Me time – why it’s essential

This is a slightly different post for me, but one I felt necessary after a recent experience. As you can see my posting has become less regular and occasionally posted just for the sake of it rather than posting something I have really put time into and I am really proud to have on my blog. My blog initially started as a tool to help me get into uni as I applied for a fashion marketing course, however I grew to enjoy it and it became a hobby, something people would possibly class as me time, and evidently something that last blog post date has proven I haven’t dedicated much time to. At first I feared I would lose readers for this but in all honesty I’m ashamed to say now that I grew past the point of caring that much, due to everything I had going on at university proving to be that draining of my emotions. I thought I would cry a lot more in final year, and although I am a pretty strong person I don’t think that was the case for not shedding many tears because when my weekly routine is to be in uni 8-8 to return home to continue with work, I have become almost robot like and not even had much time for my emotions. Initially I hated to use uni as an excuse for not blogging but it has become too overwhelming now as I am at the 4^th and final year stage in my fashion degree. Often I get people saying ‘why are you so stressed isn’t fashion just cutting and sticking’ – possibly the worst thing to say to a sleep deprived final year. And no it is far from it as I am currently at stage of manufacturing my own garment collection having already submitted a dissertation in January. Thankfully, something that shook me into having some me time was an invitation to the Mineral House Spa in Newcastle, at first I thought about declining the invitation for a treatment as I thought I should really wait until I have graduated all submitted al my work and really earned it. My mum, god love her, told me you need a break, I have already earned that. So I allowed myself an hours trip to the spa even though I was allocated 3. I had taken in my phone for the time and picture taking purposes but the for the first half an hour I found myself spending every few minutes looking at my phone telling myself how long I had left rather than appreciating those minutes. I found it really hard to make myself relax. Somewhere I couldn't take my phone was the pool so I had a quick dip and returned to a lounger with a magazine and finally found myself a bit more at ease. However I did not feel fully relaxed and back down to earth until my treatment, a facial, which I am a newbie to so was just expecting one of the beauticians to apply a face mask or something. But this treatment included aspects of a body massage as well. You know how it is in a spa with the ‘waves crashing’ music and the aroma of gorgeous smells, I nearly fell asleep but I pinched myself not to as this was one hour of totally dedicated me time, I was going to be awake for it! So after my hour was up, I felt back down to earth again, even though I knew I had to go back to uni I felt a slight weight of my shoulders. The walk back which meant me passing a slightly rowdy part of Newcastle didn't even phase me. This just goes to show how effective that little portion of me time and relaxation is. I’m not usually one for a cringe conclusion but it needs to be said, if you are in a similarly stressful position to me, for the sake of your wellbeing – do not be so hard on yourself. Finding the time to have a small dose of me time can work wonders, it set my mind straight again – almost a clean slate from the stress that was originally there, it somewhat motivated me, and I had the best sleep in ages. Don’t get me wrong I’m not all care free and spiritual 24/7 now, I’m still human, and have been stressed again since, but thinking back to this experience and telling myself some more me time is around the corner, has kept me going.

So go on, switch of your laptop, after having booked yourself a spa day that is - try the Mineral Spa at the Crown Plaza in Newcastle if you are in the area, I would highly recommend it. Or even just switch of your phone, light a candle, pick up a book or just sit in a comfy spot for an hour and notice the difference.

Ellie

Competition: Calling, North Easterners & Brides To Be

Whether you qualify for the above or not, the North East wedding show is nearly here. This year I have been invited to attend the January 2016 show. Although I am no bride to be, who doesn't love a good wedding, and as a fashion design student I love looking at those all important dresses. Why I am posting about this do you ask? Well Christmas has arrived a little early for According to Ellie and The North East Wedding Show as we are giving away two tickets to you lovely readers.

Just to give you a little idea of what you can expect from the event; from cake tasting
 (I might just have to pretend I'm getting married for that), flowers, honeymoons, and of course, the dress. After a browse and shop you can be entertained by live music, and the bit I personally would be most excited for, a runway show of wedding wear. So you can try, book, plan and buy all under one roof. That roof being metro radio arena in Newcastle, on the dates the 16th and 17th of January 2016.
So if you're a blogger, planning bride or just interested to browse, comment below, tweet or e-mail me stating why you would like to go and a winner will be selected by Boxing day.
Good luck!

From myself and on behalf of the North East Wedding Show team, Merry Christmas!
x

My Hand Picked Christmas Ideas

With a very intense university experience at present, Christmas still seems very far away. However the Christmas shopping is one of my favourite parts of the period and always gets me feeling festive. So as a very welcome uni break to lift spirits for me, and hopefully some affordable inspiration for you, here are some of the things on my wish list if not for myself, but the other girly ones in my life.

From left to right
Bra £20 Miss guided
Phone case £21 Asos
Aloe Vera Hand & Body Moisturiser £19 Kiehls
Make up bag £8.99 Etsy 
(if anyone knows where I can get these brushes also, please fill me in!)
Gingerbread Man Necklace with Black Diamonds £180 Bees Fine Jewellery
Winter Belted Camel Coat £65 House Of Fraser
Fluffy Jumper Dress £28 Missguided
Festive Cranberry Face Mask £6.75/75g Lush
Cosy Fur Bobble Hat £19.95 The Fur Bobble Shop
Ice Cream Phone Case Was £12 now £8 Asos
Mink & Rose Gold Watch £70 Olivia Burton
Perfect for stockings socks £8.87 Victoria's Secret
Sweet Silver Loveheart Ring £25 Bees Fine Jewellery
Drinking Fudge Mug Set £10 Not On The High Street
Crackling Woodwick Candle Varied price approx £15 Amazon

Merry shopping
Ell     

Ramside Spa | Mii Makeup Event

If you are North East based and have not yet heard about the Ramside spa opening I suggest you take a glance at this post or go take a trip yourself. The already highly rated golf club and hotel has finally opened its spa doors! As part of this I attended a Mii makeup event held there to entice us all into the spa and allow us to explore their make up brand of choice, Mii. I would say this brand is at a similar market level to Mac, with resembling products and prices. They have a fab range of products to cater for those who like a full face of flawless makeup to a more natural, organic powder foundation look. Some of my personal favourite products are the lip liner and lipstick combo in 'Caress' and 'Sleek', along with thee eye crayon in indigo that creamy texture blends well as an eyeshadow but crayon like applicator means it can act as an under eyeliner also. The indigo quad sky palette which was super soft to the touch and in some of my personal favourite shades for the eyes, browns and mauve. A product I was also pleasantly surprised by was the show stopping lash lover mascara in black*, which doesn't necessarily look like anything spectacular but gives great length and volume in a minimal amount of strokes, for a justifiable £14.50, this is a mascara I would recommend to anyone.
Now, I know many girls will probably gasp in disgrace at what I am about to say, however I have never stepped into a brow salon never mind attempt to put a brow pencil near my face. Thanks to Ramside and Mii, that all changed as I lost my brow bar virginity and was treated to a brow shaping and colouring by one of their lovely brow specialist. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I had a very pleasant first brow experience, the specialists were very conscious of what you wanted and made the effort to make you feel happy and comfortable.

In terms of spa treatments it is at the higher end of the budget however this is reflected in the spa itself, luxury feeling rooms that I felt instantly relaxed in, to point of almost dosing off, friendly staff and quality products used. I cant wait to treat myself to a massage once my bank account is looking a bit more healthy (cry at still being a student)!  

You can purchase Mii at Ramside or online HERE
For direct link click on products mentioned in the post above.

Not some of my best snaps as I was too busy drinking champers and easting canapes (oops) however this will hopefully give you good idea of the event.

   Ell

Last days of summer OOTD

Clinging onto the last days of summer I had to find the time to wear this cutesy crop and short two piece before it was too late, and before I became too pale to bear! This little number was from a brand I newly discovered Luxemme who offer a small but trendy range of clothing, perfect for when you don't have time to trawl through pages of online shopping. This particular set was from the limited edition range ,  a set I love for its tie details on the side of the top, a feature that seems to be very in style at the moment. As I wasn't brave enough to wear it alone for a day look, I paired it with a trench and some low block heel sandals. Although I reckon it would look great alone on a night out simply teamed with a pair of pointed nude heels and clutch.

 Hope you like it!

This two piece is priced at a very reasonable £35.00*

Shoes | Dune

 Jacket | Phase Eight

Ellie

Discount for readers and my birthday bouquet

No matter where they are from or what type of style, I cannot help but smile when receiving a bunch of flowers. Lucky as I was to be sent the most gorgeous one from the team at Blossoming Gifts as a gift for my 21st birthday. This delightful and fresh bunch I was sent is called 'Summer meadow'* which, like a summer meadow, contains blue veronica, delicate lilac eustoma with avalanche roses and daisies. It is part of the summer range, which if you take a peak at on the website displays an array of gorgeous, colourful and cheerful looking flowers that will light up any room. And if flowers weren't enough, the cutest little box a Duc d'O chocolates* (might I add are ridiculously scrummy) was sent along with a personalised gift message to make me feel truly spoilt.
 Why not make someone feel as special as I did or even just treat yourself or decorate your home and utilise this special discount for you, my lovely readers! Simply quote 'BGIFTS33' to receive a lovely jubbly 33% off a bouquets. The only bouquets exempt from this offer are the flowers by post range, this is only a small range so I am confident you will still be spoilt for choice, however I would recommend you bare in mind this range as there are some stunning bunches amongst the range.
 Blossoming gifts are also a great place to buy other lovely gifts such as hampers and wines, and flowers for fab value, just visit the under £20 flowers section. There is no doubt I will be treating a loved one or myself to some more blossoming gifts very soon.
In the mean time time please take a look at my snaps of my bouquet that was pretty not to capture!

Thanks for reading.

Ellie

   

Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks

When it comes to this product, I am ashamed to admit I have only just got around to sharing it with the world. As mentioned in a previous gift guide post, I had my eye on this Laura Mercier gift set for a while, and was over the moon to receive it as a gift myself. The appropriately named, Caviar Sticks for their luxurious feel and look, come in a range of shades. This particular set provided a selection of colours that create a neutral or more dramatic smoky eye, all  of which  have a pleasant shimmery effect to them. A creamy like textured eye shadow is not something I would usually go for, but with these sticks it is so subtle it does not feel heavy or sticky and refrains from transferring to the eyelid. The stick itself makes it incredibly easy to apply, although I personally like to smudge/blend it in with my little finger to create a more polished look. In terms of ways to wear the shades both, Rose-gold and Moonlight are good base colours and highlighters that I like to use all the way to up to my brow bone and in the inner corner of my eye. Amethyst is a lush one to combine with Rose-gold,  applied to the outer of your eyelid and blended in through the eyelid crease is a lovely look for the day or understated night time. For a more night time appropriate look I  use Moonlight as a base, Amethyst into the crease, then Khaki or Cocoa on the outer of your eyelid (either are appropriate to underline also) and to finish, Rose-gold to highlight the inner corners. Depending on the look you want to go for the shades are very flexible in the way that you can almost get two colours out of one stick (particularly the darker shades) as once blended a more subtle faded tone is created. I have yet been too afraid to use the Copper Caviar stick as I feel it completely disagrees with my skin tone, so if you have any suggestions please do share!

The only slight downside I would give this product is that it is quite difficult to remove. Although this is a major bonus when wearing it as you are guaranteed it will last the day, I have found that rubbing my eyes with a makeup wipe for a good few minutes can become a little irritated. To avoid irritation I would recommend removing the majority with a wipe then using a kind to skin cleanser with a dampened cotton wool pad to gently remove the rest.
Unfortunately this particular set was limited edition so is no longer available in the shops at the limited price but they are all still available individually at Laura Mercier stocking stores for approximately £22 each.

Also if someone could recommend a really good gradual tan that would be great as this post made me realise how ridiculously pale my arm is!

Have you used any shades of the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks?

How do you wear them?

I would love to hear from you!

   Ellie

Feb Faves Featuring: The Utility trend

Every month I find it routine to see what new products have arrived into stores, and it appears that the utilty trend is the next big thing. I love the whole uniform meets safari sort of style and I'm a big fan of the neutral colour palette, see some of my fave garments and accessories in shops and online at the mo.

Topshop have done it again with some stunning staple garments this season. What particually caught my eye was this relaxed tailored sleeveless jacket, great for a smart casual look day or night. This simple white number is something I would like to call an investment buy, this is because it will go with so much which will enable you to get full wear out of it so that its price tag of £48 doesn't seem so bad.

This cute cropped shell top in a deep khaki would be great worn with the sleeveless jacket and accessories mentioned,  finish of fwith some black skinny jeans and you'll be good to go! This top, also from Topshop retails at £36.

I am a sucker for vintage items and if like me you are too I recommend you pay a visit to Invaluable.com, a website I recently discovered that hosts worldwide auctions for the most gorgeous pieces of designer jewelery and watches. Can we all take a minute to appreciate this gorgeous necklace watch. It is a Longines brand watch so it will no doubt eternally be on my wish list but that's where invaluable is also brilliant as there always new items up for auction so my fingers are crossed something similar more within my budget will pop up soon!

In full agreement with the saying that there is no such thing as too many shoes, I hope to add these Zara beauties to my collection. I adore the slipper style and practically live my life in flats so I think it would be a justifiable purchase don't you? For £29.99 a pretty reasonable price too.

Another Zara find is this tote bag in prettiest nude colour, the perfect, practical sized accessory to have on your arm in keeping with the utility trend. It is on sale at an affordable £29.99.

What are your fave pics so far this month?

Are you a fan of the utility trend?

I would love to hear from you!

Love,

Ellie

A Year In Pictures

Hello! If it's still acceptable to say it then, Happy New Year! I hope you all had some lovely time off and didn't have too many work burdens like me to deal with over the festive period, hence my absence in posting, it seems only right to make 'time manage better' my no.1 resolution.
At the start of this year I took some time to reflect on 2014 by putting together a year in pictures, something I recommend everyone should do. I went from initiating with 6 pictures which soon grew to 12, and I could have had so much more! Looking through all my captures of the past year made me realise I'd had a way more productive year than I thought, which put me in a perfect mind set for 2015, something that we could all benefit from don't you think?  If you're thinking 2014 was not your year, well this could also work in your favour being be a useful tool to help bring out all the highlights. On the other hand if you are simply in need of a fresh start, do what I did last January and get a new haircut, take a trip, pick up a hobby. Or, do something I did this January and give your blog a new do, and if you don't have one why not start one?! As you can see it is a fab way to document things like this.

From right to left; My first internship of the year at a fashion suppliers, my new year do when my hair got the chop, a lovely trip to Amsterdam with my boyfriend, moving to London and starting my internship at womenswear designer studios, According to Ellie's first giveaway, learning Italian and discovering new restaurants in London, mine and my boyfriends birthday spent at the Waldorf Hotel, just in time for the races I taught myself how to make fascinators, working at London fashion week with designer Zoe Jordan, fashion illustrations of the collection I helped work on during my internship, my favourite OOTD taken in the beautiful Florence, and a Christmas jumper i made for the designers I interned at that was auctioned of for charity.


What are your 2014 highlights and new years resolutions?
I would love to see your photo montages, post your links below!

Ciao for now!

Ell

   

Lush Review: Ro's Argan Skin Conditioner

Hello all! So according to my last post I have not blogged in nearly a month, where did that time go?! Hopefully I can be forgiven by providing the following review for you all...

 After receiving one of lush's lushest Rosie packages as a gift a couple of months back, I finally got around to testing the first of its contents. Living in a student house it's not often that I have the luxury of a long, hot, relaxing bath so I guess I was savoring the moment to open this gift box until I could really appreciate it at home. I am not a religious buyer of lush products, she says shamefully as they are so ethical, but I guess have been too comfortable with using my normal bathing and beauty products that I haven't taken the plunge, so I was very excited to receive this gift! I was most eager to use the Argan body/skin conditioner as I have used argan products before of my hair and LOVED them. And as I occasionally suffer form pimply arms I was hoping this product would help soften my skin as effectively as Argan products had done for my hair!  As described on the pot, you apply and rinse the product the same way as you would on your hair. However, the word rinse is used fairly lightly as I did find some of the product remaining on my skin the first time I used it so I would recommend paying more attention to the rinsing process if you were to use this product yourself, in order to achieve the best results. I have been using Ro's argan body conditioner for about a week now and I have found that as well as leaving a lovely almondy scent after use, my skin is noticeably softer and my pimples less apparent,  so I am confident with continuous use this product will continue to please.

Fighting animal testing, Hooray for Lush!

This product alone retails at £16.50 for a 225g tub (please note the one in my images is 45g) which may seem a little pricey but worth it for all the natural goodness that is jam packed into it! Or you can purchase it as part of the updated version of the Rosie gift box for a reasonable £21.25 just in time for Christmas.

I also plan to use up the other lovely goodies in this box soon so keep an eye out if you would like to see another review!

Have you used this body conditioner before?

what Lush products are you loving?

Love,

Ellie

A spooky treat!

To those of you who follow my blog will know on festive occasions such as Easter and in this case Halloween, I like to get my baking hat on! So just in time for the big day tomorrow you can still have fun making these scarily good treats (I apologies for that awful pun) with the kids, or like me alone with your 20 year old self! So what am I making you ask? Well having browsed the internet to get some inspiration I found a fab recipe which i have adapted to make the below, frozen banana ghosts! I decided to make them on the slightly less scary side as they turned out to be the cutest little bananas ever. So if I tempted you enough to make these yourself heres how...

You will need:

3 chunky bananas (or if you can find them in the supermarket a bunch of mini bananas will work well too)

150 grams of melted white chocolate 

100-200g of dried coconut shavings

And a handful of milk chocolate chips
Lolly sticks or blunt ended skewers

To start making your banana ghosts you will need to melt the white chocolate in a bowl over or pan, or the microwave. TIP: If you are using a microwave heat at a high heat but in short bursts to ensure it hasn't burnt! Once melted put aside to cool whilst you prep the fruit.

Next, peel your bananas and  cut in half so you have 6 portions but if you are using mini bananas leave whole. Gently push a lolly stick or skewer half way up the banana, try not to do what I did and poke a whole through your banana on the first go!

You then need to prep a large baking tray, lay a sheet of grease proof paper on it so your bananas dont stick. Make sure your tray can fit in your freezer.

Return to your melted chocolate and using  a pasty brush begin to coat the flat side with a layer of the white chocolate, do this for all 6 halves. 

Now to start with the coconut coating, this was my favourite part! Sprinkle your coconut onto a plate big enough to dip the banana in. You will fin you might not use all the coconut however I found it easier to coat the bananas with more coconut to play with! Once you have coated the chocolate covered half, just repeat the process again coating the other half in chocolate and covering with the coconut. NOTE: If you have any melted white chocolate remaining, lick off spoon now.
Your bananas are now ready to be tunred into proper ghosts as it is decorating time, use your milk chocolate chips to create whatever faces you like! Once you feel you have finished decorating, line your bananas on the tray and place them in the freezer.

If you are patient enough to wait 4 hours for your banana ghosts this is the recomemnded time to freeze them for, and not that mine would last that long you can freeze them for up to a week. For your bananaas to be as fangtastic as they can possibly be, try leave them in the freezer for the allocated time, wait and enjoy!

 HOW CUTE IS MY MUNCHKIN PUMPKIN (this is just for show by the way!)

I hope you have been inspired to make some treats of your own, I look forward to sharing with you my next festive creation!

Happy Halloween!

Ellie

OOTD: When In Florence...

I couldn't of asked for a more lovely way to start the autumnal month of October than in the north of Italy in the beautiful city of Florence. Although we arrived to worse weather than England, the days following we couldn't of asked for better as temperatures reached 28 and the sun was shining over the Florentine skyline. As I have recently been taking a night class in Italian i was very excited to practice the language. I have visited Italy a few times but no where like Florence, the city itself felt very chic, yet traditional, and full of culture and beautiful people. To those of you who aren't familiar with Florence might like to know that Florence is also a great city to visit for fashion as it is home to many famous Italian fashion designers, including Gucci who has in recent years opened a museum there, a great place to see an archive of the designers greatest designs. Not forgetting, if you are a fan of leather pieces, Florence is THE place to go for a genuine leather article, with almost every other shop and or market selling the most gorgeous selection of leather bags and goods. So as I was in fashionable surroundings I thought it only right to an outfit of the day post. My most recent shopping spree involved me hitting the H&M sales and grabbing a bargain or two. This including the new love in my love at the moment, my black duster coat (similar to one in my wish list post below); which I was surprised was in the sale as I have noticed this style of coats just becoming a popular trend. I teamed this lightweight with more H&M both old and new, along with some H&M sunglasses that I bought especially for the trip. In fact, I think the only thing I was wearing that WASN'T H&M was my sandals, a Topshop purchase a couple of years that I absolutely worn to death i am pleasantly surprised with how long they have lasted! See below for some similar options of the older items.

The beautiful Florence itself...

Duster jacket H&M was £29.99 sale £15

Top H&M full price £14.99

Shorts (old) for similar click here

Sunglasses H&M full price £6.99

Sandals Topshop (old ) for similar click here

I think it is safe to say that this OOTD post is the last one where I will be seen wearing shorts for a while as on my return from Italy i decided the season of coats has finally arrived!

Have you got your winter wardrobes ready?

Keep in touch!

Ellie

LFW: Zoe Jordan SS15

Another September passed and another fashion week been and gone, and in my case, also the end of a 5 month internship at womenswear brand Zoe Jordan. My time with the London based brand was a valuable experience, to any fashion students reading I was really interested in hearing about other peoples experiences in the industry before starting mine, so to those interested here's a little inside info on mine! After a bit of a steady start working within the business, branding and admin side, I was soon in my element working closely with the design team getting some real hands on experience including designing, pattern cutting and my biggest achievement during my time there, sewing actual show garments! When looking for placements, although a well known brand would stand out on my cv, from the start I wanted to go to a small studio with the hope I would get given more responsibilities, and I am pleased to say that the further I got into the duration of my internship, the more I was trusted with. This enabled me to gain some great skills for the reminder of my degree! 

As part of my Zoe Jordan experience I had to opportunity to accompany the lovely team to London fashion week to showcase the collection, the atmosphere at Sommerset House was incredible, with fellow bloggers and designers surrounding the area it was a very fashionable affair. But as you can imagine, in the build up to fashion week things are slightly less glamour behind the scenes with last minute changes, alterations, and finishing touches. However the thing I love most about studying fashion is that all the hard graft is worth it in the end to see the finishing result. With some gorgeous prints, tailoring, quality fabrics, and colour palettes, Zoe Jordans spring summer 15 collection 'Tour' is completely wearable and luxurious. Here are a few of my snaps from the designer show room at London fashion week. 

LFW Sommerset house

 LFW Sommerset house

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Zoe Jordan SS15 'Tour'

 Designer showrooms after party

Did any of you get a chance to go to London Fashion week?

What were your favourite collections?

If any prospective fashion interns would like to know more on my internship or advice on how to get one, please don't hesitate to contact me!

E.D