A Sneak Inside Whiteleys Pop Up Stores Launch Party

Thursday night saw the launch party of the Whiteleys Pop Up stores and I was lucky enough to receive an invite from the lovely Carina at Self Service. It was definitely quite the fash bash and the pop up shops involved included Junk Food Clothing, The POP Store, The Bower of Bliss Store and FrostFrench - all of which are selling amazingly cool and quirky pieces by gorgeous brands such as Wildfox and Disney Couture.

A whole host of celebs were of course, in attendance. Jemima French and Sadie Frost both looked smouldering in their boudoir-esque setting, keen to talk about their latest FrostFrench collections and proving incredibly popular with the press. Other celebs we spied included Jameela Jamil of T4 fame as well as new T4 presenter Nick Grimshaw who was sporting a very impressive quiff. Singer Eliza Doolittle also rocked up in some cute short dungarees and Kelly Osbourne (pictured below) was perhaps the most talked about celebrity with her new slender figure and glamorous ensemble comprising of a classic white shirt, black leggings and a chic black shoulder-padded jacket. She also accessorised her new look with model boyfriend Luke Worrell.



Alice Dellal provided musical entertainment with her new band Thrush Metal which I have to admit was a little too shouty for my liking and the old man masks and suits freaked us all out a little, but she was certainly entertaining!

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, not only because of the great Pop Up stores but also the fab company including Alice from Shop Pulse, Emily from My Fashion Life and of course Carina from Self Service. The miniature champagne bottles were in full flow and the Tequila bar concocting all manner of Tequila cocktails also proved a popular stop-point in between admiring the clothes and indulging in a spot of celeb spying on the red carpet.




The Pop Up shops are definitely worth a look if you’re in West London as not only are the shops filled with some wonderfully unique and impressive pieces but the layout and fine attention to decor detail also makes the experience far more than simply browsing clothes and jewellery. The Disney Couture store has a wide array of stunning jewellery designs including a selection of amazing Tom Binns necklaces presented in circular domes against a forest inspired backdrop. There were also some super cute pet accessories including dog bowls and leads! The Junk Food and Wildfox tees are definitely sure to grab your attention with typically divine styles. Shopping heaven!

Thank you again to Self Service for the invite.

Whiteleys is located at 144 Queensway, W2 6LY if you want to pop along.

Rave Review: Revlon 'Minted'

I've limited myself to a pretty strict (well, more sensible) budget in recent months due to the nature of freelancing and moving house and have found that when I crave some fashion love, I just pop to Superdrug and buy some nail polish. Isn't it just the best creation to instantly and cheaply update your look? (Or, maybe I'm just sad..)

Yesterday, I was looking at the new Revlon shades and the 'Minted' shade caught my eye. Of course it did. It's a blatent copy of the Chanel Jade nail polish. I have also tried the Barry M Mint Green version but this just didn't quite do it for me. The shade is a little too what I would describe as 'alien green' but the Revlon polish is bang on the money for me. The application is smooth (I really like the long brush) and with two coats you get a lovely even finish with strong colour which is a gorgeous...well, mint green and is a little lighter that the Barry M version.

For around £7, this definitely satisfied my fash craving and comes highly recommended by moi.

Go Swapping Not Shopping with Skinny Cow!

This weekend, I was invited to attend and participate in the Skinny Cow celebrity Swap Shop in London. Now, I have never been to one of these swap shop (or swishing) events before but after hearing that a Mulberry bag may be up for swapping grabs I was indeed pretty excited but perhaps a little concerned that my cheaper offerings were either going to get turned away or sadly left hanging on the rails.

I arrived and was taken into a separate lounge with a few fellow bloggers and competition winners who won tickets to the event via the Facebook competition. What better way to start a rainy grey Saturday than by being served with a Skinny Cow Hot Chocolate and able to share a good ol' natter with everyone!



We were then shown into the swapping room to get a preview of all the clothes available. Kelly Brook was hosting the event and I have to say – wow, this girl is absolutely stunning - serious envy! Other celebs who had contributed their threads included Sarah Harding and Holly Willoughby so we were all eager to have a good poke around. The room was also nicely decked out with cute Skinny Cow themed boudoir style decor which was a nice touch.

Everyone was then let in and luckily there were no handbag fights or shoes thrown at one another (think of Confessions of a Shopaholic sample sale scene). It was busy but friendly and though it was a challenge to find pieces that you wanted, it wasn’t too tricky to seek out some gems. I am so happy with my finds; a Ringspun military inspired jacket, statement choker necklace and a pink and black Siren stripy cardigan with gorgeous embellished detailing on the back. There was some seriously good clobber (designer and high street) and I am pleased to say that I know at least one of my contributions go to a very good home.



What I found I loved about swapping/swishing is that it really brings home the excitement of finding the perfect item – and even better, at no cost! It is also really exhilarating to see how something that has been gathering dust in your wardrobe is going to breathe new life on someone who it will look fabulous on.

The whole aim of the Skinny Cow Swap Shop is to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The event was a huge success and everyone seemed thrilled with their finds so it’s also nice to know that our passion for fashion has also helped an incredibly worthy cause.

I will most definitely be swishing again! You can check out the video detailing the event and presented by Kelly Brook here.

Keeping it Real with Hypeed

I am a huge fan of real fashion (see this post) and a few weeks ago I stumbled across a new website/magazine which explores and defines everything I love about the concept of 'real fashion'.

Based in Paris, Hypeed is an online website and magazine whereby all the features are created and inspired by everyday people, taking snaps of themselves sporting the latest trends and of course, their own unique outfit creations. For example, a current feature is 'The Clutch Bag Trend' and readers can upload their pictures of themselves rocking their clutch bags which not only encourages a community style form of interaction but readers can also use the pictures as inspiration for their own looks.

The online community determines which contributions will be selected for the finished magazine feature (which also includes nice bite-sized editorial sections detailing the specific look or trend and some info on the selected contributions) via a scoring process. All contributions begin with an equal chance of being included in the final feature and Hypeed take into consideration both the quality of the images and the scoring to decide which contribution will be selected as the main cover and also how many contributions to include within the whole feature. This encourages people to take pride in their shots and looks and of course, be creative.

Hypeed never hires in professional models or photographers and relies solely on photo contributions to generate its content. Your points can also turn into rewards which is another little added incentive!

What Hypeed wholly embodies is the concept of real fashion by real people and there isn't a glimpse of a catwalk show in sight. Of course, designer fashion plays an incredibly valuable, vital and prominent role in the fashion industry and is what ultimately inspires and defines high street fashion, but it's also nice to see how the high street and unknown brands can be given some unique exposure.

Great style doesn't have to come with a whopping price tag, ya know!

Be sure to go and check out Hypeed (launched in Public Beta).

Image of Rainbows&Fairydust (whose fab blog you can visit here) courtesy of Hypeed

Rochas Collection PFW - Channelling the 60's

Catching up on the shows from Paris Fashion Week, the one which has definitely caught my eye is the Rochas collection. Wonderfully 1960's inspired with big bouffant hair, smokey eyes and nude lips the collection is glamorous and chic but not too overly cutesy.

The movie ‘Cactus Flower’ from 1969 and starring Goldie Hawn was the inspiration for Marco Zaninin’s third collection for Rochas and though the 60's theme is certainly the foundation of the collection, it still manages to remain unique and vivid comprising of lime greens, blues, lemons and peaches as well as pretty pink, brown and beige colour combinations in a variety of exciting materials and textures - all the pieces are very wearable and fun with ruffled collars and sleeves, animal print, cropped trousers and shift dresses.

I am a huge fan of the 60's so this look is definitely on my radar.

Image courtesy of www.teampeterstigter.com

Get Clogged

Ever since Alexa Chung was seen sporting a pair of Chanel clogs at the Chanel Couture 2010 show in Paris, they have unsurprisingly been deemed the shoe of the season. Whilst they look like they could be a little heavy for smaller pins, I have to admit they definitely add depth and a certain something teamed with a feminine nude dress and tights heading into spring.

Whilst we can't all swan about wearing Chanel, I found via my new online addiction Shop Pulse, an amazing and non budget breaking pair of studded clog mules from River Island for £44.99 in pretty beige tone with stud detailing and a buckle over the top.

I reckon these would also look amazing with a cropped pair of boyfriend style jeans.

Well, give me some plaits and just call me Helga!

Image courtesy of www.look.co.uk

Jumping on the Barry M Bandwagon

It really does got to show the power beauty bloggers have. I have to admit, I'm a cosmetic marketer's dream when it comes to pretty packaging and such like, but when some of my fave beauty gurus recommend a product, I find I'm much more inclined to dash out and buy it than if it was suggested in a high profile magazine.

I digress. So, Barry M - I'm not a complete stranger to the brand but I have never exactly been bowled over by the make-up products - nail varnish, hell yes, but the lip glosses have always seemed a little OTT for my liking and my skin tone. However, I've continually noticed that people have been raving about the 129 Barry M lip paint 'Palest Lavender' which is a pretty lilac tone that I've never even considered trying having always been a little boring when it comes to experimenting with lip colour. I have to say I love this; the colour is great for spring (though will be better with a tan - wishful thinking Laura) and the formula is creamy and non-drying. At around £4.29 it has been a worthwhile addition to my collection and something a bit different.

Image courtesy of Barry M website

America's Next Top Model Online Challenge 7 - Make-Up With a Twist!

So this week, the America's Next Top Model seventh online challenge is perfect if you like to get creative with make-up! In this week’s episode we see the models star in a cosmetics commercial and to keep the theme related, for this challenge you have to send in a head shot demonstrating your best make up artistry.

However, there is a slight twist which will really test your skills as to assess the transformation, the judges want to see a before and after shot in the same picture. You need to submit a photo whereby one side of your face is completely natural and without makeup and the other side is fully made-up - be as daring, creative, colourful and trend inspired as you wish.

Take a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Bd12r8muk to get some inspiration and insider tips from one of ASOS’s makeup artists.

Expert judges from LIVING and ASOS including Zeba Lowe – the head of styling for ASOS magazine, will choose a winner each week who will get their lucky paws on £100 worth of ASOS vouchers. Winners will also be broadcast at the end of each episode of ANTM on LIVING.

All you need to do to enter your pics is go to www.antmchallenge.com. This week's challenge closes at midnight on Wednesday 3rd March.

Don't forget to tune into the ANTM Season 13 drama, tears and glamour on Monday at 9PM on LIVING to see from the girls remaining, which model will be the next to go!