My New Tattoo

Hey,

Last August I got my first tattoo and wrote about my experience in a blog post. Then in April this year I got my second tattoo.

Estee Lauder Event @ Scavi & Ray

Last week the Estee Lauder team in Boots at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway invited me and other bloggers to join them at the new prosecco bar, Scavi & Ray. I love make up and I have been eagerly wanting to check out Scavi & Ray since it opened in The Mall so of course I had to go!

Upon arriving we were greeted by the smiley faces of The Estee Lauder team and were introduced to Karen who would be presenting the event and doing demonstrations. We then got to choose between red and white, alcohol and non-alcoholic prosecco and there were plenty of nibbles to be eaten. My favourite was definitely the macaroons! 

After a friendly chat with everyone Karen invited the lovely Gina up front so she could demonstrate various skincare and make up products on her. We learned a lot about the Advanced Night Repair range which includes a foil mask, serum and serum capsules. Karen also told us all about the Little Black Primer which is a primer for your mascara, although you can wear it alone too. I thought it was pretty cool that you can also use it on top of your regular mascara to make it waterproof. Brilliant!

We got to try some of the products Karen was demonstrating on the back of our hands which left them glowing!

Lastly we went in groups to the Estee Lauder counter in Boots to be colour matched for foundation. Beth, who colour matched me, recommended the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation as I said I liked a fuller coverage and she tried a couple of different shades on me. I said I'd rather be matched to the rest of my body as opposed to my actual face colour because the rest of my body is tanned at the moment! We decided that my shade would be a neutral one called Ecru. I then got to take home a sample of the foundation which I am looking forward to trying.

The team were extremely generous and kindly gave us a goody bag to take home!

• NightWear Plus Anti-Oxidant Night Detox Creme
• Little Black Primer Mascara
• DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme
• Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion
• Advanced Night Repair Serum
• Advanced Night Repair Intensive Recovery Capsules
• DoubleWear Foundation in 'Ecru'
• Modern Muse Eau De Parfum
• Modern Muse Le Rogue Gloss

The Estee Lauder team at Boots in The Mall were very lovely and welcoming people. They held a thoroughly enjoyable event with an amazing turn out and I hope they do more in the future! Also, a big thanks go to Scavi & Ray for hosting the event and providing us with the complimentary prosecco. Who doesn't love prosecco?!

PS- Estee Lauder The Mall Cribbs Causeway also gave us a voucher to share with you guys to use on their counter. Now you have an excuse to go buy some new beauty products!

Bristol Fashion Week S/S 2016

About a week ago Emily and I went to Bristol Fashion Week held at The Mall Cribbs Causeway. This was my second time at Bristol Fashion Week, my first time being the 2015 Autumn/Winter show. 

Before we went to watch the show we collected our blogger passes. There is a section before the show area where we were given free jars of lemon juice (which were so tasty!) and Kripsy Kreme doughnuts. The show was presented by Denise Van Outen and Mark Heyes this year, with Denise wearing a bright pink dress from River Island. The models' make up was created by Boots No7 whilst hair was styled by Tomlinson Hairdressing.

>Whites

Fashion: Marks & Spencer, Sunglasses: Specsavers.

The first scene was based on Wimbledon. There were plenty of black and white and interestingly headbands with tennis balls on! Not exactly your day to day fashion but a good contextual detail for the runway.

>Floral

Fashion: Hobbs, Menswear: Moss Bros, Children's Fashion: Marks & Spencer, Accessories: Accessorize.

This was a picnic theme. Floral, floaty dresses aplenty with pink and white flowers. The backgrounds of the dresses varied from black to paler backgrounds.

>Denim

Fashion: Fat Face, Footwear: Skechers

Light blue denim dresses with a tie-belt to bring it in at the waist. Blue denim bags and beach bags, bringing the denim to the beach. Would have never thought of denim beach bags!

>Print Mix

Fashion: John Lewis, Sunglasses: Sunglass Hut.

Royal Ascot themed, stripes and flowers appear again. Interestingly there were horizontal and diagonal stripes which I have not seen before in fashion. These stripes were found on dresses, skirts and blazers. There were big hats like you would expect in the races and heels with thin straps going all away across. Overall plenty of monochrome.

>Folk Romantics

Fashions: Jack Wills, Children's Fashion: Marks & Spencer, Jewellery: Pandora, Accessories: Accessorize. 

Wedding theme so to be expected there was a lot of white. There were see-through white flower-lace dresses and white shirts for the men. White, thick flower chokers were also worn which I thought was much more light and innocent way of wearing chokers than how you normally see them.

>Model Makeover Winner

Fashion: Coast, Hair: Tomlinson Hairdressing, Make Up: Bobbi Brown.

Every time they have a competition to find normal people to receive a complete makeover and to walk the catwalk. Tonight's lady wore a beautiful silver clutch bag where there was a handle that crossed over the hand in the shape of a bow. I hadn't seen something like that before and thought it was a stunning detail for a clutch bag! She also wore a two-piece where the crop top was silver and incredibly glitzy with a long, pale green and white skirt. She looked gorgeous!

>Stripes

Fashion: Joules, Footwear: Crocs.

This was Henry Royal Regatta themed. I spotted a vibrant orange structured bag which I particularly liked and there were red and blue striped beach bags. Another outfit that really caught my eye was a royal blue jumpsuit with dark pink flowers. Such a statement outfit! 

>Street Style

Fashion: Warehouse, Menswear: New Look, Footwear: Soletrader.

There were black and white checks which I am personally quite the fan of! A holographic bag caught my eye so I am eager to go find it! Again there was more denim which was fashioned in the style of a cardigan; seemingly a more relaxed way of wearing denim. 

>Boho

Fashion: Marks & Spencer, Accessories: Accessorize.

So much terracotta colours with camel and orange. These shades screamed sand to me and seemed great for a trip to the beach. White flowers also made an appearance.

>Colour Burst

Fashion: John Lewis. 

This scene was close to home as it was Bristol Balloon Fiesta themed. Inspired by the hot air balloons the colours were certainly bright and bold. No patterns, just block colours. Definite statement colours such as red, green and yellow. Also spotted a cape jacket which seems like something loose for covering for your shoulders which would seem good for the summer when you want to cover your shoulders.

>Short and Sassy

Fashion: New Look

My favourite name for a scene! As the name suggests, there were short, tight dresses which were in the lovely colour of pastel blue. There was also a floral two piece crop and long skirt which were again tight fitting. Seemed lovely for nights out. The men were wearing the standard baseball shirts.

In conclusion, what's on trend for Spring/Summer this year is clear: stripes and floral. However, the stripes are changing up a bit this year as the stripes are going diagonal! I have never seen that before but Mark did inform us that companies have stayed clear of that pattern before due to it being more expensive to make. Light blue wash denim also seems to be a prominent feature whether in the form of jackets, dresses or bags. My favourite was definitely the royal blue jumpsuit with the flowers as it was so beautiful looking and stood out amongst anything anyone else was wearing! A lot of the bags were catching my eye as well and I feel now that I really want to go and buy a new beach bag for my travels. I was also interested in how they had made white flower chokers. I love chokers but when I think of chokers I think of black plastic chokers or velvet ones which seem more dark and edgy. Despite loving that look I was pleasantly surprised at how they could make chokers more for people who don't like that daring look and can make them look so light.

What are your favourite pieces to wear in Spring/Summer?


PS- Credit for the photos go to Charlotte Stone, Gina Jones and The Mall Cribbs Causeway. Photos 2, 3, 6 and 13 (basically the crap quality photos!) are my own.

Bristol Fashion Week A/W 2015

Hello!

This post has been long time coming because soon after Bristol Fashion Week, I got ill! I had an eye infection in both eyes, a throat infection and trouble with my ears so I was dosed up on a lot of antibiotics and painkillers. Thankfully I've only got the eye infections left to get rid of now, but that explains why I've been away from the blog for so long!


But anyway, this year I was invited to Bristol Fashion Week along with other local bloggers to view what is in fashion for Autumn/Winter. Bristol Fashion Week is always held at The Mall in Cribbs Causeway and this season was hosted by Denise Van Outen and Mark Heyes. 

The Experience

Before the event I had to go get my ticket, where the lady asked me "Are you a blogger or press?". This surprised me as this was my first proper blogger event and I just assumed I was going to get a ticket like anyone else. However, my name was on a list and I was given a pass that said "Blogging Pass" on it. It felt weird having a pass for an event! 


On entrance inside the Bristol Fashion Week tent you are greeted by areas in the tent where you are given free mocktails and popcorn which I thought was a nice touch. I had no idea what mocktail I drank, but it was lovely nevertheless.

I was nervous about going because I had never been to Bristol Fashion Week before. I was quickly introduced to someone who had also never been to Bristol Fashion Week before so we got to hang out together which made me feel less nervous as I wasn't the only new person there. There were lots of beautiful bloggers around with such lovely outfits on and it was intriguing to see different styles.

The Fashion

Denise Van Outen wore a vibrant red Ted Baker dress whilst Mark was looking smart in a suit. 

Topshop and Topman showed us 'Suited & Booted' fashion for the colder weather. Their clothing was formal and I noted that they were wearing grey coats.  The co-host Mark Heyes suggested that formal flared trousers could be worn with wedges. 

Similarly, Marks and Spencer went for the colour grey with 'Nomadic' fashion with layers and winter hats for both males and females.  Burgundy also seemed to be a statement colour and the women noticeably wore beautiful suede skirts. Mark touched on the suede skirts by explaining that they are a 'statement skirt' and that other statement skirts would be in fashion this season. 

Animal and Timberland then showed us the ladies wearing checked shirts, which has definitely been seen for a long while now in fashion. I've seen these everywhere for both males and females and can be worn as a shirt or open as a light jacket. They also paired the models with backpacks which have also been around a lot this year. It seems that there are a lot more backpacks in the shops now and even being favoured over the handbag.

Likewise to the others, Oasis and River Island presented the colour grey a lot. Additionally, they had taken on the idea of patterned clothing for the females but in the form of dresses. What seemed interesting to me was that not only did they wear dresses but they were also wearing basic long sleeved shirts underneath, with the collar and arms being visible. This would be ideal for the colder weather as it means not only can you look stylish in a dress but can also keep warm with a top underneath. This can help you transition your dresses from the warmer months to the colder months. They also showed long trouser dungarees which surprised me. This summer has been full of dungarees and it seems dungarees won't be fading away any time soon with ones being on the market for Autumn.

As part of Bristol Fashion Week, a member of the public is chosen to undergo a complete makeover and then get to walk the catwalk. Her hair was crimped, matching the other models, which tells me that crimped hair might become favoured. Her outfit was styled by Jigsaw and she wore navy blue suede boots. These are a statement boot and supports suede becoming popular.

New Look and River Island then came together to show us how we can style bright and bold colours such as blue and red. The ladies wore bold coloured tights different to your usual black tights, along with bold coloured trousers which also suited the men. There was also a faux fur coat from Hobbs which we always see in fashion in Autumn/Winter as faux fur become desirable when you just want to feel warm and cosy.

For the seventh scene, Phase Eight and Austin Reed also promoted wearing patterned dresses with tops underneath. There were also a lot of fringing, including suede fringing, which is inspired by Burberry. There was also a fringed jumpsuit, another way in which you can transition the styles from the warmer months to the colder ones.

Crew Clothing, Gap Kids and Clark's Shoes then showed us bold colours again, this time in the form of red jeans on the males. The females wore denim skirts and cosy jumpers.

In my favourite scene, John Lewis did the 'Leading Lady', with fabulous trench coats, fur collars/hats and long-to-knee coats. They certainly showed us how we can stay warm and cosy whilst still looking fabulous.

Lastly, in my second favourite scene, Marks & Spencer did a 'Noir' scene with lots of sequins, black and sparkly biker jackets. I think the sparkly biker jackets are fantastic as it incorporates a statement in the alternative, rocker scene whilst making it sparkly and fantastic for a night out. 

After Show Events

After the show, we were invited to two events in The Mall in John Lewis and Crew Clothing Co (a new addition to The Mall). First we went to John Lewis where we were greeted by a charming man in suit who gave us champagne. We then watched a demonstration of someone trying on different outfits from John Lewis and explaining to us how we can pair different items of clothing. Then, we went to Crew Clothing Co where we got to have a look around at their range with a free glass of prosecco. To finish off, we went back to John Lewis because they were doing a Bobbi Brown demonstration. I didn't get to see it all but I had never seen Bobbi Brown products up close before so it was interesting to see.

After the show we were also given goody bags in a Bristol Fashion week canvas tote bag (which I now use for shopping). The goody bag included various vouchers and hair/body products from brands like Neutrogena and Schwarzkopf.

Overall I really enjoyed Bristol Fashion Week. I nearly didn't go because I was nervous about being on my own but I made some lovely friends and I loved watching the show. I would definitely like to go to the next show and I am so glad I looked past my nerves.

Credit for the wonderful photography goes to Charlotte Stone and The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. The only photos I had taken myself were of the after events and the blogging pass.

Did you go to Bristol Fashion Week? Let me know!