Pretty Much Everything: Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

Is there anything better than a glossy new fashion book? Taschen, in my opinion, publish the best ones. I adore the new Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin photography book. It’s packed full of amazing glossy fashion images and begs to be enjoyed on a lazy Sunday with a cup of tee and pack of Hobnobs. Don’t let the acres of slimline, tanned model flesh put you off; these pictures are simply too perfect not to have been airbrushed. The colours, the gloss, the glamour all hook you from page one. The sticker sheet made me gasp with joy and I’m framing the poster as soon as the stickers have found their natural homes. The cover is so gorgeous to look at that it would be a sin not to display it somewhere prominent. I found myself deliberately skipping pages so I could go back and ‘discover’ new pages. A must-buy for yourself or fashion-loving friends. 

MYZINE: A New Generation of E-Mags

I have always been a bit ‘E-Mag’ sceptic; I stare at a screen (at least) all day, so why would I choose to browse a magazine in that way too? Surely lying on bed with a big fat glossy is far more pleasing? It was only the recent launch of ‘MYZINE’ which made me more open minded. 

As well as flicking through print magazines, I do like looking at fashion blogs, but the time I lose skipping from blog-to-blog is scary; I slip into a big e-hole which can be tricky to escape. MYZINE seems to have the answer. Various fashion bloggers can create their own shoppable magazines and share them on MYZINE (as well as their own blogs and social media outlets). They simply submit content to MYZINE and the teams in-house designers will bring the bloggers’ ideas to life, taking on board any creative direction from the blogger. 

Unleash your inner fashionista and you could win £1000 in cash and have your own MYZINE published. To enter, simply send you favourite self-styled pics. For more details, visit: www.myzine.co.uk/competition. 

Will I cease all print magazine subscriptions? No, but I will definitely start dedicating more of my online time to looking at E-mags like MYZINE; there’s more than enough fashion content to go round and I don’t want to miss any of it! The fact you can shop from every article is both dangerous and compelling. 

www.myzine.co.uk

Go Large with Label.m Texturising Volume Spray

When it comes to hair, I firmly believe that bigger is better. Volume equals glamour and nothing makes me feel as confident as a bouncy blowdry or nicely backcombed bouffant. 

Label.m launched ‘Texturising Volume Spray’ at London Fashion Week, which may explain the number of ‘big hair’ shots snapped by street style photographers at the gates of Somerset House. The new product boasts the texturising benefits of backcombing with the hold of hairspray. 

Label.m promises their versatile, texturising spray will ‘take your hair to new heights’. I put it to the test, washing and rough drying my (slightly wavy) hair as normal before spraying it fairly haphazardly and ‘roughing it up’ with my fingers along the way. As well as smelling amazing, it instantly gave my hair more body and hold, creating a rocky, Kate Moss feel. 

I now keep it in my desk drawer – it’s a brilliant refresher for lank locks, especially before after-work drinks. 

Label.m Texturising Volume Spray 200ml, £12.50. Available in selected salons and online at www.labelm.com. 

One Elle of a Time

I went to an exclusive Percy & Reed product launch in the Elle office, mainly because I was curious about a new product launch, but also because I love a good office nosy! 

This was the first time the Elle beauty team had invited non-PRs-or-Elle-ites into the building, but after the success of their first event, I’m sure they will host more events like this. I was on my best behaviour: only two champagnes and I didn’t spill a drop. The Elle Beauty team talked us through the new Percy & Reed product, ‘Wonder Balm’.

Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm (£18 for 75ml) is like a primer for your hair. It gives more control and helps your style last longer. You use it before other styling products; I wash my hair, towel dry it and then apply it through my lengths and ends. It smells gorgeous and makes my hair feel thick and silky. I then dry my hair and apply my usual texturiser and hair spray. 

According to Adam Reed, this is a product that “makes your hair the best it can be.” Paul Percival is also a fan, explaining, “Wonder Balm helps to fill and seal the cuticle, giving you a perfect base to style the hair, whilst sealing the cuticle, locking out humidity and adding gloss and light volume.”

After hearing about this new Wonder product, we got our hair styled with it by Percy & Reed stylists. It looked wonderful but I didn’t think it would withstand the hair whipping it would get at Beyonce the following evening, so I ended up taking it out before I went to bed. I’m sure my fellow Tube-travellers were impressed with my High Barnet in any case. We also got some snaps in the famous ‘Elle Photobooth’ to remember our lovely styles. 

Percy & Reed are now on Instagram - follow percyandreedlookbook for hair inspiration and email your favourite styles over to east@percyandreed.com or hello@percyandreed.com. 

Burt’s Bees Shines and Glosses

100% natural beauty brand Burt’s Bees already have some fab tinted lip balms and shimmers, but they’re releasing glosses and shines in April, exclusive to John Lewis. 

Infused with botanical oils and beeswax, the colour range offers the same amazing, nourishing results which made me love the original Burt’s Bees lip balms. 

The (also 100% natural) shines are really glossy, taste yummy and don’t feel sticky. I love ‘Smooch’, a deep, plummy shade. The glosses are more lipstick-y and all share a light vanilla fragrance, jojoba esters and sunflower polyglycerides. I’m going to wearing peachy, shimmery ‘Sunny Day’ all summer long. In the meantime I’m into dusky pink ‘Autumn Haze’ with a bronzer to pep up my pale skin.  

burtsbees.co.uk

The New eBay

I was invited to the Rook and Raven gallery on London’s Rathbone Place to learn about the latest developments with eBay. Intriguing news, free breakfast and a very starry panel? I was there!

Essentially, eBay is enhancing its customer experience and harnessing its inspirational power into three platforms. There are similarities with Pinterest, but the main difference is the ease to purchase whatever you showcase or discover; the thrill of discovery makes this seductive and very dangerous for some (shopaholics like me). Did you know eBay sells 2880 handbags every day? 

Here are the new bits:

eBay Collections – handpick items from eBay and display them in groups or themes. 
Follow – be inspired by others!
eBay Today – an inspirational new homepage for shopping on email

According to Sarah Calcott, UK Senior Marketing Director, ‘Shoppers are in the driving seat like never before and rightly expect and experience that’s both fun and functional. That’s what eBay Collections is all about.’ 

The panel included Presenter Reggie Yates, Dannii Minogue, Kelly Hoppen MBE, Alex James, Susie Lau and Sasha Wilkins. They had some great thoughts about the new-look eBay and some interesting facts arose:

-Dannii Minogue owns a worm farm and collects chopsticks 
-Reggie has been buying houses since he was 18. He used to have 1000 pairs of trainers but felt so bad after a charity trip that he gave 600 pairs away!
-All of Alex’s boards feature wet wipes – festival essentials
-Kelly Hoppen MBE has a thing for kettle bells 

Susie Lau, in my opinion, had the most interesting views on the new platform:

‘We expect more from our e-commerce experience and I love stumbling onto things you never thought you would stumble on. It's a whole new experience for me as an eBay veteran.’

I love that her collection features packets of glitter. She has a great one called 'Tra La La' which was inspired by Meadham Kirchhoff. My kind of girl. 

www.ebay.co.uk 

Rainbow Eyes: Inspired by Chanel

Months have passed since the show but I’m still obsessing over this incredible Chanel Spring Summer 2014 catwalk make-up. Decided to have a go myself. I wanted to create something which was a bit more wearable (not hard!) that I could try for a party. Quite enjoyed the nails too; a good way to while away a quiet afternoon. Mmm nail art.  

I used this amazing Sephora palette! 

And a YSL black eyeliner. Got my eyebrows done at Benefit, Carnaby Street before embarking on this one! 

The nails were a few different shades by a few different brands - experiment!