B is for B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful!

My boyfriend introduced me to this store two years ago when we stumbled upon it in London nextdoor to my favourite MAC store just off Carnaby Street (a friend of his had worked there for a while and she sang its praises constantly!) When I first went in I thought I'd travelled back in time - the store's decorated and furnished with very beautiful and vintage decor and reminds me of little old English sweet stores... but obviously houses makeup instead!

B Never... is the sister brand of Lush and you'll soon realise this as you walk around and notice that a lot of their ingredients are natural and some of their cosmetics are even suitable for Vegans! The packaging, products on offer and branding are also very similar to that of Lush with bright colours and unusual names to boot. You'll soon notice that most of their colours on offer, whether those of eyeshadows, mascaras, blushes or foundation shades are named with the letter B.

The packaging is also very unique: Glitters for instance come in tiny handcrafted wooden pots that look like they fell off a lorry full of Far East Asian pottery! The eyeshadows sit in the most beautiful, elegant bejewelled containers, all differing in design, colour and materials. The foundation bottles look like they should only ever sit on the most elegant of dressing tables as they have ornate gold decorations trailing up the glass of the bottles. Nothing is done by halves by any means!

B Never certainly fulfil their name - they not only sell makeup and cosmetics to make a girl faint, but they emphasise the importance in feeling your best and taking relish in it! How could you not enjoy it with all of the beautiful packaging, fantastic shades and brilliant selection to choose from at your fingertips?!

However B Never may not be for everyone's budget! An eyeshadow will knock you back £8 and you'll find that the pan is rather on the small side. The liquid foundation is £20 - more than most retail foundations on offer, however perhaps you can take solace in the fact that most of the ingredients are natural and therefore very beneficial for your skin!

Another disadvantage is that there are very few B Never... stores around the UK at the moment. It's still early days as far as expansion here is concerned so if you don't live in London and you're not fortunate to live in Poole (B Never's hometown) then you won't easily be able to take a look at all their wares. However they do have a great website, plus one for all of you makeup lovers in Japan and one for Austria, where you can buy everything you need. So if you're unable to sample in-store you can email them and ask to try out some of the products they have to offer. They'll be more than happy to send some your way.

I know I've waxed very lyrical about this brand, but I can't wait to see what they offer next and if they expand around the UK, plus maybe offer more of you from abroad a taste of their delights. I'll be giving a range of their products a try in the next few months and reviewing as I go so watch this space... One thing's for certain - their approach to beauty is very unique and exciting - exactly what getting ready should be all about!

Go and see what all the fuss is about by visiting www.bnevertoobusytobebeautiful.co.uk!

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All images courtest of B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful.

The Clothes Show Live, London

So finally the latest low-down on the Clothes Show Live, London...

We rocked up at the ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands and hit the show with plenty of the day ahead for shopping, chatting, pampering and indulging and it certainly lived up to expectations. There were all sorts of brands there - from stalls selling gorgeous chunky leather wrist cuffs to organic fashion stores, right through to some of my fashion favourites such as Yumi and Fig Leaves.

Fig Leaves.com even had a Beach Catwalk that featured every half an hour, showcasing a whole host of their gorgeous beach wear for both men and women. I couldn't decide which of them I liked more, I've been ogling their range of beautiful bikinis online ever since (now I just need a holiday somewhere warm so they can be put to good use)!

On the Expert Stage, various fashion gurus were on-hand giving people the latest in news and interviewing those in the know including George Lamb, Nicky Hambleton Jones and Karen Franklin (one of the original Clothes Show crew I remember seeing every Sunday when I was little!).

My friend and I were also lucky enough to catch an interview with Angela Buttolph, the author of Kate Moss: Style - a wardrobe diary of the world's most famous modern fashion icon. It's out now and I've had a leaf through it the other day. It's on the Wants List that's for sure - Angela takes you right through the years of Kate's ever-changing and up-to-the-minute style all alongside beautiful full-page photos and glimpses of her fashion to date. It's been put together so well and lovingly researched down to the very last button : )

The Tigi stall had masses of giveaways - I pretty much walked away with a year's supply of hair products ranging from Control Freak Serum and Control Freak Extra Extra Straight hairspray (bought together for £10!) to Curls Rock Amplifier and S Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray - I was in hairstyling heaven! In total I think it came to just £40 - a giant tick on the bargain front!

On top of all that there were celebrity hairstylists showing off their talents and the latest trends - if you were lucky you could be picked out of the crowd and have your hair taken care of by one of the experts themselves, so long as you're not shy : ) There were masseuses on hand to soothe away your shopping aches and pains, the Jessica Nail Bar with champers, the ever lovely Benefit counter, and Fake Bake even had their tanning booths onsite if you were feeling in the mood for a quick bronze before you head out!

Bench were offering a mahoosive 75% discount all day (no prizes for guesssing why we couldn't even make it in without an hour's queue!) and of course, women present means there's a need for chocolate - the KitKat Senses Bar had all that covered with hot beverages and sweet yum yums to please all, including plenty of chocolate fountains dotted around the place - paradise!!

But the highlight for me was the Fashion Theatre at the very end - this was the first real-deal catwalk show I've ever seen and A LOT of effort went into it. The theme was 'On the Pier' and showcased S/S 09 clothes from partywear to casual, to punk to nautical. And not only did they have models showing off the latest onstage - they had dancers who performed their own routines throughout the show also wearing the clothes being showcased. There was also a giant mirrorball at one point, and even a rotating stage! It was so much fun, I loved every minute and I'm definitely coming back next year!!

You can find more photos from the Fashion Theatre on the Clothes Show London website, plus you'll be pleased to see that the clothes showcased are all those in the high street and online stores : ) Yay! x

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All images courtesy of Clothes Show London