Lottie Loves: Finishing School Catch-up M, N, O, P and Q!

I've been incredibly rubbish about keeping up with Finishing School of late. I blame trying to do an MSc while juggling a long distance relationship and a mounting sense of "What on earth do I do when I leave uni?". Here's a whistlestop tour of my thoughts on each of the last couple of month's worth of challenges.

Yes, I still haven't done I is for Image. This is an important one so I'd quite like to tackle it at a time when I can do so properly. It's just not happened yet...!

M is for Moisturise
This is directly proportional to my stress levels.  When life's good and in a stable it happens naturally as part of a daily routine. When life isn't, it doesn't and there is absolutely no point in worrying myself about it.  The only thing that almost never slips is my hands because along with a weak knee, I've inherited very dry skin from my mother's side of the family.

N is for Nails
Again, fingernail condition is directly proportional to stress: more stressed = more bitten.  Toenails are generally in better condition, and I will find time to paint them tomorrow.  Just not tonight when it's already half eleven...

O is for H2O
My take on this challenge is to drink less tea.  I get plenty of liquid each day, but a dripfeed of caffeine via a pint-sized mug of tea every couple of hours does nothing for my stress levels.  I am noticeably calmer when I limit myself to two such mugs a day (but I also don't function in the mornings without at least one of them!).  So I'm sticking to that limit, and replacing the remainder with sugar-free fruit squash, diluted more than the bottle recommends just to take the taste off the disgusting London water that comes from my taps.


P is for Posture
Mine is better than many people I see, but it's still not great. 7 years of ballet wasn't entirely wasted, and nor were the years of horseriding that followed. I have a tendency to stick my chin out and to walk with great long strides: efficient for getting places, but not for looking elegant in the process. Tomorrow marks the start of a return to the 200 sit-ups challenge for me. It's not quite the 2 x 30 mins a week Lottie recommends, but it's a darn sight better than what I'm doing at the moment, which is absolutely nothing!

Q is for Quick Fixes
I've been taking advantage of the current trend for vintage-era head adornments. My hair is my single biggest bugbear (as you'll remember from H is for Hair) but the ability to throw on an alice band and still look fashionable is wonderful. I rarely leave the house without eyeliner, mascara and lipstick and have go-to shades which don't draw attention to the fact that that's all I've done. I always wear stud earrings and a gold chain plus a right-hand ring, so jewellery is covered by default. Similarly, I have key outfits and a couple of pairs of shoes that will improve an ensemble. I'm not yet back into the habit of laying out tomorrow's outfit tonight because as a student who doesn't always have to leave the apartment it feels kind of pointless. I have no doubt though that now I'm into Dissertation research and having to actually Go Somewhere almost every day I'll get back into this one quickly enough.

Lottie Loves: Finishing School H is for Hair

I have to admit, this was another one I read and my heart sank. I have an ambivalent relationship with my hair. While I would love to have long, wavy hair that looks awesome when slightly tousled and slept in/wind-swept, the reality is that I don't. I have fine hair, with next to no body and very little bounce. It is a gorgeous colour (red) although I've been hennaing it for the last 6 or 7 months to get it more auburny/chestnutty. Style-wise, though, I want something that I can wash, towel-dry and leave and it will still look fabulous. The only style I've found that works is a layered bob, with the longest layer at my chin and the shorted somewhere around my nose, plus a fringe.

I've had the same style for the last 3 years or so - before that it was very long, and I only grew it for the wedding to my (now ex)-husband at his request. So I like the style, but I've just moved cities and needed a new hairdresser.

4 times in the last week - once at home and three times in London - I've been collared by people trying to sell me a hair dressing and photoshoot day package. I'm not sure whether they think I desperately need the help or something...! Anyway, I booked one, and today I have the appointment. So far, so good. Way too much product, which means I'll have to wash it on Friday, but she seems to have done a competent job.

So that's the first bit of the challenge done. The second, do spend 5 minutes doing something other than a brief brush for a week, I'll start tomorrow. I've found a few pretty hair clips (40s style oversized flowers one each in red, green and cream) and a fake-peal hairband. I shall try to wear each at least once for the next week.

And I still need to do the Glamour morning. Urk. Wonder if Lottie will notice if I cheat and combine the two on the same day? :-)

Lottie Loves: Finishing School G is for Glamour

I read this and my heart sank. I've just moved into a backpacker hostel for 2 weeks while I'm waiting for my shiny new flat to be ready. Glamour. Right. With only half my clothes, sharing a bunk room with two guys and a girl, and one small mirror between us. I'm pretty lazy in feminine terms at the best of times, so this just fills me with horror.

However. Having less clothes available is forcing me to be inventive. So yesterday I bought some red Mary Jane shoes in patent leather with a cuban heel. Ostensibly they're to replace the apricot, flowery ballet pumps I've just worn through, but they do make me smile every time I wear them. Today I've put them with a green shirt dress, a wide red leather belt, some khaki leggings and a bolero I made myself in a red flower fabric, trimmed with red satin ribbon. It's a start.

The most inventive I get with my hair is to put clips in it to hold my fringe out of the way when I can't be bothered to wash it, or when things are truly bad, to cover it with a wide elastic alice band. I don't even blow dry it - I have a well-trained hairdresser who cuts it so that my wash-towel-go routine still makes it look fabulous.

I'm pretty good at wearing perfume, and dramatically less good at not nibbling my nails.

So my two elements of this challenge are:
1) Stop chewing my nails for a fortnight...countdown starts now, I can chew them on 7th October, if I want to;
2) On at least one morning, do something interesting with my hair for reasons other than covering the fact it needs a wash.