Clothes Show 2013

I visited the Clothes Show, in Birmingham, on Monday and I must say, I brought a fair few goodies. 

Last year I won tickets to the Clothes Show courtesy of More! magazine, which sadly no longer exists. I took my friend with me and we have an absolute blast purchasing large amounts of discounted items, whilst tiring ourselves silly. Unfortunately we missed the fashion show in the main hall as we had a concert in Coventry to go see!

So this year I was excited to experience a whole day at the event, and do some serious damage to my bank account. However I only spent a mere sixty pound on a large amount of beauty products, and one clothing item. Considering the event is called the "clothes show", there is little to say about the clothes there, it's mainly about the beauty side. 

   
My first purchase was the ciate advent calender, which has been previously retailed at £42.00. However I purchased it for £10.00, I couldn't leave without it. It includes twenty-four mini nail varnishes which range from caviar pearls cupids arrow to tweed and tails. There are so many colours I could not resist. 

I went to the trusty models own stand where I knew I would definitely be purchasing something! Their goody bag was £10.00 but was worth £65.00, and included three nail varnishes of your choice, the clothes show limited edition nail varnish, nail buffer, four pencil eye liners (I got one silver, two black and one brown), eye shadow, lip balm, a small mirror and eye-shadow brushes. 

  
The nail varnishes are (from left to right) Show Stopper 2, Sun Kissed, Pink Fizz and Absinthe. 

I also picked up a £2.00 goody bag from Cosmopolitan/Company magazine which was filled with little random items such as coffee and loo roll! You also received cosmopolitan and company magazine inside. 

I came across this cute make up company called jelly pong pong which was selling four products for just £5.00. The deal included Caribbean sun bronzer duo, 2-in-1 eye-liner & shadow, wide awake (a palette of skin-enhancing colour tools to brighten & illuminate complexions) and lip blush. 

My final beauty purchase was the Helen E cosmetics goody bag, which was also £10.00. It included a foundation to suit all skin types, a blusher, a blusher brush, lip gloss, eye shadow, lip liner and eye liner. Plus a little make up bag and a £10.00 off voucher for your next purchase. 

Then came the clothes...

The only thing I managed to buy was a tweed blazer, which I searched everywhere for. I managed to find this little beauty for a mere £18.00 from a vintage store called Mad Elizabeth. The blazer was nearly half the price of others I had seen at the show, and it fitted perfectly! 

 Then came the fashion show in the main hall. We had perfect seating at the centre of the stage, just a few rows back, giving us an ideal view of the stage and catwalk. 

The whole show was truly mesmerizing and amazing! The models were charismatic and full of energy, to say the least. There were a range of styles presented, including gowns and swimwear on both male and female models. The theme of the show was a weekend in the country, which included tartan, tweed and the occasional glitz.

The playlist for the show was well thought out, with well known tunes to get everybody moving and create that fun, party atmosphere. I honestly couldn't fault the show one bit, it may have even been the best bit! They even incorporated dance into the performance, including a little bit of zumba!

Reflection

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” 

                                                                             - Marilyn Monroe 

I remember seeing this quote everywhere when I was growing up as a teenager. The whole image of Marilyn Monroe was massively glamorised and her words were pressed upon adolescent girls, who began to idolise her. 

In all honesty I went along with the whole thing, and became quite interested in famous quotes by celebrities, many of whom had passed. This one was one of my favourites when I was younger, even though I didn't fully understand it for what it truly meant. 

The line "people change so that you can learn to let go" has recently hit home, pretty hard. I understood what it meant , but now I feel as if I breathe it. 

As the year begins to draw to an end, I begin to reflect upon the year as a whole, what I've learnt, what I've lost. And I've realised that I have actually seen the back of some close relationships, some that I never thought I would witness. But the quote, "people change so that you can learn to let go" fits in perfectly, it simply could not explain it better. 

Go back to this time last year, I thought my bestest friend was right there in front of me. Now I have no idea where we stand at all. The thing is, we have almost become two different people, it is as if we have nothing in common. At first I was heartbroken, truly destroyed by the hole that was left by this person who meant so much to me. But as time has progressed, I have learnt that perhaps this is the way things are supposed to pan out.

I am being told that I am at a crucial part of my life, truly deciding who I am and what I am going to be. I guess that things are going to change, which involves people changing and leaving rapidly, leaving you behind without a second thought. But the thing is, I am a caring individual who fears loneliness and the absence of others. I feel the need to involve myself to feel some sort of need and want, but things do not seem that way. 

At the end of the things, everything happens for a reason and people do change. Life will continue to run it's path without your word of permission, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You must let it run. 

I signed up to the Anthony Nolan register...

Anthony Nolan is a UK based charity that that works in the areas of leukaemia and Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The charity manage and recruit donors to the Anthony Nolan Register, one of the three bone marrow registers in the United Kingdom.

My friends mum is one of the wonderful people who volunteer for the charity; she visits various schools, colleges and sixth forms promoting knowledge of the diseases and how people can get involved. Recently she won the Anthony Nolan volunteer of the year award, which was a massive achievement! 

Earlier in the summer she visited my sixth form and gave a presentation about the charity and their work, which was truly inspiring and touching. I became interested in the idea of becoming a stem cell donar, as I was already a blood donar. 

Of course I had heard of the risks and pain that stem cell donation brought upon individuals, and it did scare me a little. But my worries were swept away as I was informed the procedure was hardly painful at all, just a very boring four to five hour procedure with a needle in your arm. (or the traditional way, which only 10% of donations are done, which is a painless operation under general anesthesia)

I doubted the whole thing for a second but then thought...it's the least I can do. 

These people, who are battling for their lives, will have endured much more pain than I will ever, hopefully, have to. Surely, this is easy in comparison. 

So back in November I visited another presentation and decided to actually sign up to the register. The founders of the charity, Shirley and Keith, were present at the presentation. 

The registration involves a few simple steps. Firstly you have to fill out a form, containing all your details and medical history. Then you spit into a tube, delightful I know! It sounds strange, but it's very effective in finding out an individuals tissue type. The tissue type is the thing they're looking at to find a match! 

Trust me, it is very hard spitting into a tube when you're being pressured into it! As soon as Shirley told me to spit into the tube, my mouth suddenly become as dry as the Sahara desert! It seemed impossible to fill even the tiniest volume. 

And then that was it. They informed me that I would be contacted in about six weeks, and that was it. I was off, feeling a little better about myself than I did when I entered the room. 

It sounds a very simple procedure, and also an amazing thing to do, but you need to be committed. You can't wimp out of the register at the last minute when someone needs your stem cells, it could be a matter of life or death. Also, you have to be aged 16 - 30 and in good health. 

Visit www.anthonynolan.org for more information :)


I will posting alot more posts very soon! 

xxx

German Market

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas. 

The shops are humming Christmas melodies, the coca-cola advert has appeared on TV and we're beginning to feel the cold a little bit more. It may only be November, but the feel of Christmas seems to be everywhere.

Last year was a pretty disappointing Christmas, I didn't seem to feel the Christmas spirit at all. So this year I am determined to become Mrs Christmas and sprinkle myself in glitter, whilst singing Christmas carols all night.

So, I began my Christmas voyage at the German Market in Birmingham on the opening day, the 14th November. After a very long bus journey, I wandered through the dark streets looking for my friend (who was fashionably late, as always) and ended up waiting on my own whilst being stared at disturbingly by many. 

The first place we hit was the crepe stand, and as you can imagine, the smell was to die for. I decided not to be too greedy, and just went for the traditional lemon and sugar. However when I next return I may have the kinder chocolate or baileys, I haven't decided yet. After demolishing them, very messily, we wandered up the street observing the delicately presented stalls and bright Christmas lights. There are hundreds of stalls at the market, filled with all sorts of trinkets and delicacies. 

After gazing around for around an hour, we headed back to the frankfurter stand and demolished a hot dog, which I must say was lacking flavour compared to previous years. We only stayed for an hour or so, just to wander round and explore. I can guarantee that I will be going back to go on the giant wheel,  the ice skating rink and the carousal. Oh, and to try some hot chocolate in a cute mug!

I wore my plaid shirt from new look (£17.99) with my black leggings from topshop (£19.99) and my brown scarf from new look to keep me warm!

Thanks! xx

Work Experience Continued.

DAYS THREE FOUR AND FIVE:

I apologise for the delay in this post, but I've just come back from a lovely holiday in Lanzarote! So now my final days of work experience will be smashed into one section as everything is muddled in my head. 

I continued working within the fashion cupboard, which was rapidly becoming my home! I unpacked clothes and hung them up in sections, ready for an upcoming photo shoot. I also sorted out all the loaned jewellery and packaged them away, ready to be sent to many different companies. The task was pretty straightforward, but sometimes things got a little confusing, especially when it came to making sure the companies had all the jewellery they sent originally. 

I also did some photo research for the fashion side of Bliss Magazine, which consisted of looking for clear images of celebrities. I researched images of Rita Ora, Taylor Swift, Perrie Edwards plus loads more. I had to get several different looks for each of them, where they were clearly seen within the image.

The online editor then got me to create some interview questions for the cast of home and away, whom she was going to be interviewing. I came up with some generic Australian questions, but then also some very random, non relevant ones! I also wrote some horoscopes (which can now be viewed online at www.mybliss.co.uk) and some polls for the website. I must admit, I had alot of fun writing completely random and celebrity related stuff! 

On my last day, after lugging my heavy suitcase up the street, I was genuinely upset to be leaving Bliss. I enjoyed the whole experience loads, and it really proved me how much I want to achieve my dream! (excuse the cheesey line) I can't wait to do more magazine work experience, possibly even at Bliss!

Also, they gave me a cute little goody bag with make up and books in for all my hard work, along with loads of thanks and good lucks from the Bliss team. 

Thanks xxxxxxxxxx

Work Experience!

Back in summer, I sent off numerous emails to magazines and newspapers, hoping for some response. I was desperate for some sort of work experience to help me stand out in the long run up university. 

After many failed attempts, I finally got something! Bliss magazine, the UKs biggest teen magazine, responded offering me work experience in October. I was ecstatic, even though Bliss magazine were located three hours away from my home. I responded back with an outstanding yes, and arranged some accommodation and travel (aka my dad).

 So now, here I am. Currently sitting in a hotel in Kent, on my tod, after my second successful day at Bliss magazine. So, this is how the whole first few days went...

FIRST DAY:

After spending the night before travelling down with my Dad, I was nervous, tired and scared. The whole build up to the experience hadn't nerved me at all, but as soon as I got into the car with my dad, the nerves kicked in and I was petrified

I woke up full of nerves, hoping they would've disappeared through some sleep. But they didn't. I continued to make myself look acceptable, even though my stomach was doing somersaults. I dressed myself in my crafty little topshop dress I brought in the sale for £10, with my thick black tights and some heeled studded boots. 

              The Tiffany earrings were out and about! 

I arrived at the office, soaking from the rain and scared from the nerves. I walked into reception and was mesmerized by everything. The office was bustling with office workers, desks, computers and brightly printed magazine covers. I stood there, very awkwardly, whilst a member from the Bliss team came to collect me (I sound like a lost puppy). She introduced herself, and welcomed me to office of Bliss workers. I stood there like a scarecrow whilst they all waved and smiled enthusiastically. 

My first task was researching recent teen related stories, one's that readers would enjoy. I raided the newspapers and online web, and produced a word document, which was sent out to the team. 

My next, and final task, involved me working in the fashion cupboard and returning numerous amounts of clothes back to their home. The job may seem boring and monotonous, but I strangely enjoyed it! Plus, I got to discover loads of brands that I had never even heard of!

This task took up most of my shift, and before I knew it, I was being sent home! The first day really settled my nerves, as I realised that the team weren't going to eat me alive and I would be perfectly fine. 

DAY TWO:

For some strange reason, I forgot to take pictures of my outfit today, think I may have overslept? 

Any who, I wore my pink and white, wedge-wood style blouse with a drop back. I wore my leggings and fringed boots with the outfit, as I deeply regretted wearing heeled boots on my first day (poorly feet!)

I spent the first half of the day finishing off the clothing returns and boxing them up for the courier. It got a tad complicated, after a few silly mistakes, but a member of the Bliss team helped me straight away!

After my break, my task was to discover the prices of products which just simply needed prices. This involved emailing companies such as ciate, Mac and lush, with politely worded emails asking them to email me back. As you can imagine, many didn't respond back but on the other hand, there were some that responded promptly with lovely messages! In all honesty, I felt like a right professional (lol).

Then before I knew it, the day was over and everyone was packing up to go home. 

It's only been a two days, with only a couple of tasks, but i'm loving it! I enjoy the atmosphere of the office and the people i'm surrounded with, and I still have three days left! 

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks!

Follow my instagram (tashabonitaa) for more updates etc.

xxx

I don't think this place is half as nice as Tiffany's

A couple of years ago I watched the classic film, breakfast at Tiffany's. After the first few minutes, I fell completely and utterly in love with the main character, Holly Golightly and the whole idea of Tiffany's.

After dropping a few hints here and there to my parents, they finally agreed that for my 18th birthday, I could have some Tiffany&Co jewellery. You can imagine my excitement. 

So, on the weekend after my birthday, me and my family ventured down to London to buy my present. We ended up visiting the store at Harrods, as we thought it might be smaller and quieter. 

I fell in love with the store straight away, and I was wondering round with a huge smile on my face, gazing at everything in sight. 

Before I knew it, I was asking a man for the jewellery I wanted, and he was trying it on me. The whole experience was so calm and professional, I didn't feel at all uncomfortable, which actually surprised me. 

I decided on a beaded bracelet, with a heart tag attached saying return to tiffanys and the heart shaped earrings to match:

Made in 1995.

As some of you may be aware, I recently celebrated my eighteenth birthday and made that giant step from childhood to adulthood.

Ok, maybe not quite yet, but I still celebrated making it to that milestone age of the big one eight. On Friday, I spent the first half of my day celebrating with friends at sixth form, where they absolutely spoiled me! I spent the majority of my free opening presents and being stopped by teachers who were amazed at my collection! 

After much celebration at sixth form, I headed to Costa with a friend for a yummy catch up. We chatted and giggled, and eventually ventured to the shops for a little browse. Oh, by the way, during the entire day I was wearing two birthday badges and carrying large gift bags, looking a tad strange.

Once I got home, I was opening more presents off my family, who also spoilt me rotten. They treated me to a lovely Pandora ring, Marc Jacobs perfume (dot), hair curlers and money, along with loads of other lovely bits and bobs. After opening my presents, I rushed upstairs to try and sort out my appearance after a tiring day!

The night consisted of my family and a couple of my friends. I have quite a large family, so the house was pretty full of loud, quite tipsy, people. It was lovely to see the majority of my family, and celebrate with them. 

However, the night ended pretty short for an eighteenth, as me and my family were heading to London the next morning for a day out (which I will be blogging about separately).

All in all, I had a pretty good birthday filled with great people and celebrations all round. 

I will be blogging about some of my gifts and my trip to London, so check those out!

thanks xxx

Update!

Hello!

I am ridiculously sorry for my lack of posts recently, but everything has been very chaotic and busy lately. However, I now promise, truly promise, that I will be posting a hell of alot more in the near future. 

I have loads of post ideas, including my birthday (which is tomorrow, ah!), my trip to London and my work experience, plus loads more!

So make sure you check those out when i'm back up to my usual standard. 

Once again, i'm truly sorry! 

xxxxxxxxx

There's no place like...the theatre!

On Wednesday, I visited the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester, to see the play all my sons.

I arrived at the theatre, in complete and utter awe, even though I was bursting for the toilet after a two and a half hour journey! The theatre is contemporary and utterly beautiful, with tall, white standing pillars and breathtaking glass stained windows, it is a true treasure.  

The play, written by Arthur Miller, is a piece I'm studying for my A-level English, so I took the opportunity straight away. The play was preformed outstandingly, and I was completely blown away by the whole thing. I never really consider myself a theatre lover, but the play may have changed me. The atmosphere was incredible and at one moment, I was on the edge of my seat! 

All in All, I had a pretty great day, even though I wish I could have explored Manchester :( (I love Manchester). Maybe another time, eh?!

Thanks xx