A Very Fashionable Affair...

This Saturday saw the elegant surroundings of Newcastle's BonBar transformed, as the venue played host to the Blogger's Preview Event for NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week. Hosted by DDCA The Creative Agency, the day was as glamourous as expected, with glasses of Prosecco on arrival and plenty of cocktails circulating throughout the afternoon. BonBar, opened in March 2014, is certainly as alluring as it is decadent, with stunning interiors and fantastic cocktails.

The event kicked off with introductions by Danielle Dunn, of DDCA, and Sandra Tang, NE1 Marketing and Events Manager. We were then left to work our way around the room, socialising, sampling cupcakes and sipping the official NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week cocktail created by the mixologists at BonBar. The cocktail was unnamed at the beginning of the event and it was our challenge to be as creative as possible and think up a worthy title. The cocktail, made from rhubarb vodka, nettle cordial and pink cloudy lemonade, would be the perfect accompaniment for garden parties and lazy summer afternoons.

In addition to the indulgent consuming of cocktails and Prosecco, we also had the opportunity to be seriously pampered. ND Makeup and HD Brows were treating us to false eyelash applications and brow shaping. I have never worn false eyelashes before and I was feeling slightly apprehensive as I was seated in the makeup artist's chair. I suggested a natural look, however the lovely makeup artist told me that because I have large eyes I can pull off a more dramatic eyelash. The 'Marilyn' was apparently the one for me, a bold and flirty lash, which will be perfect for a night out worn with flicked eyeliner. 

As for my outfit, I wore a nearly all Topshop, with the exceptions being my River Island shoes and I borrowed my friend's Mulberry. 

As we left, feeling rather overindulged, we were handed goodie bags provided by Fenwick Newcastle containing perfumes, Loreal Eyeliner, Molton Brown hand cream and tea bags. 

I had such a brilliant day, and even though I felt like a bit of a newbie to the blogging world and slightly intimidated by the bloggers who knew a lot more about JPEGs and BB creams than I do, I was welcomed into the North East blogging family with open arms. I was surprised to see how much of a family the bloggers seemed to be, with most of them having met at previous bloggers' events. I felt very lucky to be there and one thing is for certain, I'm not giving up blogging any time soon. 

Follow me on Twitter @MariaFCase (I can be quite funny sometimes) and I Instagram occasionally, too.