I have been bubbling with productive energy ever since I attended Marie Claire UK’s inspirational event @WORKLIVE which took place at Altitude 360, Millibank Towers in London. It was held on 23rd April with the objective of offering practical advice, motivational talks and hands-on workshops to career-oriented women. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and felt that the experience was worth every penny I spent (given that it was a paid event).
Unfortunately, I missed the opening address since I was running late travelling from Coventry to Millibank Towers. But I did attend the second session “How To Negotiate For Success In A Changing Work Climate” and that kickstarted the series of awesome experiences I enjoyed that day. One of the most memorable talks was “DreamDareCreate: From Blog To Business”, which I found to be especially relevant vis-a-vis my career and growth plans. A panel of profit-making bloggers including Rosie Llewellyn, Caroline Hirons, Fritha Strickland and Jen Stanbrook offered many tips and advice which I penned down eagerly; I will sit down and ponder upon them at the earliest opportunity.
One regret I harbour is that I was unable to attend the talk on personal branding by Linzi Boyd. Being a fashion blogger and entrepreneur myself, learning how to create a unique identity and social media following would have been great. But I take solace in the fact that I can buy her book Brand Famous: How To Get Everyone Talking About Your Business and stock up on some tricks of the trade; I heard great reviews of it here. I also heard a lot of buzz about the “Treatment Area” on the 28th Floor and was soon headed there. This was a super cool zone where numerous beauty treatments were being offered. I got a head massage from Elemis, a mini facial from Murad, a face workout with Facial GYM and hand massage from Neal Yard. Oh what fun it was; A little bit of pampering in the middle of exciting workshops!
And excited I was when I got to witness a session called “Inspirations” where the likes of Karen Blackett OBE and Sophie Kinsella gave some really enlightening yet entertaining speeches. But I must say, what was perhaps most useful for me was the session on “How To Avoid Burnout & Change Your Working Style”. I find myself constantly juggling responsibilities of my regular job with my passion i.e. FashionForRoyals and a host of family commitments as well. And sometimes, things seem to get unmanageable. For those moments, the stress management hacks offered by Kate Franklin from White & Lime will certainly come in handy. The very practical advice she put forth was really helpful for all working professionals present there and I certainly learnt a lot from it.
But the best part of this extended learning experience was when the focus turned to fashion. I couldn’t resist attending the “Next Style Lounge: Buy It Once, Buy It Right PLUS Create A Signature Look” where Marie Claire stylists updated the audience on the trending must-haves for this season. I also found myself gravitating towards the Afternoon Breakout Session “Beauty Hacks: Hair & Make-Up – Shortcuts From The Experts”. Oh, who am I kidding? I just had to attend. They had a panel of fashion bigwigs like Marie Claire’s very own Beauty & Style Director Lisa Oxenham, international make-up artist, SJ Froom, from bareMinerals and several others giving us tips. They used live models to demonstrate really useful skills such as getting ready for office in 10 minutes, how to make your makeup last all day – you get the idea. The session was really great, no wonder it ran over time; they had so much to share!
Finally, the event drew to a close with a closing address by Isy Suttie who wowed the audience with her incredible sense of humour and unique charm. And the icing on the cake was the goodie bag Marie Claire presented all attendees with at the end of the event. It has a lot of product samples from various brands and I can’t wait to try them all! All I can say is that this @WORK LIVE Event was a brilliant experience, especially for an ambitious working woman like me!
Stay tuned for more updates on my fashion experiences!
