Retail & Style Awards

If you keep up to date with my blog or follow my social media... you will know on Saturday night I attended SunFM's Retail & Style Awards! I had been shortlisted for the Most Stylish Blogger Award so it was all very exciting into the run up of the award... Hold tight, this could get a little lengthy...

 

 

So the night promised a 3 course meal, entertainment, a drinks entrance, awards ceremony & a fashion show. I arrived dressed in a floor length gown (which is from Misguided for those who have been asking.) I met up with Lisa Gurthrie from Tried & Tested on the red carpet where we sipped prosecco and chatted. We were then ushered through to the seating area which was laid out with dressed tables ready for an amazing night!

 

 

 

 

From here we were all seated and the Retail Awards began... There were some lovely awards which celebrated customer service, employees and even small retailers! Part way through the retail awards the starters were served and I have to say I was pretty hungry by then...

 

The menu was mouth watering and I was very excited to see what each course tasted like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the main we then had the pleasure of listening to local singer, The Lake Poets and the fashion show which showcased new summer pieces from numerous high street brands which have stores in the Bridges.  

 

 

 

 

 

After the fashion show and The Lake Poets, dessert was then served. It was called a "Build Your Own Made in Sunderland" dessert which consisted of candyfloss, fresh strawberries, popping candy, mango puree, raspberries & a kind of deconstructed Eton mess. I opted for the fresh strawberries and the deconstructed Eton mess (crushed meringue & cream spiked with fresh mint to tingle the taste buds!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid way through my dessert they started to call the Style awards and it got to the Most Stylish Blogger Award which I had been shortlisted for along with 3 other local bloggers. Now I was truly honoured and grateful to have been nominated and have a tonne of people vote for me to get to that position! I really didn't know who was going to win as we couldn't view how many votes we had and we only found out at the moment they called the winning name. It was unnerving to sit there and wait (I don't envy the Oscars nominees!) They announced the winner who was Lisa Guthrie and I couldn't have been happier for her! We're all in the same boat and it was lovely to see a fellow beauty blogger win the title!

 

 

Lisa collected her award and I congratulated her on the win. Such an achievement and we have been planning to go to more blogging events together. It's always lovely when you're brought together by the things you love! After that tense moment we then watched Izzy Bizu perform (who has a delightful voice by the way) as we sipped our champagne. We laughed and chatted and reflected on our blogging journey! Such a lovely night!!

 

 

 

 

Then I was interviewed by Hazel from Made In Tyne & Wear to chat to her about my outfit along with 2 other ladies who looked beautiful! Then what a lot of people had been waiting for, we got to see Lawson perform. They sounded amazing live and it was such an awesome addition to the evening.

 

 

 

 

I was even lucky enough to meet the guys from Lawson before they performed!

 

 

 

 

 

All in all a great evening and a huge honour to be involved! I'm hoping to be involved in more awards this year and I'd like to give a shout out for everyone who voted. Thank you thank you thank you!

 

Until next time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

SHORTLISTED | Sunderland's Style & Retail Awards

If any of you follow me on social media, you will know I got nominated for the Sunderland's Retail & Style Awards! This is an awards night held every year which is made up from lots of categories from Most Stylish Blogger (which is what I was nominated for) to a Crowd Pleaser Award.

 

 

 

 

From the nominations, I was shortlisted to the final 4! I shared via social media and told friends and family who happily voted for me. I feel very proud and honoured to have been shortlisted to the final 4 from tonnes of applicants. We all attend this evening and they call the winner on the night (almost like the Oscars haha!)

 

 

The awards ceremony is tonight and I couldn't be more excited. The night promises a 3 course meal, a fashion show, the awards ceremony then entertainment from Lawson, Izzy Bizu & The Lake Poets.It will be a lovely evening to meet some new faces.  It will be hosted in the Bridges in Sunderland and we will then be escorted to the exact location.

 

Time to paint my nails, style my hair, apply my make up and step in to a gorgeous dress!

 

Until Next Time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

X

 

 

 

Say hello to Smudge Organic Cosmetics

I'm loving organic products more & more these days. Living in a "throwaway society" I think it's very important to be more mindful of where our products come from and how they are made. So when I was approached by Smudge Organic Cosmetics, I thought this was a great opportunity to try some handmade, organic (and cruelty free) cosmetics made very local to myself.

 

 

 

 

 

The founder & creator of Smudge Cosmetics has a passion for organic cosmetics but didn't love the price tag a lot of them hold. Also, the range was spurred on by recent awareness of animal testing in bigger cosmetic corporations. With this in mind, she done her research and created her own 100% organic lip gloss, then the range expanded from there! All ingredients are sourced inside the UK too - cannot beat a bit of British trade! The company is aimed at people who love organic beauty buys, are conscious of the environment or conscious of what they use on their body but also looking good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will soon be reviewing the lip gloss, moisturiser & lip balm. So excited for the lip balm - one of my beauty must haves! I will be posting a review and images via my Facebook/Twitter & Instagram so keep your eyes peeled! I have heard that the range will be expanding into products such as body scrubs, shampoos, conditioner and more cosmetics products too.

 

The brands ethos is true to organic and affordable, but as a new business they really could do with some a little more help. So if you'd like to see them grow and progress on their organic journey you can donate via crowdfunding HERE. I feel like these will be one to watch in the organic beauty market as I've heard the lip balms have already sold out in their 1st week of business.

 

Until next time...  

 

The Original Redhead

 

X

 

 

Concrete Candles & French Connection Scented Goodies

Bit of a late one but still felt the need I had to show you this in a post! As a Christmas gift I bought my mam the French Connection body set after smelling the hand wash at a friends house just before Christmas. After getting a waft of the delicious hand wash, I rushed to Boots and got the body set which includes 1 x bath foam, 1 x body lotion & 2 x tea light candles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate the marble packaging?!! Totally obsessed with marble and French Connection have managed to combine a gorgeously scented set with beautiful packaging. Double brownie points for FC!

 

 

 

Loving the minimalist style of the labels on the bottles! And the fact that the body lotion is a pump bottle which makes it so much easier to load up your hands to moisturise after a bath or shower! 

 

 

 

 Its fari to say, the bath foam didn't last long at all as both me and my mamma' are bath lovers and who can't resist a luxurious bubble bath?!

 

 

 

I can't even begin to do justice and describe the scent in words, but I'll give it a try. Okay so if you can imagine a combination of earthy vanilla with the woody tones of a perfume which linger on the skin. I have to say I was so impressed with this set and it really was the scent that sealed it for me.

 

 

 

So my obsession for different surfaces continues (with my big love for home ware and interiors.) So the marble was a gorgeous feature but matched with the concrete effect candle holders totally made it! I was so tempted to keep this set for myself as it ticks every box for me. The little details really do all add up to a more luxurious item and the fact that the candles are poured wax and not loose tea lights is just the cherry on the cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until Next Time...

 

The Original Redhead

 

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