Today's Obsession...

Dear Santa,

I have been really good this year and I hope you don't mind, but I've got my eye on a few fabulous fashion finds which I would REALLY love to receive this year...

No readers I haven't gone mental, it's just that tomorrow is the 1st December and my Christmakah wish list is finally being unveiled upon the world...so Santa, if you are in the blogosphere and you enjoy reading fashion blogs...I hope you see this! Today's obsession and top of the wish list is this gorgeous necklace by Mawi for Disney Couture. Two of my favourite things - amazing avant garde jewellery designer Mawi and the magical-ness of Disney - all wrapped up into one! yes please!

If you would like to add this little beauty to your wish list, you can find one on ASOS...or just ask Santa ;o) Enjoy x

The Lanvin Christmas Tree for Claridges has Arrived!!

You might remember a few days ago I posted the amazing news that Lanvin was to design the Claridges christmas tree this year...if not, you can read about my excitement here.

Well, the even more exciting news is that THE TREE HAS ARRIVED!!!!

The towering tree was unveiled this week, and also features a scene of signature marionettes playing out 'the Lanvin family around the tree at home'.

"We wanted to make all our Christmas dreams come true; an infusion of tradition and modernity together. That is Lanvin," explained Elbaz.

"I hope the tree brings a big heart of joy to all who work and stay at Claridge's hotel: It's my way to say a very Merry Christmas.

How cute is the mini-Alber at the top of the tree, next to the glittery Lanvin star?? Surely the xmas accessory from now on!

The tree will is on display in the Art Deco lobby until 2 January 2012. Head on over and see it for yourself at Claridge's Hotel, 49 Brook Street, London, W1K 4HR. What do you think? Will you be checking it out? Enjoy x

River Island SS12 Press Day

Yesterday I went along to the River Island SS12 press day, to see what the brand has in store for us next year! The collections were so gorgeous, it had me craving next summer already!

Well, where to start, it was a riot of colour, texture, prints, studding and more. Firstly, and most importantly, there were yummy canapés circulating, the best of which was the mini hamburger…amazing, delicious drinks including appletinis and cosmos and a good old fashioned pic’n’mix stand where guests could help themselves.

Food out of the way, the collections were split up to showcase them at their best. The majority of the pieces were bright, bold and daring, and were split into 6 main collections; Miami, Spring Break, Prairie, Ethnic, Purist and Sugar. The majority of the trends speak for themselves, but here is a little break down of my favourites:

Ethnic – tribal patterns and embroidery, loads of styles, prints and textures all mixed up with embellishment and colours to create a bold and creative mix. Personal favourites included a shaggy black and white waistcoat and a zebra print skirt…oh, and all of the accessories!!

Sugar: so sweet and feminine, this collection consisted of pastels, chiffons, floaty and sheer fabrics, all covered in applique detailing. Gorgeous pieces that you’ll love wearing.

Prairie: a kind of western inspired trend consisting of muted blues and neutrals. It’s kind of hippy and very carefree –fringed jackets, crochet and broderie anglasie… girly, chilled and begging to be worn at festivals.

I’ve put a selection of some pics taken at the event below. What do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing the new collections? Enjoy x

amazing accessories!

Jo enjoying the pick and mix

I need this!!!

 

French Martinis and French Manicures Courtesy of Chambord!

Although I am not really a big drinker, I do love a berry flavoured tipple once in a while, and when I do indulge, I love to mix it up with some Chambord, an amazingly tasty black raspberry liqueur that can be combined a hundred different ways to create various yummy cocktails. Chambord also has a strong connection to the fashion industry and often works with various events around fashion week – another reason to take note of this stylish liqueur!

I was therefore excited when I received and invite about an event being hosted by Chambord this week, enticingly called “French Martinis and French Manicures.” The name intrigued me so much that I decided I had to check it out. Very simply, this event is a girly girl’s dream. Chambord is looking to attempt the most French manicures in an hour! A record breaker that every girl would hope to get into the Guinness Book of World Records!

So here is the lowdown on this glamorous record breaking event: Chambord held this event of French martinis and French manicures at London’s swanky Haymarket hotel on Wednesday 23^rd November.

Chambord together with a team of expert beauty therapists attempted to set a record for the most French manicures to be painted in one hour! Phew! After having indulged in a beautiful French manicure, all the ladies who attended the event were to be treated even further to a French martini (or two!) – never had one before, but I can’t wait! It consists of Chambord, vodka and pineapple juice. Sounds amazing! So yesterday my model and blogger friend Tola and I went along to the event to check it out.

First of all, the hotel was amazing. Beautiful, contemporary, luxurious but not pretentious! We were greeted and shown into the room where the manicures were taking place…and it was girly heaven! Two lines of tables with about 20 girls getting French manicures done at a time. We signed up at a table and waited our turn, indulging in the gorgeous canapés and delicious French martinis – made from Chambord – as we waited. 

When it was our turn, we sat side by side and were treated to a French manicure by beauty therapists, who were absolutely lovely too! They used nailgirl products, which I have never used before, but was really happy with the results. Our nails looked neat, polished and very chic! This is my first French manicure – I always opt for colour – and I am really happy with how they look.

The night ended with a second French martini and a gorgeous free Chambord umbrella. It was such a fun night and I hope the Chambord team start working on their next event soon. Here are some snaps of the event. Enjoy x

 

The Chambord Bar Staff

Gorgeous Tola enjoying a French Martini

Let the French Manicure-athon begin!

Lovely Lucie fro Eulogy PR who organised the event

Me and Lucie...Posing of course!

More posing!

Tola getting her nails did!

The result (ignore messed up nail in the middle!!)

Lanvin Designs the Claridges Christmas Tree

So it is just over 4 weeks to go until Christmas, are you getting excited yet? The Xmas lights are going up all over the high streets and in stores, Xmas lists are being written, carollers are starting to sing, and let's just say, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

Now most stores, hotels and department stores have got their Christmas trees sorted, and I'm sure they all look very nice, but only one London landmark hotel can claim to have the most fashionable Christmas tree this year!

The proposed Christmas tree at iconic London hotel, Claridges, is to be personally decorated by Alber Elbaz of Lanvin himself. I can only imagine how amazing this tree is going to look, and if you cant quite picture it, heres a little illustrated spoiler! The tree, which is imagined here by Alber himself, has been described as ‘colourful and whimsical’ - bedecked, as it will be with marionettes wearing Elbaz’s take on Claridge’s staff uniforms. Elbaz said that he wanted to ‘create an installation that carries the spirit of Lanvin, an infusion of tradition and modernity at the same time.’ Thomas Kochs, general manager at Claridge’s, added, ‘It is simply wonderful to see this talented designer decorate the tree in his whimsical style.'

We,, I sure know that I will be checking this most stylish of trees out as soon as it is unveiled. What about you? Will you be going to see this years most stylish tree? Enjoy x

Breaking Dawn Premiere Smoulders on the Red Carpet!

I am not ashamed to admit that I LOVE Twilight! Can't really stand miss Stewart and her constant moodiness, but damn those vampire and werewolf boys are hot!

Anyway, enough lusting! Last night was the London premiere for the fourth instalment of the saga, Breaking Dawn part 1, and the stars sizzled on that red carpet!

Kristin Stewart looked sullen but beautiful in a sparkling, midnight Roberto Cavalli dress with a daringly high split, and an Alexander McQueen belt. She was wearing a pair of gorgeous high heels, but quelle suprise she changed into a manky pair of trainers. Come on girl, just keep it together for one night!!!

The boys looked beautifully manly and gorgeous, and with Ashley Greene and Nicki Reed - two of the Cullen sisters for those not in the know - pulling off stunning gowns at the LA premieres, Twilight proves it has hatched some real style mavens!

What do you think, are you going to be checking out Breaking Dawn? Enjoy x

John Lewis 2011 Christmas Advert Is So Magical!

A very quick post, which actually, has nothing to do with fashion...weird right?!

If you didn't know, I am a HUGE fan of Christmas, despite being Jewish, I love the feeling that the xmas season gives you...friends, family, happiness, goodwill, amazing films and TV, time off work and, of course, presents!

So anyway, back to the post, one of my favourite department stores, John Lewis, have been getting my vote during the recent years for best xmas advert...even beating the amazing festive coca cola ads. Last years advert was brilliant, heart warming stuff (who can forget that ellie goulding cover of your song?), and this years, which has just been released, made me well-up with christmas spirit.

So here is the advert. What do you think? Does it give you that christmassy feeling?? Enjoy x

and for those who want to indulge a little more...here's 2010's ad!

Royally Stylish: Jaeger Design Uniforms for the Royal Staff

Prince William and Princess Kate may be the most stylish royals on the planet, and with them set to move into Kensington palace, they're also going to have the most stylish staff.

British heritage label Jaeger have been recruited to design the uniforms for the palaces's entire front of house staff in a £12 million renovation. The uniforms will be for around 50 staff members, front of house, welcomers and gift shop staff and the designs will be unveiled in March 2012.

How exciting is that? We've got the most fashionable royalty around it seems! I wonder if princess Kate had anything to do with the design choice!

Jaeger's Design Director Stuart Stockdale created the ensembles with the help of curator Deirdre Murphy and an amazing archive of over 10,000 wardrobe pieces worn by royals! This is a collection of items that date from the 17th century to present day, which is a whoooooole lot of style inspiration.

I can't wait to see the final designs in the flesh! What do you think? Will you be heading to Kensington palace to check out the most stylish front of house staff on the planet? Enjoy x

Must Have...Gareth Pugh for MAC!

Wow…MAC really are an amazing brand. They have collaborated with some of the coolest, most fashion forward icons of our time…Lady Gaga..Miss Piggy, hello! Well, they have kind of out done themselves with this latest collaboration.

Fashion favourite Gareth Pugh, whose designs are goth/grunge/fabulous, is the latest fashion darling to create a collection for the must have make-up brand.

Now, this collection is not for the faint hearted. For those familiar with Gareth Pugh, you will know that he likes to create slightly out-there pieces, which may not be everybody’s cup of tea…but I sure love them…after that giant knitted scarf a few seasons ago, I was hooked. The make-up and hair in his shows always reflects this avant garde nature, and the MAC collection is no exception!

The range carries everything from dark purple lipstick, sharp, geometric eyelashes (amazing) and a black PVC make-up case. It’s dark, grunge and seriously glamorous, and MAC have described it as: “futuristic yet primal.” The rest of the collection consists of goth shades of eye shadows, silver nail varnish, and black eyeliner (natch).

I cannot wait to get my hands on the whole collection. What do you think? Will you be injecting some gothic glam style into your look? Enjoy x

Review - The Ultimate Beauty Gift Set

You might remember a few weeks ago I posted about being sent some lovely beauty products to test out and review.

Well, one of the products I was sent was from a company called Veridian, an ethical vitamin company who produce gorgeous organic nutritional goodies which will help “ultimate beauty glow from within.” You’ve got to love a product with that kind of strapline!

I was sent to try out the Ultimate Beauty gift set, which consists of a set of three products, which come complete in a cute zip up bag with a 40 page ultimate beauty booklet, featuring tips and recipes for “youthful, glowing skin…” what more could a girl want?

The three products in the set are: the Ultimate Beauty Complex – these are capsules which contain vitamins, minerals, plant extracts and more natural goodies which support the underlying structures of healthy skin, hair and nails. Now I’ve been taking 2 of these capsules daily for the last few weeks, and although I haven’t seen a huge difference, my nails are definitely stronger, and I didn’t get my normal…erm…pre PMS break-out that I usually get…so, if  that’s what they call working, then I can definitely say that these have done something!

The next product is the 100% Organic Ultimate Beauty Oil. This is essentially an oil which contains fatty acids and anti-oxidents which has to be taken orally, 2 – 3 spoonfuls a day. You can mix it with fruit juice, salad dressing whatever, or just take it off the spoon like medicine. Again, this product is for you hair, skin and nails. I’ve been making my way through the bottle, and it’s actually quite tasty – sort of nutty/fruity…not bad at all! I have been taking this oil along with the other products and again, I have noticed a difference in my skin and nails. My skin is looking clearer and also brighter. I also feel like my hair feels healthier – it feels strong and definitely has a brighter shine than normal. I am also really enjoying the taste of the oil!

The final product is the Ultimate Beauty Skin Topical Repair Oil. This is an oil which you can spray directly onto your skin, and it helps with the appearance of stretch marks and uneven skin tone. It contains goodies like rosehip oil and wheatgerm oil and it smells really yummy!! I have a few stretch marks on my hips and thighs…come on…what girl doesn’t?? So, I’ve been applying the oil to these areas for the last few weeks. I haven’t seen a massive improvement to the stretch marks, but my skin does feel really smooth and soft, so that’s a bonus!

So there you have it. All in all I would say these are really great products and will make a great gift for yourself, or someone who loves unusual and natural beauty products. I’m going to keep using them and see if they continue to work, and also, how long the effects last for.

If you want more info, or want to try the products out yourself, visit the website: www.viridian-nutrition.com

Enjoy x

Nicki Minaj Gets Her Own OPI Nail Varnish Collection

I realise that I've don't quite a few posts about nail varnish collaborations with everything from muppets to glee, and I have yet another exciting collection!

One of my favourite fashion stars to emerge out of this last year is the fabulous nicki Minaj. Here is a girl who is fierce, who plays with fashion and always has a unique and colourful look...I mean who else wears leopard everything head to toe next to anna wintour at fashion week.

So, the awesome nail varnish brand OPI has collaborated with the uber stylish miss minaj to create a range of bright and outrageous colours to adorn your nails. With names like Super bass shatter, save me, Pink Friday and did it on 'ema and colours ranging from full on metallics, glitter and neons, this is not a collection for the faint hearted!

The collection is available in January 2012. What do you think? Will you be adding a touch of nicki minaj's in your face style to your look? Enjoy x