LFW: Jean-Pierre Braganza

As always, the first day of LFW is the craziest, and this year was no exception. And for me, this day contained the biggest shows I attended this season (cue lots of excited jumping around while try to act all cool and fashionable on the cobbles of Somerset House). Jean-Pierre Braganza was my first show of the day, and so as soon as I arrived at Somerset House I joined one of the many queues. After being shifted around from queue to queue, I found myself in the line with Zoe Platt  and Sophie Hannah Richardson (let's just say I want their wardrobes *sigh*). And then we were in! There was quite a bit of excitement when someone on the frow decided to get up and take a selfie with the models walking down the catwalk- I personally wouldn't have the balls to do that- but I'm sure he won't be invited back any time soon! Here are a couple of shots I took; and I warn you, the 70's trend isn't going anywhere anytime soon!

There was a real variation in silhouettes- from structured, peplum styles to flowing boxy shifts. Leather gloves and aviator jackets toughened up the feminine dresses, while chokers were given an update with thick, buckled straps. Big lapels covered camel coats and fur was cropped and fluffy. It's also clear that I need to invest in roll neck jumper dresses and over the knee boots as they are sticking around for AW15! 

Stunning finale at Jean-Pierre Braganza #lfw #somersethouse #jeanpierrebraganza

A video posted by Georgie Minter-Brown (@georgie_mb) on Feb 20, 2015 at 9:50am PST

What do you think of the collection? 

Gx

NEW VIDEO: Empty Products #1

I've been accumulating a bunch of empty products to show you lot- so here's what I think of them, and whether I'd repurchase them or not! Give the video a thumbs up!

Let me know in the comments if you want more empty products videos :) 

Also apologies for the lovely lipstick on my teeth at the start of this video. I'm such a glamorous person...

What products have you used up recently?

Gx

Falling down the rabbit hole

Do you ever get the feeling that something isn't quite right? Like when you're in a certain situation, something doesn't quite click into place. This is something I've been pondering for quite a few years now. Let me explain:

Since I was a young teenager, I have suffered from some weird kind of attack things. I'm not entirely sure what they are to be honest- believe me, I've done plenty of research and still can't put my finger on what they are. Whenever I was in certain situations, I would suddenly start to see things in double time. Like a video on fast forward. I would look around, and everyone would be moving and speaking really quickly. Sometimes these episodes would last for about 10 minutes before they would go by themselves, but as I got older and got them more often, I learnt to force myself out of it by tapping a slow, steady beat. And sometimes I would feel these attacks start to come on, and would manage to suppress them. So I guess I learnt to live with them without giving them a second thought. 

The situations that they occurred in were never similar; they would mainly occur when I was sitting a test at school, but sometimes I would just be relaxing at home and they would happen. 

As I got older, they started to not happen as often, until they stopped all together about 2 years ago. Then about 2 weeks ago, something happened. I was in a ballet class (I'm currently working towards my Intermediate ballet exam) and we were doing quite a hard exercise that really pushes your stamina. I've always pushed myself in my dance as I don't have a dancers body but I always try my best to improve it. About halfway through the exercise, I could feel that familiar feeling coming back, but decided to push myself through it as I thought it was my body just saying it wasn't enjoying the hard work. As soon as I did that, it felt like something had burst in my chest and was holding my lungs so tight I couldn't breathe. I went really dizzy, and everything went into double time again, but only for a second. And that scared me, because I had never ever had an attack during a dance class. Dance had always been my release, my escape from life, and so I had always been relaxed when doing it. 

That's when I realised something was really up. I told my mum, and she thought maybe I had just forgotten to breathe, or it might be a panic attack. But I'm still not sure.

Have any of you guys experienced something like this before? If you have, please let me know in the comments below, as I would love to know what it is and how you've dealt with it!

P.S. I'm at LFW starting today, so I'm either going to be posting a lot of content, or go M.I.A. for a bit. But I'll have lots of things to show you when I get back!

Gx

What To Do: Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Exhibition

Alexander McQueen has got to be one of my favourite designers of all time. He was one of the first designers that really caught my eye at a young age and dragged me into the world of fashion. During my school years, I yearned for a McQueen skull scarf. Then came my love of tartan. As I did more research on his work, stretching right back to his first show in the year I was born, I fell more and more in love. When he sadly passed away in 2010, I really mourned his death, even though I wasn't as much into fashion as I am now. 

But there is an exciting exhibition coming to the V&A celebrating his life and work: Savage Beauty. It is the first and largest retrospective of McQueen's work to be presented in Europe, and runs from 14th March-2nd August 2015. And I'm making it my intention to go and see it!

Image c/o V&A Museum

Spanning his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished A/W 2010 collection, McQueen’s designs will be presented with the dramatic staging and sense of spectacle synonymous with his runway shows.

The original version of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2011 was organised by the Costume Institute and became one of the museum's top 10 most visited exhibitions. 

I was approached by Farfetch about an illustration they had created showcasing ten of Alexander McQueen's most groundbreaking shows, and when I had a look, I thought they had done a fab job! So take a look below, and if you're a McQueen novice or a die-hard fan, let me know what you think of it! Maybe you learnt something about one of the collections, or discovered a new favourite :) 

Image c/o Farfetch

What Alexander McQueen collection is your favourite?

Gx

NEW VIDEO: Cosy Days & Cosy Jumpers

A vlog of some cosy days mooching round doing some blogging and filming. Also, I've added in a little playlist of what I've been listening to throughout the day, so feel free to have a listen to the songs if you haven't already and let me know what you think!

Also you've still got time to enter my giveaway! Take a look here!

What do you do on your days off?

Gx

WishWantBuy List #1

I've got out of the habit of doing wishlists. I have no idea why, as I really enjoy doing them! So I've decided to start them up again, but I'm calling them WishWantBuy lists to separate them from brand focused wishlists. So here's what I'm currently wishing and wanting to buy:

1. Fashion Prescription Oh Em Gee Heels
I rant and rave about black boots but I don't actually own a pair of heeled ones! These are the latest ones to catch my eye; I love the cutout detail and the tassle zip!

2. MUJI Acrylic box
Since recently getting a new dressing table (which I am working from as we speak), I've been storing my makeup in some of the drawers, but having them all in separate compartments have called for some serious DIY skills- make way for small cardboard boxes and glue! But now I have the perfect excuse to invest in some storage bits and pieces, and I've been making a list of all the MUJI pieces that I want/need to get! I can't wait to start collecting these so I can stack them on my desk. 

3. Choies Unicorn Handbag in Black
I am secretly a unicorn. Actually, that's no secret. But anyway, every unicorn needs a unicorn bag, right? I have seen holographic versions of this bag which I'm after, but at the moment I'm on that all black vibe, and that matte finish on this clutch makes it stand out from other shinier leather-look bags. 

4. Glamorous Shirt with Contrast Piping
Again following on for my love for black on black at the mo, I feel like getting another black shirt as I've been wearing my Cheap Monday one to death recently. And at £10, its an absolute bargain!

5. Love Hearts and Crosses Brown Bunny Rabbit Necklace
I'm a sucker for kitsch jewelry, and after Sarah from Temporary Secretary recommended this company to me, I was hooked! I mean, who doesn't love a bunny with a bow on it?! This is hand painted and made of porcelain, so you do have to be careful, but I don't think you'd dare to drop it as it's just too pretty! 

6. IKRUSH Spencer Dogtooth Pattern Swing Dress 
Dogtooth has really captured my heart this winter. Beforehand I was never sure how to style it, but after a 'go with your gut' moment, I've never looked back! I have a pair of trousers in this pattern that I ADORE, so picking this out was a no brainer. I'm willing to give the swing dress shape a go, even though I'm not sure whether loosing my waist will make me look like a box, but who knows!

7. Topshop MOTO Black Joni Jeans 
Black jeans are such a staple it's unreal. I have a pair of leather look ones from French Connection, but I'm thinking of branching out to more denim based pieces. Jeans are my hell items to buy, but I'll be shopping around the Joni jeans as they're a style that suit me best. Now to just find the right size...

8. ASOS Oversized Fish Nest Ankle Socks
I'm sorry to say (actually, sorry not sorry) that my sock obsessions is continuing. Recently I've been loving darker tougher socks (who knew you could describe socks like that?!) and have been seeing a lot of people styling fish net socks with things like chunky boots and platforms. AND THEY WORK! Am I finally being converted into a socks and sandals girl?? I guess only time will tell. 

What have you been lusting after this month?

Gx

Zuzka Beauty

One of my new years resolutions is to try new things. And I’m applying that to everything including skincare! I do have to be careful as my skin can sometimes react to some strong chemicals in products causing my eczema to fire up but thankfully these Zuzka products have proved kind to my skin J I was lucky enough to receive a DermaCare Coconut Cleanser and DermaCare Mattifying Facial Spray for oily/problematic skin from them recently and here's what I thought.

Brand

Zuzka was born when Susan Kohutova, a qualified beauty specialist and medical herbalist, started to develop her own product range free from the main skin irritants that she took note of over 20 years as a consultant and therapist at some of the top cosmetic companies. As well as skincare they also do hair products, makeup, and products for men!

The name "Zuzka", is Slovakian for Susan, inspired by her Slovakian husband. 

Packaging

The packaging is actually quite sleek in these little silver bottles. They keep the products cool, meaning they are really refreshing to put on. The labels are also really informative without packing too much onto them- you get a short description and directions of use that are easy to understand. 

Product

The DermaCare Coconut Cleanser (contains coconut oil, avocado oil and ylang ylang) is a lovely creamy cleanser that leaves your skin smelling ah-mazing!! It massages and sinks into the skin really easily, and when you wash it off it leaves your skin feeling fresh, so its perfect for early mornings. Like I said before, it's for oil/problematic skin but I wouldn't say it reduces shine (it doesn't claim this, so this is definitely not a negative- just something I observed). My skin really liked this, and stayed clear of spots and whatnot between washes which I was very happy about :D it does say that it helps clear up blackheads when used daily, so this will be something I'll be trying in the future, but I think its just as good as an occasional cleanser too. 

The DermaCare Mattifying Facial Spray (contains tea tree, witch hazel, camphor and lavender) was the one I was most excited to try. I get quite shiny, so anything that would combat this is my skincare routine is a bonus! You use this as a toner, so after cleansing I sprayed a little bit onto a damp cotton pad to use over my face. You could also spray this straight onto the face, which will be great in the summer to cool your face! I did notice that I wasn't as shiny as usual after using this, but it only really lasts a day at the most. Over time this may change, so I'm going to continue using it to see if it has any long-term effects. 

Overall I'm really impressed by this brand! I love how they have such a huge variety of products for different skin types, meaning there's something to suit everyone. I will definitely be repurchasing their products, but if you've tried any of their products that I haven't tried yet and would recommend, please comment them below and I will take a look at them!

What type of skin do you have, and what's your favourite product that helps deal with your skin type?

Gx

What To Look Out For: M&Co Spring/Summer 2015

Even though I’m invited to events to see new collections a season ahead, I sometimes like to post about them nearer to the time, depending on the collection. It keeps it fresh in your mind so that when the collection is shortly released, you remember exactly what caught your eye. I felt this situation applied to M&Co’s SS15 collection, as I was invited to their SS15 event at the end of last year, and their High Summer event in January. It made a lot more sense to post about them together, so here we are :) 

Now I have to admit- I haven’t shopped a lot in M&Co. They have lovely stuff, but I never thought much of the stuff was very me (at the time, M&Co was the only clothes shop in my town and I was blinkered by the early teenage attitude that anywhere my mum shopped wasn't cool). However, my eyes were well and truly opened at the events M&Co held for press and bloggers; I fell in love with a lot of the stuff! 

The amazing manicure by the Cucumba girls

The SS15 collection was split up into mini collections as well as their Boutique and Lingerie collections:

SUNDAE COUTURE

Inspired by the flirty 50’s this collection is an explosion of enticing shades that will be a breath of fresh air at the start of spring.

 

PROMENADE

This collection epitomises French Riviera chic, This season’s nod to nautical fuses retro classics with modern tailoring.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY

M&Co adds a Valentine’s twist to nautical classics, with a romantic conversational hear print and slogan tee.

 

FUJI

Fusing prints of the Orient with understated Scandi design, this collection is both stylish and simple.

 

COSMOPOLITATAN

Workwear this season is professional but with a playful edge. Remium prints and tailoring make this collection M&Co’s most covetable workwear range yet.

 

BOUTIQUE

 

ACCESSORIES

So with tonnes to choose from, will you find a summer staple among M&Co’s SS15 collection?

What’s your favourite mini collection out of the SS15 collection?

Gx