#TrendsIllustrated with Dom&Ink

Well today was exciting day for me as I was invited to my very first blogger event!!! (insert happy dance) The event was #TrendsIllustrated in collaboration with Dom&Ink and Manchester Arndale to promote the different fashion looks there are in the city and based around the S/S 15 trends. For those of you who don't know, Dom&Ink (real name Dom Evans) is a fashion illustrator and author of 'Map My Style' which is part journal and part style guide when you can go along and fill things in etc - its unlike anything I've seen before!

 

Now, onto the event itself. This was open to everyone who had spent over £60 while shopping in the Arndale over the weekend but, as a blogger special, I very luckily got mine for free, although I defiantly wouldn't have had a problem in suspending the desired amount! With the choice of either a unisex tee or a cropped there was something for everyone whatever their style. There was a huge range of background shapes, colours, and images along with Dom's amazing illustrations - there were so many to choose from - I was defiantly spoilt for choice. In the end, I got a simple circle with a marble effect fill along with lips and unicorns. I agree it does sound a little crazy but you might as well go all out if you get the chance to design your own tee and as you can see it does actually work. The tees were printed quickly so there wasn't any waiting round - not that I really noticed as I may have been slightly busy talking - and were placed in these cute brown paper bags which reminded me of old fashioned lunch bags?

The tees themselves are really good quality and one thing that surprised me was the way the images was printed on as it is directly on the garment and not one of those iron on then it peels of things. There were so many illustrations to choose from and had everything from pizza to a mermaid! Each was drawn out so well and had so much detail - if you haven't seen Dom's work before you really should check it out.

I had such a good day and met some lovely bloggers also from Manchester who made me feel so welcome at my first event. I now have a few blogger friends! Also thank you to the team at Manchester Arndale for the invite and to Dom&Ink for creating such amazing designs in the first place!

From Manchester Arndale Twitter

Love Laura x

F.B.L Quick Tip #24

 

 

Perfect way to refresh unwashed hair - be that girl who leaves a scent trail when they walk past!

 

 Spritz your perfume onto a hairbrush and work through your hair.




 

Signature Fragrances London

Like most girls, I love a new perfume and I recently discovered Signature Fragrances London on Instagram, and I was lucky enough to be be sent a sample of 'Endure'* from them - I am absolutely in love with it!
If you haven't heard of Signature Fragrances London, they are a brand which was founded by Solomon and Yinka who have a passion for perfumery and created a unique range of fragrances that everyone could enjoy. Their belief is that ‘your perfume has the right to be smelt by others'. This means that they use pure parfum, which is perfume in its strongest form and lasts a lot longer than eau de parfum and eau de toilette. Signature Fragrances London has rekindled the true nature of perfume buy providing perfume oils that has little to no alcohol. They firmly believe in the quality of the ingredients rather than quantity.

'Endure' is one of their floral scents and it is described as being extremely sultry and well as being warm, sweet and soft. The base notes vanilla, white musk, incense and I feel the musk comes through and helps to give it the sultry, soft notes to the perfume. The heart notes are opoponax, jasmine, parma violet, rose, with the top notes being blackcurrant, bulgarian rose, mandarin orange. The mandarin orange defiantly stands out when you first use this scent and I personally love it as it adds to the sweetness. I feel this is the perfect scent for a date night, as it is both sweet but sultry, adding that little bit of sexiness.

One amazing thing with this little sample, is that you only need one dab of the scent and it lasts for hours. Also, the longer you wear it, the more the other  levels of the scent come out, meaning it does change ever so slightly but makes it completely different from any other perfume you might buy. I would recommend Signature Fragrances London to anyone who wants to try a different type of scent and using parfum in its purest form.

Also, can I say thank you to Signature Fragrances London for sending me this sample - I have enjoyed wearing it and also the comments from other people have been amazing!

Love Laura x

Music Series - Studio Recorded Music

We all hear music that has been recorded in a studio, yet some people look down their noses at it or, in extreme cases, refuse to listen to it at all. Personally, I think this is completely stupid and maybe slightly childish. After all, a studio atmosphere is where pretty much all the music you hear will have originally come from. Yes, it may not quite be good as seeing that singer/band live, but at least you can hear the track without all the screaming! Oh and you also don't get deafened by said screams either!

Of course, artists record music as a way of distributing their sound to a VERY wide audience so many people will hear it in a lot of different countries. This is so easily done now with things such as iTunes and Soundcloud and not just relying on actual CD's. Doing recorded music is also easier for non-record label signed artists, as more people are likely to hear them and it is easier and cheaper than organising live music events.

Most obviously, recorded music can be played and replayed as many times as you wish any time you want. Whereas in a live music venue, the sound can vary in each place, but with tracks that have been recorded in a studio, they have been perfected and approved by the artist and sound exactly how they are intended to be.

The main thing I love about recorded music is the intimacy it gives, as it is just you and the sound. Well, if you are playing it through earphones and not at a party/club etc! It can make you feel so much and so many different emotions that you may not get when seeing the artist(s) live, as there may be too many distractions or the sound quality may not be brilliant.

One of the best things with studio recorded music is that we can still hear the music from artists who are no longer with us...their music lives on though recordings.


Do you agree with this and what are your thoughts on recorded music?

Love Laura x

How To Wear High Heels Without Pain

We all love a pair of killer heels, but we have to be honest - they are never comfortable however good they may look! There are a few tips that can help you strut around in heels all day, every day without the pain!


1. Know your foot type
A DIY way to find out your foot type is to wet your foot and step onto a piece of paper. your foot print will show how high of an arch or how flat your foot is. This will help when choosing a heel.

2. Opt for a platform instead of a thin sole
Having a platform on your heels will offset some of the pressure from the balls of your feet when walking. This is better than a thin sole which will almost always give you pain on the balls of your feet.

3. The thicker the heel the better
I personally always choose a more chunkier heel than stiletto, as they stop your foot wobbling around so much and unbalancing your body, meaning you are doing less damage to your feet.

4. Wear the correct size
Your foot size changes over the years so you should get measure about every year to make sure you are wearing the correct size. If your shoe is too small, you could end up with bunions and of they are too big, they can cause blisters. Both of these make it very painful to walk in heels.

5. High heel gel pads really do work!
These are oval shaped pads made from a silicone gel which goes under the balls of your feet to help reduce pressure and hold your foot steady in the shoe so it wont slide forward.

6. Wear a heel that covers more of your foot
The more of your foot that is covered, the more it will be supported making it easier and more comfortable to wear all day. Even if it is only an ankle strap, your foot will have more support.

7. Take a break and stretch
Throughout the day, kick of your shoes and stretch out your feet and ankles. Point your toes down and then up to stretch out your calf muscles too, as they can suffer when you wear heels for a long period of time.

8. Soak and relax
One of the best ways to rescue aching feet is a foot bath. Add a little lavender oil to the water for a relaxing smell too.


I hope all these tips help you - and your feet - feel more comfortable and you are able to wear all those amazing heels you own without pain.

Love Laura x

Black Tied

I love buying new jewellery - anything sparkly, shiny or glittery and I'm there! I'm sure I must be part magpie! Instagram is somewhere I tend to look for new brands and this is where I found Black Tied. I knew I couldn't leave their site without buying something. Black Tied is an independent jewellery store based in Ireland, but deliver worldwide. All their pieces are handmade and feature genuine gemstones, crystals and metals.

I chose to get a personalised name silver cuff bracelet (see here) and had my name engraved on it. One thing I love about this cuff is that it can be squeezed together slightly to fit my very small wrist, but it doesn't loose it's shape when this is done. The silver is bright and eye catching - something you always want from a piece of jewellery. I also loved the customization and it isn't too much and doesn't fill up the entire bracelet, which is what I have seen on other jewellery pieces from other brands.

I also got the sideways gold anchor necklace. This is so dainty and cute that it can be worn with anything and everything. Although I am not normally a fan of gold jewellery, the size of both the pendant and chain are lovely without being too 'in-your-face'. Also, I have a little bit of a love for anchors anyway!

I have barely taken these jewellery pieces off since I received them and I have had some lovely comments from people asking about them. This has especially been about the cuff bracelet, as you don't really get the chance to customise a piece of jewellery for an affordable price. The packaging they came in was also super cute, as it was a leopard print paper bag - I wish more companies used such snazzy bags! 



I can't wait to buy more from Black Tied now and they have defiantly become my go-to place now for jewellery pieces. I also love the fact that they are all handmade!


Love Laura xx

Ballet Bug

Over the past few months, I have become increasingly fascinated by ballet. Like most girls, I did ballet when I was younger before quitting - something I regularly scold myself for! I would take back doing all the good-toes/bad-toes thing any day! Also, ballet is a great form of exercise, as it mean you have to use pretty much every muscle in your body so you really do get a full body workout without even knowing it at the time. Many models also do some sort of ballet workout, as it is a great way to help lengthen and tone legs/arms and also makes sure you engage your core muscles properly. If you have caught the ballet bug like me, there are ways to get in on the act - without having to have the skills of a prima ballerina.