The Bloggers' Festival
As someone who organises events for bloggers on behalf of brands (see my blogger events section), I know just how much hard work and stress goes into making it all come together. I was invited to a free event by Scarlett Dixon, who is not only a fashion blogger and a full time media student, but she also found time to organise this sizeable networking event all by herself. In the stunning Paramount bar in Centre Point, with breathtaking views of London, Scarlett arranged for a group of brands to set up stalls that bloggers could promenade round. There were also free drinks and snacks, and goody bags (so many goody bags! My arms ached carrying them all home), plus competitions, and a lovely guest list of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle bloggers that Scalett had put together.
As well as brands like Ecco, Very and Urban Outfitters showing us their Autumn & Winter collections (Very's seasonal party dresses are pictured below), there was also the chance to meet brands I'd not heard of before, such as Swedish cosmetics brand, Oriflame, who brought along make-up artist supreme Gary Cockerill to make everyone look lovely and smoky-eyed (above).
Not only did Oriflame have their latest cosmetics and (gorgeous!) nail colours to talk us through, they also had cupcakes to tempt us with.
As I went round I couldn't get enough of the view! When you live in London you sometimes forget how vast and stunning it is. For bloggers who'd travelled to the event from other parts of the UK this was a brilliant venue for them to see a lot of the capital from one place.
As well as getting made-up, bloggers could also have their hair done by Lee Stafford's team, and we were all given brushes and full size products from his fab range. And nails were being done - of course! Bloggers love a bit of nail art.
I loved chatting with Very, and we all got a fab goody bag and copy of their magazine. You see a big brand like Very working with super-bloggers like Tanya Burr and you think they won't be interested in anyone else - but they were really open to collaboration ideas, and were so nice.
I was also glad to have two organic cosmetics companies put on my radar. Green People make chemical-free skincare, and handed us some samples (they've also since sent me a parcel with more products to try, so I'll be doing a whole post on them soon). Bee Good make natural products with bee pollen, and everything smelt SO good! The vanilla and honey lip-balm is something I must have in my life. They also plied us with glittery iced-cookies, which was nice of them!
It was great to chat with Urban Outfitters and to get a sneak preview of the exciting bits they'll be selling later in the year. They are one of my favourite high street brands.
Quiz Clothing were also on hand to feed us biscuits, give us goody bags, and chat through their A/W collections (below), whilst new brand Want Her Dress were keen to talk about possibilties for blogger collaborations.
I had such nice chats with fellow bloggers, and had a chilled out afternoon wandering round and meeting brands. This is a great way for bloggers and brands to liaise, and for bloggers to network with one another. Well done, Scarlett! Your hard work (during university exam time, no less) really paid off! You can see more photos from the event on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #bloggersfestival.