I had a really fun morning yesterday - I was invited to a Voga class in Merrion Square park in central Dublin by the cool folks over at Thinkhouse PR. Voga is an energetic mix of Yoga and Voguing to eighties tunes so we all had great fun throwing shapes and getting our pose on with House of Voga founder Juliet Murrell.
Typically for a seriously physical activity I dressed waaaaay too warm - (in my defence my window view was deceptive) so thankfully seeing as it was a Sure deodorant event some spritzing of their newest range helped me feel human in the sunshine. It is the new motion sense deodorant so it was fun to test it in such a sunny high energy environment. By the end I was pleasantly surprised as I love when spray deodorants have a fresh but mild scent so it doesn't take away from your perfume.
I will be truthful - I do my best to be active but today I'm feeling a bit achy after the high intensity Voga workout! In saying that if I could do it every Saturday morning I would! It hasn't launched in Ireland yet but I think so many people would relish the combination of a bit of craic teamed with a workout that gives real results. Juliet is an instructor to the stars & she's a favourite of Millie Mackintosh among many others. With Juliet's radiance I can understand why! She is literally my life goals. All the attendees were contemplating a dash to American Apparel to get on her leopard & polka dot print style wavelength!
It felt very cosmopolitan to be exercising in the park - like when you watch retro Sex & the City and Carrie is doing some trendy workout while doling out relationship advice. I tried to chat to my friend Rebecca of Haute so Fabulous on the mat across from me but I soon realised that it was easier to communicate via voguing instead! At the end we all felt like goddesses!
After all the activity I strolled home to Ballsbridge in the sunshine and went to my local 'The Bridge 1859' for a bit of brunch. A 'salmocado' was literally the brunch of champions! It's a halved English muffin with beef tomato, smoked salmon, poached eggs and just a little bit of avocado hollandaise with a flat white coffee. Literally heaven. I love a good loner lunch when you can have a feast and potter on your phone or read a magazine.
It all began with balloons and an edible invite to attend a stylish trip via a private train to Kildare Village.... I made sure to photograph the pink iced biscuit invitation before nibbling away the specifics!
I met my fellow stylists and bloggers amidst the girliest setting imaginable! I made an effort not to be fashionably late for fear of missing the Kildare Village express. There were giant macaroons on the platform and the friendly KV team greeting the assembly of fashion fiends. We all left Houston Station in Dublin toasting pink moët which I personally think is a pretty cool way to kickstart a press trip. There was a lovely atmosphere and everyone was very excited to see each other. My two besties Madeline of Live Blog Repeat and Rebecca of Haute So Fabulous were also invited so we all had such a laugh together on our 'Summer Day Out'. Many of you guys who follow me on snapchat (username: lauramullett23) will have witnessed a lot of the day's excitement first hand!
I was gifted a pretty ribboned pink box that included a Kildare Village voucher, champagne, a cake pop, macaroons, sweets and some discount cards. It's great time to pop out to Kildare Village as with the sales fully fledged it is an opportune time to nab a bargain.
On arrival we pottered over to the VIP Lounge and then me and the girls went exploring! Top Irish illustrator Conor Merriman did an illustration of me while we were in the VIP Lounge which I will treasure. Conor is so talented, he does the sketch within minutes and adds pops of colour to his very distinctive sketching style.
My first stop in Kildare Village was 'The Kooples' where I fell irrevocably in love with a sequinned tuxedo blazer. It is even more spectacular than it sounds! It was reduced from €340 to €100 so I bought it in a medium with my voucher. The clean cut structure of 'The Kooples' is why their statement pieces are not only timeless but incredibly chic. My magpie tendencies went in to overdrive as soon as I stepped in to the store.
I popped in to Ted Baker to play dress up after clearing out 'The Kooples'. The sales (particularly on accessories and dresses in Ted Baker) are really good. My muted metallic infatuation continued as I tried on a chic tailored green blazer. On the day I wore Freddy Jeans, lace up heels and a monochrome top. I think a simple outfit like this is ideal when you're trying on blazers and jackets as you can get a clear picture of what is a true investment piece.
Green blazer from Ted Baker
I had such a lovely day in Kildare Village and I want to thank their fabulous PR team for treating us like queens! I look forward to returning before their 50% expansion in November - but truth be told.. with their new Gucci store opening next week it's looking like my return may be a lot sooner! :)
I hope you enjoyed my Kildare Village 'Summer Day Out' blog post! If you want to check out behind the scenes of what we all got up to make sure to watch the video below which shows our adventure!
I shot a style diary featuring the fruits of the latest Fearne Cotton Collaboration with Littlewoods!
The collection makes Fearne's effortless boho vibe accessible to the masses at really reasonable price points. In honour of the lady herself I sported milkmaid plaits and a summery make up vibe that worked well with the key Fearne Cotton pieces for the shoot!
What I have been hunting down for literally years is an embellished pair of roll up mom jeans. I am a size 10-12 and a skinny fit is usually more flattering for my body shape than the slightly boyfriend fit. Regardless of logic the old school Levis shape was what I coveted... lo and behold my dream pair the 'Fearne Cotton Gem detail Boyfriend jeans' are pictured above and are a steal at €39 from Littlewoods Ireland. The embellishment isn't flimsy and well sown in and I particularly like the length of the jeans. They look cute with a band tee and converse or with a pair of heels and a waterfall blouse tucked in. They come up nice and mid rise too so they sit at a comfortable point at my midsection elongating my legs just a tad!
I teamed the jeans with the 'Fearne Cotton lace blouse' and wore a little cami underneath. I love the high neck as I like the contrast between prim boho and then the mom jean silhouette. The blouse can be worn loose at the neck as I wore it but if you want a more dramatic look you can use spray starch on the collar to achieve a more structured style. I went for a size 12 which I would highly recommend if you have a bust. I'm a firm believer in tucking things in to tie the look together and for myself I feel all the more dressy and finished. The Fearne Cotton collection for Littlewoods collection is very true to size. The blouse is €47.
Another distinct Fearne Cotton style staple is the mule which she has seamlessly brought in to her collection for Littlewoods Ireland. Cotton tackled the trend with gusto by going for a mesh leather and suede combination which adds that party twist just south of your ankle. I think they are very flattering on the foot and would look gorgeous with one of Fearne's flirty floral summer dresses aswell as leather look pants or jeans.
The 'Nola cut out mule sandals' are priced at €35. Now is an opportune to raid the Littlewoods Ireland sale as the Fearne Cotton pieces I'm lusting over have been slashed in price.
This collaboration is something that wasn't just exciting for me as a stylist but as a lover of wearable fashion with a bit of edge.
If you want to shop this look:
You can shop the 'Fearne Cotton Gem Detail Jeans'here
Hey dolls! So the Summer is in full swing and I'm loving every second. I have been keeping up my health kick and hitting the gym. I also started taking an amazing potent tonic which I will be reviewing on the blog next week. I'm enjoying making plans involving both work and play as I approach my next adventure in my fashion career. I am now a fashion styling tutor for the LA College of Creative Arts! It is so exciting to join such a talented team. I will be teaching predominantly in Dublin but also in London too. I will post details about the upcoming courses on Lipstick Gossip.
I recently took part in a really cool campaign for Kildare Village - I was excited to be chosen as a select group of fashion folk and bloggers got the opportunity! We got to pick a pair of designer sunnies from Kildare Village and post to instagram in sync. I thought the #Flashtagram idea was pretty brilliant and I enjoyed checking out everyone's choices through checking out the hashtag. I selected a beautiful pair by Dolce and Gabbana as pictured below. I am heading to a press event next week in KV and I can't wait to see all their latest offerings.
I just finished up doing my personal shopping in Dundrum Town Centre for the Summer as the sales are in full swing. I really miss my clients already - you form great bonds when you get talking to someone over the space of 2 hours and it's a lovely feeling when the same people book in time and time again. It's like seeing an old friend but you have a different season of trends to experiment with! It nearly feels funny browsing the shops at the moment with a Butlers coffee and shopping for me and me alone! I truly feel that being a personal shopper part time as well as styling my shoots has given me a great balance and a deeper knowledge and instinct about women's shapes. It has been challenging too but in a very positive way.
Image by Hazel Coonagh
I always enjoy dressing up for personal shopping in Dundrum and my regular shops to raid are Penneys, Zara, River Island and House of Fraser. These two selfies are taken in the awesome style team lounge.
