Fashion Week Essentials #1: Beauty Bits

Hello all

As you probably know, today kicks off the start of Fashion Week SS14. As usual, New York hosts the first week of new season fashion offerings, particularly for sportswear, London follows for edgy, avant-garde design; then Milan for its over-the-top yet stylish looks; & finally Paris for haute couture. Although each city brings a different climate, culture & catwalk, I thought I would put together a series of 'Fashion Week Essentials'; items that you should carry with you regardless of season or city.

As I'm a bit of a beauty obsessive, I decided to kick off with some beauty bits that I think you need over fashion week, all small & light enough to carry with you should you be lucky enough to attend the shows, or if you go along to do a spot of style or celebrity spotting!

Top Row (l-r): MAC Fix+ Travel Sized | Superdrug Antibacterial Hand Gel Travel Sized | Nivea Roll On Deodrant Travel Size | Kleenex Pocket Tissues

Middle Row (l-r): Kirby Grips | Seamless Hair Bands | Compact Mirror and Brush | Batiste Dry Shampoo Travel Sized

Bottom Row (l-r): Collection Sheer Loose Powder | Cosmopolitan Retractable Powder Brush | Carmex Cherry Lip Balm | Topshop Lip Bullet in 'Rockabilly'

Because September fashion week follows straight on from  the summer break, travel sizes are still available, which are the perfect size & weight to pop into your bag.

M.A.C Fix+ is a great makeup fixer, but also a quick spritz will refresh your face. Traveling from venue to venue, often on public transport will expose you to germs aplenty, so I would always pack some antibacterial hand gel, again in a travel size, & on hot subways / underground, deodorant is a must! Roll on is, supposedly, much better for you than spray, so I chose that. Tissues are handy too.

Hair must haves include clips & hair bands (make sure you opt for bands without a metal join as these damage your hair) to transform & tame your tresses. This Denman compact hair brush & mirror is small but useful. Finally, travel size dry shampoo is great to refresh your hair & give you some volume.

Choosing only a couple of makeup bits were hard, but I managed to whittle it down to only the pieces you will actually use. It's all well & good bringing eyeshadow palettes & full makeup bags with you every day, but when I thought about what I actually ever use when I'm out & about, these were the most obvious. Even though it'll be September or February, running from show to show & sitting close together in the catwalks will no doubt make you a little shiny! Collections loose powder is lightweight but will take away the shine. Use with this retractable powder brush, that's compact & clean. As both September & February fashion weeks occur in Autumn or Winter, looking after chapped lips is essential; I love Carmex lip balm & find tubes or stick lip products a lot more hygienic than pots, like Vaseline. Finally, having a red lip crayon in your bag means you can instantly add some glamour to your look, or take you from daytime shows to late night after show parties. Topshop lip crayons aren't too drying & are hugely pigmented.

Next time I'll be putting together some fashion essentials, followed by tech essentials! 

Is anyone attending any shows this Fashion Week?

 

September is the January of Fashion

Hello all

Those of you who have seen R.J. Cutler’s fly on the wall documentary “The September Issue”, a film which shows the making of the biggest issue of Vogue ever, may recgonise the title of this post. Candy Pratts Price, Fashion Editor of American Vogue, said in the film; “September is the January in Fashion”. This, along with the title of the film, demonstrates just how important September is to the fashion industry. As Fashion Week takes place in September, often people see it has a 'new begninning'.

However, it's not just in the fashion industry that people view September as a kind of 'new year'. Schools begin their new year in Septmeber & in a previous job of mine, I found out that sales often increase in Septmeber & it's the perfect time to launch a product as people are looking to start afresh or try new things.

I am defnintely viewing September as my new begninng. I have some exciting projects coming up, that I'm sure I will reveal on here once everything is confirmed, & I'm trying to have a fresh start. For me, September is a good time to begin. My birthday is in October so that means I have a month trial and settle into my changes before I become another age, the weather is still fairly nice & the beginning of Autumn, my favourite season & finally, this year I have gone through a lot of bad stuff & I finally just want to move on & start again. So instead of waiting for January, & influenced by watching 'The September Issue' whilst reading September Vogue, I decided that I would really try this month.

So I thought I would share with you some of my new year projects & plans!

1. Second season of working on LFW! I have the oppourtunity to work on London Fashion Week later this month & I am so excited. Having one season already under my belt, I feel a lot more confident about this season & promise to document it much better than I previously did. It will be at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, so I'm excited to see some up & coming desingers, but also hope to have a quick stop at Somerset House too.

2. I have an internship with a fabulous magazine upcoming that is such an amazing opportunity & will hopefully help me land a perminent position eventually.

3. I'm setting up a YouTube channel! After debuting on Millie's, of She Hearts The High Street, channel in August, I've been getting together some filming equipment & organising a nice backdrop so I aim to have my first solo video this Saturday coming!

4. I have an idea for a weekly or bi-weekly feature that I can't wait to start. It will involve quite a bit of research & will combine a few of my different interests. It is something I am really enthusiastic about & I am finally going to commit to. Also, another plan is to post far more regularly.

I do have some other excitment in the pipline but as I said previously, I want more confirmation & certainty beore I let you all know!

Brit Awards 2013: Best Dressed

Yet another awards ceremony! The Brit Awards came right after LFW, so there was no reason for the attendees not to keep the fashion stakes high! As with the previous award's so far this year black was the go to colour for many.

 Alexa Chung | Emile Sande | Rita Ora | Emma Willis

Lana Del Rey | Natasha Khan | Rebecca Furguson | Paloma Faith

My favourite Paloma Faith looked stunning as per usual! My other girl crush, Lana Del Rey look very effortlessly gorgeous as well in her Chanel shirt dress. Bat for Lashes's front woman Natasha Khan rocked vintage metalics, while Emile Sande, Emma Willis and Rebecca Furguson look classic in black. British Style Award winner Alexa Chung shone in a cute white playsuit.

Sorry I haven't done any LFW posting! I was working for the whole time at the Freemason's Hall at Vauxhall Fashion Scout shows so by the time I got home each day I just wanted to crash! I may do a round up of my favourite collections this weekend though :)