A little bit of fashion, beauty... and loads of christmas decoration

I went to the Christmas Press Show today. House of Fraser in Cabot Circus invited me and many other fashion and design bloggers to their annual Christmas Press Show today. It took place at Zest Bistro and it was "by invitation only" event (it feels so cool to say it!).

The show was already ready by the time I got there, sharp 6pm. Some of the guests were there but most were not there yet. I had been offered a mulled wine and I went to browse through stands.

Beauty stands were at the very end.  I got my nail polished by a young lady at the Nails Inc stand, who also gave me some advise; I also got a fully revitalising massage in both hands by the very nice girl at the Molton Brown stand (who I hope gets to read this post), and I got the chance to smell Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, which I haven't heard of even though I consider myself a "fraganceaholic".

After the beauty section, I woman showed me around the decoration area.

Since I was a little girl, I have always enjoyed setting up the Christmas decoration at home. The earlier, the better. However, mom didn't allow me to set the Christmas decorations earlier than December, "They are just gathering dust, there!", she used to say. And she was probably right.

House of Fraser exhibited four themed Christmas trees in the show, very different styles, and very different colours. I liked the art-deco style tree in brown and golden colours!

Most of the bloggers actually write about fashion in their blogs, so you will probably get more detailed and specialized review in their blogs.

I was expecting more fashion! There were three evening dresses for very different occasions. Either the black or the cream dress could be used in a fancy dinner while the purple dress maybe not. However, if I had to buy one of the three, I would have bought the purple one. I don't have parties fancy enough to wear the other two! 

What did I get in my goody bad?

• 113g Seville orange marmalade by Mrs Bridgets
• 30ml Amber cocoon liquid hand wash by Molton Brown
• 30ml Patchouli & Saffron body wash by Molton Brown
• 4ml Cream colour nail polish by Nails Inc
• A nail file by Nails Inc
• Spicebomb fragance sample by Viktor & Rolf
• Beige rose foundation sample by Yves Saint Laurent
• Personal invitation for a "complimentary facial makeover" lesson at Yves Saint Laurent

LINKS

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House of Fraser: http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/

Cabot Circus: http://www.cabotcircus.com/

Nails Inc: http://www.nailsinc.com/

Molton Brown: http://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/

Zest Bistro: http://www.cabotcircus.com/shops/zest-bistro

Beyond the pale

I have been living in the UK for more than a year and a half already, and my skin colour started to blend into the environment and turning white.

I have my graduation day coming up next week and I wanted to have a healthy  (no offense, British friends!) skin colour in the pictures. My girl friends and I have been considering all the posibilities: tanning wipes, lotions, spray tanning, sunbeds... My skin gets tan very easily so I personally went for the most "natural" option: sunbeds. I had a very nice tan when I used to go to the beach on holiday and I am aware of the risks of sunbathing, but I thought a couple of sessions will not hurt my body. At least, that's what I thought!

There are not many places with sunbeds in Bristol city centre. As far as I know, there are just two: The Clifton Beauty Company in Clifton and Golden Tanning in Bedminster. Apparently, british women prefer other types of tanning: St. Tropez, one of the leading self-tanning products in the UK, sells three bottles of bronzing mousse a minute around the world and 41% of women in the UK use those products.

It was my first time in vertical sunbeds and I expected some advise from the beautician of how long the session should be. But she didn't even look at my skin. Instead, she laid the responsibility with my "expert" judgment and after a brief (not to say none) explanation about how the sunbed works, left me alone in the cabinet. She did not even offer any type of goggles to cover my eyes, which I have read I should wear. Luckily, I had some of my own.

9 minutes. 9 minutes in Hell. By the 6th minute I was having a stifling sensation. I activated the ventilator, which was not a good idea either, as the air was very hot. When 9 minutes were over, I was feeling sick and dizzy. I got dressed and left the place as fast as I could. The next morning, I had some reminders of the experience in all over my arms and back: skin rashes.

Needless to say, I feel very disappointed. I cannot understand why people behind the counter of a tanning salon does not give accurate information about tanning safety to their new clients. I will never go back.