David Koma at London Fashion Week

I’ve admired Georgian designer David Koma’s work since he first graduated from Central Saint Martins. I was excited to attend his London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 collection at Somerset House. Brightly coloured neoprene dresses fitted like a glove with stand-out pieces including a heavily Swarovski-embellished pencil skirt and crop top. I loved the approach but felt like the collection could use some more variety – there are only so many neoprene body-con pieces a girl can wear. The bright colours were great thought, and the styling was typically slick.

To Bob or not to Bob?

I love the idea of long, mermaid-like locks, but for some reason, whenever my hair reaches a certain length, I possess an all-encompassing desire to chop the whole lot off. I have no idea why. This fashion week, I explained my issue to the team at the TONI&GUY team. Every season, Toni and Guy set up camp in Somerset house, to attend to the tresses of journalists and bloggers. We learn about new products and try out some of the styles that the TONI&GUY team have been creating backstage for the London Fashion Week shows. It turns out that the ‘fake bob’ is a big trend and, they offered to show me how it was done.

After washing my hair with delicious-smelling shampoo and conditioner from the Label.m ‘Hair Therapy’ range, my stylist cut me a style with lots of layers – the perfect way to keep the length of my hair but giving it a new lease of life. She then added some protein cream and rough dried my hair. She paid more attention to the front, blow-drying it forwards before pushing it to the side, creating a fashionable low side parting.

When it was dry, she sprayed some Label.m Texturising Volume Spray into the roots and backcombed. Then came the creation of the fake bob. My stylist rolled the back of my hair under, securing it tightly with an array of kirby grips and wider pins. When she was sure it wasn’t going anywhere (the backcombing seriously helped) she started to pin the remaining sections under too. When the desired shape had been created, she started pulling a few sections out to make it look more natural.

The end result was so realistic, then when I texted my boyfriend to show him a photo, he thought I’d gone for the chop. He was relieved to find it was all a trick (it’s true, all the men I know prefer long locks!). TONI&GUY came through again, creating a look which made me feel great, even when running the gauntlet of ubiquitous street-snappers and hot young things outside the London Fashion Week tent.

www.labelm.com
www.toniandguy.com 

Preparing for the chop

The desired effect

Cut complete

I do still love it long!

The roll at the back formed the structure of the fake bob

The end result!

Realistic, no?

Still a bit tempted to do it for real...

Magic Wire: Triumph’s Service to Womankind

It gets to the end of the working day and you've got an exciting evening ahead of you. You’re going to a party at the Ham Yard Hotel, which you already know is a haven of gorgeous armchairs and linen walls. It’s all going to be wonderful. But something is wrong. Something is poking into your sides like a niggling buzzkiller. The pain is not inconsiderable, and promises to worsen. It’s your bra wires. Okay, maybe you didn't hand wash it like you were supposed to, but that is no reason for this kind of punishment. Taking the bra off is not an option, unless you want to scare the nice(ish) people of Soho with your exhausted, swinging baps. Painful as they are, those bra cups are the best place for them.

Fortunately, the party I was attending was for Triumph, celebrating a new product launch, ‘Magic Wire.’ Along with the ubiquitous foodie treats and wine, there was the promise of a bra fitting. Just the idea of removing my double-cupped torture garment made the tourist-laden walk from Piccadilly Circus tolerable.

The Triumph showcase was in a private suite and some gorgeous models of varying shapes and sizes showed off the latest collection. A deconstructed bra was on display, too. The new styles are completely wire-free. Support is offered by a silicon insert which, unlike metal, is completely flexible and comfortable to wear. It’s so flexible, in fact, that as Triumph’s head of product design demonstrated, you can actually tie it in a knot (a statement which immediately reminded me of the song ‘Can you tie them in a knot, can you tie them in a bow, can you wrap them round your neck like a smelly rotten egg,’ immature, I know).

All joking aside, this is an impressive invention. I was initially dubious about the level of support this silicon insert could offer – could it really rival metal? My doubts were laid to rest in the fitting. After casting my evil boulder holder to one side, I slipped on the new Triumph Contouring Sensation bra. Not only did it fit me like a glove, it was the softest things I had ever experienced. I learnt that was down to the ‘Lycra Beauty’ fabric it was made up of. It looked sexy, and felt it too. There was a slight gap between my boobs and rib cage (everyone knows a well-fitting bra should sit flush to your ribcage in the middle) but I was assured this was the correct fit for this style.

I went home a very happy girl indeed, with the bra in tow. To this moment I have no idea why I didn’t wear it home, but it made it all the more blissful the next day, and worked a treat under a T-shirt. I fully intend to buy the whole range and suggest you do too. The collection is reasonably priced (around £38 ish for a Magic Wire bra) but I would have happily parted with much more. But don’t put your prices up Triumph, with Magic Wire you have done a wonderful service to womankind. I salute you.

Mulberry Loves Wilderness!

Mulberry hosted an exclusive English picnic at Wilderness festival in Oxfordshire to celebrate the UK launch of the new Mulberry Cara Delevingne Collection. Celeb guests joined Cara inside the secret Walled Garden. 

Grease be Gone

You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning? At best, a bit groggy, at worst, zombie-like. Sometimes, your skin feels sticky and you don’t know why. You cleansed, toned and moisturised like a good girl the night before (or at least gave your face a quick swipe with a moisturising wipe when drunk) but after a night of sleep, it still feels a bit icky and greasy. I wasn’t sure why, or how to combat this feeling until I attended the Vichy event at the Ham Yard Hotel last month.

I had been looking forward to visiting the Ham Yard for a while (it came highly recommended by a particularly glamorous friend of mine) and it didn’t disappoint.

The instant I stepped inside, I realised I wanted to live there forever. Everything was pink! There were neon lights from God’s Own Junkyard! The chairs were upholstered with African-style prints in fluro brights! Safe to say I was excited.

Pushing my interior design enthusiasm to one side, I tried to focus on the real reason I was there: the launch of Vichy’s Normaderm Night Detox. Ham Yard has a built-in cinema (nice) and myself and Vichy’s other guests enjoyed a presentation as we sipped our drinks and munched popcorn.

In a nutshell, as you sleep, oily skin works harder than any other skin type. Sebum is overproduced, leaving you with that oil slick feeling in the morning. Your skin tries to renew itself, working twice as fast as it does during the day and already oily skin produces three times more sebum than normal skin types. Normaderm is powered by ‘revolutionary double-edged technology,’ tackling sebum with a potent combination of detoxifying and purifying ingredients. Eperuline, LHA, Salicylic Acid and Hepes mix with mattifying Perlite and absorbing powders to give you a smooth, matte complexion well into the day. The results are proven – 93% of women noticed an improvement in their skin’s quality.

During the day, I’ve been using Vichy’s ‘Global Anti-imperfection Hydrating Care’ moisturiser which is non comedogenic (won’t clog your pores) and paraben-free. I've found that the two products work incredibly well when used in tandem.

I was surprised at how effective Normaderm Night Detox was – I’m always overloading my skin with rich night creams and it has actually been a refreshing change to use a lighter option. Similarly, switching to a lighter day cream has really made a difference to my skin this summer – it has definitely felt less oily and greasy.

Back to the cinema: after we watched the Normaderm presentation, we were treated to a surprise viewing of film classic Grease! It was a fun end to a brilliant, informative evening.

www.vichy.co.uk

Ham Yard

Two of my favourite things: cocktails and skincare

Just in case there was any doubt

Gorge lamps

Note to self: paint zig-zags on walls

Tasty popcorn is a must for any cinematic experience, as Vichy well knows

The new Normaderm range, available at Boots

Skincare steps to success

My friend Olivia gets into the swing of things

Amaze chair

The presentation in the cinema

I went with the 3 in 1 cleanser - it makes a great mask

Grease in the word

Love the opening sequence to Grease with the Bee Gees!

Gorgeous Graffiti

I love working in Old Street for many reasons: Pret, Itsu and Pod being the big three. A close fourth is the amazing street art. I'm very much in love with this fabulous piece which is slowly emerging outside Village Underground. Not sure what it's for, but the highlight of gold makes my walks to and from work all the more pleasurable.

Facing Summer

I used to love it when my face got brown. First the bridge of my nose and under my eyes would turn pink and then go a soft fawny caramel in a couple of days. Did it make me look healthier? Yes. Was it harming my skin from a young age? Yes.

Now I know that natural tan = certain wrinkles, I am taking extra precautions on holiday this year. I’ve stocked up on factor 50 for my face (I’ve got tubes from Skinceuticals, Kiehls and Caudalie ready for the suitcase) and have turned to fake tan (in the shape of Xen Tan) to get a summer glow from a bottle this time. I’ve actually started using the SPF in Britain every day now, as you’re always reading about how those damaging rays can even penetrate heavy cloud. I’m not taking any chances. Here are the products I’m using:

Caudalie Soleil Divin SPF50
This fabulous moisturising formula makes your face feel velvety without any stickiness.

Kiehls Ultra Light Daily Defense SPF 50

Simply carry out your normal skincare regime and smear this cream over the top of your moisturiser (or use in instead, as I sometimes do). It's a bit sticky but I actually find this helps my foundation to cling better. I just finish off with a dusting of powder.

SkinCeuticals Ultra Facial Defense SPF 50

A high-protection sunscreen with a silky smooth consistency. It feels like a bonus skincare stage rather than a chore.