Superdry Collaboration with Timothy Everest

I don't know about you but I love a good blazer. They instantly add a bit of class and just a touch of androgyny to pretty much any outfit and at this time of year, a blazer or fitted jacket is a pretty sweet way to keep warm as things start cooling down outside.

It's good timing then that earlier this month Superdry launched a beautiful range of jackets in collaboration with MBE awarded tailor Timothy Everest.
At the Handpicked Media London Fashion Week Suite I had the chance to hang out with some lovely girls from Superdry and have a look through the range of jackets in the collection.

There were 4 gorgeous styles on show - the Town Coat, the Muse Jacket, the Rock Rebel Jacket and the Country Rebel Jacket.

The Town Coat

The Muse Jacket

The Rock Rebel Jacket

The Country Rebel Jacket

I tried on a couple of the jackets and my favourites would have to be the Muse Jacket and the Town Coat. One of the coolest things about the pieces (besides the meticulous tailoring of course) would have to be the bright pop of colour on the collar that can be worn up or 'popped' and the handy little extras in the lining - including pockets for mobile phones and special loops to keep headphone cables in place!

These jackets are exceptionally comfortable and fitted without feeling tight. Basically, they're beautiful, I'm in love and I want them all.
Launched on the 2nd of September, you can find the Superdry + Timothy Everest Women's Sebiro Collection at Superdry's flagship store on Regent Street and online here

I Heart Moroccanoil!

I'm very late to the party with this one. To be honest, I sort of ignored the Moroccanoil hype when it rolled around a few years ago, partly because it was notoriously expensive and partly because...it was notoriously expensive.
This all changed when I attended the Handpicked Media LFW bloggers suite last weekend and had the chance to get my hair did by the uber talented, extremely lovely Errol Douglas using Moroccanoil products.
Errol was on hand to give attendees hair advice before giving us styles to rival the models stomping the catwalks.
Errol showed me a quick and easy way to get big hair using curling tongs, fingers, a light application of Moroccanoil hair oil and Moroccanoil hairspray. The result was big, glam hair reminiscent of Sigourney Weaver's character in Ghostbusters. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it!

pic taken by @NataliJaconelli

Since the event, I've been using Moroccanoil shampoo and conditioner as well as the oil and hairspray and I've gotta say I'm hooked. Everything about this stuff rocks - the feeling of my hair after I've washed it, the hold of the hairspray and the scent of Moroccanoil in general is just beautiful.

Because I'm in a constant state of greasy hair paranoia, I was a little concerned that Moroccanoil would be too heavy for me and I'd wind up looking greasy around the roots after a matter of hours but it seems to be just the right balance of hydration for me. Win!
Just washing and conditioning alone leaves my hair super shiny and healthy looking but adding the original hair oil as well takes it to a whole new level of awesome. The hairspray definitely deserves an honourable mention too- I have the Strong hold version of the spray and not only does it do what it says on the tin, it is easily brushed out and smells absolutely incredible (though I don't recommend inhaling it on purpose..).

Moroccanoil products can be found in loads of salons around the country but if you're looking for Errol Douglas, you can find him at his salon in Knightsbridge and by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

Japanese Manicure & Classic Pedicure at Nailberry Salon

On Wednesday evening I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Nailberry salon in South Kensington. Clean and sophisticated with a definite Parisian vibe, the salon is the brainchild of French beauty enthusiast and entrepreneur Sonia Hully. Determined to bring professional, personable and efficient nail salons to London, Sonia set up shop in SW and Nailberry was born.

I was there to try out the salon's Japanese Manicure - an all natural treatment used in Japan for the past 400 years (!) to make the nails strong, healthy and lustrous and was also treated to a classic pedicure using a Nailberry polish of my choice.

Japanese Manicure

This manicure is all about bringing out the natural beauty of your nails without using chemicals and is particularly recommended for those of us who have overdone it with falsies or gel nails and would like to get their talons back in tip top shape.
The salon uses the Japanese Manicure set by P-Shine - a kitsch kit containing a semi-dried beeswax paste with minerals, a lustre powder and buffers to bring the nails back to life and leave them looking healthier than ever.

Nail technician Julie trimmed my cuticles before buffing the beeswax paste into each of my nails. Just this step alone had my fingernails looking shiny and healthy but the best was yet to come as she took each finger and buffed in the 'lustre powder'. The buffers used in the P-Shine kit are buckskin and they're similar in texture to a chamois you use to polish a car - so it makes sense that they would be effective at polishing nails!
My Japanese Manicure was finished with cuticle oil and hand cream before it was time to sit back and admire my lovely new fingernails. Now, I don't have the most elegant hands or the prettiest nails - my fingernails are very short, they break and peel a lot and I had recently removed store-bought false nails, but there is no denying that after this treatment my nails look cleaner, pinker, shinier, more healthy and noticeably stronger - result! A before and after:

I am fully aware that I have wrinkly gnome fingers and horrifically short nails but at least you can see the results!

Classic Pedicure

Julie soaked my feet before trimming and filing the nails and getting rid of any yucky bits (sock lint, anyone?) then buffed away the dry bits on my feet. She then applied a basecoat and I picked out a Nailberry polish for my toes. I opted for 'Strawberry Jam' - a perfectly autumnal deep red with a hint of fuschia from the Nailberry Berries Collection.
It's worth mentioning that Nailberry polishes are richly pigmented, long lasting and free from 4 chemicals usually found in polishes - Camphor, Toluene, DBP and Formaldehyde.

The girls at Nailberry are genuinely lovely and knowledgeable and were ready to answer any questions I had about the products and the salon. If you're in London and looking for an affordable pampering experience for your fingers and toes, pop along to Nailberry at 19 Bute Street, South Kensington SW7 3EY.
Call them on 020 7225 3116 or visit Nailberry online. For more information about the P-Shine kit used in the Japanese Manicure Click Here or visit www.p-shine.co.uk.

P.S. Nailberry were a finalist for the Best Salon of the Year 2013 - you can't argue with that!

Thanks for reading x

Mazorin - Made in London for the London Bloke

High-flyers and city boys rejoice, there's a  new brand in town made especially for you!
Founded by 30-something London based professionals Giangiacomo 
Postir 
and 
Marco 
Baruzzi, Mazorin was developed for city dwellers who care about their skin and simply don't have a lot of time to devote to it.

The concept behind Mazorin  came about when Gian and Marco began noticing the effect a busy urban lifestyle can have on a gent's skin and the fact that there were no products out there specifically aimed at stressed out London folk!

Not only do I think Mazorin as a brand is a fantastic concept, but I love the way they've taken phrases from the corporate world and incorporated them into the names of the products.

Mazorin currently feature 4 products dedicated to the busy urban professional:

Face Value Optimal Face Maintenance

This handy pump bottle dispenses an anti-ageing moisturiser that protects, hydrates and reduces redness and irritation associated with shaving.

Face Value Optimal Skin Nourishment

60 food supplement capsules packed full of skin loving anti-oxidants and vitamins to fight skin damaging free radicals.

Liquid Asset Pre-Meeting Face Revamp

24 single dose stickpacks of 'double espresso' tonic gel to wake up a dull and tired complexion. Perfect for travelling and stashing in the man-bag!

Liquid Asset Working Late Eye Serum

This handy little roll on is full of a serum that contains caffeine and Hyaluronic acid to refresh tired eyes, de-puff bags under the eyes and help eliminate dark circles.

Unfortunately, I'm not a bloke so I haven't tried these products, but I think the branding and the packaging alone would be enough to convince me to pick them up if I were a man. To find out more about Mazorin or to purchase one of these products, click on over to www.mazorin.com.

Thanks for reading!

Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush Mascara

Maybelline are very, very good at Marketing and the latest addition to their Volum' Express collection is no exception - A mascara called 'Mega Plush' is obviously going to fly off the shelves because that's what women want from a mascara, a touch of plush and bucket loads of mega. Whatever that means.

It wasn't just the greeny-blue packaging with shiny pink writing that made me pick this up, but the promise of plushy goodness caressing my lashes rather than stiff, brittle crumbly stuff.

Mega Plush mascara promises 'Massive & Soft Volume' and while I wouldn't agree that this is exactly what it delivers, it does make a pretty decent everyday mascara.

Once dried (which doesn't take long), lashes actually do feel surprisingly soft. Not baby-bum soft, but almost as soft as they feel in their natural state, sans makeup. This is down to the gel-mousse formula of the mascara that contains 40% less hard waxes than your stock standard mascara.

My only real gripe with this mascara that I simply can't let fly is the 'flexor brush'.

 The jointed part of the wand is very bendy, and intended to work in a shock-absorber like fashion, but I like to have absolute control when it comes to putting things anywhere near my eyes so I find this aspect of the product more gimmicky than useful. Will someone also please tell me why a shock absorber mechanism is required for mascara...

My final verdict is this: Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush Mascara is nice, but it's not worth beating someone over the head to get the last tube in Boots. I ended up doing about 5 coats on each eye just to achieve the rather low key look you can see in the pictures. I think Maybelline have definitely nailed the Plush aspect of the mascara but I was expecting a lot more Mega ;)

Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush is available in washable and waterproof formulas and has an RRP of £7.99.

Thanks for reading!