#12 Life as we know it

Recently I've found that time has been moving along far quicker than I would like. The days are so gloomy and filled with drizzle (on Monday we reportedly had a month's worth of rainfall!) that I've forgotten what daylight is! I wake up and it's pitch black outside. Then when I leave the office, guess what... it's pitch black again!

I work full time and have been working late more than I'd like... Meaning that when I get home, blogging is the last thing on my mind. My instincts tell me to eat, shower, and then sit in bed with the duvet pulled high. Some days I'll enjoy a candle. But hey, you get the gist.

We've had a busy few weeks at work what with the launch of our new charity. We were very lucky to get celebrity support to help us spread the word, and we ended up raising over £1.1 million for disadvantaged children. It was weird seeing the likes of Ray Winston, Emma Willis, Olly Murs and so on in the office that day. There's also been lots of red carpet events lately. My top celebrity spot so far has been Keira Knightley even though it was pouring it down that day and made for terrible visibility:

In other news, I coloured my hair pink:

It was a bit of a mad moment as I don't usually like the colour pink... but the colour is growing on me now, and I like it!

I had to take some time out over the weekend, and went for bento and tea:

I used to go to this restaurant in North London with one of my friends yearssss ago so it was nice to be back. For £5.90 it was a far bigger bento box than I remembered! For that price it consisted of:

•  x6 sushi rolls of your choice
• Rice and side salad
• Miso soup or Japanese tea
• Your choice of meat / fish in a sauce

Their miso soup is a remedy and a half. I could feel the stresses of the week melting away with that very first sip. Protein wise, I opted for salmon teriyaki. It's pretty difficult turning something as awesome as chicken katsu curry down. It played on my mind way more than is healthy, so I hunted chicken katsu curry down at Wasabi later this week:

Any excuse, eh?!

The other night on my way back from drinks with work I found myself craving dessert so I treated myself to some things to enjoy in bed before I went to sleep:

The evenings are getting so cold now that once I'm home I find myself binging on episodes and having copious amounts of of tea all from the comfort of my bed. Ridiculously lazy I know... but exactly what the doctor ordered!

REVIEW: Lisa Shepherd London

Going to the hairdressers is a bit like marmite. Some love the pampering, that lovely scalp massage you get during the hair wash, and feeling like a whole new person at the end of it all. For others, that hairdressers appointment is a time of anxiety. From the very moment you sit in that chair, all trust is placed in your hairdresser. You detail how many inches you want to lose, but under your breath mutter; my hair is - literally - in your hands. Please be kind. And we have reason to worry. Ask them for a trim and you will lose most of your locks. Ask them not to cut any more layers in, you will have layers galore. From my own personal experience, hairdressers rarely seem to listen and just go with whatever vision they have at the time.

A couple of months back I was lucky enough to win a Groupon voucher from the lovely Sarah. Seeing as I hadn't had my hair cut since the end of 2011 - no joke - I couldn't wait to treat myself. I scanned Groupon's Beauty section and joy behold, found a 65% off offer - a whopping £126 discount - at Lisa Shepherd London:

Entering the salon:

A hectic May meant I was only able to validate my voucher last weekend. Upon entering the salon, I was given a stack of magazines and a glass of orange juice whilst waiting for my consultation. As a non tea and coffee drinker, other salons usually offer me a very watered down orange squash which I always regret asking for. Here, fresh orange juice was a lovely change from the norm and perfect for a hot summer's day.

The consultation:

With other salons that I've been to, I feel that the consultation process is very rushed. Your hairdresser asks what you would like, interrupt you when you're mid-sentence, flick your hair a lot, and make suggestions of their own, before frog marching you over to the sinks to have your hair washed. At Lisa Shepherd, they really took the time to listen and I didn't feel rushed or pressured in the slightest.

The colour:

My stylist did a really thorough job with my highlights. Admittedly it did take a little while, but there was a whole lot more foil in my hair than when I've had highlights in the past. I didn't mind this in the slightest - it felt like you were getting more value for money. Once prepped, they led me to their "chill out area" which had a coffee machine, water dispenser, fridge, lots of reading material, and very comfy sofas.

The hair wash:

Hands down, the nicest hair wash I've ever had. With most salons, I find the sink height to be really awkward - you end up straining your neck, then your neck starts to tremble after a while. At Lisa Shepherd, you sit in a really comfy chair that closely resembles an arm chair, and the sink was at the perfect height. And it gets better. The chair is a massage chair. There is nothing quite like having your hair played around with whilst your back - from neck to coccyx - is teased into shape. With my feet propped up, I was in heaven.

The hair cut:

Half asleep, I wandered back over to my station where I met the guy who would be cutting my hair. The cut took barely any time whatsoever. I found the whole hair appointment very dignified. You know when hairdressers blow dry your hair and they ruffle it like crazy and it becomes this big afro of fluff? None of that here. At no point did I ever look in the mirror and think: what have you done?! Hair all dried, he then brought out some Cloud Nines, taming my locks into sleek, glossy loveliness. 

Overall thoughts:

I really enjoyed my visit and will definitely be returning there again. And this is saying something - I never usually go back to the same hairdressers twice! I found the appointment really relaxed - I didn't feel pressured or rushed at any point. Also, I really admired the fact that when asked what I wanted, they listened. Normally when I say I don't want a lot taken off, I find salons can get a little scissor happy and I go home regretting making the appointment. At Lisa Shepherd, I had no nasty surprises in that department. My only complaint is that my Groupon voucher said that I was entitled to a complimentary sample of shampoo / conditioner and I didn't receive either of these. But as I received a huge discount on the appointment through Groupon, I guess I can let that slide...

The result in pictures:

What do you guys think?

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