THE DANCE PARTY - VOLUME FIVE

Gooooooood evening Vietnam and rest of the world! Hi.
Where did the month of October go? It feels like only five minutes ago I started working and did the usual "pinch punch" with a 3spoopy5me twist, now all of a sudden I'm doing Secret Santa and buying a woolly hat, what?
So whilst we all reminisce about the last 22 days since September ended, shall we listen to some music? Spotify has been acting weird recently and I haven't liked many of the suggestions on the Discover Weekly playlist, but it has forced me to go and find some really good stuff I do love! Some oldies, some newies, some inbetweeners and one of the guys I went to school with, it's all in there. ENJOY CEREAL FANS!

So what do we think, sports fans? Heard anything good yourselves lately?
Cheerio,
Hope x

ELLEGIRL: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAKERS OF ELLE UK

Dear Lorraine Candy and the team at ELLE UK.
Hi guys, hope you're well. I appreciate this might be a little out of the blue for me, a somewhat lowly fashion marketeer from the East Midlands to be writing you, the biggest women's magazine in the UK such a letter, but after I was in the audience of Lorraine's Q&A at The Guardian on Monday, I felt inspired to write you this letter.
Firstly, hi Lorraine, you're fab.  I really liked your chat on Monday at the Guardian, and your lipstick was a fantastic colour. Listening to you give advice to the audience and make some truly compelling points about the feminsim issue (which I dutifully bought after the class, of course), you mentioned that you've been editor in chief at ELLE for 11 years. Now I'm no mathematician - that's why I studied languages at uni - but if I'm right, that makes your first year there 2004. 2004 was a funny year for me. I was eleven, I'd moved to middle school where I wore a really ugly uniform, my second brother was born and I had started to become interested in things. These things included finding out how much chocolate I could fit in my mouth without damaging my retainer, the movie Josie and the Pussycats and ELLEgirl magazine.
Which brings me to the meaning of this letter, LC and gang. What happened to ELLEgirl? And more importantly, can we have it back? 
Maybe I should start this massive plea with a little background on why I loved ELLEgirl when I was younger. EG (as I shall now call it to save my fingers typing) was the best teen girl magazine going. Yes, Teen Vogue was awesome and I also collected that. For a while I enjoyed Seventeen, and yeah, Borders used to stock J-17, but nothing could compare. EG had it all. The clothes I wanted, make up that I wished I could own, articles that shook me that I can still remember today. EG had tours of celebrities homes, interviews with girls about stem cell research and a weekly column by Peaches Geldof that I read religiously, poring over the stories about her friendship with Kelly Osbourne and always looking at the credits on her pages to find out where she bought her clothes from. More specifically, those boho beads that everyone and my mother had in the mid 2000's. EG was full of music, bands I loved, up and coming Canadian singers and the newest album from indie rock bands featured on The OC. All the models in EG had glitter on, and the cover stars were always my favourites. Whereas my mum's copies of ELLE saw Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow grace the cover, my issues featured Mischa Barton, Natalie Portman and Gwen Stefani. Covers I ripped from the magazine to stick to my bedroom walls alongside my posters of Fall Out Boy and Nick Jonas (but that's another story for another time). The pages smelt of Davidoff Cool Water and there was something from ASOS on every page.
EG came with the BEST free gifts, guys. A pair of absolutely iconic orange and silver glittery socks were worn until they had holes in and a neon orange plaited belt which, at EG's suggestion, was worn around my neck and attached to my belt loops as a pair of braces. To say I was a fashion rule breaker at age 11 is an understatement, and something I wish my sister could appreciate, rather than referring to my culottes as "clown trousers".
Speaking of my sister, she's seven and already a truly fussy mini me. She, one day will buy magazines just as I did, and just like me, learn from them. Only this time, the advice gifted unto me by other readers of EG will not be available to my sister. Jess from Southend will not write in and advise readers to dry their hair upside down and simultaneously douse with hairspray for "beadhead chic" extra volume. She won't read a letter from Louise in Preston suggesting that you plunge your nails in cold water after painting them to get them to dry quicker. INVALUABLE ADVICE FOR THE MODERN AGE I KNOW. 
So what do you say, guys and girls of ELLE, UK? I know it's a big ask, but I'll do it if you want me to! I volunteer, Lorraine, you don't have to worry about a thing, I just want the cool teen magazine back I loved eleven years ago. If not just for me, then do it for my sister, who deserves to know how to do a French braid and wear blue eyeliner one day.
With all the best humour, love and true dedication and admiration for ELLE and EG,
A real ELLE girl,
Hope. x

KHALEESI HAIR GUIDE

HAPPY SUNDAY BREAKFAST CLUBBBB (still figuring out these cereal based introductions)
Today I thought I'd try something a little different and talk a bit about my hair, which has been every shade of blonde possible, it's crackin'.
My favourite way of having my hair is icy white blonde, something that may or may not have happened after I read Game of Thrones and decided I wanted to be Daenerys Targaryen. Which I really truly do. 
It's no surprise that my hair takes a hell of a lot of upkeep and trips to the hairdressers (Hey M&I!). But after 22 (nearly, there was those times when I was ginger and brunette) of being a blondie, I've learnt what works for my hair and how to use it, so I thought it'd be cool to share that with any other blondes or aspiring Khaleesis!!

1. BaByliss Natural Bristle Brush - I can't find evidence of this online anymore irritatingly, but it's very similar to the Denman's natural bristle brush which is on sale in Boots. Natural bristles mean less breakages to hair when styling it which is fab because my hair is naturally frizzy and all over the place. I also think it speeds up drying time, winner winner! 

2. Lee Stafford Golden Girl Oil - Okay be prepared for a lot of Lee Stafford in this post. I LOVE HIM. I've only recently bought this oil, but have already fallen in love and wondered how I've managed to cope without it. I have stupendously thick hair and conditioner likes to glue itself to my scalp and make my hair look gross and like straw at the midlengths and ends. Which is where this bad boy comes in! I use a pump on my wet hair and then dry it immediately It makes my hair feel so much less weighty and dull, I'm like a VS model.

3. Lee Stafford Hot Shots - Another LS product, this is my favourite. These sachets of purple treatments are lifesavers in between trips to the hairdressers. I use them every other time I wash my hair and instantly feel better about life when I have. Use them after shampooing to refresh your colour and stop those horrific brassy tones. It's like having a toner each time I use them, I cannot recommend them enough, lovelovelove.

4. Lee Stafford Bleach Blonde Shampoo - I love when I have my hair different tones. I've had blue, peach, pink and even purple, one of my faves. This shampoo is like a godsend for us bleachies and use it enough, it can add a little purple tinge to your locks, bonus! If that's not your style though, still go for it, used once a week and with the Hot Shots, it keeps everything looking bright and beautiful!

5. Toni & Guy Prep Heat Protection Mist - THIS IS IMPORTANT. I can't tell you how much of a difference I can see between using this spray and not. Blonde breaks more easily than brunette hair and if you're a slave to your straighteners, you're gonna need this! Rather than fry your hair, T&G mist protects against the damage caused with styling and stops that horrible scarecrow frizz I was so familiar with before I discovered it. 

6. GHD Gold Series Classic Straightener - I am a huuuuuuuuuge GHD fan. I have the amazing curling wand too, but until I've mastered the beach babe waves, I've been using my mum's (sorry mum) straightener and I don't think you can get much better. Smooth and easy to use, everyone from the rookie hair styler to the pro can get maximum results from these. Because the heat plates are ceramic, it reduces the likeliness of frizz and breakage and you can't protect your locks enough, A must have for any hair colour!!

So, Daenerys's, Debbie Harrys, Dolly Partons, Marilyns and Hannah Montanas (?) of this world, I hope I have helped you out. These are my all time holy grail products for any Dothraki queen. Have you got any bleach blonde must haves? Let me know!

Cheerio,

Hope x