London Fashion Week Essentials
It’s almost time to wrap up London Fashion Week for another season – but as it comes to a head, I thought it I’d share a round up of some of my essentials that I’ve been using and toting around with me this season. That’s the thing about Fashion Week – it breeds some sort of beauty/fashion equivalent of Bear Grylls with ‘survival kits’ and all sorts being needed. To be honest, what it really comes down to is you need: make-up that will look good all day, shoes that won’t make you want to cry at the thought of standing or running around in them all day, a bag that is large enough to carry all the gadgets/note pads etc needed (but not so heavy you end up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame by lunchtime). There are of course a few bits that are nice to have etc… and my essentials are a bit of a combination of the two (I’ve been sharing some snaps over the week on the #MakeGlamourHappen ) .
Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation:
Starting off with a product I was first introduced to by the lovely Caroline Barnes, Max Factor Make-up Artist at the start of Fashion Week and has been my staple ever since. This is the latest complexion perfecting offering from Max Factor – the Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation. Now the first reason this has become a staple for me is because I came back from holiday a good shade or so darker than usual – so to have a foundation that is a great match (I’m using a combination of shades – with ‘Golden’ as my main colour match and ‘Light Ivory’ to add some dimension to the face and brightness under the eyes). Honestly, I never thought I would fall into the ‘Golden’ category for skin shade… The second reason being it’s a very quick and easy foundation to apply. It’s a very light texture and it blends beautifully. Making a speedy face a doddle before a busy day (extra points for this during fashion week). Thirdly, the finish is dewy and fresh BUT also lasts really well. A touch of powder on the t-zone and a little under the eyes to keep in place and I haven’t been needing a touch up all day long (extra points for this any time because I hate having to touch up during the day).
My Fashion Week Essentials… in no particular order:
Long Lasting Make-up: I’ve been using the Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation, with the Max Factor Primer as a base (helps with staying power) and a few of the Max Factor Colour Corrector crayons – the yellow toned one for under eye circles, the highlighter to add brightness, and the green one to conceal redness (hello post-holiday Rudolf nose…)
Russell & Bromley Bag – I first spotted the smaller version of this back in the Spring and have been coveting it ever since. How gorgeous is the colour?! Adds a bit of interest to a monochrome or shades of grey outfit (which is usually my staple for Fashion Week). I’m a tad obsessed with this bag and have been instagramming it like crazy as have barely put it down – getting a lot of love for the gorgeous cornflower blue shade.
Pebble – No, not a small piece of rock…but the little emergency charger for my iPhone. The iPhone is pretty notorious for it’s appalling battery life so this is 100% an essential for me. Without it how am I going to Instagram what I had for lunch!?
Note Pad – I tend to type notes on my iPhone or use the voice recorder when talking to make-up artists or hair stylists backstage but it really is helpful to always have a notepad around to scribble things down if tech fails you. I always go for a lightweight pad as last thing I want to do is add extra weight to my bag when I have to carry it around all day.
Pen – I’m loving this one which was gifted from the stationary company Stone * – it’s my favourite colour which always makes it a winner. It’s retractable so no lost lid issues and it actually comes in a lightweight case that I do use when in my bag as don’t want to risk the ink leaking or marking the inside of my handbag. If you like stationary…check out their site, tonnes of pretty desk things in one place.
Bright Lipstick – I’ve varied the shade I’ve been wearing this Fashion Week from orange toned red, to the brightest pink you can imagine. I do love a bright lip as just think it makes things a bit more fun. Just need to make sure I always have a lip balm around too so it’s not too drying!
Sunglasses - I pretty much always have a pair of sunglasses with me now. Even though Summer is coming to an end, the sun can still be bright and I hate to squint. Plus it makes people watching in the courtyard of Somerset House a little more subtle…
Oyster Card – Goes without saying really in London. The combination of this and Get Taxi are my go to sources for getting around. My bank balance tells me that my Oyster needs to be the preference of these two…but sometimes a taxi is just worth splashing out on.
Comfortable Shoes – This should be an obvious one, it isn’t. When going to Fashion Week I find there’s a fine fashion line to balance on – I want to look good, stylish enough that you don’t look like a tourist who just stumbled into the courtyard, but maybe not so out-there that street style photographers stop you… (personally, that’s never appealed to me). A lot of my ‘look my best’ outfits include heels that are not totally cohesive with walking long distances (or at all). I made the ‘should know better’ error on the first day wearing some lovely, but too-high Topshop heels. I made a whistle stop at Zara for a pair of more walkable ones… take it from me. Comfy shoes are 100% essential.
Camera – This season I’ve been using my Canon EOS M as it takes as decent quality photos as the Canon 600D but is far lighter and less cumbersome to pull out backstage. I’ve done a few fashion week’s with the Canon 600D and sure, the photos can be awesome and it may be a touch easier to use this to capture the catwalk action – but for me, the EOS M wins over on convenience for taking the backstage pics. Totally recommend if you’re looking for a good camera that’s not as pricey or bulky as the 600D.
Sponsored by Max Factor
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