Trinny Woodall, Dolly Alderton, and The Ultimate Skincare Panel / Recent Highlights

I recently was out having wine at a pub in Notting Hill when a friend of a friend’s who’d stopped by told me that they frequently read this blog and had mixed feelings about my proclivity for a preamble. While I was naturally oh-so-slightly affronted, I need to know more so asked the requisite questions. Her answer: on the one hand, they enjoyed reading it and felt that it was ‘quite British’ to not dive straight in, on the other, she opined, it often bears no relation to the post itself.

She has a point – clearly. But this blog is not ‘work’, I write it in my spare hours, without pay (bar the odd sponsored post, which is always marked in the title and in the body of the post), and purely for the purpose of sharing my best finds and some thoughts. And, because I like it to feel distinctly different to work, where I rarely indulge a stream of consciousness, I let words slip out with more ease. Out they slide from my brain and through my fingers onto this page in a sort of cathartic, oozing fashion. And here they are, in black and white, thoughts and feelings and opinions.

That said, I’m a realist. I know the stats. Most internet readers skim. I’m told 15 seconds is the average a single webpage holds attention for. This is where my teutonic side comes in if you’re just after the practical stuff. Order rules on this site – I have a search bar that works (I’d know, because I often use it myself to find places I’d like to revisit or things I’d like to repurchase), everything is sectioned up, products and places are tagged, titles faithful. As my reader, I’d love to hear how you feel about this – would you prefer less waffle? Or do you like having me chat away at you through your browser? If you’ve made it down to here, I suspect you too might be ‘quite British’ and therefore terribly retiring so might not want to comment underneath, but if you have strong feelings either way, you can also reach me through all the social media mediums listed to the right of this and – of course – in the comments section below.

I won’t keep you any longer – I have pledged my desire to avoid clickbait titles (pet peeve), so here’s the promised meaty main update after that rather airy starter…

The Panel / A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to host a panel comprised of some of the most brilliant and in demand skincare experts in the industry. To see my chat that covers everything from botox to serums to the perils of putting Sudocrem on spots with Caroline Hirons, Dr. Sam Bunting, and Teresa Tarmey, click here. (Apologies about the sound quality – the transcript will be up soon!).

Dolly Alderton / This is a teaser of sorts – my interview with writer, journalist, broadcaster, and all round brilliant woman Dolly is part of the podcast series that is imminent going live on InStyle UK. I’ve mentioned it because she was BRILLIANT on it, and when I tell you that episode is live, you must go and download it immediately.

Trinny London / Another meeting, but this time it was all about products. Trinny Woodall and I had a very civilised pot of tea at the Ivy Brasserie to chat about her stackable make-up pots. In all honestly, I wasn’t expecting them to be anywhere near as good as they are; years of beauty writing has made me a little wary of celebrity product ranges, though I try to hold my silence on rubbish ones (which, in case you hadn’t noticed summarises my approach to products I dislike on here; unless I’m directly asked, I just won’t mention anything I don’t think worth your money). Her stuff is really good. You can put it all on with fingers, it’s highly-pigmented, well-formulated and makes for ideal speedy/on-the-go/weekend make-up. I especially like the lip products and cheek colours if you’re looking for a starting point.