I found these brilliant photos on my desktop – they were taken by Francois Durand when I was at the Cannes Festival in May. I was in the Dior suite getting ready to walk the red carpet – and if there was ever anything that was going to make you feel nervous about walking the carpet, it would be this mass of hands with their raised cameraphones! Good job I only saw the pictures afterwards…

The Dior suite at the Majestic was just a pure oasis of calm in comparison to the hot, noisy world down on the avenue. I can absolutely see why actors and celebrities would want to spend a few hours in there, gathering their thoughts and taking deep breaths ready for the paparazzi onslaught. It must be incredibly difficult for those actors and actresses who are quite nervous and introvert in real life to get themselves down the red carpet; you’d expect anyone in showbiz to love courting all of that attention, but I know quite a few people in the public eye who go to absolute pieces when they have to face banks of photographers.

The view from the Dior Suite, above – straight down onto the red carpet. Unfortunately I didn’t see any superstars because I was busy having my hair and makeup done! And also stuffing down a rather good chicken club sandwich, with the obligatory fries-on-the-side and little pots of mayo and ketchup. Why do club sandwiches with fries always taste so amazing? It’s my staple “first meal of a holiday” fodder – throw cases in room, go to pool, order club sandwich and a glass of rosé. It’s the simple things in life, isn’t it?

Last pic – international Dior makeup artist Jamie Coombes putting some finishing touches to my look. You would never guess what we were talking about two seconds before this shot was taken. Ha. It’s too rude to print.

If you missed my Cannes video, you can watch it below – so many thanks to Francois for the photographs, you can see his website here.

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Some gorgeously fresh and uplifting summer smells; I’ve put these items into a special box that I’m travelling about with (alongside my amazing body oil from Aurelia) so that I can create beautiful little “scent environments” wherever I go. (I still have two house moves before I can get back into my own home, believe it or not. The whole house project kind of spun out of control.)

The first item is from LAFCO and is a Chamomile Lavender scented soap. Quite an unusual and almost masculine smell, it caught my attention even with all of the wrappings still on, so you can only imagine how it’s throwing its fragrance around now it’s unboxed! I might actually pop this in with my lingerie so that when I’m feeling all tired and soaked in breastmilk and baby sick I can at least have nice-smelling (large, unsexy) knickers! (You can find LAFCO at Net-a-Porter here.)

Read more fragrance reviews…

Next, Jo Malone’s White Lilac & Rhubarb candle. I like this whole floral/fruity vibe (see also the Figuier fragrances from an earlier post) and the proceeds from these candles go to Jo Malone’s Community Gardens project, dedicated to helping people in vulnerable or deprived situations. You can read more here – the candle is £42. *UPDATE: I wrote this post ages ago – the candle will have sold out by now, but the Gardens project is an ongoing one so do keep a lookout for further special product launches.

Lastly there’s Le Parfum from Carven. I’m late to the party with this fragrance – it’s by no means new – but it has that perfect cool, light freshness that I crave from a fragrance when the weather turns hot and stuffy. It’s like clean linen, sparkling lemonade and apricot sorbet (if such a thing exists) all at once. Really very revitalising, but at the same time delicate and feminine. No clod-hopping citrus or heavy-handed florals, just a fine, clean scent. Find it in 30ml or 100ml (with 10% discount) here.

If you like the sound of Carven Le Parfum, see also Jo Malone’s Osmanthus Blossom…

Your own favourite fresh summer smells? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Fresh Summer Smells… appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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When showering, there are some people who jump in, scrub until clean and jump straight back out again. I am not one of those people. I’m probably the exact opposite, I guess you could say I dawdle, but I just like to take my time.

I discovered the Dr. Hauschka Lavender & Sandalwood Body Wash in a beauty discovery kit quite some time ago. One sniff and I was hooked! I think maybe I’ve typed the words ‘I love Lavender’ about 20,000 times on the blog in the past, and it’s still just as true today. I really, really adore Lavender, guys. I could quite literally bathe in the stuff, and luckily for me, this body wash comes close.
The formula is rich and creamy, as you would expect from a high-end product and the scent is very strong. I like to rub a 50p sized blob between my hands and hold to my face to breathe in deep before use. Those few seconds of steamy shower + dreamy scent are something I really look forward too. Instantly calming, relaxing, soothing, and every other word for ‘brain melts into a happy puddle’ you can think of. It’s lavender, and so much more, woodsy, warm, inviting, it smells luxurious and even a little bit fancy. I’m sure you understand how hard it is to describe a scent with words, but just know I tried 😉

Skin stays soft after use, there’s no dry or itchy limbs once rinsed away.

This scent also comes in a body cream (I picked up a little sample from Love Lula) which is lush, the cream is really light but the scent is just not as potent as the body wash so for me it’s a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have sort of product.

Pick up the body wash (go on, it’s nearly christmas! Treat Yo Self) from LoveLula, here. £14 for 200ml.

xo

*This post contains a gifted product as part of my collaboration with LoveLula. All words and opinions are my own.*

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