Thursday 27 June 2013

Ta-wit-ta-who?



Just when I think I'm getting sick of Cara Delevingne , she comes back looking amazing and changes my mind. Employed by Mulberry for their Autumn Campaign, she looks sleek, sophisticated and beautiful. It's a great fit for Mulberry; the perfect mix of quirk and quintessential Britishness. And Cara's keen to design.! I'll be impressed if she comes up with anything even close to the beauty of the brand's blood leather cape (swoon).






View the full campaign at www.mulberry.com/thisseason

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Skin Perfection – the Skin and Laser Specialists

A stone’s throw away from Oxford Street lies luxurious Skin Perfection, a luxury ‘Advanced Skin and Laser Clinic’ (open since April) developed exclusively for women. Strictly ‘no boys allowed’, this glittering sanctuary of skin improvement is perfect for any woman looking to improve the overall look of her skin. There is an emphasis on remaining natural (no ‘stuck in a wind tunnel’ faces will emerge from Skin Perfection’s door) but making the most of what you’ve got. Skin Perfection offers a wide range of FDA approved non-surgical treatments. The state of the art technology is the best in the aesthetic industry, with Palomar's Starlux 500 and the famous updated version of Cynosures Elite Laser, "Cynosure MPX Elite'; sure to deliver powerful results , non invasively.
The staff at Skin Perfection are warm and welcoming; although your surroundings are glamorous, the atmosphere is the opposite of intimidating – you feel able to ask anything, very important given the importance of the subject matter (your face and body).
Ayse and her team previously practiced in London’s famous Harley Street. They wanted to bring the same concept and quality of service to a luxurious, accessible location, for women only. The staff at Skin Perfection are fully qualified to treat any number of skin complaints; stretchmarks, scarring, pigmentation, spots and broken veins being the tip of the iceberg. Whether you’re looking for forehead line obliteration (Allergan Botox) or gentler skin rejuvenation (micro-needling with DermaFrac) I have no doubt that there is a treatment to suit you at Skin Perfection.  Award-winning cosmeceutical product lines are also on offer and I am especially interesting in trying Epionce (unofficially a stronger version of Dermalogica).
Importantly, I felt immediately at ease in the Skin Perfection salon and I’m looking forward to my skin consultation. I’ll let you know how I get on and what kind of treatment I opt for and how I get on.
Skin Perfection offers free skin consultations. Call 0207 629 4116 or email info@theskinandlaserspecialists.co.uk to book your appointment.


Skin Perfection, 21/22 Great Castle Street 4th Floor, London, W1G 0HY









Sunday 23 June 2013

A Birthday Bonanza

It’s not so much the ageing that bothers me; more the stress of organisation. This year, at the tender age of 28, I decided, finally, to relax and just…let it happen. Balthazar, The Boundary, The Painted Lady, Pizzeria Pappagone,The Old Dairy, many delicious friends and several delicious cocktails helped me have the best birthday of my life.

Beautiful Sarah took me for a very special birthday brunch. I have been meaning to go to Balthazar again since I was 21; I had the most amazing dinner at the original New York branch. Now Balthazar has opened in Covent Garden, there’ll be no stopping me. The pastries (we got ‘Le Panier’, £15) were other-worldly – croissants, pain au chocolat and CHOCOLATE BREAD all featured. The Mimosa was a citrusy glug of divinity and the Eggs Royale was meltingly buttery; the best I've ever had. I thought I’d have to be rolled out of there, but somehow managed to leave with my dignity in tact. The waitress politely smiled at our ability to polish off all the pastries! Balthazar was chic and sophisticated with slick, excellent service; everything I remembered from the New York experience and more.


After a brief Zara whip-around (the Covent Garden branch is one of my favourites) I met up with my friend Gemma and hit Kate Spade and Opening Ceremony. I was very tempted to get the Kenzo Vans but resisted temptation. Avoiding the rain, we nipped into the National Portrait Gallery and the headed to my favourite London rooftop bar, the Boundary. I introduced Josie to the bread basket and she reciprocated with another delicious cocktail; something lemony and elderflowery this time, strong enough to forget specifics.



Then it was on to the Painted Lady, a retro styling salon on trendy Redchurch Street. I've had myriad manicures at the salon (very good ones at that) but I was keen to try their famous hair styling service. The people who work at the Painted Lady have a wonderful way of making you feel welcome and looked after straight away. I needed a coffee after the cocktail and they met that need. Even the cup and saucer were vintage. I’ve been trying my hand at victory rolls for ages, with varying degrees of disaster. Belinda explained that the key to perfect victory rolls was preparation. She painstakingly tonged every piece of my hair, pinning each section to my head to cool. Then it was on with the rolling – there was a bit of backcombing before to help each perfectly formed cylinder stay. About half a can of hairspray later and I had been fully transformed from modern gal to vintage vixen; it felt wonderful.






It was time for a quick spruce-up later and I donned my Vivien of Holloway dress before heading to fave restaurant Pappagone for a good old-fashioned Italian feed-up to line our stomachs for the night ahead. I opted for Linguine alle Vongole which, although delicious, was a little too spicy for my taste. The waiters make a big fuss of you if they get wind that it’s your birthday. I was ceremoniously presented with a suggestive banana arrangement, which I had to bite with my hands tied behind my back.




Our penultimate stop was The Old Dairy, a gorgeous pub on Crouch Hill. It’s a fun, lively place; one of my favourite London pubs. I was appointed a marvellous area for 25. Sometimes you can feel a bit ‘away from the action’ in private areas, but this one was situated right in the middle, conveniently close to the bar and the DJ booth. We all had a great time; the DJ played some great music and we danced until 1am when it closed.








Our final stop was Caipirinha on Highgate Hill, a great little club with live music, fab DJs and really, really cheap Jagerbombs. I’ll leave it at that.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Warehouse Summer Party

You might have noticed Warehouse Fashion recently, their ‘Dash for the Sun’ video (see below) was launched last month by cool London-based ad agency Man+Hatchet. It showcased the brand’s new summer dress range and the video marked something really different for the brand.




It was with interest, then, that we received an invitation from PR agency IPR to the Warehouse Summer party. Could change be afoot at Warehouse? Intrigued, we toddled off to the party last month.

Held in a super cool East London location, the Summer party was to launch the new campaign, ‘Style me if you Can’ - a chance for the fashion press to sample some of the ‘Warehouse Summer Style’.



Their ‘summer style’ definitely didn’t disappoint. We felt like we were at a trendy East London warehouse party rather than a fashion summer bash. It was slick; the traditional guestlist clipboard was ditched for an ipad and they invited a plethora of celebs (Millie Macintosh left just as we arrived). Food was provided by the hip burger joint, Meat Liquor. Cocktails were plentiful (and strong!) and it only took a few before we were dancing to a DJ set by B Traits and a live performance from A.M.E.







The music and the food were great. We particularly liked the pick ‘n’ mix stand and the DJ sets. We can't wait to see what Warehouse has in store for AW13. If the lookbook is anything to go by it will be fab; clean, simple shapes that scream Scandi cool. We wait with baited breath…

Monday 10 June 2013

The New Nose

Famous perfumer Karine Dubreuil has developed four new fragrances for L'Occitane; Jasmin & Bergamote, Magnolia & Mure, Vanille & Narcisse and Vert & Bigarade. My favourite is definitely the fresh 'day-to-night' Jasmin & Bergamote. You can try all four thanks to this sweet little set, which would also make a lovely gift. 



Thursday 6 June 2013

Eye Eye


I have been really boring with my make-up lately, so I thought I'd shake it up for my beloved NME bud, Jamie Fullerton's leaving do (he's gone to Shanghai to edit Time Out!). I used a range of different Mac and Inglot shades to complement my pastel H&M dress. My lilac nail colour is from the new Nars/Pierre Hardy collaboration. 



Monday 3 June 2013

Second Female

So I'm a little bit in love with Danish brand Second Female. I KNOW I have enough statement necklaces, but one more can't hurt, can it? Especially if it's neon and particularly amazing. It's begging to be worn with my fave Zara top and a pair of skinny jeans.Or indeed, any of the amazing jersey pieces here: www.secondfemale.dk.







Saturday 1 June 2013

Bloody Gray AW13 Press Day


I popped along to the Bloody Gray press day to see what I could see. It was held in the Sanderson Penthouse, a new favourite venue of mine. Bloody Gray represents some exciting new designers, here are just a few I had my beady eye on...


Ros Millar


Bas Kosters (loved the illustrative scarves)



Maria Piana


Knitted 'denim'! Quirky and original


Incredible leather work!




Nom nom



Bet Gaga wants a pair of these ponies







Raaaaaaaa!