Something for the Weekend....
Posted: 27 February 2015 18:16
So yesterday saw the opening of London Fashion Week's sassy sibling, Vodafone’s London Fashion Weekend, which gives the stylish public a chance to dip their perfectly manicured toes into the pretty pool of designer shows, sample sales and beauty treats. As the madness of the official fashion week shows dissipates, Somerset House reinvents itself once more and becomes a Mecca for the bargain hungry style addicts desperate for their fashion fix.
Bi-annually, for four days, Somerset House is elegantly injected with new evolving brands showcasing their wares alongside big-name established favourites and judging by the crowds round each one, they are making their mark on the fashion scene, thanks to their presence at London's premier pop-up shop.
For me the best bargain of the day was on the Marcus Lupfer stand, with prices of his iconic knitwear slashed to an average of £90 each - what a steal! I bagged a sequin version of his signature lip design, and unsuccessfully stalked a very lucky lady who pipped me and actually got her hands on the last EVER available 'just my cup of tea' knit. Note to self - must be faster next time! Amanda Wakeley, Holly Fulton, Jean-Pierre Braganza and Pringle of Scotland to name but a few more amazing brands at knock-down prices.
From the lesser know jewels showing here, my absolute favourites were Never Fully Dressed: an amazingly successful but under-the-radar brand by Lucy who champions crystal-clean lines, flattering silhouettes and casual femininity & Her Curious Nature: a LFWend stalwart, Sabrina has been showing here successfully for years and produces amazing designs which bridge the gap between traditional millinery and current fashion trends.
On the beauty front, Maybeline, Toni & Guy, Esse, Label.M etc put their stamp on the event with makeovers, pampering and discount purchasing treats.
My particular favourite was Label.M. The brand has been the official hair care product of LFW for the past 10 years and it’s easy to see why. For a small fee, their blow out bar gave us a chance to rest our weary shopping feet, and have our crowning glory teased and styled by Toni & Guy experts while sipping a complimentary glass of Scavi & Ray Prosecco. Can't really imagine a better combination for some R & R!
My stylist transformed my limp locks (it was raining cats and dogs outside!) into a fab Bardot-esque creation using Label.M's amazing range of products. In keeping with the designer theme, she used their latest range, encased in a gorgeous wrap by Giles Deacon which was done exclusively for the brand to celebrate the 10th anniversary. I loved the vitamin enriched hairspray; it gave great hold whilst retaining soft texture in my up do. I left the stand feeling very confident in my new look and managed to turn a few heads whilst I shopped my little socks off.
The Trends Fashion show was an education in what's hot right now, sponsored and styled by the Outnet.com, we were treated to an array of gorgeous looks, hosted by Angela Scanlon. Monochrome, The Seventies, Florals, shimmer & shine - it was all there, beautifully encased in a gorgeous capsule line up of ladies dressed for our delight.
So, ladies & gents, what are you waiting for? There are 2 more days left of this fantastic event until next season and you can buy tickets at www.londonfashionweekend.com, or from the silver dream machine in the courtyard on the day.... be quick!
Last Updated: 14 March 2015 10:22
Elemis Treasures Collection
Posted: 24 February 2015 21:08
Recently, on one of my bargain hunting days, I glanced down and realised that my plethora of shopping bags contained lots of key fashion pieces, but I was totally neglecting my skincare! So I hopped to it and nipped to the Elemis pop up shop at Bicester Village,Oxfordshire; a Mecca for skin pick-me-ups.
This cute little outlet combines Bliss & Elemis products and in one fell swoop I had bagged myself the beauty bargain of the century! Obviously outlet villages champion a bargain in the past season stakes, so this is no longer widely available, but where there's a will there's a way, so I thought I'd share it with you anyway. All products are available nationwide individually. This set is worth over £300 combined, but my super helpful sales assistant cha-chinged a mere £90 at the till for me! With the Pro-collagen marine cream notching up an RRP of £80 on its own merit, this collection was a beauty steal! In addition, I bagged a Pro-radiance Cream Cleanser (150ml), Papaya Enzyme Peel (50ml), Skin Nourishing Milk bath ( 400ml) and last but not least, Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (100ml).Not too shabby, I'm sure you will agree!
My personal favourite item - other than the obvious best seller, Marine Cream, is the Frangipani Body Oil. Simply put, it leaves my dehydrated skin satin smooth, and you can't say fairer than that!
Topping the whole thing off is the fact that everything is encased is a swanky silver mock-croc vanity case. its the gift that just keeps on giving! We use Elemis products on our clients at B&J and our new spa is an homage to Elemis, so we do love them dearly already, but it sure is lovely to discover a bargain little skincare jewel, just for ourselves!
Last Updated: 12 March 2015 12:04
50 Shades of OPI
Posted: 24 February 2015 20:52
Recently, something rather dark and fabulous landed on our desks, and it was a collaboration of two of our beloved things - OPI and our favourite trilogy, 50 Shades. So let's get the lowdown on the colours -
My Silk Tie - a pearlescent silver
Dark Side Of The Mood - deep slate grey with a teeny tiny shimmer
Shine For Me - a gorgeous glitter infused with silver-blue
Cement The Deal - stone grey with amazing opacity
Embrace The Grey - bordering on taupe
& the wildcard -
Romantically involved - Deep crimson
Obviously creating the full 50 shades may have stretched even the capabilities of the innovative OPI a tad far, so what they have done for us is to encapsulate the feel of the movie into 6 neat and nifty colours which work beautifully. At Blossom and Jasmine we are huge fans of the brand, but we were sceptical whether this special edition collection could pull anything new out of the bag.
Thankfully, these colours rock, we have already used them on photo shoots and for fashion shows, as well as on our clients across the country, and the overwhelming feedback is a huge crack of the whip and the desire to handcuff this set to our sides so we can use it all the time. Ok, ok we are getting a bit sidetracked by the tone of the movie trailer here, but OPI have hit the nail on the head here and any Annastasia Steele wannabe worth her salt needs to get their hands on this limited edition set. We did a little straw poll across our therapists and the clear winning polish was Shine For Me - the general consensus was that it was a little different, gave top notch opacity after just 2 coats and was fast drying.
Now we just need too book our tickets for the movie and rock our 6 shades!
Last Updated: 12 March 2015 12:04
Made In Mackintosh - Body Armour
Posted: 23 February 2015 14:55
By Fashion & Beauty Director Amanda Fulton
So last week I had a very important meeting to attend for Blossom & Jasmine with a large national company. What to wear? The eternal question....
I was a little nervous as this was a biggie, so I agonised over this one for longer than usual! Finally, I spied a little forgotten gem hiding in my wardrobe which fitted the bill - and me - to perfection!
This double-breasted tailored waistcoat from the Millie Mackintosh collection was one I had found a while back and bought it at Clothes Show Live. There was a real buzz about Millie's stand and I made a point of visiting. I'm so glad that I did and I found this and another couple of stand out pieces which I just had to buy.
I titled this post body armour because that's exactly what it felt like I was wearing, albeit a more feminine, lightweight version. This waistcoat is beautifully tailored and it wrapped around my curves snugly. I needed a size 10 as the sizes in the collection I find to be roomy.
Thanks to the interwoven lurex in this garment, the heavy tweed look is lifted generously to give a subtle and sexy sparkle when you move. This is what I love about this waistcoat most, as I think you can never sparkle too much!
It is beautifully embellished with some chain mail decoration which has the addition of plenty of stud detail, so visually it makes a real statement.
The embellishment, unlike most, did not snag my hair ( don't you HATE when clothes do that?) which was a massive plus, so for me, this little number really means business! I felt very protected in this and really confident, definitely a bit of power dressing going on here.
Unfortunately, I'm not blessed with the body of La Mackintosh so I couldn't rock this waistcoat with the leather hot pants as she did in the publicity photos, so I teamed it with a pair of leather Sass and Bide skinny jeans and a semi-sheer vintage Dior top underneath. I finished off the look with some fierce little ASOS ankle boots.
This is a great transitional piece, and since we have to wait til March for Millie's new collection, it's one I will be utilising as often a possible. The great news for you guys is it's on sale right now at a ridiculous price and you can buy it here
www.millie-mackintosh.com
There are many strings to Ms. Mackintosh's bow - make up artist, model, beauty guru, hands-on business woman to name but a few - but I personally hope that she has time to keeping knocking out killer fashion collections like this one!
Last Updated: 24 February 2015 00:37
Glam Gramys v Beautiful Baftas
Posted: 23 February 2015 12:26
By Fashion & Beauty Director Amanda Fulton
Well it was wall to wall glitz last night as Britain flew the flag for chic at the Baftas whilst over the pond we had the glamorous Grammys contest!
As we watched the red carpet arrivals for both, we gasped at some of the stunning creations being flaunted by the leading names in showbiz.
Bafta wise, I was forced into cries of 'we are not worthy' when I set eyes on Reese Witherspoon in Stella McCartney. I mean, this look was just breathtaking, ticking all the boxes for style and sass! The colour, the cut, the class!
Reece's silhouette was impeccable and Stella should have got a bafta of her own for creating this delicious dream, in my opinion! Amy Adams wowed in a stunning winter white figure-flattering Lanvin gown which hugged in all the right places. It boasted a bejewelled waistband and was a floor sweeping, dramatic length. Her super sleek hair and minimal make-up let the dress do the talking.
Others who shone were Felicity Jones looking resplendent in Vintage Dior and Rosamund Pike creating a darkly dramatic silhouette in Roland Mouret.
Most of the celebs did play safe though and went for sure-fire pap-winning outfits, however, over at the Grammys, it was a different ball game as the style stakes were maxed out and showed us how it's done.
Taylor Swift shook it off in glorious Ellie Saab and Ariana Grande rocked a stunning white Versace gown which was straight off the catwalk. Taylor swift easily took the plaudits of the evening for me, she owned that ensemble and looked amazing!
Beyonce and Kim Kardashian-West caused a paparazzi frenzy by finally being photographed together for the first time since their reported feud. Beyonce wore her signature figure hugging red carpet style once more but this time in black lace Proenza Schouler and Kim K-W glittered in Gaultier. Kim is queen of the low-cut, thigh slashed gown and this one was no exception, long-sleeved and long length but this dress was lifted by that famous body and was a clear winner at the awards.
Finally, a tale of two dresses....
At the Baftas, Keira Knightley draped her bump in Giambattista Valli so serenely it hurt, whereas across at the Grammys, Rhianna dressed by the same designer and made a far more dramatic statement in a pink creation and took up three whole seats at the event.
Can't wait to see what the leading ladies pull out of the bag for the Oscars!
Last Updated: 23 February 2015 16:01
