Manchester Fashion Week 2014: Day Two

Hello!

This post's been a bit delayed, sorry about that.

So this comes from the amazing Saturday I had during the Easter weekend. I had such a great weekend, eating, drinking, socialising and generally being merry (can you use the word merry outside the Christmas period?).

My Saturday began with brunch on the house courtesy of Secret D'or- a carefully-curated luxury fashion treasure trove of independent designers.

They'd kindly invited some of us Manchester bloggers for a chat over some amazing food at Solita in the Northern Quarter. Solita was already a massive fave of mine and has a really good name for itself in Manchester as a hidden gem for indulgent food- actually really fits the Secret D'or ideology.

They put on an amazing menu for us. I started with fried shrimp and followed with Solita's 'KFB' burger; a monster burger with melted Monterey Jack cheese, jalapenos, bourbon BBQ sauce and Kentucky fried bacon- yes that's right, Kentucky fried bacon!

This definitely fueled my day- I didn't need to eat anything else!

It was lovely to chat to the Secret D'or ladies and also to catch up with some of my fave blogger babes.

Stomach full, I went home to get changed for the big event; Manchester Fashion Week. There's not many who know the ins and outs of MCRFW's various trials and tribulations like I do, but it was finally happening and I was excited to see what would be in store.

The event was at the Hallé St. Peter's church which was actually a really lovely venue. A few of us gathered outside for some opportune outfit snaps.

Big thanks to Lily for taking the below photos outside as I didn't bring my camera!

Sunglasses- Ray Ban

Earrings- Gogo Phillip

Chain- charity shop

Jacket- Primark

Top- Evil Twin

Bag- gift from friend

Leggings- Tinned Bananas

Boots- Vagabond

Just realised that I've worn my Ray Ban wayfarers in the past few posts as well- I promise I have other shades. I'm one of those people who crack out the sunglasses as soon as there's the faintest ray of sunshine and these are my all-time faves.

With the beauts; Lily, Irena and Joanna

The calm before the storm

Me and the other bloggers had amazing seats on the frow! Sat more or less opposite Denise Welch of Loose Women fame no less. See if you you can spot her in the photos...

 Unfortunately I didn't take my camera so these shots are just from my phone.

There were so many brands showing on Saturday that I haven't included them all. See my highlights below.

The show opened with Sofia Douvari's designs. The couture-style dresses really kicked things off with a glamorous note.

Didi's Boutique had some gorgeous outfits, perfect for going out. I loved this hot pink scuba skirt!

The Horsebird featured cool branded unisex clothing.

Gin & Tonic vintage was one of my favourite sections in the show; particularly loved the black and gold jacket on the right.

Clare Baxter's showgirl-style costumes were a big highlight for me. The outfits were stunning with amazing attention to detail.

I'll also give Eustratia a little mention as I loved their show but ended up watching from the sidelines as they were on just after the interval and I didn't make it back to my seat in time! Eustratia make amazing latex garments in awesome candy colours.


Did you go to Manchester Fashion Week? I'd love to know what you thought!

Love,

Foxy x

A MCRFW Meet and OOTD

Hello!

A couple of weekends ago, I met with the Manchester Fashion Week gang for a chat about things to come, a browse through some new pieces from Ark Clothing and take part in a shoot with the lovely Charlotte of WamBam Photography.

The meet was held at the rather grand Radisson Edwardian hotel where we were treated to refreshments and had a good nosey around the hotel including their gorgeous spa.

Browsing some of Ark's new Spring arrivals which feature lovely pastel jumpers and collared dresses.

I loved the tartan dress most.

Chilling with these babes whilst waiting to have our photo taken; Katie, Danielle and Lola.


My outfit of the day:

Choker- eBay

Oversized shirt- charity shop

Lace bralet- Forever 21

Riding pants- American Apparel

Bag- Vivienne Westwood

Boots- eBay

It was great to have our outfit photos done by a professional for a change, certainly an improvement on my shots! (Sorry cameraman boyfriend).

We went up to the top floor of the hotel to have our shots done against the huge windows. The view across the city was awesome.

I love this shot of us all on the glass staircase. Look forward to seeing these girls again very soon.


Love,

Foxy

A New Blogger Box from MCRFW

Hello!

Another delayed post today.

I've mentioned previously on the blog that I'm an official blogger for Manchester Fashion Week (exciting news to come on that front!) and just before Christmas I met up with a handful of the girls to discuss the latest updates on the event and also to receive another fab blogger box!

We were really spoilt this time with an amazing festive box crammed full of goodies.

First thing I did was throw it all on the floor to get a good look and take a few pics before I got stuck into everything:

The box:

So as you can see, we were given so much! The box included stationary, beauty, fashion accessories and skincare products.

Here we have some patterned tights from Pamela Mann's Moulin Rouge collection, touchscreen gloves from Proporta (they really do work) and one of my fave pieces; a Filofax from Paperstone.

I'm pretty sure getting organised is on everyone's to-do list for 2014 so it's really handy to have something I can jot down important dates and events in.

The above are some bits from Wilko's. The candy canes and mini Santa chocs went down a treat at Christmas and the shower smoothie smells amazing! Will definitely be checking out what other varieties are in the range.

I was really pleased to find a few Lacura products in the package. Lacura is supermarket chain Aldi's own skincare range which I'm already a fan of.

I swear by the Lacura concealer pen which is a great dupe for YSL's Touche Éclat. I've been buying this for a few years and last time I checked, there are only three shades but the lightest works well for me. I think it retails for £3.99 which is a lot cheaper than the real deal!

I received a great hand and nail cream in my box (I'm always on the hunt for good ones due to the skin condition I have which often leaves them dry) and also their Renew 'Multi Intensive Serum' with Q10. I've had something similar to this from Lacura in the past which was a cream of the same name but it contained vitamin C as the active ingradient rather than Q10. It was really good though I'd not seen it in the shops to buy another so was chuffed when I got this one to try; I presume it must have replaced the old one I had. This one has a different consistency and scent but goes on really well and feels lovely on your skin.

We also got samples from Lancôme and an invitation for a skin consultation. I received a sample of their Teint Visionnaire Foundation Skin Perfecting Makeup Duo which is essentially a foundation/concealer combo. The sample is a little dark for me but I've heard good things about it.

Probably the best stuff in the box for me was a collection of skincare products from Salcura's Antiac range which boasts the impressive accolade of 'Best Acne Brand' from TV's Embarrassing Bodies.

I don't have the best skin around, particularly after the indulgences of Christmas so I was excited to try these.

Salcura's spot-fighting products are split into two ranges; Daily, for everyday use and Activ for breakouts. I received the Daily face wash and face wipes and the Activ liquid spray and 'on the spot' gel treatment.

I have to say that after using all of these for a few weeks now, I'm really impressed! I've definitely noticed the difference to my skin which has less blemishes. The Activ Gel Serum is particularly good; honestly the best I've tried.

Salcura's products are completely free from artificial chemicals and ingredients which is something that's become more important to me recently.

They also have products to suit other skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. I've suffered from dermatitis on my hands for a number of years and use a prescribed steroid cream on them, though I don't like to use it too often so their Derma Spray really caught my eye as an all-natural product.

Though I've not seen them myself, their website says that products are available at Boots stores. You can also order trial packs for free from their site- I've just ordered the derma pack which I can't wait to try.


Oh and one other piece I missed photographing with the rest of my loot was this awesome personalised bauble from Getting Personal. I hung this on my tree as soon as I got home!

I love personal gifts and this one is of a high quality- I might buy some as presents next year.

Have you discovered any new brands recently?

Love,

Foxy x