Hello my lovelies;

 I thought I'd put together my blogging experiences over the Spring, into a blog post, which I will pre-warn you, It will be photo heavy!
I've had some amazing experiences during the past couple of months; I still feel honored and grateful for each moment and friendship that I have made along the way.

Nottingham In Fashion - Official Catwalk Shows

This event that took place in Nottingham, which I previously spoke about here, was a fabulous array of models, fashion and music. I attended two out of the three shows on the Saturday, and caught up with some of my lovely blogging gals. During the same day, Intu Victoria, invited us along to a taster which involved fruity Bellini's at Caffe Rizzoli, an insight on the best spring pieces and how to turn an outfit from day into night wear; A thrilling challenge which I actually had a crazy rush around the center which was pretty entertaining, and to be topped off with a meal at the Handmade Burger Co. We were truly spoiled and I couldn't have been more grateful, for all that the Intu Team do. 

Kiehls Counter Opening In Leicester 

During the Nottingham In Fashion event; Outside the venue in the Market square was a fabulous double decker beauty bus, as well as a beautiful Kiehl's on wheels bus! I've not tried much of Kiehl's before, yet there's a lovely store within the center of Nottingham. The ladies on the stand were warm and informative, about the effects of Kiehl's and the way it can treat all skin types. A quick consultation about our skin and experience with the brand, then determined which samples we could take away and try! We discussed about staying in touch and left our contact details with the team, in regards to their upcoming counter opening at Leicester.
 I traveled to the location with Stacey, Sarah and Loren in which felt like a bloggers road-trip! (Something I'd love to do some day!) The counter opening was within the Highcross, but for the event we were to meet outside, to be greeted by Hannah and Saff and their tour store. There was a lovely set up of tables and chairs, with brown paper goody bags and black satin ribbon beautifully tied, with heartwarming words written on tags. As we all started to form together, Hannah and Saff gave us deep information on the Kiehl's history and their most loved products by customers. 
Did you know, That their Midnight recovery oil, sells one globally every 10 seconds?! Unbelievable!
We were given products to pass around and try out on our hands. We used all of our senses to see the progress before our eyes. We also had a fun quiz to test how much we learnt, from the talk, and I won a Kiehl's lipbalm! *Super proud of myself* 
Hannah and Saff took us to see the new counter, which is within Debenhams in the shopping center; It is well lit and easy to find the products, due to the uniformed merchandising.  Kiehl's definitely is a brand that I'll be trying more of and will be sharing my thoughts with you over time.

Lush Event - Nottingham 

When I received an email in regards to attending Chino Latino's Birthday celebrations; I couldn't resist the urge! I've not been to Chino's before, But I had heard many wonderful reviews on the food and atmosphere. 

Chino Latino has their venues within 4 locations, Nottingham is one of them and can be found upon Maid Marian Way, right within Park Plaza. They create and serve pan-Asian cuisine, And have created Latin cocktails that will compliment the dishes.
 The email pointed out, that there will be a dress code of red and black which I found exciting and had to hunt the perfect outfit out for the evening! I decided to go with a shocking red shift dress, with bell sleeves, and used a black clinch belt to provide a hourglass effect.

On arrival at the venue, red lanterns gracefully hung across the ceiling, where a walk way led us to two smiling ladies, to take our names and mark us off of the list. Our welcome, was very warm and inviting, as we were offered an alcoholic beverage and watched as the guest list arrived in style. Outside was an outstanding fire performance that literally made us 'ooh' and 'ahh' in her marvelous display; Including the popular fire eating trick which left us speechless.

It was brilliant to see the way that the guests used the dress theme, stylish dresses along with modern statement accessories; The night quickly became busy, as a long outstretched table with freshly caught sushi cleverly positioned upon it, it was definitely center of attention. 

Staff would come around offering delicious canapes of intense flavours, That can only make me wonder what their full menu would be like, as we mingled and conversed; It was great to see a lot of the East Midlands blogging ladies there too as it gave us time to catch up and enjoy the night together.

Within the reception area we were then surprised by their very own Chinese dancing dragon! The dragon dance had to be my own personal highlight of the evening, the live music was so powerful and strong. The costume itself was fantastic, with batting eyelids and moving mouth; Telling a story through it's movements and emotion, it was spectacular.

I was invited a long with other local bloggers, to a very surprising and thoughtful treat from the wonderful Intu Victoria Center Marketing team. It was the Sunday before Valentines day and love was in the air, shop displays with hearts and flowers galore, I arrived with Sarah to the venue, Caffe Rizzoli.
This is a new Prosecco bar that is within the Victoria center in Nottingham, nestled next to the newly placed Emett Clock. With modern surroundings the sleek exterior worked perfectly. Smartly dressed waiting staff were tending to cleaning and preparing for the day ahead as I headed round past their mouthwatering cake display and gelato cabinets, eager to meet the other ladies and find out more about Rizzoli.


We were automatically greeted by the host. A smartly dressed lady who was warm and welcoming, directed us to our table. The ladies from Intu welcomed us and began to give us an insight of the day.
Sitting in a corner area as the bloggers began to join us, an enthusiastic male came to our table and introduced himself, This was Jeremy.
 Jeremy is the owner of Caffe Rizzoli, which first established in August 2012 at Medowhall shopping center along with his two sons. To then open it's doors in our city center, Nottingham, it's definitely a place to go after a long day of shopping with the girls!

I asked for a Strawberry bellini and it was exquisite! I adore prosecco and although it was 11am.. it was rude not to! We started to look through the menu, dish after dish. with thorough ingredient information and affordable prices I opted for the Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.


The food was fabulous quality and completely fresh. We all talked about our work and studies and had a full heart to heart over brunch, typically one of the best days in a long time, it felt much deserved.
We were gifted the kindest present, and the packaging was very me! The gold on teal effect was picture worthy and the contents simply shocked me. One of my favourite brands is Skinnydip and luckily we have a pop up store within our Intu, well.. Ladies who didn't have an iphone, were surprised with this beauty..

All hail the mermaid vibes!

This wallet/purse is really up my street! I adore the rainbow glitter effect, and it can hold all cards and money in a compact way. It was very kind and will be added to my Skinnydip collection!

Jeremy came over to speak to us and was extremely attentive to everyone's needs and requests. He kindly allowed me to ponder as I found it hard to choose my desert! But I felt that I chose wisely as I went for the chocolate fondue with cream. Lush!


The sponge was light and fluffy, with rich melting chocolate that oozed as I sank my fork into the heart of it. It complimented the meal wonderfully and it was beyond my expectations. I'd highly recommend Caffe Rizzoli to anyone whom is looking for a nice spot of lunch, with fresh Italian ingredients and a choice of beverages, speedy service and helpful staff. I can't wait to go back again!

As we were finishing up at Rizzoli, with a kind goodbye from Jeremy, we began to head to House of Fraser which is in close proximity and were taken to the beauty department, where brands stood from Bare Minerals to Bobbi Brown.


With more prosecco flowing, we browsed the counters and were guided to our chosen brands for a makeover! I requested Bare minerals due to never trying the brand before and would love to see how it works with my skin especially their powders, but unfortunately their makeup artist wasn't there so my other choice was Urban Decay, which I love their palettes and had my eye set on the Naked 3.




I wandered over to the Urban Decay counter, browsing the beautiful shades of lipsticks and the pristine palettes, which graced the shelves.
Greeted by Ashleigh, who conducted the makeover, I discussed that I was more than happy to try anything; as I arrived at the event with barely any makeup on at all! (pretty scary for me!) So she did a full face, going step by step on how the product will benefit with its wear ability, and left me wanting every product she used!
I actually went the following day to purchase the Naked 3 palette, i'm a sucker for rose gold and the shades were stunning she really sold it to me!



At the end of the event, we were handed an adorable hot pink bag with selected samples of the brands, from skincare to fragrance and left us all feeling very glamorous for the rest of the day.
I'd like to thank Claire and Sophie for organizing the day and making it so enjoyable for us all!

Love Ellie xo

Looking back on the year of 2016, I would have to say it's been one of my most rewarding. It's helped me realize my own strengths and weaknesses and think about what I want from life. What a difference a year makes.

I've been working in retail for over a year; firstly in a jewelry store then into fashion, both I thoroughly enjoyed doing. It's rewarding when I can put my style knowledge into what I do and I thank my blog for that especially. I've been learning something new every time I go into work and it's made me feel a strong purpose. Knowing that I've helped someone find their dream outfit makes me feel proud and accomplished in my role. I was also given the most amazing opportunity to model some of our beautiful dresses for the summer edition of my town's magazine! I felt like a princess as I posed on the grand staircase, within the palace theater, and the store also got an overwhelming response too.

On the aspect of my self employment, Daisy May Boutique is still growing! I have my store on Etsy which I have a small selection of my creations for sale, I also create Nappy/Diaper cakes which will be sold in upcoming craft fairs which I want to participate in during 2017, as it's one of my objectives. So if you know of anyone who's expecting and would like to surprise them with something unique, then feel free to contact me in regards to my previous products, which I can send images of by request.

Blog

I've had the most amazing year in 2016 where it considers what I have done within the Blogging industry. I hosted my first meet-up (#NottsAlzheimersMeetup) which was to raise money for the Alzheimers Society, a charity very close to my heart, and spend time with other bloggers for the afternoon; including a raffle and a special talk from Weleda. I raised over £85.00 that day and I'm still proud of the outcome. It's given me the confidence plus the experience to be able to organize more events in the future, which I'm hoping to hold!

Credit to SherryScribbles.com for the fabulous group photos

During the beginning of the year I was featured in the Nottingham Weekend Post with their fashion blogger segment, I find this newspaper very inspiring, as it's full of the independent businesses and entrepreneurs, so to actually be in it was an honor!
I also attended events held within my city, which consisted of seasonal trends and what to find in the Intu Victoria center, New salons and seeing my blogging ladies who really have made my 2016 extra special.



 I also reached my Twitter follower milestone which was 5,000 followers! I'm still surprised even now and very grateful for each and everyone who reads my blog, as well as supporting me through my social media platforms.
For Christmas 2016, I received a brand new camera which I was completely overjoyed with, I've always wanted the Olympus Pen since trialing it out during the Clothes show live event back in 2015. Now it will give me more confidence with taking high quality photos in the new year and fingers crossed.. To try and get back into my YouTube channel so keep your eyes peeled!

Lifestyle 

The NottsAlzheimersMeetup

Hosting my first blogger event

It was over a year ago when I had started to focus on raising money for a disease that effected half of my life growing up; 

My dear grandad found out he had vascular dementia in his late 50s, he was hardworking, a passionate family man and would always light up any room he was in with his words of wisdom. 4 years ago he sadly lost his battle with dementia and also alzheimers towards his end of life.

 I saw how this effected him in every aspect as well as my family and it was the most difficult time for us all. Sadly there are many families in the same position as you read this, that lack the support or funds to help their loved ones when they need it the most. 

Luckily there are charities out there who advise and spread the awareness of the disease and the one that I've been most close to is the Alzheimers Society.

Not long after my grandad's passing, my mum and I did a 6 mile walk in his memory with many others who have lost those closest to them, we would talk about our times with them, the good and the bad and motivate ourselves to get to our end goal. 

So, why did I decide on hosting a meet-up?

I've had my blog for 4 years this year, through this time I've attended many events and blogger meet-ups which have been wonderful, and I've truly admired those who have taken the time to organize and plan. So I thought I will put together two of the things I am most passionate about, raising awareness of Alzheimers and meeting other like minded bloggers in a cosy atmosphere! I wanted to do this for my grandad most of all, there's not a day that goes by when I miss him terribly, wondering what life would have been like if he wasn't effected by this cruel disease. I felt this was my purpose and the right thing to do.