As someone who is so fearful of being ill that I’d happily Dettol down everyone that I ever come into contact with, I am all over the Purair Air Purifying Spray. It has to be more socially acceptable to spritz air … Read more
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Since Christmas I have been ignoring all of the sales and I am very proud of myself indeed. I have done a massive “stock take” on my wardrobe and have had a very honest chat with myself about the clothes I wear all the time and the ones that (shamefully) still have the labels on. It seems that I am very drawn to glamorous, sparkly, silky things, but in real life I rarely get to wear them. The things I do wear tend to be quality cotton basics, good denim and really lovely knitwear.
And so this year I didn’t even click on to Net-a-Porter (you may have noticed that there were no sales posts!) and I managed to steer clear of the Selfridges sale and the Whistles sale and even the Topshop one. I’ve saved myself for one sale and one sale only: Hush. I wear something from Hush pretty much every day, whatever the season, much to Mr AMR’s amusement. Relaxed, lightweight dresses and shorts and trousers in the summer and in the winter, the heavyweight cardigans and sweaters with my jeans or thrown over skirts and dresses.
I’m ordering the Two Tone Sloppy Joe Dress (I have this already in white and grey and it’s brilliant), the Chunky Waterfall Cardigan in grey (I already own it in multicolour, use it all the time), the Honeycomb Pyjama Bottoms and the Long Length Tank, just because it’s very useful. Some things that I already have and would highly recommend: the Wool Mix Trousers, the Splice Dress and the Winter Plaid Pyjamas. If you want just a little treat, then the bed socks and eye mask (pictured above) are really sweet, both reduced in the sale.
Right – I’m off to press the detonation button on my order!
Hush Sale
Back in 2010 when I started documenting my love of makeup online, bloggers were all about the opinions. We reveled in being able to share our loves and loathes, provide honest feedback on our purchases and discuss issues that were important to us; opinions were at the heart of the bloggersphere and absolutely what made it stand out amongst the run-of-the-mill and diluted glossiness of magazines. Collectively we had turned against mainstream media as we couldn’t necessarily trust the opinions and edits presented to us, especially when big brands and mega budgets were having an increasingly negative impact on the information between the covers. Bloggers were honest, transparent and not afraid to share exactly what they thought; a week didn’t go by without one of us getting a ‘cease and desist’ letter from a brand that didn’t like what we had to say, and were using their legal teams to scare us into censoring opinions. It was brilliant. It was wonderful. It was a turning point in time. Not everyone loved the same things or had the same opinions on a new launch, but that was ok – because that was a reflection of what was happening in the real world.
I like to refer to this as the ‘golden age’ of blogging: before it became as glossy, edited and mainstream as the media we were rebelling against. Over the last decade the bloggersphere has evolved (both positively and negatively) to the point that it’s almost unrecogniseable from where we started; the editorial style of writing, fashion magazine standard photography and beautifully curated social media feeds that make every 20-something look like their living the life of Gigi Hadid are just the tip of the iceberg. The big issue? As a veteran of the blogging world I’m increasingly aware and concerned about the lack of real opinion – it’s like the industry has become too scared to provide insight that’s not 100% positive, or to share thoughts that aren’t always ‘on brand’. You can find literally thousands of cookie cutter blogs out there, but very few of them offer insight or comment beyond ‘I love it!/It’s so pretty!/This is a must-have!’
With the growth of the blogging community I understand that we’re all in constant competition for the latest product sample, press trip or sponsored campaign (and that often playing it safe provides higher return in the short term.) I understand that brands want you to say nice things about their products, because their end objective is to make as many sales as possible. However, what I don’t understand is why so many within the bloggersphere are happy to ride the safe train at the expense of their reader. In the words of Caroline Hirons during a recent post: “God forbid you say you didn’t get on with something. God forbid you use your platform to give your readers genuine feedback on an experience, even when it’s done so constructively and without resorting to blanket negativity. Having an opinion does not make you a bitch, and it certainly should not make you ashamed.” Amen Hirons, amen.
The digital space has successfully evolved into something aspirational, motivational and incredibly curated, but in my opinion this has been at the expense of raw and unedited opinion – which is why we all started in the first place. We’re on very dangerous ground right now as blogs become increasingly fluffy and bland. I find myself continually fighting to be recognised as an intelligent woman with a well-rounded background and informed opinion, but when there are so many others out there focusing on the prettiness of their online space rather than what impact their words have, it becomes somewhat of a losing battle. Super styled beauty images, professionally shot outfits and hired locations that wouldn’t look out of place on the pages of Vogue are great, but it’s also important for us to use the power of the written (or spoken) word to make positive change or share valuable opinion.
As an example, recently a new beauty concept launched into the UK under the name of ‘Beauty Pie’; this subscription platform seemed great on the surface, but when you started to scratch away and look deeper there were a number of issues and problematic areas that needed addressing as part of a comprehensive review. (You can read my full feature here.) What concerned me was the number of features that praised the service as something revolutionary and overwhelmingly positive, without letting readers know about the potential pitfalls (of which there were many.) I’ve literally read hundreds of articles on the concept, but could probably count on my hands the number of sites that dared to say anything negative (or worse, even bothered to do their own research rather than just repeating what was on the press release.) Everyone is free to give their opinion and share their own thoughts (positive, negative or neutral) because that’s the whole point of the bloggersphere, but when there’s no opinion at all? That’s when it becomes worrying.
I feel incredibly uneasy about the future of blogging right now, because I think we’re in serious danger of becoming as edited and vacuous as the magazines that we’re supposed to be replacing. Too many are focused on whether everything is ‘on brand’ for them, rather than using their voice and influence to impart knowledge or advice; too many are worried about losing out on that next press trip or bundle of free lipsticks, rather than focusing on creating a strong persona that their readers can relate to. Too many of us are being shot down for having an opinion or told that we should just get back to talking about lipsticks, while the blogging elite are focused on their next big pay rather than whether they would genuinely recommend a product without it. I’ve always made it a priority to share my true thoughts and bring you an honest account of my experiences; a great brand will understand that not everyone will adore every product, and a reader won’t expect you to. Opinions are vital to the bloggersphere and how it operates, but they seem to now be as rare as a limited edition Mariah Carey lipstick. I think it’s about time we brought them back…
But you know, that’s just my opinion.
I’m a sucker every time for creative packaging, so the Ciate Beach House Collection is absolutely ticking that box. It arrived about ten minutes ago by post and when something’s interesting enough that it goes from opening post to being live on the blog in moments, then it’s a sure winner!
As you can see, the Ciate Beach House Collection contains five mini size shades of Ciate polish – starting with the hot orange at the front and working down the row we have: Hopscotch, Pepperminty, Party Shoes, Amazing Gracie and Knickerbockerglory, so a complete mix of brights and lights with a sparkly top coat to wear over or alone.
I’m wondering what’s coming up from Ciate for autumn/winter.. how many house options are there? Igloos? Whatever, I love these for being all kinds of gifty and just for doing things a bit differently.
Ciate Beach House Collection launches in June for £18.
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Another should-I-or-shouldn’t-I-post-about-it-because-it’s-pricey beauty situation: Bamford’s really quite delicious Exfoliating Mask. It’s somehow smoothing and soothing all at the same time, which is quite some feat. A little bit of exfoliating tingle, but a remarkably fresh feel and the kind of juicy gel texture you might find in an intensively hydrating aftersun mask. I loved it on first use – my skin looked very even and radiant afterwards, with none of the redness you might find with some powerhouse exfoliating masks.
And my skin felt – I suppose the word would be – toned. Not tight and squeaky, as though it had just lost most of its outer layers, but revitalised, as though it had undergone a bit of a buff followed by some kind of toning essence or lotion. Don’t get me wrong; the exfoliating action (lactic acid, fruit enzymes) seems to be very proficient, and there’s a touch of clay for some deep cleansing action thrown in, so I’m not saying that this is some namby-pamby mask. It’s just that it feels so beautifully plumpy and nice. Indulgent.
Indulgent price, too – sixty quid. You do get a little wooden heart to scoop out the mask, but if you’re good at whittling then that won’t be too much of a draw. Ha! I jest, of course: who whittles in this day and age? I don’t know a single whittler. Mr AMR can sharpen sticks when required to (if we’re out trapping the odd woolly mammoth or staking out a new reed screen for the mouth of our cave) but I doubt he could whittle me a heart.
Anyway, the heart is obviously a nice touch, I’m being facetious. So is the beautiful printed box and the simple, modern packaging, but it’s still a proper luxury. Up there with your Omorovicza and Tata Harper and Aurelia and Dr Sebagh. I’m trying to think of an affordable alternative for this with the same fresh juiciness and good exfoliating prowess, but I shall have to come back to you. For those hunting down a lovely mask that’ll slot easily into their weekly facial routine (Sunday facials seem to be all the rage at the moment!) this is well worth a look. Especially if you find that you don’t get on with glycolic-based exfoliants, or fancy something a little lighter and fresher in texture.
If you want to browse previous mask reviews then they are all here. Also, do let me know if you whittle. I’m genuinely curious.
Bamford’s Exfoliating Mask is £60 at Net-a-Porter here.
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