Bristol Fashion and Beauty Round Up - February and March

I haven’t done one of these for a while, but now we’re moving towards spring, there are quite a few things going on in the next 6 weeks, so here’s my essential round-up of dates to put in your diaries. Be warned, this is a mega-post!

Grace Emmerson’s Online Shop

Last summer I reviewed a Dr Hauschka facial from Grace Emmerson – it was fantastic by the way.  Now Grace has recently opened an online shop selling the complete range of Dr Hauschka products as well as men’s grooming products from Speick. 

As well as selling the products, Grace is offering Treatment Reward Points which are redeemable against Dr.Hauschka Treatments, Rejuvenating Facials and Massage.  A £50 spend will result in £6 off a treatment – not bad! 

You can see Grace’s website here and I thoroughly recommend a treatment as well!

An Eye For Fashion – Norman Parkinson Exhibition and Events at the M Shed

If you haven’t yet been to the M Shed yet, I suggest you make your first visit to see the exhibition of Norman Parkinson’s 1950s and 1960s fashion photography that’s running until 15 April.  My friend was lucky enough to get two free tickets for us to go to the opening night party in January, which was fantastic.  Most people dressed up in vintage or vintage homage clothes, the drinks were flowing and there was a 1960s covers band, which really added to the significance of the photography to British fashion heritage. 

'Plain Girl' Jean Shrimpton photographed by Norman Parkinson in 1963

As well as Parkinson’s beautiful vintage fashion photography, there was original 50s and 60s clothing displayed throughout the collection.  What really made this exhibition come alive for me was the information about the clothing and also details of how women in Bristol were dressing contemporarily to the photographs and which shops they bought their clothes from.  It’s a fascinating slice of social history, as well as fashion history.  Another friend of mine who went to the exhibition is in her 60s and she absolutely adored itas well – it took her right back to her youth.  If you, your Mum or Granny was young in the 1950s or 1960s in Bristol, I’m sure that you/she would love this exhibition.  Anyone else who appreciates 50s and 60s style (and who doesn’t) would also find this excellent.  Seriously guys, I can’t recommend this highly enough – just go to it! 

You can see a some of the photographs from the exhibition on the BBC website here. 

Tickets cost £5/£4, although there is free entry on Wed 29 February and Wed 28 March

 

In addition to the exhibition, there are a series of events running in conjunction.  On Saturday 25 February there is Norman Parkinson Gallery Talk with Catherine Littlejohns.  This starts at 11am and is free if you have paid to get into the exhibition.  This tal will discuss 50s and 60 high street fashion in Bristol - I'm so there!

 At 2pm on Saturday 17 March, Angela Williams, Norman Parkinson’s assistant will be giving a talk which offers a personal insight into the Designers of British Fashion portfolio of prints.This is also free if you have paid for the exhibition and will be well worth attending.

On Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 March The M Shed is having a Vintage Weekend.  This will feature the Blind Lemon vintage fair, Magpie Markets (Magpie Markets Sunday only), retro make-overs, 60s music, vintage vehicles, dance, memorabilia and 50s turban making.Dressing up is encouraged! And if you wear vintage style you can have your photo taken by fashion photographer Matilda Temperley (Sat only).

Alternative Miss Bristol

The Cube Cinema is holding an Alternative Miss Bristol night on 24^th March!  They say:

The Cube is proud to launch the Alternative Miss Bristol as part of March’s Fabulous Fortnight (featuring the Cabaret, harbinger of charm)

Shamelessly aping Andrew Logan’s Alternative Miss World, this event is about transformation, not beauty.

Contestants are invited from all and sundry to bedeck themselves in fantastical finery to best represent the area of Bristol they feel most connection with- be this a fashmina and oversized Gaga glasses for Miss Clifton or tiffin shaped earrings and graffiti-ed mega costume for Miss Montpelier...

The stage is yours for an evening of glitter, glue guns and glamour, queer beer and straight shooters, featuring our usual blend of film, music and general bloody brilliant party fun.

Participate ! get involved! email the House of Cube Mama eva@cubecinema.com !

See Paris is Burning and The British Guide to Showing Off and Bristol centre on a Friday/Saturday night on acid for funspiration!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjgS2tpyxvU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iSEnW88cPI

£4 advance /£6 on the door 

Lauren who volunteers at The Cube contacted me to ask if I knew of any Bristol fashion bloggers who wanted to cover the event.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it myself, although it sounds like loads of fun, but contact Lauren if you’d like to get involved!  Her email address is laurengurteen@hotmail.com and she says you may be able to get £1 off the entrance as well!

Bristol Fashion Week at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway

The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is holding a number of fashion shows between Wednesday 21 and Sunday 25 March for Bristol Fashion Week.  The tickets are £8.95, and included in the price is a goody bag (last time I went, this was a very good goody bag), and vouchers and offers for shops in the Mall.  You can book tickets here.

However, they are also holding a special fashion show on Friday 23 March for bloggers and students!  I’m going, and you can go too.  They say:

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.

The first 200 tickets will be given away free of charge. Bloggers and students with a passion for fashion will need to apply to bristolfashionweek@mallcribbs.com before Saturday 10^th March and include a link to their blog or for students, a scan or image of their student ID card, for the chance to enjoy the essential fashion edit of the new season trends and colours.

The deadline for applications is Saturday 10^th March 2012 and if you miss out on the free ones, you can still attend if you’re happy to pay for a ticket.  The live blogging will be via Twitter (let’s hope my not-so-smart phone behaves itself for the occasion).  The hashtag #BFW will let you join in the fashion conversation!

I’m not sure if anything is going on this week in Cabot Circus, as there’s nothing on their website.  I’ll update this if I spot anything.  Personally, I prefer The Mall for fashion shows anyway as you can sit down, park for free, avoid queues on the M32 and it’s indoors with better acoustics... that’s just me though!

Harvey Nichols

Harvey Nichols are also holding a spring summer fashion show and party.  This will be on March 21 and will take place in store.  The theme will be Gatsby’s Speak Easy and will feature complimentary drinks and trend presentations.  Tickets cost £10 and are available from here.

This sounds like more of a shopping evening than a fashion show, but at £10, it’s not too expensive and with complimentary drinks as well, it sounds fun! 

Contact me if you know of any other events, promotions, special offers etc going on in Bristol in February and March (or later on in the year) and I'll add them to the list!  Are planning on going to any of these events?

Thanks for reading! xx

Bristol Fashion and Beauty Round Up - October

It's time for my monthly round up of what's happening in the beauty and fashion world in the south west over the forthcoming month.  After a bumper month in September, it's slightly quieter in October.

Makeup Lessons from Grace Emmerson

Expert facialist Grace Emmerson (who I reviewed here) has teamed up with makeup artist Nina Norman to offer individual makeup lessons next Sunday 9th October.  The lessons are individual and cost a very reasonable £30 for 45 minutes, which includes a goodie bag of products.  In case you can't  make next weekend, lessons are also taking place in November and December as well.  See Grace's website for further details and bookings.

Laser Teeth Whitening

Laser teeth whitening company Bright White Smiles, who have been long established in Bath, have recently opened a new clinic in Bristol offering teeth whitening treatments with special offers for their opening.  They are offering special deals for couples and a 12 month teeth whitening plan.

Vintage in the Park

If you're planning a wedding and after a vintage theme, you may want to visit the Vintage in the Park Wedding Fayre just outside Bristol at Old Down Country Manor in Tockington on Sunday 16th October.  The event will feature vintage and vintage inspired exhibitors - sounds like a great idea for inspiration. 

Harvey Nichols Discounts for Students

Possibly slightly beyond the average student's budget, but a very welcome for fashion concious students, Harvey Nichols is offering 10% off selected departments to NUS holders.  You will have to sign up in store to get discount off fashion and accessories, as well as the second floor bar!  This is valid until 24th December.

Midcentury Show - Bristol Paintworks

Ok, this is not at all fashion or beauty related, but next week, 9th October, the Midcentury Show will be taking place at the Paintworks in Bristol.  This is the best and most stylish vintage furniture and interiors show I have ever been to - I got my dressing table from the show last year.  Tickets cost £5 on the door or £4 in advance and it is well worth a visit if you are interested in stylish, retro furniture and design.  I did spot some jewellery there last year as well, so you might find some vintage pieces!

So that's it for October.  Not a huge amount of beauty events going on, but do let me know if I've missed any out or if you have any coming up in November!

Wedding Outfit 2 - Ideas and Styling - Please Help Me!

If you regularly follow my blog, you will know I'm going to 4 weddings this year!  2 down so far, only 2 more to go!  One coming up is my sister's wedding, so I want to get the styling right, as the photos are likely to be sat on my Mum's shelf for years to come...

I've bought a dress from Phase 8 and it was very expensive.  I do like it, but I'm not 100% sure about it.  I might need to try it on again, or carry on looking to see if I find a dress I like better.

Anyway I've had an attempt at styling the dress - really only to get ideas for jewellery that would match, as well as shoes, accesories and makeup colours etc.  If anyone had any other suggestions as to what would work with this dress, please help me!!!  I find styling outfits, especially formal outfits soo difficult!  I'm relying on you ladies to work your magic...

Dress - Phase 8
Shoes - Nine West
Jewellery - Dorothy Perkins, Next, Warehouse
Scarf - Vintage (my Granny's)
Nail Polish - OPI
Eyeshadows - Accessorize and Mac
Eye pencils - Eyeko and Avon
Hair Feathers - Independent shop
Cat - blogger's own

Thanks ladies - all your help is much appreciated! xx

Vintage and Chanel Birthday Goodies and FOTD

I just thought I'd post about a few things I got for my birthday today, as I'm thrilled with them!

Kicking off the French theme, the first is a piece of 1920s antique jewellery that my friend found for me in an antique market in France.  She knows me so well, as I absolutely love it!  It's a very long beaded piece, with knots in it and tassels.  It's basically a cross between a long necklace and a scarf - I love necklaces and scarves, so it's perfect for me!  It's so beautiful! Scroll down for a picture of me wearing it

Secondly I got some Chanel makeup from my boyfriend ooh la la!  Naturally, I sent him the website links and even told him that Boots would deliver it to our neighbourhood shop!  I asked him for Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow in Murano and Le Vernis Nail Colour in Black Pearl.  Here are the pictures and swatches...

I must apologise for my FOTD post - I don't look at my best and my hair decided to go 'rock-chick'!

Here's the makeup I used:

Mac Studio Fix Concealer
Lancome Teinte Miracle Foundation
Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
Nars Blusher in Deep Throat
UDPP
Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow in Murano - pink all over the lid, the darker silver at the outer corners and the crease, the darkish green in the outer v and the pale blueish green as a highlight.
Mac Smoulder
Lancome Hypnose Mascara
Nars Carthage Matte Lipstick, mostly wiped off with lipbalm applied on top

I picked up the pink swirly top from Next last week for £18.  I really love all the prints that are around at the moment! It works well with my antique French scarf/necklace non?

I can't wait to play around more with this palette and the nail polish!

Thanks for reading!  xx

Vintage Liberty Print Silk Scarf

Hi everyone.  Today I went to a vintage/antique/flea market, as I love to have a good poke around for vintage items, usually for my home.  The market was very quiet, so my friend and I got chatting to a stallholder who had a great selection of vintage and antique designer fabrics and clothes.  She had a great selection of vintage silk scarves - I'm always drawn to scarves of all types - they're a staple of my wardrobe.   I spotted this beautiful silk scarf from Liberty and snapped it up for £15.  The stallholder also had beautiful scarves from Hermes and Oscar De La Renta (as well as a "tasteful" Versace number), but I couldn't stretch to buying those as well, although they were all similarly priced.  The Liberty print scarf has a very distinctive pattern and a beautiful colour combination - I can see myself wearing it lots and lots for years to come.

I have quite a large collection of vintage silk scarves myself, most of which I inherited from my Granny - if anyone is at all interested, I will do a post showing my silk scarf collection.  I think scarves are a great investment for a designer splurge or a pricier vintage item.  You won't grow out of them, they add a distinctive signature to your style, and, if they're a classic design, you can keep them forever (as long as you protect them from moths!)  I know that I wear scarves now that my Granny owned 50 or 60 years ago!  Still, I can't quite justify the £300 Alexander McQueen scarf I have my eye on - I might have to save up for a slightly cheaper A McQ design, but I can still lust after it!

Thanks for reading! xx

My Current Makeup Storeage and My New Dressing Table

Happy Monday Morning everyone.  I'm so thankful to have a week off this week, so rather than venture out into the cold first thing, I'm still tucked up in bed!  Anyway, yesterday my boyfriend and I went to the MidCentury Show at the Paintworks in Bristol.  It was basically a market in their event space for dealers and shops specialising in 1940s-1970s furniture.  We both love this style of furniture, and there were some excellent items, fabrics, ceramics, art and even some jewellery.  Some of the things I remember my parents having when I was a child - it's a shame most of it went in a skip, when the dealers were charging mega bucks yesterday!

When we moved into our flat from our previously rented house, we only had a few bits of decent furniture, so other than these choice items, we furnished the flat from scratch from Ikea.  This was mainly because we had little money and needed to get it done quickly.  However, after seeing so many lovely and well made items yesterday, I'm itching to give the whole flat a makeover - or even better, to move to a little house and furnish it from scratch.  Especially as using second hand items would avoid our flat looking like every other flat in the world!  I once saw an episode of Relocation, where a couple's living room in Poland had EXACTLY the same furniture AND accessories as ours.  I want to be a bit more individual.

Anyway, after my ramble, this  post is about something that I did buy yesterday, a dressing table.  I've never owned a dressing table before - I store my makeup in a bag in the bathroom with overspill boxes under my bed, and do my makeup standing up in the bathroom or in the kitchen.  In previous houses I've used a mantlepiece, a trolley, a desk and the floor to store my makeup, so it was about time I got this sorted, especially as it no longer fits into a small makeup bag.

Shamefully, this is how I currently store my makeup - in a bulging bag, and with other, dusty boxes filled with stuff. It's hidden away, but it's such a mess - I hate it!  I'm quite an organised person really, so I like everything to be really neat. I know that I don't have a huge makeup collection, but it's ever growing and it's far too big to continue to store it this way.

Enter my new dressing table, vintage from the 1960s.  It's small, but I think it's perfectly formed.  It is a delicate looking table, but is also quite sturdy.  There's a flip-up mirror (that needs a bit of a clean), with compartments for makeup underneath, a drawer to the side and a flip-down cupboard area.  Although it is small, it's actually quite spaceous and will easily fit my makeup, as well as nail polishes and perfumes.  It will also stop me buying too much more, as I really want to fit all my makeup into the dresser.

Yes, that's me in my dressing gown, and one of my cats your can see

I've had this lining paper for ages - yay, I can use it finally!

I'm really looking forward to sorting out all my makeup into it later today, and will do a post on how it looks like!

I have a vintage stool that I thought might look good with the dressing table, but unfortunately it's too big and won't fit underneath it, so I'm going to be on the lookout for a new stool over the next few weeks.  I also need a lamp, as the lighting is not good where it is located.  Unfortunately, this was the only place it would fit, and involved us rearranging the furniture in two rooms to fit it in.  There is a problem, which is the nearest plug socket is 10m from the table.  Once I've found my perfect lamp, I'm going to have to run a long cable behind cupboards and wardrobes to get power to the table.

This was quite an expensive piece of furniture - I think only my sofas and the bed cost more than it. It was £250 after haggling, and as I'm rubbish at haggling, I reckon I could've got it for £200 if I'd tried a bit harder. I'm loath to part with lots of money on one item, but I completely fell in love with it.  I did go away for a coffee, discuss it with my boyfriend and weigh up whether I could afford it and where it would go before buying it, so it's not so much an impulse purchase.  We also decided that he would give me some money towards it as part of my Christmas  present, which makes it much more affordable.

What do you think?  I know it's probably not to everyone's tastes, but for me, I love that it's individual and different, and extremely functional.  I'm going to feel like Joan Holloway when I apply my makeup!

Thanks for reading