2016

 (The back of my head, hair by NotanotherSalon)

Hey girl, haven't seen you in a while!

I wanted to do a post on 2016 so far... Because, let's face it, what a weird crazy ex boyfriend of a year this is! This year has been pretty mental for more reasons than one, from BREXIT to the sad passing of numerous celebrities... there's been some serious drama and sadly not of the Netflix variety.

For me this year got off to a weird and wonderful start when I was headhunted for a job in Barcelona. I quit my UK job and packed my bags (mainly with shoes) and headed over to Spain. It was an amazing experience and I'm so lucky that I was able to do it and learn a bit of Spanish on the way, but various factors and the passing of my incredible Grandma meant it just wasn't for me.

 But wait admitting that I needed a change .... it actually wasn't that sad!

Being the most indecisive person in the universe means that it isn't easy for me to choose which kind of Poptart I like best, let alone making life decisions. But for some reason, deciding to make a change for the sake of my own happiness seemed pretty easy and this is the point of this post. I know it's easy to give people advice, including yourself, that if life gives you lemons make lemonade lalala ... but I think sometimes we lose focus on ourselves and our own feelings. I was trying to make something work that actually wasn't making me happy... I had the job, the boyfriend*, the gorgeous loft style apartment and a good salary and was probably the most unhappy I've been in a long time. Don't get me wrong, this is a total first world issue and it wasn't all doom and gloom, but it was a major step for me and one that I'm sure many 20 something year olds have been through before me.

 I'm now back in England with a new job that I start next week and I'm feeling all fluffy and refreshed after a week-long break driving round Italy from Rome to the Amalfi coast (and yes Amalfi really is as cute as Pinterest suggests) And this isn't a preachy self happiness post, it's been good for me to share it with you guys, but I think it's important to remember that there's a lot of unhappiness in the world and we need to focus on our own happiness before we can try and improve anything else. And sometimes, behind the glits and glamour of social media and filtered photos, things aren't great but that's OK, because we're fortunate enough to be in a position to make a change.


"If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree"


Penny

XO

* .... Just like to point out that I still have the boyfriend and as far as I'm aware I'm still his girlfriend.

New York Blues

(Trainers Vans, sunglasses Quay Australia, top Zara, Trousers Topshop, Lipstick is MAC red)

Here I am being a total rebel and throwing it back on a Tuesday. This is an outfit from back in November when I was in New York for Thanks Giving.... aka my pre-Christmas break of dreams <3

These photos were taken on one of those days thats freezing cold but amazing and sunny all at the same time... perfect weather for a pair of Quay Australia's amazing shades! I got mine from ASOS, but you can also get your mitts on them via TOPSHOP and their own website. This is an outfit I wore for a stroll in Central Park and a trip to a flea market, totally practical for walking and scouting out bargains!

Anyway, one of the reasons for this post is that I'm thinking of doing more posts on my travels and my top tips on the places that I visit... Give me a holla and let me know what you guys think... and also if there's any features you'd like to see on Fashion-Fade, I'm all ears people!


Peace and Love

Penny

XO

Beautiful Barcelona

(Sunglasses QUAY AUSTRALIA, Fluffy jacket H&M, Boots Dr MARTEN, Bra ASOS, wet look leggings TOPSHOP past season, faux leather jacket New Look, Dior looky-likey sunglasses EBay)

Those of you that follow me over on Instagram ( @penelopesarah ) will have seen that I spent this weekend in beautiful Barcelona. This was a last minute city break with the boyf but it turned out absolutely amazing! We stayed in a private room in the GENERATOR hostel and our room was absolutely beautiful from the amazing tiles in the bathroom to the pure luxury of having our own terrace!

We spent our days roaming the city, looking at the incredible Gaudi buildings and Cathedral and washed it all down with authentic Spanish food at the markets and lots of Spanish beer and wine. I haven't visited the city for about ten years and it had changed so much. If you're planning a trip, I'd recommend staying in the hostel as its walking distance to Sagrada Familia and they do a mean Goat's cheese salad! My favourite area is the Gothic Quarter where you can visit the food market and also sit in the sunshine with fresh bread, cheese and a slab of Spanish omelette! (there's even veggie options)

All in all, we had the best time. Until next time Barcelona!

Peace and Love,

Penelope

XO

NOTANOTHERSALON

BEFORE: (One of those, I never realised how ugly I'd be without hair moments)


AFTER:



AND I BOUGHT NICE HAIR THINGS:

(Not Another Salon:  188 BRICK LANE, LONDON E1 6SA / 020 7033 3920 / @NOTANOTHERSALON )

This one is for the girls (and boys) who constantly insist on dying their hair all the colours in the rainbow, no matter what the cost to their hair.... Like me.

Those of you that have followed Fashion-Fade over the years, will know all too well about my hair trials and tribulations, including the fact that in 2014 I had to chop my hair off due to the amount of over dying and bleaching after a very questionable decision to dye my hair dark brown (I know, I know... I'm defo more of a bleach babe) My hair snapped so bad that I likened my head of hair to a kiwi, and it was a pretty accurate likeness.

So when I heard of Not Another Salon in Shoreditch,  and their amazing hair treatments, dyes and toners, I had to pay them a visit.

"THEY HAD ME AT THE LIE DOWN BACK WASHES"

Not only is this salon full of amazing creative people, the salon itself is a whirlwind of colour, fun, artworks and of course, an extensive tea and biscuit selection... It was like walking into my spiritual home people.

So long story short,  I was pretty happy to have the owner of the Salon, Sophia do my hair and rescue it from brassy blonde disaster to a sensational silver... sensation! I got to learn all about the products and the Salon's ethos to look after and protect your hair first and foremost while also achieving amazing colours.

I'd love to tell you about all the products that Sophia used, but frankly I'd prefer that you popped in and spoke to Sophia. She's a testament to her craft with electrifying yellow locks that look so shiny they've been dipped in....shiny stuff. And she's totally open and honest with any questions you might have.

I'm so happy with my hair and so thankful to Sophia for taking on my crazy mane.

If you fancy a try at rainbow hair, or maybe just a really really good dye job, Id recommend Not Another Salon to everyone and anyone, no matter how crazy you want to go.

Peace and Love forever and Always,

Hope you love ma new do' <3


Penny

XO

P.S Special shout out to Tom for waiting in the Salon for me for 4 hours.... even if it later transpired that he was sat in a 70's themed room with an old school gameboy and a beer... Not Another Salon slays on all levels.

Twitter: @penelopesarah  Instagram: @penelopesarah

New Year is Here!

 

Happy New Year you beautiful bunch!

At this time of year, lots of people and bloggers (not that bloggers aren't people) will be posting about their "New year, new me" mentality... which is great, but I won't be doing that. I've spoken before about my changing relationship with blogging, a bit of a love hate thing, how it was always a hobby for me and I found it hard to adjust when blogging became the world dominating force that it is today. I've seen amazing women come so far and achieve unbelievable things in the blogging world, people that I remember starting up blogs at around the same time as me, people who have turned their blogs into amazing businesses and careers which I'm so proud of them for. But I still just want my blog to be a hobby, a release and a representation of me and I so often wondered throughout 2015 whether there's a place for me. I look back at my earlier posts and it's as if it shows how much I loved posting for you guys and then it became something that I couldn't keep up with.

I've always been so hard on myself for not keeping up and giving Fashion-Fade the attention that it needs and deserves, but then I realised that blogging isn't the only aspect of my life. I also, landed a career as a designer which I've wanted since I was 7 and work long hours to maintain this, styling lookbooks, designing Men's and Womenswear as well as having a boyfriend that lives in London when I'm in sunny old Manchester (for those of you that aren't familiar with Manchester, it's not sunny...ever) as well as traveling all over the world for business and pleasure and trying to find some time to blog somewhere in between.

So this year, the only goal that I'm setting is to not be so hard on myself, to appreciate how far I've come as a person, not just with blogging and how I maybe needed a step back from blogging to realise that... and that's OK... Who knows, maybe 2016 will be the year that I can set a better balance and bombard you all with posts!

So yeah, in 2016, my advice, is don't be so hard on yourself, give yourself a break and just try and be the happiest you can be. If you can throw some resoltions in there too, then GO YOU! You're more commited than I am and I respect that.


Massive 2016 love to you all

Keep it real

Penny

XO

P.S Hat is from H&M, towel c/o The Beach People