The Clothes Show is a 5 day event that's filled with fashion, beauty and lifestyle exhibitors, a crazy good fashion show and the opportunity to meet celebrity guests. The exhibitors usually have amazing deals on stock and a lot of the beauty stands have cheap goodie bags filled with products which are worth a lot more than the bag price. I've visited the Clothes Show in the past with University and always enjoyed my day especially the shopping.

This year I applied for a press pass to attend the show and I was lucky enough to be accepted; I was so chuffed and couldn't wait for the show. I wanted to attend the show on opening day which was Friday 2nd December; on previous years I had always attended on the last day of the show so I was interested to see if the show was any different on opening day. Upon arrival I went to collect my press pass which had my name and blog on; I felt very professional, there was a bloggers bar which had light refreshments in, computer access and charging points. I also picked up a show guide whilst in the bloggers area which gave me a run down of the events for the day, all the information needed and there was a free BarryM exclusive Clothes Show nail polish inside too.


Freya the lingerie and swimwear brand was exhibiting in the bloggers bar and was offering free bra fittings and a goodie bag. Freya is dedicated to giving fashionable lingerie that fits comfortably up to a K-cup, they also have swimwear and sportswear. I've never had a bra fitting before, I usually just chose a bra size that feels comfortable so it was interesting to find out what my actual bra size was and to hear that I wasn't far off my correct size. The Freya assistant gave me some information on where my bra should fit and how it should fit. I was able to see some of the new season collection of lingerie and swimwear, I particularly liked some of the floral prints available in the lingerie sets! Thank you to the Freya girls for my informative bra fitting and goodie bag which had a Freya Cami inside in my favourite colour.



I headed straight in to the beauty section to see the Spectrum Collections stand, I was so excited to see the stand and all the stock they had brought with them. I could see the bright pink stand which was lit up fantastically from the entrance, I doubt anyone could miss this stand. Spectrum had brought all there stock except the bombshell bag, there was so much to see and the deals they had on was absolutely amazing! The Spectrum girls spotted my pass and came over to say hello, they could see how excited I was and was telling me a bit of the products because I was looking at the marble brush rolls. It was the new rainbow brush I was very eager to see as they had announced they would have them at the show and the girls gifted me one, which I am so thankful for. This brush is available next year if you wasn't able to pick one up at the show and trust me when I say you need this brush in your collection!




A few days before the show I was contacted by Amber from Betty Collective she told me that they had an interactive bus at the show and asked if I would go check it out. The big yellow bus was hard to miss and there was lots going on including hair braiding, the interactive bus, a selfie mirror and subscription box (Betty Box) sign ups. The website offers advise on growing up and hitting puberty, it helps young girls deal with the changes our bodies go through, your free to ask any questions and get the answers you need. I personally think this is an amazing idea, back when I was a teenager there was nothing like this but I wish there was. The Betty bus is doing a school tour next year which will create a fun, less taboo, comfortable and informative learning experience for students.



Me and my friend had some time before the fashion show which was at 12.30pm so we was able to shop, shop and shop! We stayed in the beauty department having a toot at what stands had goodie bags available and the best deals on first. Nanshy had a £10.00 goodie bag which included 2 contour brushes and the 4 in 1 blending sponge, this was a pretty good deal since some of the contour brushes was priced at £9.00 each. Barry M was showcasing and of course had the usual £10.00 goodie bag filled with colourful makeup treats; this is the first year I haven't actually brought the bag. Models Own also had some great deals on and with every purchase you received a goodie bag, every item was included in the 4 for £10.00 deal so I picked up 4 new nail polishes and the goodie bag came with so many makeup treats. Lee Stafford who is one of my favourite hair product brands had a huge stand, they was doing complimentary hair styling using Lee Stafford tools and had deals on products. The exciting bit however was the goodie bag priced at £20.00 but filled with 10 full sized products worth a whooping £77.00!!! Goodie bags was available every hour and there was a countdown clock on the back of the stand; this stopped the stand getting over crowded and I assume giving the staff time to fill the bags. I went to check out the Popband stand to see what they had on offer, the stand was filled with packs of bands in every colour you can think of; they also had Christmas themed bands available. These are only a selection of hair and beauty stands at the show, there were so many more including smaller less known brands and some big named brands too.





Heading to the fashion and lifestyle part of the exhibitors I spotted Flamingo Candles who I was excited to see but disappointed they only had the wax melt side of the business at the show. All the wax scents was amazing though and there was so many to choose from, you could get 8 melts and a burner for £10.00 at the show which was fantastic!!! There was lots of stands with similar clothing available which is always the case at the Clothes Show, it's all clothing that is on trend at the end of the day. Punkyfish was there again this year but I kind of think I have outgrown the brand, David & Goliath had lots of PJ sets and hoodies with the cute characters and slogans on. I particularly liked the Tu Clothing (Sainbury's) stand although I couldn't actually buy anything on the stand and had to order it, they had set the stand up like a show room with 3 mannequins dressed stylishly in the middle and hung clothing around the sides; this felt like more of a store environment than a stand. Some stands had Christmas items, I spotted some charming little reindeer decorations; there was another stand selling personalised items which I thought would be great for those people you never know what to buy at Christmas. Again this is only a selection of what was available at the show, there were so many stands to be excited about, there was a designer section and boutique area too along with budget brands throughout the show meaning there was something for everyone.




12.30pm soon came around and it was time for the fashion show, since I had a press pass I got a really good seat on one of the front rows facing the front of the stage. The show started with the host introducing the show, dancers, models, musicians and stylists. The first section of the show was from Mark Heyes, he had put together pieces from high street and online stores including BooHoo and Topshop, all the pieces showcased are in stores now which was good to hear. The next section was the exciting part, dancers filled the stage with musicians in the form of a drummer, saxophone player and a couple of singers along with models all choreographed perfectly! The show lasted 45minutes but didn't feel too long or too short, the show was completely full filled with each section taking a new theme. Some of the clothing featured wasn't exactly something you'd wear to the corner shop of even out for the evening but they was gorgeous to look at and admire; as a fashion graduate I was in my element!







The show ended with a whole section dedicated to the shows new home, Liverpool; yes this is the Clothes Show's last event in Birmingham, after 27 years at the NEC it's time for something new. I heard people talking about this at the show and it had mixed views, I personally love the idea. It's so much closer to home for me and I think with an event like this, shaking it up and giving it a fresh lease of life can be a really good move. I'm really looking forward to next years show in Liverpool and with new dates in July too!


I'm sure you all want to know what I bought at the show so I'll give you a haul here, as you know my first stop was Spectrum and I couldn't not buy the black marbleous brush roll for my new brushes I got a few weeks ago, the show price was just £25.00 whereas on the website these are £39.99 so this was a great saving.


The Lee Stafford goodie bag was too good not to purchase and the 10 products inside the bag are all usable for my hair type and will last me ages. Included in my goodie bag was; Spray Wax, Dry Shampoo, Big Texture Spray, Hair Spray, CoCo LoCo Mousse, Argan oil Anti-Frizz Serum Spray, Argan oil Pre-Shampoo Treatment, Frizz Off Shampoo, Fix It Conditioner and Hair Growth Treatment.

I mentioned earlier that I picked up the Models Own goodie bag with the 4 nail polishes I bought, inside the bag was; 2 nail art pens, a lip gloss, eyeliner, shadow stick, 2 mini nail polishes, a makeup bag and an eyeshadow. I was pretty impressed with the extra treats and I love my new shades of polish.



Accessorize was at the show selling bags, scarfs, hats etc, they also had lots of patches, pins and badges. As a show special you could buy a £10.00 tote bag or zip bag and have 3 items put on the bag for free, I chose a karki coloured tote and picked 3 patches to be heat pressed onto the bag. There were lots of patches to choose from but I went with my favourite 2 and a second choice as it matched the other two better; a tattoo heart design, a floral patch and a sequinned swallow. I was given a shopper tote bag when I paid too which had some cute gold earrings in, a can of diet coke, a packet of Propercorn and some vouchers.


By the end of the day me and my friend was tried out, it can be long day especially carrying around all the shopping and with so much going on but it's a really good day out. I had a great experience as this was my first event with a press pass, it was nice to have a front row seat in the fashion theatre and have the blogger bar to pop in and out off for refreshments, computer use and to see the Freya team.

Thank you to the Clothes Show for an excellent day and I look forward to the new Liverpool event in July! If you would like to buy tickets to the British Style Collective show on July 7th, 8th or 9th you can buy them here and for a amazing advance price of just £20.00! I will see you there guys!





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If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat you will know that on Tuesday evening I attended the #VeryDresses event. I was lucky enough to be invited to this first of its kind event from the Very team in Liverpool. This was a brilliant opportunity for us northern bloggers since a lot of these type of events are always in London, I thought it was great that Very decided to plan this event at their northern offices.

If you don't already know who or what Very is then read on... Very.co.uk launched in 2009 with a big idea to make shopping style a little less scary and they like to say "Whatever you do, do it in style" Which to me is a perfect motto as it should be easy enough for us to shop for stylish clothing, shoes, accessories and even home wear and we shall all do it in style! Very makes shopping online fun, easy and accessible with different payment plans available. Very sells everything from dresses to shoes to laptops so it's really easy to find what your looking for, all on just one website. As for fashion Very has it's own brand labels including 'V by Very',  as well as high street brands and designer available to buy online; they work with celebrity brands too. Still want to know more? Head to the Very website  and see for yourself.

Tuesday evening for me started with a train and bus ride into Liverpool and to the Very offices; I was welcomed by a lady at reception and given a pass to wear at the event. I felt very important with a lanyard around my neck which had my name and blogger on it. All of us was taken to another part of the building to the event space where the evening would start.


I was overwhelmed at how good the event space looked, it was like walking into a designer shop with dressed windows, garments hung on the walls, mannequins styled in glamorous outfits and accessories, there was even a Christmas tree and a wonderful selfie backdrop which was supplied by the lovely Prop Me Pretty for the evening. The event was put together by Alex and Renee who can I add did an amazing job! Alex told me the event was the first from the Very offices and hopes that there will be more events in the future if this one is successful; which I hope it was, for me I had a fantastic time!


All the bloggers and guests was welcomed with a glass of prosecco or orange juice and a Very cupcake then we was let loose to look at all the glitz and glam around the room. Walking into the event I spotted the windows first, having some visual merchandising background, windows are something I particularly look at especially when I am shopping. They are important for bringing in customers and trade and grabbing peoples attention. Very had dressed the windows with hanging shoes and bags with a dress in each window too; the hanging items was spaced out well and it was easy to see each item.


In the middle of the room was 5 mannequins dressed like they was ready to party in the festivities, most of which was sporting the sequin trend that is popular this season. Around the room was collections of garments from Very's own brand, high street, celebrity and designer. I instantly picked up on how the garments was placed together, they was grouped in colours which as a shopper made it a lot easier for me to see. This seasons colours are golds, reds, blues and nudes with lots of sequins, sparkle and embellishments; these probably are the perfect trends for the Christmas months. The whole room felt very festive especially with the dressed Christmas tree at one end of the room.

To add to the sparkle of the evening NYX cosmetics was there to show us their glitter makeup ranges, bloggers could have their eyes or lips glittered. Some of the looks coming from the counter was excellent, one girl had a blue glitter lip and another a red; the MUA's was also applying glitter eyeliner to some bloggers. I'm really happy to know that NYX is stocked on Very.co.uk too!


Very had put together this event to showcase the party seasons dresses available on their website; lots of dresses was on display as well as some tops, trousers, and jackets which really gave me the feeling that there was something for everyone. In September at the Curve Fashion Festival, I found out that Very have a curve (plus size) range so I was glad to see a couple of pieces in bigger sizes also showcased on the evening. You can't have a dress without shoes so Very had plenty of shoes on display a lot of them being from designer brand Kurt Geiger, I loved all the glitter heals!


Now we know what colours and fabrics are trending this season and we all know what type of dresses we like to wear; you can shop for them on Very comfortably from your sofa, you can see the full range of Party Dresses here. I've put together some of my favourite photographs, pieces and collections from the event for you to see below...

My favourite dress of the evening was from celebrity Rochelle Humes, this dress caught my eye more than once with it's full front and back embellishments giving the dress an alternative feel which is right up my street. I love the style of the dress, with the collar also being embellished and having a body con fit. This would be my ultimate party dress for this season with some plain black heals and bag and maybe a glitter lip too.


Earlier I mentioned how the garments was placed in colour groups making it easier to put together outfits in my mind. It was good to see the different fabrics in the same colour groups, this shows that there are lots of different styles around with your favourite fabrics. Some fabrics that are popular this season are; heavily embellished (sequin, glitter, chains, beads), lace, pleated and velvet.


The event featured lots and lots of dresses, some hung up within the colour groups, some hung on the walls and some displayed in glass cases but all the dresses was showcased well for us all to see. As well as the Rochelle Humes dress above I fell in love with this gold mermaid style dress however I don't feel the fit would suit me but I've told my friend she should totally buy it.


The selection of shoes on display had just as many glitter vibes as the clothing, with heals, boots and platforms available for us to see, there was glitter material, embellished boots and sliver metallic colours. I'm sure everyone can find a pair of shoes to go with that festive party dress!


Last but not least a bag or purse to pop our NYX makeup in, my favourite bags was hung up in the window display with pom poms, feathers and sequins, Very have really done well with the collection of bags. I will certainly be buying that blue pom pom bag or the multi coloured glitter pouch or both.


I'm going to be honest and say I haven't shopped on Very.co.uk often but after seeing the selection of brands and how well designed Very's own brand is, I will most definitely be checking the Very website when I need a glam outfit or even a festival outfit next summer.

Thank you to Alex for inviting me along to this event, I hope there will be future events, it was a pleasure meeting you and seeing what Very has to offer this festive season.




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As you all know if you read my blog that I'm a massive fan of Urban Decay however the Naked palettes have some what never made it into my collection; I think this is because I love bright and bold shades when it comes to my eyeshadow so the Naked palettes have always felt a little too neutral for me until now.

The newest Naked palette launched last month in September, it's the Naked Ultimate Basics palette which is an all matte palette filled with 12 new Naked shades. The fact that this palette was all matte pulled my interests straight away, all the UD fans have been asking for is a full matte palette so UD have listened and given us the goods.


Lets talk about the case and how amazing the design is; when I first saw the palette I was surprised at the size of it as I expected it to be a lot bigger however with 12 shades inside its actually the perfect size. Instead of a long tin-like case like the previous Naked palettes UD have gone with a new shape being square and added a crazy good design on the lid; the design is fresh and unique but still has the a Naked vibe to it. The lid has a sort of 3D effect with the text raised up on the palette making it dressing table worthy too. The bold and striking design also has a futuristic feel to it which pulls the eyes into the middle of the palette to read the 3D text featured.


Inside the lid is a full size mirror making the palette a great travelling item and of course a mini sized double ended brush is also included to apply those matte shades easily. This brush has bigger bristles on one end to apply those base shades and is great for blending, the other end sports a small smudge-like brush which is super for applying eyeshadow into the crease of your eye and under your waterline. The whole palette comes together so nicely and each shade adds to that 'ultimate' autumnal look we want over the A/W months. The magnetic lid keeps those shades safe and sound inside the secure case that you just won't want to put down.

Each shade is not only new but also exclusive to this palette so you won't find the same shades in any of the other Naked palette; this is a completely brand new palette all together. The shades included in the ultimate basics palette are very appealing to me more so than the other Naked palettes because of the darker shades. Although they are still Naked shades they are highly wearable for a bright coloured eyeshadow lover like myself.

The top row of the palette is slightly lighter in shades than the bottom row, I particularly like these shades for base colours especially 'Blow' and 'Nude' both of these are perfect for starting your makeup looks before layering the darker shades like 'Lethal' over the top. I've used the base shades with some of my bolder UD shadows from other palettes as well; they really are amazing for this, the matte velvety texture leaves a long-lasting sleek look. Of course each shade is highly pigmented and blendable just as you'd expect from UD.


On the bottom row are the darker shades including 'Extra Bitter' which is my favourite shade in the whole palette, this burnt orange shade is absolutely perfect for Autumn. 'Magnet' is a grey shade that had hits of blue in it, this is a second favourite shade of mine. It's a different shade that I've never seen anywhere else before; it feels really new to me. The shadow pans look the same size as in previous Naked palettes, they are a long rectangle shape which is great when putting product on your brush, a couple of sweeps applies enough product onto the brush to apply onto your whole eye lid.


For my first Naked palette I'm very impressed, the matte shades are lovely and easy to work with; I will be wearing this palette throughout the A/W months and well into Spring too. I'm also now thinking I need to buy the Smokey palette and add to my new Naked collection.

The Naked Ultimate Basics Palette is available to buy online and on Urban Decay counters for £38.50. I bought mine from Debenhams and used my Beauty Club card points and got £5 off; I love my points cards for times like this.
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Birchbox this month have joined forces with SkinnyDip London for a exclusive box and I am so excited about it. SkinnyDip is one of my favourite brands, I'm consistently looking and sometimes buying new phone cases and using my Broken Bones purse.

I'm new to Birchbox as October was my first month, I signed up mainly because they had a full size Eyeko liner in the 'Back to Basics' box. I ordered this at the end of October and received it within a few days and shortly after my November Birchbox arrived! Yay!

There was two colour themes on the boxes this month, I had my fingers crossed that I would get the purple one and I did! I'd also upgraded my box to get a SkinnyDip exclusive phone case for just £4.00 extra.


What's in the box...


So Susan - Featherlash Mascara (full size) - RRP £18.00
I have used So Susan products before after buying a goodie bag from them at the Clothes Show a couple of years ago, I like that the brand is cruelty free. This mascara is meant to thicken my lashes for a fuller look and is long lasting. I can't wait to try it out! I'm still using my Benefit Deluxe mini mascara so will be saving this product for when that has ran out.

Lord & Berry - Silhouette Neutral Lip Liner (travel size) - Full size RRP £9.00
I didn't know you could get a translucent lip liner! This is great because it can be used with any colour of lipstick, I know I sometimes struggle to get lip liners to perfectly match my lipstick. I think this will be my go to liner from now on. I would definitely re-buy this product.

Delarom - Creme Acquaconfort (sample size) 15ml - Full size RRP £34.00
I've tested a bit of this product on the back of my hand and it rubs in easily then leaves my skin feeling smooth to touch. This moisturiser smells great, the apricot ingredient really stands out in the scent. This is a decent size sample at 15ml but with the price tag for a full size I probably won't buy this product in the future.

Cowshed - Cow Pat Hand Cream (full size) - RRP £8.00
My hands are very dry all year round but are even worst during the winter months so receiving a hand cream is really 'handy' for me. This size product perfectly fits into my bag so I can take it anywhere. I've used this cream a couple of times since receiving my box and it has started to work well on my hands. However I am not a big fan of the smell, there is coriander in the product which is suppose to help soothe the skin but its the only scent I can smell in the product, if I could smell the grapefruit ingredient more I think I would love this hand cream.

Absolution - La Creme de Teint (sample size) - Full size RRP £35.00
At first this product seemed to be a tinted moisturiser however once blended in, it is translucent meaning this makeup is great for any skin tone. My only negative about this product is that I can feel that I'm wearing it, as with other BB creams or tinted moisturisers I don't feel them on my skin once blended in. This product has a big price tag so I most likely won't be buying this in the future.

My beauty treat ...

English Laundry - Notting Hill Femme de Parfum (sample size) 2ml
I must admit I'm a funny one with perfumes, I tend to stick to scents that all smell similar so because this is very different to my usual perfumes, I'm not fully sure what I think of it. It's quite a strong smell with a woody undertone and I can smell vanilla in it which is good as I like vanilla however with the strength of the product I am a little put off. Its great to be able to try out little samples of perfume to know what you like if your stuck in your ways like I am.

Extras ... 

SkinnyDip London Exclusive Phone Case - RRP £12.00 (£4.00 if upgraded your box)
This is of course my favourite item this month, as I love SkinnyDip and the fact that it is an exclusive, it even says Birchbox on the side. I love the shell design on the case, it goes well with the box design too. SkinnyDip cases are always high quality and come with a screen protector too.


My second box was Birchbox has not disappointed at all, even the products I won't buy in the future will get used up and I enjoy trying out new items. There is also a SkinnyDip discount code in the box which I will be taking full advantage of! I'll be recycling my box and using it as storage and the purple colour matches my bedroom. Overall an excellent box, I can't wait for next months!

If you would like to sign up to Birchbox you can do so by clicking my link here ... https://www.birchbox.co.uk/invite/k9bk2

Did you get this months Birchbox? What did you think?? Let me know in the comments.

TK Maxx is a store I regularly shop in, I love finding a bargain especially if it's a designer bargain. On some of my recent visits to my local TK I've been checking out what makeup products they have in. In the past I've brought makeup brands like W7, Stilla and ModelsOwn.

On this occasional I was lucky enough to find some high end makeup products, BareMinerals are a brand I've been admiring for some time but are a bit out of my price range for a newbie to the brand. I  noticed that TK had some complexion BareMinerals sets in priced between £19.99 and £24.99, these had products that are mini sized so would be great for a newbie to find out what products they liked. TK also had some full sized products including lipsticks, liners and blushers, the lipstick colours wasn't for me and same with the liners as they was mostly all brown but the blushers were a nice pink/peachy colours and a good sized tubs too. The blushers was priced at £6.99 for 0.85g tubs, on the Bareminerals website these are priced at £20.00 each.
I chose the darker shade in the selection they had in TK, this shade is called 'Dusk' I think its a red/peach/orange shade which will be perfect for nights out but perhaps not for everyday wear.

Too Faced is another brand I've never had the opportunely to try so I was chuffed to find a few products in TK, there was only 3-4 products in total. All the items was palettes three being eye-shadow palettes with different summer themes and one a bronze palette again with a summer theme, all priced at £9.99. I chose to buy the bronze palette as I use bronzer on days I don't wear foundation and this palette has three different shades of bronzer for different occasions.  This product is the Too Faced Bonjour Soleil Summer Bronzing Wardrobe and is a limited edition palette which contains some of Too Faced's best bronzers. I have googled the product and there are a couple of stores still selling the palette at over £20.00.