On A Budget in USA & Buffalo Exchange

My girlfriend and I are on tight budgets on this US trip.

We're saving a bundle by eating at whole food places. It works for us because we want to eat healthy and low carb. Salads in NYC and Washington DC are delicious and it beats eating junk.

For fun my girlfriend bought a pair of hair cutting scissors and we cut our hair. It was surprisingly easy to DIY because I wanted to dust off my ends. My hair now feels much better, I hardly lost any length and saved the cost of going to the hairdresser. I will do it again! What frugal folk we are.

Shopping wise, here's what I've bought so far.

1) Ed Hardy canvas slip ons for $16 on sale at Century 21. They are super comfy and serve well with all the walking we're doing.

2) Vintage navy eelskin handbag. The leather is soft and silky. Wasn't really a thrift shop bargain in Brooklyn Heights but I couldn't resist it as a souvenir. It was $27.

3) Revlon Colorstay black retractable eyeliner. Cheaper in the US than anywhere else. ($7ish.) I thought this would be good in the humid weather but it still runs and doesn't apply as smoothly as I'd like. Hope it performs better in UK weather.

4) Suave Humectant Moisture Conditioner which is cheap and amazing. $2.69 for a big bottle. Makes dry hair feel moisturised. It contains dimethicone so I won't use it regularly.

5) Noxema Cream Cleanser. Just a small tub to see what the fuss is about. It has a herbal menthol smell and its like washing your face with shaving cream. It doesnt foam. Has a pleasant tingly feeling which dissipates when rinsed. My skin feels soft and glows. A nice cleanser but make sure to rinse with warm water otherwise a residue remains.

I've also discovered Buffalo Exchange. The staff at Washington DC are chirpy and friendly. I carried over a cheap Dorothy Perkins dress which is too warm to wear so I exchanged it for $7.25 store credit. I was pleased because I didn't like the dress anyway and used the credit to buy a BCBG mini skirt which I love.

Next time I'm going to the States, I'm bringing a bunch of clothes on a kamikaze mission to Buffalo Exchange.

One of the photos are of retro toys in Williamsburg Brooklyn. There are lots of hipsters there so vintage isn't exactly cheap but its still awesome to see the stuff.

Denman Shampoo Brush

I've laid off on shopping because in saving for my trip to The States. The one thing I've bought recently is a simple and not so new invention, the Denman shampoo brush.

It's basically a remarketed palm brush which I used as a kid. But you're meant to massage your scalp with it when you shampoo. For £2.40 from Amazon, it wouldn't hurt to try.

At first I thought this was a great way to really get my head clean but it never made it to the bathroom. I'd forget to use it and it would probably end up collecting limescale.

So now I keep it in my handbag. With the soft plastic bristles, it works as a Tangle Teezer. Just a cheaper version. It's really handy because as I'm growing my hair out, the ends are knotty and the brush sorts it out very easily. I even prefer it to my Mason Pearson!

Argan Oil and Hair Growth, Does It Work?

If you are here because you're wondering if you should try Moroccan Oil, don't waste your money. They're another silicone based serum and products like these have been around for years. I have used Mucota Oil and Silk Oil of Morocco and got the same sleek, slippery feel and cosmetic effect of shiny healthy hair.

However I was intrigued with argan oil so I bought a 10 ml bottle which I keep in my handbag. It was from Argan Vie on Amazon for £4 including shipping. Better value for money to buy the pure stuff. It's useful as a smoothing serum after washing and if my excema's flaring up, it seems to calm it down a bit too. If ever my hair feels dry and knotty in-between washes, I'll warm two or three drops on my palm and apply to the ends of my hair.

Argan oil makes my hair more manageable, less flyaway and conditioned. However if you ask me if it's more effective than other oils, I honestly can't tell the difference between coconut, jojoba and argan oils aside from scent. They are all easily absorbed by hair and more natural than putting silicones in your hair.

For hair growth, oils are useful for stretching out trims to retain as much new length as possible. I'm only trimming every 4 months and I have bad split ends. To keep them feeling like straw, I smooth them down with oil.

Another tip to preserve is to use the lowest heat setting if you have to blowdry your hair. Just dry it 70% so it doesnt look wet and then leave it to air dry. If direct hairdryer heat can burn your skin, it will no doubt damage your hair!

Old Spitalfields Market Discovery

Don't You Love It When...

What you almost bought goes on sale.

I was in H&M a month ago and found this water marbling print bikini for my Malta trip. But I really did'nt need more bathing suits so I put it back. Today I was looking for a blazer with fold up the sleeves and guess what I found on the sales rack?

Reduced from £21 to £5 for the set. Can't stay no to that.

As for the blazer, I looked through three of the H&Ms around Oxford Street and could'nt find the right blazer. It turned out the suit blazer which I was wearing (handed down from my sister years ago) was perfect all along.

I tried on many blazers which did'nt fit and finally realised I could roll up the sleeves of my own. It was exactly the was the look I was after and I didn't need to buy a new blazer after all!

Microdermabrasion - My Experience

My sister started doing it when she noticed a cousin of ours with super smooth clear looking skin. Her secret was monthly microdermabrasion so I bought three sessions.

In my case, microdermabrasion is passing a rough surface of the end of a metallic nozzle with suction to keep the skin taut and suck away...well anything that comes off your skin. There is a range of suction strengths so the higher you go, the more abrasive it is.

The first session was gentle. First the beautician cleaned my face and massaged on a light oil. She plugged in the nozzle which is small and roughened like a nail file to a hose from the microdermabrasion machine. I was put on setting no. 4 which was'nt unpleasant or painful.

Afterwards she wiped down my face and applied a rich moisturiser. Was told not to wear makeup until the next day or so. I walked out of there with super soft baby skin!

A few days later my nose started to peel a little bit. There was a slight improvement with my skin tone.

The second session was three weeks later and I was put setting 5. It was a little  uncomfortable. I think I'll keep it at this level for the next session. I noticed big changes to my skin afterwards. Even the beautician said I had really firm skin as she was doing the treatment and a few days later my skin looked clearer and pores were more refined. Best results I've had with at the beautician's. I don't think I need foundation at this rate!

They say you need a minimum week recovery time before you can do it again, but I think two weeks should be the minimum so your upper skin has a chance to fully regenerate before being scraped off again. Well worth it, even just for the soft and smooth feeling alone!

Vintage Stuff