I DO!!

Last year I was honoured to be asked to be my best friend C’s bridesmaid at their upcoming wedding in June. As you can imagine it generated the usual and standard ‘Sophie’ response of shrieking and screaming in excitement, as did the other girls asked. After tracking down a dress she loved, C took 3 of us shopping at the weekend to try them on and see what they were like, and the outcome of the day was very surprising...

When entering the bridal boutique, C tracked down the dress in mind and asked me to try it on, which I dutifully did. The problem was, as you guys are probably aware now, I’m not particularly (ahem) blessed in the chest department. The dress itself was beautiful – knee length and chiffon, but the sweetheart neckline was enough to emphasise my gaping lack of assets. Luckily C quickly noted this and said herself that she wasn’t keen at all. I did point out that it might be because I am not a 6ft bronzed model beauty but Claire was kind enough to say it was the dress at fault, not me (hmm,haha!). So we were back to square one. Sure enough, the three of us continued to try on knee-length number after knee-length number and still nothing was standing out. Until C had a brainwave and suggested we try on some of the longer chiffon dresses with a view to shortening them. H disappeared off behind the curtain to change (it was like being on Stars in their Eyes coming out of that curtain – minus the smoke and dodgy stage make-up though). When she emerged 2 minutes later she looked absolutely breathtaking in the long, Grecian style dress with a sash waist. It was stunning. So stunning, in fact, that C has now completely changed her mind and all 6 of us are going to be drifting up the aisle in gorgeous, long chiffon gowns complete with beachy-style hair. I can’t wait. J and I did enquire as to whether they could make us a dress with built-in boobs, but they politely told us it wasn’t possible. Damn. I guess what I am trying to say is when selecting bridesmaid dresses, similarly to when selecting a wedding gown, allow yourself to be open to options as you will be surprised with what you end up liking.
The dress designer we have settled on is Dessy http://www.dessy.com/uk/ and if you want a consultative and enjoyable dress-finding trip then I would advise visiting the same boutique we visited - http://www.whitelaceandpromises.co.uk/. They have a fabulous range of both bridal and bridesmaid gowns and the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Seeing as it’s my fourth time as a bridesmaid now I am pretty familiar with the procedure – and I love it so much. It is, however, J’s first time. I think she found it a little overwhelming. At one point she actually said, “Guys, can i have a hug off each of you please?!” C and H are obviously kinder than me and readily hugged her...

.. I, however, said “Dear God woman, you have been watching FAR too much Glee!!”

;-)

Going back to my roots....(Yeah)

Ok everyone, I’ve done it….No, I haven’t decided to withdraw my single-handed funding of Net-a-Porter. Equally, neither have I decided to donate my Yves Saint Laurent make-up collection to a passing tramp. ..I’ve gone back blonde!

There were a few reasons behind the decision: Firstly, one of the reasons I went brunette was in the vague hope of appearing ‘sensible, professional and articulate’. I managed to shatter this illusion in one fell swoop recently when, rather stupidly, I was asked my views on the Chilcott Enquiry. I won’t go into details but the words, “I haven’t seen it yet, isn’t that the new one with Jude Law in it?” actually came out of my mouth…Secondly, I thought it would be easier to maintain and cheaper. Wrong. Wrong on so many levels. Rather than visiting the hairdresser for my usual half a head of highlights I found myself spending £8 a week on Clariol Nice ‘N’ Easy in Chestnut Brown (2 for £8 in Boots, don’tcha know). Not only that, I had to go through the massive ball-ache of actually applying it myself! Gone were the days of turning up in the salon to be handed a glass of Bucks Fizz. No, then it was all about digging out the skanky stained towel and desperately trying not to stain my parents’ pristine white bathroom suite. No, the brunette had to go. So one trip to the hairdresser later I am now back to being a blondie. Though I have been shocked by the reaction…

…The first day back to work, for example. At around 3.30pm I went outside for my usual afternoon cigarette break – standard procedure. But this Monday was different. About 30 seconds after lighting up I noticed a man hovering near me. Trying desperately to enjoy my 5 minute break away from my desk I chose to blank him out of my mind…Until he walked over:
Random Man: “Hey, I can’t help noticing but you have amazing calves”.
Me: (uncomfortable) “Oh, err..Thanks…”
Random Man: “Do you fancy going for a drink some time?”
Me: “No. No thanks…Sorry”.

Unbelievable. Utterly unbelievable. I’m brunette for four months and not a single man asks me out and only 36 hours after converting back to my blonde state I am being sleazed on. What is the world coming to? I told M. M laughed. Typical really.
I’m realising that being blonde opens up an entirely new colour scheme for clothing and make-up. Take Saturday night for example. It was M’s birthday and I wanted to wear something nice for our night out in Bristol. In a bit of a break from the norm I decided to borrow my best friend J’s gorgeous electric blue French Connection body con dress. It was perfect! I had actually tried the dress on whilst brunette and didn’t think it did much for me. It looked entirely different with my new honey-blonde locks! The blue set off the blonde perfectly. In my opinion, blonde hair goes perfectly with bright blue and baby pinks, whereas brunette hair goes fantastically with corals and purples. Luckily, the new seasons’ nude-coloured trend will suit both blondes and brunettes. I do have a suggestion though, if you are a blonde wearing nude colours then make sure you choose a statement lipstick to avoid looking washed out. A personal favourite of mine is Revlon’s ‘Bewitching Coral’ – a perfect myriad of red and pink. Another suggestion if you are not brave enough for red is Lancome ‘Hot Gossip’ – a creamy subtle, yet girly, pink. I’m SUCH a massive fan of a lipstick. It can change your look in the space of the two seconds it takes to apply…In fact I am such a fan I have a dedicated make-up box purely for lipsticks…

…27 and counting…

;-)