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PLATE, a china dish that frequents your kitchen cupboard and dining room table, or, Jamie's latest offering in Stowe, VT, a restaurant marrying the flavours of local Vermont with her healthy Californian heritage. 

Winter Soother: Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion

Guest Post by Holly McNally

As beautiful as the winter season can be - sparkling frost glimmering in the sun and the magical moment of waking up to find your garden hidden under the snow- the effects it can have on your skin may not be as wonderful or magical. So, to thoroughly enjoy the winter season and those joyful snow days, allow Aveeno to take the impact out of the snowball that winter throws at us that is dry skin. 

 “This unique formula is clinically proven to go beyond 24 hour moisturisation and to replenish the skin’s natural barrier function, to significantly improve the condition of your skin in just 2 weeks” 

For me, this definitely has been the case.  A few weeks ago I noticed that I had a couple of very small patches of dry skin on my arms and hands caused by the side effects of some medication I am currently taking. I had heard before that oatmeal was good for dry skin and had previously rescued my dry hands with Aveeno’s hand lotion. So I purchased the very reasonably priced Aveeno ‘Daily Moisturising Lotion’ with colloidal oatmeal from Boots at £7.65. Once blended in to the skin, unlike some moisturisers which can feel heavy, thick and take a while to absorb in to the skin, Aveeno’s body moisturiser feels light, non-sticky and your skin continues to feel moisturised throughout the day.  This product is fragrance free, but, they do also sell a body lotion which is lightly scented with lavender if you prefer fragranced products, though I have not tried this yet.  After having used the ‘Daily Mosturising Lotion’ one to two times a day, the dry patches were soothed away within two weeks.  What’s more, no more dry patches have made an appearance either.  According to the Aveeno website, this is all down to the very clever colloidal oatmeal which moisturises, cleanses and soothes. 

These are the only two Aveeno products I have tried but they do sell a range of products suited to different levels of dryness, including products for eczema prone skin, so check out their website, www.aveeno.co.uk, to see the full product range and to learn about the science of their products.

I look forward to seeing how well this product recovers my skin from the drying weather as we progress in to winter; I have a feeling that these two products are going to be a staple for me during the winter months. 

Aveeno products are available in Boots, Superdrug, Lloyds Pharmacy and Ocado.

Hand cream £5.10 from Boots

Body Cream £7.65 from Boots 

*Image taken from www.evecare.com

House of Rush

Loud music, a room crammed full of people, struggling to see the live act and desperately seeking out a drink I began to wish I'd arrived a little earlier than 8pm to the House of Rush launch party.  The event was well attended, so much so that for a while I was unable to take in the marvellous interior's that I'd seen on the press release.  Ducking and diving through guests, my curiosity eventually lead me to a more peaceful location.  Twinkling ceiling lights, as if stars and several beauty therapists highlighted to me that this was the place I really wanted to be.  Not dancing amongst the gold trimmed mirrors but wading in on what this Piccadilly based beauty destination will be offering, as of this morning.

Many of you will be familiar with hair salon chain, Rush, this is another salon from them but with a far grander air to it. Pitched as "a post-modern haven fused with renaissance glamour and futuristic creativity" offering customers "sensational treatments with L'Oreal, Elemis, Rodial, Bliss, Shu Uemura and Mizani"  the location definitely didn't disappoint.  When enough people filtered out I eventually got to take in my surroundings.  With a striking contrast between the industrial, warehouse like ceiling and the glamorous crystal chandeliers in the main hair salon, it's quite clear that no expense has been spared.

Numerous treatments were taking place across the event, manicures, facials, some bizarre quilted bed treatment that I never did get the low down on and my activity of choice, skin analysis.  I've been dying to discover how detrimental the sun has been to my skin, just how many wrinkles I really have and whether the latest moisturiser I've been using really is failing as I so believe.

After disclosing my age and having one side of my face photographed, an Elemis representative talked me through all the different dots, lines and marks that were being highlighted on her screen.  First up was sun damage.  I'm always a little bit horrified when they show this on reality makeover shows but I wasn't too concerned with mine and apparently rightly so.  The sun damage wasn't bad at all for my age, which makes me feel considerably better about a rather burnt nose and forehead in Marbella earlier this year.   The rep then focuses on a particular area of the face, which is the nose, all the way across the cheek and up under the eye.  Several dots appeared on the screen highlighted in green.  These can either be freckles, some kind of difference in skin pigmentation or a blemish.  I didn't find this particularly informative as there is no way of deciphering which is which and I didn't seem to have too many.  Next up, how moisturised is your face really?  I was a little bit shocked and disappointed with this as am so hot on moisturising for fear of ageing but I have been concerned that my current moisturiser of choice is too light for my skin.  The problem area really seemed to be around the nose but either way it was a wake up call to ensure I'm drinking more fluids, not of the caffeinated nature, as advised by my skin analyser and invest in a new cream!

Then comes the wrinkles of which I had seven.  I heard her inform the girl prior that four is good.  She didn't say that to me so I assume I'm average.  I also had a rather bizarre wrinkle that resides right over on one side of my cheek.

Bacteria was a healthy 27, anything over 100 is bad and such a low number for London is incredibly good.  I decided not to tell her I'd only come in from Kent just half an hour before and hadn't really braved the elements of London pollution as of yet.  However, it does prove how good living in the country is for your skin.  Take that city folk.

Finally blocked pores, the most disgraceful of all for me, was a whopping 149.  Mostly across the nose and some making their way across my cheekbone, most likely attributed to my blusher.  I jumped to my defense of course and highlighted perhaps it's because I was wearing make-up, to which I discovered the computer had already taken that into account.  So much for my at-home dermabrasion I did on monday.  Suffice to say my face suffered a rather violent exfoliation upon my return home.

Based on the analysis I was advised that products that may be good for my skin are the Gentle Rose Exfoliator and Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask.  The analysis turned out to be quite informative for me as I never would have imagined having such a blocked pore problem and therefore would never have been inspired to rectify it immediately.  I'm already climbing the walls though, in anticipation to see how many blocked pores are left, if any, after my battle with them last night.

I believe the skin analysis is part of Elemis' consultation process and House of Rush opened it's doors for business as of today.  If you love indulgence then this is the place for you and is perfect for de-stressing after work if you're London based.

*Second image taken from www.facebook.com/houseofrush

Brighten up your Winter Wardrobe with these Bolds from the Louise Gray for Brora Collection

Discarded Prosecco glasses in amongst the clothes, Henry Holland lurking by the cash desk chatting and a fun, vibrant and colourful slant on cashmere, could only mean that I'd arrived at the Louise Gray for Brora launch last night.  

Some of you may recall that I attended a preview of Brora's autumn/winter collection a couple of months ago and was pleasantly surprised with their offering due to my pre-conceived impression of the brand.  As if to further defy my misconceptions they've now teamed up with quirky designer Louise Gray to present an 11 piece limited collection, available until the end of January but one that I don't really forsee making it's way past November.  My last chat with creator and owner of Brora, Victoria Stapleton, made me appreciate how dedicated her team are to ensure that women everywhere aren't rocking out the same outifts.  That gorgeous Parisian style floral dress for example only had 200 made and of course two months down the line is unsurprisingly sold out.  This collection is no different, with only 20-50 pieces made of each item it means there's no time for "sleeping on it" if you're enamoured, like I was, with that "can't live without" piece!

The collaboration comprises of jumpers, cardigans, a dress, snood, hats, wrist warmers, socks and the most heavenly  indulgent stole that I spent the majority of the evening sneaking off and draping around my neck, only to be caught by Victoria on numerous occasions who simply exclaimed "You're so funny, just get it, you love it."  

Caught in the act!

The items stay true to the Brora brand and the collaboration really works but it's also so different from their usual collections, adding a contemporary, eccentric twist to classic timeless pieces.

Tempting Textures at Zara

There is nothing more exciting to me than out-of-this-world-crazy textures in clothing.  What better way to style an outfit than with a simple basic t-shirt material teamed with an indulgent, luxurious, rich material.  I am drawn to wool, pleather, pvc, feathers, tulle...the list is never ending.

On my recent trip to preview the A/W'11 Brora collection, I detoured into Zara for some harmless flirtation with some of their up and coming season items.  The pieces I was drawn to had the ability to make anybody feel like they were playing dress-up.  They were extraordinarily out of the ordinary and whimsically stylish and I loved them all.

Here's some key Zara pieces I'm coveting, hopefully coming to an outfit blog post near you soon!

This feather gilet £79.99, comes in some rather dramatic colours, this shade may be more versatile but the show stopping blue and purple versions were what really did it for me!

This Chanel-esque tweed skirt, £39.99, is perfect for the office.  

BAM!  Just look at the richness of this feather skirt, £79.99, both in texture and colour.  This literally has me salivating.

Everytime I pass this sequin clutch, £29.99 my hands wander.  The quality of sequins is super important to me.  I can't stand those flimsy, cheap looking things.  I'm happy to announce this is made of, what I consider, "good sequins".

*Images taken from www.zara.com

Brora Preview of Autumn/Winter '11

Cashmere screams luxury.  It's in the name after all, "Cash"mere.  You must have lots of cash to buy it BUT it promises to be a timeless piece that lives on in your stylish life for, potentially, ever.  I've always wanted to own cashmere, it sounds indulgent and expensive and that's my kind of noise but I've only ever really skimmed my fingers along the cashmere of the high street and it's always left me a little underwhelmed.  Now I know why.

About two weeks ago I attended an exclusive preview of Brora's Autumn/Winter '11 line and now I can finally understand how cashmere should be.  Prior to attendance I have to admit I had some, quite strong, misconceptions about the brand.  Firstly, I thought they were just available by catalogue.  In fact they have 14 stores and usually in very affluent and exclusive areas.  The preview for example was at their Sloane Square abode and they have recently opened one in Covent Garden, in which I was urged to visit by every Brora employee there, apparently the manager is fantastic.  Secondly, I had this picture of very quintessential English, twee-like fashion, which after my little jaunt I discovered it's actually much more about personal style, which again is music to my ears.

The event gave those that attended the opportunity to talk one to one with owner and creator Victoria Stapleton, as well as watching a presentation by her.  Both discussions were really informative and such an inspiration.  Victoria was not how I imagined her to be at all, another misconception.  She was rocking out one of the Liberty print long jersey skirts they have created, teamed with converse like plimsolls, which I believe are also theirs.  It was relaxed, stylish and totally Victoria.  Her personal style.  This, was in fact, one of the first lines of conversation I had with her on my arrival.  The brand is for every woman (and man) from 0-100 (and maybe beyond if you're lucky enough) but the pieces you hand pick and how you style them is down to you.  Victoria's mother, for example, apparently owns the very same skirt but would never team it with the shoes as Victoria had done, instead she would opt for a much more classic look.  Personal style is such an important notion to me as I truly believe that the way you wear something makes a statement about you and I love choosing items from all over the place to create one ensemble.  Looking around at the collection there were numerous items I could pin point as "lust haves" for myself and my mind was alive with different colour, pattern and brand combinations I could make with them.

This belt and bag were items, prior to the event, that I would never have imagined Brora showcasing.

Victoria and her design team pressed on three further matters that are really key to Brora and facts that made me re-look at the brand and realise that I can definitely imagine myself shopping from them in future.  

Inspiration

The pieces are updated vintage finds that Victoria and her team source from markets and vintage stores.  Sometimes they return with a plethora of clothes due to them becoming rather carried away with the interesting styles, colours and textures on their shopping expeditions.  This dress below, for example was inspired by a Parisian dress and is one of the more exclusive pieces from the collection with only 200 being made.  The limited availability of this dress again highlights their dedication to personal style, as Victoria explained, she can't stand the thought of millions of women traipsing around in the same outfit.  The material was gorgeous, the pattern chic.  Definitely the "WOW" piece of this season from Brora.

Quality

The cashmere is made in a Scottish mill also used by the likes of Chanel and Burberry, as well as other high profile designers.  Yes Brora is not quite high street prices but when taking into consideration the house deposit you could put down on a cashmere piece by one of the designers just mentioned, it's definitely affordable! I'm all about good quality for affordable prices and this is yet another range that promises it's customer the best without bankrupting.

Colour

Each season the Brora team arduously decide the colour combinations that will appear in their line.  The team give an idea as to the colours they are looking for and then several palettes of just one colour are returned for them to carefully select their favourites.  There were some great brights across the range, most notably mustard which I haven't worn in years but my desire was re-ignited for it at the event

Attention to detail was very prominent.

But this was my personal fave.

I can just imagine teaming this with all black, most likely leggings, with this being my statement!

To see what I wore to the event, check out Country meets City.

*First and last image from Brora

Vivo Cosmetics

The last time I bought make-up from a supermarket I was less than impressed.  It was circa 2007, I was in my third and final year at University and had just blown my entire student loan, read accommodation money, on a five day trip to Boston with my best friend Leanne.  Desperate times called for desperate measures and I was already living off of reeses peanut butter cups instead of food.  So, the Diorshow mascara I had become accustomed to had to be shelved for a £3.99 substitute.  It was so horrific that I actually ended up using my good old trick of converting five cent coins, in the vending machine on campus, into 20p coins in order to at least afford myself a rimmel mascara.  After all of that I might as well have just paid for my trusty fave.

So when I was invited to the Vivo Cosmetics launch last week, available in Tesco's from September, I was really interested to see how affordable supermarket ranges had evolved since my last experience.  

 The line includes foundations, concealer and highlighter kit, brow kit, highlighter, primer, blushers, bronzers, eyeshadows, kohl and liquid eyeliners, mascara's and false eyelashes.  Everything a woman needs to brighten up her look and all for the cost of £6 or under.  In an age where it's pretty cool to be thrifty due to the current economic climate, a lot of us are looking for the most bang for our buck and Vivo interestingly enough delivers.  It's a perfect impulse purchase line.  Cool eyeshadow?!  Well for £1.50 you'd almost feel guilty not to buy.  With the tag line "Alive with colour", it's not surprising that the eyeshadows and blushes were my hero products of the brand.

There are certain qualities in eyeshadow that need to pass the test in order for them to take prize possession on my dressing table.  Longevity, little to no creasing, little to no fall out and a great depth of colour.  That last one is especially important.  Nothing saddens me more than a whole wad of product leaving just a hint of pink!  

Vivo's eyeshadow range consists, of trio palettes for a smoky eye which are retailing at £2.50, matte single eyeshadows retailing at £1.50 and pearl eyeshadow singles also retailing at £1.50.  The pearls are gorgeous and totally honours the Vivo brand ethos, with that ever stylish pop of colour that is hot, hot, hot, right now.  These singles are a great way to experiment with colour without breaking the bank, take heed those that nervously linger at a £20 eyeshadow but can't justify in case you're too scared to wear the colour when push comes to shove.

They also do a baked shimmer palette for £6 which combines blusher and eyeshadows, making it of course my number one product recommendation from this line.  They'll be perfect for the upcoming season and dare I say it...Christmas *gasp*.  

My sister also thinks that the primer deserves an honourable mention.  I am not well versed in primers, don't use them and don't like to use them but both my mother and sister do and both of whom said they loved the velvet like quality it gave to the skin, it kept their make-up in place and my mother said she almost felt like she could have used the primer on it's own. 

If only they'd been around when I was at University.  Would have made mascara-gate much less painful!

Sephora's Instant Moisture Mask

Skincare products tend to fall into one of two categories with me.  Either super good stuff that I've taken a great deal of care with selecting and promises to keep my skin youthful (some of you may know I have an obsession with ageing).  Or totally and utterly quirky and bizarrely fantastic.  The product I'm about to tell you about actually falls into both categories.  When perusing Sephora in France, back in April, I decided that I would only purchase something that I couldn't get in the UK, as otherwise I was paying a similar price, if not more, for standard goods that I could get from Selfridges.  I came across the Instant Moisture Mask and I'm not going to lie, the initial purchase was based on it looking like this...

Skincare in a smoothie flask!  How cool is that?! 

Once I got over the initial excitement I actually came to learn that it looked like a pretty reputable product too.

This fun flask contains four sachets of powder which should be used once a week across a four week period.  After doing this for the first application I discovered that actually it created way too much product.  In fact I did my face, neck and hands, along with my sisters and my mothers and there was still some left over.  You should also note that we did apply quite substantially too, so honestly one sachet is way too much for one application.  It says not to store the product and the same goes for the powder either but I have been using less powder each application and folding the end over on the sachet and keeping it shut in the flask until Sunday appears again.  I haven't died yet and seems to be business as usual after using the product so I think you're safe to assume that actually you can get two months worth of use out of this, a total of eight applications.

There is a black line quite low down on the side of the flask, which you should fill water to.  Only fill it to that line if you intend to use the whole sachet though, otherwise fill it halfway to the mark.  Add half or all of the sachet, depending on your requirements.  Place the lid back on the flask and begin to shake vigorously.  FYI this is like an insane workout for your arm.  Basically you have to shake until the product no longer makes a sound.  The powder reacts with the water to create, guess what, a smoothie like consistency.  This takes about 4 minutes I'd say.  You are recommended to apply the mixture to your face, neck and back of your hands and leave for 5-10 minutes.

The mask looks like a clear gel and has a really nice aftershave-esque scent to it which I love but I guess may not be for everybody.  It's cooling on the skin and feels incredibly refreshing.  The aim is to intensively hydrate the skin, offering it a boost when it's looking and feeling a little dull.  It considers itself to be suitable for sensitive skin due to it not using parabens or preservatives and the act of you creating the product yourself means that, and I quote "active ingredients are preserved and the formula is more effective".

I really rate this mask a, because it does exactly what it says on the tin.  I found that my skin did look smoother, more rested and glowing and b, because what cool packaging!

I trialled this every week as recommended and ditched my mid week mask that I would usually do as well to see if the results carried me through the week, which they pretty much did.  I also decided not to use this as part of my DIY Facial routine I do on some Sundays and instead used it alone across the month so I could really gauge the results.  

According to the website it's Limited Edition, I hope they get a good response from it and decide to implement it as a regular product as I've already re-purchased and hope to purchase again next time I'm abroad.

Instant Moisture Mask is available from Sephora for $15 or 8 Euro's 90(where the hell is the euro sign on my keyboard?!)

*Image taken from www.sephora.com 

I Don't Know How She Does It: The Book

Must Remember

Talk with Paula outlining firm new approach to children's haircuts/time-keeping etc.  Talk with Rod Task outlining firm new approach to role with clients, ie I AM NOT THEIR EMERGENCY GEISHA.  Pay rise: repeat after me, I Will Not Accept Extra Work For No Extra Money!  Get quote for new stair carpet.  Buy Christmas tree and stylish lights (John Lewis or Ikea?)  Present for Richard (How to be a Domestic Goddess?), in-laws (cheese barrel or alpine plants advertised in S.Times colour supplement: where did I put the cutting?)  Stocking fillers for E&B.  Fruit jellies, Uncle Alf.  Travel sick sweets?  Ask Paula collect dry cleaning.  Persnal shopper how much?  Pelvic floor squuuueeeze. Make icing for Christmas cake: too late buy roll-on stuff.  Cards stamps first class x30.  Wean Ben off dummy!  Remember Roo!! Ring KwikToy useless bloody present co. and threaten legal action.  Nappies, bottles, Sleeping Beauty video.  Smear Test!!!  Highlights.  Hamster?  ~ I Don' Know How She Does It, Allison Pearson

You may recall that I featured upcoming SJP movie I Don't Know How She Does It in a Movie Monday post a little while back. I also mentioned that it's based on a book by Allison Pearson of the same name and last week whilst holidaying I finally got to peel open the pages.

The story follows Kate Reddy (SJP's character in the movie) Fund Manager, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend.  She struggles to balance all aspects of her life, most importantly home versus work and tackles the familiar scenario of male/female hypocrisy.  In an attempt to prove that Women really can have it all, Kate begins to lose grip on her marriage and her relationship with her children.  Everyone expects one hundred percent and although she may be attempting it to the best of her ability, eventually something has to give.  Whilst battling sneaky male employees vying for her job, "unmaking" mince pies for the school Christmas assembly in an attempt to give the homemade vibe,  exchanging flirty emails with suave American client Jack Abelhammer, busting her ass to get back home in time to at least put her children to bed, making her husband understand that yes she does need to work as many hours as she does, trying to convince her mother-in-law that she doesn't work as many hours as she does and no her husband isn't wasting away due to her lack of attention to him and her constant, last minute, international, business travel, leaves any reader begging the question "I don't know how she does it!"

Any working mother though will recognise this all too well.  The desire to be successful, the attractiveness of being able to be your own person outside of the home, teamed with the overwhelming guilt that you're missing out on everything, from their first haircut to their ballet recitals.  Allison captures the trials and tribulations of a working mother so perfectly that I was exhausted and convinced that I was one just reading it but pleasantly amused simultaneously.  Her ability to match the emotions Kate is battling with hilarious anecdotes makes this a light, quick and thoroughly enjoyable read but by no means a guilty pleasure.  The characters and storyline is an intelligent journey through the modern world, with honest observations but in a laugh out loud manner.

Reading this the book came to life so it will be fab to see if the film has captured the essence of this read too, which from the trailer, that you can check out on a previous post here, I think it will do!

I Don't Know How She Does It is available at Amazon for £6.39 and is due for release in UK cinemas September 16th.

*Image taken from www.ioncinema.com