Tuesday 25 November 2014

Choosing the Perfect Party Dress From Oasis.......Manchester Arndale 'After Dark' Event





A couple of weeks ago this rather swanky looking invitation to the Manchester Arndale 'After Dark' Event landed on my doorstep. After searching the hashtag #MAAfterDark on Twitter it was clear to see that there was a lot of excitement for this event amongst Manchester's fashion bloggers.

In total, 25 bloggers have been selected to attend the event on 27th November and we have  each been allocated a store from which to choose our perfect party dress. On the night, a panel of fashionable judges (including Victoria from In The Frow) will select their favourite 10 dresses which will then be displayed in the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre and the public will vote for their favourite for a chance to win it.

I was allocated Oasis and I couldn't have been happier - I knew that I would definitely be able to find my perfect dress there. So last Saturday I headed into Manchester with the lovely Anna from It's A Blogger's World on a mission to find a winning outfit!

Monday 24 November 2014

Introducing Ba&sh Paris.....Elegant Timeless Fashion

I only discovered the brand Ba&sh Paris a couple of weeks ago through the lovely people at Coggles and to be honest, I can’t believe I didn’t know about it sooner! The range, which is stocked at Coggles and ASOS, is absolutely gorgeous!
The Parisian label was launched by childhood friends Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief whose aim was to provide a collection of clothing ideal for the everyday wardrobe of today’s modern woman. The range is chic, feminine, stylish and simple – think silk, linen, cashmere and soft cottons with an obvious French influence. The style of Ba&sh would suit women who want to build a timeless base for their wardrobe that would mix well with more diverse and daring items.
After browsing the Coggles website I completely fell in love with the collection. From timeless leather bags to elegant dresses, I think I would wear most items. Straight away, these four pieces below stood out to me and they are now on my wishlist (err hello Santa, if you’re listening, I’ve been a very good girl this year!)



The lovely people at Coggles sent me a cute little ‘Ba&sh’ parcel containing a pretty little notebook and tote bag. I’m a bit of a stationery freak and I love buying new notebooks, diaries and pens so this will definitely come in use! It comes in a great slogan box and is the perfect size to pop in my handbag for jotting down any notes or ideas whilst I’m out and about. Tote bags are seen everywhere nowadays – with such a strong emphasis on recycling and ‘bags for life’, more and more people are using them to do their bit for the environment. This tote bag from Ba&sh is larger than most tote bags I’ve seen but not too big. On one side it has the Ba&sh logo and on the other it says “10 fois plus belle” which means “10 times more beautiful”. With this bag I can still look stylish whilst being kind to the environment!





Have you discovered the Ba&sh range yet? Which are your favourite pieces?

Friday 21 November 2014

Introducing Madam Q Couture




All images provided by Madam Q Couture

Want to know where you can get the hottest new accessories designed and made in Manchester?? Then read on!

Madam Q Couture is a new and exciting fashion label by Sophie Ho - a Manchester-based fashion designer who graduated in 2012. Since then her her designs have graced the catwalk at numerous fashion shows and events including London Graduate Fashion Week, Clothes Show Live, Vogue's Fashion's Night Out in Manchester, and Manchester Fashion Week. Sophie’s designs are inspired by architecture and photography and each and every piece is not just a wearable accessory, but a work of art.  

Madam Q Couture is Sophie Ho's first ready-to-wear range. She wanted to create a collection of clutch bags that embody and symbolise the unique culture of Manchester, whilst fitting in with daily life in the city. The label is on a mission to shake up the fashion industry in Manchester and leave its mark in the city which has an important place in the history and heritage of fashion and design. Madam Q Couture have chosen to have their clutches produced locally in Manchester with a manufacturer that has over 50 years of experience – I love the fact that they are proud of the city in which they live (and me too!)

The first collection includes two clutch styles:

Olivia Clutch


  • High quality PU
  • 26cm x 11cm
  • Removable strap

Scarlett Clutch


  • High quality PU
  • 29cm x 18cm
  • Internal zip pocket - fits phone and keys
  • Removable strap

Madam Q Couture is currently a featured project on Kickstarter  - the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. They are currently over halfway to reaching the target to get the go-ahead to start producing the collection and there are 14 days left before the project ends. You can read all about it here.

I, for one, am very excited about this new emerging talent from Manchester. The clutch bags in this first collection are edgy but sophisticated and are very wearable. My favourite is the Scarlett Clutch in black – something I would definitely choose as it would compliment any outfit perfectly. Sophie Ho and Madam Q Couture are definitely ones to keep an eye on – with a debut collection as stunning as this one, I can’t wait to see what’s next.......


Thursday 20 November 2014

FashionChick #FashionablyFestive Event

 Last week I attended the fabulously named #FashionablyFestive event hosted by FashionChick at the swanky Epernay Champagne Bar in Manchester (one of my favourite places for a night out – the Bellinis are delicious!) I knew as soon as I received the invite that it was going to be a great night, and it did not disappoint! 

As always, I couldn't decide what to wear but in the end I went for a River Island patterned top, faux leather mini skirt from Dorothy Perkins, tights and limited edition platform boots from Primark.

Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Pettifer-Photography/141556699387492?sk=photos_stream

FashionChick is a social shopping site for fashion-obsessed ladies in the UK. Through this website you can browse and select items of clothing, shoes and accessories from a multitude of online stores such as Boohoo, Lipsy, Missguided, Fashion Union, New Look and Dorothy Perkins and add them to your online ‘wardrobe’ ready for purchasing on payday. After signing up to the site as a ‘fashionchick’, you can create outfits from the selection online, showing off your looks and giving inspiration to other members looking for fashion and styling advice. This innovative platform means that you no longer have to search through several different websites to find your perfect outfit  -  you can look at everything all in one place. FashionChick even have an iPhone app available to download from the iTunes store for free so you can shop on the go wherever you are – a must for any serious fashionista! In the words of FashionChick themselves:-
Fashionchick helps every woman find the perfect look.
Whatever your style, wherever you are!”



On arrival at Epernay I was greeted by the friendly FashionChick team and told to help myself to a glass of bubbly before heading into the room which had been set up for the event. Representatives from Dorothy Perkins and Boohoo (who were all really lovely!) were there to show us a sneak peak of the glamorous collections just released for the festive season. Glitter, faux fur and statement jewellery were predominantly on display which are always winners at any Christmas party, and I spotted quite a few items that I would love to have hanging in my own wardrobe ready for the party season! Also at the event were a team of hair and makeup artists with a menu of looks to choose from so we could be glammed up and pose for the camera. A delicious selection of food and light bites were brought round on wooden platters and the bubbles were kept topped up all night (not for me though as unfortunately I had to be up at 6:30am the following morning for work!)

It was a fantastic event and a great opportunity to speak to brand representatives and some of my favourite blogging buddies as well as meeting some new ones. We were also given an extremely generous goodie bag each at the end of the night with some gorgeous items from Dorothy Perkins and Boohoo that I can’t wait to wear (keep your eyes peeled for future blog posts!)



I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at FashionChick, Boohoo and Dorothy Perkins for a lovely evening!

One last thing to say......how cute is this dress shaped cookie that I received in my goodie bag??!! I didn’t want to eat it! (But I did....and it was delicious!)



Monday 17 November 2014

#FDXmasParty Fragrance Direct Christmas Party at All Star Lanes Manchester

On Wednesday night I attended an exclusive Christmas Party for bloggers with Fragrance Direct. It was held in the swanky private function room at the All Star Lanes in Manchester.


I arrived a little late after getting lost and the party was in full swing when I got there! Two private bowling lanes, a bar with plenty of cocktails, prosecco and milkshakes on offer, tonnes of delicious food, a makeup artist, Christmas crackers filled with perfume samples.................there was literally nothing that hadn't been thought of! 




I think every blogger in Manchester turned up to the first Christmas party of the season, and it was lovely to catch up with some of my blogger buddies as well as meeting a few new ones.

If you haven't heard of Fragrance Direct before you should take a look at their website here. The husband and wife team was set up in 1993 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. They aim to provide customers with a variety of branded cosmetics and beauty products at competitive prices so you don't have to shop around. Fragrance Direct currently stock cosmetics brands such as Bobbi Brown, W7, Bourjois and MAC as well as most of the new and bestselling fragrances available - all with up to 70% off the RRP.

There was a table set up at the event with several perfumes to test and it became apparent that the favourite was YSL Black Opium, followed closely by Marc Jacobs Lola (mainly because of the stunning bottle I think!)

I had a great night and would like to say a huge thank you to the Fragrance Direct team and their PR representatives for hosting such a fantastic event. It was plain to see that a lot of hard work and effort had gone in to organising it and everyone I spoke to said what a lovely time they were having. The Twitter hashtag for the event - #FDXmasParty - was even trending in Manchester that night!

Here's what I wore to the event:

Dress  -  River Island
Boots  -  Primark Limited Edition Range
Tights  -  Primark
Necklace  -  Thomas Sabo
Bracelets  -  Pandora, Thomas Sabo & Gemz By Emz

**I must apologise for the quality of my photos in this post - my iPhone camera does not like dim lighting at all and I didn't actually take that many as I was enjoying myself at the party too much!

Have you shopped with Fragrance Direct before?

Saturday 15 November 2014

Sephora Venezia Palette











Ahhh Sephora......that magical world of all things beauty related. I actually got to step foot inside a real Sephora store last month during my trip to Venice and I bought this little Venezia Palette which was too cute not to bring home with me!  

I love the fact that it has tiny handles to make it look like a bag or case......it fits the product perfectly because inside this little palette there are quite a few essentials that would be handy to take on your travels! It was on special offer for just under 8 Euros and, not only is this a great beauty buy, but it’s also a lovely little souvenir of my trip to Venice! 

The palette contains: 
A mirror
9 eyeshadows in a range of colours (8 with a shimmery finish and one matte shade)
1 blusher
4 lip glosses

The mirror and eyeshadows are revealed upon opening the top of the palette and the blusher and lip glosses are in little pull out trays underneath. It’s very compact and only measures 7.5cm x 7.5cm.
I haven’t used the lip glosses or the blusher yet, but I’ve tested out the eyeshadows and I was really impressed with the quality. They are finely milled, easy to apply and blend and there isn’t much fall out with the shimmery/glittery shades. I applied my E.L.F Eyeshadow Primer beforehand and these shadows lasted most of the day before I noticed any creasing.

I probably won’t use the blusher or the lip glosses on a daily basis, but they will come in handy on my next holiday as this palette takes up no room at all and it will mean I don’t have to take everything separately.

All in all, a bargain buy and one which will be very useful!

What do you think of this palette? Have you tried any Sephora own-branded products before?


Thursday 6 November 2014

A Long Weekend in Venice - My Surprise Birthday Trip

Last month I was whisked away to Venice for 3 nights by my husband – a surprise birthday present which he planned and arranged on his own. This was to be our first city break and our first trip to Italy. We usually stick to beach holidays in Spain or Portugal so this was going to be something completely different for us and I couldn't wait to get there!

So, the morning came and after a 2 hour flight we arrived at Marco Polo Airport. We actually flew over the island of Venice on our descent - it looked so surreal! That tiny glimpse of the beauty we were about to encounter made us so excited to land and get there as soon as possible! The staff at the airport were really helpful and told us which bus to board to get to our hotel and we were dropped off outside the door in less than 15 minutes. My husband had booked us into a modern 4 star hotel in an area called Mestre on the mainland which had been recommended to him by one of his work colleagues. It was an ideal base for us as the bus stop into Venice was right outside the front door and the journey took less than 10 minutes. We checked in, unpacked and hopped straight on a bus. There are no cars or buses allowed on the island of Venice so all buses stop at the terminal called Piazzale Roma situated at the top of the Grand Canal.



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