Harvey Nichols Fashion Show - The M Shed

I've been a bit slow to write this up, but last week I was invited to attend the Harvey Nichols Fashion Show at Bristol's newest stylish venue - the M Shed.  I was really excited to go, as although I've been to fashion shows before, they've not been as glamorous affairs!  I went with a good friend of mine, and although we'd made an effort, we were clearly under-dressed for the event.  Skinny jeans, ballet pumps and a nice top were not going to cut it with Bristol's fashionista crowd who were out in force and dressed up to the nines!  I was glad I'd had time to do my face properly before I went.  The other attendees were seriously dressed up - I saw one girl being helped to walk by her male companion, so high and teetering were her choice of shoes.  Seriously, I've never been in the presence of so many fashionable people, and I loved it!

Shopping list at the ready...

The venue was fantastic - the M Shed is a great addition to Bristol and the event was held on the top floor which seemed to be custom made for a fashion show, as well as having stunning views all over the city.  Well dressed men served perfectly chilled champagne to the guests - and they went around topping up glasses to make sure our thirsts were quenched!

The fab view from the M Shed

Enough about the attendees - on to the clothes!  We really enjoyed the fashions which were a range of ladies and mens clothes.  There were a range of designers on show including DKNY, Jimmy Choo, MaxMara, Louboutin, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Nichol Farhi, Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, Miu Miu, Gucci, D&G and Micheal Kors - a treat for fashion lovers, a a bit different from the last fashion show I attended were brands included Dorothy Perkins and M&S!

Amanda Wakeley halter neck chain top source

My friend and I both agreed that the Amada Wakeley clothes on show were our most covetted, inclusing on orange halter beaded dress, which unfortunately is a budget busting £2,775 and a fantastic black, halter neck chain top which came in at a possible to save up for £295.

The themes shown included winter coats in bright colours, military, shawl style and shearling, a heavy does of 1940s glamour, bright, jewel toned clothes - perfect for colour blocking, masculine tayloring, fetishistic elements and party clothes.

Just some of my shopping list...

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the show itself, but I've come away with a long shopping list of designer wants - I'd better get saving if I want any of them!  I think a lot of the styles will translate to the high street, and I definitely have my eye out for a bright coat.

I did take some pictures of the fabulous goodie bag I got - lots of interesting samples in there and some candles in a stylish box!  It's always good to walk away with a goodie bag!

So all in all, it was a fabulous, fashionable and glamorous evening.  My friend and I drove away, safe in the knowledge that we had been at the most glamorous event in Bristol that evening and with a very long shopping list!

Thanks for reading! xx

NOTD - Accessorize Magical Mocha

Hi everyone - here's my NOTD for you - Magical Mocha from Accessorize.

 
Whilst I love this colour, and Accessorize polishes are quite good value, I've not been impressed by this polish, or by the previous one I've tried.  They are a pain to go on, with a fiddly brush that doesn't seem long enough, they dry ok, but then they chip like nothing else.  Literally this lasted less than a day and that was with a top coat!  I expect better from a polish, and you can get better polishes than this at similar prices.

However, the colour, a bronzey, brownish sparkle with a slightly mauve tone is lovely - does anyone know of any dupes?

I've since totally destroyed what was left of my manicure digging up the last of my potatoes in my garden, so it's time to start again!  Here's a picture of a massive potato I dug up about a month ago, with a mini Babybel for size comparison - it did for a whole meal of mash for two, with plenty left over!!!

Thanks for reading! xx

Just a little haul...

...or not!  Hi ladies, I’ve had a very busy week, staying away overnight at a roadside Travelodge yesterday, before going to Brighton and back today. Anyway, I had a spare half an hour in Brighton (one of my favourite cities) to pick up a bit of shopping and I managed to stock up on a lot of products.

Beauty addict's paradise... Mac, Bare Escentuals, Aveda, Kiehl's and Shu Uemura

If you’ve never been to Brighton, you will be in for a shopping treat.  I think it’s the best place for shopping in the country outside London, catering for all tastes, including high street, high end and designer, independent and quirky/hippy shops.  In particular, their beauty shops are fantastic. I used to live there when I was a student and I remember a friend coming to stay with me and us spending 3 whole days covering all the shops!  My best friend still lives there, and we always hit the shops when I’m staying with her.

I went to L’Occitane and finally got some Almond Shower Oil which I’ve been meaning to get for ages.  I then popped into Mac to get some concealer and bumped into a former colleague of mine who works there as a MUA – I’ve not seen her for over a decade, so we caught up whilst I also decided to buy Satin Taupe.  Then I went to Bare Escentuals to get some more Mineral Veil.  In Oasis I got a couple of pairs of earrings and Butter London polish in Marrow.  Finally, I went to Superdrug to stock up on bits and bobs.  Some Garnier BB Cream, an Accesorize bronzer, and GOSH cream blush, as well as other stuff.  Phew, that was a lot of shopping in half an hour!

Believe it or not, I’ve not spend much money on beauty products recently, and other than nail polish, I don’t think I’ve bought any makeup all summer!  

Denise McAdam Fight the Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner

My local Tesco store has recently had a revamp and has expanded its beauty aisle which has made me curious to try some of the products on offer that were not previously stocked.  So when I was offered the chance to try some of them out I was excited!  I’ve been keen to feature a few more affordable products on my blog, being aware that a lot of the recent products I’ve been reviewing have been quite expensive.

The first product I’ve been trying out are the Fight the Frizz Smoothing and Shampoo and Conditioner from the Denise McAdam range of hair care.  I was interested to see that Denise McAdam, the celebrity stylist behind the range has styled a vast array of prestigious clients – from the glamorous Grace Kelly to taming Sarah Ferguson’s tresses for her wedding day hair.  If she can do it for Fergie, she should be able to help my super-frizzy hair!

I find the packaging quite unusually styled – it’s quite distinctive and it looks good on my bathroom shelf.  It’s handy that both bottles have flat lids, so you can tip them upside down to get the max out of the bottles.  The lids are different colours to tell the conditioner and shampoo apart – this is my one complaint about the packaging – I would prefer it if the bottles were a slightly different shade to tell them apart as so many other companies use.  I did once use the shampoo bottle twice, instead of the conditioner, which was a waste of product.

The shampoo is thick, lathers up quickly and does a good job of cleaning my hair with just one soaping and rinsing.  It’s not SLS free, but I’m not at all bothered by that, as I like lots of suds when I’m washing my hair.  It has a very pleasant, light floral smell that doesn’t linger, but is a nice scent in the shower.  However, the best thing about this shampoo is that it doesn’t tangle my hair.  Since I’ve grown my hair long, I’ve found it near on impossible to find a shampoo that doesn’t leave my hair completely knotted up after rinsing.  My thick, long hair just gets tangled up completely and then gets damaged when I try to brush it out – no such issues with the Fight the Frizz Shampoo. 

I’ve only  used the conditioner in conjunction with the shampoo, and it is easy to smooth on and comb through with my non-tangled tresses.  The conditioner has the same floral fragrance as the shampoo.  It’s not a particularly thick product, but it conditions well and you don’t need to use masses of it, something that uses up thicker products fast.  I didn’t have particularly high expectations of this, given the frizzy thickness of my hair, I usually need to use expensive and heavy-duty products to tame the frizz.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by this, it left my hair soft and manageable and noticeably less frizzy than if I’d used an ordinary conditioner.  The best thing about the conditioner is that it also doesn’t make my hair greasy.  I’ve used many cheaper and not so cheap brands of frizz management conditioner and most of them leave my hair greasy within a day.  However, the Fight the Frizz conditioner lasts two days in my hair before the grease starts.  I like to wash my hair only every other day, so this suits me well.

So would I buy these myself?  Well, yes I would. I last saw them on offer in my local Tesco for 2 for £5, which I think is a very reasonable price to pay.  They perform well against other brands of shampoo and conditioner in the same price bracket and are affordable for most people.  I’m glad I’ve tried them and found another brand I like, and one I can sling in my trolley whilst I’m doing my weekly shop!

Thanks for reading! xx

DISCLAIMER: This item was provided free of charge for review purposes.  This has not influenced my review in any way - I always express my honest opinion on any product I review.

The Bristol Beauty Blog - Missing in Action

Hi everyone!  Sorry, I've been missing in action for the past few weeks.  It's a busy, busy, busy period in my life again!  I've driven 1,500 miles in the last two weeks, and have been busy almost every night or working late, as well as being away every weekend for the last month.

I've had no time for my own blog or anyone elses - sorry!

Anyway, blogging is my hobby and I really enjoy it.  I don't want to fit it in around work as it would become a chore and the quality would suffer.  So, I'm still here, blogging when I can.  Thanks to everyone who reads my blog!

xx