Having recently moved to San Francisco, I’m still in settling in mode. I’m unpacked, but my walls are still barren and I’m still getting into my routine. Now that I’ve been exploring my neighborhood, I’m onto my next big life question: is it time to switch gyms?! Working out has always been a big part of my routine — when I was living in Sacramento, I knew which classes I wanted to attend and on any given week you could see me at 24 Hour Fitness five days out of seven. Now that I’ve moved though, things are a bit different. Instead of driving to the gym, I walk. And while I don’t mind the half-mile warm up and cool down that it provides, walking there through the Tenderloin in the blustery winter does not sound like my dream situation.

While exploring nearby Polk Street, I recently discovered Crunch Fitness, another gym about a half mile in the other direction, that piqued my interest. Their facility is set up like a theatre (in fact, I think it was a theatre before it was a gym) and they have an awesome class selection. To top it off, it’s a great location, I like their machines better and the staff was more than friendly when I went in today to get my trial membership. After testing it out, I immediately knew I wouldn’t mind converting.

The dilemma? Crunch is quite a bit more than 24. I pay $35 a month for my current membership and with that, I have access to all 24 Hour facilities (sans Super Sports). The Crunch membership is $65 a month for a one club pass… and that’s with it being on special. It’s normally upwards of $80. Now, granted, I do love my gym time but I think I’ve been a bit spoiled. I’ve paid $30 – $35 a month for as long as I can remember (even with my gym in London) and the thought of forking over nearly twice that seems ridiculous. I’m hoping there’s a secret squirrel way that I can nab a membership with a deeper discount, but I’m not holding my breath.

Utlimately, I guess I have to think about how much I’m going to use my 24 Hour membership vs. a potential Crunch membership… if I’m not using my current gym access then it’s kind of a waste of $35 a month. If getting a Crunch membership means I’ll hit the gym more frequently, it might be worth the extra cost.

Has anyone out there tried both 24 and Crunch? I’m hoping to get some thoughts to push me in the right direction!

xoxo,

You may remember me talking about the beauty treatments I snagged on the cheap a few days back… student salons have been saving my life now that I ‘m on a super budget. I had decided a few weeks ago that I would have to deal with my hair in the state that it was in; roots grown out and pretending that it’s intentional (part of the new ombre fad). Unfortunately it doesn’t really work for me — it just looks like I’m too poor to get my hair touched up, not like I’m trying to be cool and edgy (and it works for Shakira so well… uggh). In any case, I had searched high and low for a hair academy that could do my highlights. The only one that had anything advertised on their website was the South Thames College with highlights advertised for under £20. As luck would have it, though, they’re closed now for summer… boo. With Mac coming on Wednesday, I was desperate to find someone before September 1st.

I ran across the website for the London Hair Academy on Tottenham Court Road and noticed that they offered various courses for students. There was no mention of a student salon so I emailed them to find out if they ever offered services to the general public. They directed me to their facebook page where they periodically solicit models for cuts, colors, highlights… even extensions! I joined their group and was beyond overjoyed to get a facebook message from them the next morning. It couldn’t have been more perfect: they needed a model for Friday: £10 for highlights and a blowdry! Cha-ching! Score to the nth degree! Maybe spending £70 on highlights makes me want to die, but spending £10 on highlights makes me feel like a champion. Who gets highlights at that price in London?!! Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about heading into a student salon but my fears were duly assuaged yesterday when I headed in.

The salon is beyond adorable. I was expecting a typical institutional student salon, cold and little blah. This place was the antithesis of budget. Small but well put together: gorgeous mirrors, chandeliers and baroque wallpaper that I wanted to steal for my own flat-to-be. I was even more surprised when I found out that I was the only one there! I was expecting it to be a room full of faceless models with a bunch of young students getting people in and out. It was the complete opposite. A teacher, a trainee (who was a professional stylist undertaking further courses) and me. To top it off the highlights and lowlights were perfect! Spot on. I honestly felt like I was cheating them by trading them a mere £10 for the services. The instructor, who is originally from South Africa (I think her name is Maryke?), is young and vibrant and made the experience awesome. I thought I would be a bit anxious during the process, but I felt totally comfortable. Everything was double-checked for consistency and while it was a learning process for the student, it felt 100% professional.

Amazing, amazing, amazing. This is now my go-to place for highlights. Of course the fact that it’s a mere £10 helps, but the location and the people are awesome. If you’re interested in opportunities to act as a model for them, sign up for their facebook group. If your experience is anything like mine, you will not be disappointed!

PS. I’m a master at saving ££!

xoxo from London,

The London Hair Academy is located at 114-115 Tottenham Court Road. The nearest Tube is Warren Street station. You can call them directly at: (+44) 078 5060 0217.

Despite the fact that I have been desperately watching my money lately, dissertation and job-hunting stress made me think that a facial + massage were in order (for the sake of my bank account I should probably stop feeling so entitled). I perused the websites of innumerable Central London salons only to find that facials run between £45 – 60 (on the low end) and massages are about the same. I cannot justify that. Back home, there are a few local student salons that offer treatments for incredible prices and I thought that maybe — just maybe — there were student salons here, too! Fortunately, there are actually a few and the prices are incredible!

Today, I hit up The Ray Cochrane Beauty School on Baker Street after booking just a couple of days ago. I grabbed a Dermalogica facial for £20 and two body treatments for £20. Add in some waxing and the grand total was £44! They do manicures, pedicures, hot stone massages… even electrolysis! The value for the money is great. The girls working there are definitely trying to learn and there’s a teacher/head master that checks in to make sure each treatment is a learning experience for them. If you’re looking for a super relaxing, posh experience, this is definitely not the place — there’s not a lot of privacy, the lights are a bit harsh and the students occasionally have to ask questions, etc. The outcome is quite the same, though: glowing, health(ier) skin but for a fraction of the price. If you need the basics taken care of (facial, manicure, pedicure, etc.) and you want to save some serious cash, definitely worth finding a student salon! Most of the students are really there to learn, too, so they want to do a good job!

There are actually a number of other student salons in London that look pretty awesome (in terms of pricing). Here are some to check out if you’re on a budget, too.

1. Ray Cochrane
118 Baker Street, W1U 6TT
Closest Tube: Baker Street
+44 020 7486 6291

2. London College of Beauty Therapy
47 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JP
Closest Tube: Oxford Circus
+44 020 7208 1302

3. London School of Beauty and Make-up
London Esthetique Student Salon
Ground Floor, 48 Margaret Street, W1W 8SE
Closest Tube: Oxford Circus
+44 020 7636 1893

4. South Thames College Hair & Beauty Salon
Wandsworth High Street, SW18 2PP
Closest Tube: East Putney (Zone 3)
+44 020 8918 7777

** This place does hair, too!
You can get highlights for under £20!

You can download the beauty salon price sheet or the hair salon price sheet here.

I can’t lie — I’ve heard horror stories about student-run salons, but my experiences (in California and here) have been more than fine! You realize when you’re paying £20 for highlights or a facial that there’s a trade-off, but if you’re okay with less posh and more savings, they’re worth a try! If the thought of spending £20 still makes you want to die, check out some handy DIY facials!

Are there any other student salons in London that I should know about?

xoxo,

[Part of my army of tanning products]

Maybe it’s being born and raised in California. Perhaps it’s partially due to coming from an always (naturally)-tan family. Maybe it’s due to spending nearly three years of my life working at a tanning salon. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because tans are gorgeous! Whatever the reason, I’m obsessed and I have been for a while. I’ve been a tanner since 16ish: UV tanning when I was working at the salon (I know, I know… it’s awful) and then some sunless/spray tanning as I got older. Either way, to find a picture of me sans tan from the last 7 – 8 years? Not possible. I had never gone more than 2 – 3 weeks without some form of tanning.

Then I moved to the UK. Not only could I not afford a tanning membership on a grad student budget (tanning’s incredibly overpriced here!) but on top of that there’s no natural sun! It’s not like I can go outside and soak up the rays… England has a built-in cloud magnet! Grrr! So, I had to cope. And by cope, I of course mean invest in a slew of sunless tanning products. Since my move here, I’ve discovered the amazingness of sunless tanning (although, I must admit, I prefer natural [unhealthy] tans more…); they’re quick, easy, pretty inexpensive, much healthier than UV and they’re super portable! It’s so easy for me to throw some products in my luggage and keep a tan while traveling. Plus a lot of them are under 100ml! Can’t beat it. So here’s a run-down on some products I’ve been using and my experiences with them.
{Note: to be clear, I never (ever!) tan my face… wrinkles and hyper-pigmentation are not attractive and not worth it. For face, I only use sunless tanning products so I have a lot of experience with working on a healthy glow sans UV!}

L’oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Towelettes

Probably one of my most favorite products! I’ve had 6 boxes shipped or brought over from the US! The tan is intense so make sure to apply it carefully (streaks will be obvious!) and to wash your hands when you’re done. I apply it at night and wake up with a solid glow! Use one before a night out or a couple per week to maintain a solid California tan.

Also, L’Oreal makes a similar product for face that’s ahhh-mazing! It is an intense facial tanner and the wipes are super easy and super-portable. Make sure you don’t miss any spots and be super (super!) careful around eyebrows and upper lip. Orange brows are not cute.

[More reviews here]

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

I’ve been using this stuff on my legs for years and I love it! It’s really inexpensive ($5 – 7) and it’ll last quite a while! The streaks aren’t quite as obvious as with the super-strength tanning towelettes, but they are noticeable to an extent, so make sure you rub it in well. Bump it up with their moisturizer with firming! That’s the one I normally nab but overlooked it when buying last time. Only downside: it smells like sunless tanner. It’s a pretty strong (not pleasant) scent so I’m always conscious about using it on upper body. If you’re using it during day time, keep it on the lower half so people don’t get a whiff of your sunless tanning tricks!

Boots Soltan Beautiful Bronze Face Cream

After I moved here and discovered they no longer had my tried and true most favorite face tanner in the world (L’oreal Dual Action Face Tanner … more on that later), I had to find a suitable supplement. Enter Boots Soltan Beautiful Bronze. I wanted to keep it in the same price range (this little guy was under 5 pounds) so I snagged it while picking up some basics at Boots. I’ve got to be real: it doesn’t compare to my oh-so-amazing L’Oreal brilliance from back home, but it does smell good and it does deliver a bit (a very slight bit!) of a glow so it can work as a daily moisturizer. Verdict? Probably wouldn’t buy it again.

L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Dual Action Bronzer and Self-Tanning Lotion for Face

Man… looking at the picture of this little guy brings tears to my eyes. It is (by far!) the best sunless tanning product for face I have ever discovered! I used to stock up on this stuff, buying three bottles at a time when I hit up Target. It’s not expensive ($6 or so) and it works like a charm! I used it as a daily moisturizer and the dual action part of it is incredible. The bronzer gives you an immediate tan (thank God!) plus the sunless tanning agent works to build a tan during the day. To my surprise, they don’t carry this stuff in the UK and it’s been really (incredibly!) hard to find in the US as of late. I’ve been requesting bottles of it from family but no one’s been able to get their hands on it… if you find it, I bestow upon you a mission, if you choose to accept it: 1) let me know where you find it, and 2) buy every bottle in sight. You won’t be disappointed!

Garnier Ambre Solair Self Tan No Streaks Bronzer Mist

After my disappointment with the Boots Soltan product (listed above), I decided it was time for a more intense product. No more messing around with cutesy daily moisturizers with ‘tanning formulas’; time to bring out the big guns. Well, I couldn’t really find any big guns in my budget, but I did run across this tanning mist that piqued my interest. I grabbed the intense version without realizing it was for light to medium skin (I should have got the medium to dark skin) but was still pleasantly surprised with the outcome! I typically spray it on at night, let it dry, go to bed and wake up with a noticeable glow. It’s not as intense as those sunless tanning towelettes for face, but you’re in for fewer mishaps! Note: don’t overdo it: spray in circular motions all over your face otherwise you’ll have brown build-up around your nose, eyebrows and chin area. Bleh! Bonus: it smells like delicious apricot :)

St. Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan for Face

This bad boy is the newest (and longest awaited) addition to my sunless tanning collection. My girlfriend, H., had raved about how amazing St. Tropez products are and I finally decided to go for it. If you’ve heard of St. Tropez you know that the products are far from cheap. This little bottle (1.6 oz) normally goes for $20 – $25. I wanted to go for the real stuff; the actually sunless tanner, but instead I got the daily face stuff hoping for some more gradual results. I’ve only been using it for two days, but the verdict? Smells like heaven, goes on like normal moisturizer but the tanning effect isn’t that intense. I was hoping for a really noticeable tan, but that has yet to surface (maybe because it’s the ‘daily’ product). I’m gonna give it a few more days before I make a hasty judgement. Makes me long for my cheap-o L’Oreal Dual Action all the more…

Rimmel Sunshimmer Instant Tan Makeup

This stuff is interesting. Cheap, mind you (4 pounds right now at Superdrug), but interesting. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever purchased before because it’s not a sunless tanner, it’s make-up! Seriously. You put it on and your skin is brown. You take a shower and it washes off. I was a bit thrown off by the concept but I actually quite like it! I mix it in with my moisturizer if I’m going out somewhere super fun (or if I’m looking exceptionally pasty) and it works! It gives a pretty awesome tan immediately and it can be used on face (sparingly). I don’t typically like putting body products on my face, but occasionally I’ll throw a touch into my facial moisturizer and rub it on the cheekbones! Worth nabbing for the price!

—

Uggh. I’m tired of typing now. I hadn’t realized quite how many products I have on this front, but I’m definitely figuring out which ones are must-haves and which ones I can do without. For travelers, students, people who are anti-UV or people looking for a quick tan before an event, hope this helps with decision making! There are some incredibly amazing sunless tanning products out there… just gotta do some testing :)

Does anyone else have any sunless tanning/bronzing products that they swear by? I’m always scouring the shelves!

xoxo,

]]> http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2010/04/tanning-on-the-go/feed/ 0 http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2009/11/agapanthas-tree-branches-en-route/ http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2009/11/agapanthas-tree-branches-en-route/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:40:58 +0000 ShannonElizabeth http://travelerdiary.wordpress.com/?p=2430 Continue reading →]]> My room is boring. I’ve known this for some time now, I suppose. Sure, I spiced it up with a chocolate brown duvet and some latte-inspired sheets, but the drab walls and metal door definitely add to the institutional feel of the place. After visiting a fellow postgrad’s room in the same building, I realized that despite the limitations of room size and overall dullness, there is a huge possibility to make the room a million times cooler and more homey: her place was covered in cool posters, fun accessories and bright colors; very her. In any case, between reading about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa and discovering that Michel Foucault was gay, I found myself perusing the AllPosters website to find some new items to add some color to my room. An hour later, I am the proud owner of three amazing decals! I was this-close (envision my thumb and forefinger nearly touching) to purchasing a chic set of London/Paris/Roma/New York posters to grace my walls, but instead I ran across these bad boys:

These are going right above my bed (as shown above), which I think will be perfect for taking up the open space. Plus, it’s the first thing you really see when you walk in through my front door.

These decals are going right above my study area. I actually grappled with the idea of getting the Gandhi quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” but that particular set was twice as much… being that I’m a student on a severe budget, I’ve opted to carry Gandhi’s touching quote in my heart and purchase the less expensive (but nearly as cool) decal set.

These are actually going to be cooler than they look, I think (I hope). I got all of the decals in the chocolate color to go with the overall neutral-chocolate-latte color scheme in my room. I’m planning to have the Agapanthus sit on the wall right next to my bed (as if they’re sprouting from my bed) to fill up the large empty wall in my room.

I’m hoping that those pieces will add enough spice. If not, I’ll have to grab some fun accessories from a local store to make the room a little more unique. Home sweet home?

Happy Sunday!

I have the costume and I have knee-high black boots and black pumps (depending on which end up feeling more appropriate), plus I’ve pulled out my makeup collection to pay homage to Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m going to double-coat my sunless tanner tomorrow so I look a bit darker than normal + using loads of fun bronzer and highlighter to give it a more rugged appearance. I’m actually quite excited because there are a load of eyeshadows and pigments that I’ve owned for years and have wanted to use and they finally get to come out tomorrow!

I’m going to keep my lips pretty faint (almost unnaturally nude) and make my eyes super dark and pirate-y. I also brought out the fake lashes which may make an appearance tomorrow night, too!

As for accessories, I managed to get the sword that I needed (think 10 year-old play toy sword), but the hat wasn’t happening. The idea of the hat was great, but it was super cheap looking and didn’t fit the overall vibe/coolness factor of the costume. Instead, I’ve decide to try to do my hair to fit the costume. I was looking at this girl’s hair for some inspiration (ignore her alien-esque facial features):

I think her hair is kind of cool and works for the look that I’m going for, unfortunately I also think it takes some level of skill to make hair look that cool. I’m not sure how much skill I have on the hair front, so I may end up just putting it half up and teasing it a bit to give it mad volume.

All in all, really excited to get dressed up and even more excited to go on the Heaven & Hell Boat Cruise on the Thames!

What are you guys going as for Halloween?

]]> http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2009/10/ready-for-halloween/feed/ 1 http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2009/10/halloween-loving/ http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2009/10/halloween-loving/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:11:57 +0000 ShannonElizabeth http://travelerdiary.wordpress.com/?p=2300 Continue reading →]]> I’m sitting in my room, post-workout, enjoying a bowl of Fruit ‘n Fibre cereal and preparing for a day of costume shopping! A couple of the halls of residence are hosting a Heaven & Hell boat cruise on the Thames for Halloween and we’ve decided to go! Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year because I absolutely loooove dressing up. As luck would have it, there’s a shop in Covent Garden called Angels that’s home to five floors of costumes, make up and accessories! I hit it up yesterday to take a gander and see what my options were. The place was a tid on the crazy side since Halloween is right around the corner, but I did find a few outfits that sparked my interest. Initially, Alex and I had talked about going as a devil and an angel to coincide with the Heaven/Hell theme, but it seems to lack a bit on the creativity front. Instead, I found a couple of outfits that I personally love, and I also had a few ideas for group/ensemble outfits that would make for the most spectacular group pictures of LIFE!

So, here we go.

First off, I’ve been wanting to go as a pirate/captain for a while and there were a few cute outfits that fell into this category:

‘Captain Booty’ is the name of this costume. I didn’t make it up.

Then there’s this ‘Pirate Queen’ costume which is also pretty cute. There were some other cool ones, but they were a little intense.

I also considered going as a warrior or viking and found this costume that was pretty sweet:

Now, for ensemble-type outfits, we talked about going as either

The Wizard of Oz cast, where we could have a Dorothy, Glenda, Wicked Witch, Tin Man, Scarecrow & Cowardly Lion. Leg Avenue (the producer of the cutest/hottest costumes EVER) makes super cute costumes for each of those.

orrrrr going as Disney Princesses, where we could have a Snow White, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Ariel, Cinderella, etc.

Snow White

Pocahontas

Jasmine {but in blue}

Ariel

Sooo, now I’m off to get ready so we can make a decision! Heading off to Angels.

Any ideas or suggestions?

This mini is super mini and entirely too sparkly, but it’s definitely cute for a fun night out. I was actually interested in investing in a black angular mini, but this one had to suffice.

The zebra print (above) was super cute on, but I actually found the same item in a royal purple that was gorg. Definitely stands out in a crowd. It looks really tiny but it’s actually not so bad… relatively speaking. I’m not the tallest of human beings so I think it’s a good fit.

I also snagged a darling white, one-shouldered mini dress that’s perfect for going out and has serious potential for my Halloween angel outfit. Alex and I are (likely) going as a devil and angel pair for Halloween (for the Heaven & Hell Ball)  and the white mini is spot on for this outfit. I need to find myself a pair of super cute wings and a halo to finish off the outfit, but I think it’s doable!

Tonight, we’ve gathered up a group (including Wen Fa, who I must mention herein) to celebrate Peter’s birthday tonight at The International! We wanted to find a super cool, lounge-y place where we could dress up a bit and celebrate and this joint looks spot on! It’s sister bar is the Dirty Martini which we hit up the other night and loved so we thought this place deserved a fair chance! I’ll keep you posted on how amazing it actually is tomorrow!

Now I’m off to do some scholarly work and get ready for a super fun evening!

Lots of love,

I absolutely cannot believe that it’s Friday already. Last time I checked it was Monday, but somehow that really long day morphed into Friday which will, in turn, morph into a much-needed three-day weekend packed with working out, tanning, relaxation and packing. Although the week has flown by, on the whole it has been rather productive. My suitcases had found a home deep in the corner of a room where the sight of them constantly haunted me — “start packing your bags, Shannon… only 14 days left.” It’s true. As of today, there are only 13 days left until I’m on a plane to begin my year overseas. Considering how fast time has flown in the past few months, I thought it best to get a move on on the packing front. I managed to pack almost one full suitcase with loads of goodies (a surprising amount) and still have one and a quarter suitcases + a carry-on to fill with pieces of my life. Much to my (pleasant) surprise, I managed to fit a peacoat, a trench coat, a few smaller jackets, fifteen or so sweaters, some tops, leggings, five scarves, a few dresses, some hats, my make-up, a pair of shoes, and some other items into 3/4 of a bag using the highly-respected rolling method. It’s pretty exciting to see how small an otherwise large item can become once it’s rolled tightly into a neat wad. The packing has been very encouraging thus far, but I will keep you posted on the happiness/packing factor come next week.

Also, whilst packing I made a list of all of the makeup that I have, in addition to the items that I need to stock up on prior to the move. After filling three-plus pages with fancy names for eyeshadows, lipglosses, lipsticks and pigments, I have come to realize that I have purchased way too many of MAC‘s coveted beauty bits over the years. On the bright side, the only things I needed (I use that term very loosely in this context) to purchase were a new mascara (for back up), a backup of my most favorite lipstick (Creme d’Nude — best lipstick on the market), a backup eye kohl and a couple new shadows, of which the lipstick and eyeshadow were free courtesy of the Back to MAC program.

Also, since the MAC store abuts the Aldo store, you know I had to pop in to see if they had cute/comfy, walking boots. I should have never had a doubt that my favorite shoe store in the world would come through for me!

I adore these boots because they’re versatile, canvas-y and the buckle details are darling! To boot (no pun intended), they have a built in 3″ wedge to give me the lift I’m looking for without the standard stiletto heel. I am in loovvvve with them and so far (for the ten minutes I’ve worn them), they are comfortable.

Hope everyone else is having a productive week! Have an amazing three-day weekend!

THIRTEEN DAYS LEFT!

I actually tried on a pair of flats yesterday (gasp!) in an effort to expand my horizons, but to no avail. My preconceptions were just solidified — they look gross because they make my feet look long, plus they’re uncomfortable! I mean  really, who enjoys feeling like they are walking on the concrete? I like feeling like I’m actually wearing some foot covering, not a barely-there foot cloth. I tried. Really, I did. After the first pair sucked, I attempted two other, slightly more fashion-forward versions which (no surprise here!) tanked, as well. I’ve given up on flats. Uggs will be my friend and I will purchase a pair of low wedges for the coming year. I think that a low (one to two inch wedge) will be enough to feel like I’m lifted off the ground without being so high that I risk plunging face-first into the cobblestone, or — worse yet — breaking the rubber off my heel tip. Here’s what I found that I think may work:

These wedgy flats, courtesy of Cole Haan via DSW are about $129, but they look comfy and they’re pretty cute… for flats.

These guys are a similar style, but much (much!) less. Steve Madden via DSW for $39.95.

These have a tid more of a lift (which I like) and they’re a rugged brown color, which could be cute with jeans. I’m 50/50 on the buckle accent. Seychelles via DSW for $59.99.

This Steve Madden boot (via DSW) has a slight wedge (1″) so I won’t feel like I’m walking on the ground quite as much. There’s something odd to me about owning a boot that doesn’t have a 4+ inch heel, but I guess it’s doable… In the boot’s defense, I like the cognac color quite a bit!

The alternative to the flat boot would be a an awesome high boot with a decent sized hidden platform that wouldn’t make the angle feel so extreme. I did find one pair that fit this criteria, but I wasn’t willing to drop the $250 at the time!

What do you guys think about the wedg-y flats? Still comf? Cute at all?

Lots of love,