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