Dr Sam: Skincare for Sensible People
When it comes to skincare, I’m definitely not a reasonable person. I like things to be effective, I honestly do, but I also like them to smell lovely and to come in nice packaging and maybe include some ingredients that sound good, but don’t really do much, ..
Ormonde Jayne Champaca: An Unusual, Addictive Floral
Ormonde Jayne, a niche London fragrance brand, was among my absolute favourites when I became seriously interested in perfume – more than 10 years ago now. Their original line-up was diverse but coherent and there were no duds in the bunch; from the gorgeous..
Call Me by Your Name: Peaches, Tan-lines and Desire
Last year, I missed the right moment to read André Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name: it is meant to be read in a heatwave and ideally while longing for someone exquisite. If the latter state of mind is not available, just a heatwave will do, but I waited too lo..
On Dressing During the Apocalypse
If you are a regular reader, you know that I occasionally talk about sustainability and environment and climate change, but not really in depth. It’s not because I don’t think these things are important, I think they are HUGELY important – I have worked with..
Thoughts on the 8 Novellas Nominated for Hugos and Nebulas
I have made a pact with myself this year to read all novels and novellas nominated for the Hugo awards. And Nebulas, if I can manage. With the novellas this wasn’t a huge challenge, as there is a big overlap between the two shortlists: reading the Hugos got ..
A Very Specific List of Summer 2019 Trends
Some fashion seasons are all about a certain mood, less about specific, trendy items. Others lack a coherent theme, but flood the stores with of-the-moment pieces that are impossible to avoid. They don’t always date well and may feel ridiculous in a year (no..
The Discreet Charm of Hydra
I have not been telling you about my travels, although I always plan to, most determinedly. I never wrote that post about Beirut, which is a pity, as I loved it and it deserves to be much better known. And now I’m afraid the right moment to write about Venic..
9 Books I Read in May
First, my apologies for the work-induced absence, it’s s been a tough fortnight. But let’s not dwell. I’m very happy to be back and have some time to write this weekend, so here we go with my belated May wrap-up. Considering the work situation, I managed to ..
Go For Gold! Or Silver. Or Bronze.
I am somewhat dubious about colour theories when it comes to clothes. If they work for you, great. In my case, I find that it is much easier to just try things on and see how they look on me, rather than spend all those hours figuring out your ‘type’ and the..
Important Life Lessons Pertaining to Coffee and Sunglasses
I am broadly in favour of high standards: without them, we’d probably still think bone flutes are the height of sophistication. But after almost 40 years of living, I have also realised that constantly upholding high standards in every single area of one’s l..