The Metquarter Press Day | Illamasqua

The Metquarter Press Day | Illamasqua

For the last part in my mini-series about my recent blogger press day event at Liverpool's Metquarter shopping center, I'm going to end it on my trip to Illamasqua, where I was given a free make-up tutorial and makeover. The iconic British make-up brand was launched back in 2008 and is now a huge success amongst make-up lovers all over because they provide high street accessible products but of true, professional quality. 

I was greeted by one of the lovely Illamasqua make-up artists who showed me to the make-over area and introduced me to one of Illamasqua's most recent additions to the brand- the Gel Sculpt. On their website they describe it like so: "A unique contouring gel creation that offers subtle definition to cheeks with ease." The Gel Sculpt comes in three different shades, Silhouette (a brown shade), Charm (an orange shade) and Fluster (a dark red/pink shade). (pictured above on left)

My make up artist applied the shade 'Silhouette' under the apples of my cheeks, my eyelids, down the sides of my nose, and on the jawline. The product is water-based (I can't remember how much of it is in percentage) so it's very easy to blend, very light on the skin, and can be built up if you want a darker contour. It doesn't leave a harsh, dark contouring line but leaves a natural, subtle finish instead. She then applied 'Charm' to the middle of my eyelids to create that 'spotlight' effect, which is something I would have never thought of myself and can say honestly that it gave my blue eyes a real pop of colour and I didn't even need mascara or eyeliner on.

The store is decorated beautifully with purple velvet sofas and chairs, neon lights, glittered walls, lots and lots of blacks and (some rather creepy) mannequins. You can tell just from walking in the door that you are in the right place for professional quality make-up with each counter dedicated to the different, high-quality products. The ladies working there are helpful, friendly and also well made-up themselves so you know that you're in good hands. I will definitely be going back to buy my first Illamasqua product soon...and that's a wrap on this mini-series about my blogger press day event, I hope you liked it!

The Metquarter Press Day | Olivia Divine Jewellery

The Metquarter Press Day | Olivia Divine Jewellery

Part 2 of my mini-series about my recent blogger event at Liverpool's Metquarter shopping centre! Today I'm talking about Olivia Divine Jewellery.

Olivia Divine provides catwalk style costume jewellery, specializing in statement style jewellery for all you magpies out there like myself. Think huge pendants, sparkling chains, over-sized cocktail rings, dangling chandelier earrings in a range of bright coloured pieces to classic silver, gold, black and more-all hand made to perfection.

  

The name of the shop was inspired by the owner's daughter which I thought was rather cayooooot. The shop is a lovely light space with each cabinet organised by colour from black & gold, silver, red, to multi-coloured, blue, and more...and if you know me, you'll know I was in complete heaven.

For Spring/Summer '15 you can expect big, chunky necklaces with a bohemian vibe on the counters of Olivia Divine and extravagant bejewelled necklaces for that special Summer holiday. One Olivia Divine necklace is similar to a particular one worn by Kendall Jenner at Coachella this year...which I was drooling after!

The beautiful designs are available online on the website here, on ASOS's marketplace website and of course, in-store at the Metquarter in Liverpool.

If you're looking for a statement piece for your prom, graduation, a wedding, party, holiday, or as a gift for a loved one- Olivia Divine is just the place!

Stay tuned for part 3 tomorrow!

The Metquarter Press Day | House Of CB

The Metquarter Press Day | House Of CB

As promised, part 1 of my mini-series about my recent, and first-ever, blogger event at Liverpool's Metquarter shopping center! One of the shops I was invited along to discover was House Of CB (or originally called Celeb Boutique). My first impressions of the shop were glamour, elegance, and sophistication (...and also that I just wanted to buy the whole bloody shop). 

House Of CB was started by London-based entrepreneur, Conna Walker. She started off buying and selling clothes on Ebay at the age of 17 then it escalated from there and House Of CB was born! It's already a huge hit with the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Lopez, and many more... pretty impressive already selling to celebrity clients at the young age of 21. You can see a quick interview with the business lady herself here!

A lovely girl of House Of CB talked to me about the latest additions to the brand and what to look out for this Spring/Summer '15. They have added a whole new range of leather bags, stylish purses as well as makeup bags, quality make up brush set, big chunky chains, and cute compact mirrors. One of my favourite items being the set of 3 make up bags which come in a range of different colours and prints and it's only at the cheeky price of £29 for the whole lot! They can double up as clutch bags for a night out or carry on travel bags for your holidays this summer. You can see them on their website here!

House Of CB is the ideal shop to go if you're looking for an outfit for that special occasion because not only can you find the perfect dress, you can also get your clutch bag, heels, and bra to go with it. They also do jeans, jackets, accessories and gorgeous swimwear, beach towels, and bags.

I really love how Conna has specialized in designing flattering, figure-hugging dresses that make you feel and look good, like these dresses pictured below.

The items are a lot more expensive than your average street store, but then again, this isn't your average high street store. The clothes, especially the figure-hugging dresses, are made with top quality fabric and are made to fit perfectly. The lovely shop assistant that showed me round told me that one of the best sellers is the iconic bandage dress (pictured above) which guarantees to disguise every lump and bump but flatters all your assets and it comes in several colours too.

I will definitely be making a trip back myself to get a dress for my birthday as the lovely people at House Of CB gifted me with a 50% off any dress which is pretty exciting for me as I've never owned a dress like the ones in House Of CB...I'm more of a 'wear the same dress for a new nights out' kind of girl (student budget, unfortunately). I am totally hooked and had a great time looking round (and developing some serious dress envy).

Psst! This particular store at the Metquarter is currently doing 3 dresses for £120, which is a real bargain considering most dresses alone are around £100 each (you're welcome).

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!