Paging fans of Maarten van der Horst and his shouty Hawaiian florals! Tomorrow sees the arrival of Van der Horst’s debut Topshop capsule collection and having had an early preview I can say it’s worth getting excited about. The standout pieces are the boxy blazer, shirt and shorts, all in the same lush print that’s a dead ringer for the print in his St Martin’s graduate collection.
Above: L-R: Jacket, £130; Shorts, £60; Shirt, £70
I really like the masculine cut of the shirt which can be worn buttoned up or open like a jacket. The collection arrives in store at Oxford Circus and Knightsbridge plus online, with prices from £45 for a tee shirt (not shown).
Heads up: Another drop of Liberty‘s insanely popular Nike shoes is set to land first thing (10am to be precise) tomorrow. Choose from the Hyperclave, Blazer and Sky Hi Dunk (with concealed wedge platform), all smothered in Liberty floral print. My money’s on the Blazer so if you want it, get in early…
For some reason, I’m getting bombarded with info about anti-aging products. I don’t generally subscribe to the whole anti-aging schtick but I agreed to try out some products by ARK because it’s not a ‘promise you’ll look younger’ brand, but has more of a self-preservation ethos. So I bypassed the serums and masques and requested a face wash and lip balm. The Age Maintain Conditioning Cleanser is a wash-off cleanser that’s very satisfying to use with a nice consistency and soothing fragrance. I use this at the end of the day as I really like the smell so it serves as an incentive to take that extra make-up removal step that’s usually such a chore.
While the Plumping Lip Balm didn’t noticeably plump my lips (they’re quite plump already), I did love using it. It comes in a glass bottle and the balm is more of a light cream than a waxy balm. I used it in the morning as a base for lipstick and reapplied it later in the day. I noticed that you don’t get that constant need to reapply that you sometimes get with other balms which is good as the down side is that the bottle is not very portable. At £26 it’s expensive but you get a lot of product. (Alas, a too-cluttered washstand meant mine ended up smashed to smithereens on the bathroom floor.) Another reason I avoid all the serums etc is because I don’t want to be saddled with a beauty regime that costs a fortune. However, the ARK products aren’t badly priced considering the science behind them so I’d buy these two products again as they’re so lovely to use.
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