Tuesday 31 August 2010

Scott Wilson on ASOS.com



I LOVE a good designer collaboration and was super excited to hear that Scott Wilson was doing one with ASOS.com. The pieces look lovely and chunky (right up my street) and are mostly gold-plated. I think the cuff and necklace pictured below are my favourites. The best part? Prices range from £35 (for a ring) and £135 (for the necklace pictured) so you could get the whole collection!

Here's a link to the loveliness: http://www.asos.com/Women/A-To-Z-Of-Brands/Scott-Wilson/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=8716


Monday 30 August 2010

Burberry-esque Goodies

I ordered this jacket from New Look for £39.99...And these boots from ASOS for £85.00...

But if I was a gazillionaire I would order these pieces from Burberry, the jacket is over 2K and the boots are close to a grand. Shame they're so mouth-wateringly delicious:





Friday 27 August 2010

TFL Irony



It's always pretty funny to see what Transport for London will think of next. In this case I took a trip on one of the 'spacious carriages' and couldn't quite believe the barefaced cheek of the signage claims. The hilarity continued when the announcer assured us that there was a 'good service on all London Undergound lines' after I had had to wait for three trains to pass previously - they were too busy for me to get on. Hardly what constitutes a 'good service' in my book.

Thursday 26 August 2010

Alexa Parties in Singapore

I have yet to find a luxury company that throws a bash quite as well as Mulberry does and their latest soiree didn’t disappoint in the party stakes. It was a fashion installation held yesterday at the glam Tanjong Beach Club in Singapore.

Guests were driven to the venue in London cabs, a quirky touch which seems to suit this quintessentially British label perfectly. I personally fantasise about the day when hailing a cab is a decision as simple as blinking. To do away with the hideousness of riding bendy night buses is something to dream of. Anyway, I digress. The lucky guests celebrated the autumn/winter ’10 collection by supping prosecco and margarita cocktails amongst my favourite glittery leopards and gold rose curtains hung from the trees. They munched prawn cocktails, mini fish and chips, mini burgers and desert included mini lemon meringue pies (yum!) and experienced Alexamania; mini Alexa cupcakes with little edible Alexa bags on top. The girl of the moment also DJ-ed (is there anything she isn’t good at?!)


Alexa cake!
Alexa cakes!
Alexa DJs!


Alexa looks cool

Russian Nails!


I had a mani/pedi in Kaliningrad, Russia. A current nail trend there is to have long, artificial highly pointed talons, the more unnatural-looking the better. Unsurprisingly I forewent this look in favour of something a little more subtle and girly. I have since tried to recreate but am having limited success (one hand is good, the other decidedly dodgy). My toenails are still pretty much intact - over two weeks later!







Tuesday 24 August 2010

Make Up on the Move: Part 1

For most of us the temptation of spending more time in the sack is far more appealing more lengthy make-up application!

This fact would explain the increasing number of women choosing to do their faces during their commute to work. There’s no road too bumpy, no maneuver too sudden for us mobile make-up artists. Blearily we go, one stroke of mascara applied to each sleepy eye. Occasionally our ‘laziness’ is met with a derivative glance but I think it requires far more skill to apply make-up on the go than it does to do it from your dressing table. Never be ashamed.

In this mini-series I will be offering advice to everyone who thinks beauty sleep is more important than maintaining an ‘I look good all the time, no really!’ illusion.

To start with, let’s talk preparation:

Many cringe at the idea of leaving the house with a completely bare face (I surely do!) so getting the basics right before you embark on your journey is paramount. Here’s what to do when you wake up:

-Cleanse your face however you wish – in the shower to save time if you prefer!

-Apply a multi-tasking moisturizer

-Prime those eyelids

-Get an even base on and use some concealer if you need it

-Get glowing with something shimmery on your cheekbones, temples and under the eyes

-Define cheekbones and temples with some natural-looking bronzer

-Curl your eyelashes

-Remember to take the rest of the make-up you’ll need to complete your look en-route and be sure to include some anti-bacterial hand wipes in your kit

Product Suggestions:

(1) Balm Balm’s Organic Rose Face Balm is lovely and can be used as a cleanser, a lip balm, an exfoliator (when mixed with salt) and even a split-end hair tamer.

(2) Bremenn’s 6-in-1 Cream is a wrinkle cream, a firming cream, a smoothing cream, a toning cream, a brightening cream and a moisturizer! It’s amazing! www.harveynichols.co.uk

(3) I like Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray at the moment – great for preparing the under-eyes for concealer and the lids for liner and colour

(4) Lush’s new Colour Supplements are a good option as they can be used as foundations, tinted moisturizer (when mixed with a bit of moisturizer) and concealer too.

(5) Oskia’s Get Up and Glow is lovely and really makes you look healthier (and a bit less tired!)

(6) I use Mac Mineralize in Medium Dark or Medium Deep depending how tanned I want to be that day www.maccosmetics.com

(7) Shu Uemura’s metal curlers continue to be a popular choice.

(8) Halo Hygenic Hand Wipes are fab

Look out for Part 2 when we’ll apply on-the-go!





Monday 9 August 2010

Get Some Get Up and Glow


Okay am back from Russia – it was so amazing, plenty of pics and diary entries to follow! Unfortunately my skin did not react well to the vodka/food/weather/late nights/flying back and seems to have erupted into a grey, greasy (yet dull), spotty mess.

Fortunately I just discovered this new wonder product, Oskia Get Up and Glow. It’s a lightweight moisturizer/glow-enhancer which has been developed by make-up artist Nadira V Persaud.

Nadira says: “Oskia Get Up & Glow achieves an enviable radiance to skin, highlighting the complexion so naturally skin appears more youthful. The weightless gel consistency and pure nature of this product means it can be worn alone or under foundation to accentuate contours comfortably. It’s a delicate, yet trustworthy ‘booster, therefore, the perfect ‘pep’ from day to evening, office to party and after party! When used as part of a daily routine, before or after moisturizer, Get Up & Glow soothes and treats skin so kindly it diffuses redness, which is most useful under hot studio lights”.

I’m putting it on after washing my face (as a moisturizer) then putting foundation where I need it (most places at the moment!). I’m keeping it in my bag and patting some onto my cheekbones and under my eyes to add radiance later in the day. It smells gorgeous and gives even the most zombified face a more alive-look – it costs £64.30 for 30ml - I recommend!

All OSKIA products are free from artificial chemicals and fragrances, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, silicones, DEA, TEA and sulphates.

All OSKIA products are available at Liberty’s 0207 734 1234.