Life that Sparkles | No comments:

As you all know I don't blog too often, and have been blogging for a few years now as a hobby because of my love for writing and fashion amongst some other of my interests such as my charity work and my day to day adventures and travels. My new year's resolution is to blog much more frequently as opposed to sporadic posts! The thing is I have about 20 drafted posts in my drafts section, which just sit there unread. Bizarre I know! Why don't I just post them? Here is one...late, VERY LATE I know but I thought to kick off the new year why not reflect and ...why not post it!  

***

Remember, remember the 5th of November... The night where people from around the world gather excitably shivering in their boots, clutching onto hot chocolates and swinging sparklers around whimsically in the air, gazing as fireworks rocket into the air concluding with a ginormous bang followed by shimmering sparkles and dazzling lights; I was unfortunately stuck at the hospital. SAY WHAAAAT? Nothing exciting, other than the fact I am having 5 teeth extracted...oh cute. I was sat awaiting my consultation with my surgeon, in regards to my wisdom teeth removal, an evening full of monotone x-rays and back and forth discussions. Not what you want to be doing on Bonfire Night.

HOWEVER...

My work colleague, friend and fellow eccentric, Helen, decided to throw a 'Fright Fire with Fajitas' night. To my amusement this was a mixture of a belated Halloween and fireworks night with well....fajitas. Ahhmazing. So...I sort of lost the memo in regards to costume...in fact being an absolute div I thought it was 'fight fire', yes it doesn't really make sense, but to be honest Helen doesn't always make sense so in reality I was like AH HELEN! So I went as....myself. Honestly though AREN'T I DARING?

....with the addition of my Miley buns...of course

 

Malificent & Aurora

My fave is the weird one in the middle... he is weird... I like weird

Aside to shotting apple sours, devouring fajita after fajita and picking at some devilishly delicious nachos, we all sashayed into the garden for some exciting fireworks and sparklers. I dare to say we had 'lift off'... the first firework went no higher than to clear the roof of the house and didn't actually do anything other than shoot off the ground. In fact it would be kind to say it went higher than the roof of the shed...as we all giggled at the hilarity the biggest anti-climax EVER, we then went on to set off the eagerly anticipated Catherine wheel. Ermm....about that...after nailing it to the fence using someones rather useless shoe, a pathetic excuse for a hammer, we all waited in anticipation. Helen was concerned about the close proximity of her newly planted shrubbery, except there really was no need due to it turning 2, maybe 3 times...stopping, starting, stopping, slowing....STOPPED! WORST CATHERINE WHEEL EVER. In hindsight, I genuinely think we enjoyed these fireworks far more than lets say an actual sky dazzler. As Charlie Chaplin once said: "A day without laughter, is a day wasted" and OH how we laughed!

Life that Sparkles

Sparklers Y'allllll

What I Wore (not that you can really see...):

 

Collared Blouse - Zara

Black Shift Dress - Primark

Black Cardigan - Michael Kors

Fur Gilet - Ebay

Kisses,

 

Bea {x}

FESTIVAL FASHION: Electric Daisy Carnival | No comments:

Festival season is well and truly off to a swing with many of the most popular festivals such as Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Tomorrowland, ULTRA, Coachella and EDC Las Vegas already seeming like a distant memory for some. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit any of the American festivals this year (which I intend to next year... I will be 21 by then OH YARR). As a keen festival-goer, I have had my fair share this year, with Kingsday in Amsterdam being a sublime kick off to my summer madness!

Festival fashion is definitely something I am very conscious of! Music is very influencial to present day fashions and styles, as we see a lot of 90s and 80s trends resurface, especially around festival season (summer), with house music currently influencing upcoming and present fashion trends. This season we can see the rise of the 'Rave Pattern' due to the ever-expanding house music genre. Therefore my outfit for EDC differs to the Boho Chic look I may adorn for a festival such as Glastonbury, which you automatically associate with folk fashions and a more Bohemian look. 

EDC is one of my favourite festivals, not only do they rake in some of the world's biggest DJs but there is a carnival full of rides, candy floss, giant flowers and what not (...absolute child right here). The production is the best I've seen with the most eclectic show of lasers, lights and fireworks! This year's venue boasted the world's biggest 360° LED show with a line up to match; including Avicii, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Route 94, Laidback Luke, Steve Angello and many many more..

The festival was hosted in Milton Keynes at the Milton Keynes Bowl. For all you Londoners that think it is an absolute trek (which it is), it aint all that bad y'all, as for £30 you can get a return coach from London Victoria straight to the venue which is easy as pie...nom nom nom. Even better so, you get to enter the festival through a side entrance meaning waaay smaller queues, and trust me, in that heat I WAS THANKFUL. Whilst there are still things that need improving, with EDC London not by any measures reaching the standards of the iconic EDC Las Vegas show, it was bloody fantastic and I had an absolute blast! If you are an Electric Dance Music fan I would highly recommend it and for those of you lucky enough to attend EDC Las Vegas this is what you're in for...

 

 

 

We were incredibly lucky with the weather this year (although my pictures don't give it justice) with temperatures soaring to 30°C and GOSH was it hot. Julia opted for a bikini top, bloody great idea, but OBVIOUSLY it didn't even cross my mind on one of the hottest days of the year so far.....................

 

I splashed out in Topshop a few days before, indulging in a vicar-necked crop top, a laced raincoat to shield me from the rain (which clearly didn't come in handy and still hasn't been worn...classic) and some khaki frilly socks. Oh how I love my frilly socks! A total bargain for £2 a pair...I bagged myself two pairs and whilst I was tempted to buy more I knew I was just being a total Knockoff Nigel (basically when you think you are saving money but just end up buying more than you need because it's cheap as chips). I whipped out the good old raving boots, comfier and more flattering than wellies, yet still durable enough to brave the mud. TOTAL LOVE.

 

P.S. Sorry Dolls! I took all the photos on my iPhone 5S an OBV they have all gone grainy :( There is no way I would ever take my DSLR to a festival so excuse the quality my darlings!

 

I picked up this bloomin marvelous backpack for a mere £9 in PRIMARK and my gosh has it served me well. Better so you can literally just shove it in the washing machine again and again! This is my Bargain Buy of the summer! TOTAL LOVE

I love to throw a peace sign when posing for a photograph which all my friends love to laugh at me for... known as the 'Bea Pose' modelled by my good friends Julia and Ollie....



I absolutely adore this flower crown from topshop! Different to my other Flower Crowns in the way that it slips on like a headband and ties underneath with pink ribbon. I wore it with hair 1/2 UP 1/2 DOWN. A great festival accessory - comfortable and affordable! £12 TOPSHOP

My friend AJ is one hell of an artist! Last year he painted our bodies for SW4 and it looked bloody amazing. You can imagine the bickering between 15 of us in one house we were all fighting against the clock and each other to get it done whilst getting ready. Whilst this is nothing to compare to last years work of art, we stumbled across a *PAINT ME* station where you could take as much neon paint as you wanted and cover yourself basically. There were no brushes or any other tools, so AJ had to improvise and trust me it was difficult... he did bloody well! Congrats my love!



Thanks EDC, you were great! Until next time.........

Avicii Headlined EDC UK and finished with his Number 1 hit "Wake Me Up" which was SO INSANE...the production was the best I have seen yet!!!

 

WHAT I WORE:

 

Daisy Denim High-Waisted Shorts - Missguided

Vicar-Neck Crop Top - Topshop

Khaki Frilly Socks - Topshop

Biker Boots (or as I like to call them my 'Raving Boots') - Topshop

Flower Crown - Topshop

Denim Wash Backpack - Primark £9 *MUST HAVE*

Comme des F***down Flatcap - Brian Lichtenberg (or copies found on ASOS and VICE)

 

Bea {x}

 

 

Follow The Sartorial Doll  

Instagram - @thesartorialdoll

Twitter - @sartorialdoll

Pinterest - The Sartorial Doll

LIKE The Sartorial Doll on FB here



OUT AND ABOUT: I said BRRRRR it's cold in here! | No comments:

After months, if not YEARS of wanting to visit London's Ice bar, I finally got to go! OH YARRR! With celebrations for my Friend Claudia's 23rd birthday taking place on the weekend, I thought I would book two places at the Ice Bar for an after-work, birthday treat slash surprise...Oh but of course it backfired when the website read FULLY BOOKED...however Claudia happened to be standing outside when I told her and so she went in and well, tada she got us tickets! Great minds think alike I say!

I am an extremely positive person, therefore even after being told repeatedly that the Below Zero venue is 'overrated', I decided to enter the experience completely open minded! Officially you only have to queue for 5 or so minutes, providing you don't turn up too early for your booking (I mean turning up 20-30 mins early is a bit excessive). Once you have shown your tickets, you literally have a metallic, blue (snazzy) jacket THROWN over you which has gloves attached by string. You are given a brief talk, and then well it's enter at your own peril and enjoy!

Priced at £16, you receive 1 drink which is redeemable inside once chosen from the menu - champagne is available at a £4 supplement; and well there's no poppin' bottles in here as due to the almost arctic temperatures you only get a 40 minute slot so drink up!

Is it actually made out of ice? YES IT IS ALL ICE, you drink from ice, sit on ice, stare at ice, eat ice...you name it, it is all ICE. Overall, it was a great #selfie hotspot and was an extremely enjoyable experience!

Where is it?
1-33 Heddon St, London W1B 4BN
020 7478 8910
Book online HERE

The Three Amigo's: Claudia, George, Bea

 

 

P.S. There is a 'waiting' seat for a friend in the bathroom...must be an Icelandic thing

What I wore:

 Tartan Skirt - L.O.V.E

Peter Pan Collar Shirt - American Apparel

Jumper - Warehouse

Fur - Ebay

Coat - Zara

Bea {x}