Last weekend the BFF and I took a trip to Birmingham to visit the Clothes Show Live. I've been in the past with the BF and felt so guilty about dragging him around (even though he said he didn't mind) that i decided to invite my BFF instead and have a proper 'girlie day' together. We see each other once a week for a pub quiz but what with our busy schedules (and lack of money!), it's not as easy for us to take shopping marathons anymore (our record so far is 9 hours in a shopping mall!).

After a 3 hour car journey we arrived at the Clothes show and awe'd and ahh'ed at the giant displays sheer volume of people. Companies such as Rimmel, Bary M and Modles Own were exhibiting and selling goody bags, with products that valued £30-£50 for just £10! (I've learned that if I'm going to the Clothes Show, I need to save up those pennies!)

As usual with the Clothes Show there were plenty of celebs performing, signing and even exhibiting their products!! Andy Jordan (below) from Made in Chelsea not only performed on stage and then spent the rest of the day selling items from his clothing range, 'Après'. 

In some way I think it's quite shallow that the celebrities are posing for photos if you purchase something, as it's almost encouraging you to buy something for the sake of it! With Andy Jordan's stall, this was definitely the case!! Bearing in mind that he retails a range of MENS clothing, the amount of young girls asking Andy (or AJ as his family call him) for help and spending £20-£40 on a mens tshirt just for a photo was embarrassing - and it was blindingly obvious too! I'm not slating the guy as I don't know him, but judging by the way he kept his fans waiting and turning his back on them, it seemed like he was loving the attention.

For my Birthday, my bf bought us tickets to see Wonder.Land at the National Theatre in London, just along the Southbank. If you know me then you'll know that I LOVE Alice in Wonderland. Seriously. I can't explain why exactly, but there's something about her that I adore and I was given strict instructions not to Google the show beforehand as he didn't want the surprise to be ruined.

The theatre itself was really confusing! I'd found out that the National Theatre has multiple theatres inside, a little bit like a cinema, so that a number of different performances can all take place at the same time. While the layout of the place was odd, it did mean that there was lots of room for Alice related displays and even a gift shop!

The play has received mixed reviews from critics online, but I actually found it really enjoyable. I think a lot of people may have been expecting a 'serious' performace that follows the classic 'Alice in Wonderland' storyline, but that certainly isn't what Wonder.Land was about, and if that's the kind of thing you're in to, well then I don't recommend you see this. Personally though, I really enjoyed the modern twist and I think you have to just take it for what it is.

The story follows a young girl called Aly, who is fed up with her life, jealous of her baby brother and, having to move to a new school after he parents separated, is being bullied. To escape from her problems she logs on to a mobile phone game/app called Wonder.Land, where she creates an Avatar (Alice) who is the complete opposite of her; blonde hair, tall, thin and pale skinned. There is only one rule in Wonder.Land... no malice! Aly becomes addicted to living in this virtual world and makes friends other Avatars, including Dee and Dum, the caterpillar and Dodo, who she discovers all have their own issues. Aly's problems worsen though, when her phone is confiscated by Ms Manxome, Aly's schoolteacher. Without her phone, Aly is devestated, but unbeknown to her, Ms Manxome takes over her Avatar and demands to rule over the kingdom, calling herself the Red Queen. When Aly finds out, she breaks into the school and catches Ms Manxome red handed, however by this point the Avatar has caused so much destruction in Wonder.Land that her account is close to being terminated by the Administrators. The Police are called and Aly looks guilty of breaking and entering, however Aly's dad reveals that Ms Manxome has been buying add-ons in the game with real money - Aly's money! She is then arrested for theft. Aly then decides that she's happy to close her Wonder.Land account as she has learned that she is happy being herself and that she can finally stand up for herself too.

Since photography wasn't allowed during the performance, the following pictures are from the National Theatre website:

I love Autumn - in fact I think it has to be my favourite of the four seasons! - but it's at this time of year that my lips start getting dry from the cold and my Vaseline tin becomes a staple in my handbag. I thought, however, that I would try something new, and that's when I saw that Rimmel had released a clear lip balm as part of the Kate Moss range.

If you can get past the earwax-yellow colour of the stick, it actually feels really smooth and smells really nice and fruity! Yes ok, it's a little more expensive than I'm used to paying for lip balm (I picked this one up from the Rimmel cabinet in Tesco for just over £5) but I get the feeling that this will last me quite a long time, considering it glides on so nicely without the need to smear it everywhere, and the convenient tube means I can apply it directly without getting greasy fingers or having to take off my gloves.

The fact that it is also SPF 15 means that it can be easily worn in the summer too, perhaps as a clear coat over your fave lipstick!

The November edition of Birchbox arrived on Friday and as usual I was really looking forward to opening it. I love that it arrives on a Friday because it really is the perfect end to the week. This month was a pastel blue and pink 'Skinny Dip' box,