The Spirit of Christmas Fair

Looking for a fun and productive weekend activity? With November just beginning, and the cold weather setting in, people are starting to think about Christmas shopping and getting frantic about the holidays. Since the holidays are quickly approaching, what better way to kick off your shopping by heading to the Spirit of Christmas fair happening this very weekend. The fair started 30^th October and goes until 4^th November. Whether you are looking for some gift inspiration or Christmas present ideas, or even just want a fun day out with friends, the fair offers an abundance of options to tickle your fancy.

Throughout the day numerous workshops are held. You can learn anything from decorating cupcakes to gift wrapping. Food and drink will also be served at the fair. You can have a delicious bite from Mosimann’s Winter Restaurant or sit down for a glass of champagne at Louis Roederer’s Champagne Bar. Hundreds of companies will have their gifts displayed, and will include fashion, interior accessories, and gifts for men, children, and babies. The fair includes a unique array of gifts that you can not ordinarily find on the high street.

Be sure to check out one of our favourite gifts at the fair…Possmere. Possmere is a luxury brand of knitwear for men, women, children, accessories, and interiors. All their products are made from 40% Possum fur, 50% New Zealand Merino wool, and 10% Nylon. Possmere products are so incredibly soft, light, and comfortable. It even provides more insulation than cashmere. These products are truly one of a kind. Who wouldn’t want to bundle up with one of Possmere’s products this winter?  We sure do! You can find them at stand F86.

Really Wild Clothing was another favourite. Their stand located at G31, offers an array of country clothing for men and women. The brand originated by designer and founder, Natalie Lake, who wanted to create stylish shooting clothes for women. This was a success considering her whole line is cute but casual. They have a versatile collection of tweed wear as well that offers a trendy, but comfortable look for the city or country. Really Wild Clothing is offering great deals at the Spirit of Christmas fair that you won’t want to miss.

Looking for some great skincare products to give as gifts? Rhodes to Heaven has an array of natural skincare products that appeal to all skin types. For Christmas, Rhodes to Heaven has put together a kit of their most loved All in One products. Each one is packed with all natural ingredients which are great for the skin and help give a radiating and natural look. Packaged in their signature Little Black Bag, these beauty products are a must have for this Christmas season. Be sure to stop by their stand at G81.

We at The Amazing Blog love this fair and know you will too! The Spirit of Christmas Fair is located at the Grand Hall, Olympia Exhibition Centre, Kensington, London. See their website here for details regarding times and ticket prices. We hope you enjoy the fair and even get some inspiration or make some purchases for this holiday season.

If unfortunately you can't make it to The Spirit of Christmas Fair, do visit Spirit Boutique - a natural extension of the Fair which changed the concept of Christmas shopping when it launched at London's Olympia in 2001.

Our Spooky Picks for this Halloween

This time of year is always crazy with the holidays quickly approaching and a bitter cold winter around the corner, but today is the one day of the year where you can dress in crazy costumes and acceptably eat as much candy as you desire. A day filled with spooky ghosts and blood-drinking vampires, Halloween is a fun treat for all to kickoff the start of the holiday season. To get into the Halloween spirit, we at The Amazing blog have found some fun themed goodies that will be sure to add some excitement to this unforgettable day of the year.

The American drinks brand, Royal Crown Cola, has launched a limited edition drink for this spooky holiday. The Dracola is a fizzy blood-red drink that is perfect for any Halloween party. Not only is the drink appropriately themed, but the label of the bottle is glow in the dark to give a twilight effect. You can get a 2 litre bottle of this “fang-tastic fizz” for only £1. You can even mix the drink with other delicious ingredients to create a Dracola ice-cream float or even to make a bowl of punch. The drink can be purchased at over 217 Asda stores throughout the UK.

Whether you’re celebrating Halloween or Mexico’s Day of the Dead, why not pick up one of Alhambra’s festive skull cushions. It is believed that the origins of Halloween trace back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would return at this time of celebration. Today, although the holiday is much more about wearing scary costumes to “ward off ghosts” than it is reflecting about the dead, these cushions are a fun way to decorate your home. Alhambra’s colourful skull cushions are inspired by this holiday as well as Mexico’s Day of the Dead. They have a range of designs to choose from. The cushion covers are £14.50 plus p&p and the stuffed pillows retail from £18.50. The cushions can be found at their website here.

One of our favourite beauty products from LUSH fresh handmade cosmetics is their Twilight shower gel. Having a mysterious lavender scent, this shower gel shimmers like the night sky while hydrating your skin. Packaged in a black bottle, this shower gel is meant to calm, relax, and sooth while taking you from day to night. Add this product to your bathing routine for only £4.25/100g from LUSH’s website.

A big part of Halloween is all of the fun treats sold in stores. We came across this cute bag of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat. The Little Bag of Horrors includes Zingy Zombie Eye Truffles, a chocolate ghost, and a Tiddly vampire. The Little Bag of Horrors retails for £6.50. You can purchase this spooky bag of chocolates from their website here. Hotel Chocolats also offers other Halloween related candy for purchase on their website. There’s nothing like a sweet treat to celebrate this day with.

Ever wanted to break out a pair of funky red pumps to wear on a night out on the town? Fury has launched a new pair of heels that would be the perfect accessory to any outfit including a fierce costume for that Halloween party you have coming up. Fury’s designs combine aggressive studs with a feminine shape for the ultimate trendy shoe. These shoes are scandalous and have a rock n’ roll feel to them. Fury’s red pump combines multiple runway trends from this season onto one shoe. From leather to studs to python print, these heels are guaranteed to turn heads. Fury’s new line starts at £275. They can be purchased at their website.

From head to toe be decked out for Halloween. Paperself eyelashes’ Rocky Punk Collection contains the perfect mix of a mysterious black appearance with real figurines that will spook anyone who takes a look at them. You can choose from the Scorpion: Fatal Attraction or the Spider: Mysterious Power. What a perfect way to accessorize your costume with these funky false eyelashes. They both are on sale now for £10.00 on the Paperself website here.

Why not deck yourselves and even your homes out this Halloween with our spooky picks. Happy Halloween!

Leather Love

So a couple of weeks ago I found myself wandering around the shops looking for a new pair of black ankle boots - I came across a fantastic sale on the most amazing black leather ankle boots: they fitted perfectly and were completely my style - so perfect. I was more than pleased when I got home and tried them on again, 'the best purchase ever' I thought to myself. However, I didn't really think about protecting them - until I wore them out in the pouring rain on my way to work on Monday morning. I arrived to the office and Edwina, our Executive Editor, told me off and gave me a rather glamorous jar of what looked like a face cream (!) " Go ahead, this is new and probably one the best shoe polish you'll ever use, Lara." So I tried Leather Love's Shoe Polishing Cream... And I must say that my boots (and recently my handbag)  really love it. It has a light creamy texture with a very pleasing smell (and yes, I have to say in haste that could easily be mistaken for an face cream!) Leather Love is inspired by the beauty counters - leather is skin that needs to be cleansed and moisturised just like ours does, so why not have a skincare routine for our leather products too? Leather Love uses a blend of the finest and natural ingredients to create their nourishing formulas and cleaning sprays without being harmful to your leather products or the environment. One of their ingredients is the rather unusual Carnauba Wax that comes from the leaves of the Carnauba Palm grown in Northern Brazil - it's widely used in all forms of polishes and cosmetics, AND even food. In this case it's mixed with Beeswax to treat and waterproof many leather products where it provides a high-gloss finish and it increases the leather's durability.

When it comes to their packaging, it really looks like you're dealing with skincare - the design of the jars is quite exquisite; black with elegant white details (something you wouldn't expect from a shoe polish!) As Michael Davies the co-founders of Leather Love said "We want take our leather care products from being hidden under the kitchen sink to being displayed on the pages of Vogue." The smell is very pure and fresh - it doesn't smell chemically at all, a fact that impressed us all  at The Amazing Blog.

Love Leather gently cleanses and moisturises your prized shoes and bags. Edwina's Temperley bag  after being 'moisturised' by Leather Love survived an express visit to a cold and wintery Glasgow, coming back to London safe and unmarked.  We at The Amazing Blog we can't recommend Leather Love enough to make your precious collection of shoes and bags last forever and ever...

SuperTrash

There are a number of things that the gang at The Amazing Blog hate about winter: the weather, the dark mornings, the short days and the inevitable weight gain to name but a few of our choice picks. However, in maintaining a positive outlook on life, there are also a lot of great things about this time of year: the countdown to Christmas, the smell of log fires, the excuse to over indulge and of course, winter fashion. And as we always try to stay abreast of the very best places to buy the latest trends, we wanted to tell you about SuperTrash, opening soon on London’s famous South Molton Street.

 

Dutch label SuperTrash is joining a number of other high end retailers including Ted Baker and Karen Millen on one of London’s most fashionable shopping streets when it opens its UK doors for the first time in mid-October. Already one of the biggest names in the Netherlands, the brand has grown from a small scale boutique to a worldwide brand since its launch in 2004 and there’s no doubt that such success will be emulated in the UK. Launched by Dutch entrepreneur  Olcay Gulsen, SuperTrash now offers a range of clothing, perfume, lingerie and shoes as well as its own magazine.

Taking inspiration from international lifestyle and her experience of travelling the world, Olcay Gulsen evolved SuperTrash to reflect her vision of a brand for independent women who live for fashion and style, combining effortless sophistication and personality.

The store itself boasts a minimalistic interior with a designer feel and sees the brand progress from a walk in wardrobe look to a clean design, identical to the recently acquired store on Prince Street, New York. With a fabulous range of seasonal maxi dresses and key accessories, SuperTrash has some fabulous pieces that will make this winter all the more bearable, and one thing’s for sure: you certainly won’t want to leave empty handed!

Bagllerina

At The Amazing Blog we don't tend to feature many fashion items, as our dear readers will already know, we tend to be more into our beauty, food and pet products. However, this one fashion item really stood out and we think it is a fab discovery.Bagllerina are an essential to every woman's wardrobe i.e. a good pair of ballerinas that come with a matching carry pouch. And to be more specific, at The Amazing Blog we're in love with these as they're luxurious, elegant and very comfortable Bagllerina  are most definitely a timeless, practical and on-trend accessory.

"Bagllerina" is an amalgam of two words: ballerina and bag - they're beautifully finished and handmade in 100% soft nappa leather. Bagllerina are just the perfect accessory to throw into your bag for an evening out - if like me, you're anticipating tired feet from hobbling around all day/night long in your 8" heels. Not only do these pumps fold-up flat but they all come in a coordinating stylish leather pouch can be used as a purse/evening bag - very practical for carrying around your keys, phone and other make-up bits as well.

Bagllerina offers three outdoor styles in many different colours: "Gorgeous" a low-cut model, "Daily" with laces and "Liberty" without laces. They even offer "Cocoon" to be worn indoors and designed with a foam cushioned sole for optimal comfort. Bagllerina is practical, compact, feminine and high end. If you wish to  splurge on quality footwear (we say 'cost per wear' is always a good barometer!) And if like us you totter around in heels all day then these are a must. We at  The Amazing Blog we can't recommend Bagllerina enough. Our Executive Ed is now the proud owner of a black nappa pair and is now swanking around the office in them (not that we're jealous or anything grrrr....!)

You can purchase Bagllerina direct from their French website - the outdoor range retail at 129€ and the indoor at 69€. OR you can find a selection on Style-Passport for £110