A Birthday Treat - Bowes Museum - Vivienne Westwood - Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, and I think I've officially reached the point where I don't actually want anything anymore. My mam pressed and pressed for weeks but all I could think was a lego set, so she got me that and she's going to treat me to a new piercing and a shopping trip which I'm going to try and do this week or next.

My friends were in a similar position I guess, one sent me a surprise parcel of cute and fun stuff that I was super happy with, and the other asked me if I would like something a little bit different, a visit to one of my favourite museums, the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, Co Durham to see their latest fashion exhibition 'Vivienne Westwood - Rebel Storyteller - Visionary', of course I jumped at the chance, it's a little awkward to get there with public transport and spending time with one of my bestest friends is a gift in itself.

I've been to quite a few of their fashion exhibits over the years including their YSL showcase, an exhibition from milliner Stephen Jones, and an exhibition of Vivienne Westwood's shoe designs (I'm not sure why the pics aren't showing in this post just give them a click to see them), and I always love how they display often such contemporary items alongside art and antiques from their own extensive collections.

From plaid, to punk, to mini crinolines and pirate boots, this exhibition really did cover her entire fashion career and influences, showing some of her most famous pieces in the museums Fashion And Textile Gallery and in the grand setting of their specialist Exhibition Gallery.

I was going to carefully edit some of these pics but to be honest they really do speak for themselves so I'm posting them unedited and there is a lot of them so enjoy and if you’re interested you can also watch a little video I made on both TikTok and Instagram Reels x 

Some of the bits are a bit out there as you would expect from the godmother of punk, figleaf leggings anyone? and what's with the weird faux fur hat, and toy dog / fox accessory? but some of the tailoring is absolutely exquisite such clean lines and cuts especially on some of the tartan pieces.

Again the Bowes Museum have outdone themselves from the set up, to the pieces chosen and the staging, everything was perfect even the benches in the Fashion and Textile Gallery had been specially dressed for the occasion.

Throw in all of the treasures that the museum has including furniture, ceramics, sculpture, and paintings there really is so much to see especially this summer. We ended our trip with a performance of the iconic Bowes Museum Silver Swan and coffee and a scone in Cafe Bowes before heading home through the Co Durham countryside.

The Bowes Museum is a really good day out with lots to see and do, there are plenty of interactives including some children's dress up and drawing and art stations, and even a piece of interactive embroidery, they also hold regular themed workshops and even baby sessions! The museum is also set in lovely parkland and gardens great for a nature walk or a picnic, and if you're lucky you might even spot some squirrels.

The Vivienne Westwood Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary exhibit runs from the 28th March to 6th September 2026

Royal Quays Outlet Centre Beauty Haul

Hi Guys x I've got another long overdue haul for you today and this one is all about bargain beauty bits. A few weeks ago now me, my godmother and some of her friends went on a coach trip. Call me old and boring if you like but personally I'm all for coach trips, even if I was the youngest person on the coach by about 20 years.

Our destination was not one but two of the North East premier outlet shopping areas - Royal Quays, which is an outdoor outlet centre with all kinds of unusual and high street stores, and Boundary Mill, which is a huge store that sells everything from Jaegar, to Evans, to Yankee Candles, and Kitchenware. I mainly went to make a dent in my Christmas shopping but I did buy myself a few home bits in Boundary Mills (blog post to come), and a few beauty bits in Royal Quays.

It was a freezing cold day, and being so close to both the coast and the River Tyne, only the hardiest shoppers were braving the icy blasts of Royal Quays. Nothing warms my heart though then spotting a Beauty Outlet store. Unfortunately this wasn't one of the CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlets) that are owned by Estee Lauder, but after visiting their Dalton Park store earlier in the year, I knew that something would be sure to catch me eye.

If you like nail polishes these stores are well worth a look, one wall in this particular branch was covered in nail polishes for brands including, W7, Essie, OPI, Revlon and Nails Inc. It really was like a polish rainbow and although I saw several polishes that I really liked, I was good and just picked the one shade from Nails Inc.

This is the shade Edwards Mews and I think it's one of their polka dot colours, that you can either wear on it's own or over the top of other colours. It's a clear polish that contains lots of semi matte, small pieces of round glitter in black, pale blue, pale peachy, lemon and an orange. I love polishes like this and I regularly use them to revive a tired manicure or add a bit of interest of a ring finger. I can't seem to find this polish online more so it's obviously a discontinued shade but it was only £2.99 so I'm not complaining.

To be honest I could have spent a lot longer in their looking around, it really is an Aladdin's cave for beauty junkies, but because was some slightly less beauty obsessed people I tried to be as I could. A couple of display stands catch me eye though including one, with a whole load of Clarins boxes on it.
I couldn't resist a little peek and I came up trumps..

I don't own a lot of Clarins items but something that I have always using is the lipsticks. A little while ago now their Joli Rouge Long - Wearing Moisturising Lipstick range was given a bit of a makeover, the packaging changed and a lot of the shades were discontinued. The Royal Quays Beauty Outlet store had such a huge selection of colours to choose from on the old style, silver packaging that there really was a colour to suit everyone.

The colour I ended up going for is one of the shades that has been completely discontinued, 709 Parisian Pink.

This is one of those beautiful blue based pinks that suits most skin tones and ages. In fact my godmother who is in her mid 80's even bought the same colour.

This lipstick has a subtle fruity, rose scent and taste, and whilst it isn't the most hydrating lipstick I've ever worn, unlike a lot of long wear lip colours it doesn't leave your lips feeling like the Sahara Desert. The pigmentation is excellent and I've already worn this lipstick an awful lot, it's just the perfect Louise colour! Apologies that I haven't managed to snap a picture of this one on my lips but the winter light is definitely working against me. Hopefully the swatch below will give you some idea, and if you want to see it on my lips, then have a watch of most recent unboxing videos here and here x

The final thing that I bought in the Beauty Outlet store was a product that literally made my heart skip a beat, when i saw it.

I've been lucky enough over the years to pick up quite a few Wet 'n' Wild items from both swaps and from friends and family travelling to the states, and I've picked up the odd bit on eBay but for whatever reason this is one of the brands that's yet to make it's way across the Atlantic. I already have one of the 8 pan Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes in the neutral toned Comfort Zone which I love but i always wanted the plum toned Petal Pusher.

With eBay and Amazon prices pushing £17 for what in essence is a drugstore palette, I'd just about given up hope of ever owning this one, but nestling at the end of one of the larger display stands was a small selection of US brands including Covergirl and Wet 'n' Wild.

I literally snatched it off the shelf and took it straight to the till and boy am I glad I did, and I was even happier still when I found out if was reduced to just £2. It contains a lovely mix of matte, shimmer, and out and out sparkly shades in some beautiful pink, purple, plum and grey shades. The pigmentation is pretty decent for the price and I can honestly say that there is only one shade, a matte warm, white that didn't live up to my expectations.

If you have a Beauty Outlet store near you I would definitely recommend that check them out if you haven't already. They do have a website (find it here) which seems to be under construction at the moment but you can sign up to their newsletter to find out when they go live. I have my fingers crossed for an online store but in the meantime, I can definitely see myself visiting my local stores again in 2017.

Other than the Beauty Outlet store, Royal Quays is a touch lacking if beauty is your thing but they do have one other store that I couldn't resist going into, The Body Shop Outlet.

I love The Body Shop at the best times but you know me if I can save a bit of money bring it on. They had a lot of bits and pieces including past season Christmas items, and some current lines but I headed straight towards the Cocoa Butter. I love The Body Shop Cocoa Butter range but as I mentioned in a previous post, it is becoming harder and harder to find! I looked on The Body Shop website today and they only have one product from the Cocoa Butter range in stock! I've been told by a couple of staff members that as far as they are aware the range is not being discontinued but unless they're having some supplier or packaging issues, it isn't looking good.

Thankfully the outlet had a few bits in stock so I but a few bits to keep me going, including this duo pack which contained a 250ml Shower Cream, and a 250ml Body Lotion, which was just £8.40 instead of £12. Not a huge saving I know but these are two of my holy grail products.

I also managed to pick a full size of one of the Cocoa Butter Body Butters - Apologies I can't remember how much this was but it was slightly less than retail. I really hope that the range isn't been discontinued and I'm going to keep asking until I get a firm answer. You can read why The Body Shop Cocoa Butter range is my Holy Grail in this post from way back in 2011 x

I've made a little video to accompany this haul which you can see below or via this link. Don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel, for lots of beauty and lifestyle videos, and some exclusive content including some unboxings, and coming soon an exclusive festive haul from The Body Shop.



I'm a bit of a bargain hunter so I do love a bit of outlet shopping when I get the chance. It's very much a case of you pays your money you makes your choice, sometimes you can get a real bargain and you could buy everything, and sometimes you'll come home empty handed it really is the luck of the drawer. Are you a fan of outlet shopping? Let me know your thoughts x

intu Metrocentre #intuStyleGarden Event - A Sensory Explosion

Since it first opened in 1986, intu Metrocentre has become one of my favourite place to shop in the North East. Yes I remember the old days the lack of a bus station, Carrefour, amazing ice creams from The Cornish Candy Shop. and of course who could forget the yellow teapot play area, well I was only 8 were the centre opened!

The place has pretty much grown with me and I for one am delighted to have such a fabulous place to shop, eat, and relax right here on my doorstep. When I started to blog all those years ago I never in a million years dreamed that I'd end up working with intu Metro Centre, blogging has brought me so many fantastic opportunities and for that I'm eternally grateful.

I've been invited to a few intu Metrocentre events now but I have to say the one I went to last night was definitely one of the best. The intu Style Garden is an event that is running throughout the intu chain, so whether you're in Newcastle, Stoke or the West Midlands, over the next day or so, you can pop in and find out more about some of they key Spring, and Summer fashion trends.

When I received my invitation to the VIB (Very Important Bloggers) exclusive Style Garden event I expected to see a traditional catwalk show, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of the familiar runway we were greeted with what resembled an art installation - it was almost as if an exhibit from the Chelsea Flower Show had been planted in the middle of the centre outside House Of Fraser.

With faux turf, metal patio tables, white picket fences, and floral displays, a green hedge like construction displayed mannequins showing off some of the key Spring and Summer fashion looks, for men, women and children, as well TV screens which showed experts talking about some of the key trends and must haves.

I love the way that intu Metro Centre embraces the whole blogging community and yet again we weren't disappointed, greeted by Bellini's, mini bottles of Prosecco, and mocktails all garnished with faux flowers, and food samples courtesy of Bella Italia, this really was an event that brought your senses to life.

Unlike previous events that have been very fashion focused, that one really focused on how to look beautiful from top to toe. Instead of a full catwalk show we we're treated to a talk from intu Metro Centre stylist Michaela Dale, who showed us some of her picks for Spring Summer 2016.

We were also treated to a mini fashion show from two beautiful models showcasing some particular trends - stripes,

and formal wear featuring monochrome, brights, lace, and laser work.

I particularly love the monochrome culotte outfit, and the lovely Michael Kors handbags - swoon - there were also some beautiful pieces on the rails, including a striped dress from Oasis - that would have my name on it if I could lose a bit more weight.

After that visual explosion we were given the chance to explore some of our other senses, mainly scent and touch by exploring some of the centre's, and in particular House Of Fraser's best beauty brands, including designer hair care brand Show,

I'm going to be talking a bit more about this brand in a future post, but they take hair products to another more luxurious level, and if you need a quick blow dry, this is the place in the centre to go, even if it's only to smell the beautiful fine fragrances, that they use in the products.

Speaking of beautiful fragrances another brand that we had the opportunity to talk to, was French brand Decleor, who are noted for their use of essential oils in both their body and skincare treatments, There was also an opportunity to talk and try products from a real problem solving skincare brand Murad, and luxury, high end skincare brand Creme De La Mer.

Another skincare brand that  was represented was Kiehls, now this is a brand that I wanted to find out more about, so I had a nice chat with representative, as well as a mini skin care analysis which confirmed what I guess I already knew, I have oily skin in some places and normal to oily skin in others. We were given the opportunity to book in for a bespoke complimentary facial so I can't wait to see what products they recommend. I'm also going to book a complimentary facial with another brand that I talked to Clarins who were demonstrating their new skincare Boosters.

There was one skincare brand though that I gravitated towards as soon as I saw it, Liz Earle. I've used Liz Earle on and off for the longest time, and to be honest I could have probably put on a uniform and promoted the products myself. I didn't know it all though and I was given the chance to try the new Superskin Eye Cream . I'm a bit scared of eye creams, but this was a really light weight, yet nourishing cream that absorbed really well into my skin even over make up. As well as their skincare they were also showcasing some of their perfumes and I'm love with No.100, which was designed to celebrate the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show, perfect for the Style Garden theme. The ladies on the stand came from the Liz Earle counter in Boots and I have to say they were lovely and so enthusiastic about their products and the brand, and I was delighted when they gave a little goodie bag containing a travel size of my favourite Cleanse & Polish.

It wasn't all about skincare though, there were several opportunities to add a little bit of colour into your life, Nails Inc were offering demonstrations of their Paint Can polishes and Giorgio Armani were promoting some of their latest make up products. Given the price point Armani is one of the brands that I guess that a lot of people only aspire too, but after experiencing some of their products I can easily see why the brand is so popular. Their make up artists talked a little bit about some of the newest products before colour matching me to my ideal foundation, and then one of the lovely ladies then applied the Giorgio Armani Maestro UV Skin Defence Primer SPF 50 PA++  to my face, before applying the Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation in 05, before she finished the look with the beautiful Giorgio Armani The Sepia Palette, a combined bronzer and highlighter compact.  Alas I didn't manage to get a picture but I'm completely in love with the foundation, the application was effortless, and it really evened out my skin tone, and left my face feeling silky soft.

I know this post has gone on a little bit but it's so hard to put into words the full sensory experience that I had at last nights event, every sense, from taste to sight, and smell, was enhanced and explored exactly the way that intu Metrocente had intended. On leaving the event we given a lovely bunch of flowers courtesy of The Rebel Flower Company, and a huge goodie bag courtesy of intu Metro Centre and House Of Fraser, that contained lots of lovely beauty products to continue the sensory experience at home.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to intu Metrocentre for inviting me and for hosting the event, and I'd also like to thank all of the other companies and brands that took part. If you're heading to intu Metro Centre tomorrow you've still get time to catch the intu Style Garden event, and to see some fashion presentations from brands including Warehouse, Oasis, Boux Avenue, Yours Clothing and Bonmarche. Were your senses tickled by this post? Let me know x