Tim Walker: Wonderful Things

It's always a pleasure stepping into Tim Walker's whimsical world, and the V&A has plenty of it on show in a new solo exhibition on until March.  The inventive British photographer has a killer imagination, creating some of the fashion world's most memorable imagery, playing with scale and colour, large installations and enchanting, fantastical themes.

Club Marot, Lille

Unbelievably, considering it's an 82 minute Eurostar journey from London, I only visited the northern French city of Lille for the first time last winter.  My favourite discovery when I was there was Club Marot, a new restaurant run by two young chefs and cousins.  Augustin, who trained at the famous Ferrandi cooking school, and Antoine Marot, from the 3 Michelin-starred Lameloise, took over the celebrated restaurant Clément Marot when Augustin's father retired after 36 years at the helm.

Givenchy AW19

I'm not the biggest fan of Ariana Grande, but I am a big fan of the striking new campaign from French luxury house Givenchy for Autumn/ Winter 2019 featuring the singer.  The retro black and white photographs pay homage to founder Hubert de Givenchy's preferred style of portraits, shot by Craig McDean and directed by the house's British artistic director, Clare Waight Keller.

Face Favourites

Hello!  I've been rather quiet on the blog so far this year - wedmin is taking over my spare time - but I wanted to share four of my current favourite beauty and skincare products...

You can always rely on Paula's Choice for good formulations: the C15 Super Booster is packed with 15% stabilised vitamin C, potent antioxidants vitamin E and ferulic acid, and skin-smoothing peptides to brighten, smooth and help balance uneven complexions.  It's a lightweight, runny liquid, and I just add one or two drops to my serum each morning and night before moisturising.

I love natural face oils, and Beuti's Beauty Sleep Elixir is particularly gorgeous.  Created with sensitive skin in mind, Beuti skincare is free from chemicals, and full of healthy ingredients and proven actives to deliver results.  This nourishing, anti-inflammatory oil is a 100% natural blend of 14 plant-based oils, such as the Caribbean coral extract which neutralises the enzyme responsible for skin ageing, and sandalwood nut kernel oil which helps prevent collagen and elastin breakdown.  It's lightweight, smells lovely and fruity, a pleasure to massage into my skin each night, and dries off nicely.  Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are fans too.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15 in Cool Ivory, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, Beuti Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir and Paula's Choice Resist C15 Super Booster

I recently visited the Bobbi Brown studio in Soho and got colour matched: I'm wearing the Cool Ivory shade of the Long-Wear Weightless Foundation, which is SO long-lasting with 16 hour full coverage, oil-free shine control and SPF15.  The finish is natural, weightless and matte, and it's available in 30 shades.  I'll definitely be re-buying.

Last but not least, I'm obsessed with the Beauty Light Wand by Charlotte Tilbury: a magic wand of shimmering rose gold highlighter which I liberally apply over cheekbones, inner corners of my eyes and browbones every day.  I sometimes wear it over her Hollywood Flawless Filter too for maximum glow.

What are your current faves?

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Easter Bunny

Helmut Newton, Elsa Peretti, New York, 1975

Rushton Hall

For Mother's Day last year, I booked a stay at Rushton Hall for a weekend of countryside walks, afternoon tea and spa time: also known as the perfect mother-daughter couple of days.

The Boden Catalogue

I only have a few pieces from Boden hanging in my wardrobe - cropped cashmere cardigans and this silver leather backpack being two favourites - but I always love flicking through their colourful, wanderlust-inspiring catalogues, featuring pretty prints, bright colours and happy models photographed in picturesque locations across Europe.  These are the SS19 pieces from the pages with the turned down corners I might treat myself to this spring...

Kyra Silk Midi Dress
this 100% silk chiffon dress with blouson sleeves and a waist-cinching tie is the perfect go-to for summer weddings and garden parties

Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin

This is not a restaurant review.

Spring Charm

Ah, February.  We've come out the other side of a pretty damn long January to brighter mornings, later sunsets, snow drops, and the early beginnings of spring and all its wonderful flowers.  To me, a house is not a home without houseplants and flowers, and it's one of my little indulgences to always have fresh flowers every week, because #plantsgivemepower. 

ENB's Swan Lake

Do more of what you love: and if that’s going to the ballet by yourself to see Swan Lake for the 87th time, so be it.  Earlier this month, I attended the opening night of English National Ballet's Swan Lake at the London Coliseum.  I love going to the ballet at Christmas each year, but looking forward to one of my favourite ballets in January is a rather lovely tradition too...

Val Thorens

Am I the tardiest travel blogger in the world?  I may just be.  Because, as I write from the Alps in the middle of our skiing holiday, I'm not sharing photos from today, or even from earlier this week, but from last year's ski trip.  The problem with blogging just for the fun of it, as opposed to content arranged with brands, is that there's no real urgency: one year on, the mountains are still there.  So, please forgive my tardiness as I share snaps from last January, about our third time in my favourite ski resort: Val Thorens.

Hotel Koh-I Nor, Val Thorens

Last January we headed back to Les Trois Vallées for eight days in the largest ski resort (and one of my favourites places) in the world.  We were last there in 2016 and stayed in Val Thorens again, this time at the luxurious Hotel Koh-I Nor.


wearing Sandro Pearl Embellished Peplum Sweater

Berlin Christmas Markets

And just like that, it's all over.  As the time has come to pack away the decorations for another year, I'm reminiscing about our trip to Berlin for the Christmas markets last winter.  We were in an Uber on the way to Tegel airport when the driver checked which terminal our flight would be going from, and informed us that it was in fact cancelled due to the snow at Heathrow, despite the British Airways app saying otherwise.  Hours on the phone to BA and a long queue at the airport later, we were rebooked on the earliest available flight and our three day weekend became five days.  Stressful at the time, but rather nice having an extra 48 hours in one of my favourite cities.