Glasgow Loves Christmas

If you've been in the city centre of Glasgow recently you've probably noticed the transformation of George Square into a winter wonderland, complete with christmas lights, a ferris wheel, the Winter Lodge bar and of course the ice rink around the statue of Sir Walter Scott.

Blondie Boy has been quite a regular visitor to an indoor ice rink this year so he was incredibly excited to try skating outdoors on George Square. The day we visited was a fairly typical Glaswegian December day, with plenty of rain, but this didn't dampen our spirits at all. The sessions at Glasgow on Ice are half an hour long, so be sure to be there in plenty of time for your session starting to maximise your time on the ice. Since Blondie Boy is only five we chose an Under 8s session, which meant that the ice rink runs at reduced capacity, for only younger kids and accompanying adults so that little skaters can enjoy their time on the ice. There are also skating aids available for little ones who need a little help.

 Remember that you are skating outdoors in a Glaswegian winter! Warm/ waterproof clothes aa must. Before visiting check the Glasgow Loves Christmas website in case the weather isn't suitable, in which case the box office can rearrange your tickets.

The weather wasn't great when we visited, so there was some water sitting on the rink and we did end up a little wet but we still had a great time on the ice. After our skate we went upstairs to the Winter Lodge for a warm drink to dry off. There is a full bar for adults and there are craft and storytelling sessions for kids. When we visited Blondie Boy took advantage of a storytelling session, which he loved.

After our skate round the square we took a wander round to Princes Square for some lunch. As usual the decorations inside are exquisite: well worth wander round just for a wee look at them!

We rounded off our afternoon with a wander round the Christmas market at St Enoch Square. There's the usual mix of craft stalls, if you're looking for a present for that someone who has everything, and stalls with all kinds of delicious and unusual food and drinks.

With six weeks of events running right up until December 31st it's easy to see that Glasgow really does love Christmas! Even if iceskating isn't your thing, there's bound to be something that's more up your street, whether that's shopping in one of the many participating malls to the Style Mile  or a night out at one of the many restaurants running Christmas dining offers. The hardest part is finding time between now and the end of December to squeeze it all in!


Let's be friends! Find me here: Transatlantic Blonde were invited to experience Glasgow Love Christmas free or charge but all warm, Christmasy sentiments, and bruises from falling skating, are our own.

Iolla Prescription Eyewear

I've been wearing prescription glasses for the past 22 years (you decide what age I got my first pair!) but in that time I've only had 5 pairs of glasses. Prescription glasses can cost and arm in a leg with frames, lenses, thinning, special coatings--if I'm honest confusion as well as cost played a big role in my lack of eyewear. Luckily Iolla have come to save the world from confusing and expensive eyewear.

Iolla is a new brand of prescription eyewear that aims to revolutionise the traditional optical market. Glasses are designed and assembled in Scotland to provide higher-quality, better-looking eyewear at a fraction of the current price. £65 gets you fabulous frames, thin lenses and anti-glare and anti-scratch coating if your prescription is between certain parameters. I have a strong prescription and have a slight astigmatism and that was included, too!

I popped in to the Iolla showroom on a Saturday with Baby Girl unannounced; I had an appointment scheduled later in the week but had some time to kill and was passing by. Stefan, one of Iolla's founders, was so patient and helpful. It will come to no surprise to anyone who knows me that I tried on just about every frame in the showroom. Iolla have a variety of frames, all named after famous Scots, to suit every face shape and come in multiple colours. I went back and forth between a few different frames but in the end decided to go for a pair that were the complete opposite to my glasses I've had for the past 2 years.

I love my new Stevenson frames in light blue crystal! They really make my eyes pop and are just so far removed from my big black frames. I love that at only £65 you can have glasses that are truly a fashion choice and not just functional. In fact I loved my Iolla glasses so much I went back 2 weeks later for another pair!

Can you believe in 22 years of wearing glasses I have never had prescription sunglasses? For me they were just an expense I couldn't justify so it meant always wearing contacts when it was sunny or using these gigantic sunglasses my Dad gave me that go over your existing glasses so you look like a glaucoma grandma!

My Bruce sunglasses in plum are far more stylish and made sunglare worries on my morning commute a thing of the past. I honestly can't believe I went this long without prescription sunglasses!

Iolla frames can be purchased online and shipped straight to your door or you can pop in to the showroom on Argyle Street in Glasgow if you like to try on your frames before you buy. I love supporting local businesses and it's even more amazing when the local business service and product is better value for money than the corporate conglomerates!

All Iolla eyewear are at £65, with additional costs for multi-focus.

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Transatlantic Blonde was provided a pair of frames to review, but then loved them so much we bought a second pair out our own pocket. If that doesn't tell you our opinion is honest then what will?

What I Wore Wednesday: Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow

When we were little our Dad would bring us back Hard Rock Cafe pins from his business trips. I remember getting this amazing HRC tee in Washington DC where the eagle had a guitar in his claws and walking in the rain to a Hard Rock in Paris. In fact I probably have a lot of Hard Rock stories and have visited a few in the US and abroad. Needless to say I was pretty stoked when one arrived in Glasgow a few months ago.

A few weeks ago I was invited to try out Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow's new menu of American classics with a twist. Unsurprisingly as an American expat I was crazy, ridiculous excited---this may me an understatement! I love American food and well most places in Glasgow that do "American" food don't actually have any American roots or any sort of validity.

We were greeted with their AeroMexico flight--three margaritas and a side of chips and salsa. How freaking cute is that! I was driving so our flight had virgin strawberry daiquiris which were so good. I normally can't eat salsa in Glasgow because it has so much cilantro in it but this was perfect!

I should have gotten photos of our massive nachos and sampler plate of potato skins, onion rings, wings, bruschetta and chicken tenders but I was more focused on scarfing then on snapping! My absolute favourite though was the spinach and artichoke dip. NOWHERE in Glasgow has spinach and artichoke dip and I miss it so much. This did not disappoint and I mar or may have not nabbed another tables when they didn't finish it!

Next I moved on to possibly my new favourite mocktail the Groupie Grinder. The name is clearly awesome and it is mango Purée, housemade piña colada mix and pineapple juice blended with a fresh strawberry swirl. YUM! It went really well with my main course of cajun battered shrimp, fries and citrus slaw. I swapped out my cocktail sauce for ranch dressing because I'm American and I can! When you see ranch abroad you order it!

Like every Hard Rock Cafe there is lots of rock and roll memorabilia and a great selection from Scottish artists. My favourite though had to be this Red Hot Chili Pepper and Foo Fighters poster for a concert in Ohio! It was funny to see something from my home state.

It was such a great night and I ate FAR too much! I'm excited to go back again and most likely eat my body weight in spinach and artichoke dip and drink it in Groupie Grinders!

So obviously this is What I Wore Wednesday so what did I wear you ask? Well for me there wasn't any question what to wear to the Hard Rock:

It had to be my Guns n Roses tee! I paired it with jeans, a studded bracelet and gym shoes. I would have liked cuter shoes but it was absolutely freezing and I took public transportation so practical won out!  As you can see the fabulous Miss West End Girl clearly outdressed me in her leopard wedge trainers, ballerina skirt and bowler hat!

Have you ever been to the Hard Rock Cafe? What would you have worn?

THANK YOU to everyone who nominated me I've been shortlisted in the BiBs! Voting is now open and I'd really appreciate if you took a minute and voted for me!

 I'm category 12, Style, Transatlantic Blonde. 

If you can take a second to click I'd really appreciate it! 

Voting closes this Friday!

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What I Wore Wednesday: Spring into Skin with Lush

I'll be honest I fell off the beauty product wagon. I've always been a total make-up snob so I don't know why I thought buying skin care at the grocery store was okay. Luckily for me the lovely ladies of Lush Sauchiehall Street in Glagow reminded me of how their products are not only amazing but all natural, too.

Lush's products are 100% vegetarian (and over 97% of products are vegan) and never tested on animals.  If you've never been to a Lush store before their products are fun, fresh and smell amazing! Spring is a great time to rethink your skin care routine so we got to learn what products would work for us.

We started off the night by making up our very own fresh Cupcake face mask. Some of Lush's products are so fresh you need to refrigerate them (they are kept on ice in store) and this is one of them. It was literally just like mixing up an actual batch of cupcakes except these were good for you! When they say all natural ingredients are used they aren't kidding and obviously in the fresh products no preservatives either.

As well as their amazing skin care Lush is probably most well known for their fantastic bath products like their ballistics.

I always get ballistics at Christmas and then hoard them because I love them so much which I know doesn't make any sense! There are loads of new bath products this season like the Sakura ballistics and Ice Blue soap both of which smell amazing!

The also have tons of super cute Easter themed goodies if you are looking for an Easter basket alternative to chocolate or if you just love cute stuff! I had such a lovely time falling back in love with Lush and when I went to try the mask at home I wound up having some mother and son bonding time too!  

Blondie Boy had to get in on the fun too! He was disappointed he wasn't allowed to lick the mask off though! Blondie Boy has very sensitive skin and eczema and his skin did not flare at all; it just shows how natural and gentle Lush products are!

Lush have also just launched the Lush Kitchen cooking up small batches of exclusive products that they will then ship overnight to you! It will include retired products, limited one-offs and you can even tweet them with your own suggestions! How cool is that?

Are you a Lush fan? What is your favourite Lush product?

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Also the BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards are open for nominations. If you like What I Wore Wednesday would you please consider nominating me? This is the last week I'll bug you!

http://www.britmums.com/nominate2014/

You have to enter:

Blog Name: Transatlantic Blonde
Blog URL: http://transatlanticblonde.blogspot.co.uk
Blog Twitter ID: @Melaina25
Blogger Email: Melaina25 @ gmail.com

If you have a second to nominate me I'd really appreciate it. They will ask for your email address but you can opt out of all communications. Nominations close this April 12th, Midnight GMT (7pm EST). 

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What I Wore Wednesday: Bold Souls

I love fashion shows and I've been really lucky to attend a few lately. Last week I attended Off the Catwalk by Bold Souls. Off the Catwalk united some of Scotland's most promising up and coming fashion talent. For the fashion show, local favourite Chouchou was joined by Scottish Fashion Award winner Joanne McGillivray, Scotland Re:Designed New Talent shortlisted Naromode, Vanilla Ink alumni jeweller Scarlett Erskine as well as fellow cult brands such as Rock and Royalty Couture, Spoiled Brat, Prints of Paradise and Danni McWilliams. From elegant sports luxe designs, beautifully illustrated prints to imaginative reworkings of traditional heritage fabrics, Bold Souls: Off The Catwalk showed off a diverse collection of some of Scotland's freshest design houses and retailers.

I couldn't believe the massive line that travelled up three flights of stairs to get to Hummingbird's penthouse when I arrived but the wait was well worth it. I ended up getting to sit with one of the most stylist and nicest fashion bloggers I know the lovely Wendy from Thank Fifi.

I'm not going to bother showing what I wore as it was basically the same outfit I wore when I spoke at BritMums Live except my skinnies were from New Look and I added my Ohio necklace. What I will show you is a selection of some of the amazing looks we saw on the runway.

Starting at the top going clockwise was an amazing look by LaLa Land who have recently launched their own clothing, in the middle a gorgeous plunging neckline exaggerated babydoll dress from Spoiled Brat, Chouchou Couture's new Hollywood Candy hood, Danni McWilliams' pink sweatshirt and mosaic stain glass slit skirt and Rock and Royalty's statement sweatshirt.

Here's a close up on that amazing Chouchou Couture hood which I'm so coveting right now. It was the most gorgeous Harris Tweed and fuchsia fur which I'm kicking myself for not trying on after the show!

Image by Stephania Calderara Photography

I'm so in love with Rock and Royalty's "You Can't Sit with Us" sweatshirt. I'm totally obsessed with Mean Girls not to mention I love a good statement top. I'm dying to add this to my wardrobe since it could be worn casually or dressed up, too!

Image by Stephania Calderara Photography

It was such a great evening and I love supporting local Scottish talent. 
Do you like to shop local? Do you have a favourite independent designer or shop?

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Also the BritMums Brillance in Blogging Awards are open for nominations. If you like What I Wore Wednesday would you please consider nominating me?

http://www.britmums.com/nominate2014/
You have to enter:

Blog Name: Transatlantic Blonde
Blog URL: http://transatlanticblonde.blogspot.co.uk
Blog Twitter ID: @Melaina25
Blogger Email: Melaina25 @ gmail.com

If you have a second to nominate me I'd really appreciate it. They will ask for your email address but you can opt out of all communications. Nominations close April 12th, Midnight GMT (7pm EST).     ********

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Let's be friends! Find me here:

What I Wore Wednesday: Rainbow Room International

I've made no secret that I've been hating my hair lately. For ages all I wanted was really long hair and then once I got it I felt like I couldn't do anything with it. I was super impressed I didn't pull my hair back once at work yet the whole time I really wished I'd thrown a hair tie in my purse. Every time I walked past the bathroom mirror it just didn't look right and I wasn't loving it at all.
So I found it quite serendipitous when I got the chance to try out the services at Rainbow Room International at Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow. Rainbow Room was founded in 1979 and is an award winning salon synonymous with quality, luxury and innovation. There are 9 salons, 2 beauty and spa salons as well as the prestigious academy. I'd heard great things about Rainbow Room but had never been myself.

When I met with David, the salon manager, I let him know I felt like my hair was too long and just hung there and that my unintentional ombre (more commonly known as massive grown out roots) was making me feel a bit blah and I was open to suggestions. We talked about my face shape (heart) and how angles would help flatter it and how to brighten my hair up with a mix of highlights and cooler low lights as my natural colour is quite warm.
I also learned that a lot of shampoos have silicone in them that cause build up that not only coats your hair but can block up your hair follicle and weaken your hair; it can even make two weak strands grow instead of one strong strand which is why you can have shorter standing up bits of frizzy hair! David scraped my hair to show me the silicone build up and I couldn't believe it. There are certain shampoos I won't be touching now!   I got started with an amazing Shiatsu head massage (lovely after all that flight drama) and then had my hair cut first before colour. David cut my hair first because then he could apply my highlights to flatter and accentuate the new cut. Then five different colours were applied to my head with foils and afterwards David painted on colour outside of the foil where it would process differently.

David talked me through the best way to blow dry my hair (don't part it and don't tip your head upside down ::coughMOMcough::) and what sort of products to use as well. Rainbow Room have their own product line formulated especially for Scottish water including a light weight leave in conditioner that can be used to style as well. When I first sat down I'd told David I wanted to know what he thought about my hair and what he thought I should do since he has been with the salon over 20 years with experience in London and Amsterdam before that and he did not let me down!

Pink and Grey Top- Gap

Sweetheard Jeans, Old Navy

Blue Flip Flops, Old Navy

I LOVE my hair! At first I thought maybe the colour was a bit dark but I think my eyes were playing tricks on me. My hair looks so much healthier and has so much body and fullness. There is an actual shape to my hair now instead of just two flat curtains. I'm so happy I was able to go to the Rainbow Room and experience their friendly and talented staff first hand. I would whole heartedly recommend them to anyone and can't wait to see their new styling videos they are producing shortly. David had offered to show my different ways to curl and style it but as I had to pick up Blondie Boy from school I didn't have time.

Rainbow Room International haircuts and colour vary in price by the level of stylist but you can also get stand-by appointments or appointments with students in their training academy.

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Transatlantic Blonde was provided a cut and colour free of charge for the purpose of this review but all opinions are my own. I am ridonkulously picky about my hair and if I didn't like it you would know--I only speak the truth!