BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

So I've been mega busy in these last few weeks and have neglected my blog :( sorry guys! Lots on- just finished first year at uni, come back from Lanzarote, been working at boots and today I have started work experience at Toni and Guy with their PR team! So exciting. Definitely going to keep you all posted on how it goes! Although there are projects which I have been briefed on which are top secret so those you won't be able to know about! I cannot believe how small the team is here and yet there is sooooo much to do. Currently on my lunch break and have had to flick through the weekend supplements for latest beauty and fashion trends and give a briefing of today's headlines. I feel like I am so slow at it all- very fast paced industry. The news that I had to type up is already out of date and I feel like everyone already knows what I am typing about! Anyway off to finish my sandwich and then to crack on with my tasks!

Feeling professional and grown up, Catherine x

Revive Fashion Show

I went along to Pitcher and Piano last night in Nottingham to support my friends who were organising the show. Even better was that it was free entry and it was supporting a good cause! The show featured 50 outfits, upcycled, revamped by Nottingham Trent Fashion students, showing the audience that you can utilise "old" clothes giving them a new lease of life. Not only are you updating your wardrobe you are helping the environment and turning your back on the concept of fast fashion. All in all, it was a great night! Probably the longest fashion show I have seen and in one of the most striking venues too! Well done girls :) x

Athletic models... Not surprised

So the Olympics hit London this summer, and surprise, surprise brands are picking up on this and using it as a way of promoting their products. I first saw this in Chanel's recent advertising which uses athletic models (androgyny at it's essence) on trapezes and using rings. Although not very original, credit where it is due- the photographs are pretty classy....

Another brand taking up the theme is Emporio Armani EA7 

Strong and fit, are the new skinny... Watch out for more of this trend in the run up to the Olympics!

Cobra trying to be like Peroni?

So I've always wanted the lifestyle of those guys and gals in the Peroni Autumn/Winter advert or even those in their Spring/Summer one... They are quite simply the coolest people ever and want to be them. Deadly jealous!

It occurred to me the other day when I was at the cinema that the same sort of aesthetic has been used in the Cobra beer adverts too. They take on this old-fashioned camera look, with chilled out music, and chilled out cool people... All in an attempt to sell an alcohol beverage.

Both brands are selling a way of life. Chilled. You can be cool. Take time out of the day to relax. All by choosing to drink their beer. This I think works well with Peroni- Italian lifestyle is something that people aspire to live like. Will it work for Cobra? This could be the start of a new image maybe... A fresh perspective on an up and coming country- India. I wonder what the next advert will be like...


ADDITION: Stella Artois are into the same sort of aesthetic I suppose. All three brands are appealing to a young audience through the use of nostalgia of the past (wishing we were there) and a chilled out lifestyle....

Breathing

This sounds so cliche but I had no idea what to expect when I went to see Breathing. I randomly picked a film to see and off I went. I didn't look at what it was about... I was not expecting what I saw! Set in Austria, Roman Kopler, calls the Juvenile Detention centre his home. We do not find out until later on in the film as to why he is there, but we get the idea that he has been in there for a long time. His life is extremely dull and pointless. One of the first scenes we see Roman flip at being asked to weld some metal together for a job. He is advised by a gentleman, whom we find out is his lawyer, to look for other work so that his court hearing goes well this time round. Roman finds himself working at an undertakers. Hence the referencing to breathing. The most unlikely job for a 19 year old. We follow him as he learns his trade, as he is further rejected by his peers in the Detention centre because of his job, and as he revisits his earlier life through tracing back his abusive mother. A clever title which explores all aspects of breathing, what it means to be alive and realising that you only get one chance so don't waste it. It is tense, tense, tense from start to finish. Great film. The unexpected has it's advantages.

I think I'm turning into a health freak...

So I've started to drink at least two litres of water everyday and am going to the gym.... Two things I have noticed. From drinking more water my skin is so much more radiant and I get less spots/blemishes- I haven't worn any foundation/tinted moisturiser for over 2 weeks! From going to the gym in the morning  I feel refreshed and energised, meaning that I am getting more work done. Fit for summer!

Sun safe

I have had an overwhelming response to my post about staying safe in the sun (ironic as it hasn't stopped raining since in England!) Anyway, I had a response from the British Skin Foundation (Bevis Man to be precise) about my post and I thought I would just mention some of the points that were mentioned:

"I think people don't always understand what the difference is between UVA and UVB nor what to look for in terms of their sunscreen. The old star rating was a bit confusing too for UVA ratings on the backs of bottles, as a five star UVA rating meant that it had a good level of UVA protection in relation to the level of UVB (ie. the SPF level) protection. So, a sunscreen with an SPF of 25 that had a four star out of five rating for UVA meant that it had a fairly decent level of UVA protection as well as a decent level of UVB protection.


Anyway, this system has now been changed anyway, as UVA protection symbols now don't have stars but the 'UVA' letters inside a circle which shows the sunscreen has a decent level of UVA protection."



And possibly the most important fact that was given to me was this:

"The majority (about 80%) of sun damage you accrue in life is done by the time you're 20!"


Which is actually pretty scary when you think about it!


I will be happy if at least one person has gone away after reading my blog post with a changed attitude about the effects of the sun on your skin. Again, I have to stress I am NOT a kill-joy, just into making changes to my life that will keep me young and healthy. By all means, when we do eventually get some sun, go out and enjoy it but just be sensible...