This past Sunday I headed down to #BigBloggerExpo which is run by the very talented Lauren and Abi of LDN Meetup. I’d previously attending #BloggersBelowZero back in January which you can read here… but this time an Expo is where it was at.
With a raging hangover from drinking in the sun the day before, I hadn’t realised how tired I was until I was still in bed at 11.30am watching Season 3 of Pokemon (Yes, Pokemon). As the clock kept ticking, I forced myself to shower, put my face on and head on down to #BigBloggerExpo at the Danubius Hotel in Regents Park. Being Uber’s biggest customer (I dread to think how much I’ve wasted on them), I happily requested my cab from home and arrived at the venue with a few minutes to spare. I knew I was in the right place when I saw DSLRs, amazing outfits and fleeky hair and make-up (I was the hungover mess).
Upon entry we were given wristbands and a sheet with all the brands on and we were tasked with getting a stamp from each brand in order to receive our goody bags at the end. I may add that this is a great way of getting to speak to brands you normally wouldn’t gear to and you never know what relationship may spark – kinda like blogger speed dating just with brands! I spent most of my day with Laura from LifeByLaura and proceeded to make our way around the venue collecting stamps like a Nando’s loyalty card…
First up was Borough Box run by Andy and James. The concept of Borough Box is fantastic and what struck me most was how much you both care about quality, artisan food. In this day and age, it’s hard for us millennials to get out and purchase that local market produce (well in London certainly), so Borough Box has definitely bridged that gap. Not only that – subscription boxes of food are what every one needs really? I mean how many lipsticks, nail polishes does one person really need?
Life is all about variety, trying new things and Borough Box looks like it be the best way to do this monthly! I may add that the venison biltong was absolutely divine (and a great source of protein); this should really replace my desk snack choice of chocolate biscuits!
Juvadent
I always said the minute I turn 30 I’m going to get Botox (only a few years to go *voms*)….
Juvadent is run by Doctors Farah and Hemini in London’s Chelsea area offering treatments such as dermal fillers and of course Botox. What interested me most was the underarm Botox treatment in which the the product is administered in small injections to the underam area to combat excessive sweating. I learnt that it lasts roughly 8 months and the prospect of being sweat-free every summer sounds absolutely blissful. Time to get saving?
West Lab
Who doesn’t love salt? Who doesn’t love bath and body salts?
Self-care is super important no matter what you choose to do and it was great to hear about the different types of salts of offer. It was also great to hear that some of the salts can be mixed with shampoo/conditioner in order to help with dry, itchy skills. This is something I’ve never heard of doing and it sounds like such a logical idea – I think I tend to forget my scalp sometimes!
I also discovered that the Epsom salt is particularly good for bloating and after all the food I’ve engorged in the past few weeks, I will definitely be adding this to my Sunday self-care pamper routine.
Bonnie Boo Gifts
I have scarily got to the age where a few of my friends are starting to settle down and have kids (this is probably a whole other blog post I need to write). So with that in mind, I know I’m probably going to be invited to more baby-showers instead of boozy night outs in future! Bonnie Boo Gifts excitingly launched on the day of #BigBloggerExpo and is fittingly a family-run business selling gifts suitable for new mums, mums to be and their little ones.
I couldn’t believe how affordable the range of products from Bonnie Boo Gifts were as if you were to source the items from the baskets yourself it’d cost a lot more. It was also great to hear that even the basket was designed to be re-usable and I’m sure this would look perfect in a nursery or filled with your favourite beauty products. I loved the little smoothie ideas featuring a rolled up bib and spoon in place of a straw and drink. I can see these being very popular!
The Jewellery Box UK’s stands are always so beautifully curated and well thought out. Their dainty pieces always catch my eye and I still wear my arrow ring with pride to this day. I’d previously come across the brand at #BloggersFestival last year and a month or so ago at #BloggersBall; it is easy to see why their stand is always so packed no matter what event I go to!
Being obsessed with all things bee lately, my eyes wandered over to this piece which I wish I’d known about before going to the Beyoncé concert! What I love most about Jewellery Box UK is the fact that they’re SO affordable (They even have an under £5 section on their site) and the range of products available. I love online window shopping and after learning that they have over 8,000 pieces on their website I think I’ll have enough browsing material for weeks. I was kindly gifted with a heart necklace which I think I’m going to engrave in the near future with a special someone’s initials…
Jody Bell
I’d previously seen Jody Bell’s stand at #BloggersBall but it was pretty busy so I didn’t really get a chance to learn much about the brand. However, I did follow them on their social channels and loved their latest summer campaign which I thought would fit well in any blogger wardrobe. I love pieces you can dress up or down and fit in with everyday life, wedding season and those days you just wanna be a little extra!
Based in Spain, you can tell Jody Bell’s pieces are inspired by the country and wouldn’t look out of place on a yacht, the beach or most importantly the bar. As an avid traveller but not fashionista (in the slightest), I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a stylist for a while but after perusing Jody Bell’s collection, it has given me the amp I need to make a bit more of an effort when it comes to dressing. Not only that, I fell in love with one of the bags at the event and Laura loved a good few of the tasselled garms.
Jody Bell is stunning in real life and I learnt that she’d be exhibiting at New York Fashion Week this September (My absolute DREAM). I’m sure you and the team will do amazingly and if you ever need a hand… let me know haha!
Heaven Skincare by Deborah Mitchell is a brand I’ve been wanting to try for a while and I as kindly gifted with a moisturiser, tinted BB cream and a cleanser. I suffer from quite dry skin and after using the moisturiser for the past few days I can definitely feel an improvement. I think it all comes down to changing up my products regularly so my skin doesn’t become accustomed to it. It was also great to see my shade in the BB cream as some brands tend to not cater to women of colour (which is understandable but props to those who can, where possible).
4 You By You specialises in run by students for students bringing affordable make up to university and college students across the UK. I particularly like the eye cream and can’t believe how much it improved the elasticity on the back after only having it on for a few moments – who needs sleep?
Return to Glory UK are a mobile massage and beauty treatment service (something I can really get behind). I mean how many times have we all gone to those obscurely located Groupon salons for a massage or beauty treatment and left feeling underwhelmed?
The thought of being able to have a massage in the comfort of my own home and being able to slink back into bed is heavenly! I’ll definitely be booking a treatment soon!
Brandbassador
The Brandbassador platform is potentially a bloggers best friend sending you on missions using your social media in order to earn money, free products and competitions. I was kindly gifted with a One Piece hat, lanyard and a handy iPhone stand – everything a blogger needs whilst out on these missions!
Shop Two Three
I’ve been after a rocky style band tee for a while and can never seem to find the perfect one without it being overpriced, crap material or just a horrible pyjama-esque fit. The three tees that laid out perfectly on the Shop Two Three stand caught my eye straightaway as I LOVED the ripped detailing, the material and the bold prints. I couldn’t believe how affordable they were (I misheard and thought heard £50 not £15!). It reminded me of my failed attempts in the past to customise a top with some scissors in order to get that Yeezy season 3 post-apocalyptic look. Sometimes you just gotta leave it to the professionals, much like Shop Two Three, but I was advised to use a cheese grater in future to create the ideal holes and rips.
Combing through the rack of clothing, I was really impressed with the quality, the cuts and the colours. You can see more of what Shop Two Three have on offer here and on their Instagram here. They also have 10% off with code MYFIRST23 – (Happy shopping!).
Living Proof
After finishing up in one room of #BigBloggerExpo, I soon discovered there was yet another room and walked right over to Living Proof upon entering. I loved the science behind the brand and soon learn that the product was founded by biotech scientists. I have no idea what that means but they have created a product that may change the future for my hair as we know it.
A Humidity Shield? Does such thing exist? I don’t know but apparently Living Proof have created one. I will be living proof if it works! Sometimes my bushy hair gets me down as I know if I iron it straight for a night out or a day in the sun, it won’t look the same after about half an hour… I’ll resemble something along the lines of Monica from Friends (Ironic that Rachel is behind this product).
I’ll be tweeting how I get on with the humidity spray, so please feel free to follow me here for an update! Since attending #BigBloggerExpo, I can confirm that the Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo is my mid-week saviour. In context, I have dry, thick curly hair which I wash once a week and refresh with dry shampoo around Wednesday or Thursday if I am going out but don’t have time to do the arduous task of washing, drying, styling (and crying). I find that my current brand of dry shampoo makes my hair feel a little cleaner, but still feels gunky. In comparison, the Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo does the opposite – my hair feels much cleaner and ready to go again (kinda like the second day after washing).
If anyone decided to an Oscar for Best Hair in Hollywood-land it’d definitely go to Jennifer Aniston. From the classical ‘Rachel’ cut of the 90s to the sun-kissed perfect blonde looks that have become her signature hairstyle for the past few years, Jennifer is someone I have admired when it comes to emulating hairstyles or colours. You can find Living Proof in M&S, allbeauty.com and high-end beauty mecca Space NK.
Dr Paw Paw
Since writing this post, I have bitten by something (probably at my boozy picnic on Saturday), and have used the original balm and it’s been helping to clear it up. Not only that it is a lipbalm, can be used as an eyebrow gel and on cuticles and nails. This is perfect for travelling and anyone who is on the go, I will be reaching for this a lot this summer. I also can’t wait to use the tinted lipbalms throughout winter when the return of chapped lips arrives. On top of that, I learnt at #BigBloggerExpo it can be used before blow-drying – so in all a real product saver! I’ll be heading to Spain next week and their array of products will definitely be finding themselves in my make up bag!
The day ended with a huge raffle giveaway with all proceeds being donated to charity. I didn’t win anything but I probably couldn’t carry any more anyway! I decided to stay on afterwards with a few other bloggers for a drink and a bite to eat – all in a hard days work!
I had such a lovely day and it is clear to see how hard Lauren and Abi work, how hard the brands work and I can’t wait for the next event. Also, thank you so much for the fabulous goody bag and to all the brands that contributed!
Sharing the love…
Life by Laura
Emma at Harmony Blaze
Thanks for reading this mammoth post!
lifebylaurax says
Wooo! Such an amazing day and a great post 🙂 Thanks for linking me, was so great to see you there xx
MaryamSofia says
Love this post!! Had such an awesome day and it was lovely meeting you 😀 xo
Jessica & James says
Ohhhh we’re so sad we couldn’t make this, we only found out about this days before and was already booked with plans! Hopefully, next time!
Sounds like you had an amazing day, so many amazing brands! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica & James
foodandbaker.co.uk
memoirsmusings says
You’re welcome- thanks so much for the lovely comments! Hopefully you’ll get a chance to go next year? Xxx