I've been working with three women selling makeup on a stand at the show. I was under no illusions and expected it to be hard work, and it was. But after my initial nerves on the first day, I really enjoyed myself. I wouldn’t class myself as a natural sales person (by any stretch of the imagination! lol) and its seriously far removed from my old day job. But I'm very much a people person and this suited me down to the ground.

I was impressed with the show itself, there where some fabulous stands and the catwalk show was very good. And of course it wasn’t a total hardship being surrounded by beautiful clothes and very beautiful women, hence the rather large poo-eating-grin which I’ve been sporting for the last few days! :o)

It was also a whole new experience for me to see things from the perspective of a supplier rather than a customer. And I do wonder how some bridal shops will keep going in the age of the internet. It costs thousands of pounds to have the tiniest of stands at the show, and if you intend to display a selection of dresses then a small stand won’t be anywhere near big enough. And that’s just paying for the floor space, everything else is an extra. Need a power point, why that’s £75 please. You want a light on your stand too? Well, that’s £150 please etc. etc. So the smaller shops need to make some serious sales just to cover the costs of being there. Yet time and again I saw brides-to-be trying on dress after dress until they found The Dress™, only to jot down the details in a notebook so they can order it direct from the manufacturer when they get home. Apparently having a copy made up in Asia or China is also pretty common practice these days.

Usually my sympathy would be with the bride, trying to contain the costs of a seriously expensive event. But now I'm not so sure.

I was also amazed to discover the incredible cheek of some people! Even though this was a bridal fair with a lovely happy atmosphere, I quickly discovered that if it wasn’t nailed down then it was likely to disappear. But what took the biscuit, was when a woman stole a display box off our stand and an hour later phoned up the N.E.C. event organisers to demand a refund because she’d been sold an empty box! Its so outrageous, its almost admirable.

I met some lovely people over the weekend, including two of the GMTV/Clothes Show presenters who were really approachable and totally down to earth. I've heard it said that those with real talent don't need a big ego because their achievements speak for themselves, and that was very much the case here.

And of course, I saw some absolutely gorgeous dresses. Not just the stunning wedding dresses which I was surprised to find made me feel rather broody at times. But also the outfits of many of the beautiful women visiting the show. And I'll definitely be treating myself to a few items from Charnos new collection which is just gorgeous, and very much in my favourite Myla stylie.

As for how I did? Well, each day my sales improved significantly and although I've still a heck of a long way to go, I’ll definitely be working at other shows over the next few months! Which should baffle even further my friends who don't know about Karol, as at the moment they don't know whether to be bemused or worried by my "sudden" affinity for makeup! :o)

And to answer your earlier question, the girls wear black smocks not white! ;o)