It’s not news to anyone that our haircare routine has been drastically interfered with by the pandemic. How many times have you actually managed to see your hairdresser this year?

I managed to get 3 hair cuts in during the 2020. I guess could be seen as an achievement all things considered. Haircare in lockdown has been high on my agenda. I’m always looking for products to improve the condition of my hair. It’s always been fairly thin, although I have a lot of it, it also falls out quite a lot. This means I have to vacuum more often than I would like to in a week and find myself giving the Dyson a haircut after I’ve finished (ew!).

Aveda got in touch with me and asked me if I’d like to take their Hair quiz to find out what my hair was in need of. The results showed that I was in need of a little repair. Not surprising seen as I hadn’t been at the salon very much in 2020.

Aveda sent the Botanical Repair light strengthening set which includes a shampoo, conditioner and hair mask. I was actually sent this back in November 2020. The bottles are pretty much finished now (who else is washing their hair less… no need to when you’re not going anywhere) and so I thought it was the perfect time to do a review.

All three together claim to cleanse, condition and help to protect your hair. Shiner and healthier looking locks? Sign me up! I’d never used Aveda before so was happy to find out their are cruelty free, vegan and use 100% recyclable bottles. They also have a promise to have 100% of their manufacturing powered by solar and wind by the end of 2021. I’ve been trying to buy from brands that are doing their bit for the environment so this was great to hear.

My hair feels silky smooth after using combination and also it seems to feel less tangled. Big fan of the scent, as these products are plant infused it smells very ‘spa’ like to me. A really nice treat for your senses. I feel like your hair does truly feel clean, many other brands have still left my hair with residue but not Aveda.

Shout out to this scalp massager. I use this every time I wash my hair and have seen a change in my scalp health overall. Not only that but it does help with getting rid of any product you might of used on your hair prior to washing. You scalp and hair just feel extra clean after using this.

How has your haircare in lockdown been? Will you be giving Aveda a try?

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I’ve spent a massive portion of my life wearing makeup. I was the kind of person who wouldn’t even nip to the shops without something on my face. I’d always had bad skin as a teenager and I just became so used to covering it up. It was one of those daily chores I had to do before leaving the house, like brushing my teeth.

One day this year as I was about to partake in my usual morning routine, I looked at my bare face and thought… oh that doesn’t look too bad. I know shocking right? Thinking something positive about yourself? Unheard of! I’ve definitely found a new found confidence since turning 30, sounds cliche but it’s true.

I ditched the foundation, concealer, bronzer and highlight etc. Applied my moisturiser and groomed the brows. That was that. Then I braced myself. Ready for the inevitable ‘oh you look tired’ remarks when people laid their eyes on my bare face. But nothing happened. Nobody batted an eyelid. In fact I had more compliments on my skin than I’d ever had before. So I just continued and now can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve worn a full face of make-up this month. So now I’m feeling confident without make-up

I’ve been sticking to a great routine with my skin thanks to Pixi (I receive gifts from them in the spirit of full transparency) – they have some miracle working products. One stand out product for me, that has being giving my skin that natural glow, is the Rose Ceramide Cream. After years of working in an office under the dreaded air conditioning with my make-up on, my skin was looking parched. This cream is infused with ceramides and rose oil which really work at rehydrating the skin. It’s also helped to bring balance to my skin and seems to be behaving itself for now. No more random dry patches.

Another way I’ve been feeling confident without makeup is a new addition to my dressing table, Glossier’s future dew. Honestly buy it it will change your whole routine.

When I do want to wear something I’m going to make sure it’s minimal make-up only, so I still look like me. When do want to wear more for a special occasion it will feel that much more special. Anyone else ditching the make-up bag in favour of the au naturel look? You too will be feeling confident without make-up!

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Really I wanted to rip the whole thing out but we can’t really afford it at the moment. So I thought I would do a ‘face-lift’ like I’ve done in other parts of the house and make the most of what we have. So here you have creating a bathroom on a budget.
I started by taking the god-awful cabinets off of the wall and the mirror. The cabinets were so imposing and blocking a lot of light in the room, so this made a big difference.

Next on the agenda were the tiles. They were cream, with a flower boarder that had red and turquoise in. Not ideal. I found a good tile paint in white and got to work. I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. I’d highly recommend painting your tiles if you can’t afford to knock them all off. I also painted all of the boxing for pipes, the radiator, the door and the window frame white again to give them a new lease of life. The boxing was actually in a different wood from everything else so it looks better white.

I wanted something statement in the bathroom to distract from the things we couldn’t change. The bathroom suite itself is cream, so anything to draw focus away from this was ideal. I decided to go for a tropical print wallpaper on the top of the walls. This draws your eye up and away from those things we can’t change right now. I have to say this was my first time hanging wallpaper and had to get some help. Matching up tropical leaves wasn’t the easiest. I love how it’s turned out!

Then I bought a piece of vinyl flooring on eBay to fit over the existing floor. I just wanted something quick and easy. Again I went for something statement to distract from other things in the bathroom. I love how it looks, it’s not perfect but it will do for now.

The last thing I did was add all the accessories. I put two floating shelves above the toilet and added from nik naks. I added a big circular mirror in black, along with other accessories in black which I think ties everything together quite nicely. And there you have it, a bathroom on a budget! What do you think?

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Earlier in the year I managed to tidy through all my make-up and get rid of anything; I didn’t use, was wildly out of date or just didn’t suit me anymore. This has being helpful and has forced me to use the things I do have.

I want to take this approach with my skincare. I have a lot of Pixi products (they have sent me quite a lot of PR products to try out) and love their stuff so I’m determined to make my way through what I haven’t opened yet. Here are a few tips on how I’m tackling my stash and creating more skincare empties.

Ways to Tidy Your Beauty Stash

1. Check Use By Dates
   Hands up who has used something on their skin way past the use by date? Only to be shocked when you break out….
   I’m going to check everything and make sure I get rid of it if the date has passed. This is a really quick and easy win.
   
2. Does it work?
   We have all bought into hype on the product at one time or another and have been disappointed when it didn’t really work. Everyone has different skin types so one product that is the holy grail for one, isn’t always going to work for another. If you’ve given the product a proper try and it’s not doing it for you, pass it on. Find a friend and give it to someone who will use and love it!
   
3. Stick to a routine
   In an effort to use all the products you have, getting into a skincare routine could be the best step forward. If you know you need to use your retinol 3 times a week, pick your days and stick to those. Sunday evening pamper? Keep using your favourite face mask. The more you stick to your routine the quicker you will use your products up.
   
4. Organise Your Beauty Shelf
   Wherever you keep your skincare, having it in an easy to access place will mean you are more likely to reach for your favourite products. I’m guilty of tidying things away and forgetting about them. I have sorted out my shelf in the bathroom, so I don’t end up finding a product when it’s too late (past it’s best).
   
   I hope this helps you to create more skincare empties!

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How do you want to feel in the room?

Emotion comes into interior decorating a lot. You have a feeling in mind that you want to experience when you step into that room. It might be energised in the kitchen, cosy in living room etc

When I was planning my living room I knew I wanted I to feel cosy, warm, welcoming and relaxing. My house has high ceilings so I knew my living room could take a rich colour. I wanted to paint the whole room rather than a ‘feature wall’ as I wanted to make a statement.

Look In Your Wardrobe

You will be surprised how much your interiors style can be dictated by your wardrobe. Take a step back and make a note of the most common colours. This is a good place to start if you are not sure what colours to use around the house. If you wear them a lot the chances are that you would love them on your walls or around the house.

You can also see what type of interiors style you would lean towards. If you have more neutrals in your wardrobe, you might go for a more traditional style. If you are a sucker for brights, your home could be as eclectic as you are!

Pinterest/Instagram

Pinterest and Instagram the first places I go when I want to plan a room. I have boards on Pinterest for all different types of rooms. I start to pin and then when I think I have enough to look back on, I see what they all have in common. When I was planning my living room I found dark blue, gold accents, velvet and dark flooring. This is a really helpful stage as it can be quite overwhelming when you are starting from scratch.

Instagram is another place I go to for inspiration. When I see a room I like I ‘bookmark’ it to one of my my saved boards. I have a different one set up for every room in the house. This is especially useful if someone has tagged a product or brand that they used, you can come back later and make a note.

Moodboard

Once you have though about all of the above, it’s time to moodboard! I like to create mine on Canva. I take everything I’ve learn above and bring it to life here. It’s great to have a visual of what you’re aiming for through the entire process. As you can see from my other images, I really stuck to my own brief. You can use paint samples on here, pictures from your Pinterest boards and even product images if you’ve found the piece.

Hope this helped in finding your interiors style, now it’s time for the fun part!

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Ready to create your dream kitchen on a budget?

When we moved in we tarted up the kitchen the best we could. The first major thing we did was get it all re-plastered and get rid of the dreaded artex. After a few years living with this I wasn’t happy and wanted to give it a big face lift. We were unable to afford a brand new kitchen. I think that would have cost around £6k plus to do. So I took to Pinterest. Got lots of inspiration and set about planning how I could get a kitchen I loved with some improvements and what we already had.

I thought I would share our 10 steps to our dream budget kitchen, in the hopes it gives you some inspiration.

1. Worktops – I opted for these laminate marble effect worktops from Worktop Express that you can get here. I think they look great for faux marble.
   
2. Sink and Tap – I was so shocked to learn how much taps are, who knew? I ended up picking up my tap and sink from Ikea. Which you can find here and here.
   
3. Tiles – I got some white metro tiles from Wickes and we had dark grout. (less likely to show up mess)
   
4. Flooring – I love the look of parquet flooring but I just didn’t have the budget for a proper parquet floor unfortunately. We went for the TLC Massimo Invent vinyl tile flooring in Oak. It looks a lot lighter in the pictures than it does in real life, we are super impressed with it.
   
5. Painted The Cupboard Doors – I wanted my doors to be painted in Farrow & Ball’s Downpipe but I couldn’t justify the £60 price tag. So we had our door paint mixed to match, our paint is Johnstones’s Trade.
   
6. Add new handles – our handles are from Dowsing & Reynolds, I knew I’d need some amazing handles to give the kitchen that ‘luxe’ look.
   I went for these for the cupboard doors. They remind me of the knobs on an amp. I then went for these handles for the drawers, love these!
   
7. Built In Storage – We were really lacking on storage in the kitchen so we asked our joiner to create something useable for us in the recess in the corner. I’m really happy with this and it’s my favourite area in the kitchen now. If you’re in the West Yorkshire area there’s a link to our joiner’s Facebook page here.
   
8. Paint Feature Wall – When I told people I wanted to paint my kitchen pink I got a lot of odd looks. But everyone that has seen it so far seems to love it. I went for ‘Get Plastered’ from Dowsing & Reynolds.
   
9. Some Snazzy New Gadgets – I knew that I had to have music in the kitchen. I must have something on while I’m cooking. AO.com kindly sent me this Google Home. I’m not sure what I did before we had this now, it’s so handy. I also went for a fancy kettle and toaster combo. I love the look of these in black and I feel dead fancy.
   
10. Finishing Touches – our bar stools, runner, table and chairs are from La Redoute (of course). The table base and chair legs were a different colour to what I wanted. So I found a local powder coaters to change it to gold. All of my marble accessories came from Dunelm. If you see anything else in the kitchen you’d like to know more about let me know below!

I’ve still got to update my blind for something in white. I would also like to add a gallery wall above my radiator (not pictured), I keep collecting prints for now until I have enough.

There you have it! How to create your dream kitchen on a budget. I think all in all we spent about £2k which has given us a space we are infinitely more happy with.

I thought I’d share these pictures of how the kitchen looked before. As you can see a massive transformation!

Images by Georgia Burns – appeared in Style At Home Magazine last year.

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I’ve become a bit of an interiors nut of late. I was already mad about them before lockdown but now I’m spending so much time at home it’s all I can think about.

We did quite a lot to our master bedroom when we moved in. It’s in the attic and you use to walk up the stairs and find yourself immediately in the room. No door or walls. We built a wall and added a door for privacy, then we set about creating a bathroom. The one that was already there was more like a cupboard and had no ventilation. We needed to start again.

We added a velux window and a whole new bathroom suite. Pinching a little room from the bedroom itself. I will show you that another time!
We painted the rooms and that was that. It’s been left for a while. I had a niggling feeling that it was very boring. It didn’t really say anything about us. It was a nice room but not something I’d want to show off. I like to get a sense of the homeowners when I walk into the room.

I wanted to make the room feel cosy and warm. Interiors can spark a whole range of emotions and I wanted to feel a sense of calm in my master bedroom.

Of course for work I follow a whole abundance of interiors accounts. (I’m the PR and Social Media Manager for La Redoute UK.) My inspiration for my bedroom came from @lareesecraig and quickly discovered her spiced honey walls. And that was that. I bought the paint that weekend and got to work. The rest has been a change in accessories and furniture. It feels warm and inviting and somewhere I want to relax. I’ve stuck to colours that are part of a similar palette, a modern take on the 70s if you will. With a mixture of textures and wood.

The bed and rug are both from La Redoute and I think they really pull the room together really well. And no, we don’t bang our heads on the sides of the bed. (haha)

I worked with Matalan to add the finishing touches, their homeware is on point at the moment- don’t you think? The best thing is that they have something to suit all budgets too.

The orange velvet cushions were the perfect finishing touch to my bed. I love the colour combination. The bedside lamps are an absolute bargain. I wanted to use mixed metals in the room; mixing copper and gold adds to the warmth of the room. The plant stand has given me the opportunity to bring some greenery into the bedroom. I can’t really have any real plants up here as there isn’t enough light and they just end up dying. This artificial cheese plant was the perfect alternative.

There you have it my new spiced honey bedroom!

5 Ways to on Creating the ultimate Cosy Bedroom

1. Cosy Textiles – rich textiles can add a different dimension to your room and that includes the floor. Think velvet, linen, wool etc
   
2. Wood – adding a touch of natural wood brings the outside in. There is a sense of calm in nature.
   
3. Use warm colours – I opted for spiced honey to tie in with the natural theme of the room. Lean towards anything that looks like it has a soft ‘glow.’
   
4. Soft Lighting – stay away from any bare bulbs or anything too harsh. My lamps have copper on the inside of the light shade which casts a warm glow.
   
5. Finishing Touches – don’t forget to let your personality shine through in the rest of the room. Photo frames, trinkets and an all important candle.

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After almost 12 years with A Forte For Fashion I’m back with a brand new site. A Forte For! I still wanted to keep my alliteration and I thought this would be the umbrella branding.

This was something I was thinking about for a long time but I got the preverbal kick up the arse when I found my site had been deleted from my last hosting provider. I was pretty upset. All those years of content gone…

But something about this feels right. I’m ready to start something new and create interesting content that I think people will want to read. I loved having a blog but over the past year or so my posting got less and less. I wasn’t inspired anymore. Life in lockdown has given me time to think about what I want this site to be. I’ve read other blogs I admire and thought about what it was that drew me to them.

On A Forte For you can expect to see fashion, interiors, beauty, how to’s and more.

I’ve missed having my own little slice of the internet. I hope you enjoy your stay…

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