So I was in a TV advert…

May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 | blueskygirlie

In February I started appearing in a national TV advert for Garnier alongside Fearne Cotton. As a working mum who just blogs part-time as a hobby this was quite a change in direction for me. I’m not one of those bloggers who gets sent lots of free stuff, in fact I dont attend press days or often get featured by brands but now I can say I’ve acheived a bit of a dream…I’ve been part of a huge advertising campaign.

But how did this happen? Gosh, where should I start…

So this is me – Sarah face of shade 6.60. I am here representing the 40plus woman and anyone who fancies going a vivid red colour plus hopefully providing a relatable female image in a beauty advert – something that is sometimes lacking in beauty advertising.

I was first approached by Garnier after blogging about trying the dye for the first time as part of the Fearne Cotton fronted #TheOliaEffect campaign where you could enter a photo of your newly coloured hair to win a spending spree.

This was my photo (find my blog on the home dye here) I shared. I thought the product was good and was pleased with the way my hair had turned out so thought, why not?!?

Needless to say I didnt win. But a month or so later I got an email asking if I would be interested in talking to them about my experiences with the brand. Ah, the power of an Instagram hashtag!!!

Long story short, after a few meetings (which I thought were for market research) then a Skype interview with the ads director in LA (get me!) I was asked if I wanted to take part in a campaign featuring ‘real women’ talking about their own experiences with their hair and using a home dye. Anyone who knows me will tell you I love being the centre of attention (I’m always up first for Karaoke and love doing shows, presentations and interviews) so I couldn’t say YES fast enough!!!

Getting ready – lets just say making an advert is hard work! There was wardrobe fittings (you have get used to standing there in your underwear really quickly!), having my hair cut (always nerve wracking…what if they want to do a pixie cut?) and then a day of filming. Filming the advert was a really long day in London but I did have a chaffeur driven car pick me up and drop me home which felt pretty special. I had a call sheet and a look book but the rest was going to have to be all me. No script, no prepping or rehearsing – the idea was to capture real thoughts and feelings…quite daunting when you know its going to be used for a national TV campaign.

For those wondering, YES I dye my own hair at home with Olia but I was lucky enough to get it cut and styled for the ad by celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas. He is just like he is on the TV – great fun, really down to earth and an absolute genius with hair! My hair will probably never look this good again but at least I have the photos for evidence!!!

Shooting – nothing prepares you for walking on to film set knowing you are about to get filmed for national TV and knowing you have one chance to get it right. Its sounds silly but you really dont realise how many people it takes to make an advert. You are surrounded by people fussing over you, noise, distractions and lots of crew doing technical stuff – but ultimately once they shout “rolling” its just you and the camera. But I loved my time in the spotlight and would love to do more of it….and judging by how much I’m in the full advert I think I did pretty well!

And then theres the official ‘Sarah’ shot – this was my press shot and the one that is currently EVERYWHERE! Its so strange looking at is as I know its me but its the Garnier version of me…but what a hair colour, I really dont think I will ever change from this colour now. I was made to feel really special on the day, styled and pampered which is a wonderful feeling.

Meeting Fearne – As you probably know Fearne is the Garnier Olia ambassador and is central to the advert. What you might not know, is as part of the advert they filmed a whole surprise section with her and me! I’m not sure if they will use the interview but it was great fun and although I was a bit shocked it was lovely chatting to her and talking hair, families and about the day. Much of the prep for this can be seen in the Estee Lalonde behind the scenes film (find the link at the bottom of this blog) if you want to see me getting surprised by the person that inspired me to use Olia in the first place.

With the rest of the Garnier Olia ladies – obviously this is my account of making the advert but the campaign features quite a few different women aged from their 20’s to their 60’s. Some are in the TV advert and some are in the online campaign but here we all are post filming with all our fabulous coloured hair. It will always be a very special memory for me.

Filming with Estee Lalonde – Estee filmed a behind the scenes vlog and captured loads of what was going on. She also filmed Fearnes surprise meeting with me which is lovely as I was so full of adrenaline I can hardly remember it! I have Estee’s book, ‘Bloom’ so it was lovely to meet her and chat, be interviewed and generally hang out with such a successful style blogger.

The final Ad: online and television – and then theres the finished product. I didnt know how much I’d be in the final advert but was thrilled with how much they used me…in fact I’m in it almost as much as Fearne. Plus I now have a catchphrase for life – “Look at my hair everyone!”

See the full ad here
See my film here
See Estees behind the scenes video here

I’m so proud to be representing the 40 plus woman in these ads. Not as a model, not as an actress, just as me! It would be great to see more ‘real women’ (and men) in ads and I hope other brands follow Garniers lead…

Birthday Bonanza

April 13, 2017 | blueskygirlie

So last month it was my birthday. Its lovely to receive presents particularly when most of the year youre spending your money mainly on other people (kids I’m looking at you). Want to see a selection of what I was lucky enough to get?

As a working mum/stepmum of three boys, doing up a house, with a foreign summer holiday on the cards, there’s nothing too extravagant here but have a look and hopefully get inspired for some present choices of your own…

V by Very colour block coat, V by Very embellished cross-body bag / Very.co.uk

I had been after this coat for a while and when it went 50% off in the Very sale pointed my boyfriend towards it. It is wool with different colour panels and really looks fab with just jeans and a t-shirt.

This bag was another item that went into sale, it was out of stock for ages but when a few appeared online I made sure one of them ended up as a birthday gift for me! The detail on the strap is just lovely and has got quite a few comments plus they go together nicely too!

Embroidered sleeve peasant top / Next

Everywhere on Instagram, this top will be a summer staple for me. Be warned though it comes up quite short so I went up a size to the medium. The detail is amazing though and it looks like a £300 top not a £40 one.

Love you to the moon and back artwork / Clintons

I am going to hang this within a collection of artworks on one of our feature walls – its a phrase my fiancé always says to me so has real meaning too.

Boho jacket, fluted sleeve jumper, assymetrical earrings / M&S

I had been given some money so put it to good use in good old M&S. The fluted sleeve ‘it’ jumper had been on my wishlist since Christmas so I decided to treat myself but instead of my usual grey I went pink!

Reasons I love you gift box / Not on the High Street

This was the cutest little birthday gift from my fiancé…there are 10 handwritten notes in this pretty box saying reasons why he loves me ☺️ I do love a personalised gift and a romantic gesture too.

Bloom by Estee Lalonde/ Amazon

I was interviewed by Estee as part of the behind the scenes filming on the Garnier advert I filmed last December and was struck by her cool Canadian style. Her book has all sorts of tips and information in and I really like its relaxed but stylish vibe.

‘Hello Lovely’ hanging mirror plaque / Wilkinsons

Because if you can’t have a mirror tell you youre lovely then whats the point? This is really lovely and adds a feminine touch to my usually quite retro tastes.

Vintage 1980’s necklace / Vintage Fair

Ah my best friend knows me well! I will wear this with a black polo neck or t-shirt while channeling my inner Melanie Griffiths in Working Girl. I love vintage jewellery for its uniqueness and love this look.

And that is a selection of the bits I got! I hope my presents gave you some style inspiration – its lovely to receive gifts you love and I usually set up a wishlist or ask for money to achieve just that.

So I’d better start building it back up – its only 8 months to Christmas!!!

Try-Day Friday!

March 3, 2017March 7, 2017 | blueskygirlie

I was recently inspired by Dia&Co. (an American curated shopping experience, delivered to your doorstep, exclusively in larger sizes) to write about the importance of promoting confidence through fashion.

I have definitely been on my own journey with confidence and I do struggle sometimes to love my post 40, curvy, petite figure complete with ‘mum tum’. Having been a variety of different dress sizes over the years the one thing I have learnt is confidence is EVERYTHING! If you feel good about yourself on the inside you will look great whatever you wear – I really think it is that simple.

Dia&Co is promoting the idea of ‘Try-Day Friday’; a weekly-challenge to step outside your fashion comfort zone and embrace something new. We’ve all put on an outfit, maybe something new or different from our normal look, only to get nervous at the last minute and decide to play it safe. Maybe it’s time to stop letting our insecurities talk and embrace something new?

I thought about some of the trends recently I have seen people rocking and have shied away from and then decided to jump in 100% and put them all together in one outfit.

The looks I wanted to try were –

Wearing co-ordinates
Wearing trainers with a formal outfit
Wearing my hair up
Creating a ‘street style’ fashion look

I had wanted to try wearing co-ordinates for ages but had kept stopping myself for fear of look like a piece of upholstery! I had also seen lots of cool bloggers rocking trainers with their formalwear but wondered if I was too old to pull this kind of ‘street style’ look off. I also have a tendency to hide behind my longish hair so if I was going to truly get out of my comfort zone my hair would need to be put up too!

I had seen some a great looks on Instagram which I loved but hadn’t had the confidence to try, so with them as inspiration, I decided to embrace Try-Day Friday and go for it! This is my look, my way –

I opted for an ASOS pyjama style co-ord from the petite range. The proportions are perfect for me and the trousers are a perfect length for my 5’2″ height. The navy jacquard fabric looks really luxe without being too dressy and the bomber jacket top gives it a sporty edge. Find it here (jacket) and here (trousers).

photo via ASOS

I styled it with a simple vest underneath and pushed up the sleeves. The wide leg pants worked really well with trainers but I think would look just as good with heels in the evening.

To add a pop of colour I added a fun pink bag and pink tassel earrings – I love bright pink with navy and these H&M earrings are a real statement piece.

To achieve the ‘trainers with formalwear’ look, I put on my trusty leather Converse All Stars. I LOVE these sneakers – being black leather they are a great way to wear trainers in a smarter way but still look casual – plus they are really comfortable!

To finish off the look I had to match those pink accessories with a bright pink lip too! Would you believe this is a £1 lipstick from the Poundland make-up range?!? Its really good and a definite recommend. As I challenged myself to, I put my hair up into a bun and although I prefer to hide behind my hair, I loved how it showed off those fabulous earrings.

Lux pyjama bomber jacket / ASOS Petite
Lux pyjama wide leg trousers / ASOS Petite
Black vest (just seen)/ Primark
Leather Converse / Converse All Stars
Tassel earrings / H&M
Heart bag / River Island (past season)

So what are you going to do to push yourself out of your style comfort zone?

Take the leap…it’s really a great feeling!

If you liked my styling follow my blog at https://www.alwaysablueskygirl or my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blueskygirlie

What does your Valentines Day look like?

February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 | blueskygirlie

It’s Valentines Day! Whether or not you celebrate it, love it or loathe it, are taken or single, it’s a great day to spoil yourself and make yourself feel good. It’s a day all about love – whether its the love for a partner, for your friends, your family but most importantly yourself – because you can’t love anyone properly unless youve learnt to love yourself! In todays blog I’ll show you my picks to help you do just that…

Mind blowing blow dry spray – Schwarzkopf Got2b
Red lingerie set – Peacocks
Vanity case – Primark
Heart earrings/Movie Night purse/Diamanté brooch – New Look
Rose Quartz Facial Oil – Skin Chemists*
Red Gazelle Trainers – Adidas
Je t’aime brooch – vintage
The Righteous Butter – Soap and Glory
Heart dish – Clintons
Harley Quinn mini-figure – Lego
Love Heart sweets – Swizzles Matlow

I love wearing nice underwear whatever the day and Valentines Day demands some red accents so why not your undies! This lace bra and knicker set (£15 from Peacocks) is sexy but still wearable – as a 43year old, DD cup size with a mummy tummy, Ann Summers style is just not going to work for me! Feeling confident is sexy, right? The Schwarzkopf Mind Blowing Spray is a new discovery for me and its amazing! It makes your hair dry so fast and makes straightening really easy. The ‘Be Mine’ heart dish (£10 from Clintons) is perfect to put my rings on at night and the Harley Quinn Lego minifigure (£4 from all good Lego retailers) is a little gift from my boyfriend who just loves Lego (and I love Harley). The heart earrings were from the New Look sale and look really cute on as do my red Adidas Gazelle trainers – I’ve wanted a pair for ages so treated myself in the January sales and by buying the kids version (they go up to UK 5.5) I saved a fortune! The Skin Chemists Rose Quartz facial oil (£24.99 from Skin Chemists) is still keeping my skin soft and radiant (for more info see my review of it here) and smells lovely…just the thing to make you feel great about yourself!

I do love a pretty accessory and the heart brooch is a vintage one and the diamanté wreath brooch is from New Look. Love Heart sweets are always cute to give your loved one and dont seem to of changed that much since I was a kid (apart from maybe a ‘text me’ one!). And this vanity case (£5 from Primark) is just adorable – perfect for if youre going away or just to store stuff in your bedroom or bathroom.

I love Soap & Glory products so The Righteous Butter is a constant buy for me – if you’ve never tried their products then I did definitely recommend you do. And finally I couldnt resist the Movie Night coin purse (£4.99 New Look) its small, but perfectly formed and the perfect size for your cinema tickets, some coins and a bank card.

But ultimately my Valentine Day looks like just being with the people I love. As its half term and I have the day off I will be lunching then having a Starbucks date with my 3 sons/stepsons in the day and then later on will share a romantic dinner with my boyfriend. We dont ‘do’ gifts, just give a Valentines Day card because for us its every day that matters, not just February 14th. But whatever you do, however big or small, enjoy the day.

PS I also wrote about how I hate the commercialism of the day here – have a look and let me know your thoughts!

During February Skin Chemists are having a Rose Quartz month with lots of promotional offers on the entire range. This product usually has a RRP of £99 but during February is reduced to £24.99 – to shop it click here. My followers can receive an additional 20% off by using the discount code BLUESKYBLOG making the product only £19.99! The code is valid until the end of February.

*I was gifted this product but all views stated are my own. For more information please see my disclaimer section.

Halloween Dressing Up

November 5, 2016November 6, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Do you love Halloween? I most certainly do!!!

With three young boys, my Halloween consists now of more trick and treating than wild parties but any chance to dress up is always a “yes” from me!

This year my office had a dress up day as Halloween was on the Monday, so I thought I’d show you my costume. I’m a bit of a geek so like things that are quite accurate and/or clever so…

Yes, I was Wednesday Addams!!! I loved the TV show growing up and the modern film versions are cool too.

Fashion-wise, I bought a high necked black dress a size too big in a charity shop, wore a fitted white shirt undernearth and accessorised with a vintage belt, leather ankle boots and striped tights. Oh and added a spider as we all know Wednesday’s pet is a spider called Homer! (thanks Google!!!)

Then the rest was just hair and make-up – I centre-parted my hair and plaited it and made my face ghostly pale with dark eye make-up and black lipstick. Its spooky, kinda cool but still pretty stylish I think!

Did you dress up this Halloween? I would love to know what you went as…

Dress – charity shop
Shirt – Matalan
Belt – vintage
Tights – Poundland
Boots -Next
White face powder/black lipstick – Claires Accessories

Upgrade your handbag

November 1, 2016November 1, 2016 | blueskygirlie

New fashion hack alert! In todays blog I will take you through a little bit of customising I recently did to a cute Disney handbag I bought from Primark. Its a nice bag but costing only £9 meant that it was never going to have those little extras that makes a more premium bag feel special.

Now I cant afford Coach (well I can but would rather spend it on my house… priorities right?), but I can be creative and by spending a tenner you can take a nice bag and make it a REALLY nice bag!

First pick your weapons – I wanted to create an ornate bag charm similar to the ones seen on the recent Disney Coach bags so I found a couple of cute charms that matched the colours of the bag and fitted in with a cute Disney vibe.

I then removed the existing zipper pull and replaced it with a simple tassel from the eBay bag charm. I kept the original pull safe as I knew I’d be using it and deconstructed the 2 charms ready to use them.

I then added the deconstructed pieces to a large Mickey Mouse keyring I had trawled eBay for. This was the key item of the bag upgrade and it took me a while to find as I wanted him to match the colours of the bag print exactly. The key to customisation is making sure your finish is good and all your components look like they were meant to be there i.e. dont use anything in a silver metal if the rest of the bag is finished in gold for example.

I then attached the new charm to one end of the bag adding the original zipper pull. By using an original part of the bag in this new charm makes the whole thing feel like it was designed as part of the bag.

And finally the finished product! I love my customised, improved and upgraded bag and its been getting lots of admiring glances and positive comments. Remember, being stylish is about creating looks YOU love and are personal to YOU; so mix and match, take things apart and put them back together again and tweak clothing to make it fit how you like it. After all who wants exactly the same things as everyone else?

Disney bag – Primark £9
Heart bag charm – H&M £2.99
Mickey Mouse keyring – eBay £5
Tassel bag charm – eBay £2.49

£20 Primark shop

October 21, 2016October 21, 2016 | blueskygirlie

So, I’ve been trying to ‘buy less and buy better’ as my wardrobe was bulging at the seams with lots of ‘bargains’ that really weren’t that great. This has meant an end to big Primark hauls and the beginning of more careful shopping…

…well kind of! The other day I allowed myself a visit with the rule I could spend just £20 and anything I bought needed to fit into my AW16 wardrobe.

So what did I get with my £20? Well a pretty wonderful mix of things if I do say so myself! Take a look…

Pattern shirt – £7.00

A shirt covered in pineapples, ladybirds, stars, butterlies, hearts, cacti, eyes and much more you say? How could I say no! This is an amazing price and they also do a cute dark blue stars version. I sized up for a looser fit and it looks great with a pair of skinnies.

Brogues – £5 (was £12)

A classic brogue will never go out of style and this shoe is perfect for Autumn. I loved the no laces (I hate messy styling) and the studs add a cool edge. Plus they are super comfortable.

Leopard print blouse – £3 (was £8)

I love a bit of leopard print and this top is effortlessly stylish. Easy to throw on, with a slightly dipped hem back and the exposed zip at the back adds that bit of luxe detailing.

Gold flats – £3 (were £8)

Party season is nearly upon us and I am not a heels lover. I looked at these when they were full price and passed but for the price of a glossy magazine? I just had to!

Sunglasses – £1/pair (were £3/pair)

Ok I know summer is over but you can never have too many sunglasses. As well as a couple of designer pairs (which I keep for years) I like to have a few cheap and cheerful pairs that I can leave in the car or my handbag and dont have to worry if they get broken/lost.

So thats my mini haul! I think I stayed within my rules and have already worn the shirt and brogues loads, so for me its £20 well spent.

All available now in store at Primark

The Olia Effect

October 13, 2016November 22, 2017 | blueskygirlie

Wanting to update my hair colour for winter and looking for a new home hair dye, I decided to take the Olia challenge and home-dye my hair using the Garnier brand. Fearne Cotton has been promoting the challenge and you can upload a before and after pic to their website for the change to be entered into a competition to win a £5000 shopping spree! Also if you buy the product at Superdrug you can claim your money back too – so basically try it for free. I only found this out after I’d bought mine somewhere else but you can find out more here.

Its always a bit nerve wracking trying a new hair dye brand and after the 48hr allergy test I unpacked my hair dye and dived in hoping for the best! I needed 2 packs for my long, quite thick hair and went for shade 4.6 Deep Red.

The instructions were pretty simple and the dye mixed up easily and the packing doubled as a stand which I though was quite clever. The application was easy using the teardrop shape bottle and the product itself wasnt too runny which was good.

I wasn’t as impressed with the large, loose gloves and much prefer the tighter latex gloves I’ved used with other brands so I think next time I will use a spare set of latex gloves rather than the ones provided.

I waited the 30 minutes and then washed it off. Going for a deeper colour meant it too ages for the water to run clear but then I did use two packs.

Some tips for a home dye

Preparation! Make sure you have old towels, baby wipes and clips if you have long hair to make the process as easy as possible. Clear at least 45mins for the task – you dont want to be moving around too much once the dye is on.
Do an allegy test 48hrs before – better to be safe than sorry!
Use Vaseline to create a barrier between your hairline and skin. This really stops drips and having to wash tons of dye from yourself.
Use a timer – its important to follow the manufacturers instructions, leaving your dye on for the wrong amount if time can mean it wont look like you expect it too.
Make sure you use the provided conditioner to finish your hair, this is specially formulated to repair any damage the dye may of done while colouring your hair.

And this is the finished effect? What do you think?

I’m really pleased with the final shade and my hair was left feeling very smooth and silky as Olia is made with 60% oils and I could definitely feel that (I wasn’t sponsored to say this LOL, I didnt even get my money back remember!)

Would I use it again?

I would! Its a great price and it left my hair feeling great but I think next time I will go a shade lighter/brighter as the Deep Red was a little too dark for my liking at first look. Thats pretty typical for me as it usually takes a few washes before I’m happy with a new colour, but now its colour protect shampoo every time.

Garnier Olia hair dye – £6.99 available in all good supermarkets and chemists.

Fashion Hacks: messy belts

September 20, 2016September 21, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Don’t you just hate when your clothes dont feel right? I am a stickler for perfection in fashion styling (its a throwback from being a Harrods window dresser) and like to customise things that aren’t quite right.

In todays blog I’ll show you a little fashion fix for when your belt is hanging down, looking messy and being generally annoying! Long belts are fine when youre wearing something with belt loops but I like to add belts to my dresses and skirts. Plus, it seems I always have too much belt left over (this belt is a S/M from Primark and is still too long!) as you can see below.

This hack works best with a plaited belt but you could also make a small hole in any belt yourself and do the same.

1) Firstly find yourself a bobby pin (the type you use to pin hair up).

2) Push the pin through the end of the belt where its too long. Make sure it is as near the end of the belt as possible.

3) Line up the belt where you want it to stay put and push the pin through both layers.

4) Twist the belt over so you can get to the underside and then bend out the ends of the bobby pin into a straight line.5) Turn the belt back over and line up the pin, so the pin is hidden underneath.