Sunday, May 27, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
John Lewis unveils their new Oxford Street store beauty department
Hi guys,
What can you buy with £7.8 Million? Well, you could buy a new house, a yacht, half a dozen cars, a couple of football players and 78,000 lipsticks. Or, if you're John Lewis, you could spend that amount on completely revamping your beauty hall! And if you're asking me, I would say it was money well spent!
I just got back from a guided tour of the new beauty hall at John Lewis, and I have to say I was impressed. The hall is built around a town square concept, with the bigger brands around the outside of the hall and the more tactile 'help-yourself' products in the middle. It is also (rather uniquely) zoned: so yes, if you want something from Chanel, you can head straight to their counter and find all their products there, like in an ordinary department store. But you can also go to the skin, hair, nail, or make up zone if you want a specific product, but don't know what brand you're looking for.
Other features of the new beauty hall include:
- The only Topshop make-up counter outside of a Topshop store
- Products and launches exclusive to John Lewis such as the new Clinque matt foundation, the Diptyque 34 collection, or the Floris Royal Arms Diamon Edition perfume. Only 6 bottles of this £15,000 perfume have been produced. One went to the queen, one went to charity, the rest are for sale in the Floris boutique apart from the one which is for sale in John Lewis. Exciting, but out of my budget. However they also have a £99 version available.
- Two on-floor treatment rooms, including one from Lancome. Apparently, this is the only on-floor Lancome treatment room outside of Paris.
- An interactive Chanel fragrance zone to geek out about. You place a fragrance on top of the touch-screen table, and the table will tell you all about the fragrance, including what notes are included in it.
It's not like me to get excited about a department in a department store (they usually all look pretty much the same) but I was very impressed by what John Lewis have done to their Oxford Street beauty department, and especially impressed by the thought and unusual structure that have gone into it. If you're in the area and looking to buy make-up, skin care, or fragrance, then this is the place I would recommend you go!
Love Tor xx
What can you buy with £7.8 Million? Well, you could buy a new house, a yacht, half a dozen cars, a couple of football players and 78,000 lipsticks. Or, if you're John Lewis, you could spend that amount on completely revamping your beauty hall! And if you're asking me, I would say it was money well spent!
I just got back from a guided tour of the new beauty hall at John Lewis, and I have to say I was impressed. The hall is built around a town square concept, with the bigger brands around the outside of the hall and the more tactile 'help-yourself' products in the middle. It is also (rather uniquely) zoned: so yes, if you want something from Chanel, you can head straight to their counter and find all their products there, like in an ordinary department store. But you can also go to the skin, hair, nail, or make up zone if you want a specific product, but don't know what brand you're looking for.
Other features of the new beauty hall include:
- The only Topshop make-up counter outside of a Topshop store
- Products and launches exclusive to John Lewis such as the new Clinque matt foundation, the Diptyque 34 collection, or the Floris Royal Arms Diamon Edition perfume. Only 6 bottles of this £15,000 perfume have been produced. One went to the queen, one went to charity, the rest are for sale in the Floris boutique apart from the one which is for sale in John Lewis. Exciting, but out of my budget. However they also have a £99 version available.
- Two on-floor treatment rooms, including one from Lancome. Apparently, this is the only on-floor Lancome treatment room outside of Paris.
- An interactive Chanel fragrance zone to geek out about. You place a fragrance on top of the touch-screen table, and the table will tell you all about the fragrance, including what notes are included in it.
It's not like me to get excited about a department in a department store (they usually all look pretty much the same) but I was very impressed by what John Lewis have done to their Oxford Street beauty department, and especially impressed by the thought and unusual structure that have gone into it. If you're in the area and looking to buy make-up, skin care, or fragrance, then this is the place I would recommend you go!
Love Tor xx
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Object love of the day: Gold DKNY watch
Hi guys,
Since I got it at Christmas, my Marc Jacobs watch has been my most prized possession. I wear it every day and it goes with everything: and it's turned me into something of a gold watch magpie. I notice other people wearing gold watches on the tube. I lust after them in magazine spreads. I'm officially obsessed! So when WatchCo.com asked if I wanted to review a watch from their website, how could I resist?
I had a hard time choosing because there were a couple of Fossil watches I really loved, but in the end I chose this DKNY watch complete with chronograph, pearl dial, and diamante around the watch face. I chose it because it's more of a dressy/evening watch that my Marc Jacobs one, and now I have a watch for every occasion!
Like all watches I had to have a couple of links taken out of it, but i'm in love with it already. It's reassuringly heavy, it is thick and chunky (which has the added benefit of making my wrist look tiny) and it's a great outfit focal point. I've been wearing it since it arrived. In fact, I've only taken it off because unless you're a contortionist it's almost impossible to take a photo of your own wrist! As an aside, it was really well packaged, and it also arrived (from the USA) in less than five days: I definitely wasn't expecting that!
What's your most prized possession? Do you have a watch you love, or something else you wear every day and couldn't live without?
Love Tor x
Disclaimer: I received a watch from Watch Co for the purposes of this review
Since I got it at Christmas, my Marc Jacobs watch has been my most prized possession. I wear it every day and it goes with everything: and it's turned me into something of a gold watch magpie. I notice other people wearing gold watches on the tube. I lust after them in magazine spreads. I'm officially obsessed! So when WatchCo.com asked if I wanted to review a watch from their website, how could I resist?
I had a hard time choosing because there were a couple of Fossil watches I really loved, but in the end I chose this DKNY watch complete with chronograph, pearl dial, and diamante around the watch face. I chose it because it's more of a dressy/evening watch that my Marc Jacobs one, and now I have a watch for every occasion!
Like all watches I had to have a couple of links taken out of it, but i'm in love with it already. It's reassuringly heavy, it is thick and chunky (which has the added benefit of making my wrist look tiny) and it's a great outfit focal point. I've been wearing it since it arrived. In fact, I've only taken it off because unless you're a contortionist it's almost impossible to take a photo of your own wrist! As an aside, it was really well packaged, and it also arrived (from the USA) in less than five days: I definitely wasn't expecting that!
What's your most prized possession? Do you have a watch you love, or something else you wear every day and couldn't live without?
Love Tor x
Disclaimer: I received a watch from Watch Co for the purposes of this review
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Selfridges celebrates the Great in Great Britain
Hi guys,
Did you notice that this year is probably a good year to be feeling patriotic? No? Where have you been, hiding under a rock! With the Jubilee and the Olympics, apparently there's no better time to be British. And to celebrate Selfridges is about to launch the biggest display of retail theatre and in-store excitements of its 103-year history.
Love Tor xx
Did you notice that this year is probably a good year to be feeling patriotic? No? Where have you been, hiding under a rock! With the Jubilee and the Olympics, apparently there's no better time to be British. And to celebrate Selfridges is about to launch the biggest display of retail theatre and in-store excitements of its 103-year history.
From Friday 4 May and running until the end of August, Selfridges will present The Big British Bang, a mash-up of British culture, history and tradition, from iconic to eccentric and from royals to rebels. Spanning the Jubilee-Olympics period, Selfridges’ British Big Bang will collide exclusive products, events and special initiatives together to celebrate all that Great Britain does like no other nation on earth including etiquette, humour, customs, fashion, art, sports, food – even marmite! Exciting much? Yes. I bloody love marmite!!
So what else can we look forward to? During the event the Concept Store will be the ultimate destination for products ranging from fashion to food, irresistibly loaded with British character especially created for Selfridges by some of the most iconic British brands. From Union Jack-lined Barbour jackets, to a new range of Fred Perry polo shirts designed by artist Peter Blake and bespoke navy blazers with Union Jack embroidered motif by Gieves & Hawkes. Also included are hand-knitted striped hunting socks by Emma Willis and her hand-finished, proper British boxer shorts. Many traditional British wares with flair and impeccable pedigree will be available.
However, modern Britain will be there too. From Mulberry with a Union Jack-embellished version of its Bayswater hit bag, to Rupert Sanderson’s red white and blue strap heels or Nicholas Kirkwood’s crazy pearly queen six-inch heels and even Ted Baker offering an accessories collection with typically English halcyon days references.
Many more brands including Penhaligon’s, Mr Wingate, Tom Dixon, Emma Bridgewater, have created special designs for the Selfridges’ Big British Shop. Vivienne Westwood completes the starry line up of British fashion designers by designing a series of windows for the store. Selfridges windows are always my favourite ones: whenever I have a meeting near Oxford street I always walk the long way round so that I can check them out!
As well as shopping there will also be events including afternoon tea parties and entertainment lineups. As if I ever needed any excuse to hit the shops, now I can say its my national duty. Let's shop for our country!!
Want to find out more? Then visit selfridges.com
Love Tor xx
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Fabfrocks picks: This summer's best swimwear
Hi guys,
Now that the torrent of rain and flood water has subsided (fingers crossed) we can once again resume normal service and start daydreaming about our wonderful summer wardrobe to come. Of course because of all of the tropical holidays I have booked (none!) and the long summer days I spend lounging around our local swimming pool (none) that means I got to thinking about finding the perfect swimwear.
It's a mission I set myself every summer, and every summer I fail. I think you either have the perfect bikini body, in which case a hanky tied together with two bits of string will look amazing on you. Or you don't, in which case everything you try on will make you feel like a sack of potatoes. So this summer I have given up the search for perfection (no swimsuit will make me look like a supermodel, no matter how much it costs!) and instead started the search for pretty happy patterned fun! With that in mind, here's my pick of the best swimwear available on the highstreet:
Peacock swimsuit, We Are Handsome, £180
Red and black high waist bikini, Topshop, £32
Red heart swimsuit, Clothing at Tesco, £14
Neon green bikini, Kurt Gieger, £40
Tropical lily swimsuit, Matalan, £15
Mara Hoffman lace up bikini, Net a porter, £210
Have you found the perfect swimsuit? Or do you (like me) just have something fitted and functional for hitting the pool in? I love to swim, so mine is supportive and functional, rather than pretty. But I would love to lounge around a tropical pool like a glamour puss one day....
Love Tor xx
PS- There is less than a week left to enter my amazing fashionpony competition: you could win a whole new outfit! What are you waiting for? Head over and enter now!
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