Ascot QIPCO British Champions Day

Yesterday I went to Ascot for the first time with a group of 12 friends. I had a bit of an outfit panic as I only got my ticket two weeks ago and I've been interning for the past week so didn't have much time to find a suitable dress. I did have a Zara dress but when I tried it on the arms and chest were way too tight and I managed to rip it down the back trying to get it off! In the end I decided to wear my See By Chloe dress from TK Maxx as it's classy, loose and comfortable. As it was so chilly I also wore a pink coat from Topshop and a pair of tights with grey suede shoes from next which I struggled to walk in as I'm not used to heels anymore! I felt very underdressed next to my friends in their smart dresses and fascinators.

The day itself wasn't quite what I expected but I enjoyed the excitement of the races despite not winning anything. The downsides for me were the lack of food places but abundance of bars, (I only ate chips all day as I could only find one food kiosk) the crowds and how easy it was to get lost! We all kept losing each other and spent most of the day trying to regroup. I ended up with pains in my head as I didn't eat enough throughout the day so that pretty much ruined the experience for me. The journey there and back was also mostly sitting in traffic so if I was to go again I'd definitely get the train! One thing I will say is that one of the men who worked on the disabled seating area was very helpful and accommodating towards my friend who has a disability which isn't visible. His name was Mick and I would like to thank him for making her feel so comfortable and being understanding. Sadly, some of the race goers were not so sympathetic and a group of young men called my friend a 'lazy c**t' for needing to use the lift as they were unaware of her disability. This really angered me and put me in a bad mood for a few hours. I'm not sure if I would go again but if I did, I would need to be back to full health and take some snacks with me!

Lush Oxford Street Mini Haul

I've been wanting to visit the Lush store on Oxford Street since it opened but I thought it would be sensible to let the crowds die down a bit before I braved the hustle and bustle of the West End to get there. I finally went at the end of September and boy, was it worth it! If you're a fan of Lush you will feel like a kid in a sweet shop in this three storey cosmetic heaven. They also already have their Halloween and Christmas ranges on sale which I can never resist, even if it is a bit early! The staff are all really friendly, cheery and helpful so I can't wait to go back and replenish my stash once it starts getting low. One regret is not picking up the Yognog bath bomb as I've since smelt the soap which smells good enough to eat

I picked up Peeping Santa bubble bar, Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, Big Bang bubble bar, two bath oil melts, So White bath bomb and Stardust bath bomb but once I'm working I plan to have a proper haul! 

Peeping Santa (£3.95) looks like a cute, festive macaroon and once you've crumbled it into your bath it smells like a subtle strawberry bubblegum. Despite appearances the scent isn't particularly festive which means you can use it from now all the way up until Christmas and beyond. I got two sweet scented baths out of this so that's just under £2 per bath

I love a Lush body scrub and Rub Rub Rub doesn't disappoint. At £8.75 it's on the pricey side but you get quite a lot of product for your money and a little goes a long way. I love the fresh blossom scent and although the exfoliating salts aren't as gritty as those in Ocean Salt they do the job and leave your skin soft, smooth and delicately floral scented

The Big Bang smells like a citrusy soap and half is enough so you can get two baths out of it. At first you see blue, pink and yellow swirling around which is almost like a firework effect then the water turns light blue which is pleasant. I would buy it again as it's revitalising and helps you wake up if you're feeling tired which I often do!

I picked up two bath oil melts as I'd never tried them before and they looked intriguing. I know that the blue one is called Oil on Troubled Waters but my receipt doesn't mention the green one. (it just says oil on troubled waters x2) Anyway, I tried the green one and it smells gorgeous - like crisp apples with a hint of cinnamon so quite festive and autumnal. It also had just the right amount of oil for one quite deep bath. Just make sure that the bath is hot when you first run it to ensure that it melts properly. I will be buying more!

Last but not least, Stardust bath bomb has a comforting, light vanilla scent which reminds me a bit of butter bear. Apparently it releases tiny stars as it fizzes but I didn't notice them at the time! I love the smell though so would use it again

Have you been to Lush Oxford Street yet? What else would you recommend from there?

The Lindex Autumn Hitlist Blogger Event

On Wednesday evening I was lucky enough to attend a showcase of Lindex's key Autumn pieces in their Westfield Stratford City store. Lindex first opened in Sweden in the 1950's but didn't arrive on our shores until earlier this year. I have to admit that this was the first time I had been to Lindex but I will definitely be going back! After browsing the store and picking up some staple items, we watched Nina Starck, head of design at Lindex and Emily Johnston of Fashion Foie Gras present the expertly selected Autumn Hitlist pieces and give tips on how to style them. 

Lilah Parsons DJ'd whilst we continued to browse, enjoyed drinks from LBD and took a picture using the Photo Booth. 

There was 30% off all items at the event so I picked up two roll necks and a pair of nude tights. My friend and I also received a goody bag each with our purchases which was completely unexpected and a really nice touch

This stretchy cotton top will be perfect for layering and I love the burgundy hue. At £14 you can't really go wrong, especially as it feels like great quality 

This jumper was only £20 and will be so versatile for the winter.

For the event I wore an orange mini skirt from River Island (£32) with a lace shirt from Primark (£14) and a past season Topshop blazer and Zara boots. My tights are a few years old but my bag was bought recently from H&M (£14.99)

Playing Tourist For a Day

I've lived in London my whole life but I very rarely do anything that I consider to be 'touristy.' I often stay in East London unless I have somewhere particular that I need to go but on Sunday I thought it would be a good idea to grab the boyfriend and go for a wander around Southbank. We're both not a fan of crowds but it was more manageable than I thought it would be and was such a pleasant day that it was nice to walk along the river and take in the atmosphere. There were food and book stalls aswell as a Chinese Food festival. The smell of the food was making our mouths water but the queues were quite long and we were looking for somewhere to sit down and eat which was away from the hustle and bustle. We stumbled upon the Real Greek which I've always wanted to try but didn't get the chance so we thought we'd give it a go. It's like a Greek tapas menu and they recommend that you order 3-4 dishes each. We only ordered 2 dishes each and shared a 3rd but I wish we'd ordered more now! We know for next time to get some bread to start then add an extra main dish. As it was very busy the service was pretty slow which isn't ideal if you're very hungry like we were! I would definitely go back at a quieter time though as the food was delicious. 

There were also street entertainers as we walked along the Thames, including people creating bubbles using a giant wand!

Despite the warm weather I wanted to go for an Autumnal vibe so I wore burgundy jeggings from Uniqlo with a lace top from Zara layered over a Topshop top. Snake print skate shoes from New Look completed the casual outfit

My new Favourite dress & considering Pushing my Style Boundaries

I'm trying to be sensible with money at the moment whilst I'm not earning any but I when I saw this gorgeous bright red dress in Topshop I couldn't resist! It was £39 which isn't too expensive for how often I'll wear it and it's great for bloated days or those who aren't confident about their stomach area. The colour and tie neck detail are bang on trend and add interest to the simple shift/tunic shape of the dress. I usually steer clear of anything with a v-neck but the necktie provides a distraction which allows me to get away with it

I'm also obsessed with anything that has fluted sleeves at the moment so this ticks off that trend box too. I'm gutted that I managed to ladder my star print tights from next and thought that my boots covered up the laddered part but as they didn't lets just say I added an element of grunge to the outfit on purpose! One of my best friends suggested that I occasionally make more daring fashion choices rather than always sticking to pieces that I know will suit me so I'd like to start leaving my style comfort zone every so often and experiment a bit but still feel comfortable. Are there any outfits you would like to see me wearing or any particular looks I should try? Please comment or tweet me; @ChelseyPrentice as I'd love to hear from you

Fastfest 2015; Catwalk to Cosmopolitan Fashion Show

Most of us love a good fashion show but throw in upbeat, party music, a few cocktails, photo booth and beauty treatments then you have the recipe for a great night out! Cosmopolitan organised a series of events last week as part of the Fash Fest so I chose to attend the Fashion show as I couldn't wait to see how the Cosmo fashion team led by Sairey Stemp had styled the latest must have high street pieces. The good news is that most of them are within my price range and can be added to my wish list. 

The event was held in the Battersea Evolution Marquee which was a stunning, spacious venue. It felt so glamorous that I imagined I was at a party with the cast of Made In Chelsea and funnily enough, some of them such as Lucy Watson and Stephanie Pratt actually attended the event but sadly I didn't bump into any famous faces. Before the show my friend and I enjoyed cocktails with Zubrowka vodka, a glass of prosecco and a Baileys Martini whilst soaking up the atmosphere. The queues for beauty treatments were quite long but we did visit the Ted Baker stand where my friend won a bag after finding a badge in a large box, reminiscent of the trial in 'I'm a Celebrity...' where you have to rummage through to find stars. 

The fashion show started at around 9 and there were so many inspiring looks on the catwalk but here is a round up of some of my favourites

Brand Alley City Slicker

70's Bohemian Hippy, Clockwise from top-left; asos, boohoo, H&M and next 

Luxe Modern Tailoring featuring Simply Be, Brand Alley, next, Evans, New Look and Missguided

Super Knits featuring from clockwise; River Island, missguided and asos

Swinging 60's featuring clockwise; Missguided, River Island, Simply Be and boohoo

The show was presented by the gorgeous Laura Whitmore and we were treated by a lively, entertaining performance from Connor Maynard who kept us all in high spirits

I decided to wear a mustard blouse from asos with a red PU skirt from Primark and Burgundy loafers from Office as I wanted to look classy and be comfortable

Review of Beau Bronz Soft Sun Self Tan for English Roses

I met Abi from Beau Bronz at the Bloggers Conference (see post here) last month. She was so friendly and chatty and I was intrigued by the products, especially the self tan for English roses as my skin is naturally quite pale so often needs a bit of a tan to make me look healthy. I love that the range is cruelty free, organic, natural and paraben free so there are no chemical nasties that upset the skin. I applied the self tan on two separate occasions using the Beau Bronz soft tanning mitt felt so velvety soft against my skin.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the results. I love the natural looking colour and the citrus smell which is much less biscuity than other self tan products I've tried. The formula is very luxurious but the density of the liquid makes it slightly difficult to get it out of the bottle and I found I had to really shake it up and squeeze the bottle to dispense the product. I think that a pump dispenser would be really useful or perhaps a squeezy bottle for ease of use. I also found that I had to spread the product evenly across the mitt with my fingers to get an even tan so maybe I'll try using gloves instead to apply it next time. I did have a bit of streaking on my neck and upper arm but that is more than likely due to my lack of expertise in applying it more than the product itself! I'm more used to thin tanning lotions or mousses so I think I just need to get some gloves and improve on my technique. My arms and face look naturally sun kissed and people have commented on how well I look so I would recommend it for the compliments alone! Professional spray tans using Beau Bronz products are also available in selected salons which I'd definitely like to try before a big event as it's always best to leave things to the experts! See the website for more information