GUEST POST: The Body Shop and Melissa Diamantidi at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, London Fashion Week

If you've been on Twitter or Facebook over the past week, it would have been increasingly difficult not to have seen the #LFW hashtag or a London Fashion Week related Facebook post pop up on your feed by a number of beauty and fashion brands.

Unable to attend a show as a guest of The Body Shop, a quick call out on Twitter for somebody to take my place, caught the attention of Abbie, one of the bloggers behind fashion blog Becoming R.A.J.E, who stepped up to fill my shoes.

I'll be quiet now and hand over to Abbie - happy reading!

2012/2013 CoolBrands - How Cool Are YOU?

When you think of big name brands, who instantly spring to mind? Nike? Google? Apple?

CoolBrands is an annual initiative to identify and pay homage to the nation’s coolest brands. Since 2001 they have commissioned an independent survey of experts and consumers (that's the general public to you and I) to produce a yearly barometer of the coolest brands, people and places in Britain.

Illamasqua's Alex Box, Kiss FM's Rickie & Melvin, actor David Harewood, Plan B and even fashion blogger Suzie Bubble are just some of the 'chosen ones' on this year's Expert Council who have decided which brands are..well, cool! Check out the Expert Council in its entirety here.

Organised by The Centre for Brand Analysis, the prestigious CoolBrands list is devised from over 10,000 identified brands, which are then shortlisted down to to 1,200.

Anyway, enough of the facts and figures. I'm sure you just want to know which brands have been deemed the coolest in the UK. Well, without further ado...

Mizani Giveaway Winner

Thank you to all who entered my latest giveaway of Mizani hair goodies. The lucky winner is...

K-HART!

There's an email waiting in your inbox!

Another giveaway will be up during the week, so do visit back to check what it is.

Review: NEW! Lady Gaga Fame EDP

When news first leaked that flamboyant popster, Lady Gaga was set to release her own fragrance, the rumour mill went into overdrive and peaked at a ridiculous level of hysteria. Remember when we were spoon-fed by the media that it would contain real extracts of blood and semen?!

The reality of course, is that the long awaited fragrance features neither but clearly embodies the unique selling points which make Lady Gaga the successful artist she is. For a start,  Lady Gaga Fame is the first ever black EDP that sprays clear and becomes invisible once airborne. That alone caused me to stare at the bottle in amazement. A black perfume? How weird, yet cool is that?

Wish You Were Here! - SOFITEL MARRAKECH PALAIS IMPERIAL / SPA & LOUNGE

I've been lucky enough to have some pretty cool experiences, since starting Vex in the City over three years ago, however a trip I took a short while ago, has to be the icing on the cake so far.

Recently, I was whisked away to sunny North Africa - Morocco to be precise, where I a guest of luxury hotelier, Sofitel. This is going to one of those kind of blog posts where the pictures convey far more than my words probably will, so grab a drink, sit back and get ready to enjoy the view - literally.

Upon landing in sunny Marrakech, and after making my way through a rather tedious immigration check, I was ferried off to the Sofitel Marrakech Lounge & Spa which is only 15 mins from the airport for a grand tour by the hotel manager. One word to describe what I saw: breathtaking. From the sprawling hotel grounds, to the amazing pools and surrounding foilage and greenery, I felt as if I'd stepped onto the film set of SATC 2 - minus the awful script.

There are actually two hotels merged into one at this location; the Palais Imperial and the Lounge & Spa. The latter will better suit the traveller who's looking to pamper and relax themselves, whereas the Palais Imperial is more geared towards luxury business travel. Both hotels are beautifully decorated and the attention to detail is quite remarkable. One thing you'll notice is the smell which follows you round the hallways - each hotel has its own unique scent; the Palais is mint and the Spa & Lounge is subtle orange blossom.

In this instance, I'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

NEW! Lancome La Vie est Belle EDP

When I come across a perfume I love, I can't get enough of it and will use it day and night for days on end. This is exactly what's happened with Lancome's latest scent.

The I'mpossible Conversation + Mizani Giveaway

On Tuesday 11 September 2012, a pretty cool crowd will be descending upon the L'Oreal UK Headquarters. Sponsored by MIZANI, the fourth installment and autumn edition of The I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation sees another panel of successful black women take centre stage and share their inspirational stories of career success.

I attended the second event back in February, and left ready to take on the world, finding the stories shared both inspirational, moving and thoroughly engaging.

Founded in 2009 by Simone Bresi-Ando, The I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation has successfully created a platform to celebrate the success of women of colour here in the UK. Full details of the upcoming event can be found on the flyer below.

Check out the event which took place in June here: