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

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.

Kim Kardashian EDP 30ml £22.95

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

Truth Serum

It has been a while since I have written about a serum, and for good reason, I never had particularly good results with them. That, however, was before I discovered 111 Skin. With a scientifically tempting name, this oozy formula is scented like baby oil but don't let that innocent odour fool you. Applied overnight, this wonder product means you wake up looking smooth, refreshed and, dare I tentatively say it, younger.


About to hit the tender age of 27, it is time to 'ramp up' my skincare regime and I think this powerful night serum is the perfect place to start. The number on the price tag is alarming, but quite possibly worth paying. It has been developed by a plastic surgeon and space scientists!

111 Skin Y Theorem Nac y2Facelift Repair Serum £190 (30ml) Harrods

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.

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 

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

The Guess One to Watch Launch Party