Style Sequel and Art Against Knives Fantasy Fashion Auction

One of my favourite websites is designer re-sale website 'Style Sequel', which is always full of fashion temptation. However, on 1st December, I will be able to browse a number of the listings completely guilt-free. 'Style Sequel' will be listing a number of one-off fashion collectibles produced by some of the biggest names in British fashion. All proceeds from the sale of the items will be donated to 'Art Against Knives', a charity working to reduce the root causes of knife crime through youth-led arts initiatives. Designers donating items include Christopher Kane, Phillip Treacy, Giles Deacon and Nicholas Kirkwood, to name just a few.

'Art Against Knives' aims to provide a positive alternative to violent gang culture. The charity was born from the 2008 unprovoked stabbing of Oliver Hemsley, a 21-year-old Central Saint Martins student, who was left in a wheelchair.The charity believes that a wide-ranging approach that coordinates resources and expertise among all grass-root and youth-led organisations and local businesses is the most effective way to tackle the root causes of knife crime. Therefore, most projects involve working alongside other youth providers and businesses in a way that efficiently utilises joint resources and maximises the possible outcomes and benefits for young people. It is great to see that the organisation's initiatives are being led by the very young people that they are designed to help

The listings will begin at 10am on 1st December, and will run for 10 days.

ASOS launches on Quidco

Just a quick post to give you the heads up on the fact that ASOS has now launched on Quidco. If you haven't come across it before, Quidco is a really useful site which gives you cash back on your online purchases. You can also add to your earnings by checking in to high-street stores on your smartphone. For me it is a no-brainer. If I am going to buy an item anyway, then it makes perfect sense to make my purchase via Quidco and get some of the cash back, which I can then put towards future purchases and savings. You don't get the cash back straight away, but once the transaction has been confirmed by the retailer, the money is paid straight into your bank account.

If you purchase via Quidco, you get 3% cashback on your purchases at ASOS, which might not sound like a lot, but it all adds up! I know quite a few people who save their Quidco earnings up and then treat themselves to something they might not otherwise have purchased.   It may be the season for giving to others, but it can't hurt if you get to treat yourself for free at the same time can it? 

EMU Australia Christmas Pop-Up Shop

The temperatures have definitely dropped this week, so what could be more perfect than putting on a pair of sheepskin boots or a cosy merino knit from  EMU Australia to keep the cold at bay. Thankfully, the hype around sheepskin boots from a few years ago has now died down, however that doesn't mean that they aren't still a great buy for keeping warm as the air outside gets cold. But of course a girl still wants to look stylish, which is where EMU Australia can help you out, with its wide range of styles and colours.

To make finding the perfect pair of boots for you even easier, EMU Australia have opened up a pop up shop in the heart of central London, just in time for Christmas. As well as the footwear for which EMU is probably best known, the shop will also stock a range of the brand's sheepskin and merino apparel.

The shop, which is open 6 days a week (Mon-Sat, 10am - 6pm), is at 47 Lambs Conduit Street. If you register with EMU Australia then they will keep you informed of the latest offers and events at the shop, which is open until 22nd December.

Here are some of my favourite items from EMU Australia

Stinger Hi boot, £195, EMU Australia

Nora Creina Pullover, £160, EMU Australia

Jolie Slippers, £60, EMU Australia

Mt Sabine snude, £65, EMU Australia

John Lewis Winter Wonderland

I thought that I would share some more photos from the John Lewis Christmas event, as I loved how they had done out the venue. I could quite happily have moved in, and cwtched up on the sofa with a cashmere blanket and watched some festive favourite films on the widescreen TV.

I loved the 'Pick 'n' Mix' table where we got to choose from a selection of sweet treats, decorations and tea-lights.

This was my favourite of the Christmas decoration looks on display - classic Christmas with a luxurious twist to it.

  I loved this felt Robin, below, which was hiding beneath one of the tables. They would be perfect for hiding around the house for a treasure hunt!  

 

John Lewis Christmas: Fashion and Beauty

Last week I went to the John Lewis press event which was held in the intimate surroundings of Soda Bar's 'The Attic' Members Bar. Walking into the venue was like walking into my idea of a perfect Christmas: beautiful dresses; 'snow' beneath my feet; trees laden with decorations, and a sofa covered in cashmere blankets to cwtch up in front of the fireplace! Oh and not to mention more Nars makeup than I could shake a stick (or should that be candy cane?) at. One look at the dresses and accessories on display, and I made a mental note to arrange more Christmas nights out in order to be able to justify purchasing one of the beautiful dresses! Here are some of my favourite pieces from the fashion and beauty selection:

This was one of my favourite outfits. Santa if you are listening, this faux fur gilet has got my name all over it!

There were quite a few faux fur pieces on display. I own a number of faux fur jackets, but I can never resist trying on another! I love how they can add a touch of glamour to a look, and can give a completely different look to an outfit.

As I am a magpie with an eye for all things glittery, my eye was drawn to these shoes straight away. And the faux fur wrap would be just perfect for keeping out the winter chill in style.

The 'Andy Warhol' collection from Nars, below, ticks A LOT of my beauty boxes! I love how the brand is offering something a little bit different to the usual Christmas collections being put out by other brands. There are more than a few of these items on my Christmas wishlist!  

Bargain Essie nail polishes at TK Maxx

Never one to be able to resist a red nail polish, I grabbed this 'Essie' shade as soon as I saw that it was available in my local TK Maxx store for the bargainous price of £7 for 3 bottles of nail polish! When you consider that 'Essie' polishes retail for £9.95 each, I think that you will agree that this was too good a bargain to leave behind on the shelf. The only drawback is that the shade of the polish isn't named on the bottle, but given the great price, I am sure that I can cope with that. The polish applied really easily and lasted really well. I will definitely be trying other 'Essie' polishes. Have you got any particular 'Essie' shades that you would recommend?

ACHICA: NEOM Organics candles and home fragrance sale

Now that Winter is here, I love coming home and lighting a beautiful scented candle to fragrance my home, and in my opinion, those from NEOM Organics are amongst the best. Therefore I was very pleased to discover a wide range of NEOM products at up to 51% off on ACHICA . NEOM uses 100% vegetable wax to create its candles, so when burning there is no black soot or toxins. Fans of the brand include Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow, not to mention a host of beauty editors. As well as the divine scented candles, the promotion also includes reed diffusers and body-care products. NEOM products make beautiful gifts, or why not just treat yourself! The promotion finishes at 6.30am on Thursday 15th November, so you will have to be quick!

Real Luxury Home Fragrance set, £55 instead of £90.50

Rebalance 3 Wick Candle, £29 instead of £39.50

Free £20 Dune gift card with Elle

I don't need an excuse to pick up the latest copy of 'Elle' magazine, but if I did, then I think a free Dune £20 gift card might just be the perfect incentive! The December issue (with Cameron Diaz on the cover) comes with a gift card which gives you £20 off any pair of full-price boots when you shop instore. All you will need to do is to register your gift card on the Elle website to activate it before use. As I subscribe to the magazine anyway, this was a great added bonus for me when I opened up the latest issue when it landed on my doormat.

Here are some of the boots at Dune at the moment.

Jamming D wellington boot, £55 - similar to my Jimmy Choo for Hunter boots

Jennet D, £64

Gala, £50

Jambo D, £41.00

Harper's (Bargain) Bazaar - save £26.40 on a subscription

If like me you are an avid reader of every style glossy magazine on the news-stand, then this fantastic offer might be of interest to you and your wallet. Until the 14th November you can save £26.40 (52 % discount) on a 12 month subscription to Harper's Bazaar. Or alternatively you can purchase a 12 month subscription to Esquire for the man in your life - the perfect Christmas gift. If this sounds like your kind of thing, then be quick, as it ends on Wednesday!

Origins VitaZing Moisturiser

When it comes to my daily make-up routine, I tend to opt for a full coverage base, as I have blemish-prone skin, with uneven skin tone. I am currently using Estee Lauder DoubleWear, which is a Holy Grail product for many a beauty blogger. However, on my recent trip to Italy, I thought that a full face of make-up was slightly OTT for everyday wear, but still felt that my skin needed a bit of a helping hand. Step forward, Origins VitaZing .

I am generally not a massive fan of tinted moisturisers, as I never feel that they give enough coverage for me. However, VitaZing has definitely secured a place on my ‘go-to’ list of products. When you apply this product to your skin, it looks like a normal moisturiser, but as you blend it, you can see the tint appear, to match your skin tone. I have absolutely no idea about how it does it, but frankly I don’t care! With this my skin felt soft and looked even and radiant. It also contains a SPF of 15, which ticks another box on the ‘multi-tasking product’ checklist. If I have any particular blemishes or extra dark circles under my eyes then I use a little bit of concealer in those areas.

I can confirm that this product is also fantastic for those ‘morning after the night before’ moments when you might be looking less than radiant!  A friend recently asked me if I could recommend a product to give her skin a boost before she embarks on the daily school run, and this was the first product that I thought of.

I bought mine as part of a 'Brightening' gift set in the Summer, but you can purchase it by itself for £27. However, at the moment Origins have some fantastic gift sets, which bring together some of their best-selling products, e.g. the 'Morning to Midnight' skincare set, which contains the following products: High-Potency Night-A-Mins™ Mineral-Enriched Cream (50ml); Drink Up™ Intensive Mask (50ml); VitaZing™ SPF15 (50ml) and GinZing™ Eye Cream (15ml), all for £39 (3 extra products for an extra £12!).

Free Ojon shampoo and conditioner - worth £41.50

Just a quick post to let you know about a fantastic chance to get £41.50 of shampoo and conditioner for free! All you have to do to claim this fantastic freebie is to take an empty bottle of shampoo and conditioner into your nearest Ojon stockist (John Lewis; House of Fraser and selected branches of Boots) tomorrow - 8th November. Once there, your empty bottles will be swapped for full size bottles of Ojon's Damage Reverse shampoo (worth £20) and conditioner (worth £21.50). But be quick, stocks are limited!

OPI Bastille My Heart nail polish

As the nights draw in and the temperature drops I tend to start wearing darker nail colours as opposed to the eye-catching bright shades from Summer. Perhaps not surprising given that one of my first nail polish must-buys was Chanels's Rouge Noir. I came across this polish after I commented on one of the lovely A Girl, A Style 's Instagram photos, asking where her nail polish was from. Although she had a Shellac manicure in the photos she told me that she also loved OPI Bastille My Heart which was a similar shade.

I need  no encouragement to add more nail polishes to my collection, and snapped mine up from the London Perfume Company for £7.99, saving £3.00 on the usual RRP of OPI polishes. You can also purchase OPI polishes at Beauty Bay and Look Fantastic . 

I took the photo below to show that in certain lights the polish can look more red than burgundy, but as red nail polishes are a staple part of my beauty must-haves, I am more than happy with that!

Vivienne Westwood launch in Cardiff

Last month saw the opening of a Vivienne Westwood flagship store in Cardiff’s St David’s centre. The opening had been hotly anticipated ever since details were announced back in August, as it is the first time that Cardiff fashionistas have been able to purchase all of her collections in the city.

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the official launch party. This was my first opportunity to see the store, which stocks the full range of Gold, Red & MAN Label, Anglomania, Anglomania + Lee jeans, Red Carpet eveningwear dresses, and all accessories including shoes and bags.  

The Vivienne Westwood 'golden ticket'!

As soon as I walked up the red carpet (not a phrase I get to use regularly!), my eye was caught by Vivienne Westwood's neon pink signature on the back wall of the shop. It was great to see all of Vivienne Westwood's collections up close, and especially the ones being modelled by the live mannequins dotted about the store. 

As well as an opportunity to admire some seriously fabulous fashion, it was also great to catch up with my fellow Cardiff bloggers - Gemma, Emily, Chantele and Mia. We all enjoyed compiling our (in my case, very long!) wish lists over a glass or two of champagne.  

The lovely Emily from 'Sugar and Spice' blog, wearing a particularly fabulous pair of earrings!

Here are some of my favourite pieces from the evening.

How do I love these shoes? Let me count the ways!

I love a statement necklace, and this ticks all the boxes for me!

The raspberry and black tie-dye effect patent really caught my eye

I love how the detail on this bag echoes the folds and drapes of Vivienne Westwood's dresses

The store and Grayling had pulled out all the stops last night, and everyone there had a fantastic time. Judging by the reactions from everyone last night, I have a feeling that a lot of the guests will be popping back over the next few days to add some Vivienne Westwood to their closets!

Chanel 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition - Part II

I took rather a lot of photographs when I went to 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition, so I thought it best to spread them over two posts. I would love to know which are your favourite images from the exhibition.

Carine Roitfeld

A close-up of Carine Roitfeld

A close-up of the Chanel pearls

Jane Birkin

Amanda Harlech

Lauren Hutton

Clémence Poésy