Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Fashion, North East, Pixie, Uncategorized

Blog At The Beach with icelolly.com

Each year, the lovely humans behind holiday comparison website icelolly.com host a big bash for Bloggers and Influencers called Blog at the Beach.  It’s one of those events that I’ve heard about, but never attended, that is until now.  Yes that’s right Voyeurs, the UK’s best Bloggers, Influencers and Content Creators are hand selected by icelolly.com to attend the event which aims to educate Influencers and improve blogger networking and 2018 is my year, the year I found myself on that very list…

Obligatory lanyard shot

So, what’s it all about?

Well, Blog at the beach, despite setting out a pretty crammed agenda is actually a chilled out, fun event for people like me to learn more about the things that really make us tick.  Whether you want to up your photography game, learn how to pitch to brands (I say that through clenched teeth after White Moose-gate), or just pick up some real world tips from super successful Bloggers, Blog at the Beach and icelolly.com hold consultation in advance about which topics are the most important, and the most current it the whole wide blogosphere, then seeks out industry experts to speak about them and pass on their best tips for success.

Where the hell is it?

The event has taken place in various different locations across the super cool city of Leeds meaning that if you’re travelling from afar, there’s plenty you can do to make a day, or even a weekend of it to maximise your Insta goals.  This year’s event took place at Duke Street Studios which was super easy to travel to, and a pretty well equipped venue for 80 or so Influencers.

Blog at the Beach??  It’s bloody January!

This year’s event had a Ski Lodge theme, but seeing as the name is pretty cool and has a nifty little following, it just had to stay, for continuity.  The venue was dressed to match the theme with fairy lights, ski accessories and even mulled wine to stretch out that post Christmas hangover.  There was even a cute little moving cable car theme projected on to the wall behind the stage.  I wrapped up in my favourite faux fur coat and met up with some of my best non-North East Blogger pals and you’d be forgiven for thinking we were cosying up in a chalet somewhere up in Val d’isere for the weekend – the attention to detail was pretty damn sweet.

Blog at the Beach with icelolly.com Fashion Voyeur Blog props including ski goggles and a Charles Conrad watch

What went down?

Three awesome speakers that’s what!  First up was Kirsty Leanne who gave an impassioned talk on how to write the perfect pitch to brands with sound advice on how to lay out that all important first contact.  Her talk included tips such as letting the brand you’re pitching to know just why it is that you love them and including what made you want to work with them, but also making sure that you never over promise on what you can deliver when you make your pitch.  Looking around the room there was a 50/50 split on those frantically jotting down notes in notepads covered with inspiring quotes, and those taking screenshots of the words of wisdom displayed on screen.

KIRSTY LEANNE

Next up was Queen Beady, a Blogger you’ll no doubt recognise from my own social media as she’s my Ice Queen hair icon, sporting silvery white tresses I fawned over her hair and her awesome teadress whilst on stage.  Her talk was inspiring, the biggest thing I took away from it was learning how to translate your top five achievements into your outgoing USP and making them work as hard for you as you did for them.  Simple, but super relevant.  Bee talked about putting money back into the thing that makes you money, whether it’s your blog or your chosen social media platform, put effort into making it look as awesome as it can, after all it’s an extension of you and well, we’re all pretty damn amazing right?!

QUEEN BEADY
JUST LOOK AT THAT HAIR…

After a lunch break and a chance to network with the people we think we know but we actually only “online know”, gasp at each others outfits and just generally seek out the people we adore and admire, it was back to our seats for the final talk of the day from photographer extraordinaire, Kaye Ford.  Kaye is a great public speaker, she’s super laid back and had everyone engaged as she spoon fed us tips on both cellphone photography and DSLR photography and how to make it work for our own websites.  With tips on how to shoot snow (for reals, it’s hard), to using tourists as part of the field in our photographs, Kaye told us to travel lots and to look away from the regular tourist hotspots for show stopping images.

KAYE FORD

But what about icelolly.com?

Well, they’ve just overhauled their website to make it way more user friendly.  If you’re not familiar, it’s a comparison site for holidays; in the same way that you might use a comparison site for your car insurance, icelolly.com scrapes the web to return the best vacation deals based on the criteria you set and then refers you out to purchase from the seller direct.  You don’t pay them any money and they don’t sell you anything.

Any thing else to report?

Well yes actually!  Throughout the day we were informed that #BlogAtTheBeach was the trending at the top spot and that the icelolly.com bods had been scanning our posts to find their favourites.  At the end of the event two winners were announced and given a Charles Conrad watch from Watches 2 U and I just happened to be one of them!  I was given a pretty smart looking watch with a rose gold bezel and black leather strap which I promptly slapped on my wrist for the journey home.  Yay me!

THE CHARLES CONRAD WATCH I WON!

Was it worth it?

Hell yeah!  The great thing about the Blog at the Beach event is that despite being hosted by icelolly.com it’s impartial and non-biased.  The speakers were given free reign on their topics and on the rare occasion that a competitor came up they were never stopped from speaking about it.  The Bloggers and Influencers selected to attend the event were friendly and accommodating – something you sadly don’t always find at networking events, and the speakers made lots of time for questions afterwards to make sure that everyone in attendance took something away that they could use and apply to their work.  Icelolly.com were open in asking for feedback, or suggestions on where the next event might take place and they worked their way round the room in the recess periods chatting to everyone.  It was definitely an unexpected vibe, and in a positive way.  Given the chance I’ll be all over the next one.

So what’s next?

Well, as you know Voyeurs, I have both Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks right around the corner straight after London and I’ve got a pretty awesome idea for a Fashion Month Diary pitch formulating in my mind.  I’ll keep you posted…

As you were.

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Fashion, Pixie, Uncategorized

What I Wore: To Watch an Epic Sunset

Finally, after three days of running to Sant Tomas Beach, we caught a sunset, and you’ll know by now from my What I Wore: To Attempt To Catch a Sunset post that it’s taken me around five days to catch one of the most famous sunsets in the world.  It’s not my first rodeo, we visit at least once per year and I can vouch for those beautiful pink waters and red skies, they really do make for one killer combo.

So, what did I wear?  Well, my vacation wardrobe is very different than my regular, at home wardrobe.  On vacation I’m a boho, care free rock chick with sand in her toes and salt water in her hair.  I favour sliders by day and cowboy boots by night and I tend to wear a mix of Daisy Dukes, beaded jackets and tunic style dresses.   When it’s super warm late into the evening I like to be more covered up with something loose and leaving the option of layering something like a vintage denim jacket, or a tasselled lightweight jacket.  Basically, something cool looking.

This night time beach mess around called for easy dressing in the form of just that.  An easy dress.  This one is a simple tunic style in black with red flower embroidery inspired by the Sicilian princesses on the Dolce and Gabbana runway, it’s a total steal too at around £18 from Primark.  I teamed it with my old faithful, battered cowboy boots and RayBan Aviators witch mirrored lenses, which Bo says are my best sunglasses, even better than my Dior So Reals, allegedly.  No outfit would be complete without my precious Pixie necklace and I love how it works with simple necklines like this one.

We managed to catch a pretty damn awesome sunset, one with spectacular pink skies over Son Bou and as it was our penultimate night on the island, it made it feel all the running around feel worthwhile.  After a little scrabbling around on the rocks with Plankton and walking back to our house tracing the sea along the shore, we made the trip up to Alaior to eat at one of the best and most well hidden restaurants in the little town on the hill.

After a super late night spending time with Mama Tenenbaum we tucked ourselves up in bed safe in the knowledge that we had absolutely zero chance of catching an awesome sunrise.

Pixie xo

Categories: Fashion, Models, Pixie

What I Wore: For Mama T’s 60th Birthday Dinner in Menorca

I’m back with another easy vacation outfit post for y’all!  I love vacation dressing, it’s different than what you might wear in your home country so it gives you a chance to experiment a little, I have two main styles when I’m livin’ it up abroad and those are Boho Festival Unicorn, and US Seventies Rock Chick.  Sure I like to mix it up and throw a little boho 70’s in there, or 90’s raver, but these are the old faithful styles that I come back to over and over again.

Most of what I wear on vacation is pretty easy to recreate on the highstreet, especially if you shop at the end of the Summer, around the beginning of September when you can pick up items in this style pretty cheap.  I like to wear Daisy Dukes in stretch denim when I’m away and my favourites are aptly named Daisy by Topshop, the lycra in the denim means they don’t sag around the butt giving you shape and lift all day long and keeping everything where it should be.  These ones are £36 but be warned, they’re short!  Topshop now do a Kiri short which is cleverly cut to your shape so that it’s higher on the outside thigh, but lower on the butt and very flattering.  Wanna check them out?  You’ll find them here.


I wore this outfit to go out to dinner for Mama Tenenbaum’s 60th birthday in Menorca so looking back at it will always make me smile.  The tee is a tour tee from Beyonce’s Formation world tour in 2016, it’s got a drop sleeve leaving me pretty exposed so underneath I’m wearing a bright orange non-wired bralet from the Victoria’s Secret Pink collection which costs around £14.

The cowboy boots (which I take everywhere I travel) are from Topshop (you can find similar ones here) and this cute little fur bag is a super bargain from Primark that I picked up for just £7, it has a gold chain handle too so looks pretty cute with anything, it’s in store now in two different colour ways.

My boho tasseled jacket is River Island, it rung in at around £90 from what I remember but I’ve since seen non branded ones on eBay form way cheaper, it’s a velvet burnout with yellow and orange tones in it as well as a tone of heavy beads and I bloody love it, I get tonnes of compliments on it every time I wear it.  You’ll find something similar at a vintage fair, or at Rokit vintage in London and if it’s a little battered it looks even better.

The necklace I’m wearing is a local designer to Newcastle called M.I.A which stands for Mirror Image Accessories, you’ll remember I shot a campaign with them recently and their laser cut jewellery is produced in limited numbers so you’re not getting something that everyone else has.  There’s an Etsy shop where they sell their jewellery and pin badges and they’re over on Instagram too.

Obviously I wore my signature star tattoos, I’m not sure Mama T would have recognised me without them, and loose tousled beach hair which had lost the very last remnants of lilac which had faded up to a sandy blonde.  Wearing no makeup on vacation gave my skin a real break and my LVL Lashes by The Wax Bar gave me enough refined polish to not have to wear mascara.

Man it sucks to be back in the UK, gimme this sunset everyday of the week…

Pixie xo

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Pixie

Pre-Vacation Beauty with The Wax Bar

If like me you’re off on vacation some time soon, you’ll know the prep that goes into getting yourself ready.  I’m not talking about the endless gym hours (which I didn’t do), searching for the perfect vacation fragrance, or the shopping for cute outfits, I mean the beauty prep.  The search for travel sized versions of your favourite products to make space in your case so you can bring back exotic spirits (just me?), the waxing, primping, preening and plucking that goes into making sure your face is as instagrammable as your vacation wardrobe and the gel polish to give you that flawless finish.  Yup, vacation season is almost over but I’m shoehorning in one last trip to see my mama in Menorca and that means a jam packed visit to The Wax Bar for The Works.  The Salon is cool and modern.  With it’s dark, charcoal grey and fuschia pink interior and it’s Ministry of Sound chillout vibe, it’s actually a place that you don’t mind hanging out in, plus the staff are pretty awesome too.

I try to get an appointment as close to the date of travel as possible, in this case, they day before.  This gives you the longest life out of your treatments and ensures they’ll last for the duration of your time away.

When it comes to vacation essentials everyone has their favourite treatments, but these are my absolute staples.  Here’s my guide to the beauty treatments that will have you looking like a natural beauty on the beach:

1. GEL FINGERS & TOES

Orange Gel Nails The Wax Bar
Gel Pedicure The Wax Bar
Gel Toenails Day 4
Gel Toenails Day 2
Gel Toenails Day 9

A gel manicure is probably a staple for some of you in everyday life and not just vacation season so this isn’t anything revolutionary, however it does make your life a lot easier when you’re on vacation and it finishes off your look perfectly.  If you don’t usually indulge, then give it a go right before your next vacation.  If you don’t have a Wax Bar salon near you then go by word of mouth; a good salon and a great Nail Technician won’t damage your nails with gel.  I always have a gel manicure before travelling, I ask for my nails to be trimmed down short and sweet to avoid snags and tears and also because suncream down the underside of long fingernails is just gross.  When I’m taking a Summer vacation I shun my usual black nail polish for something uber bright.

Point of note Voyeurs, if you’re based in either Newcastle or Edinburgh, you’re lucky enough to have some of the most talented manicurists around, right on your doorstep.  A gel manicure from The Wax Bar is extensive; cuticles are cut back, hands are massaged, nails are trimmed, filed and buffed, and they’ve discovered the best combination of gel base, colour and top coat to give you the longest lasting manicure you’ve ever had.  Trust me, I’ve been there many, many times and my last one lasted six weeks and two days before the fist chip.  Yes, I know, mind blown right?!

This time I opt for a sunburst orange with an ocean blue on my toenails.  I’m not a fan of anything pastel or bland, I’m either a gothic queen or a Rainbow Bright (if you get this 80’s reference then can we please be friends?) and there’s no in between.  Short, sweet and super sassy, I feel like if a mermaid had toes, this is what she’d wear on them.

2. LVL LASHES

LVL Lashes Immediately Before & After

Wearing mascara on vacation sucks.  The air is different so our eyes can be prone to watering more, we’re dehydrated so our eyes are more dry and to be honest it’s just a pain in the ass putting on a full face of makeup when you just want to look like a boho fairy.  What if I told you there was treatment that would leave you with thick, dark and luscious lashes negating the need for mascara completely?

LVL Lashes are bomb and The Wax Bar are bomb ass at doing them.  The procedure is simple and should be the same no matter which salon you go to.  The objective is to Lift, add Volume and Lengthen.  Simples.  It’s a 45 minute treatment that’s completed with your eyes closed whilst various solutions are applied to your lashes to achieve a soft, natural looking bombshell effect.

When you’re done you sometimes get that momentary sting that you get after a tint but the difference is amazing.  The reason the treatment works so well with your own lashes, is that whilst our lashes often point straight ahead, the LVL solution breaks down the bonds in the lash hair, changes the shape of the natural lash to point upwards instead of forwards, and then reseals the bond.  Et voila, instant doll eyes with no crunchy lash extensions or fiddly strip lashes.  Straight after the treatment they can ‘clump’ together a little but this is temporary and the day after treatment you’ll look like a freaking Barbie doll.

If you do indulge in a spot of pre-vacay LVL remember that they’re just like Gremlins: you must not feed them after midnight, do not expose them to bright light, and never get them wet.  Actually only the latter is true, for 24 hours you gotsta keep those lashes dry so no washing, no crying and definitely no jumping in pools until your 24 hour settling period is up.  Follow these rules and all eyes will be, errr, on your eyes.

3. BROW TINTING

Feeling Smug with this Brow Game
Brow Tint 5 Days After

Thanks to Cara Delevingne (and me of course – maybe…) we now live in an age where brows are king.  A wise and beautiful lady once appeared in my mirror and told me that a good set of brows can open many doors and it’s actually true.  After a painstaking gazillion years of growing them back in, I am now the proud owner of a set or brows to rival Ms Delevingne and I do nothing at all to them except a fortnightly tint.

I’ve had my brows tinted at many, many salons up and down the country and The Wax Bar is home to one of the best.  Different salons use different brands of tint and they often switch up their brands regularly in order to find the best one for their clients.  If your regular salon uses a tint that doesn’t last very long then tell them, they’ll appreciate the feedback and have access to many different suppliers so you’ll be doing them a favour.  I opt for the deepest brown with the tiniest touch of black because my natural brows are very dark.

Take a wax pencil with you on vacation and if it starts to lighten up towards the end of your trip, you can use this to fill in the gaps and create the shape under the arch.  My top pick and handbag essential is Tom Ford’s Eyebrow Sculptor in Espresso which costs £42.

4. LYCON BIKINI WAX

The Aftermath
Totally Worth It

Put down the strip wax, this isn’t the 90’s and step away from the Veet, there’s only one way to wax your bikini area these days and that’s with Lycon Hot Wax.  If you’re a virgin to hot waxing then read this, it’s an indepth review of hot waxing that will tell you all the benefits.  Basically you’ll get a smoother finish, no redness or irritation and way less ingrown hairs.  What’s not to love?  There are a whole range of options with Lycon waxing, you don’t have to go sans bush like me, you can opt for a little off the sides, a landing strip or even a lightning bolt.  Whatever your waxing jam, do it with Lycon, nobody wants an itchy foof on vacation.  If you find a great Waxer then follow her, they’re hard to come by, mine is formerly of Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic and her name is Gemma if you’re thinking of booking in with her.  I’ll follow her to the ends of the earth until my dying breath.  Oh, and I’m not anti-bush, if you wanna rock the full Jackson 5 then that’s ok too.

These are my top picks, the essentials I wouldn’t go on vacation without because they make things so easy once you’re out there.  There’s no ongoing maintenance with these treatments, except maybe having a nail file on standby for emergencies, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t wear makeup on holiday so LVL just gives me a bit of polish.

There are other treatments I occasionally book if I can find the time pre-vacay, I like to book in with my chiropodist in the week that I’m travelling to get my tootsies in tip top condition.  There are foot clinics in every major town and city who will be happy to give your feet the once over and you’ll leave feeling like you’re walking on air.  Sadly my schedule didn’t allow this pre-vacation, so I’ll be doing this pre-London Fashion Week instead.

I’m off to Menorca, I’ll see you on the flip Voyeurs..

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

The Scent of Summer

I don’t know about you but I definitely have a set of signature scents and the all sit firmly in the dark, woody family.  People tell me that one whiff of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille or Noir de Noir and they can sense that my arrival is imminent.  True story.

When vacation season rolls around however, I like to switch things up a bit and save the oud for an evening and wear gorgeous Summer florals during the day.  There’s just something about Summer, whilst darker, headier fragrances are sexy and mysterious, florals in Summer feel light and airy.  I know, to quote Miranda Priestly, it’s groundbreaking right?

Getting your Summer scent just right is an entirely personal preference, some people hear florals and think Anais Anais and the ‘powdery’ type florals that sit in that category but they’re way too wishy washy for me.  I like to wear something with intrigue, something unexpected and something that lingers.  That’s why I’ve opted for these three fragrances as my top picks for Summer days and vacations, each with unexpected combinations of florals, or a hint of something that sets it apart from its counterparts, they guarantee to have people asking what you’re wearing and they’re heavy enough to not fade after just a few hours…

SUMMER FRAGRANCES THAT LAST:

COACH Eau de Toilette 90ml £63 / 50ml £44 / 30ml £30

With an unexpected combination of pink grapefruit, jasmine absolute, cedarwood and sandalwood across all three notes, this fragrance starts off as a fruity floral, unveiling deeper and longer lasting woody notes at its base.  It’s one of my favourites for Summer because of how it deepens over time.  Fashion fans will be familiar with Coach as the original American house of leather and the bottle itself nods to that with its turn lock cap and leather and metal dog tags.  Buy it as a 30ml as you pass through Duty Free in the airport and take it with you on your next vacation, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

JIMMY CHOO L’Eau 90ml £63 / 60ml £47 / 40ml £36

The original Jimmy Choo ladies fragrance has won countless awards now and whilst it’s a pretty, feminine fragrance, it’s a little too feminine for me.  I like my fragrances to have a musky hit to them. This lighter, Summery take on the fragrance has bergamot and Hibiscus flower in it’s top note giving an earthy floral first impression.  Nectarine and Peony sit at the heart and the base note is a heady combination of cedarwood and musk which give a woody masculine vibe once the fragrance has warmed to the skin.  The perfume itself is iridescent and has been designed to embody the sensual yet sweet contrasts at the heart of the modern Jimmy Choo woman.  It’s one that can take you from day to night if you’re travelling light and only want to take one bottle away with you.

MONT BLANC Lady Emblem Elixir 50ml £54

This one’s a real gem, figuratively and literally…… well sort of.  It’s a brand new release to the market and of the three I’ve picked, this one is my favourite.  In a bottle that’s similar to Chopard’s Wish fragrance, it looks like a cut diamond with a rose gold finish – super on trend.  Turkish Damask rose, honey and a blend of spices make up the top note, Iris accord and powdery half-lychee follow, with black peppercorn, patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla combining to make a long lasting woody base note.  Whether you have an interest in the accords and notes that make up fragrance layers or not, trust me when I tell you that this one is divine and every note is developed perfectly to blend into the next.  I was invited to Tom Ford’s London HQ a few years back to study the Fragrance Wardrobe and learn all about scent accords so I know that the notes in Lady Emblem Elixir are very similar to those in Tom Ford‘s Jasmine Rouge.  It’s a long lasting fragrance and is one that changes quite dramatically as your skin warms throughout the day and into the evening.

I always like to try out new fragrances in the Summer and seem to gravitate towards anything with a woody base note and a dash of peppercorn for added spice.  Probably why Mont Blanc’s Lady Emblem Elixir is my top pick for Summer.  I usually take three fragrances away on vacation with me, and all of these come in sizes 100ml and below which means you’re ok to fly with them in your cabin luggage.  Perfect if you need a little spritz on landing.  Better still, pick them up as you pass through Duty Free in the airport and nab yourself a saving off the RRP meaning you’ll have a little extra available for that all important beach front espresso.

You’re welcome Voyeurs.

Pixie xo

Follow @pixietenenbaum