Artwork of the Week #4

Image from The Guardian website

This week is more of an 'artist' of the week than 'artwork'. The above image is a shot of a gallery at The Hepworth Wakefield, a museum that opened nearly 2 years ago. It takes its name from the great artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth, who was born and educated in the city. I have always loved Hepworth's work and have been wanting to visit this gallery ever since it opened - this week I finally booked tickets to go up to Wakefield at the end of May and I can't wait! 

Expect a full review of the museum, exhibitions, and my favourite pieces in June! 

Primark Dress Haul

Following on from my recent Primark Shoe Haul, I thought I'd also show you all a few of the dresses I've picked up over the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure I'll be getting too much wear out of a couple of them until the weather warms up, but I think the one on the far right will look great with tights and some ankle boots. Primark have some beautiful pieces in at the moment - definitely worth a look if you have one near you! 

Prices from left to right: £17, £15, £13

Review || Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray

I use some kind of heat on my hair pretty much everyday, whether that be blow-drying, straightening or curling, and so I really try hard to protect my hair as much as I can.

For a couple of years I used Tresemme's Heat Defence Styling Spray religiously. One day when yet another bottle of this ran out though I decided to go wild and try something new. I didn't want to stretch too far out of my comfort zone, so I opted for another Tresemme product - the Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray. And I'm really glad I did! 

The one thing I didn't really like about the original spray was that it was quite heavy and didn't really work on dry hair - it always left my hair feeling sticky and difficult to work with. With the Keratin Smooth spray though, this just isn't an issue. I'm not sure if it's the different nozzle or the product itself, but this just comes out much more evenly and lightly onto the hair. I can use it on my dry locks the day after I've washed them and it doesn't feel like I have any product in them at all. 

The fact that it's lighter doesn't seem to decrease the quality or effectiveness of the heat protectant, and my hair still feels as moisturised and smooth as it always did after I used the original version. I'll definitely be repurchasing this again and again!

Primark Shoe Haul

*It will be Spring soon, It will be Spring soon, It will be Spring soon*

If we keep wishing for it, it'll happen right?? I'm not so sure either. BUT - in the interest of being prepared for when the milder weather finally gets here, I've been down to Primark to stock up some new inappropriate-for-snow shoes.

First up are these simple black pumps with silver 'hardware' capping the toe. I've seen loads of shoes with this type of design on the high street at the moment but annoyingly haven't managed to find any that were remotely comfortable. These are made from a sturdy yet soft material that just suited my feet a lot more. Plus, they were on offer for £5. Can't really say no to that.

Next are these lovely tan flats. I've pretty much lived in boots in this colour for the last 6 months and just love it. I feel like it goes with a lot and is great for when you're wearing a smart outfit but don't want to pair it with the harshness of black.

Finally are my favourites - these bright coral pumps. I think these will be great to add some colour to any Spring or Summer outfit and, until the weather arrives for those outfits, I'm enjoying them bringing a bit of sunshine to my wardrobe! 

Artwork of the Week #3

Vermeer, 'The Guitar Player', about 1672, The Iveagh Bequest (Kenwood House), English Heritage

The National Gallery, London, recently released details of its summer exhibition 'Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure'. Having visited the current show there and being thoroughly impressed by it, I'm really looking forward to this next offering!

Current TV Favourite - Nashville

I love American TV. Don't get me wrong, I think British TV is great too, but I definitely watch US shows more religiously than any others.

It was a sad year last year when several of my favourite long-running programmes ended (House, One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl - I'm looking at you). A couple of weeks ago I read that 90210 is coming to an end and I'm guessing that How I Met Your Mother will be on the way out soon too (surely they can't drag it out much longer?). So! I've been on the hunt for a new show to fill the hole.

I think I've found it in Nashville. It is described as a 'musical drama series' and stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes fans will remember Hayden as the cheerleader with pretty swish healing powers) as two rival country music singers. 

I imagine some people might be put off by the 'musical' element, but I urge you to watch before passing judgement - it's not like Glee or similar shows, where the music is used as part of the narrative or people break into song in the middle of school corridors or shopping malls. It's much more 'real' than that, and the songs are genuinely good! There are also some really strong performances (both acting and singing) from the supporting cast - fellow Brit Sam Palladio is particularly great (and he's not too bad on the eyes either...).

If this sounds like your type of thing, give it a watch - it's on More 4 on Thursdays at 10pm!

St Andrews Day Trip

Over the Easter weekend, I visited my boyfriend up in Edinburgh. We decided to take a trip to St. Andrews on one of the days, a town just North-East of the capital, famous for its University and for being the 'home' of golf (so I'm told!).

As any fellow Brits out there will know, the weather has been pretty grim here for what feels like forever, so I was so happy to have glorious sunshine for the whole day! 

St. Andrews is an absolutely beautiful town - it has so much character and history, and some very impressive views. It's fairly easy to get to and took us around an hour and a half via train and bus to get to from Edinburgh. We didn't get a chance to visit any of the museums or galleries, but spent a lovely few hours just strolling along the cobbled streets and the beach. I'll definitely be going back soon to see the rest.