What’s Happening To Me?!

I’m not sure what’s happened. A leopard never changes its spots, right?

I always thought by not dying my hair I got out of hair treatments and expensive trips to the hairdressers. I mean no damaging bleach or other chemicals got me a free ticket to good hair. I found myself sitting in the hairdresser’s chair this week laughing at my self wondering what’s happened to me. Back in my 20’s you’d never have found me in trainers, duvet/puffer coats, wearing less make up than I wear now, using cotton toe as a handbag, having higher maintenance hair or even long healthy looking hair.

Now I wear trainers. This is thanks to being told after nearly tearing my Achilles I can’t wear heels or plimsoles anymore not that I was wearing heels back then. I wore slip on or lace up plimsoles. Only low heels or trainers were allowed as they were kinder to feet. Trainers were in the rehab stage and they were the only shoes that my insoles fitted. While I no longer wear the insoles, the trainers stuck. Even in the Summer I now wear trainers and I was a flip flop, sandals girl. They were banned along with heels or any shoe that doesn’t lace up, an ankle strap/support or is too flat. Now I love the freedom trainers give me out and about and now there’s finally a girls/womens trainers market. 10 years ago nice trainers even running trainers were slim pickings.

Back when I lived in London, Italians and Spanish wore puffer coats. Brits stuck to wool coats or parkers and froze. Being British I wore my wool coats longer after I left the UK. Then one day I tried on a quilted puffer/padded parker, non down of course in Zara and there was no going back. I felt like I’d finally become European. Why? I was in a puffer coat and was super warm! Going vegan helped switch to puffer coats along with the influence of living in the Med. Puffer coats and jackets are winter staples along the Mediterranean and now they’re my winter staples! I’d wish I’d made the switch sooner however a few years ago puffers were down only. Even now it’s hard to find good quality non down ones.

I think all girls go through this or make up loving girls do. In your 20’s you have ‘bad skin’. Well, bad skin in your eyes. You’ve got beautiful skin you’re never going to have again and you hide it under a full face of foundation and powder. Looking back a photos my skin looked great. Okay, not the greatest. No wrinkles, a few spots and no scars. Yes, it’s in better texture condition now albeit with more wrinkles and scars from me not being kind to my spots, but if I’d have had access to the skincare I have now it would have been in fantastic condition. That’s the key I didn’t know back then. Look after your skin internally with diet and externally with good skincare, preferably natural or crap free skincare. Then you won’t have to slap on as much makeup to hide the imperfections that aren’t always there or pores, oiliness, dry patches and blemishes. I wear less make up now as I want to my skin to breathe and have a natural glow. A glow not to be confused with oiliness which often with me it is, but I’m okay with the oiliness now as opposed to caked on makeup. A few years ago I ‘discovered’ BB cream and that changed every thing….I discovered the Korean mentality towards skin. Not the British way of hiding the bad skin with make up and then adding products for that healthy glow when I can get the glow with good skincare (Thanks cruelty free Korean brands) and diet. That’s what I didn’t’ know back then! I am however forever grateful I started wearing SPF back in my mid to late teens I think with foundation first and then moisturisers with SPF. Back then it was only SPF15 but it was a start. I never leave the house now without SPF 50 facial suncream slapped on all year round.

I always used to have a cute handbag. Topshop was my go to for bags. I’d load it up with a full make up bag that weighed a ton I hardly touched up with and any other piece of crap I had to lug around. All the store cards and I think the kitchen sink. My rucksack was for gym and lunch only and I used a tote for water bottles or as overflow to the handbag. Not much as changed. I still lug around a rucksack. I live for the few days a year I walk outside with just a small bag or pockets big enough for my purse/coin purse and phone. No rucksack, freedom! I still use a rucksack as it’s easier cycling with one. Only now it has a smaller camping kitchen sink. Literally. There’s headlamp in there, bug spray, small make up bag, battery charger, water bottle, purse, my camera and lens. Store cards on Stocard App. Yes, I was a Brownie and a Girl Guide who never camped, but remembers to be always prepared. Last summer I stopped using small cross over bags due to boobage divide, you know how the strap can divide boobs. I don’t always like how a rucksack can mess up an outfit, but I like being hands free. For my purse and things I need easy access to shopping, I use in addition a cute cotton tote bag that’s usually folded up in the rucksack. What’s happened to me? I still love small cross over bags. They just don’t have a role anymore. And while I carry around less sh*t, I would love to carry around even less sh*t. Is this growing up? Getting practical? I can do stylish practical, no?

Keeping warm against the cold wind

I’ve never really got on with hats. Now I wear a baseball cap cycling to help stop the wind from whipping any moisture out my hair. I skip the cap running errands off the bike, but if hiking the hat’s on and trust me that never happened! I have a Panama and Fedora, but rarely wear them as I don’t want the attention. Beanies I’m not so keen on, but have been wearing one more hiking or when it’s super cold. Oh and wearing sunglasses all year round. I think this is a British thing. Sunglasses are for summer only and even then you don’t wear them. Wear them in Winter you get odd looks. In the Mediterranean no one gives a sh*t if you wear them all year round. Unless it’s raining or overcast I wear them all year round. Less eye wrinkles! Oh and a cap in my eyes, helps reduce forehead wrinkles. Well, we’ll see in a few years. They’re coming through now. Noooo!

Oh, I nearly forgot earrings! For years I wore the same pair of earrings. Crystal studs I never removed. A few years ago I decided life’s too short to wear the same pair. Fast forward to last year, I got my ears pierced again and regularly switch studs. Or did. I have 2 pairs I love and the studs I first experimented with I’m not so keen on. Leopard changing its spots.

I used to live in grey. Now I can’t stand any shade of grey. It makes me feel blah, ratty and well, blah. Same goes for any dark colour near my face. I used to be a jeans girl, now I live in black leggings during the winter and cooler months with always a lighter coloured top. White, cream or light pink. I feel happier and lighter wearing light colours. Yep, I believe in colour therapy! I wear black tops in the summer, but I have a tan so I don’t look so bad. Plus colour’s on the bottom half with denim shorts. Don’t wear colours that make you feel crap, unless you have to like a uniform!

Selfies always after hair treatment! 

And finally hair. For years I was a good girl getting it trimmed every 6 weeks as that’s what the magazines said. It never grew long and they always had to take of spilt and/or dry ends. 2 years ago I met a great hairdresser who cut my hair twice and then left the salon never to been seen again. She suggested to me Lunar hair cuts and ditch the layers. Now I get it cut every 3 months with the Solstices, Equinoxes or when the moon’s right according to lunar hair charts. But that’s not where the diva starts. After the girl left, the salon wasn’t the same, almost like the employees didn’t care. I’d seen it coming before she’s left, but I’m a loyal customer or was. I noticed running errands Salo PAS C/Duc hairdressers who use exclusively OWay ecological products. I took the plunge and am forever grateful I did.

My first visit they refused to cut my hair, my scalp and hair needed emergency treatment. My hair’s so fine any damage it shows. I knew my scalp was red but put it down to the sun etc when in fact it was a sign it needed help. The fact that they refused to cut it to me was a sign they knew hair. My scalp’s no longer red and they always comment how much it’s improved. The past year I had 1 to every 3 months rebuilding treatment to help my hair back to health. I should have gone every 3 weeks, but pennies dictated when. However this year I’ve said okay, every month for the next 5 months I’m going as I can see the difference in-between treatments and new growth that’s completely changed. 5 more treatments I should be treatment free. Throw in taking Brewers yeast tablets that have really made my hair grow, my hair’s transformed in a year. My visit this week they commented it’s so strong! Yep, it’s thanks to all OWay shampoo, conditioner, vitamin scalp spray, brewers yeast and the numerous in house masks and infrared treatment! It’s taking some getting used to being there for nearly 2 hours and doing nothing. I still don’t know how to blow dry my hair, I let it air dry, but seriously what’s happened to me? Is growing up not only becoming more practical but high maintenance in some areas and less in others? I’ve become the girl who goes to the salon every month! And facials. I’ve never had one. If I had, maybe I would have been kinder to my spots. Anyways, there’s a recently opened first of it’s kind in the city vegan beauty centre….

What’s your view on a leopard never changes its spots? Have you changed your leopard spots? Mentally my leopard spots have changed. I don’t freak out so much, but that’s a whole other post and this one’s 1835 words already.