Beauty snippets: The Bling Ring, Jean-Louis Sebagh, Lisa Eldridge, Pinterest, YSL Baby Doll, Cosmetics A La Carte, Charlotte Tilbury, Into The Gloss, Bourjois



Cosmetics-a-la-Carte

COSMETICS A LA CARTE COLOUR AND CULTURE EXHIBITION
This is turning out to be an exciting month for beauty. I would love to make it to the Chanel no5 exhibition in Paris but frankly, that ain’t gonna happen. More achievable is the Cosmetics A La Carte ‘Colour And Culture’ exhibition next week at 50 Redchurch Street E2. Celebrating forty years of the specialist cosmetics company (I’ve always wanted one of their custom-made foundations), the exhibition is only on for five days (22-26 May, 10-6pm) so rearrange that diary and schedule it in! (more…)



Pinterest for the UK



Pinterest-disneyrollergirl

Last week saw the launch of Pinterest in the UK. Which you might think weird because, um, haven’t we in the UK all been using it for yonks? Well yes, but it seems the site is keen to have some more localised content too, which is why it has decided to flag up a few Brit bloggers and pinners to encourage some more UK-centric pinning.

Not that my pins are necessarily UK-centric (Ok, they’re categorically not), but there might be an underlying Brit style coming through… maybe. Anyway, if you’re a pinner, you can follow all or some of my Pinterest boards here. I’ve just created a new one called ‘gentlewoman style‘ which is my tribute to sophisticated, cultured women with a bit of a boy-girl twist. (more…)



Club Monaco creates all-blogger look book (and launches it on Tumblr)



Club-Monaco-fall-Tumblr-lookbook

Club Monaco was an early adopter in curating inspiring content on its ‘Culture Club’ Tumblr. From fabulous architecture to offbeat coffee shops, since 2010 it has nailed the art of curating relevant content without ramming product down our throats. Plus its Tumblr is one of the few branded Tumblrs that I follow. (BTW, my beauty Tumblr is here…) Now it has achieved another first – the first blogger-cast Tumblr lookbook and a Club Monaco-branded Tumblr theme. (more…)



Workshop visit: The Hermes silk scarf workshops in Lyon



Hermes-Festival-Des-Metiers

“It takes two years to make and two minutes to buy!” So says Kamel Hamadou, the affable communications manager of Hermès silk, hosting a rare tour of the company’s silk printing facilities in Lyon. Two weeks ago I was invited on a whirlwind trip to learn the many meticulous stages of making one of those familiar silk ‘carrés’ of which I’m the proud owner of a few, neatly folded and stored in their equally familiar flat orange boxes.

My most astonishing discovery? The utter complexity of printing involved in a silk scarf of many colours. The average scarf has around 30 colours, of which each shade has its own precise mixing process. The printing itself has to be seen to be believed, but next week, you’ll have the chance to see it all when HermèsFestival Des Metiers lands on the London leg of its world tour. (more…)