Summer Sale Steals (and Sainsbury's Sunglasses)

   

Source: Topshop

The Topshop sale has been a personal success this week. I usually make it to the sale after everybody else has ransacked everything, leaving me with nothing (or worse still, something I didn't actually want or like). This time, however, I was prepared. I took notice of Topshop's sale teaser emails and I got there first. I managed to get the shoes seen in my outfit post earlier in the week (click here to have a peek) and some beautiful pale blue satin lingerie. I also bought the fantastic Jacquard Trapeze Dress in cream, pictured above, though it's a quite roomy so I'm returning it for a size smaller.

I found a dreamy pair of sunglasses in Sainsbury's of all places, too. I've been needing a pair for a while, though after looking all over the high street, I just didn't find a pair that was simple enough to meet my strict sunglasses criteria. They were just what I wanted - that lovely brown tortoiseshell colour, slightly rounded, not too big or too small. I never thought I would find the pair I'd been searching for in Sainsbury's, though at £5 I can't complain.

I have seen quite a few people rave about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and I was intrigued. I had £12 to spend on my Boots Advantage Card and with half going on a pot of my beloved Nivea Soft moisturising cream, I had some 'free money' left to spend. I debated a gorgeous Kent barrel hairbrush (the promise of a salon-quality blow dry at home was certainly alluring) though the Real Techniques sponge won me over. I used it this morning in my usual routine as a replacement for my MAC 190 foundation brush. I hate feeling like I have a thick layer of foundation on my face and I try to avoid this at all costs. The Real Techniques sponge was great at providing light coverage; the flat edge was great used under my eyes and the tip was brilliant for covering blemishes and for slightly heavier concealing under my eyes. It has certainly been awarded top marks by me!

P.S. Please can we all appreciate the fantastic use of alliteration in the title of this post. So original.

Northern Chords Festival

It's been a crazy few weeks. I have finished my second year at Newcastle University and I have moved out of my flat in Jesmond, returning home to Lincolnshire for the summer break. I have also had a case of writer's block and I haven't been able to think of anything to post about. This has given me an excuse to abandon blogging for a bit (a terrible thing to do, I know) and so yesterday I wrote a list of ideas for blog posts over the summer. Fingers crossed that this period of inspiration will last.

In the last few weeks of term, I went along to the Northern Chords Festival in Newcastle for a review I was writing for Northern Soul. The festival of concerts takes place over a week in different venues across the North East, each equally spectacular, in a celebration of chamber music and young musicians. This year, to mark the centenary of the First World War, the festival had a 1914 theme. The first concert I went to was named 'Midnight in Paris'. I wasn't expecting to enjoy the evening that much. I thought that I would like the first ten minutes of the concert and then become very bored. I was, however, proved incorrect and I enjoyed every moment of it. The music was emotional and rousing, not to mention the beauty of the venue. The Sage in Gateshead is magnificent (I'd never been before and I was seriously impressed) and the chosen hall for this particular concert was small and cosy.

Going to concerts on your own is a very strange strange thing and it takes some getting used to. Aside from the occasional pitying looks from smug couples during the interval, I actually don't mind going to places on my own. I like my own company. The first time I ever went to something on my own, I was reviewing the Radikal Words live literature event for The Courier. I was nervous about being there alone and so I drank a large glass of red wine before I even went into the theatre. This certainly improved my outlook and I thought that evening spectacular, too. Going to concerts and theatres on your own is actually quite fun. However, it is also true that wine and G&Ts really do help, though let's pretend you didn't just read that. I also managed to take some pretty pictures of the quayside in the early evening. I feel quite proud of them, so I put one in this post. You can read my review of the festival, here.

French Connection's #canthelpmyselfie Event, Newcastle

I have been seriously pampered this last week and when I thought that all of the fun and games were over, I heard about French Connection's event taking place yesterday in their Grainger Street store. French Connection have been hosting their #canthelpmyselfie events across the UK with guests being in with a chance of winning £1000 to spend in store. I couldn't miss this opportunity (French Connection's new collection is pretty impressive this season).

Guests were treated to cupcakes and brownies from Pet Lamb Patisserie and yummy canapes by Gusto Newcastle as we were encouraged to browse the rails and put together an outfit. After a makeover by Benefit MUAs and hairstylists from Regis Salons UK, guests were then ushered into the selfie booth where we took a few selfies of our new look. The person who took the best selfie would win the £1000 prize. The challenge was on. DJ LKP provided music for the evening which certainly made the atmosphere one of excitement. I soon found a to-die-for black leather midi skirt which I paired with a pink t-shirt (cue super embarrassing changing room picture, see below) which annoyingly made me look a lot smaller than my already petite 5'3" - a pair of heels would be essential. I instead simply paired the outfit I arrived in (head-to-toe Topshop: black jeans, black turtle neck crop top, black ankle boots) with the gorgeous navy blue Ziggy Sleeveless Jacket from French Connection.

To have a look at all of the selfies from the night, head to www.selfie.frenchconnection.com and vote for your favourite looks.

After-hours Culture: The Late Shows 2014

Artists' studios, galleries, theatres and museums across Gateshead and Newcastle stayed open until late this weekend for a true celebration of culture.  The Late Shows, which began in 2007, has gone from strength to strength and this year an astonishing fifty venues participated.

I began my Late Shows exploration at Baltic 39 where the main exhibition, "They Used to Call it The Moon", is part of a group project; curated by Alessandro Vincentelli, the project centres on the enduring presence and impact of the moon upon artists, moon landings and conspiracy theories and includes local, national and international artists as well as screenings of documentaries about astrology at Tyneside Cinema and a stargazing field trip from the Baltic in Gateshead. The art in Baltic 39 was thought-provoking, with some interesting pieces depicting Jesus as the first man on the moon. The staff at Baltic 39 were also keen to promote the night's moon theme, with many of them wearing tin foil headbands and bracelets and one slightly more unfortunate staff member spent her evening with an upturned silver colander on top of her head. The idea here was to provide multiple entry points for the audience to engage with the art being shown. Additionally, there were sci-fi themed board games postioned around the show space; this definitely provided children with a starting-point for them to begin thinking about the moon and space travel, helping them to access the artworks.

The one negative point about the night was that there just wasn't enough time to go to all of the events that I wanted to go to. I only managed to go to Baltic 39, the Baltic in Gateshead and The Toffee Factory though there were many more venues that I had planned on visiting. The Baltic in Gateshead is currently showing a fantastic Lorna Simpson exhibition. I love her work and thought that the exhibition's focus on ideas of gender, sexuality and misunderstanding were fascinating. I particularly felt drawn to the film she had made of her friend whistling an old hymn. Filmed in glorious black and white, her friend whistles while clouds of smoke gradually engulf him until he is no longer visible; the film is then reversed and played backwards. Not only does the song sound entirely different but the haunting movement of the smoke is completely compelling. The way his figure disappears within the smoke and the shortness of his song create a sense of how performance is momentary, as is life. Lorna Simpson's friend, captured in this film, died shortly after filming.

I ended my Late Shows journey at The Toffee Factory. Having never been there before I was looking forward to what had been promised as a night of "vintage glamour, killer cocktails and sounds that swing". The evening did not disappoint; there were people dancing to jazz music, gourmet street food and afternoon tea and vintage clothing pop-up shops to delight the crowds of people who had visited the venue.

I was so impressed by how much The Late Shows had created such a strong sense of community; there were people of all ages attending and everyone seemed engaged with the art. The Late Shows does exactly what it says on the tin; not only is it a fantastic celebration of art and culture, it is also a celebration of the North East. What more could one want?

NE1's NFW: Rox Royalty VIP Event

Last night the place to be was certainly the Thrill Room at Rox, Monument Mall as Newcastle's fashion elite gathered for the last VIP event of NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week 2014. The night was one of glorious cocktails by The Cocktail Project, canapes by Cafe Royal and luxurious pampering from Malmaison Newcastle. Forever Long Hair stylists and Nails Inc. nail artists were treating guests to makeovers and manicures and Melissa Bailey was sketching fabulous fashion portraits for the evening's VIP. NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week's official florist had provided beautiful floral decorations which perfectly suited the soft grey velvet sofas and mirrored interior of Rox's Thrill Room. The Rox jewellery is gorgeous, too, and I have picked out quite a few pieces that I really want to own (hint - it's my birthday soon...)!

I was lucky enough to have Melissa Bailey sketch my fashion portrait and it was brilliant; she's made me look like a skinny supermodel. What more could one ask for? As for my outfit, I decided to go for an almost entirely Topshop ensemble with only my River Island shoes being the only exception. I bought this orange bag from Topshop earlier in the week as a post-deadline treat to myself and I love it. It's going with me everywhere. All the time.

We chatted to some bloggers who were there and I also managed to speak to the Editor of Luxe Magazine about getting into journalism. (Networking points for me!) As we left, feeling rather indulged, we were handed a Rox goodie bag containing creme from Malmaison, Sir John Fitzgerald macaroons, Paul Mitchell haircare and many lovely discount vouchers. It was such a fabulous evening and it's safe to say that NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week 2014 has been a resounding success; I'm just sad that it's over! I already can't wait to see what next year's Newcastle Fashion Week has in store!

DYO Pre Launch Party: NE1's NFW Fringe Event

Yesterday I had yet another fantastic afternoon at a fringe event for NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week 2014. My flatmate and I went along to the DYO Fabulous Jewellery's pre-launch party, which was certainly a success. Hosted at Nancy's Bordello near Newcastle's Quayside, we were surrounded by displays of DYO jewellery; there were rose quartz and turquoise statement necklaces (to name but a few) and every table in the room was adorned with more gorgeous semi-precious jewels on bracelets and rings. As we arrived, the DYO team greeted bloggers and guests with glasses of wine, delicious cupcakes and cucumber sandwiches.

Launching this year in July, DYO Fabulous Jewellery is a unique high-fashion web functionality tool. (This sounds very complicated, but in reality it really isn't.) The concept is to provide a fantastic new bespoke jewellery service for the fashion concious. There's more; DYO's new web interface will bring a unique Design Your Own tool where the client can click and drag beads, chains and pendants onto a template as they create their own jewellery. Janet, the Founder of DYO, gave a talk about the company in which she emphasised the importance of caring about where your jewellery comes from. The reality of where and how high street jewellery is made is far from glamourous. All of the DYO jewellery components are ethically sourced; Janet has met all of her suppliers around the world, from the Phillipines to China, and she promotes unique artisan crafts by using small suppliers and beads made from recycled materials.

With the DYO bespoke utility extending to offering an upcyling service of pre-loved jewellery (say, your grandmother's pearl necklace) and a colour-matching tool so that your outfit is complete, DYO will be able to meet your specific requests with ease. There really isn't anything I can say to fault DYO's concept, especially as all of the jewellery is made in Newcastle. DYO employ people in Newcastle and support small suppliers around the world, making their jewellery entirely ethical and unique. As for accessibility, Janet gave a live demonstration of their web interface, which will be made live in July, and it looked very easy to use.

After Janet's talk, we all drank some more wine and had a look at the jewellery on display before being seated for a jewellery making masterclass. We all chose our beads and chains with the aim of creating a princess pendant necklace. The girl next to me made her necklace in what seemed like seconds while I dropped beads on the floor and generally made a mess. After some help and advice I managed to make a lovely dark blue and grey necklace (which I am super proud of), however it's safe to say that I'll be sticking to the writing and leave the jewellery making to the experts. The masterclass was really fun and everyone came up with such different designs which, I guess, demonstrated the value of DYO's Design Your Own service; we all created something unique and to our own style - we were able to have exactly what we liked in a necklace. It was a fabulous afternoon and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for DYO Fabulous Jewellery.