Category Archives: beauty news

I am thrilled to report that last night I won the Social Star award from Proctor & Gamble at their annual beauty and grooming awards ceremony. It’s always a joy to have your hard work recognised; it’s even more of a joy when the prize is an extremely large bottle of top quality champers. If this is the only post you see today, it’s because I got stuck into the magnum on the way home. (Not really – I’m saving it for a special occasion called “Saturday”.)

Seriously though; thank you P&G and anyone who nominated or voted for me. Very much appreciated. I had a little nervous/emotional moment when Jo Whiley asked me to say a few words – I was totally unprepared! You can read about the P&G awards here – I’m off to find a very long straw.

**UPDATE: oh, the irony. I managed to schedule this post for the wrong day. The awards were on Wednesday night…

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Continuing the sleep/bedtime theme for just a while longer; the sexiest, silkiest pyjamas. I don’t mean sexy in the “ooh, look at me with my peekaboo bra and naughty pants on” way, but the “oh my God these silky things feel really nice, I’m going to have such a glorious sleep” kind of way. The second one is almost a better sexy feeling than the traditional sexy feeling; it’s the sort of feeling you get when you stay on your own in a very nice hotel and slip in between those crisp, tightly-tucked-in sheets. After a couple of glasses of red wine. You just know you’re going to fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow and it’s the most amazing sensation. Especially if your sleep is going to be all yours, and not interrupted by someone crying or snoring or sneezing or huffing about on the carpet itching his bottom and then his beard. (The last one is the dog, just in case you think I’m talking about Mr AMR!)

Quality silky pyjamas, then. If happiness could be made into a garment…

1) Asceno. Can we talk about Asceno? They very – very – kindly sent me a pair of pyjamas through the post and I just couldn’t believe how decadent they were! And the cut was so fine, so tailored, that I could easily wear the top as a luxe, silky shirt. I’ve just spotted their Rolling Stones pyjamas (above) – look at the print:

Just brilliant. Expensive (most silk pyjamas do tend to be on the pricey side) but absolutely, one hundred percent worth it if you are properly splashing out. Or someone is splashing out on your behalf. You can find Asceno online here.

2) Alice Temperley. Not strictly pyjamas, but this silk camisole set from Somerset by Alice Temperley has a vintage feel that’s perfect for post-party wind-downs. It’s a bridal set, but who cares? I’m thinking G&T on the balcony at some swish Babington House-style hotel, perhaps with some bold and amazing kimono thrown casually over the top… It’s £85 at John Lewis here.

3) Olivia Von Halle. Wah! Olivia Von Halle’s Alba pyjamas – I need these in my life! I already own a pair of her plain black silk with cream piping and they are just immense, so perhaps it’s just a bit decadent to need another pair, but look at the print! These are strictly on the luxe-list at £225, but a girl can dream. Find them at Net-a-Porter here.

4) Olivia Von Halle (again). Oh dear – sorry to be an enabler but I’ve actually just found a load of Olivia von Halle nightwear over on The Outnet. This saucy little set is £83.25 here – a mere snip of the original price. There are loads of designs to browse through…

5) Princesse Tam Tam. Now these might look a bit plain by comparison, but Princesse Tam Tam’s classic silk pyjamas are beautifully cut in soft ivory silk. They have been vastly reduced in price on the House of Fraser website and there are still a few sizes available so if you wanted to bag yourself a stylish set then take a look here. 

6) Stella McCartney. Back to The Outnet for the final pair of silky-sexy jim-jams: the “Poppy Snoozing” are 92% silk with a bit of stretch added in for comfort and, at time of writing, small medium and large sizes are available. They were £275 but are marked down to £137.50 here – these would make a great bridal/bridesmaid gift, I think, if you were looking for an indulgent and pretty present.

More silky PJs please, if you find any – you can tell me about them in the comments section below!

The post Weekly Window Shop: The Silkiest Pyjamas appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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My magpie eye has been caught by two very different makeup collections this week; the first, a collaboration between Estee Lauder and Victoria Beckham, will be described in detail (and shown on video) in a few days’ time. But suffice to say, for now, that it is incredibly smart-looking and all of the product shades and textures are the sort of thing you’d actually want to wear rather than the sort of thing that might sit in a drawer for ten years gathering dust. A glamorous bronzer, an illuminating cream-primer, a double-ended kohl with both a soft nude shade for the waterline and a jet black for creating the perfect smudgey eye…

The other makeup collection to float my boat could not be more different: Paul & Joe’s limited edition Warner Bros range. Not actually a makeup collection, in the true sense of the phrase, but more of a “packaging collection”. If you’ve ever bought into Paul & Joe’s beauté range before then you’ll know that many of the products (lipsticks, face powders, eyeshadows) come as refills in little plastic trays (or metal tubes for the lipsticks), to be paired with the appropriate compact or casing. And the compacts and casings are so, so lovely; very pretty cardboard affairs that make you feel as though you’re about ten years old, but at the same time, manage to be rather chic. This is kitsch at its best – ribbon bows and pastel colours and lots and lots of kittens – but I love the mix-and-match vibe and the fact that you can pick your own packaging.

And now, adding to the kitten mix, the Warner Bros collection – scenes from Tom and Jerry on one set of packaging and Tweetie Pie and Sylvester on the other.

Still lots of cats, then, but I can see many people snapping these up in a kind of relived-childhood nostalgic frenzy.

Though I must say that the makeup is excellent in its own right. The lipstick I’ve photographed here (106, Guava) is a beautiful sheer peach – rather like the YSL Volupte Shine in texture, though perhaps with not quite so much pigment. An easy to wear tinted balm, really, but something you’d want to keep in your handbag and keep on applying.

Eyeshadows are soft and blendable and the trios always have good shade combinations  and the face powders are light, non-cakey and come with cute little powder puffs.

It all feels like “playtime” makeup but performs brilliantly. Prices for the refills start at £12 for a lipstick and the new Warner Bros packaging is £7 for a compact (here) and the same for the lip casing (here).

You can find the entire range at ASOS here and at BeautyBay here.

The post Paul & Joe Beauté: Warner Bros Limited Edition Makeup Collection appeared first on A Model Recommends.

© 2016 A Model Recommends®: all opinions are my own and any sponsored or paid posts will always be very clearly marked. I accept press samples and receive product and services to review as part of my job. Outward links to retailers will usually be affiliate links. Please see here for full “about” section and disclaimer.  A Model Recommends and Ruth Crilly are registered trademarks.

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Another week, another outfit. This one is quite wholesome and girl-next-door in comparison to last week’s Sicilian Widow black lace look! Something about it reminds me of Jennifer Aniston’s style, but perhaps it’s just the hair and sunglasses combo. The blouse is from Oasis (again – I just can’t seem to resist the cut of their shirts) and the jeans are from Ralph Lauren, I think. (They are the same fit as these, but with a rip in the knee. I’d take them without the rip, personally, the rip gets on my nerves. Though I did read that ripped jeans were “in” at the moment.)

The trainers are from UGG and are partially lined in sheepskin, which is always a nice surprise, though perhaps not in the middle of summer! The rest of the shoe is actually very lightweight – I’m so impressed with UGG shoes this year, they just seem to get everything just right in terms of comfort and wearability. The two pairs of high-heeled boots that I bought in the winter sale have had so much use and I imagine that I’ll be wearing them for many seasons to come. They are the only high boots that I can bear to stand up in for longer than a couple of hours and I can even hop on and off the tube in them.

The sunglasses (below) are from Avon. They’ve actually gone out of stock (not surprising, they are pretty cool) but are due to come back in at the end of the month, I’ll give you a nudge when they do. I’m on a bit of a “budget sunnies” roll at the moment, what with my seven quid retro ones and the tiny aviators that are good for people with tiny heads. I’m going to have to clear out a drawer in my dresser just for sunglasses at this rate; thankfully the really cheapo ones don’t come with a case so I can just chuck them in the drawer and they hardly take up any room! I have loads of silky little sunglasses pouches from previous (lost and broken) pairs, so I slip them into those to give them a modicum of protection.

Let me know what you think of the blouse; I’m really on the hunt for a nice plain white one, but I do like the heart print here. And the pale grey-blue makes the shirt seem much crisper and cleaner…

Heart Blouse: £38 here

Jeans: £110 here

UGG Trainers: they seem to have all sold out at UGG. WHY does this keep happening to me? Is it because I’m such a supreme bargain hunter? I have managed to track some down online, though – try here.

Sunglasses: available on Avonshop from end of July. I shall give you a nudge when they are back in stock.

Cockapoo Dog: HE’S MINE YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!

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