The Scottish Tag

I found this tag on Hayley's blog but it was originally created by Scottish Youtuber, BeautyCreep  (original video link) who I weirdly know from school and work, small world!!

Whereabouts in Scotland are you from?

I am from a town in West Dunbartonshire which is about 30 minutes north-west of Glasgow.  My mum is from this area but my dad comes from Glasgow, I have lived here since I was born until I moved to Manchester last year.

However my gran is English and I believe one of my great-grandparents is Irish so I am a bit of a mixture!  I'd love to look into our family tree more, I think it would be so interesting! 

Where is your favourite place that you've been to in Scotland?

I am going to go for Loch Lomond which is where I was brought up so I am a bit biased!  It is a stunning area and it's privilege to have lived so close (and hopefully will again soon!) to such a place.  I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to visit Scotland, it's really scenic but less than an hour away from Glasgow by car/train. 

Where would you like to visit in Scotland?

There's loads of places I want to visit including, Arran, Inverness, Arisaig, The Fairy Pools (Skye) and Fingal's Cave on Staffa.

What is your favourite Scottish film?

Erm... *Googles Scottish films* Okay so I have only actually seen a couple of these!  Filth is probably my favourite out of the list but not overall...  Trainspotting is certainly worth a watch but it's rather gritty.  I do love Brave actually but it's not technically Scottish is it...

On a similar note, I have never seen Braveheart, I'm a terrible Scot!

Do you match up to any Scottish stereotypes?

I LOVE Irn Bru, to point where it is actually a bit of an addiction... 

I also swear quite a lot around my friends but tone it way down for family and in public!

What is your favourite Scottish food?

Pizza Crunch Supper?  I think this is Scottish... it's basically deep-fried battered pizza which you get from the chippy.  Pretty much a heart attack on a plate but SO GOOD!  I also like the traditional (vegetarian) haggis, neeps and tatties but I don't have it very often. 

Do you follow any Scottish traditions?

I do enjoy a good Ceilidh (which is traditional Scottish dancing) and also follow the tradition of 'first-footing' at Hogmanay (new year).  If you are the first person into a house (be it your own or someone else's) after midnight on NYE then you should always be carrying something as a gift, even if it is just a bottle of juice and some biscuits, which bring good luck for the coming year.  The first person bringing it in should also be a tall, dark and handsome male, but we can't have everything, eh?

What is your favourite Scottish word?

So many!  Living in England I am continually discovering words/phrases which I use all the time that I didn't even realise were Scottish until I get some blank, bemused looks from my colleagues...  As for my favourite, well, here are a few:

Fanny, dour, fusty, mink, boggin, mingin, clatty, gubbed...

What is your favourite Scottish song?

I used to study classical singing and a lot of the songs I sang were traditional Scottish songs which I maybe wouldn't have come across otherwise.  Obviously O Flower of Scotland is up there which is basically Scotland's unofficial national anthem, along which Highland Cathedral which is really nice.  

Wild Mountain Thyme is lovely, also Ye Banks and Braes and My Love is like a Red, Red Rose - ahh there are so many!

There are also loads of hilarious ones like Ye Canny Shove Yer Granny Aff a Bus and The Jeely Piece Song (ye canny fling pieces oot a 20 storey flat), hahah... please do google these if you're unfamiliar!

Can you recommend any Scottish bloggers/vloggers?

My fave Scottish bloggers would obviously be Water Painted Dreams, Colours and Carousels and Mo'adore! Also love BeautyCreep's youtube channel.

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I tag anyone who wants to do this, even if you're not actually Scottish but just love the place!  Let me know in the comments if you have done it so I can go and have a read :)

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An Interview with: White Rabbit Skincare

I've mentioned White Rabbit Skincare quite a few times recently and now I am going to share with you an interview that the founder, Melanie, has very kindly done with me.

This isn't a normal post for me but I thought it would be an interesting change - click the link to read more about this Scottish entrepreneur!

White Rabbit Lime & Coconut Cleansing Water

White Rabbit is a cruelty free and vegan skincare company, all handmade in Scotland.  I've known the founder for ages through Twitter and it's been great seeing her business grow!  I wanted to try some bits for a while but I had to wait until I'd finished up another skincare items otherwise they end up not getting used and going to waste...

Click read more to see my thoughts on one product in particular.

Arran Aromatics Feel Good Formulas Event

In February (yes, I'm a little late with this post!) I attended an event at the Arran Aromatics stand alone shop in Princes Square, Glasgow, focussing on their Feel Good Formulas range.  I was really looking forward to this as I like Arran Aromatics as a brand anyway and we stock it where I work so I am quite familiar with the products anyway.  However I didn't know much about the Feel Good Formulas range so I thought it would be useful for my work as well as personal interest. 

I was greeted at the door by the Becky White PR crew; my coat was taken and I was handed a drink of bubbly.  After a wee chat at the door I went on to have a look round the little shop which was already getting busy with other bloggers.  I wandered round for a bit and chatted to some other girls until the presentation started.

At 6.30, we were introduced to the store manager, Lynne, who introduced us to Arran Aromatics and the Feel Good Formulas range, before going into specifics about a few products.  The company began in 1989 founded by Janet and Iain Russell, in their kitchen on the beautiful Isle of Arran and has been growing ever since.  In 2002 the Feel Good Formulas range was developed as every day products for the face, body and hair.  It's also aimed at a younger customer than their more well known Essentials Collection.

The first item Lynne talked about was the Sea Salt Scrub and carried out a demo of it on Claire from BeeWaits which is one of their best sellers from the range.  It contains seaweed and also uses sunflower oil to moisturise the skin while exfoliating.  It's designed for use on the limbs, and for best results use on wet skin rubbing towards the heart.  It's perfect for removing that pesky leftover fake tan!  For £12.75 you get a 400g kilner jar.

Next she showed us the Jojoba and Vitamin E All Weather Moisturiser which is a non greasy facial cream suitable for all skin types but probably more aimed at dry or dehydrated.  'All Weather' sounds a bit frightening, as if it's a super thick cream meant for hill walkers or winter sports - which it would also work for!  However it's actually perfect for everyday in winter when your skin is getting dried out from the cold wind and weather, and warm central heating.  It smells really good and sinks into the skin nicely without feeling too heavy.  This comes in at £7.50 for a 50ml jar, bargain!

Finally we were shown the Green Tea Eye Cooler Gel which contains witch hazel, green tea extracts and powerful anti-oxidants to soothe and depuff the eyes.  Great for use in the morning after a late night out, especially if it's stored in the fridge!  The little 15ml jar costs only £3.50.   

After this we had a browse at the Feel Good Formulas with Lynne there to answer any questions about other products.  We were offered 20% off everything in the shop on the night and were also given a lovely goody bag on the way out.

The goody bag contained Cucumber & Avocado Facial Scrub, Bergamot and Sea Mud Mask, Tea Tree Eye Gel, some sweet treats from the night, as well as teabags and a cookie recipe!  I also bought Lavender & Black Pepper Bath Mineral Muscle Soak (£9), the limited edition Valentine's Day candle which was in the sale for £7 and a Citrus Shores hand soap for my mum (£12).

I had a great night and look forward to trying out these lovely products!  Thank you very much to Arran Aromatics and Becky White PR for inviting me!

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