Christmas Excess

Is it a hangover or norovirus?  Hangover, norovirus?

As you emerge from the shallows of a mulled wine induced sleep, the quandary hits.  Perhaps it could be a mixture of the two (possibly A&E worthy?), does it constitute a sick day or will your boss read between the lines and assume a raging champers headache muddled with beer nausea?

At this time of year Milk Thistle tablets pop up on work desks amidst rehydrating sports drinks and Nurofen fastmelts.  All little giveaways of a hung-over colleague masking the strain of having to be vertical and awake.

Obviously, age old advice still rings true; drink moderately, don’t do jagerbombs and stay out of rounds with hardened drinkers.  However, even with the best intention, a few too many drinks can lead to the dreaded ills of a hangover. A really bad hangover can be debilitating , I often think that if I had hangover symptoms after not drinking I’d be diagnosing all sorts of serious illnesses via the NHS direct webpages.  Luckily the one redeeming feature of a hangover is that it will go, usually before you climb into bed that same night.

Everyone is different and symptoms will vary but most people have a tried and tested method of easing a hangover.  Studies have even suggested that 25-30% may even be resistant to hangovers.  Until scientists can isolate a vaccine and combine it conveniently with the Winter flu jab, here are a collection of my favourite ‘cures.’  Obviously I can’t claim they are grounded in medical science but if they’ve worked for some, they may bring you some comfort during the Christmas binge.

Coconut water – potassium can help rehydrate you.  It has a light and refreshing taste, making it palatable after a big night on mulled wine or hearty ales.

Two boiled eggs with Marmite on toast – protein and carbohydrates are your hangover friends.

Sleep – stay in bed as long as possible unless you have to go to work, in with case get up earlier to start the healing process.  A shower, large breakfast and concealer are all good places to start.

Tea/coffee with 400% more sugar than you would normally take – might temporarily make a difference but drink alongside lots of water to remain hydrated.

Full fat Coke and 2 packets of crisps – works for my friend John….

Dry crackers/toast – If food is hard to think about, try nibbling tiny amounts of easily digestible food to stabilise blood sugar levels.

Cold shower – apparently shocks you out of a lethargic, hung-over state. I’m a wimp though and loathe to subject myself to more pain and discomfort.

Berocca – it might be a bit late to start infusing your body with vitamins but why not, it might help….

Share your hangover cures in the comments box below: 

Refinery29 launches in the UK, claims to host the #bestnightever

It’s arrived. US fashion and lifestyle site Refinery29 has landed on this side of the Atlantic, joining XOjane as the latest Yankee women’s website to get its own British sister site.

Falling somewhere between MyDaily and Jezebel in terms of content, Refinery29 is essentially an online fashion mag, but it’s a cut above because as well as the usual fashy stuff – say, a holiday wardrobe guide or a feature on an extortionately priced backpack – you’ll get articles on things like why journaling your heartache isn’t necessarily a good thing. It’s got the same sassy tone as MyDaily, so I wasn’t surprised to see former MyDaily editor Libby Banks has penned one of the first London-based articles, on ten great London vintage shops.

Helen, Katy and I went along to the R29 UK launch party last Friday, which was sponsored by ASOS and held at the Shoreditch Studios in East London. Now, check this out for confidence: the official Twitter hashtag for the party, according to the invite and the little makeup goody bags we got on the way out, was #bestnightever. So did we, or indeed anyone there, have the Best Night Ever? I’d wager not. A party in a draughty warehouse with one type of free drink (some kind of alcoholic root beer) and just a DJ and a photobooth for entertainment? With nobody dancing? I don’t think anyone could claim it was the best night in the history of nights. Don’t get me wrong, I had a fun time hanging out with Katy and Helen, but it seems to me that kind of overenthusiastic hashtag branding is setting yourself up for failure. I googled later and discovered there was another R29 UK launch part in Mayfair on another night, where local celebs ‘danced until the Champagne ran dry.’ Maybe they had the #bestnightever?

Not that it really matters. I’m just happy Refinery29 has made it over to Blighty. It’s a great site, I’d recommend a like or a follow.

EVENTS | Schwarzkopf Shake n Straight launch

Let me tell you straight up, I’m a bit biased when it comes to Schwarkopf products. The very first time I went blonde, way back in 2004, I used Schwarzkopf XXL Colour in ice blonde, because it’s the lightest blonde shade that you can buy. I still use it to this day, when I’m not hair modelling that is. So I was more than happy to go to the latest Schwarzkopf product launch last Tuesday with Olivia of Tellus Fashion.

The event was held at Circus in Covent Garden, a venue that hosts live burlesque acts, so every so often a scantily clad girl would come out and perform. But there was plenty of other activities to keep us occupied.

After we’d grabbed a couple of got2bellini cocktails (see what they did there?), a lovely stylist called Katie did our hair. I got a loosely curled, slightly quaffed do why Olivia went for sleekness and a bit of volume. You can see our before and after shots in the photo gallery below – also check out the weird stool that we had to straddle, it was like a horse’s saddle!

A short presentation revealed the new products on offer: the got2b Play it Straight Straightening Blow Dry Kit, a two-step system for super sleek hair, and a couple of new blonde shades of the popular Live Colour XXL Shake it Up Colour Foam. Olivia and I were pretty pleased about the latter, obviously.

Next, we discovered there was a pick n’ mix (I wish every press event had one of these) so we stocked up on sweets in lieu of dinner and grabbed a few yummy canapes too – the lemon cheesecake ones we divine. There were pairs of twin models wandering round with ‘hair monster’ wigs on, showing off an app that’s going to be on the got2b Facebook page soon, that allows you to upload photos and try

Finally, we headed to the photo booth, put on some ridiculous sunglasses and posed like loons for a bit. I know, so cool, right?

Check out all my photos from the night in the gallery below. Visit the Schwarzkopf got2b website.