27.4.13

Three Things

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and the weather where you are isn't too mixed up - we've gone from sunshine to pouring rain in a matter of seconds here on the hill! I'm struggling to whittle down my selection of loves to just three this week; a sure sign that, irrespective of how tired I am after a six-day working week, it's been a good one!

- I'm obsessed with this Boutique by Jaeger skirt. It would be the perfect addition to a summer office wardrobe -


- The Gourmet Burger Kitchen treat that I finally sank my teeth into a 2pm this afternoon - my first meal away from work in four days! -


- This week's work makeup look - so long-wearing thanks to Seventeen's fabulous primer! -


22.4.13

Beauty: Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm Review


Before you ask, the photo above isn't a snap of a novel packaging experiment. This photograph shows what happens when you love a product so much, you just have to get into every last corner of the tube to use it all up.

And I love this product.

Merumaya's creator, Maleka Dattu, has a wealth of skincare knowledge behind her, and following spells at Clinique, Lancome and Origins, decided to set up her own skincare line. Maleka describes the process of the creation of her Melting Cleansing Balm as being motivated by a desire to create something 'beautiful and luxurious', and from the minute you flip the cap open, that's exactly how it feels. The fragrance is delicate and indulgent, and reminiscent of the finest spa treatments.

A little bit of the balm goes a long way, and true to its name, it melts into the skin on application. It's so silky that, at the end of a long day, I find myself unable to resist a relaxing facial massage, and after removing the cleanser with a flannel and hot water, I follow with another cleanse to remove any final traces of makeup. The website Q&A is wonderfully honest, and says that testers had mixed results with eye makeup removal but my experience has only been positive. For me, two cleanses is sufficient to banish all traces of my non-waterproof mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow.

Prior to using this product, I was a devotee of Emma Hardie's Amazing Face Cleansing Balm, which is truly wonderful. At around £34 for 100ml, however, it ranks as the most expensive cleanser I've ever purchased. For me, Merumaya's Melting Cleansing Balm matches Amazing Face's performance on every front, and costs a grand total of £14.50. Yep, you read that correctly. Even more fantastic is the following statement from Maleka:

"Working in collaboration with some of the best cosmetic science brains, I have fulfilled my goal to provide luxurious, effective skincare and have chosen to present it at an accessible price point."

I find it so refreshing to see brands that are committed to developing high-performance products that are much more affordable than some of their counterparts. I'm not especially excited by the idea of paying a premium for luxurious packaging: I just want a product that works. And this one does just that. I can see this being a feature on my bathroom shelf for a long time to come.

Merumaya's Melting Cleansing Balm is available from John Lewis and online for £14.50.

18.4.13

Three Things

Inspired by my favourite blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Three Things is a new series to keep track of everything that brings a smile to my face. Expect a mix of beauty, food, photographs of the sun and plenty of celebrations of new yoga poses I've managed to find my way into!

- My current beauty favourites, reviews of which are coming up soon -


- The cherry blossoms outside my flat are finally in bloom -


- That the weather will soon be sunny enough to rock this gorgeous Nails Inc Feathers polish, which makes me smile every time I look at it -

15.4.13

Style: White Jeans

White jeans. It's almost an oxymoron. You start off with a functional fabric, designed to be hard-wearing and ready for anything, and then dye it the most impractical of colours. White jeans speak of tans, glossy salon blow dries, long champagne-fuelled lunches and taxis everywhere. In short, not something that fits well with the 9-5.

Yet like so many things in life, when a boy expresses a preference, it suddenly becomes an intriguing concept! This is what happened this week with white jeans. I'm not convinced I'll ever be the type to pull them off, so in an attempt to style them up so that I might be, I've arrived at something so 80s and so man-repellant, that I've entirely defeated my starting point for exploring the idea.

That said, I would add this little lot to my net-a-porter basket faster than you can say 'Liz Hurley'.

Clockwise from top left:

1. LOT78 'Hello' t-shirt - £75
2. J Crew 'Darling' cashmere sweater - £265
3. Acne mid-rise white jeans - £170
4. Fiorentini & Baker Nubis boots - £368
5. Pierre Hardy clutch - £125
6. T by Alexander Wang leather bralette - £288

So, how about you? Do you love or hate white jeans?

14.4.13

Beauty: Estee Lauder Display

I've written before about my Mum's love for Estee Lauder. Handbags, drawers and dressing tables sparkle with that familiar glint of gold, and when it comes to shopping, there are few finer words than 'gift with purchase'.

Whenever I read a blog post about makeup organisation, I think of Mum, and while at home, I managed to pick up the perfect display piece for all her gorgeous, gilt cases. The results were even better than we thought they would be.




This beautiful mini Estee Lauder counter now sits on her bedside table for her to admire as soon as she wakes up. We quickly learned, however, that perfection has its downsides. The next day I received a text message:

'I'm on my way to a meeting and I don't have any lipstick. They're all on display!'

8.4.13

Hair: How to improve hair growth

glamour.co.uk
When it comes to haircare, Philip Kingsley is my go-to. A trichologist since 1957, his experience is unparalleled. His products have taken me from coarse, frizzy hair that relied on expensive treatments, to soft, silky locks that don't even frizz in the rain. It's nothing short of miraculous.

I will be posting an updated hair routine very soon, but in the meantime, the latest post on the Philip Kingsley blog on how to improve hair growth is must reading. Steer clear of gimics: this man knows his stuff!

4.4.13

Life: Modern Etiquette

One of my guilty pleasures in life is to read old etiquette books. I'm in no way a traditionalist, but something about etiquette and social conventions fascinates me. There's something quite lovely about the idea of dressing up for dinner at home, sending invitations for friends to come to dinner and generally being a lot more respectful and courteous than is so often the case in our society. That said, when I arrive home from work at 7pm, I tend to want to remove my makeup and slip into something comfy rather than touch up my face and wear a dress for dinner!

Wondering what examples of modern etiquette are out there, I stumbled across The Rules: an illustrated guide to modern etiquette which has some brilliantly illustrated examples of very modern problems. Can you relate to any of these situations?




All courtesy of good.is
There's also the fantastic Pug's Guide to Etiquette by Gemma Correll.


huffingtonpost.com
Is etiquette an outdated concept or are there certain standards you strive to live up to?

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