LONDON RESEARCH - V&A MUSEUM, VICTORIA'S SECRET, BURBERRY AND SELFRIDGES

A couple of weeks ago, I visited London to go to 'The Little Black Jacket Exhibition' amongst seeing a few other things. I went to the V&A to see the 'Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 Exhibition'. I really enjoyed this, although we were not able to take photography. I saw dresses worn by actresses and celebrities including Elizabeth Hurley, Bianca Jagger and Sandra Bullock. My favourite was the S/S11 Alexander McQueen feather dress. It is definitely worth the trip, it's on till the 6th of January 13. I will be going back to see the new Hollywood costume Exhibition. 
I also took a trip to see two new stores in the city, Victoria's Secret and Burberry. Victoria's Secret, Bond Street is the first store in the UK which opened back in August. It was a great experience to see how they have fit into the UK market, it was just like stepping into a store in New York. Burberry's new flagship store on Regent Street opened last month. It is an impressive multimedia event space, showcasing the future of digital technology.
I also really enjoyed Selfridges visual merchandising featuring a collaboration with Yayoi Kusama and Louis Vuitton.

CHANEL - THE LITTLE BLACK JACKET EXHIBITION

I recently visited the Saatchi Gallery to visit The Little Black Jacket Exhibition. The Exhibition showed the versatile piece in so many different ways through Karl Lagerfeld's eyes. Celebrity friends from the Fashion house got involved, from the likes of Lily Allen to Sarah Jessica Parker. My personal favourite photo was of Georgia May Jagger. I also found some inspiring postcards in the Saatchi Gallery shop made from wood (In the Last Photo). 

'The Little Black Jacket: CHANEL's classic revisited by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld,' will be available worldwide in bookshops this autumn. I would recommend this to any one interested in Fashion and Chanel's classic designs. The Exhibition is open to the public till the 4th of November 2012.

JERGENS ORIGINAL BEAUTY LOTION CHERRY-ALMOND

This Cherry and Almond scented moisturiser is the newest lotion in the Jergens family. This moisturiser works with the skin to moisturise and soften over a 24 hour period, ensuring skin is smooth to the touch. I hadn't tried any Jergens products before, but had heard so many good things about them and this product didn't disappoint. My skin was left feeling baby soft which I was so surprised about because of the really affordable price tag. I love the scent, a lovely sweet cherry with a hint of almond - really fresh but not as overpowering as I thought it might be. I woke up the next day to find my skin felt as if I had just moisturised, and this for me is a big difference over other moisturisers. I'm so impressed with the formulation, I'm sure it would give even the driest, dehydrated skin the thirst quench it needs.

Jergens are also running a promotion whereby Facebook fans can win a collection of fabulous prizes. They will be giving one lucky winner the chance to win a designer handbag, a designer scarf, a pair of  designer shoes and the complete range of Jergens moisturisers including the Orignal Beauty Lotion. Here's the link for your chance to win. 
Overall, I think this is a lovely lotion with a great creamy texture which is non-greasy and absorbs straight away. The best thing, is that its great value and it's one of my favourite scents. Jergens Original Beauty Lotion Cherry-Almond Body Moisturiser* retails at £3.49, 200ml. Will you be trying this product? Have you tried any other Jergens Products?

PR Sample*

RECENT/SEPTEMBER BEAUTY FAVOURITES 2012

These are the products that I have recently been loving. Mainly hair and skincare products this month.
The Body Shop Banana Shampoo & Conditioner, 250ml £4.50 each - I'm not usually a Body Shop kinda girl. It's not a shop I usual pop in to, but I saw they were offering a good deal online, so I took advantage and I'm glad I did! The delivery was also very speedy which put them in my good books straight away. I love the way the shampoo makes my hair feel so super fresh, I can really see a difference. I was worried the smell was going to be too over powering, but I really like it and they make my hair feel so soft. I mean I'm always trying out new shampoos, but I know I can go back to these for a really affordable deal.
Bioderma Creline H20 Cleansing Solution, 500ml £12.90 - After the big bloggers hype that followed this product, I knew I had to get my hands on a bottle to see what all the fuss was about. This has become my go to product for taking off my make-up. It's so gentle and takes off every last bit of make-up from my face. I also feel it's really good value for your money, even though it is quite hard to get your hands on here in the UK.
Stila One Step Correct, 30ml £24.00 - I received this product in my Selfridges beauty box. I'm so glad I did as I had been lusting over it for a while. The box was so worth the money, because it would have cost me more to buy this product on it's own separately! This product is great at making your skin base flawless underneath your make-up. It also works as a primer and I have seen a massive different in my foundation staying on all day. My skin looks brighter, I would definitely recommend this product.

Origins Check and Balances Face Wash, 150ml £17.00 - I absolutely love Origins cleansers. I feel they are really good value for money and a little goes a long way. I like to use this cleanser with my Clarinsonic. It does make a lot of froth but you can definitely feel it working and cleaning deep. The clever cleanser balances out the dry and oily patches on your skin without cancelling each other out. My skin is left feeling fresh and clearer.
Organix Coconut Milk Serum, 118ml £5.99 - I love anything coconut scented and this is no exception. I apply this on to my hair once I have towel dried it. The ends of my hair are left feeling so soft and any dry parts are no longer visible. It really does help care for your hair and condition it back to its former self. I really want to try the shampoo and conditioner in the range next as I love the scent.

Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream, Fullsize 50ml £19.99 - I received this product in my September Glossybox and started using it straight away. It smells so lovely, just like raspberries. It's really moisturising and makes my skin feel super soft. I would definitely repurchase the full-size after I have used up the sample. It's not something I would have picked up in the shops, so good job Glossybox!

What products have you been loving for autumn?

MARGIELA FOR H&M

Images - fashion.telegraph.co.uk

These images have been shot by artist and director Sam Taylor-Johnson for the Maison Martin Margiela for H&M collaboration advertising campaign. The collection will be available online and in stores from 15th November. 

"It's a pleasure to present these re-editions of Maison Martin Margiela to a new audience, to those who were too young to buy the original pieces and those who didn't have access to Maison Martin Margiela before the days of internet shopping," the house said. "Put more simply, our designs will now be available to those who can't afford our mainline collection. With this collaboration, some of our most iconic archive pieces can become modern classics."

BEAUTY TRENDS - STELLA MCCARTNEY S/S13

Images - fashionising.com

Flawless base with a shot of colour of turquoise/green eyeliner in the water line. Draws the audience straight to the eyes. Bare lips and natural eyebrows, playing with colour - Statement eyeliner. It's all about experimenting this Season. Let the clothes do the talking...

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN S/S13 COLLECTION

Images - Dazed Digital

I love this collection for Spring/Summer 2013. The collection is inspired by Nature and Feminine Silhouettes. When watching the video of this collection, I found the music a bit distracting but loved the digital art going on in the background. The runway was so creative with the Honeycomb tiles. The beekeeper hats are so iconic and eye-catching. Along with the Tortoiseshell Plexiglas corsets. The collection started quite uniformed, but I loved the bigger, brighter, floral dresses that ended the catwalk. Some outfits were very structured, enhancing the waist and hips. The make up was very basic as the hats covered most of the face. The shoes are very cute, peep-toe platforms. A very rememberable collection.

DISSERTATION: EXPLORATORY INNOVATIONS - BIRMINGHAM

I have recently started my last year studying Fashion Retail Management at University. From now on, every Wednesday I will be posting about anything that inspires me in the fashion field to what is happening in the retail scene or any economy issues. Anything that I feel will help me with up and coming projects as I work towards my dissertation. 
Yesterday, I spent the day in Birmingham City Centre - taking photos of anything that caught my eye, or sparked an idea. The above are my favourite of the days photos, mainly taken around Digbeth/Custard Factory. I really like how arty the area is with its retro style with the graffiti, but still keeping tradition elements in there as well, like the lanterns. I also visited Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. There was an Exhibition on about Pharaoh - King of Egypt, which was quite interesting but not really on subject. Although I did enjoy looking at the sculptures and jewellery (On until the 14th October 12).