Summer clutch

This Mango clutch immediately appealed to me when I saw it on two of my favourite blogs, Wearing It Today and Little Spree. Perhaps it's the similarity it bears to my bedroom carpet... Anyway, at £17.99 it's a nice summer update, and it comes in a cute cosmetic bag version too. 

Vintage pomade collection

the fab FOUR

Colourist Charlie Double told me she didn’t go into hairdressing to become famous, but if the testimonials on the FOUR London salon’s website are anything to go by, she won’t stay under the radar for long, with celeb clients including notable brunettes Claudia Winkleman and Nigella Lawson. Yasmin Le Bon was there the last time I went, and Englebert Humperdinck had just been in for a blowdry! They describe their approach to colour as ‘diagnostic’ and that’s certainly what I got. Never taking the easy option, on each visit Charlie analysed my existing colour and decided a colour removal and change was in order. This took away the brassy, grown-out highlights I’d got fed up with and instead she worked towards integrating more of my dark brown natural colour with scattered caramel lights throught the front to break it up, topped off with vegetable colour to even everything out and add shine. I loved the result, but it did take a couple of visits to get to where Charlie envisaged my colour could be. And that’s what you get with a salon that’s been set up by former employees of colour supremo Jo Hansford - the vision to see how to bring out the best in everyone's colour - natural or not. It’s built up a busy customer base including beauty editors (always discerning about where they’ll go) and working mothers are looked after with wifi, baby-changing and no-nonsense post-colour blowdrys. With the fabulously-named Dr Duve facials in the downstairs beauty salon, FOUR London feels like it’s been part of the premium beauty scene for years, even though the salon is less than two years old. 

For the beauty blogger who's got everything...

... how about this fab lippie scarf, £175; or the street photography-inspired number?£115, both by Yarnz from Net A Porter.

The 20-year-old lipstick...

A friend recently 'fessed up to using the same lipstick for the past 20 years, not just the same shade or brand, mind, but the same ACTUAL lipstick - talk about value for money! Hygiene of course is another matter. She said she kept looking for a replacement but nothing else was quite the right shade of browny-pink. I took a swatch, searched through my beauty stash and the nearest I could find was a Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel in Sienna Kiss - I'll let you know her verdict! In the meantime, any other 'vintage' make-up hoarders should head to Harvey Nichols London on January 19th, where to celebrate the launch of the new Stila make-up counter, there's a make-up amnesty - Stila Steal. They're giving away a free Lip Glaze in Kitten worth £15 when you trade in an old lipgloss, even if it's not a Stila one. What's the longest you've had a product in continuous use, so to speak?

Cute i-phone wallpaper

By Green glasses Via Poolga

Insider's eye

Check out this behind-the-scenes photodiary for a celeb's-eye-view of the Venice Film Festival. How intimidating must it be to be bombarded by photographers like that, then scrutinised by the world's press shortly after? Gywneth has been spotted at my local softplay in the past, which is somewhat lacking in glamour - the contrasts of a celebrity-mum's life must be pretty surreal.

Gywneth often gets a lot of stick for her Goop website, poysonally, I like it!

Officially an Icon

Hairdresser Luke Hersheson scooped Hair Icon at Creative Head's Most Wanted awards this week. I've always liked his low-key approach - I have judged hairdressing competitions with him in the past and he somehow manages to be understated yet outspoken at the same time, with an unerring eye for what's cool. And one of the best haircuts I've had was from him. So congratulations to Luke (on the left). Who's that with an avuncular arm around him? Nick Irwin. He's a big cheese at Tigi now, we used to shoot together a lot, most memorably on a trip to the gorgeous Jake's resort in Jamaica, which has been on my must-go-back wishlist ever since. The model was the lovely Stacey. She and Nick got on well, so well that they are now married! Back to the Creative Head Awards - I was pleased to sit with two more hair legends - colour supremo Josh Wood, and the session maestro Johnny Sapong. Both of whom have new, intimate salon spaces - more on those soon.

NYC or Paris - which are you?

Love this from the clever and cute blog that compares quintessential NY and Paris things. When it comes to beauty which would you choose? Dior, Chanel and YSL or Bobbi Brown, Kiehls and Clinique? I love French brands for their luxe feel, but I like the freshness and immediacy of US products. Hmm...The image is also available as a poster too.

Beauty for your home

I'm liking these beauty-inspired home items from H&M, especially the in the oft-neglected shower-curtain and bathmat category! It seemed only Anthropologie was doing anything interesting there, and at pretty steep prices. H&M's collection is a lot more affordable...

Paper napkins, £1.99
Guest towel, £2.99 for 2
Shower curtain, £12.99
Shower curtain, £12.99
Shower Mat, £2.99
Bath mat, £6.99
Duvet cover set, £19.99

Astier de Villatte beauty

I have long hankered after the quirky ceramics by Astier de Villatte, but always reasoned that I would probably break them, so resisted. But now they have these beautiful candles, and even a hand cream, soap and eau de cologne, any of which could be a safer way to own a bit of the brand. The descriptions of the candles on the website are so evocative - I think perfect for these misty Autumnal nights must be the 'Edimbourg' candle: "A haunted castle, an ancient city of ruins abandoned to ghosts. The aromatic vapours of a pure single malt, damp cedar wood, mossy stones and beeswax mingle with coolly mysterious mineral notes." Gorgeous.

Why can't we have our own Allure?

Back in the day when readers letters arrived by the sackful, urgent info came on a fax and important office announcements were made via a paper memo that landed on your desk, there was one major source for cutting-edge beauty info, namely Allure magazine. In my first job on a magazine, I hungrily devoured every issue of the US beauty bible and it seemed a lifetime to wait until the next issue. That's a vintage one, above, from 1994. Now we don't have to wait more than a nanosecond for anything, but don't you think there's still a place for a specialist UK beauty title? That's not to say it hasn't been tried here - my first job was on Looks Magazine (I promise to dig out some back issues, hilarious); I used to freelance for the much-missed spin-off Marie Claire Health & Beauty; then there was Shine, and the fashion and beauty mag, Happy - all of which I loved. Sadly none of them survived.

Personally, I can do without the true-life stories, celeb features and sex tips that fill out many magazines - pure undiluted beauty is what I'm after. Do you think it could work, or are you all total web converts?

If Anthropologie did hair salons...

...they might be something like this. I love hairdressers that break the mould of clinical, all-white spaces - just check out this amazing salon in New York's East Village - L'Atelier de Laurie, discovered via fab new beauty blog Into the Gloss. It appeals to my inner magpie.

Camel fingers...

...and possibly er, toes? Nails Inc's new hue, Cadogan Square, £11, is a limited edition camel shade, designed to go with that camel coat we have all dutifully bought this season, haven't we? Could be a tricky colour to do, depending on your skintone, but that hasn't stopped it becoming their hottest seller, shifting more than 1000 units in just 24 hours. I like how it looks against the other limited shade, the turquoise Portobello Road.

ThisWorks and Kids Company

SPONSORED POST

Kids Company is an amazing charity founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh, I've been lucky enough to hear her speak at an event and she's inspirational. This Christmas, you can help raise funds for Kids Company when you shop for Helping Hands by ThisWorks - £1.80 from each item sold will go towards Kids Company, for a cause that can't fail to move you - to provide 2,000 Christmas dinners for children who would otherwise be alone - and that's here, in the UK. The limited edition collection includes Wish, £14, a mini skincare set with Super Lips balm, Soothing Tired Eye Serum and Refreshing Quick Spritz. I love a good hand cream, and this one - Perfect Hands, £18 - sounds fab. It does all the things you'd expect of a supercharged face cream - provides lasting moisture, tightens, firms and reduces the appearance of dark spots, gives instant radiance, reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It's got coconut oil, glycerin and hyaluronic acid to make hands silky soft.

ThisWorks skincare was created by former Vogue beauty director Kathy Phillips and has a pretty impressive fundraising record so far, since 2008 they've raised nearly £80,000 for Kids Company. Wouldn't it be great to help them get to £100,000 this Christmas? Buy online at ThisWorks.

A peek at some palettes..

Thought you might like a peek at these gorgeous palettes; called in to be shot for a glossy magazine gift guide, I could look but not touch - talk about beauty torture! I love the sleekness of the Le Metier de Beaute Marchesa palettes, and the way that the Trish McEvoy compact packs in so many useful shades to such a tiny, slim case. The Jemma Kidd is good value at £28 and has a nice big mirror. I would definately use all of the shades in the Becca Prairie Moon Palette. The Laura Mercier kit is comprehensive, including eyeliner and mascara as well as shadow, blush and lipgloss.

Above: Becca Palette in Prairie Moon, £55, with lipgloss, 3 shadows, and compact eyeliner.

Above: Jemma Kidd Make-up School Essential Smokey Kit, £28 with two glosses and four shimmer shadows and two matt shadow/liners.

Above: Laura Mercier Fall Favourites Colour Collection, £75, exclusive to Harrods.
Above: Le Metier de Beaute Marchesa in La Soleil, £45 with two cream/gloss, two powders and a bronzer.

Above: Trish McEvoy Emergency Kit for Eyes, £30 with six shadows, eye definer and brow definer.

In defence of beauty editors...

Magazine beauty editors come in for a bit of stick in the blogosphere, but spare a thought for the much-maligned beauty ed. There's more to the job than copious free products. Part guinea-pig, part biologist, part beauty therapist, part ambassador, she must represent her magazine at events that happen virtually all day, every day, as well as art-directing shoots with primadonna photographers and too-skinny models who won't smize, and deliver punchy, coverline-worthy copy. She treads a fine line between writing what she's passionate about and the constraints of writing for titles that are increasingly reliant for their revenue on a handful of all-powerful beauty companies. So no, you probably won't read a scathing review of a brand new big-budget supercream, often it's more a case of criticism by omission. Rivalry with competitive titles exists, but there's none of the blatant blanking treatment fashion eds dish out. In fact, a certain camararderie develops when you're on the third Eurostar trip of the week to go and listen to a simultaneous translation of a French scientist droning on about adipocytes and cellulite... plus it's hard to give someone the cold-shoulder when you've shared a hot-tub on a spa trip. And of course everyone pulls together when it's for a great cause, like this Thursday's Look Good Feel Better Beauty Editor's Day at Selfridges.

Love 'em or not, for a £20 booking fee that goes straight to the cancer-sufferers charity, you can get up close and personal with a beauty editor and quiz them on whatever you want to know. If that's not enough of a draw, there'll be goody bags and makeovers too. There are still slots available, so book on 0800 138 8140. Personally, I'm in the 'love em!' camp, but then, I used to be one!

I bet he can do Blue Steel...

I'm a big Zoolander fan, it's right up there with Elf and You, Me and Dupree in the classic move stakes for me! (Highbrow, me?) So I love this video from Imedeen Management featuring the very good-looking Zeusus Royale...

Today I'm grateful for...

...St Tropez Wash-Off Instant Glow Body Lotion, £12.

So I was very pleased with my pale blush shorts from Zara, until my mother pointed out that from a distance I looked like I had nothing on my lower half, since my legs are very much on the pale side of blush too. So I grabbed some St Tropez Wash-Off Instant Glow, smoothed it on in seconds, making my legs a slightly darker shade than my shorts. It's subtle and pretty foolproof, although I do recommend checking it in daylight as well as indoors to blend in any streaks as they seem to show up more outside. I've always been a fan of wash-off tans for those times when I haven't planned ahead to self-tan (past favourites include Benefit Jiffy Tan, the Guerlain Terracotta one, which I think is discontinued, even Rimmel Sunshimmer in a pinch!) and I've been a fan of St Tropez since way back when. A sadly-missed perk of working on a magazine was press appointments for a spray-tan from St Tropez's fabulous celebrity tanner Sophie. While the Instant Glow doesn't compare to her expert tans, I'm glad of anything to take the edge off my pale pins!

Make-up bag Monday

The next best thing to new make-up is a lovely new make-up bag to put it in. I'm liking this slightly 60s-inspired trio...

Valerie Make-up Bag, £12 reduced from £18, Lisa Stickley

Heart cosmetics bag, comes with a mirror, By Graziela, £14

Sitting Ducks Large Purse, £6.50, Emily Pickle at Folksy