Elevon World Newcastle Fashion Event

To anyone stumbling across my little blog, it would be really quite obvious that I'm not by any means a fashion blogger. But just because I don't write about it doesn't mean that I'm not interested in it. I love Vogue, spend more time than I'd like to admit looking at the Women's Fashion category on Pinterest and , of course, spend 5 days a week surrounded by clothes at work. So, when Kayleigh asked me if I wanted to go to the Elevon World event at the Biscuit Factory in Jesmond I said yes straight away. 

Elevon is a Newcastle based fashion events company, set up with the aim of developing and showcasing the work of emerging designers. Given that I'd never actually been to see a catwalk show before, I was really excited to see what the designers had to offer. There were different ticket options to choose from, including VIP Front Row tickets for £30 (which included front row or table seats and a goody bag worth £50), but we opted for the Standard Admission for £15. We might not have splashed out for the VIP treatment, but we managed to nab some seats 3 rows from the front which still had really good views of the catwalk - and came with a goody bag filled with offers for some local businesses and a bag of Propercorn. Yum!


The first designer of the night was Rebekah Clegg who showcased her collection 'Reflect'. Her collection was inspired by Newcastle and its architecture, and included lights as part of her designs (which showed up much more clearly in real life than in my photos - me and my phone have issues). I loved the inclusion of the lights and I would say that Rebekah's collection was my favourite of the night. 



The next collection was by Oxygen London, whose incorporation of chainmail into some of their pieces, as well as the elegance of the designs, really stood out to me. I could definitely imagine some of the pieces on sale in high-end high street stores. 

The event also included a number of talks, the first of which was by David Reay. Reay, who previously worked for Barbour, spoke about the initial processes of starting up in fashion -particularly regarding issues such as production.

The next collection was 'Rebellion' by Lena Yoo. Unfortunately my phone didn't really want to co-operate at this point, so this is the best photo I have. I really liked her collection though, the pieces seemed wearable and as though they wouldn't be out of place on the streets of New York, where she is based. 


The second speaker we saw was Victoria Anderson, who spoke of the benefits of self employment. I'm not going to lie, I know nothing about business or being self employed so a lot of the talk went over my head. Nevertheless, Victoria's talk was very funny and I think Kayleigh, being self-employed herself, found it quite relatable. 


The final collection we saw was 'Anamorphosis' by Georgia Madge. I really loved this collection, with the look in the top photo being my favourite by far. 

Unfortunately, as we needed to catch the metro back to Sunderland, we had to leave in the interval and missed the end of the event. I loved the event and I'm really glad that I finally got to see an actual catwalk show. I'd definitely go to another Elevon event because it was definitely worth the £15 we paid for the tickets! 

Student Night @ INTU Metrocentre

If you read my last post, you'll be aware that I've had a bit of trouble coming to terms with the end of uni life. So it might not surprise you that when I realised that I'd be able to attend the student event at the Metrocentre I jumped at the chance to go. The only requirement was a valid student card, and thankfully mine was still valid on the 30th September when the event, hosted by Unidays, was held. Seeing as I don't actually graduate until November I reckon that technically I'm still a student until then anyway! 

As I work at the Metrocentre, I'd seen the event being advertised for weeks so I had quite a while to get excited about it, but because I was actually working on the night of the event I had to be prepared to get my shopping done quickly so I wouldn't be late. I did almost bottle the whole thing, especially when I found myself stood alone in a rather long queue full of groups of students talking about freshers week and how much of their student loan they were willing to splurge on the night. I also looked like the most boing person ever, turning down the many offers by the guys from Foster's who were handing out samples of their new Foster's Rocks Spiced Rum and Classic Rum flavoured lager, as I'm not allowed to drink before work and I wasn't sure whether I could even take it in with me. 
Nevertheless, despite my internal struggle (and reluctance to give up my last chance to attend a student lock in) I persevered and after around a 15 minute wait I was handed my save zone wristband and headed out to bag some bargains. As you can see from the photo above, I wasn't disappointed. 

So many of the stores at the Metrocentre were involved in the night, with discounts like 30% off at Levi; 20% off at Topshop/Topman, New Look, River Island, H&M  and Dorothy Perkins and even 10% off at HMV. Many of the restaurants and cafes also took part - I wished I could have taken advantage of everything. I chose to pop into KFC, who were offering 25% off any purchase over £5, and tried their new Zinger Rice Box. I thought it was a healthy choice, for a fast food restaurant, but I hadn't realised there would be BBQ sauce involved - yuk! 

There was also a limited number of goody bags available on the night. I wasn't going to get one, but on the night I couldn't resist, mainly because I really wanted to know what was inside them! The 'Sudent Survival Pack' included a double sided movie poster of The Martian/Bridge of Spies (depending on whether you'd rather have Matt Damon or Tom Hanks decorating your uni room - personally I'd go for Damon!), an intu student cookbook full of yummy sounding recipes, a sample of Pantene's new Repair & Protect shampoo, conditioner and repair masque, a small tube of Oral-B Pro-Expert toothpaste (a lifesaver for when you've run out without realising), a Sausage Casserole Pot Noodle, some Jacob's crackers and some Dizolve washing sheets. 

   Can we just stop to admire the lovely packaging from Boux Avenue please?
  
So, on to my purchases. My first port of call was Boux Avenue, becuase I was in desperate need of a new black bra (thanks to wearing a black uniform 5 days a week). I thought about getting fitted properly, and almost didn't thanks to the queue that had formed for the fitting room. But the next thing I knew the queue had gone and I had no excuse. The girl that did my fitting was called Becky and, although I've had loads of fittings before, she was so lovely that I was immediately put at ease. I felt like a very awkward customer as I wasn't sure what I wanted, and then I wasn't sure that the ones she brought me to try felt right, but if she was annoyed at all she didn't show it. In the end I left with the Isabella bra in black and 3 pairs of knickers (how cute are the tartan boxers please?!) 

                       
I'd been eyeing up this shirt in New Look for ages but couldn't really justify buying *another* checked shirt. However, with 20% off I couldn't resist. Similarly, I've been wanting to read Gotham City Sirens for ages, but with it costing £18.99 in Travelling Man in Newcastle I couldn't really justify that either. Being a huge bookworm, finding out that Waterstones was offering 20% off books was like finding out Christmas had come early...that was until my mam told me I didn't need any more books. Knowing that she'd probably kill me if I came home with a bag of books while she knew fine well that I have a whole stack still to read at home, I limited myself to one *sob*. Thankfully, all she said was 'I don't know where this has come from, you never used to be interested in superheroes' so I figure I'm off the hook! 


Finally, although I didn't tehnically buy these at the student night I wanted to post about them anyway because I really like the photo I took of them. My go to jeans at the minute are Topshop's Jamie jeans, after I couldn't find a pair of their Leigh jeans to fit like the ones I bought in Leeds last year. I already own a black pair, but all of my blue jeans seem to be on their last legs (ahem). So I chose these Jamie jeans from Topshop in the Bridges a couple of days before the student event. I think I'm yet to find my perfect jeans but for now these are my favourites.  

Being my last student lock in, I'm quite glad I chose the Metrocentre over, say, The Bridges or Eldon Square.  Although I would have enjoyed it better if I'd been able to go with my boyfriend or friends, I was pleased with what I got, and I think I was quite restrained compared to some people I saw on the night - I do have to save for my trip to London you know! But anyway, to anyone that is currently or soon to be a student, I would totally recommend attending a student lock in at some point during your time at uni. There are some brilliant discounts to be found, which means you don't have to spend a fortune if you don't want to.











Post-Uni Life


I wasn't sure about writing this post. Given that September usually brings an onslaught of posts offering advice to those about to start the amazing journey that is university life, would people really want to hear about what happens when it's all over? After talking to a couple of friends, I get the feeling that it's not just me that's a bit lost now uni's over. So today I thought I'd talk about a couple of things that I've reflected upon over the last few months. Partly to clear my head a bit so I can get out of the post-uni bubble I've been living in, and partly to explain why I've not really had any motivation to blog recently.

Just one of the things I miss about York...

1. Post-uni blues are definitely a thing. 
Going from living independently with some of my best friends to being back in my little box room at my parents' house was a massive change. I miss eating what I want, doing what I want, going out with my housemates (and doing nothing at all watching rubbish tv with them too). I miss uni (mostly)  and the lovely people from my course. And I miss being in York, which is far prettier than Sunderland. I find myself being very jealous of all those people heading off to uni and who still have it all to look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and it's really nice actually being in the same city as my boyfriend. Compared to a lot of people I think I have it quite easy, my parents haven't asked me to pay board or anything, so I don't feel like I've got the right to complain or be sad. It has really taken some getting used to though, and I don't really feel remotely like an adult. I think it's probably okay to miss uni from time to time, especially seeing as it hasn't been that long since I left York. Technically its not even really over yet because I don't actually graduate until November. I just need to make sure I focus on the future and don't spend too much time reminiscing.

2. Having a degree doesn't guarantee you'll know your career path immediately.
I chose to study History at uni because I love it. I've never been someone that's known what they want to do all their life. So far I've wanted to be an astronaut, an archaeologist, a fashion designer and a writer. Going to uni has allowed me to develop a lot of different skills, but I still don't know which career path to take. I've considered working in museums and libraries, but both of these require a postgraduate qualification which, at the minute, I can't afford. Even if I could, I would want to be sure that's what I want to do before I spend such a huge amount of money. I plan to keep looking for jobs, in the hope that something comes up that I'll just know is what I want to do. I know that finding the perfect career takes time and I feel like it's probably better to take your time learning what you really want to do, rather than succumbing to pressure to find a career straight away.

3. Jobs are hard to find and harder to get.
The subject of jobs is something that probably haunts every graduate. If I had a pound for every time I've been asked how the job search is going, I wouldn't actually need a job. As it is I do have a job, even if it is part time at Debenhams in the Metrocentre. I do really like it and it pays enough for me to do everything I want to at the minute, but not enough that I'd be able to move out. I have been able to book a trip to London in November, and after that I've said I'll learn to drive. But as I said above, I'm yet to find anything else that I think I'll be any good at or want to do. A lot of the jobs in the North East, including graduate schemes and such, seem to be aimed at people with maths/science/engineering backgrounds. I am not remotely one of those people. Even my boyfriend, who has a 2:1 in Maths is yet to find something. I only have a couple of friends that have been able to get jobs in the field they wanted. So even though I'm yet to really experience it myself, I understand what it's like to be searching and searching for a job. I've learned that perseverance and staying positive are really important, even when things aren't going well.

4. Going to uni was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
I'll never regret my decision to go to uni - moving away is definitely the best thing I've ever done. When I think about what I was like before I went, compared to how I am now it's amazing to see how much I've changed. Deciding to move away was really scary but I know now that it was the best thing I could have done. I'm much more independent, even if I still have the odd wobble (currently over learning to drive - I'm terrified!). I've met some of the most amazing people and enjoyed (nearly) every moment of the experience. Of course I'll miss being a student from time to time - especially when my student card runs out - but I'll always be glad that I did it.

Update

Hellooo!

I thought I would do a quick update to explain why things have been so quiet around here lately. Since my last post I've officially finished my degree, completing my last ever exam on the 15th May. I can't believe it's all over and that in a few weeks I'll be leaving York for good. Since then I've been, well, celebrating. Different courses finishing at different times meant that we just had to go out more than once so everyone got a good night out - as well as a celebratory afternoon tea at the Hilton (post to come!) 

Top Row: Sports and Societies Dinner with the History Society, End of Uni Celebration at Revolution, Revs Pornstar Martini. 
Middle Row: Me and Kirsty & Me, Kirsty and Emily, Afternoon Tea with the Housemates. 
Bottom Row: Last night out in York at Stone Roses (may or may not have ended up in Willow).  

   I also managed to get nearly a whole week at home while my family were all off for half term. I didn't have a day where I wasn't doing anything. I made sure one of the first things I arranged was dinner with my Nana, because I hadn't seen her in far too long with being so busy at the end of this term. My sister and Kayleigh came too, which always means a trip to Serendipity! I also had a visit to Beamish with my Gran and Aunty Karen where I obviously came back with a bag full of treats.  I finally got round to seeing Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was pretty good. As well as the cinema, me and Sam also went to Port of Call for food, which he soon established wasn't the place he thought it was. Our next outing will therefore be to Purple Bar, which happens to be next door. Port of Call was nice though, but I wished I'd chosen a beef burger or the Blackened Cod instead of the Fish Sandwich. 

In addition, faced with the prospect of finding a place at home for everything I've accumulated while I've been at uni, me and my Mam went to Ikea to find some kind of storage solution! After lusting after all the amazing furniture (hardly any of which would fit in my box room) I found some drawers that would actually fit in my wardrobe. And I put them together all by myself. Finally, that night me and my Mam and Dad went to the Stumble Inn to see The Rattlers. It was a good night and I finally tried the new Zesty Blood Orange Bulmers, which might be my new favourite drink. 

L-R: Beamish Edwardian Town, Food at Port of Call, Zesty Blood Orange Bulmers at The Stumble Inn. 

I've now only got 3 weeks left in York, after which I'll be moving back home. I won't be jobless however, as I've managed to get a transfer to Debenhams at the Metro Centre. Which is really good news! 

The Perfect Night In

Helloo!

Between the madness of third year and work, by the time I reached my final module assignment deadline at the end of March I felt exhausted. So, as a payday treat I headed to Lush and bought myself a couple of goodies for a pamper night. After a bit of deliberation I decided on the Fluffy Egg bath bomb and The Comforter bubble bar. 

So, on the last Saturday night of March I took advantage of an empty house to relax. It took a while to decide which of my Lush goodies to use, but in the end went for the bath bomb. Fluffy Egg has the same scent as Snow Fairy, which I LOVE, and when I dropped it into the water it turned the water beautifully pink. 

Now, since I got my iPad, I've become one of those people who watches Netflix in the bath. So, after Saturday Night Takeaway finished (yes, I might also have the ITV player app) I sank into the warm water accompanied by Gossip Girl. I'd also bought April's issue of Glamour, only a little bit for the balance me freebie, which I read in the bath. 

A perfect night in wouldn't be complete without making my way through my full skincare regime. The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish is my favourite cleanser, and I also have the Gentle Face Exfoliator, Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask and Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I picked up the Quick Fix Facials Charcoal mask as part of a Boots 3 for 2 on a whim. I actually really like it and it doeesn't make me break out, which is a bonus. I also tried the balance me Radiance Face Mask that came with Glamour. I wasn't keen on the smell but my skin actually looked pretty good after I'd used it.   

Once I felt fully relaxed, and only when the water was starting to get cold, I got out of the bath and into my pjs. The rest of the night I spent in bed watching Blackadder Goes Forth and eating my favourite Co-op melt in the middle chocolate pudding. 

I felt much better after my little pamper night and it reminded me of how important it is to take a break once in a while. 

My 21st Birthday Part 2: Sunderland

Hellooo!

I thought today I'd finally get round telling you all about the second half of my birthday, which I celebrated at home in Sunderland with my family.

First up, before my birthday my aunty Kayleigh told me that for my present she wanted to take me somewhere nice to celebrate and in the end we made plans to go for afternoon tea at The Vermont. She'd been for afternoon tea there at Christmas and had really enjoyed it, so thought it was the perfect place for my birthday treat.



We went for the traditional afternoon tea, complete with bottomless Rington's tea, and it was amazing. We started with the sandwiches, of course, which were ham, salmon and cucumber, egg mayonnaise and coronation chicken. There was a really good selection, and my favourite was probably the salmon and cucumber.  


Next we helped ourselves to the scones. Kayleigh had requested plain scones for me, and I was so happy that it hadn't been a problem; I really hate fruit scones! They were ridiculously nice and I'm not ashamed to say that I ate both of them. The diddy pots of jam were so cute, and they had lovely messages on the underside of the lid. 


This may be becoming a theme, but the cakes were amazing. Despite being just a little bit full, I wasn't wasting anything. There were pieces of ginger cake, meringues, raspberry topped mini tartes, and a slice each of what I think was a custard tarte - which was my favourite.  Finally, the lemon posset (which I had no idea what it was at the time) was gorgeous. 
Kayleigh also got me an amazingly thoughtful present in the form of a copy of the issue of Vogue from the month I was born. Its very weird to think that it's as old as I am!


That night, being the only night everyone was free, I went out for a meal with my family, Sam and some family friends. We went to Signatures in Silksworth which is owned by one of my Dad's friends. I'd been lots of times for their Sunday lunch but this was the first time I'd ever been during the week to try their weekday Italian menu. Being owned by my Dad's friend also meant it was easy to arrange an alternative meal for my Gran, who only really likes plain food. They were more than happy to sort something out.


For my starter I shared a garlic bread with my sister and my aunty Karen, then I chose the Spaghetti Marinara. I absolutely love anything seafood related, and it was so good. After the huge amount of food I'd eaten that day I wasn't going to get a dessert, but somehow ended up eating a strawberry ice cream.  



My aunty Karen also made me this amazing birthday cake. She makes the best cake in the world, and her talents go far beyond just a chocolate cake, but chocolate is my favourite so that's what she made me. 





I had a really lovely day and it was so good to be able to celebrate my birthday with my family, especially given that I haven't been able to get home as often as I would like to this year. 
I really did have an amazing birthday and I'm so grateful for everyone who celebrated with me. 


Update



Well hello there. Long time, no see.

Ask anyone who has done a degree and they'll probably tell you that third year is mental. First term passed me by in a bit of a blur, but now I've reached my final ever Easter holidays everything is getting really goddamn serious. I've spent the whole of March in front of my laptop trying to meet one deadline after another, and somehow I've come out of it with my sanity (mostly) intact. 

I've now only got one more deadline, and its the big one. My dissertation is due in on the 24th April, and I'm about half way there. I also have two exams in May but right now my main focus is my dissertation. 

I've neglected my blog a lot since my last post (well, since September really) but my uni work is more important to me at the minute. However, seeing as I have today off work I've also decided to take a day off from uni work too. My goal for today is to get a few blog posts written up (accompanied by as much Netflix as I like) that I can leave to the magic of the internet to post for me over the next month or so. I've got a few ideas and I'm looking forward to spending a day writing about something that isn't Victorian England, JFK or the women's suffrage movement (despite actually still being really excited about my dissertation topic!) 

Happy Sunday 
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