we make up as we go along

#147 When Skin Cries SOS

2012-03-07T16:54:00.001Z

There is certainly a thing as doingtoo much. When I am happy, busy, well-rested, my skin takes care of itself. Itis calm, non-reactive, repairs itself quickly and easily… pores are clear, skinis smooth and soft… I don’t need to mess around with masks or mix n match mytreatment oils or double-cleanse, steam or extract. But, when tired, run-down,when I’ve not been eating as well as I should’ve been (it’s been one of thosecake-every-day months), it does start to show in my skin. It takes a couple ofweeks for my lifestyle to catch up with my face, but sure enough, it alwaysstarts with blocked pores around the mouth, then wee spots on the chin, whichare deeper than normal, hence very hard to extract without inflicting damage.This is where I find myself now – having a healthier week (more rest, moreliquid, less sugar, more exercise), but with skin that’s mirroring what camebefore, and what now lies beneath.

I know it won’t be long before myskin’s back to normal, but there are a few things I do to speed up the healingprocess. Namely: Peel and Perfect.

Morning and night, after cleansing,I layer a very small amount of Elemental Herbology Facial Glow (an AHA-richcream that exfoliates without the need to rub or scrub) over the spotty,discoloured, healing areas. I leave it on for just a couple of minutes, thenwash it off, layering a hydrating mask over the top (which helps prevent theflaky skin you get when spots heal) while I hop into the shower. Favouritemasks include Jurlique Intense Recovery Mask and Clark’s Botanicals Deep MoistureMask. I find that when I moisturise a spot/scarred bit of skin, instead oftreating it with drying lotions or ointments, it heals faster, and is far lesslikely to leave any discolouration behind. At present, I’m enamoured of AntoniaBurrell’s range – the Cleansing Oil, Skin Tonic, Pure Therapy Facial Serum andthe Cream Supreme Facial Moisturiser. It’s left me skin very soft, hydrated andbright. I finish with a layer of Givenchy Eclat Mattisime (my new favouritefoundation for any time when skin needs extra coverage, without looking like it’swearing extra coverage), and the brilliant My Face My Cover Concealer overspecific areas. I always apply a very small amount of make-up when my skin’snot looking great, as I think we often equate heavy-looking make-up with a lotto hide. So, today, while the chin is not pretty, I have left the rest of myskin light and fresh (just a swish of bronzing powder, and under-eyeconcealer), and patted foundation around my nose, on my chin, and down betweenmy eyebrows (where I tend to get red). The effect is less covered up, and morenaturally made up… which is just how I like it.

flower power

2012-02-15T11:43:00.001Z

the printed packaging from 'ecorganic' brand estelle & thild

is a thing of great beauty

a joy forever

great for popping other gifts into

up-cycling that promotes upturned mouths

while the products themselves are simple propositions -

good, clean, nourishing stuff, that leaves skin calm & cared for

nothing miraculous, but therein lies the miracle

available at Harrods, Urban Retreat

beautiful truth

2012-02-13T16:35:00.003Z

Serge Lutens on L'Eau Froide

Will the public go along with it? How about your loyal following?

I can let anyone and everyone down - including myself, perhaps most of all - but I have to go where my creative spirit takes me.

#146 Miss Malcontent's Best Face Forward

2012-02-10T15:24:00.004Z

Regular readers will know that I love a good face mask, and a few have come into my life of late. Clark's Botanicals make some seriously smart and effective skincare. Their Intense Radiance Mask (US only at present, but if you hassle Space NK enough, they're sure to stock it too before long) and Deep Moisture Mask, are both GREAT. I've been using them together (odd, yes, but recommended by the company's founder Francesco). The kaolin in the Radiance mask forms a seal over the Moisture Mask - so (in Francesco's words) 'if hopping in the shower, you get a clay oven effect, which pushes the hydrating factors into the skin.' Flanneling it all off at the end was a treat - skin looked noticeably more even, and felt plumper. These will now form a regular part of my weekly routine (Sunday night is Face-Date Night).

Then there is Fresh' famous Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, which defied expectations. Silky - almost silliconey - in feel, it is souffle light, and cools skin down (odd in winter, when leaving the bathroom sets off the shivers), BUT leaves it taut and toned looking. A good post-late-night pick-me-up - also wonderful for calming irritable complexions.

Nice treats all... next time, the best masks for brightening and exfoliating.

abigail's party

2012-02-01T16:25:00.001Z

A fortuitous meeting with intuitive facialist Abigail James

has already made marks (good ones) on my skin;

in the goody bag, another greener world:

Inner Me Beauty Supplements (www.innerme.co.uk)

Live Native Hand Made Organic Skin Food (from the Isle of Skye; www.livenative.com)

Radiance Cleanse juices (www.radiancecleanse.com)

and re-introductions to Sophyto, OSKIA and Dr Alkaitis

Great brands all.

And any lady who dabbles in such dreamy products,

can be left to dabble with my skin, any day.

www.abigailjames.com

if we be friends

2012-01-29T22:42:00.001Z

Welcome to the new We Make Up As We Go Along.

Here at WMP, daydreams rub shoulders with golden moments of the cosmetic, culinary and most curious varieties.

To those who have emailed me following the demise of Miss Malcontent, I do hope you'll be pleased to see her finer-feathered reincarnation here, at We Make Up. Yes, she's her usual outspoken self, but her good pal, Mrs Brightside, ensures she'll never get too big for her beauty boots.

Enjoy - it's all good fun after all,

Mrs Brightside & Miss Malcontent

bless essie

2011-12-16T16:48:00.002Z

coral, red, pistachio...

three dream shades surface in essie's ss12 collection

my nail fave since the earliest days

essie are still going strong

(did you know they're now owned by l'oreal?)

off to tap a rainbow with my fingertips...

friends with benefit

2011-11-29T11:50:00.001Z

do all beauty editors have stationery obsessions?

this sticky pad of delights

really brightened my day today...

and this unusual new foundation promises a similar effect -

we'll see how the trial run goes tomorrow morning...

- launching from benefit in april 2012...

happy days

2011-11-24T15:31:00.001Z

ho ho ho

pre-xmas cheer seems to have popped into our new office

hanging off those oxford st lights

and made it's way into the newly bouffant hair

of the psychologies team

(thanks to l'oreal's new fix & volume collections)

while ysl's spring collection launches at xmas -

making these baubly brights the very perfect

antidote to winter's early-dark nights

big big smiles

xxx

calender girl

2011-10-28T12:38:00.000+01:00

sharon dowsett (genius) ushered in the s/s12 trends

for maybelline

burnt orange, white ice, alien eyes, flushed & fresh...

while lancome fell for laduree pastels -

which look best of all on nails...

a sweet thursday-end to my week

with a wee sigh and sugar high

until next week

in the name of all that's holy

2011-10-19T20:00:00.000+01:00

my favourite store in the whole of london-town, liberty,

has teamed up with a host of brit legends -

'hallowed institutions & English eccentrics' who include Jon Snow (bow down), Tracey Emin and Helena Bonham Carter -

to produce a series of original works and unique items that are all being auctioned off tomorrow - in the name of Camila Batmanghelidjh's phenomenal charity, kid's company

log on here for more info:

www.liberty.co.uk

THE NATIONAL TREASURES COLLECTION AUCTION BEGINS TOMORROW

ONLINE & INSTORE

grand dame

2011-10-06T10:01:00.000+01:00

a wintry day brightened up by the appearance of this

magnificent magpie on the jubilee

multi-coloured feathers and the finest specs

come together to sing a rainbow

thank you lady

best director

2011-09-27T13:05:00.001+01:00

if i thought I'd become immune to cool

these winking holographic palettes

and iconic war kar wei limited editions

from shu uemura
and the mind of the award-winning film director

really blew my beauty socks off

i'm in the mood for love

lost in translation

2011-09-12T19:37:00.000+01:00

alas, alack, my blog will not load properly while away.

it is all muddled and messy - like mr potato head after a fall.

i have tried to share some holiday snaps, but this foreign territory's technology is letting me down.

dongle playing up, cables mis-matched.

probably for the best... more time to read a good book...

but, on the off-chance you stop by while i am not here,

my apologies. my best intentions undelivered though they may be,

perhaps i can paint a prettier picture.

imagine a beach with no one on it but we three,

and sea as warm as bath water,

a sky so blue it must be made of silk,

days so fast, fun and furious we all doze at the dinner table,

and a little girl's first dozen words.

happy holidays.

see you in a week or so.

#145 Turkish Delights (and frights)

2011-09-12T19:13:00.000+01:00

The things getting me through a 40 degree holiday this year - which has been more tiring and physically draining experience than I've ever known, thanks to the toddler's newfound running feet - are:

- Liz Earle Botanical Aftersun Gel - soothing, immediately cooling, nicely non-tacky on dry-down. Good smell too.

- My Bobbi Brown Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser is holding up really well out here. On my oiliest spots (chin, nose, forehead), I've been moisturising with ESPA Cellular Hydration Complex (yep, the one before they discontinued it), then their Tea Tree Gel. My foundation then goes on really smoothly and stayed remarkably un-slicky looking for the majority of the day.

- Japonesque Tweezers. These have proven their worth, snagging even the least cooperative straggler, and seem to have sped up my plucking sessions by half.

And Kalms. Lots of Kalms. The only way I seem to be able to switch off after the buzziest of beach-to-bed days.

What's not floated my boat this summer:

- Clinique Targeted Protection Stick SPF35 . Just far too greasy. Melted down into my eyes on my last day at the beach. Not pleasant.

- REN Moroccon Rose Body Cream. Do not ask me why - for I am neither a biochemist nor a dermatologist - but for some reason, this cream has not done my skin any favours. I have bumpy backs of arms (something that ordinarily clears up within 48 hours of me entering the sea), and I've been left with tacky limbs almost all week long. Not happy.

give us a smile

2011-08-30T12:10:00.000+01:00

aw, after the bank hols, a beautiful delivery from kate logan 

- you'll be hearing a lot more from her - trust me

i'm delaying gratification until I get home tonight

can't wait to see what lies beneath the pretty tissue-paper

and from fun gals at bourjois, two cute cups,

that make great desk mates...

time for a brew?

oh angelica

2011-08-27T13:12:00.000+01:00

I spied this a while ago now... angelica huston in a crowd of skinny blondes... you don't even notice them do you?

you just see her exquisite profile, the poised expression, and, well, spades and spades of grace.

I grew up on this dame - from the grifters to the tenenbaums...

and the sexiest wife in the world, mrs addams,

made me dream of finding my gomez...

what a perfect couple.

when smart women say baffling things about beauty

2011-08-24T17:38:00.002+01:00

Two weeks ago we had a bit of a beauty hiccup. An issue of the magazine that I work on full-time introduced a Positive Beauty Manifesto in a bid to move the debate away from the superficial and into the self-esteem-boosting.

To my knowledge, no one took offense to that notion... until:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2024655/Face-ladies-NEVER-pretty.html

A week later, this, from Viv Groskop, in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/13/viv-groskop-pressure-to-be-beautiful

Here, then, is my response - from the blogger me, the 'real' woman me, and the woman behind the beauty pages at PSYCHOLOGIES.

I'd love to know your thoughts...

You may have ‘it’ when you’re young, but do not expect to hang onto it as you get older. If you’re not seen to embody ‘it’, but feel pretty darn good about yourself anyway, you’re a fool, or insane. ‘It’ is a specific thing, black and white, governed by symmetry and percentages.

Can ‘it’ – beauty – be boiled down to this?

No.

When I worked with the PSYCHOLOGIES team in the UK, and internationally, on drafting a 10-point Positive Beauty manifesto that spelt out the values we wanted to celebrate, we realised we had to talk about beauty on an emotional, rather than physical, level. For us – and we all agreed on this – feeling beautiful is more important than looking beautiful. This is not some touchy-feely notion – it’s a psychological fact: when we feel good, we actually look better too. Any psychologist will tell you that – take that flush of first love, which actually makes us glow. And it’s not just love – when things are going well in our lives, it shows in our faces, simple. I may look back at the photograph from a first romance, a brilliant summer holiday, an amazing night out with friends – and think I look lovely, but I may also look back at it and think I look less beautiful than I felt that night. That’s just fine though. I’d happily go the rest of my life never looking beautiful – if I felt wonderful while doing so.

Knowing this, we at PSYCHOLOGIES do not write about beauty in a solely skin-deep way. You either have it or you don’t – or you’re just born with it – is, in my mind, patently untrue. Some of the strangest looking babies grow up to be supermodels; while some of the world’s most beautiful women end up with faces that reflect each and every blow of their miserable lives. According to Burchill, we may have ‘it’ in our teens or twenties, for a fleeting moment, but then we lose it. I disagree. As we age, many of us become more attractive… and feel it – within our own skin, a good fit for the first time. And this is not some trite cliché – I cannot think of a single friend who counts their teenage years as a golden age. It takes a while for all those bodily fluids to settle, and for self-confidence to take root. Working in the beauty industry I have spent more time than most on photo-shoots, stood beside ‘perfect looking’ 20-something girls who did nothing but malign their bodies and pick fault with their faces (thankfully, the models I work with at PSYCHOLOGIES are more mature in both age and attitude). I am in no way conventionally beautiful, yet I quite often feel attractive … you can have beauty and youth and feel ugly; or be old as the hills, but feel beautiful.

Beauty is not just an aesthetic ideal. An aesthetic ideal cannot explain the allure of the wonky-nosed girl who lights up the room – something that Emma Forrest wrote about in the same June issue as our Positive Beauty Manifesto [http://www.psychologies.co.uk/beauty/join-our-campaign-for-positive-beauty/]. We do not hold with the notion that beauty is some alien place – inhabited only by genetically blessed models and actresses; no, the beauty we are interested in is far less obvious than that. It’s behind the specs of that girl reading the book on the tube; in the smile of a friend; in the face of the grandmother with the bright lips and dirty laugh.

At PSYCHOLOGIES I try to write about beauty in a refreshing way – but still come from a relatively cynical starting point. The hackneyed ‘this lipstick will change your life’ attitude does not belong with us. We know a lipstick will not change your life – but it can be fun, it may cheer you up, make you smile – and there’s enormous merit in that too.

Beauty need not be declarative either. Feeling it is statement enough. Unlike many other women’s magazines, our take on beauty has never been simplistic – we write for women of all ages and races, so it’s a mindset we present, not a paint-by-numbers set of instructions. And, we have never preached an obvious, sexualised, dieted-down message either, or a ‘buy it now’ ‘must-have’ ‘can’t live without’ mantra that promises women a prettier face should they fork out the cash to pay for it – something that cannot be said of most women’s magazines. As our manifesto made clear: ‘Beauty and femininity are complex, and should not follow a simplistic set of rules or universal conventions.’ We say, this is your face, this is your body, and if you take care of it you’ll feel better… and, yes, more beautiful too.

the itch I must scratch

2011-08-18T14:12:00.000+01:00

I have realised I no longer like the design of this blog

I prefer the old one, really, which says rather a lot about me.

Which blogs do I like the look of?

Ooh, so many...

Here's a selection:

...time to rethink, methinks...

dusky dusty roses

2011-08-16T14:31:00.001+01:00

accompanying lancome's new tresor midnight rose scent (the emma watson one)
was this bunch of breathtaking blooms
all imperfect edges, lavender and lilac whispers, velvet and powder petals
I imagine they're made of sugar
delicate delights, enticing a taste,
but their real roseness is unmistakable
the scent tickling my nose, now, as I go back to work...

what a fat pigment

2011-08-05T11:33:00.000+01:00

this has been poking out of my pen pot for months - tried for the first time yesterday.

urban decay super-saturated high gloss lip color in punch-drunk

a vibrant juicy blood orange

very very nice - truly richly pigmented. have a crush

but, if they did a matte version, it'd be true love

144 The BANNED and the BEAUTIFUL

2011-08-04T12:18:00.000+01:00

As a beauty director in the full-time employ of a woman's magazine that relies upon its advertisers, hmmm, this is tricky. Last week two adverts were banned by the advertising standards authority – following Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson’s campaign against ‘overly perfected and unrealistic images of women’ in adverts.

The adverts featured the actress Julia Roberts and the model Christy Turlington promoting Lancôme's Teint Miracle foundation and Maybelline's the Eraser foundation.

You’ve probably seen them? Both women look preternaturally perfect – pore/line/hairless. But they also look like ‘themselves’ – and having seen both women in real life, I can say that sincerely, and attest to the fact that, yes, their facial configuration is maintained. We’re not slimming noses, trimming eyelids, changing lips. Light and shade is what’s being played with here… to an extreme, yes, absolutely.

But beauty imagery has rarely lived within the realms of reality. As Lucy Beresford said when I interviewed her for a feature in PSYCHOLOGIES magazine, ‘I just don’t think it is damaging to see beautiful women advertising beauty products. Psychologically beauty has always been linked to fantasy, and is therefore often about archetypes or ideals.’ As such, an airbrushed version of Julia Roberts – already a phenomenally beautiful woman – becomes almost mythically ‘ideal’ – a modern-day Helen of Troy: flawless. This is familiar territory. This does not shock or disappoint me. I am used to it. I do not think it harms me in any way.

This is, after all, an advert. Does it make some women feel bad? Do people look at the image and think, ‘I hate my lines, I hate my wrinkles, I hate my spots, I hate my freckles’ – I want to have a CGI-complexion just like Julia’s – or do they look at it and think, ‘I know that’s not reality, because it’s selling me something.’

Perhaps because I fall into bracket B, I found Jo Swinson’s campaign intriguing. Had it been me, I would’ve picked on the over-sexualised, derogatory, degrading stances taken by so many beauty brands in a bid to sell ‘sexy’ to little girls. Now, that’s something I’d really like to shout about.

But in terms of bare-faced fact, of course Swinson is absolutely right. This is false advertising. Using a celebrity head, or eye-lid, chock-a-block with extensions to sell a volumising shampoo or mascara is mendacious. The product is making a visual promise it cannot deliver in reality. It does so brazenly – ‘no, our mascara is not good enough to give you the look of actual false lashes, so we will stick false lashes on and admit it, but hope you’ll still buy it and hope to look as though you’re wearing actual false lashes.’ With the pulled ads, the ruling is that the images are misleading. That the ban was upheld surprised me greatly. After all, what beauty advert is not misleading? From the supremely slim and lithe limbs showcased in shaving ads (utterly hairless yet being shorn nonetheless), to the invisible ‘pure’ pores of those deep-cleansing foams… the exaggerated before and afters as ubiquitous as those blindingly bright smiles.

But, back to that fantasy thing… in my mind, I know that I will never, ever wake up looking like Julia Roberts. Or Eva Mendes. Or Cheryl Cole. But getting ‘airbrushed’ skin? I know this is possible. Cosmetic airbrushes do exist. SK-II Air Touch Foundation, for example – wowee. That stuff took years off and added hours of sleep on. And I could show you the before and after pictures to prove it.

Many believe that this ban is a sign of things to come… that consumers are growing increasingly tired (and cynical) of over-inflated claims. But that there are many beauty products out there which employ sound science and ground-breaking technology – in those foundations designed for use in an HD-TV generation for example – seems beside the point here. If the world’s most beautiful women are not deemed beautiful enough to sell a face cream without getting a bit of ‘help’, what does that say about the rest of us? Lost causes?

I think the ban will serve simply as a warning. Brands will become a bit more cautious… and then it will be business as usual.

That these idealised images can prove harmful to a woman’s sense of self-esteem is inarguable (swot up on the PSYCHOLOGIES Beauty Manifesto, http://www.psychologies.co.uk/beauty/join-our-campaign-for-positive-beauty/ for a deeper read)… but I believe such things are far less harmful to women than so many other insidious, institutional and oft-ignored and damaging issues. That’s my sticking point. Airbrushing is as old as the Hollywood hills. And ‘retouching’? Well, what about those portraits of Anne of Cleves that coaxed Henry into a blind marriage?

People like to hark on about the good old days when movie stars were allowed to break the mould… when people looked unusual and idiosyncratic beauty was celebrated. I am not convinced by this line of thought. Those old gals succumbed to more than their fair share of jiggery-pokery too – eyebrows shaved, realigned, re-drawn, hairlines moved back or up at the sides, noses shaved and slimmed (permanently and painfully), hair colour altered at a director’s whim, and slimming pills dolled out like popping candy, in a bid to shrink starlets down to size.

Swinson’s conclusion:

"Pictures of flawless skin and super-slim bodies are all around, but they don't reflect reality," said Swinson. "Excessive airbrushing and digital manipulation techniques have become the norm, but both Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts are naturally beautiful women who don't need retouching to look great. This ban sends a powerful message to advertisers – let's get back to reality.

My conclusion:

Let’s focus on positive imagery and confidence-boosting messages. Do away with the beauty ‘rules’. Break all moulds. Stop selling sex in lieu of scent. Fantasy has its place, and that does not bother me. But when fantasy masquerades as empowerment… that really, really does.

the old ones are the good ones

2011-08-03T11:28:00.001+01:00

rediscovering the joys of duplo

abstract art perhaps, but no less enjoyable...

prints charming

2011-07-27T14:02:00.000+01:00

the new limited edition print collection packaging for STELLA.

just beautiful.

prepare to salivate

2011-07-13T12:50:00.000+01:00

the best lunch i've had in the longest time, at wild honey, on st george street, with a lovely pr lady.

we shared life stories, side orders, dessert and product news...

it was one of those very relaxed lunches where the thought of returning to work

becomes less and less feasible...

a delicious bit of a day.

by the bustle of bond & brook street... another peaceful gem...

2011-06-28T14:44:00.000+01:00

I cannot imagine a prettier, or more peaceful, spot to sit with a sandwich.

off mount street, open to all, but on this particular friday, quiet as a church mouse.

#143 Passion Project... or Cash Cow?

2011-06-17T17:39:00.000+01:00

I've had a wee look behind the velvet curtains these past few weeks. Taking on more consultancy, and meeting up with a series of beauty insiders in pursuit of the very best pages for my magazine, I've had my aspirations deflated. Do you want to know who is behind most beauty brands? Two people. One's in a suit and the other's in a lab-coat (if you're lucky. If not, the other's in a suit too, flogging ready-made things over the internet, which get mixed together in a place where the labour is cheap, and no waiting). One pays, and one enables. But who brings the passion to the table? Unfortunately there are more brands than I could possibly name (even those little 'homegrown' varieties, that seem so much like happy endings), that were set up by business executives, investment bankers, financiers who had no knowledge of, or personal interest in, the actual meaning of a 'beauty product'. We know that every product makes a promise. It's an emotional thing. We pick it up, smell it, rub it in, wish for it to do all those things it says it will... because we're drawn into the story on sale. Whether you want to be the clear-skinned jet-setting businesswoman, or the ageing gracefully stay-at-home mother, the whisper is the same (I know what you want. I care about you. I will work for you. I promise.)

I've had my innocent little mind burnt before. Brands I'd held up as true reflections of a private passion were rather more pictures of filling gaps in gaping markets. And an entrepreneur whom I'd long admired - a household name, synonymous with changing the face of beauty retail - is by all accounts someone who cares not a jot for her people, but rather the glow you get after making all that green.

Don't get me wrong. I get 'business'. I also understand that there are some enormous brands out there that are producing very impressive ground-breaking science-led launches, and offering advanced skin solutions at affordable prices to those who'd otherwise remortgage their house to get the same benefits.

I'm also as driven to be successful as the next woman, but if my brand is all about passion, about a belief in doing something better, about providing a solution when there's none to be found, about working on something for my friends, my family... on making people feel good... I'd like to think I'd put my money where my heart is.

To this end I've taken on a rather lovely consultancy project that, of course, I'm unable to say anything about, suffice it to say, it's a big deal, promising great, affordable, green products with a host of exciting and interesting USPs... watch this space. Working with people who care, who get ill because they care, too much, is how I work to. If it matters, it ought to give you a belly-ache. That's just me.

But among this school of beauty sharks are some true, soulful, passionate people. I've been to lunch with them. We've shared secrets. They've made me smile. They get a bit too loud when talking about what matters, because, that's what really matters!

Geraldine Howard of Aromatherapy Associates

Tanya Kazeminy Mackay of Mama Mio

Rebecca Hopkins of Balance Me

Kathy Phillips of This Works

Imelda Burke of Being Content

Sarah Chapman, of Sarah Chapman Skinesis

Yes, good women all, with the goods to back it up.

a fresh start... from peonies to parks

2011-06-17T17:34:00.000+01:00

for too long now i've been carrying old thoughts around in this head

and not deposited them in the right way

i spend most of my days in the beauty world

and to be perfectly honest, blogging about it too is beginning to get to me

i love it, i enjoy it, it's a privilege to have such fun at work,

but the truth is, i write all i want to write at the day job

and of an eve, or early morn, i'd rather witter on about other things

that matter to me in very different ways

that simply tickle me

make me smile

catch my eye

so i sat down and thought about what i'd really like to read

i'm not trying to fill a niche (there are blogs about everything!)

simply attempting to be true to what i find interesting

and if i were to read a blog on a regular basis (i'm fickle, what can i tell ya?)

i'd be most likely to dip into one that changed as often as i do.

to this end, the new 'we make up' brings together some completely disparate passions

eating. reading. sleeping. walking. discovering.

when it comes to me, it'll come to you

and so, to my first departure... a stroll away from the vera wang launch (where i fell for the prettiest peonies) at london's latest hot hotel venture, the corinthia, reminded me of the pretty little garden where i used to take my pret lunches during my late teens

ping-pong tables, benches a-plenty, trees as pretty as i've ever seen...

if you get trapped between charing cross and embankment, make a pitstop

...it's just beautiful...

feeling content

2011-05-18T16:05:00.000+01:00

from one of my favourite little beauty spots, being content,

comes patyka,

a very lovely french brand, that promises big things to the skin,

with clever eco-chic and conscious packaging.

there's a lot going on with it - from bio-actives to high organic concentrations...

but don't get overwhelmed...

simply sniff and smile and savour.

www.beingcontent.com

and it was all a dream

2011-05-10T12:09:00.001+01:00

oh my. beautiful books.

some days i wish i was a book editor so that i could curl up and read in every spare second

and talk to authors, publishers, interview those difficult characters in dark, smoky spaces

filling diaries with sentences that tickle and paragraphs that parade true beauty

doing my darnedest not to raise my voice and get hysterical when something really touches truth

but this is not why i am paid

so, when i'm off the clock, and on my (little) time

i am that dreamy book bug, a mobile library,

fingering my bookshelves and wondering why i still buy paper when i have no room left for it

yet, but, i still do. and love to. and shall always continue to

buy, adore, sniff and drink them down

so, thank you to the PR who chanced upon my predilection

sending

this

delicious

pile

edible

paper

favourite fridays... on thursday

2011-04-21T15:27:00.000+01:00

as I gear up to go into a bit of a holiday

(nope, wasn't smart enough to book 3 days off next week)

I figured today would be the best day to reflect on the week...

... well tomorrow I have an unbreakable date with my local park...

new to cult beauty, jouer, is reckoned to be the new mercier

formulas are grown up, sheer, and enticingly shaded,

while the tinted moisturiser minis above, make for perfect holiday & festival ware

above, the most delicious bit of chocolate i've eaten in some time

hint-of-mint, creamy delight, from cocomaya, courtesy of pucci

a bag of heavy duty beauty booty from bourjois (too many rhymes?)

beautiful to see so many star colours aligned

reds and pinks the best of all - and what bourjois is known for

then a royal family of biscuity snacks from trevor sorbie

celebrated with much coo-ing and munching in the office

all in all, a very tasty week...

lauding it

2011-04-18T10:09:00.001+01:00

tom pecheux spent an hour or so running through the good things we can expect from lauder come aw2011. the most exciting? the three new matte lipsticks which launch as part of the metallic mercury limited edition collection.

fuchsia fizzle is the shizzle.

crimson orbit brought on a big moon smile.

honey nude is the queen bee.

available from mid august...

and as no samples were ready to take away,

this pic is the only proof i have of what might be the best matte on the market.

the pudding awaits. but can i?

#142 All Good Things

2011-04-18T09:53:00.000+01:00

Oops, I did it again. Life got in the way. But it's given me time to discover a whole host of new, very good things, all of which I've come to rely on when said life is more chaotic than calm.

Bobbi Brown's Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 - great. Manages to make even ropey skin look healthy, and works well in summer, because despite the brightest rays, it remains natural and unnoticeable. Holy grail stuff this.

Revlon's Just Bitten Lip Stain. I layer up Passion and Frenzy, for a deep, pink-hued berry mouth. Lasts an age, and is wondeful under lippy too - as the latter wears off, the former stays put, ensuring you're not left with the dreaded fade out.

Kiehl's Line Reducing Eye Brightening Concentrate. This is my new night-time treatment - I use Prevage with SPF during the day. I have absolutely no doubt that the combination has lifted my lack-of-sleep induced circles into a far less frightening realm. Hell, I was even described as 'rested' looking last night. Ha!

All for Eve Body Butter. As far as fuss-free, but efficacious, formulas go, this is a winner. It is delightfully creamy, but not sticky -and rubs in to leave limbs soft, almost damp with moisture, but not tacky.

Nuxe Soleil Prodigieux Beautifying Self-Tanning Body Lotion. My excitement at having found a pleasant body hydrator, that can be rubbed in - clumsily - wherein skin develops a wholly natural golden hue, is insurpassable. Where have you been all my life? Legs were bared for the first time in a year, and the result did not send small children fleeing.

Margaret Dabbs Exfoliating Foot Mousse Scrub. Satisfyingly gritty, this contains both tea tree and emu oil - the result, zingy, smooth, refreshed feet - that are also bright and soft.

virgin cocktail

2011-03-31T17:36:00.000+01:00

a weekend spent with vicki edgson, on her very first vital energy retreat,

in very sunny ibiza

food was of the local, hearty, hand-picked variety,

prepared by the extraordinary amanda cross (big of both spirit & heart)

and with every lovely thing in between, including wine, walking, pool-lounging and belly laughter, it was a true tonic for the tired soul.

being an ibiza virgin, i wasn't sure what to expect, but the island's generous little spirit swept me away... and it's sandy soil reminded me of my own island roots...

centreing and settling me once again

if visiting, and in search of love-delivering food, try la paloma,

the delightful matriarch rules her roost (and organic roast) with a smile

and her chairs are filled with dizzying characters

if, on the other hand, you're after a new life direction, let it be known that vicki edgson is running her retreats again in june and october...

highly, wholly, soulfully, recommended.

http://www.vickiedgson.com/

clean fingers

2011-03-29T14:48:00.001+01:00

this tickled me...

... who could it be?

flower girl

2011-03-22T14:12:00.000Z

since hubby took over household duties, he's developed a fetish for fresh flowers

he says baby likes them - they're bright, and tactile - but they also add homeliness

these irises, tulips, lilies and roses were an odd combination

that somehow sat perfectly together, like a many-melodied song

if only they could actually sing, as in alice in wonderland

i wonder what they'd say?

shout!

2011-03-08T14:38:00.000Z

oh, glorious, glorious colours just in from l'oreal color riche

matched to brunette, blonde, or light brunette,

i've nabbed magnetic coral from the bag, which is for blondes, which I absolutely am not,

and can see how it would SING out loud on lighter ladies,

but hey, I still like it - just, pretty please, make one in matte, and I'll be yours forever.

the little mermaid

2011-03-03T16:45:00.000Z

having memorised all the words to all the songs in disney's the little mermaid

this very sweet new scent from gwen's harajuku lovers line

really truly made me smile

and the little usb stick is an absolute stroke of genius

cannot wait to use it with my bright pink netbook

why is it that as we grow older, we become more determined to embrace our inner children?

# 141 Good Skin

2011-02-23T18:24:00.000Z

I have good nails. I've been approached by several different people re a spot of hand modelling, but, well, I'm far too lazy and clumsy... I've never had a manicure that's outlasted the week, couldn't be bothered to shield mes mains in mitts, I don't care for my cuticles or take calcium supplements. My good nails and long fingers are a genetic gift, just like my odd teeth and propensity to gain weight around the bootie area. I've gotten so used to answering on autopilot, 'what, these old things, they take care of themselves,' that it was only a matter of time before Monsieur Ironique decided to serve me a kick in the chops - in the form of peeling nails that attracted the pitying glances of my manicurist. Once we established the fact that I was 6 months post-pregnancy she sighed, 'J-yes, I zee zis all zee time. You muzt luke after your nails better. Your vitaminzez were leached away by bebby; you breztfeed? J-yes, me too. So, zis is why your nails, they look like zhits.' I may have paraphrased that last bit, but, well, you get zee gist. What was once naturally perfect now requires a (ahem) helping hand. So, it's been Decleor treatment oil, CND Solar Oil, Philosophy's new hand & nail cream, no polish for a bit, and, yes, those supplements (I'm trying Healthspan's NURTURE range). I'm only a week in, but things are already looking up. I want to give the supplements etc 6 weeks though, so ping me back if you want to know how it went (and if I remember, I'll follow up here).

Onto the skinfront, which was also looking decidedly washed out. Yes, yes, I'm tired. No, no, I haven't had a full 8 hours for a full 7 months. But, that's okay. My body seems to have lain down and accepted it... well, I'd quite frankly pass out anywhere. To be fair to my face though, the skin really isn't doing that badly. I'm not spotty or ridiculously grey or dry as a coconut biscuit... but, I was lacking glow, a thing I used to have rather too much of (and needed regular t-zone wipes to rectify). What's helped? At the moment a combination of 2 cleansers - Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel, because it takes make-up off very quickly and rinses cleanly away; and then a quick scrub with Tata Harper's Regenerating Cleanser (which will go on sale in Space.NK in the UK in, I believe, April). I tried using the Tata Harper line exclusively for 2 weeks, but my skin got very very dry and just seemed to feel sticky all the time. It's weird, because I was layering on all of her serums and spraying the mist and doing all the massage - and I have to say, I had the very very highest hopes for this line - but it turned my skin into a bit of a confused mess - a bit spotty around the chin, dry around cheeks, and the undereye area wasn't served any favours by the serum either... my dark circles began to border on blue. Now, I know what you're thinking: I only gave it 2 weeks (which I chide others for doing over & over)... 2 weeks is not a fair trial, and because it is not, I do intend to return to it in the future at a time when the appearance of my skin is not so damn crucial. I'm a beauty director for chrissake, if the face doesn't look good, I have no value.

I need products that really work; really improve; really leave skin feeling balanced and moist and plump and radiant.

So, the two cleansers are working well together at present (Tata's cleanser smells divine) and because it's also gently exfoliating, it leaves a lovely dead-cell free base for my serum, which is Revive Moisture Extreme. This is really really good stuff. In just one week it's cancelled out every bit of dryness I was doing battle with, and really is injecting radiance back into the old mug. I just wish the tube were bigger as this baby is not going to last me another month. And it's really expensive. £220 expensive. Of course. It's also far from 'natural', which is what my skin routine always was, until I reached 30 and started to see a bit of a 'situation' in the mirror. So, it's one of the first very serious serums I've used - alongside Prevage Eye (with idebenone - very good stuff); and Creme's Radiant Serum (which did indeed make my skin look glowier, but after 2 months had not left it better hydrated, which I do so desperately need at present). It's grown-up skincare, and the results sure do make everything else look like a kid in costume.

Oh, and now for the thing I never thought I'd say (or type). I love the new Benefit face cream. As the PR's a good friend I did promise not to blog about it until March, but, well, we're almost there right? And I have no doubt that Brit Beauty Blogger got their first anyway! So, the Be Radiant line made its way onto my bathroom shelf DESPITE containing artificial fragrance (I hardly ever, ever, ever use perfumed products); despite not being natural or organic in any way (or even trying to be); despite being from a cutesy, quirky brand that I had never, ever once associated with skincare. So, words eaten, because I've been using the Face Cream for 2 weeks and it's one of the loveliest formulas out there. It's silky, velvety, completely absorbed, amazing before make-up, banishes dry patches like nothing else (no, not even Creme de la Mer felt more moisturising!). I've had no adverse reactions to it, I'm not spotty or stinging or red or sensitized, I just have softer, brighter-looking skin. People have commented. I'm happy as Larry. And that scent, well, let's just say, it's good enough to make me eat my hat (and a lovely, flowery hat at that). Now, that really is a surprise.

clip shape

2011-02-23T18:21:00.000Z

on a recent lunchtime rummage i fell rather in love with these oversized kirbys

their ends are big & bulbous, and one would be enough to pin two big sections of hair up,

so, perfect for those half-up half-down styles we're seeing all over the shop

and no, not a squid, but £4 for 6, from cos (where i also succumbed to a breton stripe knit...

... just in case my other 19 get stolen).

away we go

2011-02-17T16:37:00.000Z

first it was scotland, then paris, then cornwall...

it's been a whirlwind few weeks, with press & spa trips galore,

not bragging, promise, just trying to fill in the gaps that invaded this blog for so long

feb 2nd! shameful!

nice to be back in the office too though, with so much bubbling up in beauty - big big plans and exciting changes afoot at PSYCHOLOGIES - and the general mood of focused merriment is a tonic after too much gallivanting.

highlights? guerlain's new rouge automatique, a cheeky, girly lipstick that pops up at the flick of a switch; the scarlet's stress-silencing treatments; a hilarious chat with guerlain's 'nose', thierry wasser, where he had me in stitches trying to describe the mind-body differential when one hits puberty ('in my pants' were words used & never forgotten!)

hoots of ha has with garnier in cornwall - surfing (only the brave, so not me), supping and hearing all about what's new for summer (there's a new for spots spin on their best-selling 2-in-1)... oh, and meeting natalia vodianova, who is so funny, nay witty, real and charming that she left with a love-letter of looks from a room of bewitched beauty eds. gorgeous young thing (and 3 kids! argh!)

and so to bed... with a valentine's cupcake, the sweetest pink icing imaginable and white choc to melt the heart

gee bags

2011-02-02T13:58:00.000Z

i picked this baby up at the new cult beauty pop-up shop in selfridges

every time i whip it out of my purse, people go, ooh

love a bit of neon, and how could i resist such beauty scribbles?

if you like it, you can get it here: http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/cerise_sur_le_gateau/cerise_sur_le_gateau-panoplie_make_up_bag.php

sweet kisses

2011-01-31T12:54:00.000Z

a rather exciting and very tasty mouthful from maybelline this morn

choccie-cake-swizzle-stick-kisses to highlight the hanging around power of the new super stay 24HR lip colours - 510, red passion, is a surefire hotlip hit

excuse me while i put the kettle on

out of darkness...

2011-01-30T21:00:00.000Z

... comes light ...

in the form of ellen burney's beautiful blog

my favourite net curtain,

peek through it to another world...

www.vagabondiana.blogspot.com

#140 Easy Days

2011-01-29T14:34:00.000Z

Those products that enable the speediest of skin improvements have recently become my new questing mecca. Every morning I set out to arrive at fresh, radiant, rested, healthy... even when biology and physicality are both hard at work against me. As I stand here, now, at 30, I feel I'd never entertain thoughts of the surgical variety... but we often take those things that come easiest for granted... with me, the fact that I have oily skin of that very typical olive, Mediterranean variety, means I have not yet wrinkled (and that SPF has been a non-negotiable skincare step for at least a decade helps too). But if someone were to tell me that for the price of a designer coat I could do away with all dark circles, forever, or impending forehead wrinkles, or jowls, or double-chins...well, then I'd certainly be tempted. I do like the idea of looking very good for my age, despite reaching a point now when my face and my number of years of earth are beginning to become faithful reflections of one another. It's hard to say why I no longer look like that younger me - I have no new lines, no pigmentation, but yes, I do look more tired, and when one is tired their face loses that plump carefree quality - and can look a bit worn and wan, even if nothing specifically physical has changed. It's a funny thing, something has changed, and perhaps you feel it more than see it. Yes, I think that's it... I feel, older. But still young. Which is nice.

Recent discoveries of the cosmetic kind have, however, helped. I've long been a fan of Sue Devitt's Microaquatic Tinted Moisturiser, but this week I added a new base to the mix. Givenchy Photoperfexion Light Evanescent Fluid Foundation is really rather fabulous. I don't want to think too hard about what may be in it to allow it to so seamlessly and easily disappear into skin, but this is hands-down the most foolproof foundation I've ever used. Child's play. You simply give the tube a wee squeeze and rub the sponge all over the bits you wish to brighten and cover, and with hardly the need to touch it afterward, it's all done. I checked my complexion in 3 different lights (bedroom/bathroom/office toilet), because I was so surprised. Passed the test in each and every locale (and so speedy too!). Their Jelly Blush, however, did not fare so well. It was very wet, felt unpleasantly cold on the cheeks (but it was a very chilly morning), and made a bit of a mess of the rest of my make-up. Did not like it at all. With the good must come bad..

What else... ? Ushvani Coconut and Hibiscus Body Oil - just lovely, barely any scent, simply nourishing and soothing (didn't even tickle my eczema patches). It pains me to say that one of my favourite brands, ESPA, let me down with its Body Smoothing Shower Gel, which caused a bit of a skin flare-up (and despite being told by the ESPA therapist that it would be fine to use over eczema). Oops. I should've known better though.

So, some highs and lows; over and out.

discount dressing

2011-01-28T12:10:00.000Z

the things we leave behind do make me smile.

today, this discounted tag for a dvf dress in the hachette ladies.

what a great bargain someone has bagged. tee hee.

I wonder what the story is... came to work with tag attached and rectified mistake in loo;

came to work uncomfortable in own clothes so nipped across the road for a midday change;

stopped off at selfridges prior to work and simply couldn't resist the sales rack...

all scenarios i can very much relate to, as just last night i had a dress-up panic when a formerly roomy dress proved that bit too snug for comfort

(note to self, always trial pre-baby clothes before very important events

where photographers will be present)

eyespy espa

2011-01-27T16:39:00.000Z

behold, the new packaging from brit beauty brand (and personal fave) espa.

eye-spied on one of my many wanders past liberty's lovely windows.

fair lady

2011-01-26T12:08:00.000Z

imagery from the new miss dior cherie campaign, featuring the unconscionably

lovely miss portman. why wouldn't one take a bath with sunnies on?

#139 Lies and Loves

2011-01-21T10:51:00.000Z

You've probably clocked that I don't blog here very often anymore. I run another blog, we make up as we go along, work (almost) full time for PSYCHOLOGIES as their beauty director, do consultancy & copywriting on the side, and am also, ahem, working on another project of the fiction/fictitious/fictional variety. But I'm just not ready or willing to let Miss M go. Not least of all because I began this blog over 3 years ago, at a time when the online landscape looked very different and there were only a handful of us going at it honestly, via the basic blogosphere, with no one taking very much notice at all. I think I blogged for about 4 months before anyone even read a page, and then, by some virtual twist of online fate, I started picking up peeps in the States, Russia, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, Ireland... the list went on. When I hit my 250, 000th user, I could hardly believe it. And then the ad & sponsorship offers came flooding in and, because I had always planned on remaining anonymous/wholly objective/penniless, I turned each and every one of them down. So, no, I've never ever made a penny from this old webpage of mine.

Which doesn't really bother me, except that now I'm expected to accept ads and get involved with campaigns, and add 'adsense' and analytics and links and bits and bobs - all of which I know next to nothing about. And because I'm just a beauty ed who likes to write, it all seems anathema to me... but the beauty bloggers out there who are on top of their tech, and have made a handsome buck for blogging, well, I have nothing but admiration for them either. They're being paid for their passion. It's great! Unfortunately, there is also a whole new horde of hangers-on and beauty make-it-uppers, who call themselves journos, but in actuality joined blogger the day before, and then proceed to round-robin the PRs, wishing to be added to mailing lists in a bid to receive free product.

Last month a good PR friend emailed to check up on the provenance of one such sneaky scribe. She said that she'd recently written for PSYCHOLOGIES. Lie. She said that she was an established writer. Lie. When probed further she said she'd pitched to PSYCHOLOGIES and a story was being 'talked about'. Lie. No pitch, no word, no call. Non-existent in every sense. In truth, it did not really bother me - I understand how attractive the thought of being sent free beauty products must be; and being a beauty ed is one blessed gig, it really is. Travel, beautiful perks, gorgeous product, spas, great working environment, meeting lovely, inspiring, talented people day after day (from PRs and make-up artists to photographers and fellow eds)... I'd never dare complain, lest anyone who does a real job jump down my throat (and rightly so).

So, now I'm caught between blogging and beauty editing. The latter requires my full-minded wholehearted attention, and gets it, the former, well, it satisfies the bit of the soul that just likes to have a ramble, spill some dirty beans, tip products I can't rave about ad nauseam elsewhere because I'd be deemed repetitive (and possibly accused of financially-aided favouritism). I'd just like to clarify that I've never been paid for a 'good' review. But yes, I do have advertisers to keep happy... several... and sometimes it's their money or my (working) life. I wouldn't be the first journo (one of whom I respect so utterly) to be kicked out of the class for mouthing off to the head of an enormous cosmetics company. That old 'Big Daddy' voice kicks in when I'm in moods like this one, crying 'Mendacity', a la 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' We pay our dues in order to pay our way (and keep that roof above our heads), and save our skin, our magazines, ourselves from ignominious professional extinction.

But at the best magazines there is a balance being struck - between showcasing the very best products from those paying beauty bigwigs, and the penniless grassroots brands that build up slowly, successfully, via the power of recommendation. I cannot help myself in that I am always more interested in the latter, solely because I am like a magpie, drawn to the shiny promise of the 'new'; but I'm also an enormous fan of so many of those bigger brands, carting around their cosmetics without question.

I'm a clear-cut reflection of the very balance I try to maintain upon my own beauty page. At this very moment I am up in Scotland with a vanity case that contains:

A Topshop lipstick

Revlon lipstick

Sue Devitt tinted moisturiser

Two Estee Lauder eye pencils

Bobbi Brown blusher

Philosophy blusher/bronzer duo

Lancome mascara

Clinique mascara

Dior undereye concealer

Three eyeshadows by Urban Decay, Daniel Sandler, MAC

RMS Beauty highlighter

Shu Uemura eyelash curlers

My Face concealer

Nivea Eye make-up remover

Omorovicza body cream

Elemis cleanser

Sarah Chapman serum

Estee Lauder eye serum

Origins exfoliator and hydrating mask

Label.M Dry Shampoo (I ran out of Ojon last week. It's my first time with this L.M one and it is really really great).

Elizabeth Arden (Prevage) eye cream

ESPA face cream

INLIGHT night balm

Caudalie lip balm

Aromatherapy Associates travel bath oil & rescue remedy

Gielly Green conditioner

John Masters Organics shampoo

And, a mini Liz Earle face cream sample, used as a hand cream in handbag

So, when it comes down to it, I simply cannot stop blogging. If I did I'd have no place to say that I'm not paid to say. But, looking up at that list I can also breathe easy. From designer 'couture' cosmetics to handmade, homemade homeopathic remedies, I use it, I love it, I rate it, I trust it, I recommend it. Yes, all of the above WORKS (for me, at least).

So, there's a place for us all up on this hot tin roof of a tricky topic. And there needn't be even a whiff of mendacity about it. Big daddy to little sister brands, one big happy beauty family.

tata tale

2011-01-17T13:32:00.002Z

the best thing about being in beauty is the buzz that comes with the discovery of a truly exciting new line - in this case, vermont's tata harper.

written up by everyone from us vogue to nylon, harpers and vanity fair, the all natural 'homegrown' line has a great story behind it - but it's the formulas that have got people talking.

my consignment arrived this morning fresh from the states (just in time for one of my spring stories for psychologies), and i've already had a good ol' sniff and rub.

testing time begins tonight - perfect, as i've just finished both my espa gentle deep and elemis melting gel cleansers. this one - 'regenerating cleanser' - smells phenomenal: orange blossom and apricot sing out the moment you squeeze. as you can see, the packaging is very 'homegrown', with small batches made up individually by hand. it's still a little operation, but one that's rapidly gaining fans and favour. see it in london in march, at space.nk.

telling tube tales

2011-01-14T12:54:00.002Z

oh how i love a bit of controversy with my coffee in the morning!

one in a million

2011-01-12T12:56:00.000Z

and so i decamped to the new forest, to lime wood hotel & spa,

for a 2-night family escape that truly rejuvenated

(no mean feat when one travels avec 5-mois-bebe).

from the beautiful bedrooms and bathrooms, to the utterly glorious herb house spa

(which uses voya, bamford and nude), it's one of those places that exudes quiet

charm, elegance and homeliness. service was impeccable - staff quietly anticipating one's needs before they were even vocalised; food extraordinary - that treacle tart may long be digested, but i'm sure i can still taste it - and the breakfast spread was the best i've ever encountered (beats posh 5 star swank-hotels hands down - everything fresh, locally sourced, singing with colour & flavour). travelling with babe in arms is not always the easiest, but the forests provided a perfect backdrop for family jaunts, and the fireplace-warmed living rooms ideal for dad-and-daughter playtime while mama took full advantage of the spa.

then family swim-time in the eve, just in time to tire out the little one and get her down for a great night's sleep. it's a true gem of a place, very hard to leave, and impossible to forget.

www.limewoodhotel.co.uk

a few of my favourite things

2011-01-06T18:15:00.000Z

at the moment, a renewed love affair with balenciaga paris (their press material, in linen-bound silken-cream books, achingly beautiful, makes me want to white-wash all of my walls & floors and wear nothing but loose, white muslin. living in london, not really realistic)

revlon matte lipstick in strawberry suede

inlight ecz-easy cream - great for my cracking-up too-oft-washed hands

inlight night balm - truly amazing, nourishing stuff

my new leather jacket, half price, from whistles, which i just lurve

chop'd salad bars for doing buy one, get one free salads all week. ta muchly.

the cool scribbled postie-cards sent with diptyque's new scent. make me want to forage in an art shop.

stacks of unread feb 2011 mags and new books, the book of lies, by mary horlock, awaiting an opening ceremony

2 mini trips away with the family in 2 busy weeks. frilly waterproof swimming panties for my little one to wear during her first paddle in the pool. camera at the ready.

reading all the way into work. rediscovering and relishing just how quickly i'm able to devour novels. 800 pages in 2.5 days. reminds me of my lit-student days. missed.

and walking through the door to my hubby's wonderful dinners, a sweetly slumbering little one who has had a clearly perfect day, and time to decompress while re-running favourite dvds over a glass of something bubbly, or scrabble, ah, what a perfect eve.

how do you do new?

2011-01-03T20:40:00.001Z

i've never made resolutions - not because there's nothing i'd like to resolve, there's a veritable plethora of undone/unfinished/unsaid/unchanged issues that need rectifying come the advent of each new year - but because I'd find it impossible to commit myself to a single cause. amid my 2011 quests is a bid to eat less crap, make better to-do lists, get a massive leaping head-start on this year's deadlines, take more long weekends away with my new, little family, clear out my wardrobe and jewelery drawers [i think i still own friendship bracelets], take off chipped polish before it is more chip than polish, to take better & more photographs [i've just discovered hipstamatic - thanks andrea & nato!], to write more thank you notes, to take more baths with my baby, to read more, to walk more, to return to my former more experimental make-up roots [I miss my fuchsia and orange lipped escapades], to finish writing that 3rd novel and burn the other 2 before anyone ever has a chance to read them, to stop spending silly money in selfridges food hall, to stop making all my press breakfasts at the same place for convenience's sake: read: utter laziness...

...and to blog more. it's tricky, because lack of spare time has become my life's defining issue, but i shall endeavour to set aside a strict and non-negotiable slot of a morn, solely for blogging, here, and at miss malcontent, which has seen pitifully little action these past months...

laid bare, aiming high, clean slate

and a brand new, crisp, shiny, smythson desk diary [thank you helen!] to keep me in check.

tickets and taxis

2010-12-10T14:37:00.002Z

so, the special-est launch of the week went to Estee Lauder, who flew the wonderful Tom Pecheux over for the occassion. his new PURE COLOR COLLECTION, for nails & lips, was a bold, primary dream for those of us who rather like lashing out with a loud slap here & there. we always bandy around words such as 'genius', 'expert', 'pro' and 'master' - but where tom is concerned, the monikers are sans hot air. he's genuinely interesting. he says new and unheard of things about his work - such as, 'i was shaving and looked at the foam and thought, 'this is the colour!' - so white - so right - and so I slapped some into a bag and sent it off to the lab and said, make this for me please.' he also told a table of info-hungry journos that to make foundation last all day (and go on like a seamless dream), he uses lauder idealist refinisher on cleansed & moisturised skin, and a drop of the advanced night repair serum mixed in with the foundation. genius! i've never seen so many pencils scribbling so fast, and in such perfect unison.

then a beautiful lunch @ truc vert with maria a (the waiting staff now greet me with 'hello again'), where we discussed Shiffa - a very lovely little line which appeals to my organic-flower-child mentality, without dismissing my inner skin-snob. i had horrible post-cold dry & flaky philtrum (that bit between nose & mouth), and after a day of dabbing on the healing balm, said skin-flakes were exorcised for good. also, get your nose around the mint & basil body scrub. It's enough to blow the coldy cobwebs away for good - and smells like the yummiest, mintiest mojito. hmmmm.

finally, on the way back to the office, i spied a line of charitable taxis, displaying their festive wares despite the tailback traffic. Respect. http://www.thelondontaxidriverschildrenscharity.co.uk/

and for those who adore a bit of dior, there's a Rene Gruau retrospective at Somerset House, which focuses on the work of the house's fashion illustrator. If you'd like to know more I can do no better than point you in the direction of this: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8079901/Rene-Gruau-a-new-look-at-the-influential-Dior-illustrator.html - a lovely and insightful little article by Drusilla Beyfus. The exhibition closes on Jan 10th - I have 2 tickets for anyone who'd like to go. The first peep who'd like to ping me via twitter - mentioning 'DIOR' - will bag the pair.

Being Eric

2010-12-02T20:34:00.001Z

yesterday it was the sanderson and the launch of ss11 for urban decay.

i met eric jimenez, who, let's be honest, doesn't really let anyone else get a word in edge-ways, but does have lots of amusing things to say - so we'll let him get away with it (just this once)

on the table was talk of linguistic differences en angleterre & etats-unis

oprah & why she's beloved by all and sundry [ros witcher in particular #what i learned in my first week at PSYCHOLOGIES]

flights and snow and skin and pork-belly dinners (him, not me - but I would if I could)

and then a rather special set of new stuff to see.

i've always been a fan of u.d. - even when their packaging began to scare me (those naked-men-lip-glosses got me a bit pink in the cheek) - but their eyeshadows, 24/7 liners and lid primer (which I'm now wholly converted to), are really, truly great.

and for a colour fiend like me, there's a lot to get excited about.

my pick of the new bunch - this limited edition kit of 15 24/7 liners, with several new shades, including a blacker-than-black one which apparently makes eyes go !!HELLO!!

and they're also bringing out the 24/7 formula in eye-shadow-pencil form - genius.

then there are the new cheek creams - the corally-pink and candy-pink are great.

then it was back into a cab, scaling those scary streets, and stuck on a tube for 45 minutes with a driver who insisted on singing in a bid to 'entertain' us.

oh what a night.

# 138 Guilt RIP

2010-12-02T19:09:00.000Z

Right, so it turns out that a new job + a new baby + an almost-new-year adds up to not a spare second to do very much of anything at all. Which is why this blog hasn't been updated in over a month - shameful. I'm sorry. And a wee bit sorrowful. Racked with guilt seems to be my latest thing. I wake up feeling bad for rushing out on the bairn; come in feeling bad for being late; spend days at home feeling bad for having to check in on email when I should be bathing/playing/singing/dancing/smiling at/with the baby; and that list of things to-do - grows and grows and grows, until the guilt at the undone and unsaid and unfinished stuff wakes me up in the middle of the night. But not for very long of course, because I'm currently getting, on average, 24 hours sleep a WEEK. Ouch. Everybody hurts.

But then I realise that I'm being a very silly-billy [thanks mum], and it's time to grow (& shut) up. The fact is, beneath the tiredness & tumult (should I continue to blog so openly when I have a high-profile new job on a consumer magazine? can honesty always be the best policy? will I accidentally slip up here & end up on the silenced scrapheap?), I've realised that I'm creating my own conflicts. The truth is here, and it is that I shall always, always speak my own mind and be honest about my loves, loathes and couldn't-care-lesses. I also know that one of the reasons I landed my new gig is because the editor values an opinionated voice & isn't scared of letting it sing. Yes, we rely on advertising just like every other magazine on the market, but unlike most, my mag also speaks to a unique sort of woman - a truly savvy, enquiring and intelligent type who expects more from her magazine. And that 'more' is, I hope, real & raw & un-revised authority, honestly & insight. That's my modus operandi in my new role - to be REAL - and do away with all the overblown cliches, hyperbole and BS that can haunt beauty. Guilt trip over I say to myself. You are who you are & you were hired for a reason. There is a place in this world where one can be both beauty director & unbiased blogger. Here we go.

So, despite my stint of self-counselling, I've also become one of those women who is forever bemoaning her eye bags, her 5-minute morning make-up routine [it used to be 15], her lack of sleep/rest/lazy/me time... and I just don't like it. The truth is - as the other gazillion working mums out there can testify - it is hard & tiring. But there's another truth nestled among the moans & that's that it's also, really, very, very wonderful. My petite one is now a full 4 months & a bit old, which means that she's becoming a wholehearted, full-throated, big-smiled joy. Gone are those days of crying for no reason, of needing to be held every second, of waking up 11 times a night to feed... she's now content to watch, smile, follow, listen and is also perfectly content to be left alone for rather long periods too... deary me, how things change in the span of an eyelid's blink. I have one entire day a week with her when neither my husband nor sister nor mum nor dad descend, and it's becoming a very special one - where we do simple, smiley things such as playing peekaboo and watching Postman Pat. Joy. We even managed to take a 2-hour mid-morning nap together... a rare, but wondrous treat. Alas, despite her gorgeous mood, I was so busy with washing/cleaning/bottle-making/changing/singing/emailing that I didn't get time to do the essential end-of-the-week groom [I like to go into a long weekend as a scrubbed, buffed & shorn version of myself]. So, here I am now, at 19.20, with baby a-snooze, aware of the wash-and-go session that needs to be fitted into tomorrow's morning... the past weeks have been prime testing ground for the simplest of new regimes - and have turfed up some serious time-saving treasures:

Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel - brand new, lovely oozy, buttery texture, great for a good old massage, then emulsifies beautifully with water to rinse clean away like milk. Good stuff. If only it could be used over eyes too (but then again, if it could, it wouldn't have the same anti-ageing benefits).

Inlight Organic Night Balm - from the rather special fellow who dreamed up Spiezia [which he is now in no way affiliated to], Mario's blend of pure nourishing oils (macadamia, carrot, evening primrose) is so spot-on for winter-sore and tired skin. It's also a lazy girls dream - you literally massage it in all over a cleansed face & a thicker layer makes for an overnight mask too. Watch skin suck it up - mornings aren't so scary now.

Aveda Damage Remedy Treatment - because nobody does it better, and with my 'artificial' poker-straight strands [here's where I get it 'done': http://wemakeupaswegoalong.blogspot.com/2010/10/wish-it-were-sunday.html] it's essential to keep tips in top condition.

OCCO Bath & Body Wash Kornati No 7 - because I'm miles and miles from the sea and this smells like the Turkish coast... mineraly, salt-tinged and a breath of fresh air on bleary-eyed mornings. Oh, and it's about 5 times thicker than normal shower gels, so it goes a hell of a long way.

Jo Malone Vitamin E Body Balm - My beloved Creme de la Mer Body Lotion ran out so I fished this from the cupboard & am mightily impressed. Cocoa-buttery but with a sweet scent that is less cloying than the traditional stuff, it absorbs rather beautifully - none of that rubbing a white-sticky-stripe-leaving cream for minutes until it disappears, nope, despite being thick as peanut butter, a few quick swipes and the body sucks it up. Just luvverly.

Murine Irritation & Redness Relief Eye Drops - from pharmacies this one, but bloody hell, if it doesn't just destroy every trace of the 4-hours-a-night evidence. And unlike most brightening eye drops, this doesn't irritate in the slightest. Ideal SOS stuff - particularly near the end of the working week.

Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser - sometimes it's just utterly impossible to wash & dry my hair. I would like to do so every single day, but at present, I'm managing 3 times a week. Not great. Thankfully, this spray in stuff is truly great [and even better than the KMS one which I've previously raved about]. I spray it in & massage it in with fingers, clip it back, and then proceed with the cleanse/moisturise/make-up routine, then once made up, I take it down & give it a good 30-second upside-down brush, and there you go, big ol' hair once more. Even better on days when you want to do an up-do: just the right amount of quiffy bounce.

And that's it from me for now.

Bye Bye Guilt et Au Revoir Tristesse.

far from the madding crowd

2010-11-23T13:53:00.000Z

and there it is. the queue that snaked down regent and over great marlborough street.

men and women clamouring to get their paws on those h&m lanvin dresses.

did i queue? did i 'eck. i work at hachette after all - where everyone's bound to be wearing them for the next month and i just couldn't bear to have a fashion-clash in the lift.

but eyeing the crowd, rich in haute-styled japanese queens - all immaculate hair, dishevelled chanel and sky-high heels - i did smile a big smile. they looked amazing.

and later, when i got knocked from the pavement by a trio of girls wielding 5-bags-apiece,

i wondered at a world that can generate such a frenzied fashion buzz.

a few years back and no 'high street' girl would have been able to tell alber elbaz from albert square.

lanvin was a little line worshipped only by those in the know.

perhaps it's the devil wears prada effect, or one too many 'running in heels' docu-dramas,

but today's 'image' consciousness seems impossible to dodge.

everyone has a look, a style, an angle - young girls are f***ing up their hair,

because everything must make a statement.

make it big. make it fluffy. make it matt. make it peroxide white.

and it's cool and, i'll admit, i'm rather in awe.

i grew up pre-ghds, when covetable hair was frieda frizz-eased into obedience, but never looked great.

i came into my own post-ghd, when everyone wanted hair so straight that it looked like spaghetti.

and now? dead straight hair is the epitome of uncool. too shiny, too sleek, too perfect is utterly wrong.

hair ought to be a gaga-style celebration of oddity and contradiction.

and the young girls are rocking looks that have the fashion set following suit.

and then onto bumble & bumble, who today launched their brand new product -

designed to get the sort of undone, mussed and messed up texture that we all seem to covet these days.

i shall not spill the beans on name or product visuals as the b&B peeps are keen to keep schtum until march, but suffice it to say, it was led by this new street style.

and here's 3 they made earlier [see pic 2] - bang on this year's buck.

hot head

2010-11-22T16:22:00.000Z

i'm hugely impressed by crafty types

those who can sew, knit, darn, yarn, spin

and this adorable cashmere-wool beanie

made for my wee baby by PR extraordinaire Liz Clark

really put a big smile on my face

she knitted it up - complete with bespoke label & heart logo - in mere hours

which astounded me - i reckon there's a bespoke business in the making here...

eau de toilet

2010-11-16T13:31:00.000Z

valentine's day is in the P-air-R

with new launches winging their way into the office

and landing prettily atop my desk

alas our feb issue is closed for romantic business

but i appreciate the thought

and as the festive season approaches

it's nice to receive virtual love through one's mailbox

particularly when the spring collections are as pretty as paul & joe's

my favourite in ages

tempted to pair that sugar-pink pout-maker with my new aveda-perfected hair

antoinette beenders took some seriously straight [read: lank] lengths

and gave them a pro-style f***ing up

she said, which made me laugh, you like to be neat, but a little bit naughty

and that is me, through & through

prim and improper; naughty & nice; snapping my glossy locks in a dodgy toilet

simple treasures

2010-11-10T13:51:00.000Z

having not been sure about the long skirt trend i braved it today & am glad i did. legs relished their third skin [thick tights obligatory! brrrr!]. spotted a cool blonde shag on the tube - mussy-messy very blonde, on a little nordic-looking girl & kept smiling at her. she thought I was mad. and began the day with a cosy cuppa @ mount street deli. adore such days.

the view from my desk

2010-11-04T12:41:00.000Z

how utterly, florally, lovely.

thank you ladies!!

simple smiles

2010-11-01T20:13:00.000Z

week old, dying-and-drying roses in a glass, in front of a second hand le creuset jug, perfect for fresh ones.

a treat for a tired wife from a loving husband - swirled to perfection by local bakery, rhodes, atop my other le creuset, a wedding present.

time for tea

# 137 Soul Sister

2010-10-30T11:56:00.000+01:00

'I'm 24 and work in an office in London. I currently use just a Neutrogena Oil Free moisturiser, as being 24 I was still getting the odd spot, someone suggested that I try something without oil. It worked, for a while, but now my skin is dry, lifeless, and still getting the odd spot. I'm nervous about changing moisturiser though. I try a Kiehls one about 6 months ago, but my skin just went haywire. I do however know that I need to find something to start giving my skin back its moisture, stop being flaky, hopefully keep away the odd spot and stop me feeling ancient before my time! If you could point me in the right direction of a relevent post, or have any advice I would be so grateful!'

Hey sister, I can relate! Ever since I popped out my little'un, the skin has been having an extended schizophrenic moment. It's superficially oily, deeply dehydrated, prone to dry patches and, out of nowhere, the odd forehead blemish has also made a determined comeback. Darn it to hell. The thing is, I've learned from past experience that it does no good to chop & change - to gauge if something's working or not you need to allow at least 6 weeks. Having said that the gut's a good indicator of the skin's proclivities - and it's pretty easy to tell if something's not going to suit you, full stop. The range I’ve always relied on to right my up-and-down days is ESPA. I’ve written about them several times in the past, but it’s the combination of balancing oil, balancing moisturiser, cellular hydrating complex and that lovely creamy easily-emulsifying oil-based gentle cleanser that most often gets my skin back up to scratch. I must say, however, that without the cellular hydrating complex, the combo is not quite hydrating enough as my skin switches from combination to dryness-prone the moment winter appears – but using a more moisturising line-up, such as, e.g. Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser, which is packed with avocado, borage and wheatgerm oils, does leave me superficially ‘slick’ looking [even when using the LIGHT formula – I get that suspect 2pm shine on the ol’ forehead]. So, my advice would be to supplement a skincare routine that you’re happy with – i.e. a cleanser & moisturiser that seem to work with your skin – with masks, serums and concentrates. That way you can ensure that you’re not changing things up too much or constantly trying and testing formulas out on your complexion (which is the shortest cut to skin chaos). Some of the very best hydrating and ‘enlivening’ masks I’ve used over the years include:

DERMALOGICA MULTI-VITAMIN POWER RECOVERY MASK

REMEDE ALCHEMY LINE-MINIMIZING MASK

ORIGINS DRINK UP INTENSIVE OVERNIGHT MASK

JURLIQUE INTENSE RECOVERY MASK

ALPHA-H CALMING & HYDRATING MASK

I’d also like to stress the fact that I’m a massive fan of oils for ALL skin conditions. I’ve never ever found the oil-free method to help with my oil- or spot-proneness, in fact, whenever I’ve used entirely oil-free formulas in the past – from Leaf & Rusher; Dr Brandt; Dermalogica; REN – my skin has initially settled (for a day or two), before becoming increasingly oily and spotty. My theory (and several skincare experts would agree with me), is that by using entirely oil-free products, the skin begins to overcompensate by overproducing sebum. However, by selecting facial oils designed to treat OILY skin (wonderful combinations are made by Aromatherapy Associates, Daniele de Winter, Darphin, Decleor, Clarins and, as previously mentioned, ESPA), the skin seems to settle down far more easily – and provides a far more successful longterm solution.

Please, do let me know how you get on!

Yours sincerely,

A sympathetic sister in search of skincare perfection

wish it were sunday

2010-10-27T13:51:00.000+01:00

a week ago i scribbled down my thoughts on those women who have inspired my various hair crusades. well, as is inevitable when making any sort of definitive declaration, there were many oversights. while driving back home that evening, the bangles' 'manic monday' came on the radio and it sparked a whole other journey - and a pinch on the arm for having forgotten my earliest hair crush: susanna hoffs, aka the cute one with that sweet-as-sugar voice which i tried desperately hard to mimic as a pre-teen. she had devil-may-care typically 80s hair - permy, big, curly and wild, and while her other bandmates looked like culture club members - and were invariably fairer & blonder - susanna was, for me, revolutionary - a brown-haired girl, petite & olive-skinned... the sort of big sister i never had but whose wardrobe i would have raided. then there was marisa tomei. i've always been drawn to brunettes with deep chocolately eyes and kind smiles, and the fact that she looked so much like my favourite cousin secured her a soft-spot in my heart. i loved her in 'my cousin vinnie', all over-the-top new-yawk drawl and big hair; and 'untamed heart' as the waitress with the heart of gold who falls in love with the damaged Christian Slater [p.s. that dress she wears in the final scene, a flirty little tea-dress with a low back, was on my imaginary wishlist for years. in fact, if i found it now i'd still buy it]. in recent years there have been other fleeting crushes. on rachel bilson's cutesy chic fringe; natasha khan's glossy waves; natalie portman's sleek side-chignons... but my safe place has always been short, straight & sleek - just below chin-length, minus fringes or fussy layers or cool edges [i've had to accept that my face just doesn't work with 'modern', 'trendy', 'cool' or 'grungey']. so, it's always a bit little french school girl, side-parted, a tad longer in the front and shorter in the back - and as for the shiny straightness, nature has nothing to do with it, it's all man-made, thanks to that little south east london salon i tweeted about yesterday - koto, at 233 high street, bromley, whose imported 'straight perm' leaves locks permanently glossy, kink-free and glass-sleek, and wake-up-and-go ready at all times. it's changed my life [and i never use hyperbole] and saves me hours & hours of styling time which i can ill-afford now that i am a working mother. it's not cheap or speedy though [the procedure takes around 5 hours] but £250 seems a snip for hair that tops the chart... and banishes manic monday mornings forever.

fine and dandy

2010-10-21T22:23:00.000+01:00

today was my first full day of launches post-lil-one and, well, i almost forgot just how much fun this beauty malarkey could be. first up, a beauteous orange-inspired SS11 look at Givenchy - fairies, naivety, innocence, insouciance and speedy slap-fash application made for a really lovely, clean, fresh feeling collection. i'm a sucker for oranges, so the bright lippy and eye shades hit a sharp note, while the new foundation & cheek gel are set to become cult classics. and i do not bandy that sort of language lightly. then off to suqqu where i was treated to some serious gankin massage in speedy time [i had just 30 mins to sit and learn - others had 60, a reclining massage and intense TLC. more fool me for not making more room in the schedule]. then a steamin spicy jungle curry at busaba eathai... had to go back for old time's sake, just had to, even though common sense tells me there are less pricey & just as tasty options on every surrounding street... but it was lovely, if not quite as yummy as i remembered... before flitting to a final launch at the mayfair, for benefit who celebrated their first in-house uk press office & a new blusher in a box - with 3 dancing girls who put on quite a show [several token males got quite hot under the collar]. then a short stroll to green park and home on the jubilee - just in time to make baby's bath. and now, sprawled on sofa catching up with s4 of gossip girl... while my other two thirds snore away in the bedroom, side-by-side. love those quiet nights after busy days.

sister act

2010-10-20T16:39:00.000+01:00

the little sis buys & develops jewelery and her first range - a gorgeous set of inexpensive trinkets with snazzy giftcards - has just gone live on asos.com. the idea's genius - we all have those mates in our lives for whom we like to get the odd, wee cheap-skate keepsake, and these are just the ticket. i'm particularly fond of the natty mottos... free as a bird; pearly queen [with a cute set of pearl earrings]; ship shape [an anchor necklace] and twinkle twinkle, for a sparkling star on a chain. just lovely. well done B-B! X

Head Girls

2010-10-16T12:11:00.000+01:00

i may write two blogs but techno-genius i am not. in fact i've only just worked out what twitter's #ff means... my blogs run sans ads, mainly because i can't work out how to insert them, and without analytics that might otherwise help me capture a larger, well, captive audience. do i care? do i 'eck? what does appeal, however, is declaring my love for those pretty things, and people, whose looks and lives make me smile. there's something about diane kruger, the dancer's elegance, the germanic lilt, the intelligent eyes, the lithe and healthy body - and that hair, which is always interesting, never too straight, too blonde, too bombshell. she could be if she wanted to be, but it's just not her bag. she's more interesting than that. at least, that's how it feels when i glance at pics of her. then there's jane. need anything be said? her rebel-rebel yell and pouty beauty have often recalled liv tyler... those doe eyes, those pillowy lips... this is my kind of sexy - not scarlett or eva or angelina. something a bit quieter, cuter, girlier. but cross her and you'll regret it. she exudes sex too, of course, openly, brazenly, but never cheaply. and liv, whom i've adored ever since empire records, then stealing beauty... wishing myself taller and prettier and longer of limb and lock... i just have a soft spot for her warmth - and having seen her in candid person, she really does not disappoint. i just...well... really like her... you know how sometimes you just have a sneaking suspicion that you'd be great pals with someone if you met them? well, i feel that way about liv. then there's sofia. i think sofia hides an inner fire. i imagine she is inherently patient and softly-spoken, until, BAM, a fiery temper burns through the silence. she'll speak her mind subtly, but with no room for mistaken meaning. i like her quiet style - so easy, a tad insouciant, bang-on but without bragging. she's probably the place where i most often find myself - flat shoes, simple dresses, hair with a bit of a kink. a style soul-sister... but part of a sisterhood that cares far more for other things. i imagine. but their hair - these girls - is a source of craven covetousness. they're my top 4, i'm pretty sure, and have been for some time. i may never grow my locks long [just shy of the shoulders is my safe place], but that does not stop me sneaking a longing peek at those pretty girls who do.

# 136 Conditioning Complex

2010-10-16T11:15:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a big interview. I needed to look a-mazing - chic, sleek, grown-up and 'with it'. Looking with it is a whole new challenge these days what with a new baby, gazillions of short-lead deadlines & a new job kicking off in less than two weeks. The problem is, post-baby, my hair's developed an entirely new personality. It's still shiny [thank gawd], but it's also prone to kinkiness and sheds in clumps in the shower [truly, it looks as though I have a dead mogwai in my bathroom bin]. I'm lucky to have enough to spare - but when hair's proving tricky I need something extra - something that keeps strands in place, come rain or shine. My sister - her of the feted Absolom-esque locks - cannot live without Pantene. I've never been a fan - I don't like Sodium Laureth Sulphate for a start. She has told me, over and over again, that nothing produces such reliable sleekness, malleable softness, shiny, tactile, styleability. Pass, I say, not for me. Having spent more time of late out in Kent with Ma & Pa Malcontent, I've became a dab hand at forgetting my essential grooming products. And the night before this 'big interview', I realised that my amnesia extended to haircare. After a minor freak-out [Ma Malcontent's TIGI was not to my liking], I decided to bite the beauty bullet and trial the leftover Smooth & Sleek range in lil' Sis' bathroom. Well. My oh my. Words duly swallowed. Hair blow-dried in record time, with supreme shine, and so slippery-sleek was the result that I wore it down for the first time in weeks [Mr Frieda, we must make another date soon!]. Gorgeous. And I never, ever say that about my hair. The following day hair was scooped up into a sleek ponytail, still very shiny and healthy looking. By day 2.5, however, gloss began to turn to grease... and by day 3 hair was crying out for another wash. Now, this is something I'm not used to. I have thick, full hair - and going 3 days without a wash is just par for the course. Just not with Pantene. And, I've since discovered, that if left on hair for more than a minute, the in-between-wash time is reduced by 24 hours. So, while it saves time with the dry and style, it also demands a more regular shampoo session... highs and lows. But... that initial smooth operation... the shine, the sleekness, the softness... hmmmm... I bought my own. Because, it's [just about] worth it.

and so it is... just like you said it would be...

2010-10-02T15:41:00.002+01:00

it’s been an odd couple of months with my life now unrecognisable. new baby. new workload. new budgets and last-minute commissions and meetings and shoots and interviews – and a lot less time to fit the old life’s elements into the current componentry. like spinning pinballs, though, things settle into their slots eventually, thank goodness, and with new perspectives come new opportunities – such as the one that landed in my blessed lap a week ago – the JOB OF MY DREAMS – beauty director for a title I have long admired & enjoyed - which i won’t spout quite yet as the ink is yet to dry on my [pictured] contract...call me superstitious, but this feels just too good to jump the gun on. it may be mine, but i still want to savour it in silence for a wee while longer. talk about delayed gratification. yep, i’m excited beyond words – but also curious to know how my two new lives will come together – and how i’ll do what my own mother never did – be a [hopefully] wonderful, and successful, working mummy. [to clarify: she was & still is utterly wunderbar, but just never worked]. of course, i’d be lying if i said it was a conflict-free decision. no new mum feels good about leaving her 4 month old behind 4-days a week, but needs must – and some needs can feel fated. there'll be tears, no doubt [all mine, of course - i'm sure the babe will be bonny] - but i can set off each morning calm in the knowledge that the other half – bless his big, homely heart – jumped at the opportunity to ditch his current gig and become a full-time hands-on daddy – so, this is where we find ourselves at the beginning of a silver-lined cloudy October: with an entirely new family dynamic and a window wide open with working opportunities that i can almost taste and savour. and the calendar ringed with my first working day: November 3. a big, bright, yellow ring that glows in the dark. life goes easy on me... most of the time.

pet sounds

2010-09-23T16:01:00.000+01:00

if one hates the brain-shredding plinky plonky euro-pop of certain fashion stores [erm, Zara - AKA: when good clothes go badly accompanied], it's heartening to learn that our favourite labels can match their threads with equally fantastic chords. asking their mates to compile their best-of-best beats, for use throughout their stores, the APC lot shared the list via their cool webby-page: http://www.apcjournal.fr/ not only is the site full of chic sightings, it's also a wonderful window on the world of the brand itself - which, had i the spondoolees, would dominate my winter wardrobe. so in love [oh, and that's track 7, just in case you're interested].

# 135 Funny Face

2010-09-21T20:36:00.000+01:00

Funny stuff happens post-bairn. Hair growth fizzles out [barely shaved my legs in 7 weeks]; dry skin becomes suddenly oily again [the t-zone is back to teen-sheen status]; eye bags sprout eye bags for their eye bags, and then, all of a sudden, get used to sleeplessness and disappear, all by themselves [or is it the new 'kinder' mirror we've installed in the bathroom?!]; smooth as a baby's bottom skin develops barnacled patches [back of arms, like silk for 40 weeks, are now more sandpapery] and the hairs on my head are falling out in clumps, as the scalp relinquishes its stronghold on the excess pregnancy strands [I shed a daily hair rug for the bathroom floor. Thank gawd [and Mr Dyson] for my handheld hoover]. So, with new highs and lows comes new opportunities to TEST TEST TEST, and this I have been doing with renewed relish now that the 8-week-old is learning to sleep better at night [hoorah!].

What do I like?

Creme de la Mer The Body Lotion - After trialling oils from Mama Mio, Aromatherapy Associates and Erbaviva [all lovely, nourishing, great-smelling], I went back to this baby which is still half-full as I abandoned it while pregnant. Well, yes, it really is incomparably fab and leaves even awkward skin very soft. The back of arms are already looking & feeling better. I'm just not looking forward to re-purchase time. Ouch.

Origins Never a Dull Moment Scrub – Now, from all that I’ve tried & trialed & tested and learned, I know that rough-grain scrubs are no good for skin [not even the body]. Much better to look for fine Microdermabrasion-style formulas, or chemical exfoliants, such as those found in Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask. But, well, this one breaks the rules. I first purchased it while temping as a counter girl at Selfridges [13 years ago!], and though I’ve not used it in the interim, I was most glad to rediscover it last month. It smells lush & fruity, leaves skin very rosy and perky, and makes light work of rough patches. Best of all, it doesn’t leave skin sore or ‘scrubbed’ feeling.

Sue Devitt Micro-Aquatic Hydrating Marine Minerals Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 – Sue wins no prizes for snappy product names, but she does gain plaudits with this gorgeous, dewy, light base. Many bases claim to moisturise yet somehow highlight dry patches instead – but this is different. It makes skin softer, spongier and smoother. It also gives great glow & wears well throughout the day [tip: pat it into skin that is still slightly ‘moist’ after the application of your morning face cream].

And what just isn’t getting the baby bathed?

Origins Clean Energy Cleanser – There’s nothing glaringly wrong with this – it feels nice enough, smells zingy & contains nice things [olive/kukui/macadamia nut oils], but it just didn’t do anything special either. Skin was a bit shiny at times, dry at others and congestion on the chin was not kept at bay. It is absolutely dandy for removing a thin layer of slap, but if you want a deep, nourishing, purifying or balancing cleanse, there are better suds on the shelves.

The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Tint – There was a time when I used this a lot – before dates with the blokie; before dashing out to buy milk; on trains before meetings... because I believed it gave my lips a gorgeous bitten stain and cheeks a hearty, healthy flush. Now, 8 years in the beauty biz later, I’ve come to realise that this is seriously lacking. It’s watery consistency means the colour is never uniform – in my case, the insides of my lips always pink up more than the outer bits, which makes me look as though I’ve been sucking on home-made Ribena popsicles [not a great look for a 30-year-old professional]. Even after reapplying, layer upon layer, I found it utterly impossible to get an even colour across the entire lip. On cheeks? Even worse. Some bits of skin take, others do not – making the skin look a bit rashy. Consigned to the bin this one [and those fond memories, to the re-visited and corrected annals of time].

nailed it

2010-09-20T21:10:00.000+01:00

today was spent in west london, my first full day post-bebe, dans le studio, shooting the press campaign for leighton denny's autumn/winter collection. for those who don't know, leighton makes some pretty swanky polish - smooth, long-wearing, highly pigmented and in bang-on-trend shades. in the mix was the best nude i've ever come across - true skin-like sans sparkle, not too white, not too peach, not too brown - just right; also bang-on was a true gray - not greige, mind you, oh no, but a deep, dark, industrial shade that conjures tarmac, school uniforms, even a hint of squid ink: the surprise: oddly & universally flattering [and already finger-tipped to be the shade for the upcoming season. oh and a damn fine red too - deep true blood red - which, once again, sang out with vampish fire and attitude. available from 1st october from www.leightondenny.com. snap the fingers & snap 'em up.

life begins again

2010-09-07T20:00:00.002+01:00

yep, we've done it. reached that all important 6 week mark. baby cries less. sleeps more. smiles a lot. bounces up and down. points. gurgles. shakes her strong fists and occasionally catches me on the chin while doing so. life is sorta almost possibly feeling a wee bit normal again. then the nights kick in. 2am. 4am. 7am. or 1am. 3.30am. 6am. we never know what to expect even if the rest of the day has gone like clockwork [i swore i never ever would, and whadya know, picked up a gina ford 'how to teach your baby to do what you want your baby to do' book during week 2. feel a bit ashamed.] then ignored half of it and took baby into my bed last night where she slept for a full 5 hours, blissfully smiley and silent, taking in the breath and body-heat of her mama. bless. made me right happy, it did indeed. then, this morn, the morn of the monumental tube strikes, I wake having to be somewhere to be filmed at 3pm. i open up my i-phone, half-hoping for a cancellation, as i'd not had time to get the ol' hair done [my new mane-mecca: john frieda - the best bob i've ever had]... and at 1pm, the email arrived - CANCELLED. hair was done [senorita style, middle-parted, tight, twisted bun - nice, and newly glossy thanks to Boots Botanics Brown Hair Highlights Shampoo - nice stuff, and found in my sis' bathroom as i'm currently holing up with the parents - free babysitting! yay!]; make-up was done [loving sue devitt tinted moisturiser - this stuff makes skin incomparably dewy, truly, every time i've worn it during the past 3 weeks people have commented on how well i've looked - yeah right! on 3 hours sleep! holy cow!; also loving mac creme colour base in hush - on brows and lids it's an instant wake-up call]... and because mama was all dressed up with nowhere to go, she decided to dress up little baby, in contrasting polka dots and stripes, and go for a posh cuppa and big ol' slice of coffee cake at her local tea room. luvverly. life, really, begins to open up and blossom in unforeseen ways... and i... well... i'm beginning to feel like myself again too. smile.

# 134 True Beauty

2010-08-26T09:55:00.000+01:00

Champneys Town and City Spas are working with the Red Cross to raise money for the Floods Appeal by donating all treatment proceeds and therapists wages to the appeal on Sunday 5^th September - could there ever be a better reason to book in for some beautifying time?

Call your local spa to book in….

Champneys Bath,

20 New Bond Street, BA1 1BD
Tel. 01225 420500
bath@champneys.com

Champneys Chichester,

60 East Street, PO19 1HL
Tel. 01243 819010
chichester@champneys.com

Champneys Guildford,

194 High Street, GU1 3HZ
Tel. 01483 455850
guildford@champneys.com

Champneys Tunbridge Wells*,

7 High Street, TN1 1UL
Tel. 01892 530111
tunbridgewells@champneys.com
*Champneys spa in Tunbridge Wells will hold their charity day on Monday 6^th September.

Champneys Brighton,

24 East Street, BN1 1HL.
Tel. 01273 777155
brighton@champneys.com

Champneys Enfield,

2 Hatton Walk, Palace Exchange, EN2 6BP.
Tel. 0208 363 7994
enfield@champneys.com

Champneys St Albans,

23 Market Place, AL3 5DP
Tel. 01727 864893
stalbans@champneys.com

Or visit: www.champneys.com

# 133 Sister Act

2010-08-23T16:15:00.000+01:00

If you've ever had to cope with good-skin-gone-bad, you'll be wholly attuned to the plight of my l'il sis and the battle she's been waging with her blemishes for the best part of the year. The sort of utterly gorgeous girl who has the power to make men stop in their tracks [honestly - she's even been picked up - twice!! - by two different men & flung over their shoulders because, they just, well, couldn't help themselves, so formidable is her cute-beauty]. And while still utterly beauteous, she began suffering breakouts and had no idea why - hormones? diet? lack of exercise? skincare? - and after switching from Elemis to Dermalogica to Liz Earle to Rodial, and having no joy at all on the clear skin front, I eventually took decisive action and packed her off to the amazing facialist, Sarah Chapman, who hooked her up with one of her top therapists, Tarryn, at her Pelham Street clinic. The 90 minute session revealed so much [along with an entire layer of new, breathing skin, thanks to a deep peel and light therapy] - not least of all, the link between my sis' intense sugar cravings [her handbag as NEVER been Haribo-free] and the spots on her forehead. Tarryn recommended she up the B vitamins, alongside Chromium, and also got her started on a course of spot-regulating skincare from leading pore-perfectors, Environ. The course consisted of Sebugel A, Sebuwash, AVST 1 and Alpha Toner Mild. Well, it's 2 facials in, and 6 weeks of Environ later, and, what can we say? After cutting out all sugar [apart from natural fruit sugar], downing said vits [plus evening primrose oil], her skin is clear as a cloudless summer sky. The result really is remarkable - and just goes to show what a really good facial can achieve: it's about in-depth diagnosis, fuss- and faff-free treatment and seriously purifying pores [Sis' year's of wipe-off cleansing had left the complexion clogged and malfunctioning]. Sis is over the moon - and, to the chagrin of every other single girl out there - back on the social scene. Watch out!! [and if you see a man running for the door with a gorgeous girl flung over his shoulder, be sure to say hi - then call the police!]. Hee hee.

old friends

2010-08-14T15:49:00.001+01:00

where do you turn when you've had no sleep; you've got a bit of baby sick on everything you own; your mum looks at you with wide eyes of concern, because you're no longer able to string a coherent sentence together; you answer the phone and your best mate asks, 'who's that?' [lack of ZZZs somehow managing to shift the voice down an entire octave]; you dream about dreaming only to wake up aware that you've been sleeping with one eye open, just in case; you're proud of yourself for having nailed the art of the one-handed way to eat, wash, change a nappy & apply make-up [hell, i've even conducted a telephone interview, taken notes & been feeding the little one - sur le boob! - all at the same time], but your feet are still displaying the nail polish applied on 26th june 2010 - which because no time remains to remove it [well, if I did it now, I wouldn't be doing this... it's a tough toss up sometimes], is actually growing itself out instead, as though it knows this is the only way forward. well, in my case, i turn to a few speedy staples, which have always been skin saviours - though have never been put through such challenging paces before. my key piece - bobbi brown blusher in pale pink, is in fact anything but pale. it is the ideal perky pop of colour - and whenever I wear it people comment on how 'well' i look - my mum even falling for it last week, saying 'oh darling, finally, you've got some colour in your cheeks.' and she's known me for 30 years - that's how well this one blends down and in [and lasts through the seriously unsexy hot sweats that seem to accompany the post-natal phase of pregnancy. nice.] there's also clinique tinted moisturiser in golden - fakes a bit of 'i've been out in the sun' sheen, when, really, i've been nowhere more exotic than down the shops for another pint of milk and pack of biccies to sate the appetites of the surging baby-seeking & cooing crowds. dior's skinflash - doesn't banish bags entirely, but makes them almost unnoticeable. then there's the new stash that's arrived in the post, from wonderful friends - Joelle at Elemis; Liz, Preeya and Jo & gorgeous co at TCS; the gorgeous Imelda at Being Content; Jay & Cemo at Aveda; Lucy & Nicola at NEOM... which is keeping me sane, sweet-smelling and smiling. Thank you one & all. oh, and before i pop off, or drop off, mid-word, i also want to take some time to thank vagabondiana's miss burney for sending such sweet little morale-boosting-messages over at the most desperate times. another mummy, you've brought big smiles to my face and made me see that these early days - though sometimes dark, sometimes desperate, though most-oft just plain, deliriously special - will not last forever and as tough as the going may get, they ought not be wished away, because, like all beautiful & precious emotions, they are breathtakingly brief.

# 132 Coming Up Roses

2010-08-03T13:11:00.000+01:00

Yep, baby Malcontent is officically here. But, as irony would have it, she is anything but malcontent. She is dinky and darling and already sleeping & eating well [well, she must get that from her mama]. We're all a flutter with love, and also finding ways to stay sitting pretty while getting used to this new mum malarkey. a good friend suggested a simple trick for staying positive [even if little one's been bawling since sundown] - 'whatever you do, upon waking, wash your face and get dressed.' nothing depresses more than a greasy mush and stinky PJs. so, each morning, after the first feeding session is over, baby spends time with daddy while mummy sorts out hair, face, brows and body. I've already got my routine down to a neat 20 mins - and feel like a new woman afterwards. Here are the essentials that are saving my post-baby bacon: the organic pharmacy miracle nipple cream [this stuff heals like you wouldn't believe - I've already begged the PR for more!]; liz earle cleanse & polish [post-birth skin is back to it's normalised, oilier state. The eucalyptus in this cleans wonderfully, while also leaving things soft and clear]; the new TIGI sleek mystique range - i used the fast fixx style prep spray and blow out balm yesterday, to lovely, shiny & speedy effect; and, my new flavour-fave of the month: aromatherapy associates rose renew body oil. I read in one of my mama tomes, that rose otto oil is wonderful for warding off the baby blues, but also for bonding the baby with mama. now, new age stuff aside [i'll try my hardest not to spout anymore in future], this stuff smells utterly dreamy, really soothes & calms, and I'm convinced, means while baby suckles she also slips into a deep dreamy sleep too. Talk about multi-tasking. Pat on the back [one for baby: BURP!; and one for me: smile].

coming up roses

2010-08-03T13:09:00.002+01:00

yep, baby Rushton is officially here. she is dinky and darling and already sleeping & eating well [well, she must get that from her mama]. we're all a flutter with love, and also finding ways to stay sitting pretty while getting used to this new mum malarkey. a good friend suggested a simple trick for staying positive [even if little one's been bawling since sundown] - 'whatever you do, upon waking, wash your face and get dressed.' nothing depresses more than a greasy mush and stinky PJs. so, each morning, after the first feeding session is over, baby spends time with daddy while mummy sorts out hair, face, brows and body. i've already got my routine down to a neat 20 mins - and feel like a new woman afterwards. here are the essentials that are saving my post-baby bacon: the organic pharmacy miracle nipple cream [this stuff heals like you wouldn't believe - i've already begged the PR for more!]; liz earle cleanse & polish [post-birth skin is back to it's normalised, oilier state. the eucalyptus in this cleans wonderfully, while also leaving things soft and clear]; the new TIGI sleek mystique range - i used the fast fixx style prep spray and blow out balm yesterday, to lovely, shiny & speedy effect; and, my new flavour-fave of the month: aromatherapy associates rose renew body oil. i read in one of my mama tomes, that rose otto oil is wonderful for warding off the baby blues, but also for bonding the baby with mama. now, new age stuff aside [i'll try my hardest not to spout anymore in future], this stuff smells utterly dreamy, really soothes & calms, and I'm convinced, means while baby suckles she also slips into a deep dreamy sleep too. Pat on the back [one for baby: BURP!; and one for me: smile].

the waiting game

2010-07-20T17:29:00.001+01:00

so, i've traded lippy and blusher for a day or two and taken up clary sage oil, raspberry leaf tea, hot curries and Caulophyllum 200cH [found in the utterly fab little Organic Pharmacy Labour Kit]. now, anyone who's popped out a little one might already have caught my gist - yep, baby's due any day now and the contractions have already kicked in. and the list above covers just some of the stuff i've been supping, scoffing and sucked into, in a bid to get things MOVING. so, how can I be sat at my computer writing about it instead of writhing around and screaming 'drugs! drugs!'? WELL, because like millions of other women, I've got a serious case of the stop-starts - contractions that kick off for several hours, intensify and cause several big squeals, then die down entirely and allow me to sleep soundly through yet another night. not having done a huge amount of pre-labour reading i would've thought such a thing was impossible, but no - happens to millions of women every year, leaving us all believing we're about to have our babies only to discover that, no, one is not actually about to 'pop'. (although if anyone asks me if i already have, once more, i might just wail - the morning txt message maelstrom is getting a wee bit annoying!). the funny thing is there's no difference between the contractions I'm having and the real thing - yep, they're bloody awful - but nature's giving me a hearty dose of respite in between, allowing me to retreat to bed, have another bath, sleep, read & catch up on emails while my little one makes her very slow & steady descent into the world. i'll admit, i did wake up in a foul mood after another stop-start night (along with a hubby who had to go to work at 6am looking as though he'd been haunted by all the ghosts of labour-days past/present/future - 'i think it's time babe!' 'erm, they've stopped!' 'ouch, they've started again!') - bless him, he even fell asleep with a stop-watch under his pillow and one eye half open! - before realising that I'm actually immensely lucky. my body and i are being broken in very very slowly... i've had the 'can't breathe it's so painful' ones, but i've also had tons of recuperation time in between; the baby has dropped several inches in recent days; she's also head down, 2/5ths engaged & the right way round and, for all of these reasons, I'm counting each and every one of my blessings because lord knows, this birthing malarkey isn't always as simple as it's cracked up to be. they tell us we're made for it, but, hell, if it was that easy no one would ever have a single complication or, for that matter, need a caesarean. and having just read Victoria Riedl's latest post [http://shewasnotatalldomestic.blogspot.com/] i wanted to send over the well wishes, to her, but also to any other mums-about-to-be or even those like me, who are sitting pretty, waiting for the inevitable that somehow still feels impossible... good luck to one & all - and just try and enjoy these last few hours/days/weeks of relative calm before the storm. the next time I post, i expect i'll no longer be expecting. adieu [she types, as another wave of contractions kicks in - could THIS be it?!] Until next time...

perfect 30

2010-06-28T13:21:00.000+01:00

what a weekend it's been. kicked off on friday night with a personal blow-dry lesson avec ben cooke [first time I've met him & have to say, seriously nice guy] at lockonego courtesy of herbal essences. it's all about the right brush [and lockonego have just launched their own range of fab cork-handled implements], the right tension - plus, of course, the right products. now i'll be the first to admit that i'm not normally a fan of mass market hair products [often too fragranced, too silicon-laden or just too bad], but I was impressed with the frizz-fighting prowess of the herbal essences seductively straight blow-dry cream. good stuff. then after lots of bubbly [which I drank in vicariously] and banter with the other lovely beauty bloggers who'd come along, we were whisked off to the sanderson for a night of cocktails and dinner, taken at our leisure, which, yes, really was the best possible precursor to my 30th year of life. lychee lemonades, scallops, seared beef and fresh mint tea later, the hubby and I ascended to the 4th floor & had a blissfully peaceful night thanks to a/c for the first time all year [our flat is as hot as the inside of a plimsoll at present]. then, yesterday, 12 hours spent with closest family & friends doing what we all do best - eating, laughing & loving. it feels like it's going to be a good year...

# 131 This Works Week

2010-06-22T18:06:00.000+01:00

I've been making mental notes of all the good stuff all busy working week long, and really must get it down on this page before it all disappears into backlog oblivion. So, there's been a spate of new things [not necessarily new to the market, but new to my bathroom cabinet] of late, and I'm keen to share them with you, because it's been a really really good run, with ne'er a dodgy pot among the lot [I seem to be rhyming a lot today wouldn't you say?]...

Anywho, here's the stuff that's caught my attention:

Creme de la Mer Body Creme. Now, I feel a little bit bad bigging this one up. It's really really expensive, and, well, it already receives a hell of a lot of press coverage & between you and me, I get most excited by those secret finds that are ridiculously reasonable in price but just extraordinary in practice. But, I'm afraid, this one really is worth raving about. I've been using it on arms, thighs, calves and shoulders for 3 weeks [everywhere else is being subjected to lashings & lashings of Stretch Mark Oil - and at 36 weeks, not a mark to be seen, thank gawd - thanks Mama Mio and ESPA!]. What it has done to my skin really is rather remarkable. It's given it a silky stocking feel - it's not sticky or clammy & the product absorbs instantaneously, but over the days, it's just evened out the tone & texture of my skin, leaving it more, well, velvety than I've ever known it. Now, the main problem is, I love it so much that I cannot bear to finish it, because, c'mon peeps, what mother-to-be who's just spent over a grand on baby-ware can afford to blow over £100 on a new tube? I'd keel over with guilt before I forked out the cash, so, for the time being, I'll savour every last squeeze of this stuff & should my skin freak out once it's finished, well, it'll just have to get over it...

Clinique All About Eyes Serum. Perhaps it's the hefty workload or homely to-do-list, but I've been a wee bit skin-delinquent of late - not spending quite so much time on the ol' cleanse & massage as normal - and the Clarisonic's been sat in its cradle for 3 weeks untouched, which is stupid because it actually saves me time - I just can't seem to be bothered to take it from the bedroom to the bathroom when I'm ready to wash my face. LA-HA-ZY right?! Anyway, the eye creams I was trialling [one from Nia24 and one from Emma Hardie], were all ab fab - nothing bad to report really, but I just began to tire of the tap-tap and the pat-pat and the general unscrewing of lids etc etc. God, what IS wrong with me? So, after a Clinique Blogger's Evening a few weeks back I felt it only right to add a bit of the C-word to my beauty routine, and I popped this rollerball-style product into my fridge overnight with the intention of trying it in the morning. Well, what do you know -that was 3 weeks ago and I'm using it day and night, just the quickest and simplest of swipes from outer to inner eye, a simple pat with the ring finger, and I'm done. Eyes do not look any brighter, but I've not been as puffy as I am prone to [and I've gone without a lot of sleep lately!]. The fine lines brought on by dehydration have been kept in check too - and I'm realising that lightweight serums are better than nourishing creams when the main concern is not yet wrinkles. So, yah, I like this one a lot - I just keep forgetting to put it back in the fridge, which isn't actually the end of the world because the nifty metallic rollerbally thing stays very cool at all times - a nice soothing wake-up call when you've slept through the alarm as I have 3 times this week.

Rituals Yin Organic White Lotus & Yi Yi Ren Calming Bed & Body Mist. Wow, now isn't that a mouthful! This came in today's post and the bag it came in smelt so divine that I had to fish through the products, one by one, until I rooted out the culprit. I've been spraying it in my study all day [I know, it's meant for bed, but hey, anything that helps me take deep breaths while on deadline is going to be transplanted] - and I really really like the slightly old-fashioned, mum's house, innocuous soap-and-water, white-petalled-flower scent of it. It's making me smile, a lot, and for that I am thankful. I'm not sure I'd wear it upon my person, but as far as room scents go, this is so much cleaner and less obtrusive than the musky, sandalwoody, jasmine notes I'm so often drawn to. The problem with these ones though is that you can't really escape the 'scentyness' of them - whereas the Rituals one could pass for fresh laundry or babies post-bathtime, in the way that it is very natural and quiet. Yes, a new favourite.

Aldo Coppola Hair Care Range - for Hennaed hair - having been Copollad last week [and, I hate to admit, having a bit of a struggle with my new, much shorter, much messier, much choppier do], I am not having the same teething problems with the AC range of haircare which the lovely salon peeps sent home for me to try. The Henna shampoo - which protects all those lovely glinting highlights my hair is now imbued with - and Henna Highlighting Leave-In Conditioner, are absolutely fab. My hair is feather-soft, very very shiny, and scalp utterly untraumatised [there are no sulphates or other harsh surfactants in the range]. I shall certainly persevere with the hair, but with the haircare - well, I'm a wholehearted convert.

Next up on the testing block: Moroccan Oil Hair Treatment Oil and Hydrating Styling Creme - let's see if these latest cult beauty buys make this wayward mane of mine any easier to bring back to the beautiful creation which I left Coppola's salon with... sleek curls, bouncy bangs and a rush of unabashed root-lift... if ONLY I'd taken a picture!

cup of tee

2010-06-21T15:04:00.000+01:00

the older i get, the more i find myself drawn toward urban outfitters' scratty brand of creased chic - and have become a real sucker for oversized tees that look more like hand-me-downs than rail-perfect procurements. tees have saved me from maternity-wear ignominy these past 36 weeks and were it not for american apparel, asos and urban o, i fear i might have gone bonkers while trying to accommodate my burgeoning bump without losing the 'real me' - a bit scruffy, a bit preppy, born in the wrong city & slightly wrong time [it was London in 1980; I suspect it ought to have been paris' left bank circa 1962]. then i could've worn stripy tops and berets and sprayed-on black jeans and leggings to my heart's content while rocking out to beat poets & chucking feminist tomes at people's head in a bid to be heard... to be honest, i do most of the above anyway [apart from chucking books - although i did once hurl american psycho out of the window of a moving train - an irrationally visceral and violent reaction to the sickest prose passage i'd ever read]. anyway, back on track & after blowing almost a grand on buggies, cots & car-seats [this baby-making biz is tres cher, non?], I felt like i owed my old-and-new self some little treats too and when the urban outfitters sale email landed in the inbox, that was it - moth to the old fashion flame. i ended up picking up 8 amazing staples for £120, which all fit me just right [slouchy around neck, snug on the arm & shoulder, big enough for the about-to-be-a-baby bump, slim-fitting enough post-baby] - and also good enough for summer with slouchy shorts, winter with leather jackets & leggings, & autumn with unraveling cardis and ribbed tights.... and for the time being just looking at them is enough to make me: 1) smile 2) want to re-paint my nails and 3) rock the new hair until i reach the labour ward at least. wish me luck ey?

#130 Pharmacy Fresh

2010-06-17T18:49:00.000+01:00

A few months back I popped into The Organic Pharmacy for a Health Assessment. I'd had one several years back while feeling less than my best and was impressed with the various things it pinpointed. Talking about how & why it works is guaranteed to get eyes a-rolling, because, well, you're strapped up to a bio-energetic device which scans the body, detecting & picking up on various vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food intolerances, toxicity, organ function, hormone balance, viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, digestive disorders and stress. The read-out is immensely detailed and often very amusing - not least of all because it also tends to pinpoint the foods you've eaten a lot of just prior to the scan, and if you've been eating said food morning and night [i.e. overdoing it], it'll flag up the possibility of developing a future allergy to said fare. For me it was, ahem, cucumbers - which thanks to bizarre pregnant cravings, I'd been eating whole, and several times a week, just because I really couldn't not - just wanted them SO badly! The homeopath and I had a good giggle at that one though - I mean, who ever heard of anyone being allergic to cucumbers?! I was also, it seemed, at risk of developing intolerances to:

Curry powder [no! no!]

Brewer’s yeast [huh? never had a beer in my life...]

Spinach [yes, too true. makes me sicky inside]

Pineapple [sob. but probably because I'd eaten an entire one in a single sitting the night before]

Lime [again, huh?]

Mushroom [just don't like them, so no great loss]

Casein [of course. always knew that]

Sesame [once again - because of the inordinately huge amount of hummus I consume each & every week, which contains tahini AKA sesame paste]

Carrot [almost as prevalent within my diet as cucumbers... yes, I know I'm odd]

Other things were clearer & less comical. I am absolutely undeniably bad with lactose. No shit Sherlock. Can't even sip cow's milk anymore without gagging. And despite popping those awful pregnancy horse-pills, I was still seriously deficient in several minerals. I was also in the middle of an appalling eczema flare-up which had gotten progressively worse over those 5 pregnant months. I listened, took notes, we chatted & the homeopath [a fab & insightful lady called Sofia], made lists of things I needed to start supplementing my diet with. I've never been a big believer in supplements, but let me say now, it's 4 months later, and am I grateful to her for loading me up that day. I now consider myself a bit of a pregnancy nutrition pro - and can list all the 'premium' supplements that caused nothing but nausea and constipation [both Pregnacare & Solgar really disagreed with me - I noticed the different in my 'sluggish' system within a day or two of swallowing them]. On the other hand, The Organic Pharmacy Pre & Post Natal Vitamins caused me no bother at all & made a marked difference to my mood & wellbeing. Since they ran out [on Monday], I've really felt it - and will be stocking up at the Great Marlborough St store tomorrow. Other impressive supplements were the Omega 3-6-7-9 oil which though not the most delicious thing in the world, is on par with the Udo's Choice Oil. Both have really really helped my eczema calm down - along with teeny amounts of the steroid cream Diprosone & regular rubs with Oilatum Ointment... at last, those red patches have all but disappeared! I was also prescribed Calcium & Magnesium Complex, to aid stress & get extra important minerals to the baby - and, I have to say, I felt pretty darn good about 1 week after I started to swallow them, at night, and just as Sofia said, they also helped aid more restful sleep [I might be one of the few heavily pregnant ladies left who has actually snoozed deeply all the way through her 35/almost 36 weeks - despite a baby who has really learned to produce a spectacular series of almighty KICKS and PUNCHES as soon as her mummy falls asleep. Yowzer].

So, all in all, a mightily productive 90 minutes - and all for £150 [oh, supplements cost extra. Sorry. Good health don't come cheap, right?]

To soften the blow, my dear friends, you might be interested to learn the following:

From 14th – 21st June, The Organic Pharmacy are offering their unique Health Assessment for £100 instead of £150. The offer will be until the end of August for any bookings made between the 14th and the 21^st. Visit www.theorganicpharmacy.com for more information.

Would I recommend it? Heartily. Is it worth it? Well, I guess you'll have to see for yourself....

the oscar goes to...

2010-06-14T19:47:00.000+01:00

today I made my way to the aldo coppola in south ken to check out what in hairdresser's world is undoubtedly one of the most exciting salon launches london has ever seen [official opening date: july]. this guy knows his stuff - in fact, he pretty much invented stuff - pioneering freestyle techniques, natural dyes, keratin straightening systems, and even working with bigwigs such as l'oreal to come up with groundbreaking colour technology: case in point, INOA. I met with salon art director oscar mercaldi who took one look at the inspiration pics i'd taken in and scowled... okay, so my hair is nothing like natalia v's in that calvin klein ad or alexa chung's when she first went for her 60s round-cut banged-bob, but the vibe, you know, that look-at-me, oops I just woke up, haven't even been to bed, cute as a button, messy & fun & devil-may-care, choppy chin-length locks that just bounce up and down when I walk - that vibe is what I've been desperate for of late, particularly once deciding that long hair just doesn't, nor has it, nor will it ever, do me any favours. so he looks at the pic and starts playing with my hair and suggests a shine-boosting henna treatment which will also add some richer tints and lift my bog-standard brown into something altogether more interesting. so, the henna goes on, thick and gloopy and nourishing, and then I'm steamed like a piece of broccoli for about 20 minutes (while getting a really killer manicure - long stem roses; essie; a knockout, foolproof red), before having said gloop rinsed away, hair dried and then oscar returns to do his thing. and, his thing, is quite frankly unlike any other thing i've ever experienced & not to boast or anything, but i've had my hair cut by some seriously famous scissor sisters & brothers. he cuts hair the way nigella eats - dives straight in, devours, assesses, delights - no hesitation, no qualms - just fluffing the hair up, watching how it falls, razoring and slicing out chunks all over the shop until you're left with something that took 15 minutes but is probably the best haircut you've ever had - and you don't even care that half of your hair is now around your ankles. good riddance! it just 'feels' like you - and he turns and says, 'you know, you're about to be a mother, but you don't want 'grown up' and I see that, so this, this is you, and you can play with it and when the baby come along, then you can wear it different, like natalia, you know because this picture is dirty and very sexy and you need the occasion, with the eyes and everything' - and he was just so bang on that I could do nothing but say, 'multo grazie' and tell him that i love, love, loved the new hairs on my head & we had a 3-kiss-moment to round off the entire excellente experience. and i would run a pic of me with new hair, but i got caught in the rain like a blinkin piece of garbage on my way back from town, so need to wash & rough-dry once more before 'the reveal'. for the time being, satisfy yourselves with natalia, my inspiration on this good hair day, and yes, I would too.

sugar rush

2010-06-09T12:32:00.000+01:00

what a lovely evening was had by all, yesterday at the soho hotel terrace suite with the handpicked media blogging beauties. from the mini pub grub to the bubbly stuff, it was a treat from start to finish - particularly as I got to talk book clubs with model ruth crilly, babies & beauty launches with british beauty blogger jane cunningham and watermelon martinis with beauty & the dirt's Krista...all the important things in life, surely. and of course catch up with all the fab clinique ladies who loaded us up with the most exciting summer goody bag EVER. thank you!

though not served up at clinique (we got mini ice-cream cones instead - divine), macaroons seem to have become staple party snackage - popping up everywhere from chantecaille's fragrance launch last week to, of course, those leisurely teas at the wolseley, with said macaroons among the creamiest and richest in london [try passionfruit - zing!]. although, note to the waiter, my doggy box was not properly assembled so I ended up with a pistachio mulch at the bottom of my handbag. sob. on the plus side, I got to have a deep sniff of armani prive's new 'collection des mille nuits' - inspired by the arabian nights and as dark, heady and decadent a bunch of scents as you're ever likely to encounter.

then, this morning, perky postie leaves an intriguing parcel on the doorstep - three new scented propositions from benefit crescent row. heck, they even came with custom-pick-n-mixed jellybeans, slaying the sucker in me in seconds.

virtual fantasy

2010-06-02T15:51:00.003+01:00

one of the best blogs I've come across in ages: http://www.smvblog.com/ - linked to the online shop for Spanish Moss. Why is it that all the clothes I fall in love with are on US sites? La Garconne [http://www.lagarconne.com] being the other example. just seem to be feeling the dirty, dusty, on-the-road vibe at the moment... probably because I'm chained to a computer on a summer's day and about to pop out a baby. hmmmm.

# 129 Go Balmy [and get 15% off!]

2010-05-31T19:24:00.000+01:00

Right, so, following my last post which talked up the benefits of the new Darphin Cleansing Balm, I've had some emails from readers asking which cleansing balm I rate most highly - whether it's the ESPA one I often chat about, or the Omorovicza one which I used to use religiously but get through a bit too quickly, or the Oskia, Darphin or Organic Pharmacy options...

There are many others I have used and loved for a short time - Vaishaly, for instance, was great until I began to feel it was just too rich for my shine-prone skin (and then it began to cause a few too many breakouts...)

The Organic Pharmacy softened skin beautifully, but because it doesn't emulsify (neither does Saaf's balm), I found I wasn't getting quite as 'clean' as I wanted, and after a few days, I'd notice some blocked pores where the cleanser just wasn't coming away as neatly as I'd have liked it to. Oskia, too, produce a fine cleanser - and it has the edge on the aforementioned two, because it emulsifies beautifully, but once again, I feel it's better for ageing skin in need of nourishment than younger complexions seeking balance and purity.

With this in mind, here are the two that I shall always return to:

ESPA is an absolute staple. The formula just seems nice & easy for me - never stings, never causes excessive oiliness, not too 'nourishing', emulsifies very well & rinses clean away. Lovely, lovely. Oh, and the pot's a generous size too, so this one tends to last me about 3 months.

Omorovicza is another favourite, but for a different reason. If ESPA were the staple, then OM would be the special occasion cleanser (the pot is, unfortunately, on the small side), but it does have a really fab knack of hoovering out those pores and making everything look that bit clearer. I'd recommend it to people prone to impurities and breakouts as the mineral mud infused within the oil-based cleanser has an obvious purifying effect (without ever having caused me to wake up to a spotty complexion the next morning). I also like the melty texture, the fresh salty-clean scent and how soft the skin feels afterwards. It's good, good stuff this.

So, it's a facial flit between Om and ESPA - and should the deciding factor be some money off (hey, who doesn't love a discount!) then Omorovicza might just take the balm biscuit, because they're offering all Miss Malcontent readers a 15% discount on the Thermal Cleansing Balm up to the 30th June 2010, when purchased online at www.omorovicza.com. The code is missmalcontent_3853

For those who are already sold, enjoy! And for those who are not... sure you can't be tempted?

sob story

2010-05-26T17:50:00.000+01:00

I've been known to burst into tears in the middle of the street just because of a particularly mournful expression spotted on a stranger's face, but what I'm most prone to is getting a bit sobby following an encounter with a particularly evocative scent [last time it was Miller Harris' Jasmine Vert]. yesterday, I cried twice. once while watching the superb martin amis interview on bbc4. prior to that, while opening a special package which the lovely jason from united perfumes sent over for sniffters (i'm researching a fragrance feature). there was one in the bunch of francis k vials which made me wobbly-lipped at first breath. the new aqua universalis. for me, it was all about my mother, and equally almodovarian, was the reliving of an idyllic childhood scene, running through the spray from the hosepipe as she watered flowers in our back garden in cyprus. linen drying, breeze wafting, sun beating down on nut-brown shoulders. all of this just toppled out into the room as I continued to inhale... from mothers and sisters to brothers and lovers... the memories continue to resurface, fuelled by re-reading of amis, and skin dressed in nothing but water. oh, such a perfect day.

red letter day

2010-05-25T13:01:00.000+01:00

once again, harrods are hosting their annual red lipstick day in aid of look good...feel better, the extraordinary cancer support charity that helps women manage the visible side effects of their treatments. there are not many of us who wouldn't roll up the sleeves and like to get involved with such a good cause, but as an added sweetener (and because nothing makes a gal smile more than a sugar high), cult bakers 'the biscuiteers' have created these limited edition packs of scrummy, crumbly, lippy biccies, which are now on sale in the harrods beauty halls at £7.75 - with 50% of proceeds going to the look good...feel better charity. while i'd be tempted to make a beeline to the beauty hall for this reason alone, let it not be forgotten that there are also dozens of top make-up artists, including mary greenwell for chanel and pat mcgrath protege emma kotch for d&g make-up, lending their support to the cause on the 27th May - and to you, to ensure a counter consultation with a real difference. booking fees apply (with every penny going to charity) and appointments must be made in advance. just call 020 7 730 1234.

# 128 Four Fancies

2010-05-20T15:17:00.000+01:00

Several things deserve a shout out before the week's end:

Numero uno - the Clarisonic, which has made my skin look clearer & brighter than ever before. My family are convinced that it's those 'blooming' pregnancy hormones. Well, I know better (ha ha ha).

A deux - Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood. Regular readers will know that I have a serious obsession with cleansing 'balms' and 'oils'. Creams, wipes, foams, scrubs - pah! Non, merci. Well, this is a really sticky little treat. It has a deeply luxurious texture - a bit like honey and melted candle wax, and a strong floral/herbal scent. It emulsifies easily & quickly and rinses away cleanly. I've been pairing it with my Clarisonic and am most happy with the results so far [one week in]. The pot too, est enorme, which is a great thing if, like me, you go for a nightly double-cleanse.

Trois me - Aromatherapy Associates Enrich Hair Oil. Despite having relied upon this trichological treat several times over the years, I don't think I've ever blogged about it. Fool me. Now, before I start getting all lyrical, I'm sure that many cheaper and simpler oils (olive/almond/sesame/coconut, par example) would have a very similar nourishing effect on the hair and scalp too, so I certainly don't blame you if you're not willing to fork out £22.50 for this one. In it's favour, however, there is much I can say. It contains murumuru butter, ylang ylang, coconut oil, geranium and rosemary; a little goes a very long way [I've had my bottle for 6 months & it's still more than half full]; it's darn deliciously scented. But, the winning ticket: it's a failsafe treatment that makes a real & very visible difference to the lustre and smoothness of my hair. I've never left it on overnight (I'm funny about pillowcase stains), but I do massage it through dry hair & into scalp at least 4/5 hours before I shampoo. While the oil-slick look ain't hugely sexy, the scent itself is divine, so you can wander around the house in a comforting aromatherapy cloud. Best of all, the scent has longevity, and even after shampooing & conditioning, locks are still laced with it. Hair blow-dries really nicely after use too - I've often had comments on the 'health' of my hair the following day (even though I'm a serial iron & dryer abuser).

Quatre me if you can: Finally, my current lipstick obsession (also blogged about on my other site, We Make Up As We Go Along) shows no sign of waning. It's by Topshop, it's called Brighton Rock, and if it's ever discontinued I might just cry myself to sleep. It's just so beautifully, perfectly PINK & 2010 & POP & young & cute & LOUD & Marina & the Diamonds. And now I must stop raving about it lest it sells out. Topshop - you'll promise to restock Le Rock - oui?

we make up the week in pictures

2010-05-19T11:20:00.000+01:00

this is the equivalent of not calling your mother for two weeks and then spending an hour on the phone to make up for it. i am remiss, i apologise. it has been a busy busy time at we make up hq, but the highlights past and present include the tigi bedhead antidotes launch - the new shampoos & conditioners, though heavily fragranced, really does leave hair incredibly soft and nourished; MAC's AW2010 trend preview with Terry Barber, who i am secretly in love with because he is able to talk with real intelligence about what he does and why he loves doing it without being hyperbolic, unrealistic or melodramatic - and yes, lots of amazing stuff to come for aw2010 from MAC btw [eyeshadow in copperplate was name-checked numerous times as THE shade of the season]; and a barrage of lovely invites in the ol' postie box - from sex & the city 2 screenings to exclusive perfume launches [including a private collection launch from clive christian] and on top of the pile, the highly anticipated showcasing of tom pecheux's premiere line for estee lauder. whaddaweek.