Marc by Marc Jacobs SS14 runway, Dazed & Confused photo shoot from January 2014 issue featuring Russian beauty Nastya Sten is Marc by Marc Jacobs SS14 silk bomber jacket, Topshop sequin bomber jacket £70
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Lighten up!
After returning from Australia one month ago, things have been non-stop. Going into my final year of uni straight away (I study by Australian correspondence) was never going to be easy with a touch of jet lag and lack of funds to buy books and study materials.
I'm finally pushing past the endless study sessions to have a little bit of fun and this weekend was no exception. I decided to empty the bottle of Rose colour that I bought from Bleach last year onto my scalp and once again embrace pink hair. The images don't really show just how bright the colour was.
I wore some old favourites; a semi sheer patched jumped from H&M, a Topshop kilt that I got for my birthday last year and my trusty Vagabond boots that I treated myself to at Christmas. The darkness of my outfit managed to tone the colour down a bit. No matter that I live in East London where almost anything goes, it still surprises me when you get the odd 'weirdo' glance. C'mon London, lighten up!
Monday 10 February 2014
Jet set
Tomorrow I'm jetting off to the motherland for three weeks. Australia.
Living in London it gets pretty tricky to imagine just how hot (sweltering) it can get. Last year, I packed jumpers, tights, a beanie(!) even a woollen winter playsuit. Safe to say, those pieces stayed stagnant while my Topshop Boutique vest dress got a little too much wear. For the past few weeks I've been scouring ASOS, Topshop, H&M, & Other Stories, Cos... all the usual suspects for summer wear and things that will enable minimal sweating but can be acceptable for those moments when I'll (hopefully) be able to leave the vicinity of my parent's pool.
I bought, I tried, I returned. £400 worth to be truthful. All being refunded into my now shrunken bank account. Yesterday, something clicked in me. All I needed was a new bag (my old one is being held together with a keyring) and a pair of summer shoes, I figured by chucking in a couple of pairs of dresses I already owned, I would be fine. A snazzy new pair of sandals from Vagabond (£55 from Office) (also, the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned as the Dionne boots from the same label) and a new leather bag from & Other Stories (£95) have finally given me the packing relief I was after.
What's the pig mask about? I've just picked up the latest EP from the band Eighteen Nightmares at the Lux, it's called PIG (hence the mask) and it's the best thing I've heard come out of the UK in a long, long time. You can buy their EP on iTunes now from £2.50, or get a sneak peak on their website or YouTube.
On the beauty front, Australia is a completely different ball game compared to the UK. Make up sweats off, hair frizzes and fry's from the sun and the constant interaction with the sea and chlorine in pools, and skin definitely burns before it tans. A day out in the Aussie sun will do horrors for your beauty regime. I'm really no expert except last time I went, I wasn't prepared to say the least.
This year I'm taking some soldiers along with me. Although an avid fan of Aesop products for the past decade, I must admit I rarely buy its products anymore, mostly due to funds, and usually finding myself pumping excess goods onto my hands when you find them in restaurant bathrooms (see: Polpetto and Morito) or outside the store in Shoreditch. Luckily for me, my boyfriend spoiled me for my birthday last September with a pack of these hair care products, I'm not sure how much they cost him exactly but I think upwards of £80 for four products in a lovely toiletry bag. This product works wonders.
The shampoo doesn't foam up that much, but that doesn't mean its not cleaning. Dolloping on a bit of conditioner and my hair has never felt so soft compared to using the regular products I am prone to picking up from Boots. Aside from that, my hair needs some weekly restoration. I use Davines purple conditioner which is fantastic as well as it's hydrating treatment, which unfortunately I have run out of, so I am just taking the purple treatment with me. I find it softens my hair and treats it nicely anyway, as well as taking out the brassy bits and making my blonde bits look fresh and bright again.
The other products I can't live without are my face products. My boyfriend's mother is an absolute beauty. She doesn't look a day over 30. She's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drink (apart from Champagne - she's French) and an avid health fan. She introduced me to Holland & Barrett and these rose otto products they sell. Not only does the face cleanser feel like butter on your face, its all organic and only contains natural products. I also bought the olive oil face mask which I (try to) use once a week (when I remember).
I'm certainly no expert on nail polishes, mine usually peel off within days, chipping and looking mangy. However, these are the colours I'll be taking along with me. The Tom Ford one was a present from some people I was interning with and I absolutely love the colour. It goes on easily, dries quickly and lasted me a bit longer than the average Topshop ones. The Topshop ones shown as simply my go to colours when the sun comes out. You can't go wrong with a pastel, matches well with my pasty English skin.
Tuesday 4 February 2014
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Who's Next... Paris
Two weekends ago I made a trip to Paris to attend the WHO'S NEXT trade show which takes place in Paris in January and June each year. I was lucky enough to be attending on a press trip thanks to an internship I was undertaking with a London magazine.
Having good friends living in Paris as well as being quite familiar with the city already was definitely a bonus. I was put up in Hotel du Temps which is a ten minute walk from Gare du Nord (but also within safe distance – it does get a bit ragged around there, especially at night). The hotel was lovely with its painted white wooden floors, French decor and bathroom stocked up with Aesop (fine by me).
I attended the show over two days but really only got to work on the second day interviewing some up-and-coming designers which you'll be able to see soon when the article is published, so stay tuned. Until then, here's me and some friends drunk on tequila at a bar I wish I could remember the name of...
Photos courtesy of Hotel du Temps
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