Thursday 24 May 2012

The Magic Big Boulder Upholder by Freya



For a long time now, the idea of wearing something strapless has been relegated to the drawer marked ‘Impossible and Nonsensical’ in my brain. All of the strapless bras I have encountered have sat feebly, atop my 34DD breasts. Everything jiggled around, seeming to giggle (or perhaps, ‘titter’ is more appropriate), “You think you can wear that strappy Roland Mouret number? You’ve got big boobies, lady it will never work.” The very idea that my big boys could be controlled by two nondescript, lightly padded cups has been pretty laughable to me as well as them. Entire days of tragedy/hilarity have been spent attempting to track something effective down. Even M&S, normally good for this sort of thing, let me down spectacularly. There was too much choice and not enough action. My friends, I am happy to report that those desperate days are gone. Initially unsure of the 3D-ness of it all (‘Boulder Holder’ sprang to mind), Freya’s ‘Deco’ strapless bra really does offer unrivalled support. It’s perfectly smooth and has ‘gripper elastic’ a terrifying-sounding, yet actually marvellous thing. Is it pretty? Hell no. It sits in the Spanx section of my underwear drawer (what I like to think of as the ‘Genius Section’). Does it work? Absolutely. I never thought I would report an evening of comfort in something strapless. I thought the term ‘strapless’ was synonymous with ‘hitching your bosom up all night long.’ 

This bra actually held me in place admirably and it was so comfortable that, for the first time ever, I will actually be using the straps included so I can wear it as a T-shirt bra during the day. It has a nude option too, ideal under a simple white tee or shirt. Gok Wan once said (and yes, I am quoting Gok) “A woman should have two types of underwear; Magic and Sexy.” Needless to say this falls into the former category. At the age of 27, I have finally unlocked that formidable section of my wardrobe deigned ‘unwearable’. The vintage Mouret is coming out, and so are the boob tubes. I will wear them for as long as is acceptable (35?), because now I can. Thank you Freya, you’ve done it again.


To experience more Freya amazingness, click here.

The Benefit Mascarathon


Benefit and Refuge have teamed up on ‘The MASCARATHON,’ a charity run from Scotland to London. Taking place from the 15th – 29th June 2012 the run will start at Edinburgh and stop off at Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Oxford, finishing in Spitalfields, London. Caroline Flack will be kicking off proceedings by running the first two miles in Edinburgh. Awesomely, there will be a mascara ‘baton’ that will be passed from runner-to-runner every two miles.

Every two miles that each of the MASCARATHON runners complete will mark the two women a week whose lives are lost because of domestic violence.

It’s a worthy cause ladies! For more information on how to get involved, visit www.mascarathon.co.uk

Friday 18 May 2012

Celebrity Fragrances; the Good, the Not-so-bad and the Downright Awful

 I have mixed feelings about celebrity fragrances in general. On the whole, I find them to be powdery, nondescript people-pleasers. If I find a nice one (see Madonna’s M) then I instantly panic; what if someone asks me what I’m wearing? Call me a scent snob if you like, but what if, instead of my usual ‘Narciso Rodriguez Her’ or ‘Prada Infusion D’Iris’ I have to say ‘A spritz of Madge.’ I suppose this is one to deal with further down the road. Firstly, the reviews.


The Good
According to the Perfume Store, Truth or Dare by Madonna ‘represents the dual forces that coexist in all of us.’ According to me, it smells really quite similar to Tom Ford’s Black Orchid. Similar, but in a tall white bottle with a more affordable price tag. It contains ‘carnal jasmine’ and yummy tuberose.

Truth or Dare by Madonna 30ml £25.00



The Not-so-bad


Oh I love the Kardashians. I love their glossy dark manes, I love their monosyllabic LA drawl, I love that they are able to convey more emotion in the flicker of an eyelid than most of us can with a furrowed brow. Now, I can confirm that I even quite like their scent. Heady, musky and yes, sexy, this is an evening fragrance that you won’t be afraid to spray with wild abandon.



The Downright Awful
Suffice to say, I do not have the ‘Bieber fever’. I have the opposite, whatever that is. Someone should have told him that copying a successful, non-celebrity fragrance (Mark Jacobs’ Lola, for the blind) will not necessarily result in a successful celebrity fragrance. Admittedly, I have not actually smelt this one, but I can imagine.

Justin Bieber Someday EDP 30ml £22.50


Tuesday 15 May 2012

A Chelsea Night Out



A newly avid viewer of Made in Chelsea and an enthusiastic early adopter of the lingo (yeah booiiiii!) I was excited to be invited to an evening of non-televisual Chelsea excitement. The evening began in Cocomaya, a place in which I enjoyed rye bread more delicious than any rye bread I had ever eaten before. 

We visited some amazing shops around Sloane square, Pavillion Road and Duke of York Square. There were so many cool places to see (I love Liz Earle and the massive Zara) but I particularly enjoyed Dodo, an amazing Italian jewellery shop boasting the most amazing interior design I had seen for a while.

The goody bag was tip-top and included a very grown up Yves Delorme candle, a KateSpade T-shirt and a particularly lovely shower gel by gorgeous perfumery Ormonde Jayne (I used to write about this brand at Harrods – it is majorly lovely).

After being driven around in tuk tuks (it is a hard life), we finished up in Gallery Mess, the Saatchi Gallery restaurant. We soaked up some bubbles, as you tend to in Chelsea and had some nibbles before returning to our North London digs. I’ll be back Chelsea, I’ll be back.







Monday 14 May 2012

Mavala - 182 Fresh Melon




The perfect finish to (fake) tanned summer hands? More interesting than nude, and prettier than orange, this sweet, soft shade is the exact colour of the inside of a honey dew melon. Tasty.

I love Mavala because their little bottles (5ml) allow me to feed my love of colour without feeling guilty about the amount of leftover nail varnish that sits on my shelves for years to follow.

Mavala, Fresh Melon 182, £3.50 from Beautybay.com 

Sunday 13 May 2012

Geranium Body Wash by Malin and Goetz

Used with a shower puff, this thick, unctuous gel formula foams up into a delicately scented lather which won’t a) leave you smelling too floral and b) can also be used by your boyfriend, should you so desire. If you want to make it last, tell your boyfriend to keep his hands off and leave some by the sink to be used as a hand wash instead. I love it.

Geranium Body Wash, £15.50 Space.N.K