SESH Hairdressing Review + Autumn Roundup
This Autumn has been an insanely busy one. And that’s coming from someone who accepts that ‘busy’ is just a constant acceptable state to live in. With some MAJOR changes in my personal life, as well as moving house and starting a brand new job (more on all of that another time), I’ve certainly been less active on my blog and social media, but I’ve still been doing some fun stuff that I’ve been dying to write about. For time’s sake - because there just isn’t enough hours in the day - I am going to bundle them all up here in a quick fire roundup blog post. First up, a wee review of my experience at Sesh hair salon in Leith, Edinburgh!
Anyone with short hair knows that it is a total pain in the ass realising how quickly your hair grows and having to constantly book hairdressing appointments to keep it at the right length, to much expense, so it was great timing when Sesh Hairdressing got in touch to offer me a press sesh at their newly refurbished salon in the heart of Leith by the beautiful Shore. I popped by on a Thursday evening (super helpful to discover that they open late during the week so I could go after work rather than on a busy weekend) to have my hair cut by the salon’s founder and head stylist Simon Hill.
I had intended simply to get a quick trim, but eventually gave Simon the time to let his creativity and decades of talent loose and give me a much-needed style update. The salon itself is unexpectedly huge and beautiful; decorated in a super clean, minimalist, contemporary way with little touches of fun and flair, like vibrant flowers and illustrations by local artists. I was really impressed by the luxurious feel of a salon so far from the city centre, and loved how friendly and down-to-earth all the staff were. Overall, I loved my new haircut, and have even booked in for another appointment next week to get my colour updated too.
Other October activities included attending Elements Festival, a luxury jewellery and metalwork fair at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh. Dozens of talented local jewellers and silversmiths exhibited their work in the grand auction hall, and I loved pouring over the hundreds of gorgeous hand-crafted pieces and chatting with the makers, many of which I have met several times before through my work with art galleries, design shops and craft exhibitions. My lovely mum and I particularly enjoyed taking part in the Instagram competition taking lots of pictures with the jewellery (see below: Stefanie Cheong’s geometric carved rings and Lynne McLachlan’s 3D printed necklace), as well as exploring the Ethical Making floor which showcased the problems and solutions that surround ethical and sustainable jewellery.
Another fun event I was lucky enough to go to was the second annual Alternative Peers Ball, a gig night at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms run by The Skinny and Vic Galloway. A good friend and I attended and got to experience some truly incredible live music in a surprising and beautiful venue, including the badass female-fronted R&B duo Bossylove and Scottish indie legends Fatherson, as well as some immersive art like live illustration and painting, and psychedelic projections in a decadent ballroom. I will definitely be getting tickets for next year to this super interesting take on a 19th century shindig.
Last but certainly not least, over the past couple of months I have been getting my nails done at The Nail Gal, a Leith-based nail salon headed up by girl boss Zara Yusaf. I am a big fan of newbie nail artist Sophie, who has created some super pretty and subtle shellac nail art for me; the perfect Saturday morning treat when life gets a little stressful.
What have you been up to lately? Let’s catch up! Leave a comment below, or tweet me at @ruthmacgilp.