Home Grown: Scouse Honey, Liverpool's Top New Business

Any one who knows me, knows that my all time greatest fear is Bees. Since I was stung at around 5 years old (on two separate occasions!) I have been scarred for life and can't so much as listen to a bee on T.V! It is seriously bad! However, someone that certainly would not agree with me is The Scouse Honey Company- Liverpool's most recent emerging family business! Starting off as a hobby, keeping bees in their backgarden, the family have now expanded to have hives all over Liverpool and have begun to use the honey and beeswax from them to create their own range of beauty products as well as their own honey range! And as today is World Scouse Day, (apparently!), I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share this new Scouse business.

They have slightly nicer views on my arch nemesis stating that,

"Honey bees are the unsung heroes to the sustainability of the food chain. They are the key to the pollination of the agricultural and horticultural crops producing much of the food that we all eat. Their resilience, resourcefulness and endeavour should be an inspiration to us all."

Scouse Honey Co.

Well thats me told! 

I can't deny, even with my irrational fear, that Bees produce some fantastic stuff. The antioxidants in the honey they produce, not only aid in eliminating free radicals in the body but also help the skin to rejuvenate and keep it looking young, as well as providing protection from the sun meaning any products containing the magic ingredient are perfect for dry or damaged skin. They also produce beeswax when building their hives, which is highly used in cosmetics as it is a natural nourishing moisturiser. It helps to keep skin soft and supple, it is anti-bacterial, anti-allergenic and contains Vitamin A which aids normal cell development. It is mainly used in lip balms as its long lasting moisturising qualities make it the perfect ingredient!

The Scouse Honey range is quite extensive and impressive for such a new brand, however here are the ones I am coveting:

Lavender Gentle Cleanser- A natural cleanser containing Evian Water, Lavender and Rose Geranium essential oils. £6.50 for 50 ml and muslin cloth (Bargain!)

Body Balm- Natural ingredients including Beeswax, Lavender and arnica essential oils. Not only will this hardworking cream work great on dry skin, it can also double up as a conditioner for the ends of your hair! TIP: Avoid if Pregnant as Arnica oils may raise blood pressure. £5.00 for 50ml

Loofah Soap, Mango- I love Mango so really keen to try this out! Each bar of soap contains poppy seeds which will work great as a natural exfoliator. Also available in Lemon. £3.00 per bar

Natural Radiance Moisturiser- Perfect for all skin types, containing avocado oil, wheatgerm oil , sandalwood and ylang ylang essential oils plus added vitamin E. Naturally balancing skin types to produce a radiant glow. I am keen to know what this moisturiser smells like before buying! £6.00 for 30ml

Bath Pamper Pack- This fabulous pack contains relaxing Beeswax candles to set the mood, virtually smokeless and will burn for approximately three hours. The pack also contains Milk and Honey soap containing goats milk powder and the magic honey ingredient! Another bargain at £6.50 for the set

Please note: Delivery charge is extra at £2.99 per item, unless in the Liverpool area were delivery is free and will be refunded on delivery.

All of The Scouse Honey Company's product is hand extracted and basic filtered to maintain its pure potential, as well as maintaining an awareness of the bees health and having minimum interference when they are producing the quality ingredients. 

You can shop Scouse Honey from their newly launched website here: Scouse Honey Co. or follow them on twitter for more updates @ScouseHoneyCo

I for one, am more than happy to buy the product but I will definitely be leaving the beekeeping to the experts! 

Kate

#MCRFW13

H&M A/W 2013 Live Stream

Tonight, I actually found the time to sit down and catch my first show streamed live from an actual fashion week catwalk! Albeit I had to multitask and work on my Uni project at the same time but I suppose multitasking is something us girls do well! Of course, I have been following New York, London and Milan's fashion weeks (what kind of fashion student would I be if I hadn't?!) but there was something really exciting about watching the show live as it happened. It reminded me of when I was little and my mum would have her friends around for a clothes party or a girls night, when I should have been in bed but I would sneak in and sit between them on the couch and even though I shouldn't have been there, no one would tell me to go so I wouldn't, and I felt like I was getting a sneaky peak at something I shouldn't! Well that is how I would describe a live stream, a window into a world that I want to be in but not quite there yet.

The show was of course H&M's fashion week debut in Paris at the Musee Rodin. This was the Swedish brands first time taking to the Fashion week catwalk since 2005, and the best part? The majority of the items featured in the show will be retailing at normal H&M prices some for as little as £9.99! Of course some items, the more statement pieces and expensive materials may carry a slightly heftier price tag- something I am sure devoted H&M lovers will not mind, me being one! What is really interesting is how accessible fashion is becoming now- H&M is just the latest high street brand that has taken to the catwalk during fashion week, following on from Rihanna for River Island and of course leading the way Topshop who have been featuring at London Fashion Week with their Topshop Unique collection.

High street and designer have definitely been integrating with each other for a number of years now, thanks to designer collaborations, something which H&M excels at with previous collaborations including Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Anna Dello Russo. This is just another sign that fashion IS affordable!

In regards to the actual show, it looks like monochrome is set to stay, being the main colour scheme featured in the collection. Faux-fur jackets and jumpers were also key along with some tassle detail on dresses, pants and skirts. Knee high boots are clearly the footwear of the season being featured heavily in the show, and I would recommend investing in this as they are both stylish and practical for the A/W 2013 season.

I also noted Cara Delevigne, model of the moment and currently every girls girl-crush, heading down the catwalk in yet another show! You have got to admire this girl for her work-ethic alone, she has literally been popping up everywhere! Watching on from the FROW was actress and Cara Delevigne's fellow Love Magazine cover star Chloe Moretz, who had been invited along by the Swedish brand as a VIP guest- straight from shooting for Vogue, no less! Moretz is certainly becoming a regular on the Fashion scene and will definitely be one to watch when it comes to the style stakes as she gets older!


What stuck out to me, and being completely honest, worried me slightly- is that nothing was surprising in the show. In fact, my first thought at the monochrome colour scheme was, "seen it" as it is already literally everywhere you look on the high street. This is of course great that the fashion we are watching is accessible to us straight away and we know what it is we need for next season and don't have to wait around for it, but at the same time, how long until we're all bored? If everyone is wearing monochrome now, do we all still really want to be wearing it come Autumn/Winter? It begs the question as to whether the fashion industry, already a fast-paced dynamic environment, is going to speed up even more as the instant access to something that previously was a little more difficult to see becomes more wide spread?

Only time will tell, as for now I am going to enjoy being ahead of the trend! 

Key Trend: Monochrome and Faux Fur

Model of the moment: Cara Delevigne

Key Trend: Embroidered Jackets and Knee High Boots

Loving Life!... Can you blame her?!

FROW, Chloe Moretz

(Images taken as screen grabs from the live stream itself, apologies for any blurriness!)

Any thoughts? Let me know! 

Kate
#MCRFW13

UPDATE:

Check out the official press film of the event yourselves:

#OOFTD... River Island Midi

This week I treated myself to a fab new dress from River Island, so I decided to feature it as my very first #OOTD post! I had my sister take a couple of cheeky snaps from her sick bed (she's full of cold bless her!) so I apologise the picture angle is not the best! 

I love dresses, as I find they are the garment that suits my shape most, however, this is the first Midi dress I have invested in! (I know... where have I been?!) I love the fit, it is ideal to show off feminine curves, which can be dressed up for a sexy evening look! However, I have kept it casual teaming it with a chunky necklace, a denim shirt and some tights (its cold here in Liverpool!!), finished off with some slipper style studded flats and a messy pony-tail! Perfect for a day at Uni! I am looking forward to some warmer weather in the Spring as this will be a perfect transitional dress.

Dress River Island, £25.00 Denim Shirt, Primark £10.00 (last season) Tights, Pretty Polly £7.48 Studded Slippers, Matalan £10.00, Jewellery, Pandora

What are your thoughts? Do you rate the dress or is a Midi just not for you? As always I am always open to feedback! 

Kate

#MCRFW13

#MCRFW13 LOCAL SCHOOLGIRL ‘BAGS’ SUCCESS WITH MANCHESTER FASHION WEEK

So continuing on with my updates of Manchester Fashion Week, I felt this star deserved a post all of her own!

Ocean Williams of Whalley Range High School for girls, is the lucky winner of Manchester Fashion Week's competition in conjunction with sponsors, Duo Plastics, to design the official VIP bag for this years event!

Proud, Ocean Williams with Head Mistress of Whalley Range High School Ms Kane and MCRFW Head of Fashion Kirsty Attwood

(Image courtesy of MCRFW Photographer ©Leemo Rante)

The other 9 finalists at Whalley Range High School for girls

(Image courtesy of MCRFW Photographer ©Leemo Rante)

Ocean (aged 14) competed with fellow Whalley Range High School students to create an original and exciting design to adorn the goody bags of this years Manchester Fashion Week's VIP guests.

“We chose Whalley Range High School as it is a school that is right at the heart of Manchester. Their textiles department has recently been refurbished and a number of their pupils go on to design courses or aspire to work within the fashion industry. This year Manchester Fashion Week is all about creating a legacy for fashion in our city and we wanted to develop this from the grass roots.”

 Kirsty Attwood, Head of Fashion at  MCRFW

And clearly they chose right, with the 1500 strong girls school not failing to deliver! The girls were given a brief to create a design that "epitomises Manchester and reflects its edgy style." According to the MCRFW judges panel the standard was so high they narrowed it down to a final 10 designs before Ocean was crowned the winner! 

“It was such a hard decision for us to make. The girls had come up with some amazing ideas but we felt Ocean really made an impact and loved use of the Manchester skyline and striking colours.”

Nadine Merabi, Manchester Designer, Fashionista and MCRFW Judge 

Alongside Nadine on the judging panel was Duo Plastic UK's commercial Director, Anthony Brimelow. Leading polythene packaging manufacturer Duo Plastics UK is a Manchester-based company, which works with leading retailers including ASOS, Boohoo.com and JD Williams, follows professional hair salon brand REDKEN and cosmetics giant Lancome in their desire to support the northern fashion event. Duo will be supplying all the packaging required during the seven day event including gift bags with any purchases and VIP goody bags. Brimelow shares his thoughts on why he has found this to be suh a good project for the company to get involved in:

“As a business retail is one of our key sectors – we count leading brands such as ASOS, Boohoo.com and JD Williams among our customers so there’s a natural affinity between us and many of the companies involved in Manchester Fashion Week. In fact we have worked with Boohoo.com, another ambassador of MCRFW from day one and supported them as their business has rapidly grown.
“In addition to this, we are a proud Manchester business and we’re celebrating our 25^th anniversary this year. The city has been good to us so the way Manchester Fashion Week is nurturing new talent and helping young businesses grow really appeals to us. 

Anthony Brimelow, Duo Plastic UK Commercial Director and MCRFW Judge

Most excitingly for Ocean, the design will now be made into an actual bag by the leading Manchester based packaging manufacturer and suppliers Duo UK, who are one of Manchester Fashion Week's main sponsors.  How wonderful for her to see her design come to life! 

Ocean's Winning Design! 

This has been a fantastic way of MCRFW integrating young talent into their event. With 2013 marking Manchester Fashion Week's second year, we will see an increase in catwalk shows and exhibition space and with 20% of the 30 catwalks being donated to independent British Fashion Designers, it is providing them with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their work and for us to champion the new fashionistas of the future. 

Congratulations Ocean! 

To view the top 10 Whalley Range High School designs, visit the official MCRFW website by logging on to www.mcrfashionweek.com . Boohoo.com are the official sponsors to Manchester Fashion Week 2013, visit their site here at www.boohoo.com 

Kate
#MCRFW

Manchester Fashion Week

●      MFW was established in 2012 to:

●      To create a must-visit event for fashion festival that offers an affordable and aspirational platform for fashion designers and retailers to reach buyers

●      Build a legacy which ensures MFW drives investments in the city’s economy, as well as the UK fashion industry

●      Support the development of fashion talent in Manchester and within the UK

○      www.mcrfashionweek.com/

○      www.facebook.com/Manchester-Fashion-Week

○      @MCRFashionWeek

○      www.youtube.com/mcrfw

Duo Plastics UK

Celebrating its 25^th anniversary next year, family-owned Duo Plastics UK is a leading manufacturer of polythene packaging. The £25m turnover company, which manufactures all its products at its sites in Manchester and Derby, serves leading brands within the e-retail, mail order, industrial and entertainment sectors. Retail clients include ASOS, Boohoo.com, JD Williams and F&F. For further information visit www.duo-uk.co.uk or call 0161 2035767.