Hasta mañana

Look @ me now.

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Obviously the Burberry show was to die for. My favourite by miles. Watching the show, I felt it gave LFW the lift it really needed, with an explosion of colourful metallics. Emerald green is KILLER, so it was great to see it receive the attention it deserves.

Nice to see the iconic Burberry trench coat being given a slick transformation - the colour and fabric choice was quite daring, yet it will still remain a staple in any woman's wardrobe. 

Also, my favourite make-up artist Tanya Burr was in attendance and the show received her stamp of approval, which is always a bonus.

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I love this look on my friend Ollie, taken for 'Pause' Magazine. So many exciting textures and layers. The eclectic mix of colours is really striking, and the trainers are a nice touch. 

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How cute is this colour from the OPI South Beach collection!? I bought this for my Mum from 'Belles and Beaus' in Buckhurst Hill, Essex. The colour itself is super intense, very rich and it goes on incredibly smoothly too. The colour was actually picked out for me by 'The Only Way Is Essex' star Billi Mucklow after asking her to find me something 'truly Essex' that my Mum would adore.

My Mum has been wearing the shimmer-free shade for almost a week now, and it's showing no signs of chipping. It only took two coats to get a gorgeous, thick finish too.

The only negative (if you could call it that) is that I would say it needs a high shine top coat because it can dry a little on the matte side. 

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JUST NO WORDS

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I went to 'The X Factor' auditions on Tuesday, and was pleasantly surprised to hear Spice Girl Mel B would be a guest judge. I was even more excited when I saw her outfit. She was wearing a beautiful figure flattering Stella McCartney colour block evening dress. She paired the frock with sky-high Versace platforms, which I also adored - although, she did struggle to walk in them at times. I love the shape and length of the dress, it gives Mel a beautiful silhouette - her body is INCRED - and the sleeves are a lovely length too. The strategic panel construction creates an ultra-flattering illusion, and Mel looks HAWWWT. Her Audemars Piguet watch also caught my eye.

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TOO CUTE.

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So Kim Kardashian's latest fragrance 'True Reflection' launched in the UK earlier this month and, after attending the launch of the perfume, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle. This one is so different to her other fragrances, it's not as heavy or as overpowering - more sultry. It is very feminine, but not too much so. I think creating this fragrance was a bit more of a risk for Kim, because the use of patchouli in a fragrance is not widely appreciated, but it was good for her to break the mould, and it definitely paid off. 

Kim has created the perfect balance of peachy, plum scents combined with floral notes. The main accords are Italian bergamot mixed with chocolate orchid and lotus flower. It is delicious! So sweet and creamy, yet the textured woods prevent it from becoming overly so. After a couple of hours, it dries down to be less sweet and more woody. In my opinion, this is Kim's best fragrance to date. If I had to compare it to an existing women's fragrance, it would be Thierry Mugler's 'Angel,' but not quite as rich. 

Staying power is around 6/7 hours, which is great. 

The only negative to the fragrance is that the bottle (pictured above) is quite chunky, which means it is not ideal to carry in your bag. It comes in a 50ml or 100ml bottle, but both are the same shape. The shape is supposed to be reminiscent of a diamond, to give it a luxurious feel - which it does - but it makes it a little difficult to operate.

The fragrance is exclusive to Debenhams. 

50ml: £30

100ml: £40

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Kim Kardashian: Perfume Launch

On the 18th May, TV starlet & US sensation Kim Kardashian came to the UK to launch her 'True Reflection' fragrance. I managed to get hold of a VIP pass to the event and made my way down to London to meet my favourite Kardashian. 

As instructed, I arrived an hour and a half before Kim, and I was excited to see so many fans, all eagerly anticipating her arrival. I actually ended up speaking to a couple of them, and they were so excited to see their idol in the flesh. There was also lots of British press there, taking pictures and covering the event itself. 

Accompanied by Kanye West, Kim glided into Debenhams at 11.00AM, looking just as flawless in the flesh as she does on television. Hair sleekly tied back, and wearing a gorgeous knee-length scarlet dress - which she would later tell me was Valentino - Kim looked every inch the bronzed goddess. 

Kim spoke about the process behind creating her latest fragrance for a little while, then signed pictures and posed for photo's with all of her fans. When I got the chance to speak to her she was incredibly sweet and so easy to talk to. She is literally flawless in the flesh, and it was an honour to meet such an icon.

It truly was a day I'll never forget. 

Separate review of the fragrance 'True Reflection' to follow. 

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My two concept boards for the M&Co display window for my latest project. 

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My 'Avant Garde' window display for M&Co S/S 13. I chose a teal background that reflected the theme. 'M&Co' sell a 'boutique' range, and with this in mind - I created a 'bedroom' display - complete with a mirror, a vintage chair, and a coat hanger. I would have clothes draped over each of these, which I couldn't really illustrate on this piece. I put some images on the wall to give it more of a homely vibe, and I included male & female mannequins which would also be wearing clothes which would be for sale inside the store. 

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Some initial experimentation with 'Google SketchUp' for my M&Co visual merchandising boards. Here I looked closely at the 'New Renaissance' trend from WGSN for my backgrounds and styling options. I used lots of textured mosaics to create my background, with an almost 3D effect, and used cardboard cut outs to give it more depth and character. With more time, I would consider the use of props to give it more of a 'New Renaissance' vibe. 

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I thought this piece on Maroon 5 star Adam Levine's home, from 'Architectural Digest,' was very interesting and insightful. 

Taken from the March 2012 issue, his 1940's ranch-style home situated in the heart of the Hollywood Hills is quite breathtaking - and very well put together. The combination of colours and exciting interior decoration really caught my eye, and the mix of contemporary and midcentury styles is one he has achieved effortlessly. 

His grand piano and selection of vintage guitars really accentuate his passion for music. He says “Furnishing a home is no different than going into the studio and making music. You want to make sure you’ve pared down all the extra details so that in the end, every stitch has a context uniquely yours."

Levine shows his style and love for design with the help of his long-time friend Mark Haddawy, who is a 20th century-design collector. With his guidance, the home became a colorful mix of art, furniture and interior design inspiration.

The luxury velvet fabrics combined with the vivid prints of the embroidered rugs combines masculinity and femininity in equal measure. 

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Before I was able to begin creating my 'M&Co.' window displays I had to look at the trends that are going to be popular in S/S13. I checked out WGSN to find themes that I could integrate into a visually stimulating shop window and I picked up on 'sub trends' within the trends Idiomatic, New Renaissance, Avant Garde etc etc. Within these, I looked at mosaic prints, metallic embellishments to try and create something new and innovative for M&Co. We knew we couldn't be too extravagant, we didn't have an unlimited budget. M&Co usually stick to something quite simple, yet effective. Cardboard cut-outs instead of 'real' furniture. It's cheaper, and takes half the time to put together. 

Since we have to create a window display with fashion trends for men, women and children, it is important to consider different 'props' and such that will draw them in as they walk by. I look forward to experimenting with 'design' programme 'Google SketchUp.'

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I took these pictures at an 'M & Co' store in Selby.

The window displays were relatively simple - but the clever use of layering garments and accessories gives it some depth and character. They had a 30% off selected lines' sticker in the top left of the first window, in a lime green colour, which really drew you in. It was also the first thing you saw as you passed the shop from this direction. I like the use of bold colours on the mannequins - warm reds and yellows.

The 'M & Co' boutique collection took up a considerable amount of space in the window - and rightly so. Despite it being more expensive, particular pieces of the collection are beautiful, and very well made. 

My intention is to draw inspiration from these current window displays when creating my own - but give them a bit of a more high-end, glamorous tweak.