Cute Ceramic Butterfly Trinket Holder

A quick post to show you this trinket holder bought from the op shop for £3.90.

It's small so only my rose quartz and pearl necklaces are inside. I love the colours and the butterflies simply adorable. C'est mignon!

Beer - How To Give Body And Shine To Your Hair

There was half a bottle of Peroni in the fridge so instead of pouring it down the drain, I tipped it over my head.

I wanted to try the old trick of using beer to restore hair's shine and bounce. Just to let you know for comparison, my hair is fine with damaged ends. It's wavy and frizzy.

It's believed that vitamin B in beer nourishes and the sugars tighten the cuticle of the hair shaft and gives it shine.

Peroni does not have a strong smell so there was no harm in giving it a try. Once my hair was dry, there was no residual beer smell.

Half a bottle or can of beer is more than enough. Make sure it's at room temperature so you don't get the chills. It does'nt matter if the beer has gone flat.

I shampooed my hair as normal and after rinsing, squeezed out the excess water. Then poured the beer throughout my hair from the scalp. Wrapped the beer sodden hair around my head and left it to "brew" for atleast three minutes.

Rinsed the hair with lukewarm water with a final burst of cold water to seal the hair cuticle. You could use conditioner but I skipped it to gauge the effectiveness of the beer.

I let my hair dry naturally and although it's still frizzy, there is definitely more body and volume. Unlike cream treatments, my hair was not weighed down or greasy sooner than usual. It feels thicker, bouncier and indeed, there was more shine.

The end-result beats chucking out beer. I recommend having a beer rinse every few weeks. It's a fast, effective treatment and natural to boot!

Freebie Alert: Travel Sized Essie Flower Girl

Just a quick note as Tatler magazine (August with Elle Macpherson on the cover) has a freebie from Essie. You get a travel sized nail polish with a choice of six colours:

Yes We Can Pink

Flower Girl (pictured)

Mint Candy Apple

Rock The Croc

Lollipop

Rock Candy

The magazine is £3.99 so this is great value. Was close to choosing Mint Candy Apple to match the aquamarine and quartz bracelet I'm wearing. (From the charity shop for £1.40!)

Finally I chose Flower Girl which is a pale frosted nude with green shimmery highlights.

Vintage Gold Hoop Non Pierced Earrings

I relish the idea of someone cherishing a piece of jewelry before I did. Age gives it character. The thrill of finding a rare item is joyously satisfying.

In Britain, old means beautiful. With trends turning over faster than you can blink, one appreciates something that's forever beautiful.

When someone asks where I bought my trinket, their faces fall when I tell them "from a charity shop". (And hopefully not because it's been worn before!)

When I saw these earrings in the vintage jewelry section at Topshop, I was surprised to see they had screwback findings. The screwback is common before the 1970s and I'd love to believe that they are that old.

The earrings do a pretty good impression of 18kt gold. Maybe they're gold plated. They passed my rule of no-pierced second hand earrings and they were half price. Could not ask for more.

(Note: I wiped the contact points with alcohol to ensure they're clean before wearing.)

Brown Vintage Leather Cross Body Bag

No bag would be vintage without signs of wear and old fashioned craftmanship. The lush leather has aged like a steak. Pre-loved and worn in from the first contact. If the bag survives years of use, it will last a lifetime.

With use the leather is moulded and bashed into buttery softness. There are natural inconsistencies in colour and texture. The brass hardware has oxidised and the twist locks creek when I turn them. Yep, there is truly no bag exactly like this one.

I love cross body bags because they're easy to carry and keep hands free. No need to balance my bag on one knee and sift through the contents!

Naturally I found this at the charity shop. It was £8. I'm grateful to have found my signature casual bag. So thank you, previous owner. The loving for this bag shall continue on.

MAC Hello Kitty - Stray'in Lipstick

I bought this ages ago when the MAC Hello Kitty range came out. How adorable is the packaging? Can you see the imprint of HK?

This lipstick quickly dropped out of my makeup rotation because Stray'in is a neon glittery pink. Don't let the swatches from the internet confuse you, it's BARBIE PINK. Oh and did I mention it has glitter too?

I bought it online so I only saw it in real life when it arrived. The only way I could redeem this lipstick is to wear a light layer and top it with a pale lip gloss. Otherwise on it's own, it's too bright pink and mismatches against my yellow skintone.

Consistency wise, it's not as creamy as MAC's lustre lipsticks. The glitter's so tiny that its not grainy but somehow it manages to stick onto my hands or face.

I'll keep it for my daughter one day and she can use it as play-makeup. I'm sure she'll love HK just as much as I do!