Beauty Scoop is on her hen do

Back Sunday 8th May - in one piece, I hope.

Burberry for your face

Forget lusting after the classic Burberry trench, the item that will be top of your list this season is the British brand's cosmetics collection, Burberry Beauty, which launches in July.

Christopher Bailey, creative officer of Burberry, explains to Grazia magazine that the line, "is completely integrated with everything else we do with the brand and with the company. It started because I felt that, at shows and the shoots, the whole attitude is epitomized through the shoes, the bags, the clothes, the accessories, but then the face was the one thing I really struggled with. When we were doing make-up, I felt like we weren't able to get the right attitude. It was either caked-on make-up or then just the wrong colours or tones. I wanted it to be this kind of effortless elegance."

The line will include around 100 different colour products for eyes, lips and skin and will be sold internationally.

I cannot wait to own a little piece of make-up heaven. Form an orderly queue.

In the shade

I'm off on my hen do this weekend - think 17 girls in a small, quiet fishing vilage in the western Algarve... recipe for disaster, if you ask me.

While my chums have been organising the evening activities, I've been preoccupied packing my suitcase and the all important beauty bag. Aside from my usual make-up essentials, I'll be packing two key items:

1. Liz Earle Mineral Sun Cream SPF 20 (£18.50, www.lizearle.com)

2. Aussie Limited Edition Colour Mate 3 Minute Miracle (£4.49, Boots)

Both my skin and my hair will take a battering in the heat so it's of paramount importance that I keep them both nourished and in tip-top condition.

Liz Earle's sun cream not only protects my skin without the need for synthetic ingredients and melts in easily, but it also contains potent anti-oxidants including pomegranate, green tea and natural vitamin E. Just what the sun doctor ordered.

After a day at the beach I'll be hitting the shower and smothering my straw-like barnet with lashings of Aussie's Colour Mate 3 Minute Miracle. This limited edition version of the hair product favourite will not only ensure that my tresses look moisturised and and shiny, it'll also help to keep my colour vibrant. It smells of peach which is an added fruity bonus.

Now all I need to think about is collecting my Euros and finding my passport.

And ZAP Goes My Pay Cheque

Just when you thought shoes couldn't get any more fabulous, intricate, work of art-esque, the shoe king (or should that be queen re: Tamara Mellon?), Jimmy Choo introduces the Zap sandal.

Standing at 5.1 inches of strappy loveliness, the Zap is a towering mass of black leather and neon accented heels, embedded with a function that allows them to come to light when you walk. Talk about attention-grabbing.

The price tag is equally jaw-dropping - £1, 495.

Available to order online now.
http://www.jimmychoo.com/.

Jelly For Feet

I love jelly to eat - any flavour, I'm a fan, but jelly shoes? No, thank you. As I child my mother dearest never made me wear the squidgy leather alternatives and I always thought I would never succumb to their wobbly ways in my adult life.

How wrong I was.

I clapped eyes on these gorgeous Vivienne Westwood shoes a few months back and swiftly gave up my jelly amnesty. OK, my bad eyesight initially led me to believe they were leather, but on closer inspection I was taken aback when I realised that they were in fact of the jelly variety.

And now, with spring pretty much in the air, it's time to bring them out to play.

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Lady Dragon Shoe £102

www.spartoo.co.uk

In The Shade - Retro Style

Last year I received a gorgeous pair of Ralph Lauren sunglasses which I still have, but due to my lack of care (and carry case) they are a little worse for wear one year on.

This year, until my salary increases I have 'invested' in several high street pairs - this pair (above) being my particular favourite. Every time I wear them I pretend I am in The Great Gatsby, about to hang out with Jay at some super-fabulous cocktail party in the city of New York - where else?

A snip at £15 from Topshop, no?

Happy sunny days... hurry back to the UK, please.

http://www.topshop.com.

Outfit Of The Week

This week I want (and no, it's not a Viscount - unless he's human and very rich!) the above.

DRESS
Helmut Lang crochet-back knit dress (front and back views above), £315

CLUTCH

Judith Leiber clam shell fine-crystal clutch, £4,070

SHOES
Alexander McQueen Iridescent leather pumps, £425

Ou est la credit card?

All items courtesy of www.net-a-porter.com

Karin Herzog Body Shimmer

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter for body shimmers - so that I could test them for use on my wedding day (17th July).

Several PRs sent me their brands to try but, by far the best (aside from my ever-faithful MAC strobe cream) was Karin Herzog's Body Shimmer. Encased in a chic black tube, the cream inside glided on to my skin and polished to a gentle sheen - think Jennifer Lopez glowing. The scent of the product is also quite addictive - it has a gorgeous smell of cloves and makes you feel wonderfully fresh.

To add to the sheen, it also left my skin feeling smooth and silky soft.

150ml
£37.00
Buy it here

Amsterdam Calling

His Lordship is in Amsterdam tonight on another entreprenurial mission. I hate when he goes away (I get lonely, you know) but I am fully aware it's just what he has to do to get his company to the top of the innovation tree.

I hope that one day I might look back at this blog in years to come and feel a warm, squishy feeling when I see that we stood by each other on our little journey through life - him helping brands to realise their potential, me writing and subbing to make the world a prettier, more happy place. And then, of course, coming back together after a day's work to chat, hug, eat nice food and sip fine wine - it's nice to know someone's on your side no matter what.

And I also hope I'll be looking at this blog in, say, 15 years time from my penthouse apt in New York. I'm holding myself to that.

Now, let's get back to business.

Knot to be sniffed at

I love chunky jewellery - to me I am not fully dressed unless I have some sort of heavy accessory draped over me - I think it comes from my mother's 80s wardrobe that I used to dress up in (accessories included) and always dreamt that I would own similar gems of my own one day.

This week, I'm coveting this cool, yet ladylike, knotted bracelet - it'll go perfectly with my black and silver Prada pumps and will also look good against tanned skin and some nautical numbers that I'll pack for my trip to Portugal next month.

Knot design plain silver bracelet - £89

The full Hiho collection can be purchased online at www.hihosilver.co.uk.

Lovely nails in a flash

Ask anyone that knows me and they'll tell you I'm a nail polish junkie. Aside from finding it on my nails, you'll also find bottles beside my bed, on table tops in the lounge, in and around the bathroom cabinet and even chilling in the fridge. I am a serious addict.

Problem is, of late I never seem to have the time to apply it and even when I want to I always seem to be in a mad rush to be somewhere. Thankfully though I've got a new solution, Avon Speed Dry+. Not only are these polishes super-affordable (£4), but the product dries in 30 seconds - no word of a lie.

My favourite colours (and what vibrant colours they are) include Ballerina (beautiful pink), Red Wine (a deep shade of rouge) and Metallic Blue (like the colour of spray-on jeans... divine).

Buy them now - you won't regret it.

www.avonshop.co.uk

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Grazia At Heathrow T5

If you've never been to Heathrow Terminal 5, you simply can't imagine the scale, size and sheer enormity of the place. It reminds me of something out of Blade Runner - the airport of the future with huge, oversized screens, a plethora of check-in desks, a myriad of designer stores, oyster bars and the stuff that airline travel dreams are made of.

No magazines had used the space of T5 for a shoot before - until now. Fashion bible Grazia shot their latest fashion spread in the vast expanse of the airport and I thought you'd like to see the process of the shoot, from clothes and make-up to hair styling. It's also got some great interviews with Grazia stylists, photographers and editorial team, styling tips and insight into the logistics and artistic talent behind such a shoot.

You'll also get the chance to drool at the clothes - including labels like Calvin Klein, Jill Sander and Donna Karan.

Enjoy.

Australian jeweller Stefano Canturi, known for his intricate and luxurious designs (like this stunning neck piece above) is set to launch his debut fragrance for women called Canturi Eau de Parfum at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC (and at Canturi stores) from next week.

The bottle design itself is enough to intrigue me - imagine it gracing your dressing table - but the fragrance is also interesting - it's an oriental with ingredients including; bergamot, mandarin leaves, neroli, rose, iris, lily of the valley, white pepper, cardamom, patchouli, red cedar, oakmoss, amber, musk and vanilla.

$95 for 50ml.

Source: WWD.com

Easter Yearnings

Happy Easter everyone - hope the Easter bunny was good to you.

Hopefully you got something as indulgent as this gorgeous egg from Claridge's Hotel - decadent, I think you'll agree.