AX Paris A/W Press Day | Cupcakes, Cocktails & Clothes!

As I mentioned in this post, I recently joined AX Paris as Digital PR & Marketing Executive and part of my job role is to work alongside bloggers and arrange fun events! I joined the company at a pretty crazy time as we've just finished filming the new TV advert which I was lucky enough to assist on and this weekend we hosted a blogger press day to showcase our new A/W collection! I have to say, I was pretty nervous about the event - not only because it was the first at my new job and I wanted to impress but because as well as working for the company, I'm also a blogger so I knew I was going to meet lots of fellow bloggers online who I've been chatting to for a while. As much as I was excited about this, its also really nerve wracking and I'm the kind of person that always thinks of the worst case scenario (I know - bad habit) so all that kept running through my mind was 'they won't like me' or 'I'll make a fool of myself!'. 

Luckily, those things didn't happen (or so I hope) and I thoroughly enjoyed both representing the brand and mingling with fellow bloggers at the event. It was so nice to finally put a face to lots of people I've been chatting to online for a long time and get the chance to chat to them in person! It was quite surreal meeting people who already knew lots about me and who I knew lots about but it was fun at the same time! So, ramble over.. let me tell you what we got up to at the event.

The first thing I have to mention is the venue which as I said was the Black Dog Ballroom in Manchester. It was the perfect backdrop for the event as it wasn't too big but not too small, had cool features like exposed brick walls, colourful quirky wallpaper, cute flowers and hanging light bulbs from the ceiling! There was even a cute little terrace!

I also have to mention the cupcakes and cocktails because lets face it, what blogger event would be complete without some delicious food and drink! We placed a selection of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, decorated with rather cool AX Paris photo frames on tables around the venue and they were sooo delicious, as were the vodka and gin cocktails. They seemed to go down a treat with all of our guests too - yum!

There was also a photo booth and henna tattooist at the event - both of which were a big hit and had huge queues every time I looked over! I didn't get any henna done myself as I was so busy running around but I did see lots of other peoples and they all looked amazing! 

The main focus of the day was of course on the new AX Paris A/W collection and I was so pleased to see how much everyone liked it! We arranged everything into categories and had the different collections on rails dotted around the room. They looked so eye-catching, if I do say so myself! The new range is is all about the glitz and glamour and will be sure to get you prepared for the upcoming party season - there's lots of sequins and sparkles! From metallic fabrics to faux fur, Autumnal shades and floral prints as well as our new Boutique range, there’s definitely something to suit everyone’s taste!

Blogger favourite of the day has to be the faux fur coat photographed below - I heard so many people expressing their love for it and I can see why - its the perfect coat for keeping cosy in the cold winter months! My personal favorurite collection of the day was the nude, black and gold range - I love everything in it and can't wait to get my hands on some of the pieces for upcoming nights out. I'm already planning on wearing this dress when my friends come to visit this weekend - it's stunning and looks so much more expensive than it is!

I also want to link to some of the bloggers who I got chance to meet and have a chat to on the day as they were all so lovely! Make sure you go and check out their fab blogs!

Ashleigh, Latasha, Victoria, Molly, Rachel, Francessca, Laura, Zoe, Abi, Hannah, Sindy, Laura, & Georgie - you girls were such babes and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to finally meet you all in person! Hopefully we can catch up again soon! <3

To finish the day on a high note, each of the lovely bloggers who attended were sent home with a goodie bag jam packed with various beauty products! I actually helped put the bags together before the event and I was really impressed to see how much was in them. There was products from Zoeva, Collection, Lee Stafford, The Vintage Cosmetics Company, Me Me Me, Barry M and Batiste just to name a few! 

Overall I had a fantastic day - it was so nice to finally meet lots of fellow bloggers and to get to know my new work colleagues better. There we all are above - awww! 

If you were there, I hope you had a fantastic day and liked the new A/W collection! If not, what do you think of the new range?

Lots of love,

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Benefit 'Fake Up' Concealer | The Event & First Impressions

Hi Ladies! I hope you're all doing well and having a great week so far. Mine has been bloomin' fantastic as last night I was lucky enough to be invited to have a sneak preview of Benefit’s new product 'Fake up' and I can't wait to tell you all about it! I was so excited to receive the invite and even more so to discover it was based in Newcastle. Far too often beauty events are based in London so it was a refreshing change to see Benefit acknowledging other cities and reaching a wider range of bloggers. It was also the first blog event I've ever attended (I've never been able to make the ones in London) so I was nervous but very excited at the same time. The event was held at the lovely Tivoli restaurant in Fenwick’s and things kicked off at 6pm.

Well, as I was working until 5, it’s safe to say it was a mad rush to get there on time topped off by what I’d like to refer to as ‘missing makeup disaster’. Basically, I’d packed a makeup bag yesterday morning to pop in my handbag so I could touch up my makeup after work. Well, me being me forgot to pack it so I was left with no makeup and an awful bare face. I obviously wasn't going to rock up at a BEAUTY event with no makeup on so this meant dashing to Superdrug like a mad woman to buy ‘emergency’ makeup! I ended up spending £25.00 (not cool) on ‘essentials’ like powder, eyeliner, bronzer, mascara, lipstick, eye shadow and lip-gloss – okay so not really essentials but I couldn’t resist. I opted for products from cheap brands like MUA and collection so I actually got a full face of makeup for a half decent price (thank god!). I then went and sat in the H&M fitting rooms doing my makeup – classy bird! So considering this was my first event and I was already nervous, this was not a great start. I also felt like a flustered mess but as soon as I met up with a few fellow bloggers Louise, Lucy and Shannon, I soon felt at ease. It was lovely to meet you ladies!

Louise, Shannon, Lucy & I then made our way over to Fenwick’s where we were greeted with champagne by the lovely Jo and Claire who are part of the fantastic Benefit team. They checked our names off the list and we then had the opportunity to mingle with other bloggers who had already arrived. I must admit I was very nervous but I soon relaxed when I got chatting to everyone. Lucy and I had a nice chat with Tasha and we were all expressing out love for the super cute benefit cushions (see above photos!) - how cute? I also spotted Catrine and Anna's familiar faces in the crowd so it was lovely to meet bloggers whose blogs I already read on a regular basis.

So, after the introductions were over and done with, it was time to get down to business and find out everything there is to know about ‘Fake Up’, Benefit’s new innovative concealer. I’d not heard an awful lot about this product before the event as Newcastle was only the second city they were visiting, having been to Glasgow the night before so I was very excited to learn more about it. We were told the concealer comes in three shades, Light, Medium and Deep and each box has a corresponding colour (I thought this was a nice touch!). The packaging of the product itself is a beautiful silver tube (it looks like a lipstick) with a pretty pink design swirling around the 'Fake Up' logo. I was also very impressed to discover the concealer has two components, an outer ring of hydrating apple seed and vitamin E with the concealer itself in the centre. I've never seen any products like this before so I was seriously impressed by the cleaver design. The Benefit team told us the moisturising ring wrapped around the concealer helps to keep it from creasing whilst giving our eyes some much needed moisture.  Think concealer and an eye cream in one? The concealer itself is great too and diffuses light to cover those pesky dark circles! After we’d got to know the basics, the Benefit team held a couple of fun quizzes and I was lucky enough to win their Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation (expect a review soon!). We were then given the opportunity to swatch the product whilst being served canapés, which were delicious by the way. 

As soon as I swatched the concealer on my hand, I loved it. I've never tried a concealer so creamy and moisturising before so I was very excited to try it out on my face. One of the benefit girls popped it under my eyes (I’m shade Light) and I couldn't believe how much it brightened my face. The light reflecting particles contained in the concealer really helped wake my face up and it didn't feel remotely heavy or cakey. I won’t go into too much more detail as I’d like to test it out more before doing a full review but do look out for an update post over the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping to get some before and after shots too so you can see it in action. 

After we'd all had a play around with the product we mingled, drank more champagne and got to know a bit more about each other. We all swapped blog links/twitter usernames too so I'll be going on a follow spree very soon. The Benefit team were also on hand to answer any of our questions and we were even given the opportunity to book in for a free makeover at the Benefit counter which was so lovely of them! Just to top the night off we were then given a goody bag with all three shades of 'Fake Up' inside. Amazing! I couldn't be more grateful.

I pinched the group photo from Benefits twitter account - Its a good en!

Overall I had an absolutely fantastic evening getting to know a bit more about benefit as a brand and some local bloggers. Everyone was so lovey (I officially want to work for benefit) and I really hope more brands take a leaf out of their book and bring their events to more cities around the country. It's like a makeup road show 8). Keep your eyes peeled for my full review on 'Fake Up' which is priced at £18.50 and available to buy from the 30th March. I already know its going to be a huge hit!

Do you like the look of Fake Up? (I'm a poet and I didn't know it ;))

Lots of Love,