Yankee Candle Celebrations

Celebrating with Yankee Candle as they reach well over one million Facebook Fans

I have expressed my obsession for scented candles before, I have so many now that people have said that I can open a candle shop! I light them when people come round so the house smells lovely and welcoming. It's just a really quick and easy to create a certain atmosphere for all kinds of occassions and I think this is what Yankee are best at doing, their fragrances are so authentically close to the real thing. As well as filling the house with yummy and dreamy fragrances, a certain smell can also take you back to a certain memory and that is another reason why I buy candles. I'm a sucker for a trip down memory lane! I particularly love the tropical fruit ones, they always remind me of holidays in Spain when I was younger! I love it! It's always nice to be taken back to a time when things were more simple! For a candle company, they have always been creative. I mean, who else can get away with wonderfully bizarre scents like Bacon, and Movie Night. I have to say, I'm intrigued by the Bacon one, but I don't think it is currently available in the UK.

This weekend, courtesy of Yankee Candle, I was gifted the best one yet. This Vanilla Cupcake candle is a special edition designed to celebrate the brand reaching one million Facebook fans and is a welcome addition to the growing collection I have. Vanilla Cupcake is not a new product but the limited edition repackaging to commemorate the social media milestone. Social Media is important to all of us whether we love it or hate it, everyone's joined some form of network to connect with friends, family and businesses. It has completely changed the way brands communicate with customers. Whilst most of can only dream of reaching the one million milestone, Yankee Candle have done it! For a business to reach a million on any social media channel, it's pretty amazing and I totally understand why they'd want to acknowledge and celebrate it. They are also offering a fan a chance to win a trip to the USA and Golden Ticket to a VIP tour around their factory. You can find out more details and enter the contest on their Facebook Page. If you're mad about candles as I am, it's worth checking out! 

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Newcastle Fashion Weekend

When the events organiser of Newcastle Fashion Week, Sandra, asked me to be one of the Official Bloggers, I was excited but then upon checking my schedule, a lot of things clashed throughout the week and the only event that I could make it to this year was Newcastle Fashion Weekend which was held at my old uni's student union. I was looking forward to step on to the familiar grounds of my student days, and to finally meet Sandra! I'd already missed out on meeting her when we were actually in the same place and the same time during The LOOK Show in London, when she won the Style Search competition and got to style a model for the catwalk.

Prior to my visit, I looked in to what was to be expected. It was described as the North East's own mini Clothes Show Live with panel talks with Ollie Locke as host, stalls to shop at and catwalks to check out. The panel talks I caught were with with university and college tutors which benefited those who were considering of studying fashion courses. There was also presentations from the founder of WIWT.com, Poppy Dinsey, Victoria White who is the editor of Company Magazine and Caryn Franklin.

One of the sponsors of the week long event, Nikki Lissoni, was there with the face of their brand Lauren Pope. Meeting the team behind jewellery brand Nikki Lissoni was great because they were so lovely and full of energy, it made me want to know more about their brand and products. My favourite part of these events isn't the shopping aspect but meeting new people and chatting to them about what they do. They're always so passionate about it, and their enthusiasm rubs off on me. God knows I need a kick up the arse, I've been really uninspired and unmotivated lately. Another person that I was pleased to meet was Melanie Kyles, a talented young girl who's about to complete her studies. Her stall consisted of collar and accessory pieces she has made which promotes and encourages up-cycling. The other stalls I stopped by were the ever popular Mod Dolly who I've been following for ages, and Al's Musique Boutique and Gentlemens Emporium. Even though Al's designs and accessories were for men, his stall was probably my favourite there because of the way it was set up with props and merchandise like vintage trunk cases, photo frames and lots of tweed. I love that seamless cohesiveness with a brand, and you got a real sense of it from the effort he put in his pitch. Primark, Miss Selfridge and Burtons were there but it was the smaller companies that I was most interested in. In the future, I would absolutely love to see more independent retailers involved and maybe more specifically, ones based around the north east. I feel like I have more of a connection with them than the bigger brands, I could've chatted to them all day!

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Head To Toe in Tesco F&F Clothing

Blouse, Watch, Bag and Shoes from F&F Clothing* / Sunglasses RayBan via Pretavoir / Jeans Miss Selfridge

Ok, so I'm not exactly wearing head-to-toe as stated in my blog post title, but I thought it sounded better than "The majority of the clothes I'm wearing here are from F&F Clothing, apart from my jeans and my sunglasses!". When I told my friends where I got my outfit from, they were surprised because in our minds, F&F clothing can be a bit "mumsy", and actually, this is the first time I've bought any clothing from this brand because my local store doesn't stock a huge range of women's clothing, there isn't that much choice. Anyway, I love a good style challenge so when I was given a voucher to buy an outfit, this polka dot blouse was the first thing I put in the shopping cart, it's only £14.00! I have a love-hate relationship with polka dots, but in this particular instance, I love it. If you've clicked the link to the polka dot blouse product listing, you'll have noticed that it doesn't come with the black ribbon tie, this is something I got off an old shirt I already had. I like to add it to most of my shirts! 

I already knew which pair of jeans I wanted to wear with it, so with that in mind, all I needed now was some accessories! It is usually the small details of accessorising that make the outfit look more expensive than it really is. I got these shoes for £10.00 and they're the sweetest black shoes with a small wedge but they nip my feet a lot. It's probably fine when you're going somewhere that doesn't involve much walking, like if you're going for a meal or if you work in an office, for example. But I trekked all around town in these shoes and I had to stop at Superdrug to buy a pack of plasters and cover my feet in them on my way home, hence why there are no close ups of the shoes. I have read the customer reviews for these shoes and most people have given them the thumbs up! The small wedge heel makes the world of difference to your posture and the way you feet and legs look. It's just a shame that they're not comfy on me, but in all my life, I have yet to find a pair of shoes that fit comfortably! I don't think it's anything to do with the shoes, it's my feet, they're just stupid stupid feet! The white handbag goes nicely with my new monochrome outfit, I love bags and a girl can never have enough of them! I almost went for for this pink one as I had the desire of having a focal piece. I'm glad I didn't because the shirt itself is what makes this outfit, anything else would've been too much. The watch is not most stylish but I love love LOVE it. I'm not one for flashy expensive watches so this black strap watch, which was a bargain at £8.00, suits me just fine! 

For the past seven days, F&F have been hosting a Summer campaign by asking people to dress in a different trend each day for a full week. So far, they've had floral, stripes, sixties, accessories, embellishment and today is all about prints! As you can see, I've gone for a classic polka dot print which also fits in nicely with the monochrome trend. There are lots of way to get involved and a winner is selected from three social media channels for each of the seven trends. If you'd like to take part in the F&F 7 Days of Summer challenge and be in with a chance of winning a £75 voucher each day, head to their blog to find our more about how you can enter. Today is the last day so if you are wearing anything with a print on it, click here to find out more! Hope you like how I've styled my F&F  outfit!

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Lace Dress from China Doll Boutique

Dress* Chinadoll Boutique / Coat Miss Selfridge / Bag* Zalando / Sunglasses RayBan via Pretavoir

Newcastle is 100% more pleasant when the sun is shining. You may think that this probably rings true for most places in the world. But I tell you, in the town I currently live in (sadly, not Newcastle), it is miserable 24/7, 365 days a year regardless to whether it's hot or not. It's a lost cause! The Toon, however, is truly loveable when it's sunny. It really really is a whole different place when the weather is warm and the Quayside is busy with those who are relaxing with a glass of wine after work. It's a happier place and I thoroughly enjoy being there. We found a spot in front of The Sage which is situated on top of a hill so you can see over the Quayside (my favourite part of the city) and you get a great scenic view of the iconic Tyne Bridge, which provide a nice backdrop for these outfit photos. I've been waiting to wear this lace dress from China Doll Boutique for ages, it's a really sweet and elegant dress which is made a little bit edgier with a thick black collar and triangular studded gold collar tips. China Doll Boutique is an independent fashion retailer with an eclectic mix of wearable pieces. It sounds like an exciting time for the brand as they're relaunching as Sugar + Spice, I'm excited to see what they have in store!

On the subject of Newcastle, there is a fashion event going on in the city which last until 18th May. Newcastle Fashion Week is back for their third year and a lot of local businesses, such as fashion stores and trendy bars are proudly getting involved so if you're local, get in on the action! It's all such good fun! I've been hearing how amazing it's going and it's fantastic to have this happening in the North East - but I'll tell you more about that in a blog post this week!

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Glossybox May 2013 | 2nd Birthday Edition

Happy 2nd birthday to Glossybox! I still remember the hype of Glossybox even before they launched and since then, there has been other beauty sample boxes that have been and gone but Glossybox has always been the one I recommend to friends. They don't always get it right but it has been interesting to see how they have handled it and how they've kept us all interested. The May 2013 Glossybox* arrived through the post last week and when I opened it, I couldn't believe that they're only two! It just seems so much longer than that. I got a bit bored of them in the middle of last year but the past three or four editions have been great!

In my Glossybox this month, I received the usual 5 samples and also a bonus item. The biggest item was the Fairy Lashes Mascara from Jelly Pong Pong which was packaged in quite a large box. I didn't find this mascara lengthening but it did add volume to my lashes without clumping. It applied easily and it is waterproof. This is a full size product and cost £15.00.

I got a small pot of Harmony Balm by Premae which smells really strong. It's a zingy, fresh lemon scent with a hint of medicinal fragrance. It smells a bit like chinese medicine, and if you've ever smelt this, you'll know how distinctive it is. I'm worried it's too strong and that it isn't a fragrance that is to everyone's taste, so if I put this on during the day, I'm sure no one will want to sit next to me!

The next item is a primer from Beautiful Movements Cosmetics. This is the little pot with the see through liquid in it. I have received a lot of samples from this brand via Glossybox and they tend to be loose powders which I'm not a fan of. I didn't know until now that Beautiful Movements Cosmetics is Kimberly Wyatt's beauty range. The small pot of primer is gel-based and I used to love this type of primer, it makes your skin feels really smooth. You can use this product in multiple ways such as mixing some eyeshadow in to create a liquid eyeliner. I haven't tried this yet but I'm a bit dubious because the product feels quite slippery.

The contents also included a bottle of Headline Colors nail polish and a sachet of body lotion and shower gel, which smell SO nice. Lastly, as a bonus gift, there was a pack of nail files which will come in handy as there are 20 nail files in the pack. A nice little extra to complete their second birthday edition!

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