John Lewis Blogger Event

Happy Friday everyone! I'm posting this a bit later than I would have liked, but I had so many book reviews - including a blog tour - to fit in this week that this has ended up going up a week after the event.

However, I am very excited to be writing about this amazing John Lewis blogger event, held at the Bond Street Chelmsford store last Thursday.

A group of Essex bloggers were kindly invited along to the store to preview next seasons style trends from a range of womenswear brands, including one that only launched in-store that day. We were also able to see new makeup from some of my favourite beauty brands, sample skincare products, browse jewellery and take a lot of photos!

Read on to find out more about the event...
When we arrived, we were greeted warmly and were offered prosecco or orange juice (I went for orange juice), and were lead into the event. The drinks cart and the red carpet at the entrance were lovely touches and were certainly appreciated. The other decorative touch that I absolutely loved were the star sequins on the tables. I love anything starry so they didn't go unnoticed.

Me and my friend Jess, who I was glad to have at the event with me, first browsed some of the clothing samples that had been set out on rails. This allowed us to be introduced to some new brands and see what was coming into stores next season. All of the clothing ranges we viewed were lovely and we listened to a talk about the brands, detailing were they originated from, their usual style and going through some of the new pieces in the collections.

As I said, all of the ranges we had the chance to look at were so nice, but there were a couple of brands in particular that caught my eye...

AND/OR
It starts with denim... AND then you can add a v-neck jumper, OR a sheer blouse, OR a slogan tee. It's such a clever and inventive way of branding a clothing line, allowing you to start with a good pair of jeans and build up your own unique look. They may specialise in jeans but they have a vast array of clothing, shoes and accessories to create your own individual style. It is all made exclusively in Los Angeles, giving it that authentic, relaxed West Coast vibe. I've definitely found a new favourite clothing brand. I've also linked a few of my favourite pieces later in my post, so check them out.

Boden
This brand only launched in the Chelmsford store on the day of the event, so it was very exciting to get an early look. We listened to a talk about Boden, hearing how it is a British brand (which I love) that specialise in pieces with unique detailing and vibrant colours and patterns. I saw some perfect examples of this on the night, with pretty, patterned dresses, slogan knitwear, and smart workwear with stunning detailing. 

Then we have the makeup brands...

I loved have the opportunity to browse the Charlotte Tilbury products because it's a brand I already adore. I used their Magic Foundation on my wedding day and it is one of the best, long-lasting foundations I have ever used. I also think they do some of the best lipsticks, so they are definitely a brand to try.

I looked over at the MAC products, marvelling at the Dazzleshadow liquid stand. They are definitely worth a try, as we watched one of the makeup artists applying them to a model and they looked amazing.

Finally, I got to sample the new Urban Decay Born To Run eyeshadow palette and I am in love with it. At first glance I wasn't sure as there are a few colours in the palette that I wouldn't usually go for, but after getting a closer look and seeing how there are so many shades that you can blend together beautifully I knew I needed it. The purples, blues and greens may look a bit scary at first, but they look stunning when swatched. The makeup artist was also applying two different looks to the model, which looked amazing, with one eye in warm orange and bronze tones and the other done using the purples and browns. Don't be afraid of the colours!

We also had the chance to see beautiful jewellery by Claudia Bradby and talk to Claudia herself about her contemporary pearl designs. I really like the look of the Pearl Edge collection as it features a lot of star designs (as I said earlier in this post, I love stars!) The star rings and earrings are beautiful and I have linked a few favourites further down the post.

Finally, I headed for the Liz Earle products, because skincare is very difficult for me as I suffer with psoriasis. It's all about finding something gentle and calming for my skin, but it still needs to do the job. I have used Liz Earle products before such as the limited edition sweet orange and clove hot cloth cleanser, which was my favourite cleanser ever by them, so I know they work for me. I'll definitely be heading to the Liz Earle counter in John Lewis again soon.

At the end of a fantastic event, we were gifted a goody bag filled with samples and information about some of the brands. There was also this pretty Boden bangle included. I'm extremely grateful for the mini products that I am excited to try out.

Here are some of my favourite finds from the event:
AND/OR Megan Autumn Rose midi dress
AND/OR Paloma studded suede ankle boots
AND/OR Avalon ankle grazer fray jeans (My favourite wash was 'Loved Up')
AND/OR Venice Beach boyfriend jeans (My favourite wash was 'Dark Rock')
Boden tweed 7/8 trousers
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (My current shade is '4')
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in 'Penelope Pink' (and Coachella Coral and B-tch Perfect)
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick in 'Pillow Talk' (and Amazing Grace and Glastonberry)
Claudia Bradby freshwater pearl geometric blade drop earrings
Urban Decay Born To Run eyeshadow palette 
Urban Decay Born To Run Vice lipstick in '66'

There were a few other clothing items I liked by Boden - such as the tweed dress - but they are not on the website, but they are in selected stores, so check them out or head over the the Boden website to see more.

There were also other pieces by Claudia Bradby that are not on the website, but you can look in stores or head over the the Claudia Bradby website to see my favourite star-spangled jewellery picks.

A massive thank you to John Lewis Chelmsford for hosting such a brilliant event, with special thanks to Emma and Jan.  It truly was one of the best blogger events I've been to and I will certainly be back in store soon.