Fashion's Night Out 8/09/2010

Fashion's Night Out took place on Wednesday night right in the heart of the city, myself and three friends went to celebrate the art that is: fashion, compiled with endless champagne, Gucci printed chocolates and a whole lot of swooning and ahhing at many beautiful designer pieces.

Picture heavy post - click to read more.

My freinds and i set off up to London early as i had to pick up a goody bag from my recent internship Stylist magazine - lots and lots of beauty bits! Swoon. After that we grabbed some dinner in Holborn and set off for Mount St. where Mr Marc Jacobs and Christain Louboutin are housed. This part of London is simply lovely, the endless rows of cute apartments and little parks are so perfect (and expensive!) Whilst waiting for the actual event to begin we took some snaps!

me wearing:

blazer - Zara

tee - Topshop

skirt - Topshop

necklace - Go Go Phillips

bag - Mulberry

the lovely Elizabeth.

the lovely Daniella.

the lovely Sarah.

We then made our way back to Marc by Marc Jacobs where it was all starting off. This shop is the biggest fashion secret in the heart of London, in fact i don't even particularly want to let you in on it ;) , but i guess one must! Marc's shop houses two lines, both his high-end spin off line Marc by Marc Jacobs which is moar hip and young (as opposed to the original Marc Jacobs) this store also houses an uber cheap line which is affordable to everyone. It sells t-shirts, tote bags, mirrors, pens, necklaces all at dirt cheap prices. There i said it, just our little secret!

inside the Marc Store.

The first 100 customers who bought an item also received a free t-shirt, so clearly this had to happen - see below. The whole event coincided with the release of Marc's new aftershave for men called BANG. What was also bloody amazing is that they had also set up in store a platform where customers could pose with the original advertising poster and create their own poses with the bottle! Then they kindly printed them out for us to keep!

After having a good pose and working the camera (hah) we popped along next door to Christian Louboutin where a Mad Hatters Tea Party was taking place with Nars Cosmetics. We drank tea and champers, had a mini dance, swooned over many pairs of disgusting gorgeous heels and saw others being matched their perfect Louboutin red lippie by the Nar's ladies.

look at that yummy masterpiece!

We then made our way to Bond Street, where the majority of events were taking place, we visited most shops for a quick peer around and drinks, filling in competitions in Alexander McQueen, watching some people murder the karaoke in Mulberry, saw Alice Delal pondering about for a lighter.

the weird and wonderful Louis Vuitton store.

Pixie Lott in Juicy Couture, i got an e-vite to this guest list party but it looked pretty crowed and i'm not that keen on Pixie..

Alexander McQueen

Real life model in window

Stella McCartney

Gwyneth Paltrow being ushered in to Stella's, she was bloody beautiful!

We then made our way to Matthew Williamson's store where he was hosting a party inspired by a Moroccan Souk! He was also joined by that Jameel lady, but she swanned off pretty quickly!

myself and Matthew.

sipping a mojito whilst having a browse.

Swooon.

We then made our way to Prada, where we watched their latest A/W 10 show on a large screens while drinking Pimms and eating fish and chips, yes mini fish and chips. So yum! Prada fish and chips, yes please!

Eddie and Sarah.

probably the best fish and chips, ever.

Then for a final drink we want to Dolce and Gabbana, where they made the ultimate Vogue martini.

Then it was time for bed! It was a great night to celebrate fashion, although it still wasn't as busy as we expected, more champers for us!

Here are a few little bags i came home with..

my free MJ tee - pwoar he has a banging body (see what i did there ;)?)

I would love to say i bought some cute pumps or kitten heels from Christain Louboutin but i'm equally excited to say they were giving out goody bags! Decent ones at that! It included:

Cowshed shampoo

TIGI blow dry balm

Nars nail varnish in Louboutin red!

I also purchased another cotton tote from MJ, they are practically a steal at £19!

I hope you enjoyed this ever lasting post, next year i'll be doing the NY Fashion's Night Out ;)

did you go?

oh girl, i'm just a jeepster for your love.

Hair. How do you wear yours? We always want what we can't have, whether that be that gorgeous beach blonde and curly, the mysterious redhead with thick luscious locks, or the brunnette pixi cut? I've never had my hair as long as i have it today, it grows at an alarming slow - snail pace rate, where as usually i keep in it a shoulder length bob, i kind of let it do it's own thang, growing both my hair and my fringe out.

Now that it's got to a desired longer length, i've come to realise that it hangs heavier, hanging straight, rather than a deserted bird's next. For as long as i can remember i've been a slave to the straighteners, well i'm officially hanging those up (apart from serious cases of bad hair days and time i actually want the sleek look), i'm just gunna go with my natural locks.

I never even realised my hair had the potential to look so full of life! When you get so used to a certain routine, relying on the art of straightening, you forget what your own natural hair looks like au natural. My hair has never looked so thick, literally just letting it air dry.

Then for a twist i use my Babyliss Conical Wand, when i'm not lying - every woman/girl should own. They are twenty squid, easy to use, curls is under 5 mins then tadah..

curly vs the straight

Are you a slave to the straightener? 

I also cannot to splurge my student loan on some great hair care, any recommendations?

Vogue Sunday: 2

Vogue: October 1990

Vogue's October issue celebrates international fashion, with a step-by-step guide to the best shopping in Paris, Milan and New York. Fashion Editor Sarajane Hoare takes inspiration from the land of Tolstoy and Chekhov for the Imperial Russia shoot, photographed by Sante D'Orazio.

I adore the pastel pinks.

To the FREAK sales assistant at Lancome

I had the pleasure of the worst customer service today at the Lancome stand in the Crawley branch of Boots, in fact i think she had serious mental problems - this is my letter of complaint..

What would smiley-smiley Julia Roberts have to say about that?

"...The experience can only be described as some-what disgusting, the way in which myself and other customers were dealt with was appalling, and I felt the need to bring this to your attention.

When I arrived at the Lancome stand within the Crawley branch of Boots, I was met with a stressed middle-aged sales assistant who at first ignored my presence, and then asked me rather curtly whether I needed any help. I explained to her that I had a voucher and that I was on the look out for a new foundation, to which she replied ‘I’m not just giving out free samples you know? I actually have to colour match you and take off your old make –up.’ Although, I was taken aback by her angry tone and attitude I stated that this wasn’t a problem. To which she then screetched across to other Boot’s employees, who were then half way across the shop, that she was ‘sick of it’ and how she would not be in tomorrow. From this first impression of the sales assistant and the Lancome brand, I was horrified at her sheer rudeness and ‘can’t be bothered’ attitudes she had towards me and selling actual products.

Whilst taking off my make up, she then went on to interrogate me on to whether I wanted the sample, considering that the voucher clearly stated that I would be given a complimentary sample, she announced that ‘I actually want to know whether you want the make up done, that your actually interested In the foundation and not just looking for a freebie?’ As if this wasn’t bad enough, she then went on to slag off the Lancome brand stating that ‘they want you to buy it, not just swan off with it, so they send me hardly (samples) and your such a pale colour they wouldn’t suit you anyway.’ At this point, it was beyond a joke, she then went on to colour match my face selecting shades that were clearly too dark for my skin tone (and I’n no expert and yet I could clearly tell.) At this point I had decided regardless of her service so far I was not interested in buying any product, due to the fact that I did not trust her expertise or her judgment, considering she was so foul-tempered and angry.

The sales assistant then went on to apply the foundation, during this time I felt the need to apologise to causing her trouble and whether she could tell me anything about the product, considering that she hadn’t asked me any questions on my preference of coverage, skin type ect let alone any benefits of the foundation. She went on to tell me yet again about that there were no samples, constantly complaining about the barrage of other customers and the Lancome brand. Unsure of what to actually say at this point, I sympathised with her.

This is when my entire shopping experience was laughable – the sales assistant went into a full rampage about her boss and hours she was owed, about how she didn’t want to work the company and how she would get signed off to the doctor. In fact she was rambling so much in an angry state, she was complaining about other members of staff of which of course I had no idea about, I couldn’t even hear what she was babbling on about!

In all, this is the most disgusting customer service I have ever received, it was beyond a joke. Her behaviour and attitude towards others and myself was beyond belief. I myself work in retail and I can understand fully that some days are battle, but when your serving a customer you leave your personal life at home and act in a professional manner, this was clearly not the case. She could not seem to have a care in the world, and I honestly couldn’t careless about her own personal/work life problems, I simply wanted to be colour-matched for a foundation.

In this instance, I have to say that I will no longer bother shopping with Lancome when I know that there are other more professional, helpful sales assistants out there that aren’t going to accuse me of wanting freebies or loading off their personal life!.."

Have you ever had such appalling service?

FYI the way she applied the foundation has put me right off buying it!

stop crying your heart out

After what seems like an eternity of the foreign (drug store mascaras), i finally succumbed to indulging in my all time favourite dirty little piece of luxury - the amazing Doir Show mascara. Ever since i resorted back to this mascara, i've had a whole host of compliments; yet when the complimenter asks the brand/price i get the reaction that i've just murdered their first born. I mean come on people, i don't smoke, do drugs, and yes occasionally i like to have a good (round) of cocktails, but seriously, if i want to spend twenty one pounds fifty pence on a mascara, then i will.

Some ladies need that show-stopping red lipstick, some need that immaculate, flawless finishing foundation - i just need this mascara. The following photos show the Doir Show in all its fabulousness, compared to a top contender that i found.

First up, i apply L'Oreal Lash Serum before applying any mascara, it lengthens and nourishes lashes, while separating lashes. It transforms any mascara to their full potential, generally making it much easier for the mascara to apply. Plus, this does wonders to any mascara thats on it's last legs. buy it, buy it.

17 Wild Curls Mascara (£5.99) vs Doir Show Black Out (£21.50)


(click to read moar)

with the 17 on the left and Doir on the right.

Well i can certainly tell the difference, basically the Wild Curls is more separating and more wispy looking with a good level of length for that price. The Doir elongates ever lash for a false lash effect, boosting each lash to crazy volume. And in the top photo you can clearly see the umph!

But still both mascaras have cons, the Wild Curl drops during the day as well as leaving bleeding under my bottom lashes, and with the Doir the wand is nearly as big as the Bad Gal mascara by Benefit, which some people have difficulty with, although i don't.

Basically, Doir Show in Black Out is fabulous, but if i need a cheap fix the Wild Curls is the next best thing.

Have you tried these mascaras? A lot of hype has been around the Max Factor False Lash Effect, i have serious issues with the mascara, firstly i cannot stop prodding ones eye and secondly its just dull.

Oh, and if your going to judge my expensive mascara habit, i'll just bat you off with my long pretty lashes ;)