When in Doubt


LondonOutfits
This is the outfit I put on if I wake up on one of those rare mornings and just panic in my closet (we have all been there at one point- you feel yuck and nothing seems to look right). I know however I feel this will look good. It's great to have one simple outfit to turn to on those days. I would be lying to say that I leave the house feeling great (normally I still feel a bit dissatisfied with myself) but I don't feel frightened that I look stupid. So thats a win for me!

Jacket Balmain

Sunglasses Rayban

Shirt Next

Belt River Island

Bag Hermes via Vestiare Collective

Bag Strap Fendi

Phone Case Richmond and Finch

Jeans Frame

Shoes Manolo Blahnik

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Bedtime Cleansing Routine


Skincare

How to care for your skin before bed. Washing the day away and my night time skin routine.

a little background

I get asked about my skin care routine all the time. Even when I have meetings with beauty brands they women will ask me what I do with my skin to keep it happy. I’ve had the same basic routine for over a decade. I started it with my mothers encouragement and I havent ever really changed it that much. I find new products now and then to swap in and out but the bones remain the same. Occasionally I supplement in additional steps (masks etc , but they are on occasion and not a part of my everyday routine, which is the focus of this piece).

I have sensitive skin. So I have to be careful with what I use. For example SPF can create an allergic reaction. My skin type is dry to normal. The products I am recommending and use are obviously directed at that skin type. I’m afraid I can not speak for people with combination or oily skin. I wanted to create the most honest and true representation of my skin in this piece, so in the photos above I really have just washed my face and I don’t have any make up or products on at all other than the routine listed below. This is what my skin really looks like before bed. I haven’t correct my skin in photoshop or by any other means. I have slight redness around the edge of my nose, is my most sensitive skin area which sadly never gets completely corrected. In the photos below I am really washing my face after a day of wearing makeup.

I have been using Eve Lom Cleanser since I was a teenager. I have recommend it to so many people. Some have come back to me and said it didn’t work out for them, and after discussions I always hear that they didn’t read the instructions that come with it and basically they weren’t using it how is was designed to be used. You MUST read the instructions, after years I don’t do the massage properly but I do, without fail, the three presses of the cloth. By which I mean…

1

Clean

 

  1. Warm a broad bean size amount of cleanser between your palms.
  2. Work it into your skin and eyes all over. Don’t be shy it wont hurt your eyes one tiny bit!
  3. Taking a muslin cloth, run it under warm water and ring it out. Press the damp cloth onto your face, hold for a moment or two. Remove and rinse the cloth.
  4. Again press the warm cloth to your face (without rubbing – just press). Remove and rinse.
  5. Finally one more time press the rinsed cloth on to your face, remove and rinse the cloth.
  6. Now you can use the cloth to gently exfoliate your skin. Rub it in circles all over your face and under your eyes to remove any remaining makeup and dirt (although I find there is hardly anything left on your skin at this stage).
  7. Finish by splashing your face with cold water.

 

2

Moisture

Really the second step is moisturising. I have a number of products I like for the evening and I choose based on my skins needs at the time.

For everyday happy skin I use Eve Lom TLC or  Elemis Biotec Skin Energising Night Cream. Eve Lom is a thick rich cream which smells of rose. You warm the cream up between your palms and then press it into your skin. The Elemis is a light cream that absorbs more quickly, it smells of cloves. Both are great for slightly drier and sensitive skin.

If my skin is feeling like it’s in desperately need nourishment I will use the La Mer ConcentrateLa Mer Eye Concentrate and La Mer Creme(in that order). These three products are incredibly restorative and have a lovely cucumber-ish fresh fragrance to them.  Like the Eve Lom cream, the La Mer needs to be warmed up in your palms to activate it. I do not use these products every night, they are for when your skin is in need – not everyday.

Finally if my skin is feeling super sensitive I always turn to Skinceuticals Redness Neutralizer. This wonderful moisturiser was recommended to me by my dermatologist a few years ago and has become a firm favourite (honestly I cant do without it). It’s excellent for sensitive and inflamed skin, adding lots of moisture to the skin without irritating it. (I also saw recently that Lisa Eldridge recommends it too).

At this stage if I have some pimples I will add some Mario Badescu Drying Lotion to them too on a cotton bud.

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Surprise Easter Egg


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This Easter celebration, more than a chocolatey treat might be awaiting you.

Faberge Eggs Today

When you say Fabergé – I think everyone thinks of the beautiful eggs so famous from the Russian Royal family’s collections and museums the world over. Few brands are so identified with a specific piece. This is probably double sided sword. I love the eggs and have always loved enamel work. For me there isn’t a better Easter present than these beautiful little treats.

I love wearing them day to day, the pastel coloured eggs are very pretty pendants that have a wonderful weight and shape around your neck. I don’t think of them as ‘event’ pieces but instead everyday embellishment, which of course means you get far more wear out of them. This year Fabergé have made ‘surprise’ eggs, which pop open to reveal a golden rooster to celebrate the Chinese year of the rooster. The pale colours go so wonderfully with denim – which I live in, as you know. See the full egg collection on Fabergé.

I decided to lay my table for Easter this year with a pastel theme to match the eggs. Spring flowers and collected birds nests (when we cut back the hedges at home, we find them on the trimmings and save them) all surrounded with pastel chocolate eggs. My dining room has a blue and white colour scheme, because it leads off my kitchen. I would love to cover the walls in grisaille of trees, but I need to book about a month off to do it myself. So for the meantime it is bright and white. Which I’m enjoying for now. I had my dining room chairs copied from Winston Churchill’s house Chartwell.

I’m wearing earrings, large egg pendant and a small egg pendant in turquoise.

Also featured…
Locket Pendant
Pink Pendant