by | August 6, 2012

a breath of fresh hair

I do sometimes feel a little sorry for my hair.  Regular highlights, blow dries and bi-weekly soaking in a highly chlorinated pool are not helped by occasional backcombing, straightening irons and a whole host of recently launched styling products.  With a beach holiday finally coming into focus, I was concerned that I might return with hair like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz.  So, it was pretty exciting to hear that there is now a treatment I can throw at this straw blondish mane of mine.

Eleven hair boutique

In the heart of Mayfair, just off Bond Street, Eleven Hair is nothing short of a hair boutique.  I felt pampered before I had even taken off my jacket.  Jackie, my hairdresser, examined my hair type and condition and then explained how the Express Herbal Hair Facial works.  The new three-step repair treatment, straight off the boat from Japan, quite simply repairs hair in a mere 30 minutes.

treatment bottles

First Jackie set about restoring some collagen which would rebuild and strength my locks.  This was applied as a moisturizing cream.  The second stage, a ‘shine drop’ spray would protect the hair from the forthcoming UV sun damage and the final product applied would act as a protective barrier containing Argan, Jojoba and Damask rose oil.

revamped hair after treatment

All this was followed by some styling advice and a fabulous blow dry.  I left the uber-hip yet super glamorous salon with swishy, shiny and ridiculously soft hair.  And, Jackie has assured me, it will feel just as healthy after the salt, sand and sun.

 

 

Eleven’s Express Herbal Hair Facial costs £45.00. For more information, visit: www.eleven-hair.com

 

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by | August 4, 2012

The World According to Chanel

For a child, a pop up book is utterly thrilling.  And I feel pretty similar as I head to Covent Garden to check out Chanel’s first-of-its-kind pop up beauty boutique, which is located in the old market piazza for the next six months.

Chanel pops up in Covent Garden piazza

But, I should explain, it has not been an easy press appointment to organise.  The brand and its press office are… well, a little French.  Numerous phone calls and messages were left but, as with all things from the Paris catwalk, it was pretty fabulous at crunch time.

Chanel’s colour spectrum

The cult cosmetic products look drop-dead gorgeous in this 57 square metre space.  And, if that isn’t enough, there are expert Chanel make-up artists upstairs and the first ever UK Chanel nail bar downstairs.  For £20, anyone can have a shape and polish which is then redeemable against purchase.

Following my visit, my new friends in the press office sent me a Christmas-come-early goodie bag and I will bet my croissant money that Frenzy(£18), an ultra-light flesh-toned grey, will be the nail colour for next season.

Frenzy, one of Chanel’s new colours for Autumn

 

Time your visit perfectly by heading down after 17th August as the pop up will be previewing the new autumn line from that date, before it launches nationwide on 24thAugust.

 

 

 

The Chanel Beauty Covent Garden popup shop will be open for the next six months.

www.chanelatcoventgarden.com

020 7240 2001 (good luck trying to call)

 

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by | August 3, 2012

Where (Mexican) angels fear to tread…

In need of a spontaneous night out with house-building girlfriend, we headed against the Olympic traffic into Soho.    One of the newest additions to the Soho food scene is Will Ricker’s La Bodega Negra.  The sex shop facade of the restaurant has been splashed across many a tabloid as it is frequented by the very-It crowd.

La Bodega Negra restaurant entrance

Around the back of the more exclusive (and expensive) restaurant, we found La Bodega Negra’s 60-seater café on Moor St.  With black and white chequered floor, retro dining booths and a strong Mexican vibe, girlfriend and I immediately felt we could have been transported to Brooklyn, New York.

We perched up at the bar and immediately made friends with our barman.  He explained that there was a 40 minute delay for the food but clearly no such delay for the frozen margaritas and tostada (which just means tortilla chips) with guacamole (£3).

the coolest cafe in town

We ordered a couple of tacos (seared steak and mushroom with spinach / 3 in an order/£6),  a citrus and garlic marinated salmon tostadita (£4) and a Guadalajara salad (Mexican cheese, caramalised pecans, pomegranate £10.50).  Only the salmon was rejected as it simply tasted wrong.  The salad was probably our favourite plate, but we did comment that it seems a little pricey.

It struck me that tacos, and in fact all Mexican food, are tricky to get perfectly right.  And this might be why London, in comparison with New York, seems so under-served for posh Mexican joints.   However, the atmosphere is more than zingy.  It’s cool and happening and exactly where you want to be on a night out.

As the night wasn’t properly planned, we felt we were quite within our rights to hop down from the bar stools and head elsewhere for our desert.   Gelupo, frightening close to Piccadilly Circus, sells probably the best ice cream in London.  An offspring of the Italian restaurant Bocca di Lupo, I am told that this small shop has a permanent queue winding out of the door and down Acher St.

salted caramel bon bon from Gelupo

Afflicted with a current obsession with salted caramel, I choose a salted caramel bon bon (£1.50) while girlfriend had a small tub of blood orange sorbet with mint chocolate chip (£3).  Again, we are a little behind New York, this time in the frozen stakes.  But Gelupo is certainly helping to drive the ice cream revolution forward.

 

La Bodega Negra Café  – 16 Moor St, W1  no reservations.

Gelupo – 7 Archer St W1

 

 

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by | August 1, 2012

Tallulah & Hope: an authority in kaftans

Now on serious countdown to Ibiza, there is one question on my mind:  how can some women achieve that laid back yet glam kaftan look and others… well, just fail miserably?

Among my ridiculous, pre-holiday, ever-increasing to-do list is a nagging question mark next to my own current beachwear wardrobe.  Does it need more than a re-wash and iron?

As I pondered over this question yesterday, I found myself spending a good 30 minutes drooling over the tantalizing holiday attire on sale at Tallulah and Hope.  And then, coincidentally, scanning through the day’s press releases, I learnt that one of the founders of Tallulah and Hope, Zoe Holborough, is also head costume designer and stylist at the Olympics. She has been chosen to design the outfits for all the dancers and some of the presenters taking part in Olympic sporting events.

a VolleyBall event, styled by Zoe, where the dancers were styled in vintage swimwear

 

Now even more determined to discover the secret of chic kaftan wearing, I tracked down Lisa Ispani, Tallulah and Hope’s other founder:

Where are you holidaying this summer?

Mallorca – we spent some time on the north of the island with amazing views of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.

Do you travel light or heavy?

Light! i love travelling with hand luggage only whenever possible.

Who or what inspires you?

Zoe and I are inspired by places and nature, which is why we love travelling.

Essential items for a beach holiday?

A good book, wide brimmed sun hat or visor, good quality sun screen, sunglasses, an ipod and a Tallulah & Hope kaftan!

Which is your best seller?

Our ‘Hero’ kaftan because it’s so versatile and easy to wear, you can wear it over swimwear as a luxe t-shirt dress or off the beach over a slip as a dress.

Top tips for beach ready make up?

I think its all in the pre-prep! A natural looking spray tan, some semi-permanent lashes or dyed lashes so you don’t have to worry about mascara, a good hair cut and a long lasting Shellac polish for toes and hands.

Hat wearer or headscarf?

Both, I love hats for keeping me cool and the sun off my face but I also love headscarves for looking chic.

Book or Kindle?

Book.

Laptop or too remote for access?

Laptop – i have my own business so i like to know what’s happening.

What is your earliest holiday memory?

Spending long summers in Italy in the Emilia Romagna region where my parents come from.

Tell us a secret about your business.

Our cotton pareos are screen printed in Italy where the edges are hand-rolled by the same fair hands that hand-roll all of Hermes scarves.

 

pare0 prize for one lucky reader

COMPETITION:  The lovely founders of Tallulah and Hope are giving away one of their artist print pares, worth £140, to one LifeofYablon reader.  Blissfully practical, they can be worn as a gorgeous beach dress or neck scarf.

All you have to do is answer this question: ‘Which super model wears T&H?’ visit Tallulah & Hope’s You Look page for clues.  And send your answer to info@tallulahandhope.com before Wednesday 15th August 2012.

 

 

follow @yablon to find out the winner of this competition…


 

 

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