Going Crosseyed // Blogger Launch Party

 

Cupcakes from Lily Pink Bakery 

“The CrossEyes concept is built on honesty, dedication and smart design. Through honest and hardworking employees, and low and transparent prices, CrossEyes is able to create an environment where you receive the right guidance when looking for quality spectacles. CrossEyes has hundreds of different custom made frames, which ensures that everyone can find glasses suitable for both their look and personality. At CrossEyes, we do not hide the prices – we display them for everyone to see”      

CONCEPT INFORMATION AND VIDEO HERE

On Wednesday 23rd March I was invited to attend the official Press and blogger launch of a brand new Opticians called Crosseyes. I had seen a few weeks earlier the signage go up on the shop front and even before I was contacted I was very interested the simplistic signage made me immediately very curious about what was to come and I immediately hopped onto Google. One quick Google image search of the types of glasses on offer and I knew I would definitely want to check them out, then only about a week later I got the email and knew it was fate! they are located on the Ormeau Road in South Belfast beside the fabulous Kaffeo which makes it very easy to locate the shop as it is only about 10 minutes from the city centre.

When I arrived I of course being such an early bird was the first one there and I got chatting to the lovely instore team. Paul the optician explained that he had always wanted to start his own opticians and when he discovered the brand he knew that they exactly matched the vision he had for what he wanted to create. What I was immediately struck by was how personal not only the event was but just how lovely the whole team where, I am sure any of my speccy friends out there can relate to the horror that can be getting eye tests but you immediately felt like they would take your own personal needs into consideration and we got chatting as if we were old friends.

 Once I had talked to the whole team and had a couple of cheeky glasses of prosecco the fabulous Sarah guided me around the whole collection showing me the amazing choice of frames on offer. I literally was spoilt for choice. Anyone who has seen the typical cat eye frames I wear will know I prefer something statement but not giving too strong Dame Edna vibes so seeing such a wide variety from classic shapes to new and exciting takes on the classics was really exciting to me. Anyone who was at the event will know that I fell particularly in love with a pair that I had first spotted on the companies instagram ( see HERE) a few weeks ago and as soon as I saw them they were on my face within seconds.

They were from the Bamboo range and what I love most is the subtle details such as the lens being very rounded and the small gap left between the lens and the cat eye frame, the natural shading of the bamboo made it feel like the glasses would suit a huge variety of hair colours or eye colours. What struck me the most was how light the frames felt on. As I said before I love a good cat eye however both of my own pairs I have from ASOS can feel rather heavy if I am wearing them for a longer period of time.

Another favourite were this take on the classic aviator, what I don’t think is too clear in the photo is that the nose bridge area is slightly more detailed than the typical design which just added an extra little bit of interest to the frames.

One key element to the Cross eyes approach to everything is there standard pricing list which means unlike other opticians that include hidden costs everything is inclusive and what you see on the wall is what you pay:

All prices include eye test, free selection of frame, lightweight lens, wide progressive zone, hardening and anti-reflex.

Eyewear no strength £ 85
Single vision £ 145
Single vision +/-3 £ 235
Progressive £ 295
Progressive +/-3 £ 385

Sunglasses £ 95
Sunglasses single vision £ 155
Sunglasses single vision +/-3 £ 245
Progressive sunglasses £ 305
Progressive sunglasses +/-3 £ 395

 

Another great factor to note is that you can get every frame either made into glasses or you can also get them made into sunglasses plus they have a wide array of lens colours ranging from clear right through the rainbow as well as mirrored lens ( How 1990s!)

Rosanna and Ruth 

Once I had been shown around the range I decided to have a bit of play time and ended up trying on nearly all of the frames in the store and believe me there are alot to choose from! I teamed up with my Megan and Lucy ( linked below) and we collectively probably tried on every pair twice, we also ate about a million brownies and pesto bites as well as probably made Paul and the team wish they hadn’t bought party poppers!!

check out my instagram HERE for all the behind the scenes pics from the night.

Megan and Lucy

I want to give a huge shout out and thank you to the whole Belfast team, they put on a really great night which ended with drinks in the lovely Brew Bot just up the road and a few games of connect 4 and frustration!

Check out the Belfast stores own Instagram HERE

Or

Find them online HERE

Outfit Details // 

Denim Culottes // Simply be

Duster jacket // Last year Evans

Vest top // Primark

Studded boots // Topshop

Bra // Tesco

I hope you guys like this post I had so much fun last night and cannot wait to hear what you all think of the idea

Until next time… T-j xx

How to wear: That 70’s Trend

Image taken from her official instagram page you can find it HERE      [then edited by me]

The 70s look is back in a massive way for autumn winter 2015 and I for one and totally in love with the look. Now I can put my love of this trend down to one person and one person alone, Miss Florence Welch is the style guru for all things 60s 70s and bohemian. Her look is so well put together but so effortless constantly that I can’t help but be inspired by every single outfit I see from her. I mean really I should be calling this post ways in which I am stealing Florence Welch’s style but anyways back to my point. The 1970s look was all over the catwalk and has exploded onto the high street in a big way this season with nearly every store including it in some shape or form with the A/W offerings.

I have had a look around some of the high-street plus-size retailers and put together some pieces which I think really encompass the trend, So starting with simply be who actually have a brilliant 70s edit page HERE on their website.

The coat is my stand out piece from their collection and I think really well priced at £65 however due to the nature of the weather in Northern Ireland i.e constant rain I don’t think I could possibly get the wear from it but layering it over any sort of outfit will just give that slightly more subtle nod to the 70s look, I can really see it working well over skinny jeans and a loose top. The bag and shoes are also both more statement pieces, I feel that if you are not 100% sure about rocking the 70s look head to toe then they are a perfect way to dip your toes into a trend to see if you can make it work with your own style.

A couple of my favorite pieces from New Look ( see the site HERE) include this amazing fringed waistcoat which comes in at just under £20 although they seem to be adding more pieces into their sale on a daily basis so keep an eye. I actually picked up something really similar to this in Primark last week for a night out I was having last weekend and I just loved how easy it was to throw on and it instantly changed what was just a plain black dress into a more 70s look. I also love this little suede skirt and I think alongside a light turtle neck jumper would make a great day time outfit.

If Florence says an all suede outfit is ok then I am totally all for it!

Evans Clothing ( find them HERE) also have a great selection of pieces, from tailored waistcoats to bell sleeves. The waistcoat pictured comes in a variety of on trend colours and prints as well as a staple black version all starting at £35, I recently picked up the berry colour for myself and already I have found a million ways to wear it. I think tailoring pieces can also work for the 70s look as they give a more night out feel to an outfit. The bootcut jeggings are a great update for Autumn is the are a great nod to the very popular flare without being overly flared if you are not sure about how the trend will work on you. I think the key point is that if you want to try the trend but are not sure whether or not it will work for you try it out using accessorys and shoes. You can pick up great pieces really inexpensively from the likes of Primark which is how I have worked the trends into my own wardrobe without investing too much money into pieces which probably wont be as on trend in Spring Summer.

ASOS curve is probably my favourite in terms of getting the trends right at the minute, just looking at the images of the gorgeous Gabby Gregg in the Curve campaign shoot you can totally tell just how inspired they were by the 70s trend. Full of suedes and knitted layers I definitely recommend you check out their site even to just inspire new outfit combinations.

So as I previously mentioned I have being try to incorporate the 70s look into my own wardrobe in the last few weeks as the weather has began to transition to cooler days and chilly nights. The outfit on the left is a new go to for me, the black dress is one I have had for about a year now from Evans which is probably my favourite LBD. The waistcoat is from Primark for £14, the necklace is also Primark at £5 and I think together they provide a great 70s update to any outfit for under £20. The Waistcoat on the right is also Evans clothing and I think that with this pussy-bow blouse ( also Evans but really old) they together become a great 1970s dressy look.

I hope this post is helpful to you guys , until next time…T-j xx

WOW launch event: Was I WOWed?

Something which I feel that I haven’t openly spoken about on my blog is my change in diet since leaving university. I think anyone who has gone through the final year of a degree will sympathise to a certain extent but in the final months I literally was only focusing on staying up for as long as I could to finish as much work as I could, this lead to my diet becoming incredibly poor and full of high sugar, high calorie, high fat and just generally not what I should have been eating. Since finishing my degree however I have tried to undo this by really switching my diet and exercise routine to actual include an exercise routine into my weeks. So when I got an email telling me about a new range of low fat, high protein, gluten free products that were coming to stores I became really interested to find out more. Karen Daly and her husband are the brains behind WOW ( which stands for War On Weight) after her own weight-loss journey Karen has devoted her life to spreading the word that good food can taste great and you can loss weight without feeling like you have to give up all of your favourite meals.

One point I want to make before going into more detail of the event etc I want to make it clear that I am not trying to make this post advocating weight loss. I spoke at the beginning of the year about being in a good place with my body however finishing my degree was tougher than I could have ever imagined and upon completing all of my work I came out of that post university haze realising that the toll taken on me during the final few months and the rubbish I had consumed had affected my mental health alot more than I was probably willing to admit at the time. Please read my post from the start of the year to fully understand my feelings HERE I still fully stand up everything in that post but I want to make it clear that I needed to make the changes for me and how my relationship with my body has changed in the last few months and the place that I hope to be with my body within the next few months. 

I brought my mum along to the event with me because we are on our journey together and we were both really interested to here if Karen gave any tips or tricks which would help our own personal journeys along. On arrival we were given some “skinny” mojitos which were delicious and a great accompaniment to the food later on. The event was held at Cast and Crew Belfast which is situated nearly opposite the Titanic Museum. Now anyone who knows the area will know that the Belfast Met campus which I studied at is right beside Cast and Crew, I really wish it had been around when I was studying because it is a lovely little cafe with a cool edgy look and if last night was anything to go buy I can imagine the food is probably great to! After we had the cocktail welcome we waited for the BBQ to heat up so we could try out some of the products from the range.

We got to try the steak burgers as well as a sausage with garlic and sweet chilli, both of which were delicious and really filling despite being so low in fat. This was all accompanied by a lovely fresh side salad and the option of a feta cheese salad. Mum and I both couldn’t get over just how lovely the food was and that we definitely wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between these and a higher fat option. One thing I have noticed in recent months is how when you get a meal which is either lower fat or slimming that the flavors don’t tend to be as strong, now this is not the case with everything but I was really WOWed by just how nice the food was.

After we had chance to have our food event host Cathy Martin and WOW founder Karen Daly  talked us through the whole range which at the minute consists of eight products, which include 4 meal options for example stir frys and meatballs and 4 meat options including both of the items we sampled on the night. Karen also talked us through the benefits of the products and how they can work into your diet. It was a very interesting night and mum and I both left feeling like we had learnt some interesting facts that we want to incorporate into our own diet.

A massive thank you to team WOW and CMPR for letting us walk away with some of the products to try for ourselves at home, I know we are looking forward to dinner for the next few nights!

If you want to find out any more information on the products check out their site HERE and their Facebook HERE

Hope you guys find this interesting, until next time… T-J xo

Paris is always a good idea | Part One

So my trip may have been in February, early February at that I am only just now getting around posting up my photos but that kind of explains how manic everything was post Paris, I went with my class for three days with the primary focus being on attending Premier Vision, a fashion exhibition where companies can sell to designers etc. We went on the student day which I think was Wednesday, if you are a student go on this day as you pay a reduced rate for entry. To sum up my trip as a whole would be difficult on one hand Paris is a beautiful city, exploring the streets for two days was my favourite part myself and the two girls I was exploring with decided not to use up time by going into the Louvre or the other indoor experiences but instead to invest our time in exploring the streets. We did of course visit the Eiffel Tower because I had never been and it was something to tick off my list but the queues where crazy so instead of going up the tower with further explored the city.

One thing that I wasn’t overall aware of before I went was just how poor a city Paris is and how many street scams there are around. One top tip I could give would be to keep your wits about you and do not fall into these tourist traps, I myself ended up having to give one man around fourteen euro because he had grabbed my wrist to make a bracelet onto my wrist and wouldn’t let go. It can be scary so just make sure that you are not travelling alone and that you do not stop or interact with people who you can see trying to pull a scam, I don’t want to put anyone off of visiting Paris and I myself would go back again I just wish I had done more research before I had gone to ensure that I wouldn’t fall for street scams. The scams where mainly in tourist hot spots, it was at Sacre Couer that the bracelet incident happened to me. Just make sure that you stay together and you will have a great time.

Transport is pretty easy in Paris we ended up using the Metro trains to get around, they work on the same principle as the London Underground and don’t take too long to get used to. It is a pretty inexpensive system and we ended up purchasing day tickets for around twenty euros which helped seeing as our accommodation was about an hour outside of Paris. Taxis are also pretty efficient in Paris however they can be quite expensive so I would only recommend them if you are travelling as a group of about 6 because they will charge for each piece of luggage and person after a certain number which would make a half an hour journey for six people about sixty euro but if you need to get back to your hotel late at night then I would recommend using the taxis. Luckily the night we decided to go onto the Champs Elysees we were heading back in time to make the last train to CDG airport which was close to our hotel.

The food in Paris ( excluding our hotel but that is the rant I am saving for the next section) was amazing, as a cheese obsessive I didn’t eat a meal for three days that didn’t include some form of cheese, the food we found was mostly inexpensive but we were just trying to budget. On the night we went to the Champs Elysees for dinner we found a nautical themed restaurant which despite the location cost us about twenty euro for dinner, that was however just a main course and drink but we had budgeted to have one “fancy dinner” during our time in Paris. What I will say that from the expierence at this particular restaurant it was clear that the waiters work almost against each other to bring in people and where ever you our sitting depends on which waiter gets the tips. This became obvious when the waiter who greeted us at the door encouraged us to wait for a table to empty whilst the whole back of the restaurant was empty, when it became clear this was for his benefit we insisted to sit at the back much to his protest. Again I am not trying to point out the flaws but I do feel like I want to create an honest account of my time so that you guys if you are wanting to go to Paris are totally aware of what to expect. A final note is that if you are over the legal drinking age and like wine then the cheap bottles of four euro rose are the way to go!

Accommodation, now my personal expierence was pretty terrible as far as accommodation went but that was pretty much entirely to blame for the fact that our trip was booked through our college and they went for cheap and close to the exhibition space instead of seeing that we would have two days that weren’t anything to do with the exhibition. We were staying roughly an hour from central Paris which was a total pain when it came to going out and about because you had to allow so much time to get anywhere. The hotel itself was more of an apartment complex and what we were told were 4 bedroom apartments where actually four bed apartments meaning a double bed which could be spilt into two singles and a double bed. We were sharing with friends but even so it was alot of deal with after a very stressful first day in the city.

One key element would be to go with a group of friends, I previously mentioned that the purpose of my trip was for one of my college classes so we went as a class. This to be honest was more of an issue because it meant travelling in a large group which is difficult if you are in a new city because trying to learn new travel systems is stressful enough without having to stick with twenty other people doing the same thing. we ended up getting people physically trapped in metro doors on day one because the stop time is very quick on the metro. We ended up spending the majority of the trip in much smaller groups after this because it meant we could explore without being restricted. One major recommendation I would have is when you are away creating a whatsapp group or some other messenger group which meant that we could all keep in touch even if we were all in different areas of the city and also to check in with our tutors in the evening to let them know we were back in the hotel.

To summarise this rather oversized post ( don’t worry the next post will be all my photos) I loved Paris but I do wish I was better planned with regards to working out exactly where to go on each day so minimise time wasting, however in regards to that one of the best pieces of advice we got was from the receptionist in our hotel who spent a good half an hour with us planning where to go and in what order which on our last day meant we got so much done because we had a system in place. Hope you guys found this post interesting/ helpful.

Until next time…T-J xo

 

 

One Week in my Wardrobe /// Part One

 

Now that I am officially finished my degree I am pretty much working full time. I left my old job at the end of March and started working for Evans Clothing which is pretty much my dream retail post. I get to work with customers on a more personal level now that I am becoming an in-store personal stylist which is really exciting. Now that I am pretty much working full time I am making more of an effort with how I dress, finishing a degree was a blur of leggings and oversized jumpers so now with the weather supposedly getting better and summer being around the corner ( although in Northern Ireland I dont even think we have had a proper Spring yet!) I am trying to dress a it more summery.

If you are on my Instagram, INSERT SHAMELESS PLUG HERE then you will know that these outfits are not technically one week in my wardrobe but they do represent my current go to looks. I am favouring dresses at the minute which is something I never ever though I would say but after discovering the smock dress shape I have been hooked. I am trying to make a promise to myself to shop my closet more than I shop the high-street because I have a tonne of clothes that never get to see the light of day which is so wasteful. Because I am working long days I find it really important that I am comfortable so I am still loving layering dresses with leggings.

Monday

 

This New Look Dress was a sale bargain that I picked up for a fiver a few weeks ago and it and quickly become my favourite wardrobe staple. It has a mesh panel at the bust and is cut beautifully and really flattering on my shape. The coat was a mega bargain £2 in Primark it is a mesh material and the shape is great. The boots again are a New Look sale bargain from last January, real leather for £6 ! Total outfit costing only £16 ( minus my undies!)

Tuesday

Tuesday is another Bargain day, I am a rather savvy shopper and can usually find alot of bargains when I go shopping again this Neoprene Trench was £2 in Primark, the dress is very old New Look sale and I think it cost me about £6 or £7. The shoes are new season Evans and they are called the Fern sandal, they are slightly plat-formed and have a brown strap and a black strap making them great for going with pretty much any outfit. and despite the picture I am not quite at the point of total leg exposure just yet!

Wednesday

A more casual outfit typical of what I wear on my days off, the amazing sporty bomber jacket was a total bargain at £7.50 from one of my favourite Vintage Shops, The Rusty Zip  which was rumoured to be closing but luckily is staying open. The jeggings and black shirt are both New Look, can you spot a trend in my shopping habits 🙂 The trainers are the Woven Roshe Runs from Nike aka my comfy unicorn shoes, I also have them in grey and literally live in them.

Thursday

One of my braver looks is my matching two piece from Evans last year, this outfit featured heavily in their spring summer 14 campaign and I decided it was going to be my brave girl piece. I am wearing it for the purposes of travelling to work in my Grey Roshe Runs but in work I wore it with my chunky white flatform sandals, I feel like this look needs strong slightly higher shoe to take it out of pyjama chic territory.

Friday

One of my all time favourite wardrobe staples is this monochrome checked smock dress from the Evans sale last year, it is the right shape for my body and I love the vintage vibes it gives when its mixed with my new ASOS specs. The TUK creepers give it a more grungey edge which we all know it my favourite style.

Saturday

no your eyes are not playing tricks with you I loved the smock dress so much I bought both colour options. Please tell me I am not the only one who does this I think about 40% of my wardrobe is duplicates in different colours, I find that if I like one style I will buy all the options I can find. The amazing jelly wedges are a recent Primark Pick up and I am totally obsessed with them, they are high and comfortable and I am trying to base my graduation outfit around them

Sunday

Another wardrobe favourite of mine is this mega oversized ASOS curve cold shoulder smock number, I picked it up on ebay for about £4 all in. I though it was actually 3 sizes smaller when I bought it, teaches me for not wearing my specs, but I instantly fell in love with its oversized ness when it arrived. Just styled very simply with a mesh grey top, just to add sleeves, fishnet socks and my New balance trainers.

I hope you guys like this type of post I am hoping to do it more regularly as I try to take my outfit pic at least a couple of times a week weather permitting

Until next time…. T-J xo

Paris Trip // Part One // Overexposure

 

The river beside Notre Dame

 

 

I am sure I mentioned at some point that in February just past I was heading to Paris for 3 days with my class to go and see Premier Vision, it was probably the most stressful/ crazy trips I have undertaken and it did take a while to recover, however I just today got my camera developed that I look with me. I bought one of Urban Outfitters fancy disposable cameras that usually cost £15 but I found one in the sale for a fiver back in January. I am not sure whether it was just because it was an old camera but the images did come out as I had hoped however I still really love the images for their somewhat overexposed light streaks and their double exposed images so I thought I would still share them. It puts my off investing in one of the disposables at full price because If I had spent £15 on it and it came out as mine did I would see myself complaining but as it was in the sale I don’t mind as much.

Le tour de Eiffel

Part 2

The Latin quarter

@ La Louvre

The shopping centre part of La Louvre

Palais du Louvre

Notre Dame

It defiantly puts me in the mood to do more disposable camera work, I think though the cost of developing each film puts me off so for the minute I just get my fix from looking at the work of my blogging buddy Megan over on VENT// Threads !

I plan on doing a couple of posts on my trip showing you guys the photos that I took, the next step is to use these images as inspiration for my next design project!

Until Next Time…T-J xox

The Stitch Launch Party

On Thursday night I was invited to attend the launch of the new brain child from the founders of Mr and Mrs Stitch called ” The Stitch”. The concept behind the stitch is a blog/journal space dedicated to promote the brands sold on the web store but to also produce content which can inspire and interest a much wider base. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the event with my latest blogging bestest Megan from Vent // Threads  

 

Find Megan Here Here and Here 

So back to the stitch, basically if you are from Belfast you would probably be familiar with the shops in Wellington Place just down from city hall called Rio Brazil, well Mr and Mrs Stitch is the on-line version of the stores, do you get it? So the Stitch journal is just being launched and is online HERE if you guys want to have a browse. The store itself if mostly high end designers, so perfect if you are looking for an item that you aren’t going to find anywhere else.

I spy Avril from Schoolgatestyle and Ian from Roguesandbrogues !!

The event was held in their beautiful new office based also in the city centre and rather conveniently just across the road from the Rio Brazil stores. The lovely folks from Chinawhite ( one of Belfast’s hottest newest nightclubs) provided delicious cocktails for the guests whilst we talked with the owners of the brand as well as shop assistants, finding out all about the shop and the online blog. What I loved about the event was just how relaxed the whole thing was, I was able to have a good catch up with friends that I haven’t seen in months and just have a lovely relaxed time, it was held on the day of my sisters formal and I had been on the go since 9am so it was nice to have a bit of chill time in great company. During the night we got to go through the rails and style up an outfit from their newest drop of stock so when the images are online I will insert my attempt into the post.

I just wanted to say a massive thank-you to the team at The Stitch for a lovely relaxed enjoyable event, especially Laurina who kindly organised the invites. I am hoping to pair up with The Stitch in the coming months so keep you eyes peeled for that!

Until Next time… T-j Xo

Christmas with DV8

   It was festive fashion fever as bloggers and media gathered to celebrate Christmas with DV8 Fashion.  Proving a very successful evening, guests were welcomed with a fantastic drinks reception, courtesy of Lambrini, before exploring the fabulous collections DV8 have on offer this festive season. We were given free run of the shop with the lovely staff giving us any product information that we required. Of course being a magpie I went straight towards the sequins, there was a rail of items which where the buyers top picks. I loved the mix of party wear and everyday pieces that where on display. I will completely admit that I was totally unaware of just how many amazing brands that DV8 carry, everything from Irregular Choice to Levis with all styles catered for. 

 

Once we had a few glasses of Lambrini and in my case one to many brownie bites in our system they told us about the styling competition they wanted to hold in store. Our brief was to create an outfit either mens’ or women’s and use products from around the store to create our looks. I immediately knew that I wanted to create a look which served a multitude of events. With my own work Christmas do being on Saturday night ( outfit post to follow) I wanted to keep that in mind because tis the season and most people will be heading to some sort of Christmas dinner event over the next few weeks. I also wanted an outfit which could also do a girls night out or a casual lunch date, After looking around the store I was immediately drawn to an incredible skirt which was worn by one of the lovely DV8 girls. It is a burgundy faux leather coated midi skirt ( alot of words right!)  its very hard to describe and no picture will do it justice but just the colour and the shape is so perfect for the season and a complete steal at only £26 pounds!

So altogether this was what I came up with:

The inspiration for my is a grungy London cool vibes, As soon as I saw the skirt that started everything off for me. Of course I looked to Cara Delevinge as I could totally see her rocking this kind of outfit. I totally am still loving the 90s revival trend hence the inclusion of the bowler hat as a quirky fun detail. I found some images on-line and the fashion student in me was very excited to put together a quick mood board to show you guys my idea.

You can hopefully see the idea of the shape of the skirt but I promise in real life it is even more beautiful! I also was immediately drawn to and fell in love with this incredible sherling faux leather jacket. An investment piece at £60 but would be a great piece for all year round ( If you live in Northern Ireland were summer is about ten degrees warmer than winter)

 

Because the skirt is such a statement piece I wanted to keep the top half of the outfit really simple and found this lovely lace hem camisole that for the purpose of the image I tried to make it short and slightly cropped so the lace was a lovely break between the black and the skirt.

To go with the Christmas party vibes I added two statement necklaces slightly layered in gold and black tones to fit in with the rest of the look.

 

The shoes for me just top it all off. I was thinking party time completely with these shoes but I also would love to see the outfit with low top Dr Martens or mary janes courts if you are going to wear this look on  a lunch date. To finish the look I topped it off with  a quirky bowler and cute structured mini bag which was  a Huge trend this season and perfect for the party night out essentials.

Back to the event itself I have to say a MASSIVE thank you to the amazing DV8 team for holding such a lovely event night and giving us a very kind giftcard at the end ( which BTW was spent on the night on a Christmas pressie for a family member!) I was attending the event with my classmate, friend and fellow blogger Emma from KookyMissMatch this was her first event and I think the DV8 team definately set the bar really high for her!

I hope you guys are getting just as excited as I am about Christmas, I am starting to count down the days!

Until next time…Tj xox

Next Press Event: #nextdaydelivery

Last Tuesday morning I was lucky enough to be invited to the Next press launch of the Next day delivery service in Northern Ireland. I don’t know about you guys but nothing annoys me more when websites promise next day delivery at an additional charge but because we are in Northern Ireland and not mainland UK it never is next day. Well finally a retailer has heard this and Next have launched a service which means that even if you order right up until 10pm the night before you will still receive the item the next day.

Unfortunately my lovely fancy camera is sadly broken at the minute I have had to make do with phone photos which aren’t my favourite way of showing you guys an event but needs must. The even was held in the beautiful surroundings of Robinson and Cleaver . In a change from the usual event which are held at the evening Next switched it up and put on a breakfast event which allowed a lot more people to attend because you could run by on your commute to work or in my case on route to an In Magazine cover shoot.

 

Just some of the amazing food we got at the event, The salmon and mini ulster frys where definitely my favourites, alongside the mango and honey smoothies.

A sneaky wee picture of Ruth from Welcometowillowlane eyeing up the Christmas decorations that adorned the tables. They had put out a selection of new Autumn Winter garments and accessories for us to browse and I have to say I am so impressed with what will be hitting the stores in the next few weeks.

 

 

Of course I couldn’t go the whole morning without a cheeky wee Selfie from Ruth and myself!

As part of the event Next very kindly gave us a lovely goodie bag which contained a voucher, a watch and some lovely Christmas decorations. I was lucky enough that my watch matches my Argento Lapis blue bracelet and I have been wearing the pair all week without fail, I am a sucker for mixing metals

A massive thank you to the team at next who took such great care of us and made the event so lovely and relaxing

Until next time /// T-J xo

Argento Relaunch Event: #loveargento

So last night I was very lucky to be invited to attend the Argento relaunch event, Argento is a locally based company who recently completely re-branded their store layouts and had their main store based in the city center closed for a couple of weeks to completely overall the store so last night they officially relaunched it and let me tell you it was totally worth the wait!

 

I got to speak with the owner of the company Peter and he was telling me that during the renovations they discovered the incredible red brick wall at the back of the store and decided to keep it as a feature in-store. The have also used amazing neon lights throughout the store, as well all kept saying last night it looked more like something you would see on a London highstreet!

It was also really nice to begin to see the images from the new A/W 14 catalogue. As part of my course I have been spending the last few years building up my portfolio of experience and recently thanks to the lovely Eve Brannon a local stylist, I had to opportunity to assist on this particular shoot, so spoiler alert, I can say when the rest of the campaign launches in November there is alot of amazing imagery to look at.

Onto the products themselves Argento has several in-house brands as well as the likes of Pandora, Nomination and many others to choose from so there is literally something for everyone. 

The event itself was amazing we were treated to amazing cocktails and beautiful macaroons, the shop was full of the whos who in Northern Irish fashion  circles as well as alot of familiar faces from the blogging world. I was able to have a great catch up with two of my blogging besties Rosanna aka Silver Brogues and Ruth aka Welcometowillowlane . Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of the three of us but I was able to snap a great photo of Gemma, Dawn and Jeff.

 

Totally natural and un-posed!

Also very very very kindly I was allowed to choose a piece of jewellery to bring home with me, let me tell you for a magpie like myself this was by no means easy however as soon as a spotted the Lapis Lazuli range that I remembered from shooting the catalogue I knew exactly what piece was coming home with me

Find the bracelet here: http://www.argento.co.uk/en/Argento-Lapis-7-Stone-Bracelet/m-47043.aspx

I have been so in to this beautiful rich blue colour at the minute as you will see in one of my next posts about a massive Evans shopping spree I went on and thought it would be the perfect layering piece to go with anything and everything else that I wear.

That you so so much to the teams at Argento and CMPR for making it such an amazing event I cannot wait to head back instore soon as I have my eye on a few more pieces that I spotted last night

EDIT: The press photos where released which where taken by the Fab Brendan so I thought I would include my picture with my fab blogging Bffs