shopping

Cult candles: Astier de Villatte



Astier-De-Villatte-john-derian

Are fancy scented candles passé ? I hope not ‘cos I’m still not quite done with them. In particluar Astier de Villatte‘s which come in paper-thin ceramic pots, available from Liberty, Designers Guild, The Conran Shop and Couverture.

Two notable ones are collaborations. The latest (above) is from John Derian, the New York decoupagist. His Provincetown candle is a tribute to the Cape Cod artists’ enclave and gives off an evocative whiff of sea mist, cedar and wild berries inspired by the local marshlands. Perfect for the weekend cottage (real or imaginary) mantlepiece, no?

The other collab is the Commune De Paris candle (below) that came out last year. I’ve been consumed with this cube pattern for months (I want my bathroom tiled in it) – especially the Gallic colourway. All Astier de Villatte’s candles are Paris-made from vegetable wax with cotton wicks and are based on olfactory journeys to faraway places. One for the self-gifting pile, I’d say…

Astier-De-Vilatte-Commune-De-Paris-Candle



Buy it now: Smythson’s iPad Air sleeves



Smythson is the market leader in posh tech accessories in my book. So it makes sense that it has produced these iPad Air leather sleeves in record time. Choose from classic red or navy, or the more adventurous zingy neons…


Red Smythson iPad Air sleeve, £225

Smythson-ipad-air-sleeve (more…)



Buy it now: the My-wardrobe edit



This has been quite the year for My-wardrobe. It’s changed it’s remit to offer a more mixed hi-lo edit, with a stable of Brit designers in its ‘London Lab‘ sitting alongside our international favourites. There’s a ton of Carven (hello wool gazar bell-shaped skirt) and an injection of Kurt Geiger London amongst core My-wardrobe brands like Joseph, DVF and Goat.

Here’s a few of my current favourites…
Carven-topDiane-Von-Furstenberg-Lips-BagCarven-knit
O-2ndMother-of-PearlLizzie-Fortunato
Kurt-Geiger-MywardrobeCarven-skirtGoat

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT:
TOP: Carven blouse, £457; Diane Von Furstenberg bag, £361; Carven red jumper, £291
MIDDLE: O’2nd coat, £540; Mother Of Pearl jumper, £495; Lizzie Fortunato earrings, £158
BOTTOM: Kurt Geiger London shoes, £250; Carven skirt, £338; Goat red top, £250



Buy it now: Chanel’s Christmas beauty classics



CHANEL Christmas Makeup Collection

While some beauty bloggers might be underwhelmed by Chanel’s Christmas make-up offer, I’m the opposite. I’m all about the classics so all these goodies are useful as well as beautiful.

Nail polish-wise, the standout is Rouge Rubis (£18) a cheery Coca-Cola red with a hint of pink. (more…)