You can probably guess from the random title that I made a “vlog”: which is, to those who are (quite blissfully) unaware, a kind of video diary. Lots of people ask for them, I rarely have a day that’s interesting enough to make one. But yesterday I dashed about from pillar to post doing all…
Last Autumn I started thinking about holding a family get-together: me, parents, all siblings and babies and other-halves and various add-ons such as dogs and fluffy dinosaurs and pull-along ponies. It would be fun, I mused, to get everyone in the same place at the same time and it would also be momentous, in a way, because…
I think that the new collection from Jo Malone is just lovely; it’s called My Wanderlust and the scent combinations have been inspired by the travels of the brand’s style director, fashion stylist Charlotte Stockdale. There’s a Night Jasmine & Oregano linen spray that evokes memories of summer nights in Corfu, a Lime Basil & Mandarin “scent surround diffuser” (jar of…
1) If you fancy being in with a chance of winning a five night stay in an incredible hotel, get voting for your favourite places to stay in the Smith Hotel Awards 2014. I book most of my trips through Mr & Mrs Smith and pretty much everywhere I’ve stayed has been amazing, so I’m finding it quite…
Just a bit of fun: a trawl through the contents of my handbag. Or should I say “holiday bag”; I was on my way to Athens airport, so my bag was full of bits and pieces to see me through the flight. If you’d like to see a little of what I got up to…
I’ve just returned from a wonderful week in the Peloponnese, a region of Greece that had previously escaped my attentions, despite having taken my hols in various parts of Greece for the last ten years. I stayed at the Kinsterna Hotel and Spa, which is just a few miles from the famous medieval town-in-a-rock, Monemvasia,…
Another lazy post, perfect for a bit of Saturday perusing: you don’t even need to read any words for this one, just click the play button below and I’ll do the work for you. It’s a short video that I filmed the other day when we were visiting the island of Elafonisos (amazing!) and on the…
The recent weather conditions in the UK (rain, more rain, torrential rain) are precisely the reason why many Brits shun the idea of “staying at home” for their holidays. It’s just too bloody risky. You could land yourself an epic week of blissful sunshine or you could, and this is far more likely, find yourselves…
Ciao! I went on a little trip to Tuscany last month and it was wonderful. I hadn’t been to Tuscany for almost twenty years (the last time was a school trip when I was fourteen, we did a big tour starting in Florence and ending down in Sorrento, via Rome and Pompeii and Naples) and…
Today I am going to Cannes Film Festival with Dior and I must say that I am incredibly excited. I have never been to Cannes before and I’m looking forward to seeing all of the glitz and the glamour and perhaps doing a bit of swanning about pretending to be a film star. As you…
And so begins a whole slew of travel posts, because I have been here there and everywhere, recently, and I have lots to report. But I must begin with a little trip back in time – February, Les Etangs de Corot, with my Mum – because we had such an amazing break together, and as often happens…
Last month (oh good God, I’ve just realised that it could have been the month before, which is absolutely terrible! I’m so bad at keeping on top of my posts!) I was invited by Clarins to take a tour of their headquarters, including the manufacturing plant and the development labs. Obviously I jumped at the chance –…
Forgive the random pet post, but this whole dog-owning business is new to me and I feel that my steep-learning-curve-experience requires at least some minimal documenting. And yesterday was a bit of a first: travelling with a puppy into central London. I’ve never had to be responsible for anyone in central London, let alone a small…
Before you go getting all over-excited, this palette is a Travel Retail edition which means that you can only get it at the airport! I’m posting it up because I know that lots of you travel quite frequently – and there’s nothing like killing time in the Duty Free beauty area, is there? The “Limited…
Having a new kitten means that I am diddling about with gross things more often. Litter tray, poop scoop, smelly cat food. (Nobody tells you just how stinky cat food is, do they?) Obviously I wash my hands after I did any of the aforementioned gross things, but I have also taken to giving my…
Why, why, why do we all feel the need to book flights at the most ridiculous times in the morning? Quite often I find myself getting up at 5am, 4am (even 3am!) to catch a flight. It’s inhumane, I tell you! Most of these times it’s because I’m flying to do a shoot and they…
I can’t quite believe that Mr & Mrs Smith have made their entry-level membership FREE! I posted about BlackSmith membership ages ago – it’s one of the best loyalty schemes going. Even if you don’t ever end up booking a hotel room through them, Mr & Mrs Smith will give you all kinds of discounts…
I’d like to make it clear that this is not my bathroom, just in case you didn’t read the title properly. This is the bathroom of my room at the Radisson Blu in Birmingham, where I have been staying whilst presenting shows at Style Birmingham. If this was my bathroom, there would no doubt be…