Pre Destination Athens Preparation

After experiencing two seasons of London's women's and menswear fashion weeks, the time had come to broaden my horizons and experience what another country has to offer. I had a brief fashion fling for a weekend in Paris, but really wanted to embrace another fashion week and experience it first hand.

After being invited to Mercedes Benz Athens Xclusive Designers Week I decided to really learn more about the fashion style as well as uncover and experience life to the full in Greece's capital city. I was particularly drawn especially with the current crisis, and in the up coming weeks to leaving London was seriously thinking how it could possibly work with what the country is dealing with, and genuinely had no idea with what to expect. Whilst in Athens I would also be filming a new travel series which filled me even more with excitement, I would really discover the city and culture first hand.

Both of these new projects left me with a dilemma, one that came with a weight limit with a hefty price tag if I went over. Packing for a weekend away is a challenge in itself, but packing for a five day fashion week, and a travel show is another story... believe me! Every eventuality had to be contemplated, accessories, shoes, beauty products, hair styling... girls as you all know the list anyway can be endless . I had to be really strict with my packing and organise exactly what I needed and really limit my beloved beauty and styling products down to a minimum for suitcase space maximisation.

Considering the current weather conditions in the UK, my skin wasn't exactly prepped for the sun and hadn't seen much of it in recent weeks. Paris had been bitter and I was donned in anything that could cover as much skin as possible. I'd be going from -2 to 22 degrees so needed to look sun kissed, glowing, natural and quick! After umming and arrring I decided to hit the bottle. My fair white skin simply was not going to cut it with the bright colour block outfits I had picked out for filming. After being petrified about turning orange and looking like something out of Willy Wonka (believe me I have had some disasters over the years, especially with streaks) After a bit of researching, I decided to try out James Read tanning products. Not only was it the easiest product to apply, but it looked amazing! I normally would never so openly admit to tanning, but this is a secret that simply has to be shared. I used the liquid tan in medium, and it resulted in natural, healthy-looking colour without sun. Another added bonus was that it left my skin silky smooth and didn't have that awful biscuit smell that so many others leave on the skin which is always a huge give away. Its fascinating how something which makes such a subtle difference can give you such a large boost in confidence when you feel you look better.

Whilst filming I'm always having to ensure that my makeup looks flawless and one blessing of being in London is that the weather is cool and it doesn't mean smudging or it coming off as easily as it does in the sun. Here was my next mission! I wanted to look fresh faced but still have a bit of colour, seen as this was a week of firsts in many ways, it was only fair to try out a new lipstick. I decided to go with a bold lip colour which would compliment my newly bronzed look and look great in the Mediterranean sun. I tried Laura Mercier crème Smooth in Mango and fell in love instantly with its lustrous finish which lasted throughout the day!!! I was filming, eating, drinking and only needed to top up in the evenings before I went out resulting in the perfect pout. I've officially been converted to the lipstick pout!

With the outfits prepped and planned, my accessories teamed to perfection and my makeup bag ready for warmer lighting and climates, I was ready to hit Athens. Passport in hand I made my way to the airport with the biggest smile on my face ready for the week of filming and fashion to unfold.