Any Second Now

Winter Hair Care Tips From Terrell Mitchell of Bellus Academy

I’ve been very lucky to receive so many tips to share with Any Second Now readers on how to feel fabulous and stay beautiful during these crazy winter months. Here are some great tips from Terrell Mitchell, Alumni Association Outreach Coordinator for Bellus Academy, and the new Grand Prize Winner of Project Runway’s Photo Challenge!

1. Protect your hair from the elements: Where a hat to protect your hair from the weather. Also, make sure to wrap your hair with a silk scarf first, so it won’t snag your hair when you wear a hat for some warmth.

2. Don’t wash your hair everyday: If you normally wash your hair every day, cut back during the winter so you don’t catch a cold with your pores being open out in the cold.

3. Get a Trim: Keep your hair in good health by coming into your local Bellus Academy and getting a nice trim to take care of all the dead/split ends.

4. Get a deep conditioning treatment: This will really help with the dryness from the heater in the home and cold winds outside. Bellus offers the best deep conditioning treatments.

Terrel’s winning submission to Project Runway’s Photo Challenge!

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

January Record a Day: Days 5 Through 12

Here is another recap of the “record a day” photo project I’m participating in on Instagram. Have I mentioned just how much I’m loving this?!

Collage 1 (top photo, clockwise from the top left): 1) Day 5: Compilation/soundtrack – I bought “The Exposed 2” compilation because of The Hitmen & OMD. The Hitmen was a group Alan Wilder was once in; 2) Day 6: Picture Disc – “Fantastic Day” by Haircut 100. This is from my sister’s collection (which is at my house); 3) Day 7: Any 7 inch – Oblivious by Aztec Camera, one of my faves; 4) Day 8: An album from the 80’s – “Mange Tout” by Blancmange from 1984.

Collage 2: Day 9: Transparent colored record -“Closer” by Joy Division, purchased from Third Eye Record Shop during Record Store Day last year (post here).

Day 10: Any 10 inch – “Backwards and Forwards” by Aztec Camera. I thought I lost this!

Day 11: Collection of an artist – My largest vinyl collection is by far that of Depeche Mode. These are just the singles (not yet pictured are my 12 inch records, albums and special editions).

Day 12: Artist that starts with J – Japan. “Gentlemen Take Polaroids” is my favorite song by them.

15 Ways to Feel Fabulous this Winter From Daxon

I’m definitely feeling the effects of this strange winter, going from wonderfully warm to feeling the chill. If you’re starting to feel the effects of winter, including catching a cold (like I did), Daxon has provided the readers of Any Second Now with some tips on how to feel fabulous!

If you haven’t already, it’s time to clear out your Autumn wardrobe and make room for hats, coats and thick woolly scarves. Winter is well and truly in full swing, and as usual in the UK, we are feeling the chill!

Sniffles, colds, darker evenings, shorter days, the frantic rush of the party season – this time of year can really take its toll. So how can you keep your mood up and your body healthy?

Even if the weather is a little dull and dreary, it doesn’t mean you have to be too! We’ve come up with some great tips to stay fabulous during the cold season, sure to chase away those winter blues. Complete one tip a day for fifteen days and let us know just how great you feel afterwards!

And if you feel inspired to try shapewear, have a look at our slimming effect range!

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

This is the News: Sammy Dress for Less

You know when you get wind of a great deal and you just want to share it with everyone? That’s how I feel about the global online fashion retail company, Sammy Dress. When they contacted me to check out their site, I was not only excited about their selection (women, men AND kids clothing, accessories and shoes), but about their prices as well. I instantly fell in love with this newspaper print handbag, and the reviews seemed pretty favorable. When it arrived in just 3 weeks (from China), I was really pleased that it was just as adorable in person as it was on their site. It is big enough to be a small overnight bag, and large enough for a generously sized tote. In fact, my mom loved it so much that she now wants one for her own! With their highest price point being under $85 (the purse pictured is only $6.85!) , I’ll definitely be spreading the news about this fabulous retail find!

Outfit: Jolt jacket; New Orleans Saints t-shirt by Retro Sport; Red Engine jeans; Dolce Vita wedged booties; H&M belt; Newspaper Print handbag c/o Sammy Dress; Eva glasses in Sepia Kiss c/o BonLook

(FTC Disclosure: I received free product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: H&M Conscious

After being sick for a few days earlier this week, my husband finally got me out of the house for some necessity shopping. This included a trip to the grocery store and to our local mall. We quickly stopped in at H&M before heading to Target, where I found an adorable sweatshirt (that cute number pictured above to go with my new YRU kitty flats) and some even cuter socks (not pictured). I carry an H&M reusable bag with me everywhere as a quick “go to” bag for any kind of emergency, fashion or otherwise. After being rung up, I asked the sales person to please use my reusable bag to house my new purchases. He informed me that as a thank you for doing so, I received 15% off of my sweatshirt, and he gave me another coupon to use again on another item of my choice. What a pleasant surprise! H&M has made quite an effort to be a more sustainable company with their “H&M Conscious” campaign (I have a jacket from this line, worn here and here). Like the discount I received for using my reusable bag, you can also receive coupons for taking part in their “Garment Collecting” initiative by bringing your used clothing to be repurposed to be either reworn, reused, or recycled (the stores have receptacles for the Garment Collecting). I truly enjoyed receiving such a lovely little surprise for just my own small effort to be sustainable. If you are shopping this weekend and find yourself near an H&M, maybe you can do the same. Cheers!

(Note: This is not a sponsored post, and I was not approached by H&M to endorse their “H&M Conscious” campaign. I am simply impressed by their sustainable fashion efforts, and wanted to share my experience with the readers of Any Second Now.)

Record A Day

Last week, I discovered a cool Instagram “photo a day” project. I was posting a picture of one of my many Depeche Mode records, with the hashtag #vinyl and #record, and received a like from Noble Record Store (a record store on ebay). After checking out some their pictures, I found a list for the January Record A Day that started on the forums of The Vinyl Collective, a community for vinyl collectors. I love this photo a day project because it allows me to share my vinyl collection, and see the collections of many record enthusiasts out there.

If you’re a collector of vinyl, join in the fun by following the themes above and hastagging #januaryrecordaday on Instagram. Hopefully, they carry this on throughout the year! I’ll post recaps throughout the month. In the meantime, below are my first four days of photos. Cheers!

Clockwise from the left: 1) Any record you want: “Love in Itself” by Depeche Mode, 5 track 12″ single, numbered limited edition with texture and goldfoil sleeve, signed by Alan Wilder; 2) Guilty pleasure: “When Will I Be Famous” 12″ single by Bros; 3) Colored record: Some Great Reward by Depeche Mode, import from Germany in grey vinyl, signed by Alan Wilder; 4) “Nite Romantics” by Duran Duran, import from Japan

Simon Youth Foundation Seeks San Diego Applicants for $1 million in Scholarships

I’m starting off the week with a wonderful request from the non-profit organization, Simon Youth Foundation, whose largest corporate partner is the Simon Property Group (one of whose properties is the Fashion Valley Mall). Please see the press release below. If you know someone who would benefit from such a wonderful scholarship, encourage them to apply!

Simon Youth Foundation seeks applicants for $1 million in scholarships

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (January 3, 2014) – For a fourteenth straight year, Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon property.

Simon Youth Foundation Community Scholarships are awarded through the Simon Youth Scholarships program and in partnership with local Simon properties. The application period is open now until Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Locally, students can pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Simon Guest Services Center at Fashion Valley. Applications also can be downloaded at the SYF website at: www.syf.org/our-initiatives/scholarships/community-application.

Any student who will be graduating in the class of 2014 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,500 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school.

In 2013, the Simon Youth Scholarships program awarded $1.1 million to 389 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our Foundation is proud to partner with Fashion Valley to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., the President and CEO of SYF.

The 2014 SYF Community Scholarship recipients will be selected by Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post secondary education will also be given close consideration.

The completed application, along with official school transcripts and parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by January 11, 2014.

About SYF

Simon Youth Foundation, established in 1998, supports 23 Simon Youth Academies in 13 U.S. states that give at-risk students the same education they would receive in a traditional classroom while offering the flexibility that their individual circumstances require. Recipient of the Crystal Star Award of Excellence in Dropout Prevention from the National Dropout Prevention Center, the foundation has helped more than 10,000 students earn their high school diploma and provided more than $10 million in college scholarships to 3,900 students in 42 states. The Education Commission of the United States has recognized the foundation with its Corporate Award for sustained and substantial investment in improving public education.

About Fashion Valley

Fashion Valley is San Diego’s finest collection of more than 200 stores and restaurants in a beautiful outdoor setting. Anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s and jcpenney, Fashion Valley offers over 1.7 million square feet of retail space, making it the largest shopping mall in San Diego and one of the largest in California. Global brands call Fashion Valley their San Diego home, including Burberry, CH Carolina Herrera, Gucci, Hermes, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Prada and Ted Baker London, among others. With dining options like California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Love Boat Sushi, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, True Food Kitchen and more, combined with an 18-screen AMC movie theater on property, Fashion Valley is truly a premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination. For more information, please visit http://www.simon.com/mall/fashion-valley or call 619-688-9113.

(Thank you Noelle from Curator PR for allowing me to share this wonderful opportunity from Simon & Fashion Valley!)

Any Second Now 2013 in Review

(The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.)

“The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 32,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 12 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.”

Happy New Year again to you all! I’d like to share with followers of Any Second Now my stats for the year 2013. It was quite the busy year for me, and I just wanted to say thank you for following along my crazy little life. According to this WordPress Annual Report (click here to see the complete report), my most viewed post this year was an outfit post, called “I Confess“, which featured The English Beat shirt I bought from the concert I attended back in January last year. Next most viewed was when I got to meet Peter Hook the following month. This goes to show the interest in my blog has evolved and changed, and I’m so honored to know I’m reaching a different audience, outside of fashion.

Thanks again to all of you who take the time to read my humble little blog. Here’s to more fun in 2014, cheers!

From the outfit post “I Confess“, February 1 2013

From the post “Unknown Pleasures: Meeting Peter Hook of Joy Division & New Order“, February 4 2013

New Year, New Look: An Instagram Contest by BonLook!

Happy New Year all, I hope you had a safe and wonderful night! As a BonLook Star Ambassador, I’m sharing with you all a very cool contest to start this new year off right. BonLook is hosting an Instagram contest where the rules are simple: Take a selfie, tag your picture with @BonLook and #MYBONLOOK and you are guaranteed to win one of several awesome prizes. What could be easier? Good luck and cheers to the new year!

(Outfit from last night’s New Year’s Eve festivities: Cotton On jacket, Mango shirt; Limited necklace; Eva glasses in Sepia Kiss c/o BonLook)

The “Uniquely You” ModCloth Challenge: Office/Out

Office:Out by any2ndnow

Recently, ModCloth invited a few bloggers to participate in their “Uniquely You” campaign on Polyvore. We were asked to style one of their favorite dresses, the adorable Committee Celebration Dress and the winner gets to be featured on ModCloth’s Polyvore page. I called my set “Office/Out” and I decided to style it two ways, showing the versatility of the dress. I love ModCloth, so it was easy to choose pieces to help this lovely little number go from day to night. I think this just gave me some ideas for a New Year’s Eve outfit!