DEBENHAMS PERSONAL SHOPPER EXPERIENCE

As you may know, on Saturday I was treated to a Personal Shopping Experience courtesy of Debenhams, to review their services on my blog. I was pretty overwhelmed to begin with that Debenhams had contacted little old me for my blog, so to be invited to do something like this was really nice. I headed on down to my local store in Preston on Saturday, where I was greeted by Rachel and Sophia, two of the Personal Shoppers, and shown into my own private dressing room which I had to myself for two hours. They talked me through the options (did I want a full consultation or did I want to go off and have a look round myself with help as and when required) and the kind of things they have to offer. Dan came along with me to take some snaps, and we were quickly offered drinks and made to feel really comfortable.

After I decided I would have a look round the store by myself, the two lovely ladies talked me through the procedure for the other option so that I could let you all know what goes on! In a full Personal Shop consultation, the staff would go through things like body shape, skin tone, eye colour, dress size etc, to work out what shapes and colours would suit you best, and work from there to find the perfect outfit for your needs. They also do men's suit fittings and personal shopping, so it would be a great idea to book for those men in your life as an alternative Christmas present!

The Preston Debenhams store has been newly renovated with the addition of some new brands, so I was eager to have a good rummage through the rails. I made my way to the young fashion section, with brands including Henry Holland, Oasis, Warehouse, Miss Selfridge and Fuse, and got stuck in! The mission given to me by the people over at Debenhams PR was to find the perfect party outfit, so not being the kind of person to do all out glam, I set about finding pieces I could take from day to night, that would be easy to dress up. 

I started off with some gorgeous dresses, and also picked up some skinny fit jeans to style with pretty blouses and dressy tops. As I said, when I go out, I would rather do smart casual, but I broke out of my comfort zone a little by going for a stunning floral length chiffon and lace dress from Miss Selfridge, which will now be my go to dress for the party season. I also opted for a blue brocade number from Warehouse, but after seeing how lovely the red dress looked in these pictures, I decided to return the green one and get the red one instead! The red Oasis shift with leopard cuffs is the kind of thing I can wear to work with tights, chunky boots and a cardigan, and then take through to night with a pair of heels and some statement jewellery. The fit is perfect and the colour is so lovely.I  can't believe I didn't take it first time round! I also picked up two pairs of Miss Selfridge skinny jeans, and two sheer blouses, great for a more relaxed party with a pair of killer heels and clutch bag. To finish off all looks I opted for a statement necklace (seen in the second image).

I was also offered complementary make up with Urban Decay, or brow work by Benefit, but after doing my make up so carefully that morning I decided to go against these, and with the money I had left headed over to the Chanel counter to pick up a lipstick! I went for a lovely rose pink shade to complement the clothing I had bought, and also got a Benefit blush in Dandelion.

I had a lovely day, and would like to thank Rachel and Sophia for all their help. Nothing was too much trouble, there were on hand if I needed any help and were always checking to see if I was okay or needed anything. I wouldn't hesitate to book an appointment myself again in the future, or even one for friends or family as a gift as I was so impressed with the service. Also thank you to the womenswear manager Shelley for all her help too. I was absolutely spoilt rotten with the experience and my voucher, so thanks Debenhams Preston and Gemma for asking me to get involved!