A life without power

We were without electricity for two entire days recently. While this made me furious (I don't even want to get in to the 'work ethic' of the hilariously named emergency engineers who eventually turned up Monday morning and who interupted their playing with their mobile phones, smoking cigarettes and chit chat with the occasional bit of work) it also was an interesting little experiment in doing without.

No cooked meals, very brief very cold showers, going for a walk in the dusk and playing backgammon in the fading light while drinking red wine (instead of watching rubbish on TV) made for unusual activities, but some of them I think we should do more often. There was something quite nice at going to bed when the sun finally did set - I suppose it's the way we ought to be operating.

And......the power cut defrosted my freezer for me rather nicely and efficiently - a job I'd been dreading for weeks!

Review: L'Oreal lipstick and Prestige blush

Two little items of makeup hopped into my shopping basket on the weekend:


Firstly the L'Oreal Color RicheShine Gelee in Shiny Grapefuit (what a mouthful). I've been eyeing this one up for ages, and discovering that Boots is selling them for £5-something at the moment (£2 off RRP) was the final push I needed.


I know everyone talks about 'my lips but better' as the holy grail of lip colour and it's generally a nude colour they talk about. I guess I have quite highly pigmented lips and is much more similar to my natural colour, which is something I like. It feels a bit like a balm and seems to last well.

The formulation is very creamy and has a faint fragrance that's not offensive at all. There are a few sparkles in it, but it looks and feels very natural on. The only thing I don't like is the ugly tube it comes in. It's bulky and I don't like it!

Secondly, a blush by Prestige - Skin Loving Minerals Baked Mineral Blush in 01 Pink. I seem to remember Prestige being a bit of a bargain grab in Duane Reade, butover here it seems to be towards the upper end of 'drugstore cosmetics' in price. This was £7 or £8. Bit steep.


That said, I still like it. It's very subtle and gives a very true light pink with a pretty sheen. You can layer it up of course for a stronger look. I'm cautious with blush though - I fear looking like Aunt Sally so this is fine by me. Cute packaging which I like a lot, and a strange smell..not unpleasant at all - it kind of reminds me of a.... photocopying shop? Hmm, well it's unusual, but I don't mind it.

Tag!

I love tags, so thank you to Winter Blossom for this one!

Where I Blog
I'm not sure about posting a photo of home - perhaps one day. I will say that it's at a table, by a window, overlooking lots of gardens.

What I'm wearing..

Just got home from a chilly day outside, so I changed into cosy clothes - a Mets t-shirt and Mr C's tracky bottoms

Last thing I read...

I have the luxury of time at the moment so I'm immersing myself in books. Most recently I finished Kill Your Friends by John Niven. It's viciously funny...but not for those with a sensitive disposition, I warn you.

Do I nap a lot...

Only when I'm jetlagged - I feel like it's a dangerous habit to get into otherwise. Sleep is one of my very favourite simple pleasures and I could get very used to a siesta, but then I'd be heartbroken when the opportunity was taken away

Last person I hugged...

Mr C

Current obsession/addiction...

Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation.Review to follow shortly - I'm just giving it a full week first. Also, I'm currently obssessed with interiors and design websites - Apartment Therapy, The Storque, The Selby, Design Sponge. Hugely inspirational.

Dinner...

Now me and Mr C are a couple of old fogeys, Saturday night is no longer 'going out on the lash night', it's Seinfeld and pizza night.

Last thing I bought...

A new blush and lipstick (details to follow)

Listening to right now...

Vampire Weekend

A superpower...

The power of flight. It's a classic for a reason.

Favourite weather and why...

Sunshine. It cheers everyone up.

Time I usually get up...

7.30 at the moment.

Most challenging goal right now...

Finding a job I like :-(

Something to the person who tagged me...

I love the mix of clothes and makeup on your blog!

Favourite item of clothing...

Can I choose an accessory? My Rebecca Minkoff MAM - I am so in love...

Favourite pair of shoes I go back to over and over again...

Too many to chose from. An ancient pair of havaianas, silver flats from Century 21, some ancient (bit of a theme..) snakeskin 4 inch slingbacks from Kurt Geiger, Frye campus boots

One thing I can't live without...

I couldn't possibly chose one. Family, Mr C, friends and Marmite

Bedtime...

10.30 - I told you I'm an old fogey..

Wake up anywhere it would be...

New York, with Mr C

I tag...

Rocaille
Just Playing Pretend
Molly
Adorably Distracted
Zoella
Tabitha

Apologies if any of you have already done this and I missed it!

'My' makeup

I've been thinking about shelling out for a makeup lesson at my local MAC store. From what I can find out online it looks like it costs £50 and I believe (you would hope, wouldn't you?) that that fee is redeemable against anything you buy.

Though youtube has been a revelation in terms of teaching me a huge amount about how to apply my makeup, I still feel I'd like to know more. And I feel I need help in terms of the colours to use. If at the end of it I have a better understanding of how to make the best of myself, then I think it would be money well spent.

Have you ever paid for a makeup lesson?

In my eyes, the picture of perfection is Blair Waldorf (and I do mean Blair, not Leighton Meester, who though jaw-droppingly beautiful, never looks quite as perfect in real life as when she's being Blair). Ideally I need to kidnap the Gossip Girl makeup artist and hold him/her hostage until they've taught me all their secrets. But that could be tricky.

This makes me sew happy

I've just finished making presents for my best friend's daughter whose birthday is coming up soon. Seeing as it's her 1st birthday I had to rely on her Ma for suggestions and she duly requested a pyjama case or a quilt for her doll.

I'm feeling smug as I've had time to make both! They've been half done for ages now, but I've been lacking a few essential things needed to finish them so I headed town to the huge John Lewis on Oxford St and then round the corner to MacCulloch & Wallis on Dering Street. Haberdashery Heaven, the pair of them. Though M&C is perhaps more charming - it reminds me of the shops I used to spend so much time in, in the garment district near our apartment in New York. Little bit run down but stuffed to the gills with everything you could possibly want.

So, finally we have one patchwork quilt for a doll's pram. Won't she be cosy with that keeping her warm?! I'm going to try and bribe Isla into naming the the doll named after me. Let's see how far I get!

and one giant envelope style pyjama case (lined, I promise - you just can't tell in this photo). I'm not thrilled with the way the colour combination turned out. Though it's pretty I feel I should have chosen a different fabric, but hey ho. It will hopefully do the job and I think it's quite pretty in its own way.

New foundation

I am in need of a new foundation. I think I've whinged about this before. Then the other day I watched Gail's Ode to Estee Lauder Double Wear and realised after hearing such deep love from someone for a product I had to give it a try.

So today I coerced a very grumpy and reluctant sales woman in House of Fraser into finding a shade for me and giving me a sample to take home and try for a couple of days. Her attitude wasn't great, then she amused me when colour matching me, when she sighed and said "I'm afraid you're going to have to be the lightest shade".....should I be ashamed of my pale skin?!

Trying a new foundation really terrifies me - the prospect of it breaking me out is a scary business, but so many work for some people and not for others. You can read reviews until you have them coming out of your ears, but the only way to really know is take the plunge. Hopefully I will love it and soon be back handing over cash for a proper bottle of it. I will report back.

So, Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru........here I come. Please be kind to me. I feel like we could become great friends.

Lunch!

There was a wondeful little series of articles in the Times online called Meet The Food Bloggers, which I was reading avidly the other day. Among them was Orangette whose blog I've stumbled across before and enjoyed reading very much. The article asks all the bloggers a few questions about what their readers like and dislike, what type of articles garner the most comments and what other blogs they read.

She mentions how her husband's chickpea salad which she posted a few years ago has been one of the most simple, but most loved recipes she's posted.

So - high time I gave it a try. It is indeed somehow (magically?) greater than the sum of its parts and more delicious than you could even hope. And so simple even an idiot could throw it together. Whether you're and expert or an idiot in the kitchen, I recommend you try this. It's perfect for summer.

You will need:
a tin of chickpeas
olive oil
salt (must buy some Maldon..)
parmesan (or if you're me, substitute grana padano)
lemon (missing from picture - where did it wander off to?)
and I added some pepper because I add it to almost everything.

Check Orangette's blog for exact measurements but basically you just throw it all together and are rewarded with a bowl of deliciousness.

Les fleurs

I was back home in the country this weekend at my folks' place - it's a time of year I really love as there's cow parsley all over the place. The banks along the lanes are thick with it.

If I was ever to get married I will have to do it in spring as there needs to be a LOT of cow parsley involved. No question.


I adore it. Along with peonies it has to be my favourite flower.

What's your favourite flower?

A soppy smile

Watching this made me inordinately happy. Silly isn't it - it's only a TV show. And yet it makes me smile, how ever many times I watch it.

Warning - do not watch if you haven't seen the Gossip Girl season 2 finale...

Back at the grindstone

I am in temping hell. I'm working for a man who manages to be both wet and ineffectual yet hypercritical and short-tempered at the same time. I feel like I am earning every single damn penny. Roll on the end of the assignment.

Still - the money will be very welcome - there are boring things like bills to pay and then there are fun things like the Mulberry sample sale my friend just invited me to (we'll see how reckless I'm feeling) and more likely a trip to MAC on King's Rd to pick up some goodies.

I'm thinking a shadestick and/or a paint pot. Do you have any favourites of either to recommend?

I'd also like to get Well Dressed blush, which I've been ogling for ages.

Review - So sleek

I've read various people raving about the Sleek palettes, so decided it was time I jumped on board the bandwagon. And at £4.87 a pop you really should give them a whirl if you haven't already.

My local Superdrug had 3 options - Original, Storm and Chaos. I bought Storm

All are shimmery unless stated otherwise
Top row, left to right: taupe, white-gold, matte taupe, gold, light golden-pink, gold-burgundy



(apologies for the shoddy photo quality of this one)


Bottom row, left to right: rich brown, dark aqua, v. dark green-black, dark petrol blue, matte dark brown, matte black

I can see myself using pretty much all of these, and some of them an awful lot. My only disappointment is the burgundy colour top right which was the main reason I bought this but it's the only one where you have to work a little to get strong colour.

I love the palette - it's simple and stylish and it has a huge mirror - they've packed a lot into a smallish space and it's still handbag sized. The little applicator that comes with it isn't great, but you could keep it in case of emergency when you have nothing else to hand.

Definitely swing by Superdrug and give these a go.

My 'hood

Thougts on my (still newish) neighbourhood:

- I wish we lived in a friendlier building. I know this is London, and of course we don't like to speak to our neighbours more than we have to, but really. On moving in day I bumped into a girl who lives in the building. She wasn't best pleased I said hello and then was clearly horrified when I actually introduced myself and she had to reciprocate. Today I met a 'crazy professor' type character who lives on the very top floor. Mad white hair, little beard, too short cordruoy trousers and glasses round the neck on a cord. He also wasn't thrilled when I tried to be friendly and engage him in conversation. In my ideal world we'd live in 28 Barbary Lane in the Tales of the City books, and our neighbours would become dear friends.

- We have a wonderful charity shop just a street away. I worried the area might be a bit posh for it, but I love sifting through all the homewares, books (only £1!) and they even sWeell cheap balls of wool. Obviously a local dominatrix/stripper is having a clear out at the moment, as the window display was sporting several pairs of thigh high, lucite heeled PVC boots and a PVC dress. Unfortunately I just spent all my money on make up and porridge oats!

- There's a library under a minute's walk from our flat. Soon as I move somewhere new I have to sniff out and join the nearest local library. I still find it amazing that I can borrow all these books for free! Libraries are wonderful. And long may they be around.

- We're only a couple of minutes walk from the river. Admittedly the Thames is no Seine, but I still love being near a river when you're in a city and walks along it are great in any weather.

Sublime

I find myself a little uninspired today. Perhaps my head is befuddled after too much prosecco, pastis and port last night (turns out I love the 'P' drinks)

So instead, let's just enjoy the beautiful new ad for Chanel No.5, with Audrey Tatou looking sublime as ever. I really love the jumpsuit thing she's wearing in the final scene.

Glorious soap

I just got back from a trip to Florence and Pisa to celebrate our anniversary. I will post a few photos in a bit (especially for Rocaille) but just a word quickly about the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy. I bought some soap there. Soap - not very exciting you might say, but I beg to differ. Ever since my French penpal arrived one summer, armed with gifts for all the family as usual and gave my Ma a bar of Chanel No.5 scented soap I've appreciated the small luxury a decent bar of soap can give you. Our bathroom smelled of Chanel no.5 until that poor little bar of soap was worn down to nothing.

So while in Florence, I dragged Mr C to the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy - or the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to give it its full title. If you've been to Florence and you're at all interested in perfume etc then you'll probably have been as it's world famous.

It's well over 400 years old, and other than the arrival of electricity, not much as changed - it's quite simply one of the most beautiful shops you'll ever go in. Room after room of soap, perfume, pot pourri, potions, lotions, elixirs and more - many are made to the same formula they've been using for hundreds of years. Just look how beautiful is it - a sea of marble, wood and paintings - a feast for the eyes:


Bit different from Boots or Duane Reade eh?

I showed immense restraint, and bought only 3 soaps - one for us and one for each mother. Have you seen a more beautifull packaged soap before?


I've been sniffing it since we got back. I could hardly bear to open and start using it....until I discovered there's a branch here in London. So re-stocking won't require a return trip to Florene. What a shame

Tag - 8 Things...

While I'm rounding up and organising my thoughts, here's a tag that's doing the rounds at the moment. It seems my thoughts vary from deep(ish) to extremely shallow!

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Mr C coming home from work each day
2. summer weekends back at home in deepest darkest countryside
3. holidays
4. friends coming round for supper
5. getting organised
6. watching my godson growing up
7. opening my new iris soap
8. cooking supper

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Got up early
2. Ate gnocchi for lunch
3. Took a stroll along the river Arno
4. 'held up' the leaning tower of Pisa
5. flew back to rainy england
6. watched The Wire on DVD in bed
7. packed...and then unpacked 6 hours later
8. drank red wine

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1. find a career I love
2. speak better Italian
3. commit to regular exercise
4. remember people's birthdays
5. find the courage to cut a fringe
6. be tidier
7. command attention
8. earn more money

8 TV Shows I Watch
1. The Wire
2. Law & Order (all of them)
3. Arrested Development
4. Seinfeld
5. Peep Show
6. The Hills
7. Gossip Girl
8. 90210

Anyone who hasn't yet done this - I'm tagging you now. It's mindless fun. Honest