Frills 'n' Spills: Clothes Show

Showing posts with label Clothes Show. Show all posts

Goodies from the Clothes Show- what did I buy?

The Clothes Show can be more than a little overwhelming and the urge to buy as many things as you can possibly get your hands on can be difficult to resist! Luckily, I have been before and so I had an idea of the kind of things I wanted to pick up. Beauty stuff is always much cheaper there and luckily I had my wing-woman Selina with me to help hunt down the bargains! A lot of the magazines offer 'goody bags' but it is definitely worth looking around before you buy anything as some are much better than others and you have to be realistic about what you will actually use/read! I hadn't bought any magazines for a while so I was pleased when I saw this Cosmopolitan and Company goody bag. I paid a grand total of £3 for this, including two magazines, which definitely makes it worth it. Especially for the train journey home!

Models Own make some of the best nail varnishes around and I love the range of colours and finishes that they have - their stall was INSANE and even had a giant glittery nail varnish in the middle of it. Definitely my favourite stall! They usually have all kinds of good deals on and this year was no different - you could choose 3 polishes for £10 (usually £5 each) and then you got given a goody bag with £65 worth of products including the official Clothes Show nail varnish 'Show Stopper'.

This gorgeous chunky bluey-green glitter polish was designed to match the dress worn by the CSL ambassador Jade Thompson and it is a really lovely shade, even if it is impossible to photograph! I can't wait to try this properly and I imagine it will breathe a new lease of life into my pastel coloured polishes...

Can you tell that I am a bit of a magpie?! As you can see, I honed in on ALL THE SHINY POLISHES and picked up some of the 'Velvet Goth' range to try too. I was really tempted by the navy and I would have loved the Absinthe green but I went for shades I knew I would get the most wear from (how boring!) The Hedkandki one is a lot less yellowy in the bottle but I just could not get it to photograph properly!

Velvet Goth Amethyst, Velvet Goth Sardonyx (which would be an amazing name for an Asterix character!) and Hedkandi Disco Heaven

This was the contents of the goody bag (along with a silvery eye shadow which I have already lost in the depths of my bag!) I haven't tried much of their make-up but I have high hopes for the chunky kohl! I was really pleased to see the 'shape it buffit' too, I got one about 18 months ago but I broke it recently and hadn't got round to buying a new one so this couldn't have come at a better time!

I have always had fairly problematic skin and although I don't tend to have as many flare ups any more (now I've done it!) my skin still needs a lot of TLC and I am always looking for the holy grail products that will give me glowing, spot free skin. Clarins are renowned for their skincare and I was super excited to try out their Multi Active Collection. I paid £15 for this which is amazing considering the amount of product you get!

Inside you get a 50 ml pot of the Multi Active Day cream, 15 ml of the Multi Active Night cream and 10 ml of the Multi Active Skin Renewal serum, more than enough to try it all out properly!

I love the pot it comes in, the frosted glass feels very luxe and it is surprisingly heavy, definitely one to take care with!

The cream is relatively thick but it absorbs quickly and even after just a couple of days, I swear my skin feels plumper! The smell initially reminded me of baby lotion but once applied it reminded me of the perfume/make -up that my mum used to use when I was younger. It's not unpleasant but it may not be to everyone's taste...

Did you pick up any bargains from the Clothes Show? Which beauty products can you not live without?

Clothes Show 2013 with Echo Falls...

This weekend I spent a rather frantic Saturday in one of my favourite cities; Birmingham. Echo Falls very kindly invited me along to the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham along with a bunch of rather lovely bloggers and I had the best time! I really like the Clothes Show although it has been a while since I last went- Danni and I both went in 2009 and 2010 but I haven't managed it the past couple of years! After getting on a very busy train full of excitable tweenagers and getting completely lost at the NEC (one day I will learn to read signs!) I managed to make my way to the Echo Falls stand where I collapsed into a rather ungainly heap. Poppy Dinsey of WIWT was co-hosting with Echo Falls and I had a major fan-girl moment when I met Poppy! (didn't she look awesome?!)

Luckily, despite running around like a headless chicken, I was still in time for the first fashion panel of the day with Poppy, Caryn Franklin, Karl Willett and Becca Dudley which was really interesting. I totally agree that you should only work with nice people- work makes up a huge proportion of your life and it is no fun if you are miserable! I did lug my SLR to the show and tried to take photos but I realised afterwards that it had been on manual focus for the whole time so please excuse my blurry pictures :(

I'm not sure who the guy on the end was but 3/4 of the panel and their awesome outfits, I loved Becca's dress!

Caryn being interviewed- just check out those awesome hair-fringed sleeves!

The best thing about going along to blogging events is meeting new people and despite us never meeting before Caroline was absolutely lovely! We had a really good natter on our way back to the train station and it just reminded me how awesome the blogging community is- there's not many places on the Internet where you will find people who agree with you about so many things! I just hope I am as cool as Caroline one day, just check out her amazing shoes!

Selina is a blogger who I have followed for a long time and it was so nice to see her again and catch up, I haven't seen her since we were big winners at the SWBloggers Xmas Quiz last year!

Me looking much less glamourous! I knew that I would be on my feet all day so I paired my beloved teapot dress with some burgundy tights and my new Clarks loafers which I absolutely love. I have actually been breaking these in recently which could have been a really bad idea but actually the shoes are massively comfy and I haven't had any blisters (yet)- WIN!

Image from WIWT

I need to get me a bright pink vase!

The bar was absolutely HEAVING- just look how long the queue was!

Sassy posing on the stools on the stage. We definitely got some inquisitive looks when we were perched up there, you could tell people were trying to work out who we were! ;)

Many thanks to Echo Falls for taking me and the lovely Caroline and Selina for keeping me company!

P.S. I was at the Clothes Show as a guest of Echo Falls

Jazz hands...

Before this year I was never a big fan of jumpers. I was always warm and jumpers were just not convenient when I was frantically shedding layers when I came in from the cold. This year though, I have been drawn to them and I have steadily amassed a rather cosy collection. Paired with these oh so versatile shorts from good old H&M, I had a slightly warmer version of this outfit...

Jumper: Primark, shorts: H&M, lace socks: Topshop, brogues: Marks & Spencer, necklace: Accessorize, bag: vintage.

Paired with my oh so snuggly coat from Miss Selfridge, I was on to a winner! I saw this coat online when I was looking for a thin, warm, rainproof coat and the gold zip and faux fur convinced me that this was a worthy addition to my coat collection...

For someone who was once completely scared by brogues, I have added another pair to my wardrobe very quickly! The glittery accent and muted metallic colour makes these the perfect party shoes, especially as I can dance in them all night! Originally I was going to wear the brogues without the socks but I thought they brought in the colour of the jumper and made the outfit look more 'fashiony'. It also had the added benefit of pushing me out of my comfort zone, which is no bad thing!

My favourite chunky necklace and my favourite rings , I simply can't get enough of gold jewellery at the moment, it looks so nice with all the rich warm colours around at this time of year!

You can't have sparkly 'jazz shoes' without some sparkly jazz hands to match!

Would you wear sparkly brogues? Do you try to make your outfits more 'fashionable'?

Shades of beige...

This outfit was a bit of a departure from my usual style of clashing prints and bright colours but sometimes it's nice to do something a little unexpected... I always associate beige with luxury and wealth, maybe because only rich people can afford to travel in limousines to keep it clean?! ;) The object of my affection though is a gorgeous jumper from my old favourite Miss Selfridge. I usually shy away from jumpers as I get warm easily but the gorgeous detailing on this made me change my mind. I paired it with these 'winter' shorts from H&M to add some texture and to add a bit of contrast with the colour

Top/jumper: Miss Selfridge, shorts: H&M, shoes: Dorothy Perkins, bag: vintage via The Clothes Show

The jumper is a lovely lightweight knit [I want to say gauge knit but I don't know if this is right Kristabel?!] and I have barely taken it off as it is so comfy. It is fitted enough that I don't feel too schlumpy but loose enough to wear on those days when I want to be comfortable. Apologies for the slightly awkward shot, there weren't many photos where you could actually see the design on the top!

I decided to keep my make-up quite natural to match the nude tones of the jumper. I recently replenished my supply of 'Peach Melba' blush from Natural Collection and it is seriously the only colour I want to wear at the moment. I am now on the hunt for the perfect peachy lipstick to match and so far the Allure shade by Poppy King for No. 7 is in the lead...

This bag is such a lovely nude shade too but it has one little problem. I bought it from the vintage section at The Clothes Show and as it is (obviously) second hand it has a old lady kinda smell which refuses to budge despite the copious amounts of perfume I have sprayed into it. Do you guys have any tips for de-musting vintage bags or clothing?

What clothes would tempt you out of your comfort zone? How would you get rid of the musty smell my bag has?

P.S. I don't know if any of you are going to the New Look press day today but if you are please come and say hi as I am super nervous about it! :)

Berry nice!

Don't you just love it when you can come up with such a ~~pathetic~~ witty pun?! I really love the print of this playsuit but the top half is very strappy and far too skimpy unless it's 25° C outside. [Can you tell that I am really looking forward to Spring?!] When it's layered up though, it's a completely different story!

Playsuit: Oasis, tights: John Lewis, sheer shirt: Miss Selfridge via charity shop, belt: Primark, ancient cardigan: Dorothy Perkins, shoes: Marks & Spencer via charity shop

I'm not sure what's happening with my face here! :P

I added my black sheer shirt, some very warm tights, and my beloved cardigan. I loved how the rich colour of the tights made it instantly more wintry but made the print on the playsuit pop a little too :) Before this last winter, I have never really seen the point of layers as I am always warm, but recently I have loved adding a couple of textures to an outfit. Plus it means that I can wear my favourite pieces all year round :)

These shoes have proven indispensable already in my wardrobe, giving me a little bit of height (I think my legs look long here!) but without hurting my feet or being completely impractical...plus I like the patent finish to them! :)

When I was looking through these photos, I realised that the bow in my hair looks like I am wearing cat ears, how very Olsen of me! I have got the blogger clichés down in this post; slightly pigeon toed stance, animal inspired outfits, sheer shirt....

Is it a squirrel or a dinosaur?

Yes, I am wearing my grey nail varnish! I bought this the first year I went to the Clothes Show and have never worn it. I prefer brighter colours but it seemed to be the perfect match for this outfit, I guess even now I manage to surprise myself sometimes :)

I will leave you with my (rather attractive) dancing face! I think every blogger has a few outtakes from an outfit post and this was too ridiculous not to share! ;)

Are you a fan of layering? Have you surprised yourself with your outfit choices recently?

#Team BBJ

I vowed not to make New Year's resolutions this year because I never manage to keep them, either because they are pointless or unattainable at this point in my life. I mean I'm all for shooting for the stars but you need to know how to get there too! Instead of struggling through on my own, this year I am joining Team BBJ: body, blog and job. The lovely Amy came up with this and I think it is such a good idea! Rather than failing to keep my resolutions, I will have the support of a growing list of lovely ladies who you can follow HERE.

I am proud of what I managed to achieve in 2010. Although my health wasn't very good, I got consistently good grades and my lectures were really positive, which is super encouraging when dissertation deadlines and finals are looming! If I work just a little bit harder, I think I could get a first so that's my aim this academic year! I have challenged myself this year and as a result I think I know what I want to do in my career, which can only be a good thing, right? In myself though, I also feel a lot happier, I am willing to experiment with my style- I never thought I would be wearing a maxi skirt for one!- and I am a lot happier with the way I look. I think this is mainly through this blog so thank you guys <3

BLOG: This year I would love to expand my writing portfolio and also be more organised, especially with scheduling posts! There are obviously going to be times when I can't post as much as I would like so instead of stressing about it, I will have some back up posts for you guys. I also want to expand my writing portfolio and also try my hand at dress-making so if you guys have any tips or suggestions, they will be greatly welcomed!

BODY: I have been watching what I eat recently and going to the gym more so I don't want to lose any weight but just tone up my arms and make sure that I am as active as possible. In addition to this, I am determined to only wear clothes and outfits that make me feel a little 'fizzy'. Now I don't mean ready to pop ;) but rather clothes that make me smile and feel great and this starts with wearing underwear that fits. Now this may sound odd but apparently 465% of women wear the wrong size bra (I may have exaggerated slightly here...) and I'm not going to be one of them... Never have basics been so luxurious...

The sale is to DIE FOR

I also got this dress with some of my Christmas money and it fits the above criteria perfectly. It fits like a glove, has a swooshy skirt, nipped in waist and a fab print in gorgeous colours. What more can a girl ask for? They also have this print on a gorgeous jumpsuit which I would LOVE to see Danni or Lil rocking... if only my legs went up to my armpits!

I wore it with my nude shoes which I have had for years and can't bear to replace as they are the perfect nude colour for my pale [and interesting] skin and a bag I bought at the Clothes Show. This bag is surprisingly roomy and I manage to cart around all of my junk in it too- WIN!

Catalogue pose FTW!

I really don't know what was happening with my hair, it just WOULD NOT behave and looked like a bad wig in the majority of the photos we took...

I was really disappointed as how I felt in this dress just didn't come across in the photos. I don't know why it didn't photograph well but I'm sure I'll be wearing it again soon as it's my favourite dress at the moment! This is no mean feat as I have LOTS of dresses to choose from in my ever expanding wardrobe. Speaking of which, I am having a clear out and have started to list some of the pieces here, so if you're looking for a bargain then why not have a rummage and help a fellow blogger?!

The perfume Danni mentioned in her vlog is this one; Chloe by Chloe and it is gorgeous!

JOB: I have been applying to graduate schemes but trying to focus my search to ones I really want, rather than just applying to them willy nilly... hopefully this tactic will pay off! Many thanks to everyone for their suggestions too :) I have also been prepping for a couple of tests and interviews I have in the next month or so, so please keep your fingers crossed for me! :) For the time being though, it's straight back to revision before my test tomorrow...

Have you made any resolutions this year? What's your favourite outfit?

Best of Frills 'n' Spills 2010

Whoosh.

What was that you say? Oh, just a whole 365 days passing me by in a flash.

That's it. 2010 over. And what a fabulous year it's been. That's not even a let's-pretend-we-had-a-good-time-to-round-off-the-year lie either.

I ate lots of lovely food...

Dockers

and cooked my fair share too.

Chocolatey hazelnut heaven with knobs on

I've been on planes...

Mallorca

Trains...

 A trip to Nottingham

and even a bicycle!

I was active for once

I've been an angel...

Aussie trip to London

and a devil...

The heart-attack inducing cookies that were so bad, they were good.

and I've even fallen in love with the postman.

A lovely giveaway

More than once.

Pretty Polly

But the best thing this year? The moment that made it all? Catching this beauty from my favourite King...

KOL gig

I thought it would be a nice idea to do a round-up of our highlights from 2010 but I didn't anticipate just how difficult it would be to choose them! We have got to do some brilliant things and meet some amazing people but here is my choice of the best bits from this year...

In January, I discussed an issue that is very close to my heart; depression. Luckily I have amazing friends and family to help me through mine but not everyone has that. I tried to share what works for me in the hope that it might help someone else. Not the cheeriest topic to start the year with, I know but it is important.

(♥)

Luckily I had some yummy pineapple upside down cake to cheer me up in February and the chance to go home to the gorgeous village where I live and see my amazing family and very talented friends... You should see me in my musical role VERY soon ;)

Here are ten commandments every woman should live by, with the gorgeous Karen Elson as inspiration...

(♥)

Danni and I had to take cover from flying falafel in June...

...but I managed to smarten up for my AMAZING internship in July!

Going to Vintage at Goodwood with some gorgeous Aussie Angels to search for Yummy Hair was definitely a highlight...

Yes, I am that pale!

... as was my pensioners trip to Weston- Super-Mare with Mark ;)

In October I turned 21 and had to start behaving like an adult....

sort of...

I needed your help with styling this gorgeous 80s blouse and boy did you come up trumps! (I will be using your amazing suggestions in the new year :D)

And to get you in the Christmas spirit? Gorgeous male models AND George Lamb? Oh go on then!

Don't say we don't spoil you! ;)

What. a. year. I think you will agree that 2010 has been quite a roller-coaster ride for Danni and me and I am definitely looking forward to 2011! I will be spending New Year's Eve with my friends eating a lot of food and drinking wine and generally having a good time. I hope you have a brilliant time whatever you do and HAPPY NEW YEAR from both of us! Blogging has been such an amazing thing for us both, especially meeting all of you lovely people and being able to call you friends, (yes I'm getting soppy!) Long may it continue! :D

What have been the highlights of 2010 for you? What are you looking forward to next year?

P.S. If you think we missed anything off our best bits or have any suggestions of what you would like to see in 2011, then let us know :D

Frills 'n' Spills

Goodies from the Clothes Show- what did I buy?

Clothes Show 2013 with Echo Falls...

Jazz hands...

Shades of beige...

Berry nice!

#Team BBJ

Best of Frills 'n' Spills 2010

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