January and February Empties

So I lost my blogging mojo in the early few months of this year and now my laptops broken!  But, with my trustee work laptop I'm back in the blogging swing of things now.  So here are my empties from January and February - and there are a lot of them!



Skin Care and Makeup



 I used up:

Lancome Teinte Miracle - love this stuff, have bought some more
No 7 Protect and Perfect Serum - a staple
Savlon Cream - I've always got this in my beauty kit
Dermologica Multi Vitamen Power Recovery Masque - Hmmm, got this in a Glossy Box, wouldn't shell out for it.
Origins Starting Over - my favourite winter moisturiser - will repurchase next winter
Lancome Genefique Night Cream - a bit too heavy for me, didn't use it everyday and wouldn't buy it.
Clarins Multi-Active Skin Recovery Serum - I really liked this, although similarly to No 7, it doesn't go very far.  I got this in a gift set in the sales and would repurchase if on offer
Bio Effect EGF Serum - this was from a Glossy Box - A bit too heavy, although it didn't break me out, I wouldn't repurchase
Barbara Daily Face Lift in a Jar - I wasn't impressed with this, despite hearing lots of good things.  I wasn't sure if it was a moisturiser, primer or highlighter.  It didn't really do a good job at any of those things, so I wouldn't buy again.
Doozle Serum - I bought this after seeing Doozle at a craft fair last year.  I really liked it and it wasn't expensive.  A good winter serum.
Lancome Gentle Softening Cleansing Milk - I got this free on a Lancome offer - I was really pleased to have a full-sized freebie!  It was a godsend for my skin in the colder weather, very kind and not at all drying.  It also worked as an eye makeup remover for not too heavy looks.  I'd buy this in the future.

Hair Care

I got through:

Neal and Wolf Harmony Intensive Hair Treatment - I got this in a Glossy Box - I liked it, but I probably wouldn't repurchase.  It's nowhere near as good as the Bumble and Bumble treatment I bought last year
L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo - a staple
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner - another staple
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo - the "infamous" Glossy Box sample!  I'm not a fan of Batiste, I've reverted to using talc for getting an extra day without washing my hair.
James Brown Photo Fabulous Moisturising Conditioner - it OK, I've reviewed it before, probably wouldn't repurchase.
James Brown High Gloss Treatment (not shown all of it) - I preferred this to the Photo Fabulous collection.  I got this and the two products beneath as well as some serum for £10 in the sales - bargain!
James Brown High Gloss Shampoo - quite liked this, didn't blow me away, but wouldn't turn my nose up at it.
James Brown High Gloss Conditioner - again, this was quite good, I'd repurchase, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Shower Gel and Eye Makeup Remover

OK a random grouping here!  I used up:

Radox Eastern Spirit Shower Therapy - I got this for Christmas, it smells nice, using it up helps reduce my shower gel stash, but I wouldn't repurchase.

Spa Invigorating Body Wash - another from my stash, not purchased by me.  It smells lovely, but I wouldn't rush out to buy it again!

Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Make-Up Remover - Not impressed with this at all.  Didn't tackle even light eye makeup very well, the consistency was really waterry and I had to rub at my eyes really hard to remove makeup.  Would steer well clear in the future.

Lip Balms



Coca-Cola Lip Smacker - loved this, tastes just like Coke!  I've got a cherry coke one as well I'm currently using.
Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 - don't believe the hype - this stuff isn't great, but at about £10 it should blooming well be!  It's too thick, I didn't like the applicator which got all gummed up with lip balm and it didn't taste that good.  Not worth the money and would really put me off repurchasing!
Dermalogica Renewal Lip Complex - another Glossy Box sample.  It was OK, I quite liked the consistency and it was really moisturising.  However, the taste wasn't to my taste, so I wouldn't seek it out!

Body Lotion

Oh dear, I've been bad - only one body lotion used up in 2 months.  And I was doing so well before Christmas!  Time to get into the body-lotion-using-up swing of things again.  Anyway, this Nivea Happy Time Body Lotion was very good.  I'd be more than happy to receive this again - it performed as well as many more expensive lotions.  I wouldn't repurchase as I seriously don't need any more body lotions - I must trim that stash.

So I'll probably be posting next week on my March empties - how time flies!

Thanks for reading! xx

Bristol Fashion Week - Live Blogging Catwalk Show - VERY Picture Heavy

Yesterday I attended the Bristol Fashion Week Live Blogging Catwalk Show at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway.  Bristol Fashion Week had provided 200 free tickets for bloggers and fashion students to attend and I was lucky enough to get one of them!  We were encouraged to tweet during the show and were allowed to take photographs - this was great, as at the last fashion show I went to at Bristol Fashion Week, it was strictly prohibited. 

Having arrived slightly late, I picked up my blogger pack, picked up a glass of fizz and was ushered straight into the show.  I noticed that the girl next to me had a blogger pass as well, so I introduced myself and it turned out to be lovely Laura from A Daisy Chain Dream - we'd tweeted about the event earlier, so I was really surprised we ended up next to each other! 

Below I've put together my favourite picks from the fashion show.

Pastels and Pinks from John Lewis

The show started off with dresses from John Lewis in a variety of pastel pink colours.  The models were trussed up in sweetie wrappers with pastel coloured blue and green lipstick.  The dresses shown were mainly knee-length or shorter and were a mixture of work and event-appropriate dresses. 

I know it's a terrible photo, but the dress above is probably my favourite from John Lewis.  Here's a link to it - it's £129 at the moment.  I think seeing it modelled on the catwalk really brought it to life for me, as I don't think I'd give it a second glance from the website model!

Sports Lux from Next

The standout piece from the clothes from Next was definitely these coral coloured jeans.  I desperately want some coloured jeans to liven up my spring wardrobe and I think these might be the ones!  They're very similar to the ones that Kate Middleton has been photographed wearing in the past week, but a lot cheaper.  Kate's jeans are from J Brand and are £200 from Net-a-Porter.  I think I've found the ones on the catwalk from Next here - they are a lot cheaper, at £40, so I'm definitely considering blowing the dust from my wallet for these.

Workwear from Hobbs

Continuing the trend for pinks and pastels, the Hobbs show was one of my favourites.  The clothes are summary and work-appropriate with a nod to the 1950s and are totally my style.  I've never bought anything from Hobbs, but I'm really tempted to go and have a look now.

The outfit above is devine!  I think I need to have this skirt in my life - it's totally my style and I love the colours.  I also like the fact that it's striped and slightly colour-blocky, but the stripes are slightly more abstract than just straight across.  The skirt is the Hobbs Invitation Galindo Skirt and it costs £110.  I think I might be tempted.  The top is the Invitation Jewel Jacket and it costs £199.



I also love this dress from Hobbs, the Invitation Jewel Dress.  It costs £149 and would be perfect for a wedding, but you could definitely wear it to work in the summer.

I didn't manage to take a good photograph of it, but on the very left of the photograph above (purple) is the Invitation Gem Dress, which is also absolutely stunning but a bit of a splurge at £179.  I think the colour and styling is fantastic - I'm seriously impressed by Hobbs and will definitely popping in there.

Occasionwear from BHS

I almost never think of shopping in BHS.  However, whenever I do, I buy something - infact my favourite ever sundress was bought from BHS when I was just passing throught.  Actually, my Egyption cotton bedsheets were bought in there for under £20 for the set, so it's worth going in there more often.  There were some lovely monochrome 1950s inspired prom-dresses at the fashion show from BHS with bold floral prints.

Coming in at £49 each, these beautiful dresses are a total bargain!  I particularly love the purple and pink dress above, also £49.  Having spent some time browsing the BHS website, they have some amazing dresses - how cool are thier going out dresses and look at the prices - bargainous!

Italian Tropical Fashions from Oasis

I love Oasis when it comes to summer dresses - I own many of their floral bright prints myself and I think the photographs below show that they've done it again for 2012.  I love the very Italian look of the dresses - they make me want to pack my bags and go to Rome immediately.

Here's the link to the Tropical Fantasy Collection.  I particularly like the Tropical Jewel Dress (seen on the left above, £70). There are loads of gorgeous pieces and most of the prices aren't too sky-high either, so I might put a few on my wish-list.

Miss Selfridge Nude Tones and Floaty Fabrics

The Miss Selfridge scene showed off an array of beautiful nude-coloured dresses in soft, sheer and floaty fabrics.  It was a very romantic and soft collection.

Miss Selfridge are on to a winner with their Maxi/Mini dresses.  Basically, a mini dress with a sheer maxi-length dress over the top, they give you extra coverage, whilst still showing off your figure.  The nude dress above is a very reasonable £45.

This floral print mini/maxi dress is £50 from Miss Selfrdige.

Channelling Chanel at Jigsaw

One of the standout collections was from Jigsaw.  It was, according to presenter Mark Heyes, the best rip-off of Chanel he'd ever seen - I'll have some of that!  Thinking lady-like fashion, and taking inspiration from First Ladies Michelle and Jackie O, the collection includes work-appropriate tailoring in the pastel spring palette.

The tweed suit (above right) is not cheap with the jacket costing £235 and the skirt £140 ... but it's still A LOT cheaper than Chanel.  The Lemon Merino Cashmir Cardigan on the left costs £135 - pricey, but imagine how it feels!

I love this daffodil trench, and at £185, you can justify it as an investment, not a splurge. I also love this beautiful Easter Print Skirt at £98.

 The beautiful Deco Fan Dress on the left costs £169.

Celebrating the Great Gatsby at Marks and Spencer

One of my favourite stories was the Great Gatsby-inspired, 1920s feel of the Marks and Spencer Collection.  Apparently, this is going to be a strong trend through the summer, and with the release of the Great Gatsby film in autumn, it's likely to continue through the winter as well.

I love the wide-leg trousers on the left.  I think these Seam Waistband Wide Leg Trousers are the ones - at £22.50, they're very wallet friendly and have been added to my wish-list.  I couldn't find the dress on the right online, but it's rather lovely as well.

I love the cut of the dress on the left and I really like the outfit in the middle for workwear as well.  Unfortunately, I can't find either online.

In Conclusion

So, the top trends for spring summer 2012 are:

• Pastel colours and soft tailoring
• Coral coloured jeans
• Purples and pinks with deconstructed stripes
• Lady-like fashion, chanelling Jackio O and Michelle O
• Tropical, Italian prints
• Nude floaty fabrics

So, that's my round-up from Bristol Fashion Week Spring 2012.  I thought bringing in the blogging community was a great idea and it generated a lot of excitement about the show.  Unfortunately, I arrived slightly late, so I didn't have a chance to mingle with the other people before the show and I had to dash off afterwards, so I didn't meet anyone other than Laura.  If the organisers are reading this, thanks so much for inviting the bloggers - it was a great idea.  I've got loads of fashion inspiration from the show, so I'll definitely be having a little shopping trip to pick up some of the clothes shown soon.

I do think that there should be a programme for the show with the outfits and prices set out in it, as it would make it so much easier for shopping afterwards.  When I've been to other fashion shows, such as the one at Harvey Nics, the clothes and pricing was all written out on a programme, so you could make notes or ticks as the models went down the runway.  I think that this would help to generate more sales and interest if the Mall did this as well.

By the way, the saga of my laptop keyeboard continues - I've had to bring  my work computer home to type this... I couldn't face doing it with half a broken keyboard!  I might do this more often so I can actually do some blogging for once!

What are your picks for spring summer?  Thanks for reading! xx

Bristol Fashion Week at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway - Live Blogging Event!

Tomorrow I'll be taking part in the Bristol Fashion Week Live Blogging Event!

The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is holding a number of fashion shows until Sunday 25 March for Bristol Fashion Week.  The tickets are £8.95, and included in the price is a goody bag , and vouchers and offers for shops in the Mall.  You can book tickets here.

But tomorrow, they are also holding a special fashion show on Friday 23 March for bloggers and students!  I’m going, and will be taking part in their live blogging event!

This year The Mall is offering fashion bloggers the chance to attend a special showing of Bristol Fashion Week at 4:30pm on Friday 23^rd March. As well as previewing the hottest Spring/Summer looks from the designer and high street brands available at The Mall, fashion lovers will be encouraged to participate in live blogging during the hour-long show.

Lust after the latest catwalk looks while TV stylist Mark Heyes and celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton entertain with their valuable fashion knowledge and celebrity gossip.

The lucky fashionistas who attend will also be able to sample the delights of an M&S 50’s style champagne tea party, win a designer handbag, courtesy of John Lewis, and indulge in the ‘feel good’ treatments on offer in the BFW Pamper Zone.

I will be live blogging will be via Twitter, using the hashtag #BFW during the show!  I'll do a round up post after the show! 

I've been having technical problems hence the lack of recent posts - most of my laptop keys now no longer work!!!  This post has taken me ages to write using an on-screen keyboard!  I'll borrow my work keyboard at the weekend to post about the show!

Thanks for reading! xx