24 Hours in Berlin

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited along to the launch of Braun's 'Breakfree' campaign with their new Global Beauty Ambassador, Jessica Alba in Berlin. I'd never been to Berlin before, so was super excited to see the city for the first time and honoured to be asked to attend alongside some of the world's leading beauty journalists.

The event saw Jessica announce her involvement with Braun and support of the Breakfree campaign, which aims to improve women's self-belief, confidence and self-esteem by encouraging other women to share positive messages via social media...

The campaign was particularly appealing to me because, working in social media, I see first hand how negative a space it can be at times. There's no denying the internet is an incredible platform for creativity and expressing yourself, but there is also a lot of negativity floating around and it's great to see an A List star collaborate with a huge global beauty brand to shine a light on this downside, and make the effort to make a change.

Whether it's making a concerted effort to compliment the women in your life in person, or tweeting a supportive message to someone who inspires you at a time when they are feeling low and insecure, the Breakfree movement is all about encouraging women to support and strengthen each other to feel confident in their day-to-day life. An undeniably positive message.

I also got the chance to have a quick chat to Jessica in person about her experience on social media (the good and the bad) She is breathtakingly beautiful in real life. If you think it's the magic of cinema making her look that good... it's not. She has incredible skin, beautiful hair and a fabulous figure to boot, but what was really refreshing about meeting her was the fact that she is actually really nice, and resoundingly 'normal'.

She spoke about her concerns being perceived as stupid, and not being taken seriously due to her perception as a sex symbol in her twenties, and how setting up her lifestyle company, The Honest Company, has helped her to combat these stereotypes.

She admitted that while she does get negative comments on her social platforms (she is surprisingly open on Twitter and Instagram, showing charming snippets of her family life) she finds it easy to ignore the negativity, and lets the positive sentiments shine through.

She comes across as being very humble. She values her family and credibility as an actress highly, but doesn't place too much value on perfecting her appearance, saying it 'could all be taken away in a split second, so it's what's on the inside that counts'. A very positive message.

I didn't get the chance to really explore Berlin, as we were only there for 24 hours, but what I did see was beautiful, and I'd definitely love to go back in the future!

Get involved with Braun's Breakfree campaign by tweeting someone a positive message using #breakfree on Twitter or Instagram. You can also follow them on Instagram for updates on the Breakfree Campaign.

This post is sponsored by Braun. All opinions are my own.