Tuesday 29 May 2012

Topshop's formal jogger; you complete me

For the last couple of week's I've been desperate for a pair of printed trousers, but haven't been able to find that illusive perfect pair.

They were either too bright, too dull, too busy, too sparse, too casual or too smart. I was beginning to think I'd never find any, and gave up hope of spending my summer days in printed glory.

Enter Topshop and their poppy printed 'formal jogger' - busy print, but monochrome to keep it toned down, jogger shape (drawstring waist, always a winner) but polyester to stop them from looking too casual, turned up at the bottoms for a carefree summer feel. I could go on, but I've already been far more gushing than one should ever be about a pair of trousers.

Top, Trousers & Shoes | Topshop
Perfect with many an item already in my wardrobe - heels, loafers or sandals, white tee, coloured blouse or black leotard, at just £35 they provide multiple outfit options at, in my eyes, a pretty amazing price.

Topshop Co-ord Poppy Print Joggers | £35

I've since found they also offer them in a coloured, Navajo-style print, and am tempted to purchase these too when payday finally comes around - now I've dipped my toe into the pool of printed trousers, I'm ready to take the plunge!

Morph Native Joggers | £35

What items are next on your summer shopping lists? Next on mine - the Statement Necklace.
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Summer in the city

After a long, rain-sodden spring, the sun finally came out last week, turning what had been a pretty miserable London into a glorious hive of sun-related activity.

Everywhere you look, people are getting together and making the most of the soaring temperatures; family rounders tournaments in the park, friends gathering for post-work cider, and practically everybody you encounter is in a fabulous mood.

Here's how I spent my week in the sun - how did you spend yours?

Work lunches in Cavendish Square are an absolute must


Oxford Street's ready for the Jubilee


A post-work cider in the park

Admiring the newly renovated Cutty Sark

Pre-eurovision party bubbles

Leon Raspberry Lemonade is a summer afternoon must

Admiring the view from Greenwich park

 The Hilton Skybar terrace - 'top of the hill living' indeed
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Saturday 26 May 2012

Burberry Brit White Capsule Collection


This week, Stylist's daily email Emerald Street invited all its readers to a shopping evening at the Burberry Brit store in Covent Garden, where they unveiled their new White collection.


A slick evening filled with champagne, canapés & an in-house dj, we mosied around the store eyeing up the spring collection. Unfortunately, none of us were in the market to be making any purchases, but their tasseled leather key fobs definitely caught me eye.


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Friday 25 May 2012

OOTD: for the first real sunshine of 2012

This week has been, in short, glorious. The sun has been out & in turn, so have we - spending every free second in that small patch of sun-filled grass might seem a little silly, but after the spring we've had my goodness we deserve that vitamin D.

Working in an office can become a little [more] depressing when the wether turns good, but, ever the optimist, for me it means lunch in the park, money's worth out of my sunglasses & a chance to wear my most beloved summer outfits.

Dress | H&M - Belt | H&M - Bag | NW3 by Hobbs - Shoes | Topshop
My favourite summer accessory - Raspberry Lemonade | Leon

The maxi I picked is now two years old - an oldie, yes, but a goodie. My absolute fav (and completely copied from a friend - she knows who she is), it's perfect for working a head-to-toe print without being overwhelmed by colour.

What items do you rush for as soon as the sun comes out?


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Thursday 24 May 2012

A weekend in the country

Last weekend, after one hell of a week at work, I was able to spend the weekend at my parent's home in Bollington, Cheshire. It's the perfect place to get away from the city & relax for a weekend but, ironically, I only ever manage a visit when I have people to see or things to do.


It was rare, then, that I got to spend a weekend there doing as close to nothing as is probably possible. Apart from a birthday lunch for my Granddad, the biggest event in the calendar was the nap I had afterwards. Or maybe the evening spent guessing 'whodunnit' watching Gosford Park.

Sadly, I don't live here.

We also managed a walk before Sunday lunch (a beautiful leg of lamb courtesy of Mother Simon), and wandering through the fields and around the streets of the village I grew up in made me realise how connected I am to it, and that despite all those teenage years of wishing I was somewhere better, cooler, busier, I'm completely in love with the place and am happy I grew up there. I always took for granted the quiet, and the space, and the way in which it's almost impossible for me to feel stressed while I'm there.

...or here

I returned to London relaxed, revitalised and felt ready for anything, and as it proved to be such as effective way of recharging my batteries I've promised myself I'll make more time to spend there. No excuses.

...or here.


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Monday 21 May 2012

Review: Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

Since I was about 14, I've been using the same sorts of products on my skin. I've had oily, blemished skin for as long as I can remember, and to combat it I began using anti-oil, anti-regreasing, anti-blocked pore, anti-spot solutions day in, day out. I was never faithful to any specific brand or range - they never worked well enough for that - but I was faithful to the idea that stripping oil from your skin is the way to go.


A few weeks ago, I was stopped in my tracks when I learnt that actually, it's the exact OPPOSITE way to go. After yet another recommendation from Sali Hughes, I started researching Clarins facial oils. These apparent wonder products are the first thing ever made by Jacques Courtin-Clarins and remain unchanged in formula today. According to Sali, their Lotus facial oil is perfect for re-balancing combination skin - desperate for a solution to my problems, I headed to my nearest beauty hall to seek the advice of those super-groomed, red-jacketed oracles.




I was horrified to learn that, although oily, my skin was incredibly dehydrated. Prodding and pulling my skin, my consultant showed me how what I thought were open pores on my cheeks were actually lines due to dryness. Horrified, I made a few purchases and ran home to slather myself in moisture as quickly as possible. 


Since changing up my skincare I've seen some dramatic changes - although I suffered an initial 'change-of-products breakout' I'm through the worst of it and my skin is hardly oily anymore. Even as I write, I haven't had to re-powder all day; pressing my skin in its most problematic areas it's matte and soft. I didn't think it were possible, but it seems I've finally found my perfect skincare routine. 



It sounds almost laughable, but the concept of moisture was so foreign to me that I had to write myself a little running list to keep in the bathroom drawer.


Morning:
Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Cottonseed | the perfect way to create a squeaky clean base in the morning
Boots tea tree oil toner | the one 'anti-oil' product I just can't get rid of; removes grime your cleanser didn't
Clarins hydra-quench intensive serum | a glass of water for your face, this is so intense I've downgraded it to a weekly treatment rather than a daily dose of moisture
Clarins beauty flash balm | The ultimate instant beautifier, I can't get ready without it
Mac tinted moisturiser | as my good friend Orla once described it (whilst slapping it on during a bus ride with a hangover) "I don't look like I'm wearing make-up, I just look better"


Evening:
Botanics soothing eye make-up remover | a gentle, effective (& cheap) way to remove every trace of mascara whilst soothing the eye area
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish | use at the end of the day with a towelling or terry cloth to wipe away the day's grime & makeup, as well as the day's stresses
Another dose of tea tree oil water
Clarins Lotus face treatment oil | as already mentioned, life changing
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Saturday 19 May 2012

Review: Nails Inc Neon & Nude Collection

By now, you've probably gathered I'm pretty obsessed with nail polish. Like many people feel about shoes, you can never have a fat day where your nails are concerned. When my nails are painted to my liking, I feel a million times better than when they aren't - prepared, pulled-together, a little more polished (really, no pun intended).

Top of my list for this season then was Nails Inc's Neon & Nude collection - a set of 6 mini polishes, three to take on the current trend for neon talons, and three to tap into the eternal chic of nude nails.



The shades (l-r)
Porchester Square | a wear-with-anything nude-grey
Cadogan Square | an incredibly sophisticated caramel
Jermyn Street | a lovely dark taupe
Portobello | a punchy neon orange
Notting Hill Gate | a brighter-than-you'll-believe pink
Westbourne Grove | a less showstopping, more stop-the-show, neon orange/yellow

I tried Notting Hill Gate for the nelly.com launch (it clashed brilliantly with my mint peplum) and wore Porchester Square all weekend long - its the PERFECT nude for spring. Unfortunately, Westbourne Grove (although lovely-looking in the bottle) comes out more of a faded yellow-orange and although a strong colour is surprisingly see-through (one person even asked if I'd painted it over a French manicure).

I'm desperate to try Jermyn Street, but cannot open the bottle for love nor money, so will have to take it in to the South Molton Street store & see what they can do. Cadogan Square is a wonderful rich caramel colour, sophisticated and subtle. I wore it solo for a day, and last night turned it into a half-moon mani with my new Barry M foil effect gold polish (which I highly recommend, and is part of Superdrug's amazing 3 for 2 across cosmetics offer) which received a LOT of positive attention in the office this morning.


Provided I can swap my unopenable Jermyn Street for one I can actually use, I'll be happy with my purchase - yes, Cadogan Square was a let down, but 5 out of 6 isn't bad!

What's top of your spring nail polish list?
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Thursday 17 May 2012

OOTD: for a Covent Garden wander

It's been part of my plan to have way more outfit posts as part of my blog, but I always forget the crucial element. I get dressed in the morning, double check my outfit in the mirror and think 'this will be perfect for a post!', yet there I am, 15 hours later changing into my pyjamas, all make-up out of sight, with no picture to speak of.

I finally managed to remember at the weekend, on a lovely afternoon wander around Covent Garden. This is one of my favourite outfits to wear at the moment with the changeable weather - my KG boots keep me high enough off the ground so I stays dry if the weather turns nasty, but the skirt still screams summer. I forgot to take any close ups of my accessories, but I won't berate myself too much - this is in a step in the right direction enough for me!

Skirt | Miss Selfridge    Belt | Dorothy Perkins    Jacket | Primark [super old]
Bag | NW3 by Hobbs    Glasses | Whistles
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An ode to Ashleigh & Pudsey



The past couple of weeks have been a little - how to phrase this - shitty. Plagued with an inexplicable headache & snowed under at work I've been staying late, sleeping little and as a result, more than a little bit grumpy. All of this has led to a massive dip in my motivation (leading to my huge lack of posting of late), b) staying away from the computer screen as much as possible (leading to my huge lack of posting of late) and c) not really having anything positive or interesting to say about anything, because I've been either too grumpy or too tired (leading to my huge lack of posting of late).

I thought it was time shake myself by the shoulders, stop feeling sorry for myself and get back on that horse, so I thought I'd share with you one of the few things that hasn't failed to bring a smile to my miserable old face over the past few weeks - Ashleigh & Pudsey of BGT fame.

'Oh, Britain's got talent is rubbish', I hear you say. 'Simon Cowell's a horror', you exclaim - of course I agree, but who can deny the joy of watching a teenage girl and her adorable mutt prance around the stage and be crowned the winners of £500,000 and a performance in front of our dear old Queen?

In an age where we're constantly told that "sex sells!" and that the youth of today are lazy/riotous/just a bit rubbish, it's charming to see a girl who bucks this "trend" the tabloids love to harp on about, and just a bit nice to see that so many people thought them worthy of ITV's outrageous voting charge.

I defy you to not enjoy this (just make sure you pause the clip before you get to Alesha/Amanda's personality-vacuuming dribble):

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Friday 11 May 2012

Nelly.com UK launch party



This week, I was lucky enough to attend the nelly.com UK launch party, hosted at top-floor London club Aqua. A few of us from the office had invites (enter a bathroom getting-ready session to rival that before the Christmas party) so went down after work for a cocktail or two and a look at their wares.

Aqua's beautiful 'Rose & Li' cocktail

 Hosted on the top floor of what used to be department store supreme Dickens & Jones, the event was a lesson in how launch parties should be done - tonnes of product on display, a hilarious photo booth (see below), japanese inspired canapés and some incredible cocktails. There was even a room full of display shoes where we queued up to order a pair from a row of laptops by the bar (albeit a very long queue, but free shoes? Totally worth it). The club has a beauts roof terrace, from which you can look down on to the carnage that iss rush-hour Oxford Circus, and round to the left were beautiful views of the London Eye and beyond.


The atmosphere was relaxed, rather than stuffy or elitist, and we danced the night away on what felt more like a girls' night out than a PR event.

Clara, Laura & Sasha enjoying a cocktail, taking in the view

Hosting a menagerie of brands from Armani Exchange to Stella McCartney to American Apparel, nelly.com is a unique shopping destination pulling together a huge number of brands. I haven't properly delved into their offerings yet but, my goodness, their own nelly brand does good shoes (my personal favourites - a mint platform court with a gold-lamé block heel. Summer in a shoe). Unfortunately a lot of the styles we saw at the launch aren't yet available online, but I'll be checking back regularly over the next couple of weeks, and eagerly await my nelly.com delivery! 
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Tuesday 8 May 2012

Dirty Martini - Hanover Square

Last week, we were very sad to see a member of our merchandising department leave Hobbs for pastures new - its always sad when someone leaves, but if nothing else is the perfect excuse to pop to the ladies' for a 5 o clock nose-powder and head out for some drinks, gossip and all-round fun.

The chosen venue for our goodbye drinks was the new (opened in December, so I'm pretty slow off the mark!) Dirty Martini in Hanover Square, right opposite Vogue House. I've spent many a Friday night cocktail hour in their original bar in Covent Garden (which is tiny - they clearly never expected to be so popular - but it's totally worth being squashed and having to stand if it means getting your hands on one of their famous martinis) but had never visited this new, much larger, site.

One of the bar's two "snug" areas

Like the Covent Garden bar, the space is downstairs & away from daylight. Unlike their CG counterpart though, the bar is a huge area with numerous pockets of space - perfect for everything from group parties to private catch-ups. They even have small bunker-like areas, which we all thought resembled hugely glamorous tube carriages - if tube carriages came with cocktails and mood lighting!

On then to their biggest accomplishment - Happy Hour - from 4-10pm Monday - Thursday, and 4-8pm Friday to Saturday, all martinis, prosecco cocktails and bottles of wine are half price, plus thes £10 off all bottles of champagne - try to argue with that!

Apple & Cinnamon Martini - h-e-a-v-e-n

Martinis/prosecco cocktails work out at around £4.50 which is pretty fantastic indeed, and even more so once you've sampled their menu - their spiced apple martini is like a comforting winter apple pie in cocktail form, and their Hanover Fizz (Plymouth gin, Plymouth sloe gin, creme de mure & lemon juice all topped off with prosecco) is a definite way to let your hair down at the end of a hard day.

Cocktail fun times

The only problem, really, is that at this price, it's easy to try & sample them all - luckily I had a dinner to go to so wasn't able to exercise my [extemely weak] self control. As much as I didn't want to leave, I was grateful for the lack of a sore head in the morning - especially when some other girls came in a little worse for wear!

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Bank Holiday, I love you


This weekend, we had one of those beautiful things that only come around every once in a while - a bank holiday. A whole extra day off at the weekend, and as if that wasn't already enough, today the sun surprised us all by showing its face for the first time in what felt like months.



Off we went, then, to Badgers Hill farm & cidery, for a mosey around their lovely farm shop/cafe, a sit in their beautiful sun-trap of a garden, and a chance to feed the chickens, rhea, geese and donkeys that they have on the farm.

The shop-come-cafe was the highlight for me (the food is usually the highlight for me in any situation) - there were French macarons in every colour imaginable, cakes, pastries, pizza breads, quiche - you name it, they had it. Also, being a cidery, there was local Kentish cider available to buy as well as tonnes of other local produce.


We rounded off the day with a trip to Herne Bay for a walk along the sea front and mandatory seaside fish & chips, plus an incredible Cornish ice cream cone - I went for one scoop of pistachio topped with one of ferrero rocher flavour (anything hazelnut-based gets my vote). Laden with carbs & worn out from the sea air, we piled back into the car and snoozed all the way home.


 It was lovely to get out to the country for the weekend, & I couldn't think of a better way to spend my extra day of freedom. Let the countdown to the next bank holiday begin!

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Monday 7 May 2012

Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop



I'm sure you'll already be aware of Fleetwood Mac and of atleast some of their songs - and possibly of the fact that they're pretty much my "fav band like, ever" - but did you know that drummer Mick Fleetwood is the only original member of the band, or that 1977 hit Rumours is the 8th best-selling album of all time? Even if you think you know everything there is to know, documentary Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop is the incredible story of how the unique British-blues meets west-coast hippy band became one of the most successful in the world in a career spanning five decades (six, if they come through on their promise of one final world tour). 

It's hard not to find their story inspiring - when the two couples at the heart of the band broke up in the mid-70s, it could have spelled disaster. Instead, they realised the band was their priority (see The Chain), penned two of their most famous hits (DreamsGo Your Own Way) and got on with it - in the end making what came to be their best selling record of all - Rumours. There's a lesson in there for all of us.

This brilliant 'in-their-own-words' documentary was repeated last week after first being broadcast in 2009 and is available on BBC iPlayer until Monday the 14th of May - I couldn't think of a better way to spend an afternoon. Put the kettle on, sit yourself down & enjoy...
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Saturday 5 May 2012

Vogue Festival Round-up Part 2 - Stella McCartney interviewed by Kate Hudson

Stella & Kate pre-interview
StellaMcCartney has had quite the year - notonly has she designed her usual number of collections (which, by the way isalready huge), but she's also been responsible for every single garment any ofour British athletes will be wearing to compete at this summer's Olympic &Paralympic games - that's over 1,000 extra pieces on top of an already busyschedule - every year the Stella McCartney brand already creates 2ready-to-wear collections per season, plus one range for Adidas by Stella McCartney, one lingerie collection and one for Stella McCartney Kids.

You would have thought,then, that designing ten collections for her own labels on top of the Olympicscommitment would leave her pretty short on time, but she still managed to popdown to last Month's VogueFestival tobe interviewed by long-term BFF and Oscar nominated actress KateHudson, who flew in from LA specially for the occasion. 

It was more of a gentle trip down memory lane than an intense question & answer session, but there are a few gems worth sharing. What was most apparent from the session was that Stella and Kate are shockingly normal - yes, I know, not really normal, but more so than you'd expect...


The basis of Stella's love for fashion
Stella on when she first knew she loved fashion..
One of her earliest memories is running upstairs to her parent's wardrobe and trying on her mum's thigh-high glam rock glitter platforms. (This is pretty cool in itself, before remembering her Dad is Beatles legend Paul McCartney & her Mum late photographer, animal rights activist & all-round goddess Linda.)

Kate on when she knew her & Stella would be BFFs...
Kate had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Almost Famous & enlisted Stella to dress her for the event. Unfortunately, she ended up on "every worst-dressed list possible" & didn't win the oscar -

Kate Hudson in that dress, 2001

"...it was so personal. Stella was at my house sewing the hem - which by the way didn't last - and I felt so beautiful. I had this hairdo - Stella blames the hairdo, not the dress - but I come from a family that has the ability to laugh at itself, & in this situation, Stella showed the same quality. If you can laugh at yourself, not take life too seriously, you can have a good life."

Stella on how vegetarianism influences her as a designer...
"It's important to be true to yourself & not be hypocritical. I would rather eat dead animals than wear them. It's not so much about being a vegetarian, but about how the industry can change, & look at the way it works. Fashion is about being modern, & to me modern is about making change. My job is to create beautiful, desirable, timeless pieces. If I can try & make them from things that don't include death, that's a great thing."

Christine paisley-print silk pants | £430 | Net-a-porter


On her pyjama-inspired silk trousers...
"They really were inspired by pyjamas. At one point we went too close to actual pyjamas & had to adapt them in fits. It was about the softness of the fabric, the paisley print, definitely a man's pyjamas. You've got to take a little risk."

On counterfeit...
"You have tonnes of different emotions - it's annoying you work really hard & someone just copies it. Sometimes, you know you've reached a sweet spot when something is counterfeited, but some things are so big, like the miracle dress, & the spot dress...we send a letter to the culprit saying its just not cool..."

With Jessica Ennis & Phillips Idowu

On the Olympics kit...
"Being British, it goes beyond design, it was a totally different job - it's not about me, it's about the athletes & their needs, but also about the British public."

It's hard not to be inspired be Stella - businesswoman, creator, mother, fiercely principled & first to admit the success of her label is not down to her, but the team that she is part of, & just utterly, effortlessly cool, it was clear every single person in the room was totally captivated. There were cheers and applause when she offered a ballsy 16-year-old work experience, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one with a lump in my throat when a 35-year-old woman stood up during the question-and-answer session and told Stella how much she had inspired her as a young woman. Questions answered, festival over, there was nothing left for Stella to do but give one last piece of advice...


"Stay true to yourself - it doesn't last, trying to be something you're not. Central St Martin's was a super-cool place, but if you're not super-cool, that's allowed. Work hard - you can't fake that."
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Sample Sale Fever

Yesterday was one of those days where you feel it's almost impossible to sit at your desk, focus on the task in hand and get on with some work. Not only was it a Friday, but a Friday before a three-day weekend (thank you May Day), and as if that wasn't enough, today was Sample Sale Day.

Every couple of months, we sell our samples to raise money for charity, and add a few pounds to our head office treats pot. Sample sale fever can set in pretty quickly, and can usually be characterised by a general lack of motivation for work, a desire to talk only of 'what will be in the sale?', plus a general air of giddiness, and (most common of all) rolling your chair over somebody close to you, putting your head closer than should be acceptable to theirs and telling them exactly how many minutes there are left (a certain someone had to put up with a little of this particular behaviour from me yesterday).

The Sample Sale Stampede


An hour before we open our doors to friends & family, head office staff get to shop the sale for sample & faulty clothes, shoes & accessories. Prices are rock-bottom, so it's easy to just grab everything and end up spending a fortune, but I think I've finally perfected the art of the sample sale:

Do grab anything you think is a gem, even if you don't want it. Sample sales are a time for sisterhood - remember to share the wealth.
Don't buy anything just because it's cheap compared to its retail price. Like sale shopping, you have to be mega careful you don't come away with a tonne of stuff you would never have even considered at full price.
Do do your research beforehand. You mightn't find any of those things you earmarked on the website, but you won't pick up all the things you scrolled past unnoticed either.
Don't forget your mum. She'll never forgive you.
Do review before you queue. Go through your haul, splitting into 'yes', 'no' & 'maybe'. Then do the same process again with the things in the maybe pile. Keep going until all you have left is a 'yes' and a 'no'.

Putting all of the above into practice, here's what I ended up with this time around. I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with my restraint:




Clock-wise from top -

  • AW11 Cheetah Piped Ankle Boots | £149 (was £199) | available on Hobbs' Outlet store | I'll be saving these boots for cold winter days, to spice up an otherwise sombre outfit
  • NW3 Meadow Dress in Burnt Orange | £169 | available here | as soon as the sun shows it's face I'll be pairing the orange dress with platform sandals and a clashing nail polish
  • AW11 Double Pocket Top | £49 (was £99) | available on Hobbs' Outlet store | This will be perfect teamed with high-waisted trousers, tucked into skirts or even with jeans
  • NW3 Honey Bee Necklace | £49 | available here | This may well end up as a gift, but with it's tiny bees & pretty little daisies, how could I resist?!


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