Nails of the day - the half moon manicure

For a while now I've been wanting to try the half-moon mani, but I never got round to looking up the tricks to make it possible at home.

Last week however, I was browsing nail posts over at The Beauty Department and stumbled across the the exact tutorial I'd been meaning to find for ages - how to do a half-moon manicure at home, without breaking the bank.

I decided to stick to the same colour scheme as our LC did - I thought my Chanel Graphite would look great with Mavala Elle, but couldn't resist the opportunity to use my Blue Satin (any excuse).

Paint combinations onto paper to
choose your colours

Paint the full nail with your
chosen crescent shade

Apply the stickers to each finger
& add a coat of your second colour

Carefully remove the stickers,
et voila!

It's still a little fiddly, and easier said than done getting the reinforcement stickers at the same height on each nail, but overall I like the effect and the technique is easier than you'd think from looking at it.

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New Shoes - Kurt Geiger Winston's

Last month I found myself in a pretty unique situation - I had an afternoon ticket to the very first Vogue Festival (which I WILL finish writing up soon, I promise), my favourite ankle-booties were out of action, and there had been a thunder storm almost every day for a week.

When faced with the question, then, of what to wear, I was getting pretty nervous. I try to steer clear of an unplanned purchase but it seemed unavoidable. There I was, on Wednesday lunchtime, t minus 48 hours, scouring the internet for a pair of weather-appropriate, Vogue Fest-friendly, killer ankle boots. I suddenly remembered a KG by Kurt Geiger pair I had lusted after months ago but just hadn't been able to part with the cash for, having already splashed out on a pair of suede NW3 wedge ankle boots for the season. I then also remembered that KG were in the middle of mid-season sale.

Friend & colleague Sasha also now has a pair, so we can both
look super-hot stomping around the office in these bad boys..

Despite the whopping 66% markdown (priced down from £180 to a pretty special £59), I still felt guilty about my purchase. These are extraordinary times, needing winter-boots in almost-summer, and I had a nagging feeling by the time the chance came to get any proper wear out of them, I wouldn't be so in love with them anymore. How wrong can one girl be? They've adorned my feet every single day (apart from the odd Saturday stroll to the shops, or the day I was sick so didn't leave the house), and until the weather picks up I can't imagine wearing anything else (I do usually try to change things up a little, but I'd rather have cosy feet than showcase my entire shoe collection each week, thanks very much).

The heel height makes them acceptable for work, the hidden platform keeps them comfortable and the track-sole detail makes them a breeze in adverse weather.  Moral of the story - don't always listen to that nagging voice inside your head - if I had, I'd have pretty soggy feet right now..

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"I've never seen so much food on one table"

The table laden with treats

This weekend, my lovely brother allowed his equally lovely girlfriend to host a Tapas party at the house he shares with friends just down the road in New Cross. The idea was this: everyone brings at least one dish, sweet or savoury, to add to the delights that had already been created.

Arriving late, there was nothing for us to do but add our Chorizo bean salad to the already full table, open our bottles of bubbly, grab a plate and dig in!

On the menu was Amelia's Sweet Potato Surprise, Phil's Hot Sausage, greek salad, pesto pasta with avocado, rosemary potatoes, asparagus twists, mozzarella & tomato sticks, plus cured meats, olives, anchovies, hummous & ciabatta - and probably a load more things I just can't remember. For dessert, there was plum clafoutis, banana & fudge cake, pear & almond cake, and Hummingbird's raspberry brownie cheesecake. As if this wasn't enough, everything had been labelled with hilarious names, like "shrivelled by the sun tomatos"and my personal favourite - "Christ on a bike, what is this thing?!"

Thanks so much to Amelia for organising everything, and thanks to Phil, Peder & Belinda for letting us invade their house for the evening - I hope you throw another one soon!

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The London Particular

Hello weekend

My favourite breakfast destination is practically right on my doorstep, making it the ideal location for  brunch with friends on a rainy Saturday morning.

Homely touches 

The London Particular popped up during my brief 18-month hiatus from residing in New Cross, & to me, represents how even the most underestimated places can provide a hidden gem. Serving the most incredible breakfasts, brunches, lunches, cakes & dinners, The Particular serves fresh food made from ingredients sourced from local independent suppliers.

The Particular's brunch bowl should leave you more
than satisfied

I usually can't tear myself away from their incredible sweet-potato & leek cakes, but after a serious case of food-envy on my last visit, this time ordered their Brunch Bowl - a plate of their homemade baked beans (haricots and ham hock in an incredibly rich tomato sauce), sausages, spinach, mushroom, tomato, sourdough toast...& I plumped for the optional extra of a soft-boiled egg - for £7.50, you can't really argue with them, can you?

Banana & berry loaf

If you think the brunch bowl might be a little much, they also offer a range of smaller, sweet breakfasts - homemade brioche (berry or chocolate), granola, and banana loaf served with yoghurt. To be honest I'd happily set up camp there for a full day, as I'm always too full to try everything that takes my fancy.

Delicious looking macarons

The kitchen team just finished a temporary residency at Little Portland Street bar The Social, and was received with rapturous applause. Unfortunately that's now long been over, so if you want to sample The Particular's delights you've got no choice but to hop on the Overground & join us in SE14.

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Mid-week Prosecco

On Wednesday night, to celebrate the end of the labour-of-love that is press-day, we were treated to a post-work glass of prosecco and an inter-department love-in.

The marketing department's stash of goodies

 The tipple in question was La Marca Treviso extra-dry (although, being a prosecco, it's still rather sweet). It has delicious notes of honeyed melon and citrus fruits, and is definitely the most coiffable of any Prosecco I've tasted with this price tag (it's currently on offer at £8.99 from Majestic Wine, but usually retails at £11.99).

Can we make every Wednesday Prosecco Wednesday?

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Vogue Festival Round-up Part 1 - Dolce & Gabbana

Stefano & Domenico before taking to the stage at Vogue Fest

Last Friday I was lucky enough to bag myself an afternoon ticket to the first ever Vogue Festival (see this post for an overview).

First on the agenda for the afternoon was Alexandra Shulman herself in conversation with Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana. I had little idea what to expect - the conversation was untitled (the only event in the two-day programme to not give away at least a small hint of what was to come) & the pair are known for being a little - shall we say - spontaneous.

All was revealed, however, when we entered the theatre at the Royal Geographic Society to find a small concertina of post-cards on our seats, featuring the words Amore, Famiglia & Italianità. 

Here's the eponymous pair on the three things that make up all that is Dolce & Gabbana - Love, Family & that all important Italian Spirit, plus a few other things Alex Shulman got them to spill the beans on:

Famiglia

Dolce & Gabbana is not a job. They didn’t want to become rich, or famous, they say – “it is about love. We love to work, and to work with these people. It’s a family”

Amore

Love, for ever profound Domenico, is energy, power - “around the world”. He spoke about the 27 years for which the pair have worked together, that to constantly make something new, something with a positive energy, through the bad as well as the good, is hard. Stefano then told how many people are jealous of the way in which they began the company, and of the fact that just because they are no longer a couple in the romantic sense, doesn't mean they have to cease being a couple in every other sense too.

Italianità

Domenico talked a lot about how Italy is their DNA, their inspiration for everything, how family is very important to everyone in italy, and this is our ambition about life – they love families, they want to share a sense of love & togetherness with each other, with their employees, with the world.

Cutting their D&G label, despite it’s commercial success

D – It creates confusion.

S – For us, a big label has only one symbol. Chanel, Gucci…there is no reason for us to have both. D&G is the symbol of Dolce & Gabbana. People Called us crazy, because it made a lot of money, but this is what we need.

Each other

S – We are a family. We are in love in a different way to before, but still in love. We are family.

D – We have a better level of understanding of eachother, now we are separate..we have a better tolerance.

Madonna

D – She is a woman – she is mature, she is a mother – to us, she is one of only two or three real icons. She is one woman.

S – She is every woman.

Dolce - "for me, it is my religion - all that exists. Fashion - & Pasta."

For Dolce & Gabbana, there is nothing else in the world other than fashion – everything runs into it, and everything stems from it. When, inevitably, the pair step down from the creative helm of the business, how will the brand continue to survive without this infallible driving force behind it?

More Vogue Fest to follow soon, including Mary Portas & Pixie Geldoff on whether fashion has an age limit, plus Stella McCartney interviewed by long-time BFF & Oscar nominee Kate Hudson.

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Nails of the day

This week I'm trying to convince myself it really is springtime (as much as the weather wants me to believe otherwise) by painting my nails with Chanel's Le Vernis in June. 


The most summery of their newest colours for SS12, June is a punchy-yet-pastel orange shade, which will take you right through spring up until the end of summer.

Chanel's Trio for Spring - (L-R) April, June, May

Being a strict devotee to the dark side when it comes to nail colour (Nails Inc Black Taxi, OPI Give me Moor! & Chanel Blue Satin are my favourite and most used shades), I find it hard to choose tones that are suitable for the warmer months but don't make me feel like a 7-year-old every time I catch sight of my hands..enter, then, June, in all it's subtle-yet-bright, grown-up-colour glory - I was so surprised by how much I loved it I think I wore it non-stop for three weeks (maybe even four). Whilst still being bright, it never 'doesn't look right' with an outfit, and nails look fresh and bright without being showy. What more could you ask from a nail colour?

I've since found a few more brightly-coloured shades I'm enjoying (shock horror) and will be sure to post about them soon.

What are your favourite Spring nail polish shades?

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Today I'm mostly listening to...

...Every Night I Say A Prayer by Little Boots

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Revlon's new Lip Butters

Whilst on a lunch-hour trip around Boots (as I often find myself, on the way back from pret-a-manger, sandwich in hand) I remembered Sali Hughes ' recent recommendation (albeit very small, nestled right at the end of her Spring Looks video) of Revlon's new lip butters.

I'm not usually a fan of lip butters, in the broad sense - wishy washy in colour and sticky in substance, I prefer my lip colour high-octane and to stay put. That said, if I trust anybody's opinions it's Sali's, and the fact that these were made by a cosmetic, rather than skincare, brand suggested to me they'd be more of a caring lip colour than a tinted lip balm.

After covering my hand in ever possible colour sample, I finally decided on 045 - Cotton Candy, a light pink shade. I thought it would be perfect for spring, on days when I want to add a little colour to my face without having to commit to a full-on lipstick. I tried it as soon as I got home and I have to say, I'm hugely impressed...the colour goes on easily, and feels like a nourishing lipstick, not a gloss or balm, as I had feared. The colour lasts well for this type of product, and my face looked fresh. Perfect for Spring!

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Today I'm mostly listening to...

...The Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire

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Chocolate Salted Sponge

Sweet-yet-salty is quite the cuisine trend du jour (I'm sure you're all familiar with Nigella Lawson and her salted caramel), but it's more than just a fad - using salted butter in this cake helps to bring out the cocoa flavour, giving a cake with an intense, rather than sickly, chocolate flavour.

I first made this cake as a Valentine's present, hence the heart shape, but it works spectacularly well as a triple-layer celebration cake - just add on half the ingredients again to make three sponges and a third more buttercream. 

Ingredients

For the sponge:

175 caster sugar

175g salted butter (room temperature)

3 eggs

175g self-raising flour

2tbsp cocoa powder

For the buttercream:

250g salted butter, softened

200g icing sugar, sifted

50g cocoa powder

Dark chocolate, to decorate

Equipment:

2 x 20cm cake tins, greased and lined with baking parchment

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170C
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs then start to incorporate this into the butter/sugar mixture (do this in 3-4 stages, mixing fully after each, to ensure the mixture doesn't split).
4. Measure the flour into a bowl, then replace two tablespoons of flour with the cocoa powder. Sift the flour, again in four stages, into the mixing bowl and fold into the wet mixture with a metal spoon. Once all the flour has been added, mix with the electric whisk for a few minutes to ensure everything is fully combined, and that the mixture is nice and light.
5. Separate into the two tins, and cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the sponge is springy (fully bounces back if you press on it with a finger) or a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
6. While the cakes are baking in the oven, make the buttercream. Combine the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until fully mixed. Whisking for a few minutes more gives a really light, fluffy texture.
7. Once the cakes are cooled, place one top side down onto a cake board or pretty plate. Spoon some of the buttercream onto the top and, using a palette knife, work the buttercream around the cake until it is evenly covered. Place the second cake on top, right side up this time, and add the rest of the buttercream to the top and sides. Decorate with chocolate curls (create by scraping a knife over the flat side of a bar of dark chocolate) or anything else you like.

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Bicester Village unveil new video as part of 'The Art of Detail' campaign

Take a look at Bicester Village's lovely new promotional video, released as part of their new 'The Art of Dressing' campaign, in the style of The Artist. Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest for of flattery!

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The Voice

I'm Pretty sure I speak for a lot of you when I say that The Voice UK was the TV highlight of the past weekend, but after almost three hours of what can only be described as contestants shouting senseless vowels at each other, was anyone else just desperate for the 'battle' rounds to give way to the nitty gritty of..well, whatever The Voice will be once it finally settles down?

Don't get me wrong, I'm l-o-v-i-n-g yet again having some form of 'event TV' (I never really can come to terms with the X-factor ending each year) but whilst we always know what to expect from each stage in the X-factor (and every other TV talent show in the UK), I'm finding not knowing what on earth is going to happen next Saturday night for 90 minutes on BBC1 a little unsettling.

Sure, there'll be some form of singing, but will the spinning-chairs be back in action? Will there be mentor-contestant duets? And don't even get me started on the possibility of another mentor-medley - if anyone ever has to see Jessie J grinding up against Sir Tom Jones ever again, it'll be too soon.

What do you think we should expect from The Voice?

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The First Pimm's of Spring

The weather may have taken an unexpected turn for the worse, but for a few days at the beginning of April, it really did start to feel like Spring. For me and my two housemates, this can only mean one thing - it's time for the first Pimm's of Spring.

In our house, we love a seasonal drink - as soon as it's November we're safely into mulled wine territory, and on the first of December you can add Bailey's into the mix, not to forget party favourite elderflower, pomegranate and prosecco. But post-New Year it's a long, dry wait until the first flush of spring arrives, and with it the spice & citrus fruit notes of Pimm's no.1 cup.

The best way to enjoy Pimms has to be the old favourite - mixed with ice and lemonade, and served in a glass with a sprig of mint & a slice of cucumber - maybe a segment of orange if you're really feeling extravagant, but nothing more is really needed.

If you're feeling particularly flush, you could instead make a Pimms Royal Cup, by serving straight into a flute or saucer and topping with Champagne.

As the traditional drink of Wimbledon, the Glyndebourne Opera Festival and so many more British summer-time events, one is merely doing ones patriotic duty by keeping calm and drinking up. Don't mind if I do!

Head over to the Pimm's website for more recipes.

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The Draft House

Since notorious burger joint Meat Liquor opened at the end of 2011 I have been on the constant search for the best burger in London. Meat Liquor was fun, and most definitely novel, but after dining there I had a 12-hour need to lie down and had to shampoo my hair twice to remove the smell of all that grease. They don't take bookings, you don't get plates with your food, nor do you get given cutlery - trendy - yes, practical - not so much. 

I'm a huge fan of Bodean's and although this satisfies those all-important meat cravings, it doesn't quite count as a burger. Byron is great for a quick eat before drinks, cinema or theatre, but the price-tag seems a little over-the-top for the in-and-out-as-fast-as-you-can service.

Enter, then, The Draft House - a small London chain (three, to be exact) of pubs, selling itself mainly as drinking holes providing exquisite beers, bottled & on tap. Don't be fooled, then, into thinking that drinking comes first and eating comes second for these guys - they take their food very seriously. 

On to the menu, then, and although featuring tonnes of other delights (Pork Schnitzel & Vietnam Chicken Salad, to name just two), the burgers are really where it's at. There are just three to choose from - The Yolk (with friend egg and glazed hollandaise), The Smoke (with smoked chipotle mayo, smoked cheddar & cured bacon) or The Poke (with bird's eye chillies, old amsterdam cheese & 'integral' onion rings). Extras are available, and I'm quite sure for the unadventurous of palette they'd serve a plain burger - but where's the fun in that? 

The Draft House's The Smoke, plus fries & onion rings

After great deliberation, I opted for The Smoke - any form of smoked cheese and meat is OK by me. We ordered fries (twice fried no less) and onion rings on the side, and two bottles of Samuel Adams Boston Lager to wash it all down with - the result? A flavourful, juicy burger with some incredible additions and heavenly sides. The only downside? After all that beef, potato, cheese, onion, bacon, batter & bread, we had no room for desert.

What are your favourite burger restaurants in London?

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Vogue Festival 2012

Last Friday afternoon, I was lucky enough to finish work early and head down to South Kensington (in a thunder storm, I might add) for the first ever Vogue Festival, held at the Royal Geographic Society. The morning session (featuring talks from Nigella Lawson, Christopher Bailey and more) already over and causing quite a stir in the twittersphere, the afternoon attendees eagerly arrived for a whole host of talks, lectures and workshops, plus temporary hair colouring and extensions from Josh Wood and his team, smoky eye workshops from Armani's top make-up artists and beauty-industry experts helping you find the perfect shade of red lipstick.

The Friday afternoon line-up

Being the first ever Vogue Festival, and the first event of its kind, there were a few things it could definitely improve on (the festival space felt rather small for the capacity, there were some headache-inducing blue lamps lighting the darker corridors and the £75/half day price tag made the festival pretty inaccessible) but in my eyes they really succeeded in their mission of offering an insight into the world of the magazine.

In-depth coverage of all the session's events will follow soon, but for now here's a few of my favourite bits from the afternoon...

• Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana squabbling over just exactly how many years it's been since they first went into business together..
• Mary Portas and Anne Robinson having a "short, red, little-bit-of-attitude" bob-off..
• Stella McCartney personally offering an incredibly ballsy 16-year-old student work experience on the spot..

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