Liverpool Fashion Week.

1. Miss Rule1 - proud of her collection

2-3. Four of the Rule1 looks

4. Leading the way

5. The Hilton hosted the evening, and backstage was just as busy as front of house!

6. Chloe Cummings, Abbey Clancy, Chloe's mum, and Elle Clancy.

Last weekend, the Rule1 ladies invited me down to the Hilton Hotel by the Albert Docks to see what Liverpool Fashion Week had up its sequin-encrusted sleeve. Compared to the whirlwind of the fashion capitals, Liverpool focuses much more on wearable clothing; there was the occasional peacock feather fascinator, but otherwise all the designers dressed their models in glamorous looks for a night in Monique's, or showcased sharp monochrome tailoring for the office. Rule1's collection featured lace, bodycon, peplum, and baroque prints - a series of dresses that would fit seamlessly into my "night out" wardrobe. Elle Clancy and Chloe Cummings caught the paparazzi's eye in metallic bandage dresses, while my favourite was the Curve dress - which looked fantastic on Amy on the night. Other designers showed more diverse selections of their stock on the runway: everything from Swarovski-encrusted sunglasses (note to self: don't sit on those ones), to lace-up wellington boots. But the show was undoubtedly stolen by a little canine companion - who could resist his puppy dog eyes?

In a strange turn of events, I decided to film a little bit of my day. I'm not sure my camera's entirely cut out for it (and neither are my shaky hands!), but it's a little diary of what happened, and is backed by the song Laura by GIRLS, which is a pretty damn hot song:

xxx

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Meet and drink and pollinate.

Striped Breton tee: £30, Aubin and Wills. Corduroy circle skirt: £15, American Apparel via ebay. Grey cardigan: £63, Carven via sample sale. Denim jacket: £63, Hobbs. Horse belt: £1, Primark. Ship necklace: Toujours Toi. Granny/child bag: £4, vintage. Eye ring: £2.25, Topshop. Watch: gift, Rotary. Grey Alea boot: c/o Stylistpick. Lipstick: Mischief, Topshop.

I like having access to a roof.

This is what I wore to Liverpool Fashion Week yesterday (more on that when I can work out how to edit videos; YouTube newbie over here!). Surrounded by a sea of sequins, I felt pretty casual, but crouching for a fair few hours in the marked photographer area made me feel slightly less ashamed of leaving my skyscraper heels at home. These boots were sent to me by the lovely Stylistpick girls after meeting them at The Apartment, and they are my new favourites. However much I love my chelsea boots, I have worn them to destruction, and it's reaching the stage where no amount of pleading in the cobblers will make them re-heel them. I am, surprisingly considering Liverpool's temperament, yet to weather test their replacements, but they're comfy enough to wear all day, which is an added bonus, and something I ought to consider more seriously when purchasing footwear. Although, life would be dull and a little less interesting if everything were done for the greater good (and to not get blisters).

xxx

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17 Tattoo Me Eyeliner: an endurance test.

17 "Tattoo Me" semi-permanent liquid eyeliner: £4.99, Boots.

Don't worry - I'm not about to foray into the realms of beauty blogging permanently! I couldn't tell you the difference between brushes, or even how to put foundation on (I don't use it due to it taking too long, and I don't "do" high maintenance). But what I do know is liquid eyeliners. Forever wishing I was a teen in the sixties like babes Bardot and Birkin, I wear winged eyeliner daily. I don't have a loyalty to a particular brand, instead experimenting with whatever happens to be on offer or receiving good reviews at the time. I thought the best way to put the eyeliner through its paces would be to see how long it would last on a slightly longer than normal night.

House parties are well known for how little sleep you get, so the promise of a "tattoo" style eyeliner seemed like the perfect solution to any smudge based disasters. Being the guest of honour (I refuse to be called anything else, I now live with the hostess), I ended up going on a trip to various supermarkets to find plastic shot glasses from 2pm. I put on the eyeliner at about 5pm, as you can see in the fourth photo. A night of out-of-tune singing (for which I take full credit), vodka jelly, and "rassing", ended in sleeping on a sofa for a couple of hours circa 6am, and an horrific car journey back that afternoon. As you can see in the fifth and sixth photos, the eyeliner is pretty much still in place, having only smudged slightly onto the upper lid, which I'm quite happy with considering it'd been on for nearly 24 hours. On a "normal" day, it doesn't smudge, unless I put it on too soon after moisturising. It's quite difficult to get off compared to others I've tried, and, now it's nearing the end of the tube, the product has started to get quite "gloopy" (technical language), but it still works just as well. I like the brush, opposed to some others which use nibs or felt-tip style points. Overall, I'd say it's pretty good at what it promises to do, and I'd definitely use it again. And it's a fiver, which is a bonus.

Are there any eyeliners that you'd recommend? I'm on the hunt for my next favourite!

xxx

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