maple

A lovely little surprise landed on my desk this week! I've always been a little in love with handmade soap and Maple's Oatmeal and Lavender has been a favourite for a few months now. It's been a lot of fun trying all their other fragrances (although it's very hard to open such beautiful packaging!) and they sit perfectly on my bathroom vanity along with white cherry blossoms which have just come into season.

Thank you Maple!

1, 2 & 4. Photos by me, Floral garland image unknown

feeling blue

 

 It's be an unseasonably warm winter so far. I'm loving sunlight trickling through the windows, early morning walks

followed by delicious breakfasts and dressing as though it's spring.

These are a few of the beautiful things I'm wearing and loving right now.

1. 3.1 Phillip Lim Sweater with Jacket Sleeves, Balenciaga Perfume

2. VPL Stripe B Bra, Grown Alchemist Deep Cleansing Masque

3. Gillian Tennant Printed Silk Shorts

4. Nomadic Bare Essentials Pouch

Photos by Rohan Peterson

on beauty

Ro and I are still settling into our new place. There has been lots of unpacking and reorganising but we're slowly getting there. I also had my first week at my new job, I'm very happy to be the designer at ELLE magazine Australia! We'll be launching our first print issue in September but in the meantime keep your eyes on elle.com.au which will go live in August.

Given all the changes that have been happening, it seemed like time to try out a few new beauty products. These are my current favourites...

From left to right: 

1. Living Proof No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner 

2. Nars Pierre Hardy Nail Duo in Vertebra

3. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

4. Aesop Rose Hair & Scalp Moisturising Masque

5. Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser

6. Maple Lavender & Oatmeal soap

7. Catbird Fleurs de Nuit Travel Candle

8. Balenciaga Eau De Parfum

9. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

10. Dermalogica Total Eye Care with SPF 15

11. Embryolisse Rich Moisturing Cream

12. Aesop Immediate Moisturise Facial Hydrosol

13. C.O. Bigelow Coconut body lotion

14. Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost 

15. Moroccan Oil Treatment

16. Grown Vanilla & Watermelon lip balm

Image credits: Top & Bottom, Edita Vilkeviciute for Elle France April 2013, top shelf photographed by men.

notes for the weekend

Malin+Goetz absolute rose candle

NARS x Andy Warhol photobooth nail polish set

Flowers by My Violet from the Elliatt Winter launch 

Lazy Sunday breakfasts and reading magazines in bed.

on a sunday

Reading the new issue of Lula magazine, painting my nails, eating raw dark chocolate and finding old treasures in my wardrobe.

1. Lula magazine #16 and Acne Patti shirt, 2. Chanel nail polish in Accessoire and Frenzy, Nars 413 Bleeker eyeshadow duo 3. Miu Miu purse from 2009, 4. Miu Miu box, 5. Lula magazine #16, Prada headband from SS 2007.

beauty notes

My latest post for Vogue Spy Style is all about my favourite beauty buys from Nars in NYC.

Pictured here is the lipstick in Falbala which I have been wearing with Laguna bronzer and Orgasm blush for the perfect Summer look. The eyeshadow duo is part of their exclusive in-store range, 413 Bleeker - can't wait to try applying it as an eyeliner as shown to me in store.

kit:gorman

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the launch of a collaboration between clothing label Gorman and Kit cosmetics. I have been a fan of Kit nail polishes for years and have built up quite a collection, the colour I left with (almost mauve) is the perfect shade - soft and neutral that goes with everything. I also got my nails done with the leopard print stick-on nail strips, I have never tried these before but they are actually pretty fun and have held up well overnight. Now can we talk about those leopard print Gorman trousers!?

1. Gorman trousers and Kit:Gorman ready-to-wear nail strips in Autumn Sunshine, watercolour handwriting my me

2. Kit:Gorman nail polish in Almost Mauve, ready-to-wear nail strips in Flash and socks.

3. Kit:Gorman nail polish in Almost Mauve, watercolour by me.

lonely

Our latest post for Vogue Spy Style is now up featuring my new favourite lingerie set from Lonely by Lonely Hearts. It was so lovely to have this beautiful package waiting for me when I arrived back home, there is something about ivory lace that is just so perfect.

Thankyou Keya & Lonely!

winter favourites

One of the few things I don't love about New York in winter is what it does to my skin! My face and hair are drier than usual and I have had to completely substitute evening moisturiser with face oil to keep my skin hydrated. One of the things I have loved doing though is buying new skin care and cosmetics over here (Nars and Bobbi Brown are so much cheaper than back home!) as well as picking up some great drugstore products. These are a few of my favourites at the moment, I'd love to hear some of your recommendations.

Face: Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser, Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream and Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste. Kosmea Organic Rose Hip Oil and Hydrating Rosewater Mist. Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35.

Body: Grown Body Exfoliant Reviving Pearl, Peppermint Ylang Ylang and Body Cream Intensive: Rosa Damascena, Acai & Pomegranate. Kiehl's Crème de Corps. C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve and Perfumer Body Cleanser Coconut.

Fragrance: Byredo Bal D'Afrique has been my signature scent since Paris, I'm also testing Blanche and Gypsy Water at the moment as an option for Summer. Curio Noir candle in Black Spice, really missing my candles!

how to hit the ground running

This is a bit of a belated post - It's a fantastic little flight kit from Mr Porter & Aesop that Talisa got me for my birthday this year. It came in a cool black case, with an little guide filled with Angelo Trofa's illustrations. I love it. Thanks T!

a visual inventory

A Visual Inventory by John Pawson was part of my birthday present to Rohan this year. The book is filled with an inspirational collection of images from the architect's personal collection. Ro and I have both enjoyed going through it appreciating both the visuals and accompanying annotations. It's always great to see the inspirations of someone whose work you admire and John Pawson is most definitely one of them.

These are a few things I have been loving lately, particularly now that winter is here to stay. My Acne angora cardigan and Isabel Marant Yuli scarf are old favourites that I still can't get enough of, especially when worn with a collection of delicate, gold rings. I have also been wearing a bit of makeup recently - usually I keep it really simple with Bobbi Brown black gel eyeliner and a coating of mascara but lately I have been wearing Nars blush (Orgasm or Luster) and either a burgundy or rust lip colour. I also always carry around Aesop rosehip seed lip cream to combat the cold weather and Chanel Particulière nail polish is a winter classic I am yet to tire of.

1.  A Visual Inventory by John Pawson

2. From left to right; Bobbi Brown Crismson lipstick, Aesop rosehip seed lip cream, Nars Outsider lipstick, 
Nars Calliope lip pencil, Chanel Particulière nail polish.

3. Isabel Marant Yuli scarf, Acne Lesley angora cardigan 

4. My Merci notebook from Paris, collection of rings, Maison Balzac Le Bois candle,  
A Visual Inventory by John Pawson.

All photographs taken by me.

the art of giving: part four

Part one: Luxury, Part two: Jewellery, Part three: Culture

Part four: Fragrance 

The Three Wise Men had something right. They travelled far and wide across the Orient and the sandy desert to deliver the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the infant Jesus in a Manger. Gold we’ve covered – studded with black diamonds or winking cheekily from a suede clutch – but the gift of fragrance and perfume is one that keeps on giving.

With a curved glass body and a sleek black lid, Byredo fragrances are a thing of beauty themselves, but it’s their scents – clean, clear and fresh as a daisy – that are the real draw-card. Pop Gypsy Water or Blanche into the stockings of a wild-eyed wanderer or an Acne addict. Balenciaga’s eponymous first perfume clarifies its lush, swollen green with the sweet simplicity of Violets. It’s a forest at dawn, a secret garden at dusk, and ideal for ones who love skinny jeans and Dicker boots and paint their lips red, baby, red.

A candle is the best gift for someone who is hard to buy for – who could resist the little extravagance of burning something from Diptyque or Malin+Goetz or Curio Noir for a few minutes every day? We love Otto, with its pink-hued scent of grapefruit, geranium and rose, and Figuier, white as a northern Christmas, and Vetyver Bouquet, a wood-thatched church the day after a wedding.

Help someone start their very own Top Shelf by gifting a few Aesop products. That refreshing ‘zing’ of the Geranium Leaf products abounds from the Celestial gift kit, and the A.P.C fine fabric care collaboration is a must-have to hand-wash all of those Araks lingerie sets and silk shirts. And a bunch of flowers, peonies or orchids or whatever is fresh at Poho, in brown paper and tied up with a grosgrain ribbon. Hand them over and watch a smile magically appear on the receiver’s face. It’s the little things that make the most impact.

Clockwise from top, Byredo Gypsy Water and Blanche, $145 (US) 100ml from Byredo Parfums, Aesop Special Relativity Kit, $95 from Aesop, Orchids, prices upon request from Poho, Malin+Goetz Otto candle, $78 from Mecca Cosmetica, Curio Noir Vetyver Bouquet candle, $105 from My Chameleon, Diptyque Figuier candle, $99 from Mecca Cosmetica, A.P.C x Aesop Fine Fabric Care, $37 from Aesop, Balenciaga Eau de Parfum, 
$134 from Strawberry Net.

words by Hannah and collage by me