Sneak Peek of... My Graduation Dress!

As I mentioned in my last post, my Uni work is all complete so naturally my thoughts have turned to graduation. Or should I say, my graduation outfit! (This may be a little pre-meditated, my results aren't out until the 24th of this month.... but I am a glass half full kinda girl!!)

I hit the Trafford Centre yesterday with my best Manc' friend- also graduating with me- to find our outfits... 

Obviously I will be getting Graduation Gowns, but we found it really tricky to decide what kind of dress to get as we don't actually get a chance to wear the robes or even look at them until the day, so it is difficult to visualise what would match perfectly. I had seen a photo online of our robes so knew the colours we were graduating in would be black, grey and a burgundy red.

Graduation Gowns (Image courtesy of the UCLAN website)

The more obvious choice would be to go with a classic black dress. It is perfect for the occasion- timeless, formal and no worries of colour clashes, etc. This is what my friend went for and I have to say the dress she chose is stunning and suits her perfectly. 

However, I decided to be difficult and try and go with something a little bit more daring, that will stand out and be different on the day. I thought it would be harder to find and was pleasantly surprised with what I ended up with.

The Outfit:

Dress, French Connection £60, Shoes, River Island £45

I have to say it was a very Carrie Bradshaw-esque way of shopping as the shoes became the inspiration for the outfit! I fell in love with them straight away as they are a gorgeous coral colour (this picture does them no justice!) I was keen to steer clear of platforms for my graduation as being 5ft 9...and a half... ("sometimes a girl needs a half!") I tend to tower over most people in my heels anyway. This does not normally bother me, but I should imagine lots of pictures will be taken on the day and I do want to avoid the awkward crouching pictures as much as possible in group shots! Besides, ankle straps are bang on trend right now and these strappy sandals will be perfect for my sunny escapes as well as my graduation so I will definitely be getting my monies worth. 

The dress I found later and it stood out immediately! There are a lot of 60's inspired shift dresses out at the moment, which are amazing but they do absolutely nothing for my shape. I am a curvy girl, I have hips and a bum and baggy dresses do nothing more than swamp me and only emphasises how wide my hips actually are! Therefore I was ecstatic to find this figure hugging number. The black band details slims the waist whilst the orange panels highlight my curves in a more flattering way, injecting a pop of colour at the same time (that works perfectly with my new shoes!) It is knee length so great for the formal occasion and the black and grey will compliment my graduation gown. Winner!

I am slightly anxious that the more orangey/coral tones will clash with the burgundy on my graduation gown, however, I just loved this outfit so much that if need be I can wear my gown closed in pictures, and at least I will have a fabulous outfit for my celebratory meal. 

What do you think? Is this a look you would get for a graduation or do you think I should have played it a little more safe- or maybe gone even crazier!? Do you think the colour clash will be a problem on the day?

Maybe you have another event you're preparing for- I would love to hear your outfit ideas! Comment below or feel free to Tweet me (@Kate_Muzza) 

Kate 

xx

Done and Done! My final Uni experience!

OK! So this is the first post I have actually sat down and done in a long LONG time! I have been super busy finishing Uni (Forever! Sob!) and covering staff shortages in work so have had very little spare time! Thankfully the staffing issues have been resolved and my final hand in for Uni has been and gone, so I can finally concentrate on my blogging a little more full time.

My first post as an almost-post-grad (my graduation is not till next month, then its official- EEK!!), has to be about something that has been a massive part of my life for the last three years, and that has to be my Uni course! I wanted to share my thoughts on why I feel it has been a worthwhile way to spend the last three years from my own personal point of view. With the cost of University being sky-high right now, many people are put off at the idea of investing so much money into something with no guarantee of a career at the end of it. This is completely understandable and I am one of the lucky ones that was not hit by the increase in fees, however, I have found my University experience invaluable to my career path. If anyone is sitting on the fence at going to University to do a creative course such as this then maybe this will help?

For those that don't know I studied Fashion Brand Management at UCLAN (The University of Central Lancashire, in Preston). The first thing I want to point out is, it is not a design course. Many people see "Fashion" and automatically assume- but this course is tailored to those that want to make an impact in other areas of the industry such as Buying, Marketing, Styling, Journalism and Merchandising. It covers a broad spectrum of modules with many past graduates going on to be successful in many coveted positions in big name companies such as Adidas, Littlewoods, Missguided, ASOS and many more! Fellow students from my course have already landed top internships with the likes of New Look and Jimmy Choo! It offers incredible opportunities and has taught us some amazing skills that are essential tools within this industry.  If any of this sounds appealing, then perhaps this is the course for you?

What I felt I have learnt (from the many sleepless nights pre-deadline!) is how hard-working I actually am! I have improved my organisation, my time-keeping as well as practical skills within IT such as Photoshop and InDesign. I would never have thought to start this blog had I not become interested with the social media world following a second year project at Uni. Most importantly I found a direction that I wanted to move forward with in my future. This was something I did not have fresh from finishing my A-Levels- or even when I applied to do the course! I had it in my head styling was my future and that was the industry I wanted to pursue, however, very quickly into the course I realised it was not really for me! Don't get me wrong- I love putting an outfit together, and I also love assisting with shoots but it was not my strongest area. I realised PR and Marketing are what I really am good at and actually enjoy doing to the point where it does not feel like work! I realised I have a deep passion for writing but also researching and using everything I find and putting it into something creative which is why I feel the PR world is where I belong and is therefore what I am currently pursuing. However, I have to say my placement was a massive help at reaching this conclusion, but thats a whole other post!

So to that end, I thought I would show off some of the images from my final campaign...

Final Stand...

My project was based upon the brand Pandora releasing their own Fragrance line. I used a very talented model in my shoot, Gemma Louise Dyson, (check out her Facebook page here) and makeup artist Emily Walsh (check out her page here) to create most of the promotional artwork I have displayed. The bottle I used for the product shots was Stella McCartney's Lily Fragrance with a lid I adapted myself and photoshopped. 

However, my campaign was just one of many! If you are interested in beginning a course such as this, or even work in industry and want to check out some of the latest talent in the North West, UCLAN will be holding a Degree show displaying all third year work. The private viewing will be this Friday, however, it will be open to the public on the following dates:

• Sat 15 Jun (10 – 3 pm)
• Mon 17 Jun to Fri 21 Jun (10 – 6 pm)

Visit the UCLAN site here for more information and the link to the free parking permit. 

I hope you can make it! Don't forget to check out my stand (second floor of Victoria Building, room 204) I would love to hear your thoughts!

Kate 

xx

Cosmo's Media Masterclass: An inspirational evening...

Last night I took a much needed break from dissertation writing to attend The Cosmo Media Masterclass in Manchester! 

Cosmopolitan held their first ever Careers Masterclass on tuesday evening in London, however, they didn't leave out us aspiring northerners, bringing the event to Manchester the following evening with a fabulous (and extremely knowledgable) panel of experts with them! 

The panel- lead by Cosmo's Editor Louise Court- consisted of: 

Lizzi Hosking, Cosmo's Entertainment Director

Sarah Hall, senior publicist at Sony Music, which represents Pink

Rachel Burke-Davies, breakfast show co-presenter for Capital FM Manchester 

Rachel Hardy, communications manager for Lime Pictures (Hollyoaks, TOWIE, Geordie Shore) 

Pat McNulty, Cosmo's Digital Editor

If I had to sum up the event in one word it would have to be inspiring. 

With the end of my degree fast-approaching it was great to hear how successful women in the industry started off. The fact that the majority of the panel began in unpaid placements and worked their way up definitely gave me a much needed boost that I am on the right path to success! I also learnt some top tips on how to stand out when applying for placements/jobs both in your C.V and interviews. This is all really relevant to me right now as all I am doing in my spare time is job-hunting, and obviously I am not alone with graduate unemployment rates predicted to reach "crisis" levels in 2013 (read about it: here). Events such as Cosmo's careers masterclass are fantastic opportunities as you get advise first hand from the actual industry experts that we are actually trying to reach via our C.V's, cover letters and applications. 

So, what are the top tips I picked up from last night?

1.) Make your C.V concise: Bullet point everything and make key words stand out. Publicist Sarah Hall advised most of the time she is so busy she can only skim read C.V's, so those key words are an essential to get onto the shortlist!

2.) Do your research: Know the industry and the brand you are applying for inside out. Keep up to date with important campaigns within the industry and relevant journalists and editors. This kind of knowledge will impress in an interview and show that you are passionate about the industry and after the job for the right reasons.

3.) Go the extra mile: Yes, we probably aren't being paid but we choose to be there and we know the score. We are getting valuable experience and access to the best people in the industry, so make yourself indispensable, offer to stay late, sacrifice the odd lunch hour, and do it with a smile on your face... it will get noticed! 

4.) "Have Balls": Cosmo Editor Louise Court said her biggest regret when starting out is that she wasn't more confident in her initial placements. She also mentioned that she loves it when her interns introduce themselves when they take on their placements at Cosmo as this makes them more memorable when they leave! This comes down to making the most of a placement when you get it. Its the perfect opportunity to make connections- you never know who can help secure you a future job, so get to know as many people as you can to really make an impression. This also applies to when you are actually trying to secure a placement- don't be afraid to send an email to an editor or get on the phone and chase up a job- persistance is key and shows how much you really want the job. 

5.) Don't get disheartened: Its a competitive industry, so unfortunately the risk of rejection runs high. However, don't get put off applying for positions just because you think you might get a no. At the end of the day a no isn't the end of the world and everything happens for a reason, so keep trying!

Fingers crossed armed with my new found knowledge I'll bag myself a top placement pretty fast! Good luck to everyone else looking out there too!

Arrival to the Cosmo Masterclass!

Checking out the goodies!

The Panel! (From L-R: Louise Court, Rachel Hardy, Rachel Burke-Davies, Sarah Hall, Lizzi Hosking Pat McNulty)

Sarah Hall giving more advice!

Louise Court poses for a photo with a fan

A big thank-you has to go out to the Cosmo team and panel for all the amazing advice they gave throughout the event. Afterwards some panelists stayed back to speak to guests individually and give out more 1 on 1 advice which was really great and such a fantastic opportunity. Cosmo will be hosting their second masterclass next month (14th May) which will be their Superblogger Masterclass (V. exciting for all my blogger buddies!!). This event will just be taking place in London, however they have a fantastic panel made up of:

Pat McNulty, Digital Editor of Cosmopolitan.co.uk 
Vicki Fogwill, Social-media manager for Next 
Dominic Smales, Founder of social-media agency Gleam Digital 
Kat Williams, Blogger who runs cult wedding site Rocknrollbride.com 
Andreas Pouros, COO of Greenlight Digital
Emily Johnston, Founder of influential style blog Fashionfoiegras.com 

For more info on the event check out the Cosmo website here.

On a quick final note, I couldn't finish the post and not mention the ah-may-zing goody bag we picked up at the event. It was full of some great beauty products- fantastic sizes and definitely one of the most generous goody bags I have received! 

• Little White Lie: Tanning Lotion (125ml)
• DHC: Deep Cleansing Oil (70ml)
• Umberto Gianniini: Frizzi Miracle Worker with Argan Oil (125ml)
• Palmer's: Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E (250ml)
• Bronze Ambition: Fake Don't Bake Tanning Cream (75ml)
• Velvotan: The Original Tanning Mit
• Kleenex: Shine Absorbing Sheets (x50)
• NYC: Expert Last Lip Colour in Flirty
• Miners: Dip & Define Eye Powder in Cloud 9
• DenTek: Complete Clean Floss Picks (x1)
• Popchips: Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips (23g)

I will have lots of fun checking out all these goodies properly, so look out for future reviews! 

I am off to finish up my dissertation now folks, (and apply for jobs of course!) 

However, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the post! Where you at the masterclass? If so, what did you take from the event? Or are you going to the Superblogger event next month? Let me know!!

Ciao for now!

Kate xx

Beauty Purchases: Brand New Benefit Concealer & 4 Fabulous New Nail Inc. Shades!

At the Harvey Nichols Beauty event, I made two cheeky purchases!

The first was a brand new product from one of my favourite beauty brands Benefit. It was being sold exclusively at the Harvey Nichols Beauty Spectacular, 3 days before its actual release. So I managed to snap it up early which I was really pleased about! The product is called Fake Up Crease-Control Hydrating Concealer. It is essentially an under-eye concealer to combat dark circles and fine lines that appear as a result. I have to confess this is an area of my face that definitely needs attention! With such a busy schedule I am often up and about very early and don't make it back to bed until very late which results in tired looking circles under my eyes.

I have previously been using Garnier Eye Roll On: Anti Dark Circles, which has been an absolute hero product, but was interested in seeing what else is out there! The problem I have with the Garnier Eye Roll On is that I do not think the coverage lasts long enough, however the product itself seems to last forever! I have had it now for almost a year and it shows no signs of running out, which is perfect for anyone with a low budget!

So I have switched the last couple of days to the Fake Up, and have to say I am impressed! It wins against the Eye Roll On in the coverage department, being more creamy and thicker, it lasts longer and does not settle into any fine lines. The concealer is surrounded by a moisturising balm, which is rubbed directly onto the eye-bags with application, which is also supposed to improve the appearance of the bags as it contains Vitamin E and Apple Seed extract to intensely moisturise and smooth fine lines away. The concealer than covers over any dark circles and diffuses the light to allow for smooth looking clear skin. According to the Benefit website 100% of customers agreed that Fake Up was hydrating to the skin and 94% said it was long lasting.

I have to say I have found it to be an extremely good cover up, it does not budge all day and I have found that my eye area is much more hydrated than before. However, as I have only used it for 3 days it is a little early to see any massive improvement to the area. I also find the balm a little greasy and heavy on first application. This wears off after a little while and I do not think the appearance is greasy on the skin, but it definitely has a waxy texture to it and has smudged my kohl eyeliner a couple of times (not a great look!). I have gone for the lightest of the shades as I am fair skinned (01 Light) and I think this was a good choice as it matches my skin tone well and blends in nicely.

The packaging, as always with Benefit, is fab! Fake Up comes in a metallic stick form, which you twist just like a lipstick to reveal the concealer making it really simple and easy to use when it comes to application. It is small enough to be thrown in your handbag along with other daily essentials for any little top-ups needed, however, it is quite long-lasting so this may not be necessary anyway!

I would recommend this product, I do think the coverage it gives is amazing! It has made a noticeable difference to my face, which I found lacking in other concealers.

Benefit's Fake Up Crease-Control Hydrating Concealer is out today and retails at £18.50.

My second purchase was a multi-buy! Four fab nail varnishes from Nails Inc. for just £22! This offer was only on for the evening of the event, and is usually 3 for £22, which is still a great bargain!!

I love Nails Inc. as they have a great array of colours and inspirational varnishes to create unique and exciting looks, which resulted in them being named Best Nail Varnish by the Style and Beauty Awards in the Sunday Times last year. They have a lather effect varnish which looks amazing on and can be styled with gold and silver skull studs for a rock chick nail effect. My sister purchased this varnish so I will review this in more detail at a a later date (as soon as I can get my hands on it!)

I chose a little mixture of shades to brighten up my look whilst the weather outside is still miserable and cold! (Saying that, perhaps my nails inspired the sun to come out a little as it hasn't been too bad since!)

From L-R: Porchester Square, Shoreditch, Graffiti in Camden Lock & Royal Botanical Gardens

£11 each.

So the mix I went for was:

1. Graffiti in Camden Lock: I have been eyeing this up for a while, a fun and bright Top Coat, perfect for any party occasion!

2. Shoreditch: A bright Neon Pink shade, perfect for hot summer days (fingers crossed!)

3. Royal Botanical Gardens: A brand new shade from Nails Inc. It is a bright minty green shade, another one that is perfect for the summer season.

4. Porchester Square: A more understated nude shade, simple and sophisticated, it will be ideal for the transition into nicer weather and a lovely everyday shade. 

As always let me know your thoughts! What do you think of the shades? And has anyone tried a concealer that they think can beat the Benefit Fake Up?

Kate xxx

The Harvey Nichols Beauty Spectacular, Late Night Beauty Event!

It feels like a while since I have done a post on anything beauty related, and indeed it has been some time since I have been able to treat myself to a brand new product. However, I attended the Harvey Nichols Beauty Spectacular event at the Beauty Bazaar store, here in Liverpool on Wednesday evening, and it was impossible not to have a little splurge!

The event itself was just like a late night lock in, starting at 5:30pm and ending at 9pm with Champagne and nibbles being offered to guests. It was £10 entrance fee into the store, however, this was fully redeemable on any purchase made at the event and is valid until next weekend. I thought this was quite a clever idea, as I knew I was bound to make a purchase and this took the sting out of the tail when I got £10 taken off the ticket price!

Event Ticket, (excuse the chipped nail! Tsk!)

Beauty Treatments at Aveda

Treatment Area

Guests even had their hair done!

Lipstick fun... Check out that hand palette!

Champagne Nail Bar at Nails Inc.

One for the wish list??

Fab lipbalms froms Espa

Brand New Benefit Product: Fake Up Crease-Control Hydrating Concealer

I really enjoyed the beauty event, it was great way of browsing the products in a relaxed and sociable atmosphere. Almost everyone at the event walked away with a little Harvey Nichols bag (including myself!) so it must have been a really successful night for the store and all of our favourite beauty brands too! I think they could have called a spade a spade with the event title as it was basically a lock in shopping event, similar to those that the likes of Topshop etc. have, which is fine but I was expecting some sort of beauty demonstration that never really came around. However, it was a really enjoyable evening and I hope to attend more in the future!

Check out my post on what I purchased here.

Have you attended any beauty events lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Kate xxx

Manchester Fashion Week and Vauxhall Search for New Talent

A little addition to my last post, I have some more exciting news on next months event!

Manchester Fashion Week organisers have managed to nab Vauxhall to host the first ever New Talent competition right here in the North West!

Vauxhall have been the driving force behind emerging new talent for a number of years hosting their Fashion Scout competition at London Fashion Week, however, that is all set to change as they set their sights on the North of the country, leaving Fashion Scout behind and joining Manchester Fashion Week to search for fresh and raw new talent!

Hosting the largest independent catwalk showcase Manchester has ever seen, Vauxhall are looking for the talent of tomorrow, in the city that has turned out talent such as Vivienne Westwood, Henry Holland and most recently Nadine Merabi, who featured at last years MCRFW event.

Nadine Merabi, featured at last years MCRFW event

The judging panel will be made up of influential industry insiders including Carol Kane, joint CEO of MCRFW headline sponsors boohoo.com; Martine Alexander, celebrity stylist; and Jo Davies, founder of Black White Denim Boutique in Wilmslow. Six of the finalists will be given a platform by MCRFW to showcase their collection to Manchester's fashion elite, as well as providing a full show production crew including fellow sponsors and beauty brands Redken, Lancome and models from PHA!

How to enter: Are you located in the North West and have a brand set up within the last three years? Whatever your price point or target consumer, enter the Vauxhall New Talent for independents and you could be the next big thing to grace our catwalks.

Email VauxhallNT@mcrfashionweek.com with a link to your website and examples of your work by the 5th April.

The 6 lucky candidates will get the chance to showcase their collection free of charge at Manchester Fashion Week 2013 on the 25^th April 2013. From the final 6, one lucky winner will be picked on the night by the MCRFW judges and announced the winner.

Prizes include:

• ·      Media and Advertising in Style-Etc Magazine worth £2,400 for the year.
• ·      40 hours of consultancy time with boohoo.com to receive managerial advice on your business.
• ·      You will also have your MCRFW show showcased on Fashion TV along with packaging from experts Duo UK who will develop a personal range for the winner’s brand and donate all must have packaging items for your brands set up.
• ·      Finally the winner will receive legal advice from intellectual property lawyers Kuits and front page website exposure of your collection on mcrfashionweek.com for the next three months

      Check out mcrfashionweek.com/newtalent for full terms and conditions and more information on the event.

The addition of Vauxhall to the Manchester Fashion Week event has helped establish Manchester firmly as the Fashion Capital of the North. It is really exciting to see more big names and opportunities shift to the North of the country and I am really excited to be a part of it! This is a fantastic opportunity for any fresh business or budding designer to make their mark, I am looking forward to seeing the show! 

The Vauxhall new talent show will feature on Thursday the 25th of April. If you also want to attend the show, tickets are on sale for the event at mcrfashionweek.com or click here for the direct link.

Best of Luck to those that enter!!

Kate xxx

Manchester Fashion Week

●      MCRFW 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