I have a treat for you!!

The fabulous Miss Hana Amelia (you'll have seen her photo popping up in most, if not all, of my photo entries!) is launching a V.I.P Benefit counter in House Of Frasers in Glasgow and to celebrate she's offering free Makeup lessons worth £20! All you need to do is drop her an email quoting 'Miss Lottie Lou' at hana4benefitcosmetics@hotmail.com with your name and telephone number and she'll get back to you with details. You can even take a friend along with you and make a day of it :)

I'm so excited!! I've used Benefit for years and can't get enough of it! I LOVE their Badgal lash mascara, couldn't live without it. In my poor student days I couldn't afford to keep up my Badgal habit so I tried to find a cheaper alternative but to no avail. I quickly learnt my lesson with rubbish cheap mascaras and went back to Benefit and haven't looked back since! I could talk all day long about which Benefit products I use and how fabulous they are but I'll let you all find out for yourselves :)

So email her and come play! Guaranteed it's going to be a fun event and everyone is going to leave looking amazing! I'll be there so hopefully I'll bump into some of you :)

Lottie x

Blog award!

I want to thank the lovely Coedith for my first ever blog award :) You should check out her blog!

I'm supposed to tell you 10 things about myself and pass it to someone else. I'm giving it to The Mysterious Life of the Metropolitan Housewife because she is so very lovely and gave me high fives when I first started :) As Coedith said it's a bit chainmail like so no pressure to do it or accept it!

Right 10 things about me:

1. I'm vegetarian and have been for about 4 years and could be vegan if it wasn't for cheese!

2. I own a 1989 flame red mini called Gav and I love him so much :)

3. I backpacked round Europe when I was 17 with my best friend Elaine

4. I was the first person in my family to go University...

5. and I failed my 3rd year but still set up my own business, proof you don't need a bit of paper to be successful

6. I have been with my boyfriend for over 6 years and he has dreadlocks that go down to his bum!

7. I learnt to crawl at a rock and roll weekender at 8 months old

8. I don't like dogs but would love a pug

9. My cat makes me feel guilty about wanting a pug

10. I once ripped all my eyelashes out by accident while I was using eyelash curlers and my hand slipped. That was a couple of years ago but to this day I can't look at eyelash curlers, even just a picture in a magazine makes me feel physically sick. They grew back though!

I forgot about putting up the photos of the dress that I got at the Vintage Fair so here it is, complete with close-up of the pattern and buttons :)

Until tomorrow :)
Lottie x

Vintage furniture to house my vintage clothes

My goodness what a week!

I'm a member of the Helensburgh Freecycle on Yahoo Groups, where people post up unwanted things to give away to people for free and one day last week while I was scrolling through one just said various furniture. So I clicked on it and in amongst the 1970's cupboards and what not what was a 1950's wardrobe! There were no photos but I emailed the lady right away asking about it. She said I could meet her husband at the house and have a look for myself. Well my heart was racing when me and my mum got to the house! He took us upstairs and showed me the wardrobe...and matching dressing table....and matching bedside table!! They're beautiful!! I had to take all three because it would be sad to split them up after all these years. He then showed us around the rest of the house and said if there was anything else that I saw I could have it...so I also came away with a telephone table and a bookcase, all 1950's and free!

I couldn't take anything there and then as I had to convince my parents first of all that I needed it all and couldn't go on without them, and secondly that it would all fit in my bedroom/studio! So I spent the next couple of days clearing out my room and palming my Ikea furniture off onto others and drawing up plans to show them that it would fit. Then they said yes!! So I booked a removals van and enlisted my Dad and boyfriend to move all the furniture. I had the best time organising all my vintage clothes into my vintage wardrobe :D I took some photos to show but my camera is making them look a gross yellow colour so I'll need to borrow someone else's camera before I show you as I can't taint it's beauty with a rubbish photo!

Then as if that wasn't all exciting enough for one week, The Affordable Vintage Fair came to Glasgow!! I was a tad disappointed that there wasn't more home stalls and more 40s and 50s things but don't worry I did buy a dress! It's a sleeveless red one with buttons down the front of the bodice. And the stockings and tights stall was amazing! And the lady who ran it was just lovely and a delight to talk to. I had never seen such an amazing range of styles, brands and colours! Me and my mum spent a fortune so she threw in 4 free pairs for me! I got some Jonathon Aston stockings and tights; all nude, one with a red seam, one with a black seam and one with a red and white polka dot seam, three pairs of plain nude Christian Dior stockings, one pair of white Mary Quant tights with a white seam with white bows at the ankles and another pair of Mary Quant tights but black with black seam with a black feather at each ankle. I think that was all of them, I can't remember now! I also got a kitten brooch and a vintage dress pattern and my mum got a jumper and various tights and stockings too.

Then we headed down to Byers Road for another vintage fix! I got a 1950's red swimming costume. It is beautiful!! And I don't mean to toot my own horn but I look fabulous in it! It's red halter-neck with a low scoop back and it was only £10 out of Vintage Guru. I can't wait for summer or some sort of beach party! I'll wear it with seamed tights, wedges, flowers in my hair and matching red lipstick!!

I also bought so much fabric, it's an addiction I tell you!

Photos of everything will follow shortly, as I can't wait to show you all everything!

Today keep your eyes on The Made In The Shade Blog as they are announcing the Glasgow Springtime Jamboree. One of the names will be mine!! Still can't quite believe it!

My plan for the day is to get cracking on all my lovely fabric and take photos for you all to see.

Have a good day,

Lottie x

Mmmm Vintage

Today was a great success :) I love vintage shopping. The thrill you get when you see something beautiful hanging on the rail followed by the racing heart to see if it fits you and then the overwhelming feeling of joy when it fits like it was made for you! I just don't get that from high street stores.

Hana, David, My Mum Sam and Me

Headscarf, Bangle, Skirt, Shoes: Charity Shop

Shirt, Vest, Cardigan and Bag: Vintage

That was our little shopping group for the day. I got one of the girls in Vintage Guru to take the photo for us. Don't usually have a boy with us but he was the perfect gentleman opening doors for us all day :) While I went shopping specifically to buy fabric I ended up buying 3 headscarf, 2 jumpers, 1 cardigan which I'll wear as a jumper, and a pair of wide legged jeans with detachable dungaree straps all from various vintage shops. Didn't realise how much I had spent till I got home and totalled it all up and all I can say is whooops....

And I bought some vintage fabric! I only found one piece that I liked and that I thought was suitable but I'm happy with it. I was even happier when the lady who owns the shop did me a deal :)

There's enough fabric for a dress and a skirt. I've drawn up some designs for both and I can't wait for them to be finished! Can't decide what I'm going to work on tomorrow...think I'll wait till morning and see which fabric I'm in the mood for.

Hope you all had a good day,

Lottie x