QMS Medicosmetics Spa

Last week I was invited to have a facial at the QMS Medicosmetics Spa in Chelsea (*sigh…sometimes my job is such a struggle…!) After a long winter’s worth of foundation and fake tan I obviously leapt at the chance to give my face a good ol'Spring clean!  When I arrived I soon realised that I had definitely come to the right place… If my face was to end up looking remotely as as squeaky clean and pristine as the spa I had just entered I’d be thrilled!  This is not some dark, heavily incense scented beauty room filled with whale music, but more like a futuristic laboratory where glowing ladies in stark white lab coats welcome you.  Too often people choose to have facials to chill out or to tackle their current breakouts or problems, at the QMS Medicosmetics Spa however, the facials aim to maintain your skin’s actual health, providing  an experience that certainly feels more medical, and ultimately more important. 

The process and the popular products were created over 25 years ago by Dr. med. Erich Schulte, a leading and respected specialist in skincare.  After working intensely with burns and trauma victims, the doctor German created a technique whereby collagen could be re-introduced and improve the skin’s elasticity and general appearance.  This innovative collagen-enhancing process is at the core of QMS Medicosmetics.

Having the process and the regenerative products explained to me throughout, an entirely bespoke facial was conducted.  During my 75 minute treatment I experienced 98% pure oxygen being delicately blasted onto my face, a hot steam, a fruit enzyme exfoliating cleanse and a heavy, cold marine mask applied over my entire face (including over my lips and eyes which made me feel a little like Mrs. Doubtfire!)  This mask is latterly shown to you to inspect, interestingly showing you areas of dehydration and patches of potential ageing that have been imprinted on to it.  Until the end, where I was treated to a brief massage, my facial was not particularly relaxing, but it certainly was effective.  I left with plump and soft skin and a little bag of samples to try at home.

Treatments start from £45.00 for 30 mins.
QMS Medicosmetics Spa, 43 Cadogan Gardens, London SW3. 

Astley Clarke Jewellery Lunch at Marcus

I was recently invited, alongside a bevy of London beauties, to an exclusive VIP jewellery lunch to toast Astley Clarke’s new Fine Jewellery collection.   Hosted by Bec Astely Clarke (above with Poppy Delevingneand chef Marcus Wareing (above with Bec) we dined in The Salon Private Dining Room at the sparkly new ‘Marcus’ restaurant at The Berkeley.  

Above Clockwise (R-L):  Bec Astley Clarke hosting Chloe DelevingneZoe JordanPoppyDelevingne and Tori Cook Jemma Powell and Beatrice SavorettiTori Cook and Poppy DelevingneMarissa Montgomery.  Below:  Smooches with my school pal Sienna Miller.

Not only were we spoiled with lots of bubbles and a delicious lunch (quail with a raddichio and pine nut salad, followed by salmon with buttermilk and faaaar too many chocolate truffles!) we were sent home with Marcus’ cook book and a beautiful rose gold Astley Clarke locket which had been personally engraved for all us girlies whilst we dined.

Above Right:  I decided (after much anxious deliberation!) to get the title of DG and my favourite song ('Just One Look' by Doris Troy) engraved on the back of my locket (cheesy?!) and I love it so much I haven’t taken it off since!  Thank you Bec and Marcus for such a wonderfully gorgeous afternoon!  Astley Clarke lockets available HERE.

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Above:  With my great friend Jemma Powell.  I accessorised my Topshop shirt and bold print Zara trousers with Wilbur and Gussie's Orange Bee Edith Clutch (RRP. £180.00).

Above:  Featuring in Grazia magazine alongside Poppy DelevingneChloe Delevingne,Sienna Miller and Jemma Powell#TheChainGang

 

Ralph Lauren's Ricky World Tour

Designed in 2005 and named after his wife, the Ralph Lauren ‘Soft Ricky’ handbag is one of the label’s most iconic and popular pieces.  To celebrate its success, Ralph Lauren’s giant ‘Ricky’ bag, that took a month to create and measures 1.8m high and 1.5m wide (so maybe juuuust big enough to fit all my stuff in!) begun its world tour last September, travelling to New York, Tokyo, Paris and now… LONDON.  Yes, that’s right, the ‘Ricky’ has landed at the Ralph Lauren New Bond Street store and I paid homage to the XXL accessory last week while it held court at Ralph Lauren and Vogue’s fun, cocktail-fueled shopping event in support of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

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Above:  Accessorising my Zara top, shoes and statement necklace, and my new H&M embellished scuba skirt (available in store, RRP. £39.99) with my grandmother's aquamarine cocktail ring and my Lulu Guinness lips clutch (available HERERRP. £325.00) which I momentarily swapped for a gorgeous, coral-orange 'Soft Ricky.' 

Above:  Bag smoochin' with super stylist Martha Ward.  Below:  My great buddy DJ Izzy Lawrence and the delicious, rainbow-coloured Ricky bag biscuits to take home.

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Below:  The multi-coloured Ralph Lauren 'Soft Ricky' bags available HERE (RRP. £1750.00)
#OneInEveryColourPleaseRalph!

 

 

Debit Buy: Zara's Rubberized Effect Sunglasses

I’ve been enjoying my sky blue Rubberized Effect Sunglasses from Zara (above, on the way to pick up the keys to my new HOUSE – hence, the shocked/excited/confused look!) ever since the sun put his hat on, albeit briefly, earlier this year.  Although now sold out, Zara have just brought out this sea green pair (below right) which are just as awesome and affordable.  A summer must have methinks.  Available HERE (RRP. £15.99).

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Keira Knightley Recycled Wedding Dress

Keira Knightley was the epitome of a bridechiller this weekend, wearing a dress she last wore in 2008  (above right)  when she married Klaxon’s keyboard player James Righton in an intimate, low-key ceremony in the South of France last weekend.  To be fair, Keira's ‘something old’  was a Chanel Couture blush pink bustier tulle gown which I’m sure most brides would also choose to re-wear if one were just idly hanging about in their wardrobes!  Accessorised with wayfarer sunglasses, Chanel pumps and jacket, Keira looked amazingly relaxed, down to earth and ultimately, very cool.  Congratulations!

The 2014 Met Ball

This week the biggest A-Listing schlebs and schlebrutants gathered on the footsteps of the Metropolitan Museum for the 2014 Met Ball, hosted by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and co-chair, the belle-of-every-ball, SJP (below, in Oscar de la Renta).  The dress code this year was ‘White Tie and Decorations’ to compliment the current Costume Institute's retrospective of the Anglo-American couturier Charles James.  As always, there were some style-winners and some style-misses… and then a whole new level of OMG! ('Oh Met God!') established by Kim Kardashian last year (HERE) and owned this year by a criminally dressed Kate Upton… #WhenBadDressesHappenToSuperHotWomen.

Below:  Fresh, relevant and so-very-freaking-fash, these three TLC style-faves NAILED modern elegance in a sea of pouff...  (L-R):  Marion Cotillard wore a classic Dior shape made from a modern, dark ink blue material accessorised with one enormous Chopard diamond earring and an orange power pout. I'm not crazy keen on her Dior Haute Couture heels but they certainly don’t distract from the over all ‘Ooh La La’ of her look.  Emma Stone looked perfectly pink in a two-tone Thakoon dress, carrying a Tod’s clutch and wearing a Disney-princess messy side-braid. Youthful and HOT.  A controversial choice, but I adored Alexa Chung’s ice blue, crunchy taffeta Nina Ricci dress.  Only Alexa, in her bejeweled shoes, with her un-done hair and rock’n’roll nonchalance, could make this dress with its multi-bow accents look so damn cool. 

Below:  Models Suki Waterhouse and Stella Tennant both looking WOW in Burberry.  

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Below:  There was definitely a trend for classic black and white gowns on the Met Ball red carpet this year and my favourite of these was actress Anna Kendrick's modernly elegant peekaboo J.Mendal dress worn with Graff diamonds and Brian Atwood heels.

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Below:  Couture Couples! Three beautifully dressed ladies with three mighty dapper accessories...  (L-R):  Beyonce looking mysterious and flawless in a beaded Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci gown with husband Jay ZDiane Kruger looking lovely in lavender in Jason Wu for Hugo Boss dress with her boyfriend Joshua Jackson, and blonde bombshell Blake Lively in a glistening champagne Gucci gown with husband Ryan Reynolds.  

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Below Clockwise (L-R):  35 year old Katie Holmes actually hurt my eyes whilst channelling ‘Belle’ from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in this Marchesa dress. More beastly than belle.  Kate Upton in Dolce and Gabana.  OMG! O.MET.G! This is comedy-bad. WHO is responsible for dressing this majorly hot woman as a frumpy, buxom Austrian barmaid, complete with bonnet?!  Shoot them.  Lupita Nyong’o looking a little more fancy-dress than party-dress in Prada.  With a string of red carpet wins this year, I’ll let her off for this less than elegant flapper dress fail.  Reece Witherspoon looking a little too kitsch and way too ‘Legally Blonde’ in this pink Stella McCartney dress for my liking.  Maggie Gyllenhaal in a Valentinokaftan. A kaftan.  This has nothing to do with Charles James, and no place on the red carpet.  Rita Ora (can we please stop trying to make this woman ‘happen’ now?!) flashed her underwear throughout the evening in garish Donna Karen Atelier and a pair of thigh-high strappy heels. Classy as always...  Aaaand breathe TLC!

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Swanky Lash & Brow Bar

I was recently invited to Swanky Lash & Brow Bar on the Portobello Road, one of two salons (the other being in Kensal Rise) owned by sisters Sophia Chrifi-Alaoui and Donia Chrifi-Alaoui.  Perfectly placed opposite some of my nearby Notting Hill faves (Pizza East PortobelloMeli Melo and Lowry and Baker) this vibrant and affordable salon is usually chockablock full of loyal regulars (I advise booking) and I could easily tell why… With a room full of talented beauticians and real characters, you would be hard pressed to find a more personable, chatty and buzzing environment to get pampered. 

 Arriving early (yes, this sometimes happens!) for my mani-pedi, a treatment Sienna Miller recently raved about to Vogue, I got my eyelashes tinted.  After this, Sneeha, one of Swanky’s more hilarious employees, suggested I also had my eyebrows threaded; a quick and relatively painless treatment I always seem to forget about yet find so effective.  I found it hard to keep still whilst listening to Sneeha’s amusing stories and jolly giggles but luckily the results revealed otherwise!  

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My manicure and pedicure was made far easier by Donia (above right) speedily helping me decide which colours to wear (a usually agonizing procedure for me and any poor technician waiting).  I went for ‘Tiki Tiki Laranga’ gel polish for my hands, and 'Where Did Suzi's Man-go’ from the latest SS’14 O.P.I range (above left) for my toes.  Two weeks down and both tips and toes are still going strong.  I have been hapilly able to show them off the last two weekends running; in Cornwall over Easter (below left wearing my Zara slides) and at a friend's wedding (below right wearing my Topshop jumpsuit, Zara SunglassesMonica Vinader stack rings, Astley Clarke locket and my customised Bags By M Book Clutch) and just in time for the sun to make a much-appreciated appearance.  
​Thank you Ladies, I'll see you again VERY soon! 

Musical Moment: Daft Punk ft. Pharrell and Nile Rogers ('Get Lucky')

French veteran electronic duo Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter ofDaft Punk have teamed up with Pharrell and Nile Rogers to deliver THE song of my Summer.  Currently at number one in the British charts, it doesn't get any better than this... 

HAWT: Leslie Mann in Monique Lhuillier

Hawt = A late 1940's and early 1950's acronym for "Having A Wonderful Time."
Now the word is used on the internet as slang for something reeeeally hot.

I made it no secret that my favourite look from last September was the two-piece ensemble from Monique Lhuillier’s stunning SS’14 collection.  I was so excited to see that one of my favourite actresses, Leslie Mann, was the one to debut this show-stopping outfit on the red carpet at the LA premiere of her latest comedy ‘The Other Woman’ (which I naturally can't wait to see… DG however, may need some convincing/bribing!)  The bright pink, silk, strapless bandeau top and voluminous, poppy-red, floor length maxi skirt looked incredible on the cute-as-a-button actress, who accessorised with Oscar Tiye ‘Cleopatra’ heels and a punchy orange pout.  HAWT!

 

Sophia Webster for J.Crew

British shoe designer Sophia Webster’s hugely anticipated SS’14 capsule footwear collection for J.Crew is just as playful as you would imagine, yet happily more affordable than the designer’s own branded styles.  

Comprising thirteen bright and kooky pairs of heels priced between £240.00 to £525.00, this magical collection oozes personality.  Jenna Lyons, J.Crew's creative director said of the collaboration, "Sophia's shoes are like miniature sets - a beautiful world for your feet to spend the day in." 

"I was delighted when Jenna [Lyons] approached me to design a collection for J.Crew,"said Sophia. "The brand has a real sense of fun and colour that I love and I think that my designs compliment their clothes well."

See HERE to shop the collection.