Intu Metrocentre Fashion Live Spring / Summer 2018 VIP Preview*

I guess it goes without saying that I'm not really feeling myself at the moment, with my mum still in hospital I've been feeling more than a little bit down. There is a temptation when you feel like that to pull the duvet over your head and hide away and believe me I've done that but on Wednesday night I put a frock on, did my make up and received just the boost that I needed with the help of popcorn, Prosecco, and puppers. What am I talking about? Well the Intu Metrocentre Fashion Live Spring Summer 2018 Blogger Preview Event of course!

The team at Intu Metrocentre certainly know how to put on an event and treat their local bloggers and this one was no different, In a pastel, floral garden setting we we're treat to drinks, and canapes, and popcorn courtesy of the Odeon cinema, as well as make up advice from the team at Kat Von D in Debenhams, and a deliciously fragrant and relaxing hand and arm massages from the girls from Molton Brown in House Of Fraser (I had my massage with the new ish Coastal Cypress And Sea Fennel, which is a beautiful fresh and aquatic, unisex scent, which is perfect for summer).

As nice as all of these extras were though the real purpose of the event was to give us a sneaky peek of what you can expect to see if you head down to the centre this weekend. Yes, they are back, Intu Metrocentre's famous catwalk shows are returning from the 10th - 13th May to showcase some of the key fashion looks and pieces from a myriad of the centres stores, for spring / summer 2018.

Situated in the usual place in Town Square, outside of House Of Fraser there are 4 runway shows on Saturday and 3 on Sunday, giving you ample opportunity to get plenty of spring and summer fashion inspiration. Even if you can't make it onto FROW yourself though don't worry, if you're in the centre in the next day or so, make sure you pick up one of the Fashion Live leaflets from any of the information points, to get some fabulous discounts across the centre from stores including Simply Be, Cath Kidston, Ann Summer, House Of Fraser and more.

As per usual the shows will showcase a wide range of both ladies and gentleman's clothing accessories for all sizes, shapes, and styles. We had a sneak peek of just some of the shows and the brands that you can see over the next few days.

I'm not going to lie, with all the stress and what not I didn't have the energy to lug my SLR round so I ended up shooting the show on my trusty iPhone, well it didn't prove quite so trusty this time round, and a lot of pics either didn't come out so well, or quite frankly didn't come out at all, so this post doesn't have as many pictures as I would have like and I'm not 100% happy with the ones that I have included, never mind bigger disasters at sea, I guess.

The event was hosted by the lovely Anna Foster from BBC Radio Newcastle, who was wearing the Lipsy Amelia Print Floral Wrap Dress, which retails at £58. Lipsy's presentation was all about occasion pieces, with pretty dresses in brights, block colours and floral prints as well as more casual, but still smart and feminine tops, and separates.

Another brand that is synonymous with occasion is Coast, if you're looking for an outfit for a wedding, a christening, or even for the races, that Coast should be one of your first ports of call, especially since they now do a plus size range ;) Their presentation offered a beautiful range of dresses and jumpsuits, in bright, summery colours, and even neons teamed up with some fabulous hats and fascinators. 

If accessories are your thing then there is one shop that is should definitely be on your radar and that is Accessorize. What can I say about Accessorize other than summer in a shop! Everything about their presentation made me think of holidays, tropical beaches, and items that would take you straight from beach to bar, from strappy sandals, to brights, neons and beautiful embellishments, if your heading to the sun, anytime soon Accessorize should be your first port of call when it comes to holiday shopping. As perfect as they are for the little things that finish an outfit though, you can now get the top to toe look in one store, as this outfit proves with this cute neon embroidered cropped kaftan, and these cute embellished shorts. 

As much as I'm loving the tropical vibes here, for me at least beach holidays are a distant dream at the moment, so spring, summer fashion to me means less of the beach vibe and more of the I want to look cool as hell no matter the weather vibe, and thankfully a lot of the showcased brands fitted the bill perfectly, with River Island showcasing some great on trend pieces that were perfect for the unpredictable British weather including everything from cute playsuits to the most fabulous pair of mustard / rust yellow paper bag waist trousers!

Mustard was also evident on the models walking for New Look, with a fabulous ensemble of I think trousers, a top, and a coordinating kimono style jacket in a mustard and red floral pattern. I can't find this outfit online but it's definitely worth looking out for and I'm gutted that I didn't get a good enough picture so that I could share it with you. Florals are always big for spring and summer, and they were evident in quite a few of the presentations including this one, New Look also showcased a lot of bright block colours, including a fabulous red trouser and black, graphic, slogan t-shirt combo.

If you're one of those trendy, super cool people, that most of aspire to be like, then Top Shop's collection was probably right up your street, with some really fun furry bags, and sequined bum bags, and joggers teamed with a graphic tees, and high heels. 

I'm not sure I could carry that look off but something I could definitely get on board with was this beautiful diagonal striped midi dress, which retails at £49, teamed up with an embellished denim jacket. I love stripes and since I've just picked up a new denim jacket this look was right up my street.

I do love a stripe and another Arcadia groups presentation was probably my favourite of the evening. Yes, maybe I'm biased because Evans is a plus size brand (the majority of their items do start at a size 14 though so don't discount it as just being a plus size brand though!) but their models rocked every single look. Although it's all looking slightly navy here, the theme was monochrome, not a typical spring summer look but it works, and I particularly loved this look, with these eye catching black and white striped wide leg pants, that are a steal at just £35. I'm not sure I could pull this look off personally but I'm seriously debating giving it a go.

Having so many exciting brands under one roof, House Of Fraser's shows are always worth waiting for and this one was no exception, as they showcased both smart and casual men's and ladies fashion, but for me the stand out piece was this beautiful jacquard wrap dress from BIBA

I know I'm all about female fashion but these shows really are for everyone, and as well as House Of Fraser, DW Sports and River Island, also showcased some of they key spring and summer 2018 looks for both men and women, and the boys also had a chance to go it alone, with a summery presentation from Burton Menswear featuring pastel pinks, and that summer staple the Hawaiian style shirt.

It wasn't all about that casual summer style though, men have special occasions too, and if you or your OH has a function to attend this summer then Moss Bros is the place to go, for everything from the traditional two and three piece suit to something with a bit more of a fashion vibe.

There really is nothing nicer than a guy in a suit, well apart from a man in a suit with a dog that is!

Clad in their swanky Moss Boss attire and perhaps a touch overdressed for a dog walk, 2 of the lovely male models helped 3 new, and all be it hairy models to shine, Winston and Churchill which you can see above and the lovely Sam who you can see below.

Yes, us North East blogger do love our fashion, our beauty, our bubbly and our canapes but the majority of us all so have a soft spot for furry things with 4 legs! All 3 of these lovely dogs are current residents at the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter, who are responsible for rescuing and re homing 1000's of animals every year in the North East of England.

If you're popping into the centre to do a bit of shopping or if your coming to specifically to see the shows, then pop down to Town Square and you can come and find out a little bit more about the work that they do, or you can find out more about how you can help and of course how you can adopt your own furry friend via their website, and of course if you do come down to watch the shows then you can watch these lovely, friendly doggies perfect, their runway walk over the course of the weekend.

Thanks to these puppies at least in part, I had a fab night that really lifted my spirits no end, I want to thank all of the Intu team, and of course all of the retailers for hosting and of course for the super generous goodies bags. So if you don't have any plans for the next few days and you want a bit of summer style inspiration or if you just want to meet some lovely fur babies than head down to Intu Metrocentre this weekend for your own fur and fashion fix x

*Press / Blogger Event 

Intu Metrocentre Fashion Live Spring / Summer 2017 VIP Event*

As an established blogger I'm lucky to get invited to the occasional blog event, I've worked hard to establish my blog over the years but even now invites and samples aren't something that I take for granted and I really do appreciate how lucky and how privileged I am.

When I first started blogging over 10 years ago, blogger events were few and far between, and up in the wilds of northern England, they were almost non existent. Thankfully over the years things have changed, and brands, companies and even individuals are now recognising the power of the blog and the influence and the power of real people.

Nowhere in the north east has embraced the power of the blogger more than Intu Metrocentre. and this week I was lucky enough to attend a VIP preview of this weekends, Spring / Summer 2017 Fashion Live Event.

All of the previous Fashion Live events have been themed and this one was no different, think tropical beach bar, come kitsch heaven and you're probably thinking along the right line. With contributions from various retailers including Wilko, and Primark, the team had created a truly tropical, and exotic setting, with light up palm trees, ball pools, pineapples, deckchairs, and flamingos! A lot of bloggers I know are slightly obsessed with Flamingos and at this event they were in their element. There were literally flamingos everywhere from the inflatable pool float, to the string lights, to the napkins, and even the pick n mix bags.

This season Intu Metrocentre have made a return to the traditional catwalk styles shows for their Fashion Live events and as much as I've really enjoyed their other events I really do enjoy the buzz that I get from witnessing a proper fashion show. Shooting a proper catwalk show though is hard especially when your camera skills, like me are shall we say, lacking something so we all had the opportunity to give ourselves a pre show energy boost, with some food and drinks. Everything had a slightly exotic feel with fruit kebabs, doughnuts made to look like pineapples, mini cupcakes, and a range of chilli bowls from the fabulous team at Barburrito. Drinks were on hand courtesy of TGI Fridays and we choose from some mini milkshakes, some mocktails and a cocktail or two. I was trying to be good and I only had a couple of fruit kebabs, so I couldn't resist trying one of TGI's signature cocktails, the Apple Passion - a mixture of blue curacao, passion fruit and apple juices, and black vodka, and I also had a mini Birthday Cake Shake which was incredible. Forget about the food I'm going to TGI Fridays to drink cocktails and shakes - they really were that good!

At 7pm at was time to take our place on the FROW and wait for the show to start. We were welcomed by our host for the evening, the lovely @Ladyannafoster from BBC Radio Newcastle, clad in Top Shop and New Look and whose hair had been freshly styled by SHOW Beauty in House Of Fraser, then it was cameras at the ready and the show began.

The fashion show showcased a wide variety of Spring and Summer looks, from stores throughout the centre including Top Shop, Burton, Karen Millen, Accessorize, New Look, Cath Kidston, Primark, Tessuti, Miss Selfridge, House Of Fraser and Coast. On show was everything from swimwear, to beach wear, and occasion wear. There were so many beautiful things on show, covering all of the major trends from prints and florals, to stripes, lace and colour blocking.

Top Shop 

Karen Millen

New Look Men

Cath Kidston

Tessuti

Miss Selfridge

Coast

As you can see there were some fabulous pieces on display, I literally fell in love with everything from Coast, and Karen Millen, I just wish I had a wedding or a special occasion to attend this summer. I also loved the prints at Cath Kidston and the navy blue jumpsuit at Karen Millen. There really was something for everyone and all occasions. 

So if you're up in the North East and you fancy your own FROW experience, then pop down to Intu Metrocentre this weekend, and head to Town Square. There will be four shows a day both tomorrow and on Sunday, so brave the bank holiday shoppers and pop in for a bit of fashion inspiration. You can find out more information and show times on the Intu Metrocentre website. If you are popping in this weekend don't forget to pick up one of the leaflets that are at the customer service points and dotted around the centre to grab yourself some bank holiday weekend discounts. This season Intu Metrocentre have also teamed with a fabulous North East based charity St Oswalds Hospice, so if you want to make some room in your wardrobe for all the new things that you want to buy then you can pick up a donation bag at all of the customer services desks. You can find out all about the fabulous work that St Oswalds do, and find your local branch via their website.

I just want to say thank you again to everyone at Intu Metrocentre for the opportunity to flamingle and for hosting such an amazing event, and I also want to think all of the companies and brands that contributed to the amazing show bags, that included amongst lots of other lovely things, a shampoo and conditioner from SHOW Beauty, beauty samples from Murad, L'Occitane and Urban Decay, a shoe care kit from Ecco, sweeties, candles from Primark and Skandinavisk and an amazing fabric Intu Flamingo bag x 

Is your wardrobe Spring and Summer ready yet? Has this post given you any ideas? Let me know in the comments x 

*Press / Blogger Event

Glamorous Hair With SHOW Beauty And SHOW Beauty Lux Volume*

Time flies when you're having fun doesn't it and thanks to the bank holiday and the indulgences of Easter, it's hard to believe that's it been nearly two weeks now since I was invited down to the SHOW Beauty concession in House Of Fraser.

I love bargain beauty when it comes to haircare as much as the next person, and in my bathroom you'll see everything from bargain basement £1 shampoos, to pricier trichologist led brands and guess what? they all do the job they are designed for pretty well, they all leave you with clean and presentable hair but in a lot of cases they seem to lack that bit of pzazz.

Why should an everyday task like washing and styling your hair be boring and mundane, like so many other tasks in beauty we all want to be spoilt and pampered, and we want to experience just that little bit of luxury on a daily basis.

If that's what you're looking for then SHOW Beauty is the brand for you. Founded by the ever glamorous and stylish socialite Tamera Ecclestone, with designer lead fragrances, and exquisite packaging, SHOW beauty provides a range of haircare products that take the mundane to the magnificent.

Last week I was invited along to Intu Metrocentre to find out more about SHOW Beauty, their products and to celebrate the launch of their new Lux Volume range.  After being greeted with bubbly and canapes,  I  had a good chance to talk to some of the lovely ladies from SHOW about the new launches, and about exactly what makes SHOW so special.

Yes the products look amazing but packaging alone doesn't sell a product, and it's clear that the brand concentrates as much on its formulations as it does on it's designer packaging and fragrances. All of the products are formulated with highest calibre of ingredients, including the caviar and white truffle extracts that pop up in the new Lux Volume range.

The whole aim of the range is to care for and repair you hair whilst giving it that body, bounce and fullness, without weighing it down or leaving it heavy or sticky. The lovely people at SHOW kindly gifted us a full size shampoo and conditioner that retail at £30 each to try, so I will be reviewing both of these for you and another SHOW product that I own in due course

As well as offering a wide range of luxurious products that you can use to pamper yourself in your own bathroom, SHOW also offer a range of pampering styling options that are available in both their standalone salons, and in some of their department store concessions.

They offer a wide range of quick, styling options from a basic revitalising blow dry to up do's, curls and braids that are perfect for that special occasion be it a wedding, a party, a prom, or even for a date with that special someone.

All of the bloggers and journalists that attended last weeks event were lucky enough to receive a complimentary express styling session courtesy of the SHOW Beauty team. On the night I saw everything from top knots, to waves, up do's and curls, but seeing as my hair was looking a little bit windswept my stylist suggest some crown braids.

I really struggle when it comes to braiding my own hair so it was fabulous to see a real master (or mistress ;) at work. My stylist used SHOW's fabulous non chalky Dry Shampoo which contains tapioca and rice starch, and a host of amazing smelling botanical extracts including kiwi, mango, aloe, and ginger lily, to give my hair a bit of texture, before finishing off my beautiful braids with one of SHOW's most popular products their non sticky, weightless Finishing Spray which contains vitamin B, lychee, and wheat proteins.

Unfortunately I didn't actually take my own camera so all of these photos were taken on my mobile, thankfully though one of my fellow bloggers, the lovely Amy Rebair took this amazing photo of the back of my hair, which really shows the intricacy of the braids, and my multi coloured hair eek :)

Source

I absolutely loved the style that the team created, and I'm going to be honest and say that it broke my heart to take it out. What surprised my though when I took the braids out though, apart from the amount of the volume that the style had given my hair, was how soft it felt, there was no stickiness or stiffness, which shows the quality of the products that the team used.

SHOW Beauty isn't just a haircare brand, you're buying into a lifestyle, and way of thinking. This brand is about real indulgence, whether you're having your own spa like, pampering experience in your own bathroom, or whether your treating yourself to blow dry to cheer yourself up after a rubbish day at work or spoiling yourself with a special up do for a day at the races, this brand is all about you, and making yourself feel special in one of the easiest ways possible, with a good hair day.

You can find out more about SHOW Beauty stockists, styling services, and products via their own website, and you can also find concessions with styling services in selected Harvey Nichols and House Of Fraser stores including Intu Metrocentre. If you aren't lucky enough to have a counter near you though you can also buy SHOW Beauty products online from various retailers including Selfridges, Harrods and lookfantastic.

Have you tried anything from SHOW Beauty before? Let me know your thoughts in the comments x

*Press / Blogger Event

Intu Metrocentre A/W 2016 Style Garden - #IntuFashion

Although I love the sunshine and the warmth of summer, I think that there is a part of me that secretly loves the darker nights, and the colder weather. Pretty dresses, and florals definitely have a place in my wardrobe but whether it's down to a lack of body confidence or just my personal taste, I just can't wait to start piling on the layers and dressing for the autumn and winter months.

Just because you're dressing for warmth and comfort though, it doesn't mean that you have to be boring, integrate a few on trend pieces into your wardrobe, and you can bring even your oldest jeans up to date in an instant, and face the autumn and winter with a bit more style in your step.

Fashion can be a minefield though, there are so many new trends and items out there that it is difficult to know where to start. This week though I got a bit of a helping hand and some pointers on what fashion and accessory will work for me and you, this autumn and winter season.

On Monday night I headed to one of my favourite place in the world (sad I know!) the Intu Metrocentre, to attend their Autumn / Winter Style Garden Blogger Event. I've attended a few of these events now and I've always enjoyed them and found them really informative, and this event was no different.

Situated in the main town square, outside of House Of Fraser, we were greeted with the same cube, that made it's debut way back in April. This time festooned in autumn leaves, the art installation like cube showcased a series of outfits, from some of the centre's major retailers.

Like last time the cube takes centre stage for this weekends fashion shows, but since this was a special blogger event, we were treated to an extended sitting room layout, featuring tables, throws, cushions and leather sofas from some of the Metrocentre's interior and gift retailers, HandPICKED, and Baytree Interiors, and beautiful vases of flowers from the centre's own florists, The Rebel Flower Company

.

As gorgeous as the home wear and the interiors pieces were though, this was a fashion event, and this beautiful scene was scatters with lots of beautiful fashion and accessory pieces, including these boots from Ecco.

There were also bags and accessories from Dorothy Perkins, Cath Kidston, Biba, and this gorgeous bag from Kate Spade.

and this full outfit from the iconic and fabulous Vivienne Wetstwood.

Once we'd had a little look round, and made ourselves comfortable it was time for the one of the highlights of the evening, as Intu Metrocentre's Style Adviser Michaela Dale, took to the stage.

Michaela had trawled the centre and chose some of her key pieces for the Autumn and Winter season. As i said before it's not necessarily about buying a whole new outfit, it's about picking a few pieces that will update your old favourites and bring them right up to date, and that's exactly what Michaela showed us how to do.

I was really please to see a wide variety of size, and budget options represented in the pieces that Michaela had chosen.  There were pieces from Primark, French Connection, Warehouse, Biba at House Of Fraser, and Cath Kidston, and like the dress below she also showcased a few pieces from Simply Be, including a blouse that I've now gone on to purchase.

Michaela had chosen pieces to represent the 5 key trends that she, and the style time have identified for Autumn and Winter 2016, the trends include the pretty self explanatory Animal Print, Midnight Sparkle, Purple Reign and Velvet Dreams and my personal favourite trend Heritage Checks, with it's textures, prints, and earthy colour palette.

We were then treated to a mini fashion show with two beautiful models, showing us how to put together some different looks and interpret the trends.

After a warm round of applause, Michaela and the models then past the baton on to some other speakers from some of House Of Frasers most prestigious brands, including luxury British leather goods brand, Aspinal Of London.

Despite only being founded in 2001, Aspinal of London, is very much viewed a heritage brand, their bags and leather goods, are seen on the arms of celebrities, royalty and pretty much anyone that recognises quality in it's highest form. All of the bags are quite classic, and some of them have an almost vintage look to them, but there is a lot more than meets the eye in most cases. A lot of the bags in the Aspinal range, can be used with something unique to them a tech charger which charges your phones and mobile devices on the go. They aren't just beautiful to look at, they're practical too. My favourite by far is the beautiful croc embossed tote / bowling bag that you can see in the foreground, the perfect size, it comes in a variety of finishes, and you can even get the straps and the bags embossed with your essentials. 

I hope Santa is listening to my rather loud hints but somehow I doubt it ;) It doesn't matter though because Aspinal were kind enough to gift all of the attending blogger with a little piece, which was just enough to make me personally want more.

Packaged in a beautiful bag and box, that just screamed quality, we were lucky enough to receive a beautiful small, black pebble leather zipped pouch, that you can also use as a coin purse.

With a chunky gold zip, and gold embossed branding, the quality is excellent, it's fully lined and it's beautiful. I think I'm going to be using it as a coin purse, and I'm really looking forward to using and pulling a little bit of luxury out of my bag.

Speaking of beauty and luxury we also had a talk from some of the lovely ladies from the House Of Fraser, Thomas Sabo concession. Whilst I was familiar with Thomas Sabo's charm bracelets and charm pieces, on Monday night the ladies introduced up to their Love Bridge / Love Coins range. This range is all about personalisation and customisation. They offer a variety of different chains, a choice of different metals, and a choice of pendants in different shapes and even a choice of pendants with crystal or diamond detailing.  Every one of the pendants in this range can also be engraved, free of charge, with a choice of around 50 different initials, and symbols.

The lovely people at Thomas Sabo were kind enough to give us a gorgeous goodie bag full of treats, including a make up bag, a beautiful velvet jewellery roll, and a sample of their Charm Club Forever fragrance.

If that wasn't enough we were also kindly gifted, a beautiful sterling silver bracelet, with a Love Coin, heart shaped pendant hanging from it.

This bracelet charm can be engraved at the House Of Fraser concession with an initial or symbol of our choice. I love the idea of this so much and for me it's happened at just the right time. Their are so many things to choose from I just need to pick a symbol, that means something to me or that reminds me of someone or something.

After Thomas Sabo we also had a couple of brief talks from some more of House Of Fraser's prestigious concessions including Tom Ford fragrance, and the watch department where we found a little bit more about the Michael Kors Access and the Fossil Q smart watches, which have the functionality of an Apple Watch but with a more stylish appearance.

Finally after the presentations we had a chance to talk to some of the experts, and we had a chance to enjoy some lovely cocktails, mocktails and canapes courtesy of Carluccio's which is one of the newest additions to the centre's must luxurious section, the Platinum Mall.

Then sadly it was time to leave all of the beautiful clothing, accessories and home wear behind and head home. We'd already been spoilt rotten from both Aspinal and Thomas Sabo, but we were also lucky enough to get another good bag which contained a copy of the new Intu Metrocentre magazine, a Yankee Candle from Candle Essence, shoe care products from Ecco, Tom Ford Fragrance samples, truffles and cookies from the lovely people at Carluccio's and a whole host of vouchers.

I really can't thank the team from Intu Metrocentre enough for hosting such an informative and enjoyable evening and of course I can't think Aspinal, Thomas Sabo, and the other brands involved for their time, their knowledge. and their generosity.

Alas this was a blogger only event but don't worry you can still pop down to Intu Metrocentre this weekend to watch some of the Style Garden fashion shows, and to find out a little bit more about the fashion brands and the trends that the centre has to offer, and if you're not luck enough to live up North like I do, then have a look and see what's going on at your local Intu shopping centre. If you have any questions please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading x 

*Blogger Event