House of Fraser • Aumtumn/Winter 2014 Event

So last week on Thursday 8th May after work, I popped down to Baker Street after being invited by a lovely lady called Glosinda at House of Fraser to attend their Press Event: Autumn/Winter 2014 Show. Set on in the centre of iconic Baker Street, it didn't take a detective to figure out that this evening was going to be spectacular. I was so excited to see what House of Fraser had in store! When I arrived I was taken through to an elevator up to the "Flats", and as soon as the doors opened I was taken aback by how beautiful their set-up was! I was instantly greeted by Glosinda (after a while of emailing!), who took me around all of the individual rooms which played host to their collections. With crisp white walls and dark oak flooring, the rooms themselves were beautiful (not even to mention the clothes!) and it was the perfect setting for their AW/14 show - the evening view over London was incredible! 

There were many collections on show - featuring Biba, Linea, Dickins & Jones, Therapy, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Mary Portas, Label Lab, Moschinio, Sportmax Code, Ted Baker, Marella, Maxmara, Modalu, J Brand, Pied A Terre, Paul Smith, Untold - and all were absolutely stunning and complimented each other in the rooms they were sharing. I snapped a few photographs on my way around the flats, so take a peek at my little gallery!

Although most of the rooms were bright a fresh, my personal favourite room was the slightly darker room (composed primarily of beautiful gold, black, and deep reds) specifically for Biba.

On my way around the flats, I was also offered a House of Fraser Look Book with all their new garments featured inside (which has been super helpful, and lots of fun to look through!)

Overall, I had a lovely time at the House of Fraser Autumn/Winter 2014 show. Being a little bit fashion-obsessed, it was fabulous to get a glimpse at the new collections they had to offer - suffice to say, House of Fraser have got it nailed for Autumn/Winter this year, and I can't wait until these collections are on the shelves! So keep your eyes peeled!

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FASHIONCHICK • Goody Bag

So if you're all caught up with my previous post, you'll already know that on Wednesday 7th May I was invited to a really lovely FASHIONCHICK redesign launch part event (have a nose over here if you'd like to hear more about the event itself) I had a really fabulous time, and I was totally surprised when they had nice goody bags for all of the attendees at the end! Now when somebody says "goody bag" I instantly think of those little plastic bags you were given when you went to a friend's birthday party in school, so for that reason alone the idea of goody bags is a little bit exciting. I haven't had one in years (but I was still equally as shy as I was when I was six-years-old accepting it on my way out)

My plan was to initially wait until I got home to have a look inside the goody bag, so I resisted right up until I got to Euston Station - to find that my train was delayed not only once - but twice. Isn't that just the way it goes!

I may or may not have had a very quick sneaky peek, but for the most part, I managed not to get too carried away and ruin the surprise until I'd got home (at an offensively late 11:30 - and for someone who had work the next morning and had to be on a train to Euston again at 7:30, this really was late)

To put it simply - I was absolutely blown away by what was in the bag. Although if I'm honest, I felt very strange since my birthday had been and gone (as had Christmas), so to be surprised with a little bag of goodies just for attending something was a bit unusual. I know that people in the fashion industry probably receive stuff like this all the time, but I don't know - I guess I found it really humbling and I really appreciate the gesture.

The first thing I really want to talk about is the goody bag itself, I seriously love it! It's a loose, black canvas bag with the FASHIONCHICK logo on the front in white. Now I love the handbag I'm currently using for work (I really love it) but this bag is great to use when I have more to take with me, like my flats when I have to walk through London and my phone charger). It's fab because I can just throw my things in it and not have to route around for too long trying to find them.

I think these loose-style canvas bags are really in at the moment - every girl seems to have at least one! So when I opened my bag to find another cream coloured one, I was loving life. Admittedly, I definitely prefer the black one. But the cream one gives a bit of variation and choice depending on what outfit I'm wearing.

These weren't the only bags I found in the goody bag (bags within bags within bags), I also found a (very) white and neon pink Juicy Couture bag folded up inside! Now, I don't really wear many neon colours, but this Spring I'm starting to explore them a little more - with brighter nails and brighter thin t-shirts paired with black jeans - I just never really thought I was brave enough to take on such bold colours! But it'll be nice to give this bag a try, as it's not "too much". I'd be a little more hesitant if the entire bag was hot neon pink, but as it's just minimal, I think I'll be brave enough to give it a go this week!

I was really blown away by the smaller things in the goody bag - I found the most gorgeous River Island necklace (that I've genuinely worn every day to work since the event, oops!) and I am in love with the FASHIONCHICK's own nail polish I found in my little bag.

Last week, I went back to my family home to see my family, and I went out for dinner and a few drinks with my little sister (who is 18 so apparently I can do these things with her now, promise I'm not an irresponsible big sister!) and because I bought a new black and pink playsuit for my birthday, I was looking for the perfect shade of popping pink nail polish to wear with it. Luckily, my even younger sister had the exact shade I was looking for - so I borrowed it. A few days later when it was so chipped I had no other choice than to take it off - I asked what shade of Barry M nail polish it was (so I could buy it for myself!) ...Only to discover it was a limited edition polish and I couldn't find it anywhere. I digress, when I found this nail polish in my bag - granted it wasn't the same shade - but it was pretty close. It's slightly more of hot orange than a hot pink, but I love it just as much as my sister's Barry M polish! So there you go, a nice long-winded explanation as to why I'm so happy about a nail polish. Welcome to my blog.

Anyway, the last thing in the bag apart from some of the obligatory leaflets was a gorgeous fragrance sample; Moschino Chic Petals. I only own one perfume (Alien by Thierry Mugler), so it was great to explore a new fragrance. I'm normally a little bit picky about which fragrances I use - I'm still looking for my signature scent. But honestly it's a really lovely fragrance, so I'm glad I've got a little sample!

The very last thing I wanted to mention is my midi ring. Although it didn't actually come in the bag (it was given to me by the lovely Lauren of The Girl Who Stole London) I love really simple designs, and my new ring has made it up there with my other two favourites (my topaz ring I got from my mum for my 18th birthday, and my Onyx ring I got from Italy earlier this year). I have never, ever found anything with my name on (literally ever) so I've settled for just my initial which I think works just as nicely. I really love it, and I just hope and pray I never lose it!

I can only apologise for my chipped nails - this was the pink nail polish I was talking about - I just didn't want to take it off until I absolutely had to!

Well that just about covers today's post for FASHIONCHICK's Goody Bag. I know I've nattered on an awful lot today, but hopefully you found it vaguely interesting (I hadn't anticipated this blog post to be so long!) and on final note, I'm really grateful to FASHIONCHICK for the lovely thought. A huge thank you!

See you guys again soon!

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FASHIONCHICK • Redesign Event

A while ago you might remember I wrote a blog post for FASHIONCHICK's new Spring/Summer shoe collection (see here if you can't remember!) Well, as a follow-up, I'd been invited to the FASHIONCHICK Redesign launch party event on Baker Street, London by a lovely lady called Rebecca. The event was held on Wednesday 7th May, and by the time the day arrived, I'd only ever been to one event before with my work colleagues (the Ethical Fashion Show) so I have to say I was a little nervous - especially as I'd be going alone! I'm one of those people who really likes to know every single detail about everything on their schedule before they go ahead and do anything. So as I was going alone, I was definitely feeling the nerves, but I was really excited none-the-less.

It was held at the fabulous Fable Bar on Holborn Viaduct, and it was the perfect setting. FASHIONCHICK had rented out a bar room for the entire evening, with little stalls dotted around by the windows and an area designated for special FASHIONCHICK photographs.

I was offered a complimentary drink from the free bar (opted for a red wine!) and I took this as an opportunity to snap as many photographs as I could while the sun was still up. The evening was really relaxed, and a great chance to meet bloggers just like myself and others who worked in the fashion industry. After a little talk about the new collection and a quick discussion about some of the products, the waiters brought out platters of all sorts of yummy bites (calamari, canapés, mini fish and chips, mini sausages - followed by little baskets of mini doughnuts and brownies!) and we all had a natter about our blogs and the new collections. I made friends with two very lovely ladies, Samantha and "The Girl Who Stole London" (more commonly known as Lauren). If you're reading this girls - it was great to meet you both!

At the end of the evening, we all received an amazing goody bag filled with a selection of cute little gifts from different retailers including River Island, Juicy Couture, Moschino... Which I'll talk more about in my next blog post.

Overall, the evening was so much fun (what did I ever have to be nervous about?) and I can't wait to do it all over again. Thanks so much to FASHIONCHICK for hosting such a fab event, and for giving us the opportunity to network with other bloggers and fashion/beauty-lovers who share a common interest!

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Ethical Fashion Show

Good morning you lovely lot! If you're all caught up with yesterday's post, you'll know that I'm back after not posting a blog for a month. But just like I promised, I've got lots in store to chat about it.

On Wednesday 30th April, I attend my first fashion event - the Ethical Fashion Show at St. Paul's Church, Hammersmith. It was really amazing, the atmosphere was incredible (with it being set in a church, it made it all the more beautiful), and with little ethical clothing and exotic food stalls dotted around a central catwalk, I knew it was going to be an exciting evening. After a complimentary drink, the audience took their seats around the catwalk and stage, and we watched a discussion with a panel of guest speakers followed by a catwalk show. I was left a bit in-awe after my first event, I'd had a really lovely evening!

Panel of guest speakers at the Ethical Fashion Show

A few days later, I had my second event, the FashionChick UK Redesign event, and then following that, a really lovely lady from House of Fraser got in contact with me and asked if I'd like to attend their Autumn/Winter 2014 Press Event on Baker Street - and would I! I won't go into much detail about these events because they're for another post, but heads up - much glamour and gorgeous photos coming your way!

My next event is tomorrow (Monday 12th May) for Pulse, and then I have another wonderful House of Fraser event to attend on Thursday for their homeware collections (which I am seriously so excited for, as I can't wait to move house so this will definitely get me all jittery! Plus I'm just a bit of a homeware geek).

I really hope this post has let you in on what's been going on at the moment, it's a really exciting ride, and I love writing about it and allowing you all to join in. The world of fashion is fast, ever-changing and leaves you feeling a bit dazed at times, but at the moment I love what I do, and for someone who can't stay happy with the same nail polish colour for too long - I think this counts for something.

See you guys soon, and stay tuned for my next post coming up shortly!

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Sanctuary Spa • Body Butter Review

Hello everybody! Huge disclaimer: sorry for not updating in so long! It's been one of the most busy and surprising weeks I've ever had - but we'll get more into that in the coming posts. Some super exciting news coming up! I'll be blogging a lot more regularly now my schedule is starting to settle again (I have a huge list of blogs I've got to write up!) To get back on track, today I thought I'd start with a little review. If you haven't already guessed what it is, it's all about Sanctuary Spa's Body Butter!

If you're not familiar with Sanctuary Spa, they're a spa that can be found in the heart of London - Covent Garden. They've been selling their high-quality skin and body care products for years, but I have to admit, I'm relatively new to trying them out.

For Christmas a couple of years ago my mum bought me a box of mini Sanctuary Spa products (Moisturiser, Foaming Bath Soak, Body Scrub and Shower Gel). I hadn't used them for a while, mainly because I never really got around to it, and when I did, I forgot! But since I moved down to London, I've had a chance to route through all of my bath and body bottles and I've given Sanctuary Spa a whirl!

All Sanctuary products seem to have the same scent - a musky oriental, woody scent which is totally recognisable as Sanctuary - no other product smells quite like it. I like unusual fragrances, so this ticked a box for me (albeit Sanctuary isn't my personal favourite scent, but I do like it!) However, I can certainly understand that this might not be your cup of tea if you prefer fruity tones.

Their iconic orange, easy-to-handle packaging is great. Although I've never bought a larger version of any Sanctuary product, I really like the packaging on the smaller products. I travelling around the country a lot as I have family in the West Midlands, so I really like a product I can throw in my wash bag and not have to decide between squeezing it in and risking a spillage or leaving it at home all together!

After trying my older products, I was pleased that I'd given them a good go. They really are worth it! They leave your skin feeling silky smooth, and the fragrance leaves you feeling super chilled out.

About a week ago I received a surprise package from Sanctuary Spa, it was a little pot of their Body Butter! I couldn't wait to give this a try, as the first products I'd tried worked a treat, and I hadn't tried this one yet.

Once I'd showered, I put the Body Butter to good use. Initially, I'd assumed the product would be fairly oily, as it looked thinner than previous products I'd used such as Extracts (see review here). However - again - I was pleasantly surprised! My legs were left instantly smoother (Seriously, I can't stop feeling my shins right now), and the best thing about this product is that it was in no way oily, it dried straight away, which was absolutely amazing as I didn't have to wait around for ages just to get dressed! Revisiting what I'd said about the fragrance, even though Sanctuary Spa's products smell lovely in the bottle, they smell even nicer on your skin as it's more subtle (still sniffing my skin. A little weird? Probably).

Overall, I love Sanctuary Spa's Body Butter, and I honestly don't have any gripes. I have really sensitive skin, so to find a product that works for is fabulous. I've tried a few Sanctuary Spa products now, but the Body Butter is definitely my favourite. So if you're looking to try out some new bath and body products - check out Sanctuary Spa's Body Butter!

Tune in tomorrow for a chat about the new ethical company on the fashion scene - London Ethnic. See you then!

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