Behind the scenes: Courier Halloween Photo-Shoot

Directing our first photo-shoot was scary but oh so exciting! And not to mention it was halloween themed, my second favourite holiday (nothing to do with the fact my birthday is around this time)...

Our vision for the setting and look of the shoot was 'These girls are beautiful...but they will kill you.'

Each look had its own inspiration; A mix of black swan, urban vampire and Dracula's daughters.

Check out these behind the scenes shots and let us know what you think.

Directed & styled by: Bex Finney, Frances Stephenson and Amy O'Rourke 

Beauty & hair: Amy Macauley and Safiya Ahmed 

Photographer: Katie Dyer 

Models: Sara Macauley, Holly Suttle and Rachel Aspey 

*If you haven't checked already check out more from the photoshoot online*

Bex 

Diary of a Fashion Intern: Part III

As my third week comes to an end I've started to realise something: you need to really want this if you aspire to make it in this industry. I'm tired, I'm sick of returning clothes & I'm sick of soup but I've also had one of the best weeks of my life. Another week, another photo shoot. This time it was hands on & I really had to pull my weight.

While I don't think I've ever been happier it's a Friday (yes, I have had Katy Perry stuck in my head all day) I've learnt a lot this week. I think the more the fashion team & stylists get to know you the more they're going to trust you with the more challenging jobs. I was admittedly told by one of the lovely stylists, Chloe, 'It's hard to shine while you're stuck in the fashion cupboard' (to be honest it's hard to do anything in the fashion cupboard it's so full). But on a more positive note interning is the way you make contacts and network - the important thing when it comes to journalism. In the past three weeks I've managed to pick up five numbers from the Look team - & one of the stylists (Lucy, who I went on my New Look shoot with) is moving to Stylist Magazine which means if I ever find myself there I already have a contact. See how this is starting to work? The best advice they've given me is even if it's just a week or two snap up any interning or work experience you're offered - you don't want to be that girl who turned them down (yep, it's pretty cut throat).

Don't get me wrong, this isn't my attempt to put anyone off achieving their dreams & eliminate some of the masses of competition (joke serious) but this is the kind of invaluable tips & tricks the text books won't tell you. If you really have your heart set on a career in the fashion journalism industry my best advice (after pestering the life out of anyone in the office who will answer my questions) is: have a thick skin, people can be mean (especially girls) but don't take everything personally & most importantly be persistent - if you don't get a reply from your first application don't freak out, people are busy & easily forget to reply to e-mails...send it again!

Top: Amazing view from this week's shoot in Shoreditch

 Bottom Left: Working with this view isn't too bad I guess...

Bottom Right: A surprise parcel from my best friend Georgie - a framed copy of the first ever magazine I've worked on (there were a few tears)

Kathy xo

Life of a Jet setter (I wish); Iceland is Brrrilliant!

If you ever get the chance to take a short trip and have no idea where in the world you should go...GO TO ICELAND! With a population of only 321,857 people and a total area of 103,000 km this wee little country is quite simply exquisite. With some of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen the nature in Iceland is apparent at every turn. 

Here are some memories I took from my time here;

Grab your camera-the touristy bits:

After a night of numerous beers and too much spiced rum a trip to the world renowned Blue Lagoon Spa was just what the doctor ordered. 

The prospect of this spa is mind boggling-picture this; freezing winds and drizzling rain, me in a bathing suit standing at the edge of a 'hot' spring telling myself "It's said to be relaxing..." I just couldn't believe anything about this experience would be anything but painful. 

Alas I was wrong, I never wanted to leave this place! This man made lagoon is rich in minerals such as silica and sulphur and is said to contain magical healing powers.

We went as a group of 25 and got the comfort package, this included; entrance to the spa, use of bathrobe and towel, one free drink, a skin care voucher and volcanic or algae face scrub. 

The salts of the lagoon and the algae face mask left my skin feeling super soft and my mind and body oh so relaxed...ahhh.

I went to Iceland with a bunch of Brummies and lived

The Golden Circle tour was amazing, getting to see some of the most beautiful sites in Iceland and probably the world. 

The Greenhouse we visited is home to some of the best tomato soup I have ever tasted with tomatoes being grown for miles in this giant greenhouse.

We also got to see the majestic Gullfoss waterfall (Golden Waterfall) which was my personal favourite place we saw on the tour, it is breath taking! 

Other stops include the wonderful geysir which erupts every 10 minutes and boy when it does, wow!

Whale watching was a highlight of the trip, sometimes it can be hit or miss as to what you see but we were lucky and got to see an amazing array of magnificent mammals including a hump back whale, minke whale, dolphins and porpoise!

And last but not least the most beautiful, breath taking, amazing, wonderful, magical part of the trip; The Northern Lights or should I say Aurora Bourealis. 

Photographs could not capture the wonder of this amazing display, the colours going from electric green to pink and dancing in the sky. It was one of the most amazing sights I have ever got to see in my life and (as cheesy as it sounds) is a memory which I will treasure forever, especially as I got to share it with some amazing people including the gorgeous Mr Ryan Hodgins. 

Nightlife:

Bars here are buzzing and the staff are always up for a laugh! We became regulars at the English Pub (how cultural) mostly because of the spinning wheel; a game of luck where you can win nothing or everything...everything being 10 beers, which we won! 

Lebowkski bar was my ultimate fave, mostly because of the sign outside which read 

"If you are racist, homophobic, sexist or an asshole don't come in."

a nostalgic bar which captured the essence of old school America, pictures of pin up girls decorate the walls and again they have their own infamous spinning wheel (which we won, again).

Christmas:

I am the anti-grinch at christmas, annoyingly jolly wearing my gaudy christmas jumper with bells on (literally) with pride...I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!

You can imagine my excitement when I came across Santa's boots outside this quaint Icelandic christmas shop. They hand make most of their christmas decorations meaning you can get hold of something completely unique. Most of them are done in a classic christmas style; tin soldiers, Saint Nicolas and gingerbread men!

All is made complete by the Santa mail box outside so you can make sure your letter to Father Christmas is sent direct through santa mail!

The Fashion:

The icelandic folk are oh so fashionable and give us British a run for our money. 

The men in particular grabbed my attention with their vintage trends, most sporting flat caps, brief cases and fabulous facial hair. 

The city is filled with chic boutiques and hidden gems of vintage shops.

My fashion hot spots:

• Freebird
• Zack
• Nostalgia

Iceland, I love you.

Bex 

Diary of a Fashion Intern: Part II

This week has been ridiculously exciting. I'm all settled in, I know how to do all the basic intern requirements (returns, PR contacts, answer the phone, web links, making a cuppa etc) and this is when the exciting stuff starts. I experienced my first ever professional shoot. And yes, it was unbelievably amazing. You may have noticed Look often team up with brands to do promotional shoots & that is exactly what I was part of. New Look supplied the clothes & Look supplied the style. 

What beats a cheeky panorama shot? This is the amazing Shoreditch Studios - majorly fancy. 

Being the fashion assistant on set means getting there to meet suitcases & suitcases & suitcases (you get the idea) of clothes, shoes, accessories & pretty much everything else you can think of. Once unpacked & neatly arranged it's my job to steam the clothes & have them 100% shoot ready - this is undoubtedly where I come into my element, it has organisational freak written all over it.

Apart from that I get to shadow the stylist, who in this case was the love Lucy, & learn all her tips & tricks - it's the only way to learn in this business. Making things look chic & more expensive is what stylists are employed for. With a collaboration with the New Look team Lucy was easily able to do this & it was pretty amazing to watch develop right before my eyes. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing range of jewellery New Look had to offer this season at pretty damn reasonable prices - I've taken a few pictures (above) of my favourite bits which I'll be making a cheeky investment in this weekend. 

To top off the incredible day we were supplied with a Smeg full of unlimited drinks, coffee & tea whenever we wanted as well as a lovely Greek inspired lunch followed by salted caramel brownies....all for free. Now this is my kind of working environment.

I got to meet some really talented people on the shoot; the hairdresser had worked with Miranda Kerr & apparently she's lovely! The photographer was pretty inspirational & was supported by an amazing team. They worked so well with the two models (two lovely girls from Australia & Holland) & knew exactly how to achieve the shots they wanted.

At the end of the day we had a beautiful two page spread (TPS in the industry lingo - took me a while to understand...) which will be out in a few weeks. I would seriously recommend trying out a shoot if you're not sure where you're heading in the industry - it's really helped me in getting some direction & being able to talk to these experienced, talented people who have already made it is truly invaluable. 

lots of love,

Kathy x

The Topshop Mid-Season Sale Has Dropped...

The Topshop mid-season sale has undoubtedly brightened our week (Isn't it Friday yet?)! Okay, okay - we know it's all super summery stuff but that's no reason not to invest. After all we do have a summer every year & lets face it, when is a sheer cami not going to come in handy? It's the perfect piece for a last minute night out or drinks after work/uni. 

Here's our top 5 favourite pieces to help you on your way but remember to be quick, the Topshop sale doesn't stay on the shelves for long...

Pink Cami (there's other colours too!), £10 ~ link

Printed Maxi Dress, £18 (down from £48 - bargain) ~ link

Silver Statement Necklace, £11.55 ~ link

Tan & Black Heeled Sandals, £35 ~ link

Yellow Lace Bra, £13 ~ link

Alice & Grace x

Alice & Grace Love: Kiko Cosmetics

Always a fan of trying something new there's a definite new favourite beauty brand on the scene. When in Italy I discovered the brand Kiko which is a Milan based company with stores all over Italy & the rest of the continent. I was won over by their ridiculously good prices & their huge range of different products. 

I decided to try their creamy concealer which comes complete with a mirror making it easy to top up on the go (not that I've found I really need to). I'm not usually a fan of applying concealer with my fingers, I normally get a better effect with using a brush but this one was completely different. I went for the palest one (naturally) & found it works a treat for covering all kinds of blemishes. It's pretty heavy duty, which is what I need with my skin tone, but doesn't feel it. It's called their Full Coverage Concealer & it really does live up to the name. Retailing at £7.50 in the UK I'm definitely going to be sticking with my new found favourite. 

Sadly at the moment they only have two stores at the shopping malls Westfield in the UK but there will soon be one popping up at Oxford Circus which is a positive sign for their British expansion. In the mean time they do great delivery deals online which I'm definitely going to be making use of (They also have some pretty fantastic discounts there too). I can't wait to try their Purifying Scrub & Cerulean Blue Nail Polish!

Alice & Grace x

Diary of a Fashion Intern

So, I may or may not have mentioned I've just began a month interning in Look magazine's fashion department (It's not like I talk about it much or anything...). As my first week in the big bad fashion journalism world comes to an end I thought I'd share my experiences with you, you lucky lucky people. 

Unlike most fashion blogs I'm not going to just show you what I wore every day because really, you're probably not that interested & secondly I have to get up at 7 every morning & to be perfectly honest I really can't be bothered to start taking pictures of myself at that time. I want to tell you about what I've really experienced & what it's really like to be the lowest of the low on the fashion career ladder.

On my first day I turn up early, trying my best to make a good impression, to this awfully intimidating building that resembles The Devil Wears Prada a little too much for my liking. I'm left waiting for about thirty minutes & naturally I'm starting to freak out. This is obviously a bad omen isn't it? I should just get up & leave now shouldn't I? Coming to London & missing an entire month of my third & final year at university was a ridiculous idea Kathy, what on earth were you thinking?

Yes, this all went through my head within a short half an hour. Thankfully, I could not be more wrong. I have literally had one of the best weeks of my life & as cliche as it sounds I've learnt so much. Yes, there has been copious amounts of coffee involved (it's free though - IPC Media supply unlimited amounts for all their staff the little cuties) but it's been worth all the hard work. The view from the canteen (top right corner) is enough to make me want to go into work everyday. 

While me & my fellow three interns (Jaz, Megan & Hannah - who are adorable by the way) were majorly thrown in at the deep end, I was always expecting that. Being part of a team has made it so much easier though, ringing up a PR company for the first time can be a little bit daunting but now I wouldn't think twice about it (I'm a pro, naturally).  I've even been able to put together an online piece this week which will be published in the next few days, and yes I will be bombarding you with links. 

Despite having absolutely nothing to do with my journey to becoming a fashion journalist I've got to say experiencing Liberty's this week was a major highlight. I was sent to buy a leaving present for one of the team (Yep, major intern classic right there) & was given their press card...which means 20% off...and I was allowed to use it. Yes, you read right, I was allowed 20% in the most beautiful, fantastical, amazing store of all time. It was worth buying something for the carrier bag alone (That's me being drawn in my advertising once again, cringe).

Although I've pretty much lived off soup this week (Pret you lifesaver) & I don't think I've ever been this tired I have really been able to see the hard work that goes into a weekly magazine. I'm beginning to appreciate how much magazines rely upon their unpaid interns. Sample returns, chasing up photographers, showing models where to go, arguing with PR companies & freaking out when you accidentally barge into the editor (She wasn't impressed). It's all been part of an amazing week & I can't wait to do it all again (Although I am a little sick of soup).

Kathy x

Working Women: Part II

As you may have noticed we've been very busy at Alice & Grace lately with Bex (aka Grace) becoming Deputy Fashion Editor at The Courier & now we sadly must be parted for another month (queue the violins).

Now it's time for me to get into the working world & I'm off to be a Fashion Intern for Look Magazine in London. While this is ridiculously scary & yes I am, to put it politely, bricking it me & Bex promise to report on all our learnings in the big bad fashion journalism industry. Keep checking back for my Intern Diary blogposts where I'll be telling you all about my (hopefully) amazing & fun filled time in Landaaan (I promise that will be the first & last time I do that - I just needed to get it out of my system, I swear...).

& if any of you have any advice you'd like to share with us we would love to hear it!!

My favourite things about London...

Kathy x

Product of the Week

As you may have noticed we have a slight thing for nail varnish. It's such an easy way to stay on trend & add a little edge to your outfit in a cheap(ish) kind of way. 

Keen to experiment with texture this week I tried out Nails Inc Special Effects 3D glitter polish. Now I'm always a fan of something sparkly (I'm a bit like a magpie) but I wasn't too sure about having a heavy texture on my nails. However, after trying & testing this product I can say I'm officially converted to textured nails. While it's a little heavier than polish I'd normally wear I just love the effect it gives - I've even gone as far as pushing the boat out & putting it on my toes as well.

It's £12, which is a little more than I'd usually spend on a polish but I think it's worth it just this once. It's great for nights out though & perfect for the party season which is just around the corner. 

Anyone else tried the new textured polishes by Nails Inc?

Alice & Grace x