Sunday 31 March 2013

Lush Blogger Event // Review




Last Tuesday I was kindly invited to attend the Lush Nottingham Blogger event. It was actually my first ever bloggers event that I've been invited to so it was pretty exciting! The event allowed us to get a closer look at their growing range of Gorilla Perfumes, body care products including shower gels, soaps, body scrubs and massage bars. We also had a closer look at their Emotional Brilliance Make-up Range (so cool!) which has been out for a while but we were able to try demos and try on some looks which was great! 


I first went over to have a smell of their Gorilla Perfume range which smelt... lush (sorry, couldn't resist!) There was one in particular which I really loved called 'Sun' and this genuinely smelt like sunshine and summer and oranges all mixed into one. It might sound like a really weird scent to have in a perfume but I think it really worked!

After, I went over to try out their Emotional Brilliance range of make-up. This was my fave part! To make it more fun and interesting we all had to take readings and pick out three colours that stood out to us the most after the wheel had been spun round. Each colour had a positive attribute that was meant to describe you or how you felt. 

 I ended up picking out pink, brown and blue which represented me being passionate, quietly motivated and calm. I actually think this was scarily accurate!  I guess passionate is an obvious one seeing as I run a blog and am passionate about the things I blog about! I would say I'm quite a calm person also - I tend to be quite chilled out at times and not a massive fan of drama and quietly motivated I guess would have to do with me having quite a few personal goals and ambitions that I strive to achieve (although, I guess everyone has personal goals and ambitions!)

My colours!



My reading results!
The great thing about the Emotional Brilliance range is that all the make-up products are versatile - they can be used anywhere on your face - as lipstick, eyeliner, mascara etc which is pretty cool! 
Full Emotional Brilliance Make-up range
I then went over to have a look at the shower gels, body scrubs and massage bars, all of which I'm really excited to try out!
Shower gels and body scrubs
Massage bars
Moisturizers... I can't wait to try out the 'Dream Cream'
Myself, Chelsea and Ellie 


All the bloggers who attended including:
Meg from Made in a cup
Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady
Sammy from Bellini Beauty
Chelsea from Chelsea Jade Loves
Megan from Seek My Scribbles
Harriet from Harriet Manson
Emma from Not Your Average
If I missed anyone out, please let me knooooooow!

I'm so glad I went - there was such a fun, relaxed and chilled out vibe and it was so lovely to meet and chat to some local bloggers!  The Lush staff were so welcoming and friendly and I'm so excited to try out some of their samples. I might do a review post on them if you guys are interested? Let me know! :) 
If you haven't already, make sure to check out Lush and have a look at their wider range of hand made and vegetarian products.  They also don't believe in animal testing which is a bonus and have some great campaigns going on at the moment that you can check out and sign up to!
Top right to bottom: Massage bar, Body scrub, Emotional Brilliance reading, Dirty Springwash Shower Gel, Dream Cream Body moisturiser, Gorilla Perfume, Name tag!

Make sure to follow me on Bloglovin' Twitter and Instagram: @thatgirlsaadiya

Thursday 21 March 2013

A Few Moments With: Cheyenne Davide // Interview #1

For anyone wanting to get into the fashion industry, writing a fashion blog seems to be one of the ways forward. Frequent posts about your take on a certain trend, how you would style certain key items or even certain brands that you are loving at the moment can really offer a great way to showcase your work, love for and knowledge of the fashion industry. While it may seem a struggle at the moment to get any job or internship opportunities, a blog can really catch the eye of potential employers and help create a platform for you and your talents.

One blogger who know all about this is Cheyenne Davide Yeahitsshyy.  Based in London, Cheyenne’s effortless and street wear focused style comes as a breath of fresh air in what can seem like a very contrived industry. Fun, relaxed and informal, her style offers inspiration for just about anyone, so, I decided to ask Cheyenne a couple of questions about her blog, style and future ambitions.


How old are you and what do you do for a living?
I'm 20 years old and I present for MTV - The Wrap Up, and an online music channel called REPVDO. 

When and why did you first get into blogging?
I first got in to blogging two years ago... I really wanted to be a fashion journalist so I started researching how to go about it and decided to start my blog. 



What opportunities have you been involved in since starting your blog?
I've been lucky enough to represent London and style/model two Adidas lookbooks, one for S/S and the other was for A/W. I've also styled a fashion story for Exit Magazine and Adidas together which was amazing. My first presenting opportunity came from my blog also... So I really owe everything I'm doing now to my little old blogspot!

How would you describe your style?
My style is ... weird! Somedays I will go out in a dress... Others I will look like a right boy in baggy clothes. I'll always be seen wearing trainers and most times I'll always be wearing a beanie... or a SnapBack - I love hats!

What are your favourite items in your wardrobe at the moment?
My favourite items in wardrobe are my beanies for winter and then shirts to tie around my waist. 



You have a seriously impressive collection of trainers and beanies! Which ones are your favourite?
My favourite beanies are from a brand called Educate and Elevate. I'm lucky enough that they send me stuff, and I genuinely do love their beanies! My favourite trainers would have to be Adidas really. 

What brands are you loving at the moment?
I don't really shop for brands... I normally shop in charity shops or most of my clothes are found in my Mum or Nan’s wardrobe. Like I said, I love Educate and Elevate and obviously Trapstar are doing massive things! Mikey (who owns Trapstar) is someone I met when I first started out in fashion and he really inspires me.

 Where do you look for style inspiration?
For style inspiration I look to my mum. I've always said she's my main inspiration... I mean I steal all her clothes! 


What are your ambitions for the future?
For the future I think I've finally found where I want to go in life. Obviously I started out in fashion, and I will always love it, but I'm going to focus more on presenting. That's what I love to do more than anything and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I've had already. I just want to take the presenting world by storm... so I can buy my mum a house!

Do you have any advice for those looking to get into blogging or the fashion industry?
My advice is to always believe in yourself. The only way you will ever succeed is if you wholeheartedly believe in yourself. You need to not give up and continue to work as hard as you can. Hard work pays off and if you continue to work hard then you will reach your dreams. 


Where to find Cheyenne: 
 Blog



Thursday 14 March 2013

TrendTV Nottingham - Street Style #4 + Bloglovin' link

Over at TrendTV Nottingham we have uploaded our fourth Street Style video so please do check it out! As we are a new channel we would also love your thoughts and suggestions on future videos and how we could shake things up a bit so we can make things interesting for you lot! Please let us know in the comment section of either the video or this post. Enjoy!



Also; given the new Google Reader situation please make sure to follow me on Bloglovin'
Send over your links and I'll follow too! 

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Tuesday 12 March 2013

Unpaid internships - YAY or NAY?

Image source: Google
Internships offer a great and easy way to work for a company, giving you the opportunity to be more than just 'the work experience kid' whilst you are not bombarded with as much responsibility as a full on employee. So, what happens if you come across an internship that seems pretty much perfect? By perfect I mean that it's in the best industry for you, the job description is great and it's in the most convenient location. The only problem? It is completely, 100%, absolutely... unpaid. Would you still apply or keep on searching?  Are unpaid internships just another typical part of the graduate experience that we should all accept? Should they be banned completely or should an internship be snapped up regardless of the pay or not? Internships can of course offer a unique experience, both for the intern and the company, however, they can differ extremely from company to company and intern to intern.  They could offer you the chance to really explore your talents, gaining the right type of experience for you and can even lead to a full time job at the end of the placement. While, on the other hand, an internship can be detrimental - turning you from a budding intern to an office slave; wasting your time, skills and effort, with nothing but the promise of 'it will look good on your CV' at the end of it. It will look good on your CV... but have you learnt anything worth while?

 Whenever I have come across any internship placements, I try and follow a three step rule:

 1. The company: What type of company will I be interning at? Are they well established and will they offer me the right type of experience I am looking for?
2. Length of placement: Will I be working, unpaid and full time, for longer than one month?  How long can I, realistically, afford to work unpaid for?
3. Location: Is the placement far or near? Will it be a mission to get to or just a bus ride away?

When I first graduated from uni I would spend hours upon hours applying for jobs and internships - any that I could find really within the media industry. Nine months on and I have slightly changed my approach to things with the above three step rule. I don't know if this makes me extremely picky or not but I've found that being specific saves time and allows me to take extra care when filling in application forms.  Having recently quit an unpaid placement at a local radio station I realise that many companies, especially the less well known ones, rely heavily on interns.  Of course, it was a great experience but after a couple of months I felt that I had not been learning anything new or broadening my skills on the placement.  It dawned on me that while it may be great to be offered an internship, could I realistically afford to work at some of the places that I had been applying to? Looking for work instantly places you as the underdog and just a face amongst the sea of applicants. At the same time, however, you still have a right to learn and grow on any placement, whichever industry it is in. I'm not saying all unpaid placements are bad, but from personal experience, I have yet to really gain anything from one.  I also find that industries such as media or fashion are swamped with applicants that we will gladly snap up any opportunities in these industries, paid or not.  I've read many articles on this issue and they have ranged in conclusion - some stating that unpaid internships are a form of 'exploited labour' while others simply state that they are something every graduate should go through.  I wouldn't exactly say that they are form of 'exploited labour' or that they are 'immoral' but neither should a graduate be ridiculed for turning down an unpaid internship or for requesting to be paid after working for a company for a couple of months.  Ultimately, I think what it comes down to for me, and I suspect for many of you guys too, is the content of the internship, the company, length of time and location.  I'm not calling for a ban on unpaid or voluntary internships but, just because prospects may be bleak for graduates and job seekers doesn't mean we should compromise our worth or growth in the workplace.

What do you guys think:
 Have you ever had an unpaid internship and regretted it? 
Do you have any tips to follow when job hunting?

Sunday 10 March 2013

But I do it for the love, waiting on the gold rush...


 Jeans; £14.99 Trousers; £24.99
Both from H&M

Working at H&M at the moment is seriously not good for my bank balance. Oh, the irony of that sentence! Whenever I am covering the fitting rooms and it's super quite I end up looking through the clothes that are waiting to be put back onto the shop floor and have to seriously stop myself from purchasing everything nice that I see. I couldn't however, stop myself from buying these... I feel like they are loud! But I kinda like that. I do love wearing prints and colour (mainly on tops and dresses) but have never been brave enough to wear trousers like these so I am stepping out of my comfort zone and will be ready to live in these all summer.

Speaking off work, I have my holidays booked for the next two weeks which is going to be SO GOOD. I realise I'm only a part-timer but I feel like I can concentrate more on my blog for the next two weeks and really plan future posts in advance which I am excited about doing. So if there are any post ideas or anything in particular you'd like me to blog about do let me know!

I feel like I need to take this whole blogging thing to the next level and purchase a decent camera. I know Canon DSLR's are meant to be the best but I'm thinking I should take baby steps here before taking the leap to a DSLR! If you have any recommendations for a decent but affordable camera that would be good for beginners like myself please do let me know!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand finally! If you haven't done so already, please check out TrendTV - a street style inspired channel run by myself,  Michayla and Gavina
 
Have a good week guys!
Currently loving Ed Sheeran:  Give Me Love //  So //  Gold Rush