So, Factory F moves to London

I'm home! The past few months have been nothing short of manic, from work to settling in London and just enjoying life in a new city, I haven't really stopped. I've decided to take a few weeks to just chill out and relax, definitely well needed. Although the theme of this blog is primarily fashion and beauty, this post is slightly different. This is going to be more of an update on what I've been up to and I have to say, some of it has been really exciting!

Firstly, as I mentioned in a previous post I started working for two hair care brands at the beginning of the year; Goldwell & KMS California. This has been a really exciting and so far my role as PR & Comms  has been great. Working for such an established brand has allowed me to work on some really creative and large scale events; London Fashion Week being massive highlight for me.

Our brand sponsored the Bora Aksu show on day one at Somerset House. As this was my first time as LFW, I wasn't too sure what to expect but working backstage was definitively a privileged insight into understand the one of fashions most prestigious events. Meeting press, bloggers and stylists which I have admired from afar for years was overwhelming in the best way. Along with working backstage, sitting in the second row of one of the most talked about shows at this years fashion week topped this exceptional experience. The hair for the Bora Aksu show was styled by Sam Burnett, KMS California Ambassador. Read all bout the show and how to get the look here. 

So besides work London has been an adventure. After 7 months of living here I'm happy to be getting back into the swing of Factory F and returning to something that I love. I'm really excited to start sharing what life has been like over here; from fashion to food to art and back to fashion again. I suppose this has been a natural progression for this blog as interests have broadened since this blog first began a year ago. Fashion will remain my main focus but elements of lifestyle will drip feed through from time to time. Overall I feel this will be a positive change for me and for the future of Factory F.

Looking forward to sharing more exciting news with you

Love C X 

The Beauty Shift

Every so often a beauty trend comes along that revolutionizes the way we look at make up. In recent years the craze has seen everything from the smoky eye, to contouring to the comeback of the statement lip. The one fundamental aspect that we all crave for is a look that fits us! Personally, I believed for years that this could be found in the form of the perfect foundation. For years I tried and tested them all, Revlon, Rimmel, MAC, Clinique,  Max Factor, Laura Mercier, the list goes on, and although I did find a foundation that does exactly what I need it to do I still seem to crave that "natural" element to my look. Cakey make up is something that I think every female dreads, so how do we avoid this if we are a fan of a heavy foundation?

Until recently I believed that I would never truly be able to answer this question truthfully, but that was before I welcomed BB cream into my life. My first encounter was the battling question of; BB VS CC? How can one possibly understand which is going to work best for what we are looking for without testing both? And the answer is you can't. My initial understanding was that CC was going to be my obvious winner, as someone who has suffered with skin blemishes my whole life this seemed like my answer. So I tried No17 CC cream and the results were incredible, for awhile. I suppose my positive reaction mainly develops from my scepticism from the beginning, I genuinely believed that this was not going to work and a waste of money but I'm a sucker for a beauty craze. This product works wonders for those who do not want to apply make up and are looking for light coverage, but this isn't want I want. This product is too light to wear alone but too heavy to act with foundation. So this brings me to re-examine how I shop for BB/CC creams; Can it work with my existing beauty routine?

My next route lead me to a MAC counter. With a few friends who work for the brand I decided to give it a go, already a fan of their lip, eye and powder products I was willing to give it a go. So I purchased the BB compact cream and began to test it. I applied under my foundation and it worked relatively well. It was light enough to work under my foundation and gave me more coverage than my concealer was offering so it seemed like all was well. After time the product just seemed to be drying up my skin which was the tell tale sign that it had to go. Now I suppose at this stage you are probably wondering why I wouldn't just ditch the foundation but for me this probably boils down to an insecurity. As I have previously stated in my posts, foundation is my friend! Again, it has to work with my existing beauty routine.

For those of you who don't know my foundation is Clinique, Stay Matte. I wrote a review on my love for the product here. So I just went to a Clinique counter and asked the question that I probably should have asked at the beginning, what is the best cream to work with this foundation? Naturally, she was going to say a Clinique product, which I had already prepared myself for and was okay with. I just wanted the right product that was going to do what I wanted it to. After explaining what I wanted from the product and the results I was looking for she suggested that BB cream was best, and this was what I went for. I've been using Clinique BB for two weeks now and honestly, I am really happy with it and the effects it has on my skin. The "Naked Face" trend seems like it's here to stay so why not discover a product which can not only achieve the look but gives you confidence also.

Love C X 

London Fashion Week: Best Of British

                 

So London Fashion Week is over and done with for another season and for all us fashion bloggers it is a natural reaction to assess the collections, themes, trends and overall performance for personal favourites. Personally, London has always been the forefront winner amongst all the fashion cities, purely because of the authenticity of the designs. Unique always springs to mind and thankfully this time around it was no disappointment. British designers always just "get-it", perhaps it is the diverse range of patterns and abstract use of colours or maybe it is down to their extremely "trendy" lifestyles in the city of London, either way it results in collections that are sought after by fashionistas alike globally.

For this post I have decided to focus on three British brands that have continually over the past number of seasons have blown me away creatively.  As an Event Management graduate I focus not only the designs but the whole experience of the showcase of each brand, from the set design to the location and everything in between. These brands are Sibling, House of Holland and Holly Fulton. If this is your first time hearing of any of these designers is certainly will not be your last.

Sibling

  

The Sibling brand is made up of three designers; Sid  Bryan, Joe Bates and Cozette Mc Creery residing from Yorkshire, Leicester and London respectively. What strikes me about this brand is that it isn't traditional high fashion pieces, the approach is more "bohemian witch chic" which is especially evident is the AW14 collection, which is seen above. The speciality of this brand is the emphasis on knitted goods, a unique trait in itself and, lets face it, perfect for the colder, harsh winter season which we are accustomed to.  Sibling were recently quoted saying "expect colour, humour, sparkle and that everything will be knitted", which is not only off the beat fashion but an aspect of styling which other major designers do not play with as much, or so I have noticed anyway. In my opinion this is ery fashion at it's best and this new vibe is taking a step forward into the "trendy, east London" girl style with a realistic output. Sibling is absolutely a one to watch over the coming seasons.

  

Holly Fulton

  

Born in Edinburgh and later studying at the Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal College of Art, Fulton has recently rose to become one of the leading highlights of London Fashion Week, the spotlight beginning with the star studded front row last September which included the likes of Kelly Osborne, Harry Styles and Sienna Miller. The designer states that her signatures pieces are " graphic print, luxurious materials and hot accessories".  One of the biggest trends for SS14 was the revival of white. Other trends included sports luxe, graphic art and monochrome, and what Fulton has created so effortlessly is the cluster of all these styles in one garment. At first it would seem like this is just simply not possibly and that it would be an OVERKILL! But it works, and it works beautifully. Bright, fresh, clean tones with a hint subtle hint of graphic art, this is fashion for SS14 at it's best. Some pieces have a strong element of orange, another vibrant colour for the approaching season and one that seems to be re-occurring as times go by. The one thing I will finish on about this latest collection from Holly Fulton is that this is the next generation of top designers and this is only the beginning of a beautiful relationship for fashion lovers.

  

House of Holland 

  

Henry Holland is probably the brand with the most global success of the three mentioned. Born in Ramsbottom, Holland studied at London College of Printing  and worked as a stylist before developing his own fashion brand. When I think of HOH words that spring to mind are playful, colour, bold prints with exotic underlays and quintessential britishness. Looking at his SS14 showcase, lilac backdrops, mexican vibes and flirty textures, it not only paved the way for an exciting season of fashion but it also put an extreme amount of pressure on the next season to deliver a collection which could live up to the hype. House of Holland delivered just that. Exploring metallics and greens to the extent which this collection has shows the brand as not only diverse but not afraid to break out of its comfort zone. With the inclusion of hot pinks and orange, we are presented with an array of styles which truly stood out from the fashion haven of fashion week, period.  Holland is not one to shy away from risks and usually does so with experimenting with graphic prints, this time around we see a step back from prints and more emphasis on bolder, stronger colours and tones. My favourite from this collection is the emerald green suit, it is that perfect ensemble which can be deemed timeless.

  

What was your favourite highlight and designer from this years London Fashion Week??

Love C X 

SS14: Sporty Luxe

For the third edition of trend alerts for the blog I have decided to take a look at an ensemble of outfits that doesn't necessarily scream "CiCi Jewels", but it's all in the name of research. If you read this blog regularly I'm sure by now you have established that my style is quiet the opposite of anything sports related. For the past few months I have somewhat struggled to understand the growing interest in baseball jerseys, jogger silk shorts and the comeback of Air Max with a perfectly elegant outfit, but who am I to judge? But like everything else I have learned to take certain aspects of the trend and put my own signature taste on it. For example, these days I now reach for my runners more than my black ankle heel boots which is something that I would have never considered before, think high street loafers more than Air Max. I suppose comfort has it's perks.

The one thing that we are thought throughout the countless magazines that we have read growing up is "dress for your body shape". This trend alone would contradict everything that I have believed in, personally. As a girl who is not of a model physique so I find that this look can be hard to work without looking like a sack, which seems to happen to me anyway. I've seen this look so effortless on girls who are naturally really thin and it looks great but my confidence lacks when trying it. Thankfully it seems the look has evolved a little form the old school tracksuit pants and baggy sweaters (slightly). The boxy crop top is perfect for those who do not want to whole heartily commit to this trend. Team with a high waisted PVC skirt and denier tights and you have yourself  a perfect outfit which ticks the sports luxe trend. On the other hand, if you are insecure about your upper body parts I recommend experimenting with the jogger trousers and fitted tee, another winning look for the coming season. 

In terms of make up for this look it is all stripped back, minimal and effortless, another thing that I don't know if I feel comfortable being that recently found my love for deep eye shadows again, particularly brown and gold tones. Eyeliner is also a friend of mine so I think keeping in line with this look would translate to cutting back on that which I wouldn't be able to fully commit to. I am a big fan of the luxe trousers which River Island have 100% nailed, if you haven't managed to have a look yet you can do so here. My favorite is the hot pink pair which probably wouldn't go with anything in my wardrobe but who cares! It's an excuse to go shopping. 

Love C X 

SS14: Going Graphic

In the second installment in my SS14 Trend Forecaster I am looking at the (in my opinion) most exciting look for the coming season: Art Attack. This look sees bolder, brighter and vibrant prints which are a representation of  graphic artwork at it's best. The first time I spoke about my love for this reviving look was it was first presented to us at London Fashion Week  last September and in particular the HOH collection, if you missed the post you can read about it here. Since then I have been very excited for the variation of styles and colours that can be used with the graphic theme, and now its finally time to break it out. 

I know recently I have talked excessively about my growing love for great quality Basics, and while I still stand by my earlier statements, sometimes it's essential to break out of the traditional styling and welcome a little contemporary. These bold graphics are not introduced by half, behold rich, vibrant textures in all forms such as shirts, skirts and my personal favorite of them all, trousers. During the January sales I spotted a pair of printed trousers in River Island, mainly a kaleidoscope print with pinks, creams and a hint of green. They were an absolute bargain at 20 Euro down from fifty and will definitely be making a debut over the coming weeks. 

The best way that I will wear this trend will be to mix it in with plainer basics. If you are going with a crazy graphic top match it with black skinny jeans or vice verse. Matching print combos are a great look aswell but I would more keep this for an event, a night out or dinner, not necessarily for day time practicality. 

Blue shades are also something that I have taken a keen interest in, if you missed the Blue Blood post you can read it here. Keeping this in mind I am going to look for some prints with a blue over lay to brighten up my wardrobe which is definitely needed in this terrible weather. This trend sends me to a warmer, sunnier climate which is something that is needed, especially at this time of the year. 

Love C X 

SS14 Trends: Green with Envy

Every season there is a colour that dominates the catwalk, magazines and the high street. Over the next few posts I am going to talk you through these trends and how we can style each one to suit yourself.  This  time around it comes in the form of green. Brighter tones always show their sunny selves at the beginning of spring, primarily beginning with Fashion Week and progressively more so in the following weeks. SS14 forecasts include sorbet pastels, sophisticated sportswear and  monochrome madness but with traditional summer floral prints taking a tropical makeover we are seeing green everywhere.

What I enjoy most about this fresh approach to summer brightness is that is an upgrade from SS13 trends which were more bohemian (which I loved) but this approach brings pristine to our style in a way that "Gypset" didn't. Now, I wouldn't go throwing away our maxi skirts just yet but there are many ways to incorporate the "green" way of living without doing a style-over. Khaki green has been a prominent feature in summer style for the past number of years, but the difference this time is the exciting prints, think monochrome with green replacing black. Personally I think this colour will better suit blondes and my favorite way to incorporate this into my look is with a casual jumper. It is simple but yet allows you to stand out from the crowd. 

The great thing about opting for green for the coming season is that it translates right across the trend board, from fruity flora's to art graphics to smart tailoring. So if you tend to change your mind a lot about what "your style" is you still don't have to pigeon hole your self just yet. Investing in key pieces such as one good quality jumper, a tote bag or "barely-there" sandals in green could assist you through all your various looks this spring/summer. 

For the adventurous souls who wish to attempt this trend though the form of make up my advise is to be very careful. Obviously, the best form of experimentation is on the eyes. Taupe eye shadow best suit blondes with brown hair but brunettes could easily incorporate dark green in their normal smoky eye mix, it's all about the shading! For those of you who don't tend to go OTT on the eyes can always have the subtle approach in the form of a liner pencil.  Rimmel have s great range of shadow and pencil liners for you to discover the one that best suits your skin tone. 

Love C X