Say Hello, Wave Good Buy

It seems like ages since I posted an outfit photo!

It's officially Autumn. Although it's depressingly damp and I'm getting up in the dark, it's mercifully mild and even at 7am, when we walk into town for our thrice weekly swim, I don't need a coat. When I found this 1990s NEXT maxi dress in the "£2.99 or less" charity shop last month my heart skipped a beat, I just love those rich earthy tones and these bias cut slinky dresses lend themselves beautifully to layering up with waistcoats, cowboy boots and wrap tops. The fringed chiffon scarf was a charity shop buy last year and I found my wool fedora with the orange leather hatband in the Decathlon clearance corner of all places (I'd only popped in to buy a pair of googles!) I bought my marmalade velvet wrap top from All About Audrey last year and have since found the olive green version on Vinted.  

Here's my outfit in action earlier....

@vixbrearley Three mornings a week I walk down to our town centre pool at 7am and swim for a mile...do I dress down? Do I hell! #vintagestyle #1970saesthetic #over50women #swimmer ♬ Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry

The decline of the British high street continues with Claire's Accessories and my go-to discount toiletries shop, Bodycare, both going into administration. I've started shopping at Savers and am really impressed, not only are the prices of my regular toiletries (Nivea eye makeup remover, Wisdom interdental brushes and Oral B toothpaste) way cheaper but there's lots of interesting things I never knew I wanted. Along with some organic cat treats I also came back with these goodies. I normally use Tropic eyeliner but these Maybelline Tattoo Liners are a good back up and are reduced by a third, I wasn't sure if it was the colours of this cruelty free/ vegan eyeshadow palette or the Wild West graphics that drew me in but a girl can never have too many brown, bronze and orange eyeshadows! 

I've had a hankering for some face framing layers cut into my hair for a while. Although Jon trims the ends when I ask him, for something a bit more radical, I thought I'd better see a professional and, a fortnight ago, booked an appointment with the training academy in Walsall town centre, where I'd been for my last trim four and a half years ago. I was a bit nervous but the tutor and the young apprentices were amazing and I'm absolutely thrilled with the result. My shampoo, cut and blow-dry cost me just £10!! 

@vixbrearley My first salon haircut in four years...normally I get my boyfriend to do it!#1970saesthetic #vintagestyle #over50women #longhair @hipster academy ♬ Almost Cut My Hair (2021 Remaster) - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I've always thought of my hair as being straight but the longer it gets the more kinks appear and as the tutor had explained to the students that my hair was wavy I was intrigued by the Inecto Curl Defining Cream I'd spotted in Saver's and at £2.99 thought it as worth a try. Inecto is one of those old-fashioned brands from my childhood, remember the Linco Beer shampoo that came in little plastic barrels? 

SOURCE

This is what my hair looked like before I tried the curl cream, I washed it on Saturday night (two days ago), I'd walked into town in the rain and it had been stuffed into a swimming cap for 45 minutes.

I dampened my hair with a plant mister...

Worked a couple of 2p sized dollops of product through my hair before blasting it though with the hairdryer on a coolish setting. 

I'm so impressed with my carefree, nonchalant waves and the rose scent is lovely - not cloyingly sweet and evil like that terrible washing powder/ fabric conditioner that so many charity shop clothes reek of. 

In other news, Liz and I went to a school reunion last weekend. It had been 40 years since we'd sat our A Levels and we'd not seen some of our classmates in all that time but, despite a few nerves, as soon as we laid eyes on each other the years just fell away and we carried on where we'd left off. 

You might remember me mentioning that our school, Queen Mary's High School, was an all-girls' school and there's a bloke (Ian!) with us. 

That's because Queen Mary's Grammar School, the boys' school, also had a reunion on the same night. The lads were in the year above us, we used to hang out with them both during our school years and for several years afterwards in pubs and at gigs. 

We all had such a laugh that we've promised to meet up again next year when (hopefully) there might be even more of us.

QMHS 1985. Can you spot any of us? 

There's so much more to write about including Jon & I's day trip to a nearby city, a fantastic film we've been to see, some superb TV shows we've binge-watched, what I've been reading and some incredible vintage finds all of which I'll try and squeeze in before the end of the week.

(Don't forget I'm on TikTok if you're here for the clothes - link in my sidebar).