Here at BB HQ we love a bit of fashion, so every Friday we’ll bring you a fashion feast….this week we are inspired by Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor rocking some checks and the ‘country’ look. So, grab your wellies, some tweed-style fabrics, a few Fairisle knits and maybe a bike for this one!
Where to buy:
1. Fairisle sweater, £38, next.co.uk 2. Coral midi skirt, £23, primark.co.uk 3. Sleeveless check shirt, £26, topshop.com 4. Round bag, £35, topshop.com 5. Green tartan plaid shirt, £28, topshop.com 6. Quilted jacket, £49.50, marksandspencer.com 7. Tweed shorts, £10, topshop.com 8. Platform patent loafers, £69, office.co.uk 9. Knitted socks, £7, topshop.com
Sometimes I swoon at beauty products, simply because they are so beautiful! How lovely is this new Guerlain Abeille Royale Youth Serum? This photo doesn’t do it justice. And you need a dressing table/vanity unit like Miriam Hopkins’ to display it on, don’t you think?!
It’s a gorgeous, weighty glass bottle with a gold coloured top, which you twist off,and this reveals a dropper, then its a little push on the gold button and the correct amout of serum drops on to your hand, ready to be applied.
Guerlain will look gorgeous on your dressing table....
It’s very decadent, very heavily scented, and very Guerlain. I’ve not been overly familiar with this grand old beauty brand, but I am really falling in love with it at the moment!
This Youth Serum gives ‘firming lift and wrinkle correction’. It focuses on the presence of skin trauma, what Guerlain call ‘micro-tears’ in the skin tissue, which apparently cauyse the dermis to ‘sink in’ and are responsible for skin ageing. This lovely serum, full of Pure Royal Concentrate – a mix of honey and royal jelly from France, works to help repair wrinkles and promote tissue firmness.
I’ve not used it for long, but it feels absolutely gorgeous, and it smells so heavenly and rich. If you’re into clinical products and brands this is not for you. But if you want a sensory experience, then this is it!
Guerlain Abeille Royale Serum 30ml, 50ml, £83 and£114 respectively, johnlewis.com, harrods.com, houseoffraser.co.uk, debenhams.com
Bombshells wouldn’t be bombshells without red lipstick, agreed?! So, every week, I’m going to bring you my favourite red. It might be a new release, it might be an old favourite I’ve fallen in love with again. But whatever it is, it will always be a gorgeous red!
This week’s red is a secret I have been sitting on for MONTHS! I saw the new YSL Glossy Stains last Autumn, and have been sworn to secrecy about them until now. Out on February 14th (that’s Valentine’s Day of course!), this new lip formula is a cross between a gloss and a stain, hence the name.
When you apply it, it’s very liquid and has the feel of a stain, but it gives a SUPER glossy finish, but with no stickiness, and it lasts! It’s a miracle in a bottle! I do love it. I was lucky enough to sample almost all of the shades – all 19 of them – created by Lloyd Simmonds, and to have the product shown and explained to me by the man himself. YSL’s Creative Director Makeup is a genius – wait until you see the Spring colour palette, and the treats in store for summer, but I digress.
Clockwise, from top left: Merle in YSL Glossy Stain 11, application, Chanel's Rouge Laque, YSL Glossy Stain.
The shade here is No11 Rouge Gouache. it’s a bright pink-toned red, and it is perfect for spring. The colour is red, but fresh, if that makes sense, and it lasts. It really does last!
The applicator is short, and angled, with its extra-flat shape ideal for even application – it’s so simple to use, you wonder why no-one has done this before.
The product itself has had some beauty journalists and insiders comparing it to Chanel’s Rouge Laque, but I think the Chanel product is more of a heavy lipstick/gloss, and doesn’t have the stain element. You can see in my photos (that’s Chanel in the bottom right only) how different they look.
YSL Glossy Stains, £22.50, from February 14, yslbeauty.co.uk
So, Golden Globe Best Actress winner Michelle Williams has been nominated for an Oscar for her role in My Week with Marilyn.
Michelle won the Golden Globe for the role just the other week, emulating Marilyn Monroe herself who won two Golden Globes, one in 1960 for Some Like It Hot and one in 1962 for ‘World Film Favorite 1961′, just six months before she died.
Michelle ... Marilyn
She never achieved her much coveted Oscar, and wouldn’t it be ironic if Michelle won it for playing her?
However, we think 16 times nominee Meryl Streep might pip Michelle to it for her role in The Iron Lady playing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The 84th Annual Academy Awards are on Sunday, February 26, from 11.30pm (GMT) on Sky Movies HD
Here at BB HQ we love a bit of fashion, so every Friday we’ll bring you a fashion feast….this week we are inspired by simple pastels! They’re everywhere this Spring, and isn’t it nice to imagine sunny days and a pastel dress in wet and windy January?! Liz Taylor and Marilyn look lovely in pale shades. We can’t wait to join them!
Where to buy:
1. ‘Lauren’ pleated turquoise dress, £100, monsoon.co.uk, from May. 2. Nude animal print lace dress, £55, next.co.uk 3. Peach clutch bag, £28, accessorize.co.uk 4. Turquoise snakeskin effect shoes, £68, office.co.uk 5. Yellow dress, £45, littlewoods.com 6. Pastel blue car print top, £8, primark.co.uk, from February 7. Flamingo and Palm Tree sunglasses, £2, primark.co.uk, from February 8. Pastel blue pleated skirt, £30, littlewoods.com 9. Chain detail torque (also comes in turquoise and blue), £30, wallis.co.uk, from May 10.Green mini skirt, £38, warehouse.co.uk 11. Pink drop waist dress, £39.50, marksandspencer.com
