HAIR - My Restyle at House of Rush

I've had long hair for quite a while now but I've never been afraid of a change. I've had hair down to my waist, a Tinkerbell crop and even bright red with blonde streaks. So when I got fed up of my hair and booked a cut I knew I was going to have quite a lot lopped off.

I recently went along to the House of Rush, a new salon in London's Piccadilly for their launch event and was invited back to give a treatment a try - the perfect opportunity to try a drastic new 'do'. The salon itself is amazing, with a blow-dry bar downstairs and a huge upstairs area for hair services. There's also a nail bar and treatment rooms with all the beauty services you could want.

So will I be going back? Definitely! My hair stylist chatted to me and completely understood what I wanted to the point where she actually did something slightly different to what I originally asked for - and I loved it. The head massage is always a highlight at the hairdressers and this time was no exception... they've got great massage chairs too. The stylist took her time and even gave me tips on how to style my hair once home and I left the salon feeling amazing. I have been sternly told that I'm in desperate need of a nourishing treatment and I totally agree. I'll be heading back in Jan for a trim and some hair TLC.

So far all the comments have been positive. My boyfriend didn't seem keen on me cutting my hair at first but I think he's got used to it already too. Prices start at £49 for a cut and blowdry but new customers can take advantage of a 25% discount for their first visit. Worth it to give them a try.

View hairdressing services
View beauty services

The before and after pics below...

NEWS - Patrón XO Cafe Noir Pop-up Speakeasy

There's a special speakeasy coming to Soho next week hosted by Patrón XO Cafe Noir - check out what you can make with the tequila over on The Style PA at Home. Yum!

It all kicks off on 29thNovember with cocktails and cabaret, in fact, it promises to be 'a visual extravaganza hosting the best of the cityʼs alternative and cabaret entertainment'. Sounds interesting right?


For three days only, Patrón XO Cafe Noir is taking bookings for private booth mixology master class sessions from 3pm. Guests will learn to mix delicious Christmas cocktails. Personally, I'm looking forward to  ʻJonnyʼs Christmas Quizʼ The full flyer is below...

Opening times: 3pm, 29th November – 1st December 2011 to over 18ʼs only.
Address: Bureau Club Unit 2, 13 Kingly Court, London W1B 5PW.
To book your place: visit patronsocialclub.co.uk

SHOES - Can Sneakers be Glam?

I recently fell in love with a pair of spangly sneakers. Now, I'm not usually the type to wear sporty shoes unless I'm heading to the gym, but I am willing to make the occasional exception if a pair bring out the magpie in me. That's what happened when I saw this shiny pair of Buffalo shoes.

Buffalo Canvas Pewter Shoes - £49

Buffalo, you ask, isn't that who made those platform trainers worn by the Spice Girls in the '90s? Well yes, It would appear that it is one and the same brand, but they've diversified a little since then. They make all sorts of shoes plus clothing and other accessories. In my vast shoe collection I did have a pair of gold sneakers that I loved the look of, but alas they weren't very comfy. As soon as these arrived those gold sneaks went straight to the charity shop as the role of glitzy sneakers has been re-filled. The sneakers also come in black, although they are a bit more boyish so I'm not quite so keen on them.

Buffalo Canvas Black Shoes - £49

I also chose a pair of ballerina style flat shoes from the same brand which have turned out to be the most comfortable pumps I think I've ever had. Any pumps which aren't soft around the edges end up really rubbing my feet (I've got bony feet with not enough meet on them to deal with really solid shoes). These have a suede effect with a subtle contrasting edge and pretty little bow. These are the sort of shoes that you carry in your handbag and can't wait to get out of your high heels for (we've all been there right?).

Buffalo Baby Bill pumps - £46

Best of all, they come in a range of colours and as I'm working with Spartoo on trying out their shoes I think my next order might just be for a couple of different colours. All the basics are covered like tan, browns, nude and grey plus the two black pairs below. Plus, some colours are reduced at the moment including a fab blue and an olive green pair. Definitely worth the money. 

 

Shop all Buffalo shoes 

All featured shoes are available at Spartoo.

SHOPPING - The My-Wardrobe.com Christmas Room

My-Wardrobe.com is one of my ultimate fashion websites for lusting after beautiful things. With luxury brands, fab designers and plenty of inspirational content, it's more than a little dangerous for the bank balance. I headed along to the company's showroom to check out what they're offering for Christmas, that's probably the one time of year I could justify throwing caution to the wind and splurging.

Check out the My-Wardrobe Christmas Room for stunning partywear and gifts. Plus, you have the option of getting your purchases gift-wrapped in special designer wrapping paper. The women's wrap is a leopard print created by ALICE by Temperley and YMC for him are behind the men's version. You can see a pic of the paper on the gifts under the tree. Even if your budget won't stretch to the highest priced designers, you can still find lovely little luxury gifts. I treated myself to some falke Fair Isle socks and they are heavenlu to wear.

If you aren't good at resisting temptation, don't look at these pictures...

SHOPPING - On my November Wishlist

1. Ariel Flame Side Mesh Boots - Topshop - £75

That's neat, I really love your tiger feet... well, your tiger shoes anyway. These fab heels are from Topshop and feature in this week's 'edited' selection as picked by a senior designer and buyer from Topshop. They give the effect of sandals while offering a little more fabric, structure and support, which is great when the weather's cold.

2. Marge Dress - Erdem at Matches - £870

I wish I could afford to fill my wardrobe with brands like Erdem, but for now they'll have to stay on my wishlist. The painterly print is like a masterpiece from one of the greats and the simple shape is figure flattering and classic, just how I like it. 

3. Giorgina Boots - UGG Collection - £475

I recently went along to the store launch of the new UGG flagship store in Knightsbridge (right by the tube station which is handy). I've been very wary of UGGs in the past as those foam-looking boots just don't do it for me but I was hoping to discover that UGGs aren't a one-trick-pony. Luckily I did find lots of lovely styles to excite me, including these leopard print boots as worn on the night by fashion blogger Kristin Knox, AKA The Clothes Whisperer. What do you reckon, are you sold?

4. Down Coat - Uniqlo - £109.90

Anyone else noticed how bloomin' cold it's got this week? I hate the cold so much and warmth is not something I can compromise on. That's the main reason why Uniqlo's down coats with faux fur trim hoods appeal to me, they just look so cosy. It wouldn't be top of my list for style (even though puffa jackets have been seen on the AW11 catwalks) but if it keeps me toasty I'm in!

5. Sensuous Nude fragrance by Estee Lauder - Debenhams - From £34

I tried a sample of this fragrance the other day and I fell in love with it. I'm a total perfume addict and always have quite a few on the go at any one time, but this is definitely next on the list. It's quite light and actually feels quite summery, a perfect holiday scent. 

6. Rosalie Dress - Rise Fashion - £60

I love this twenties style beaded dress from Rise Fashion. The colours are really soft and elegant, plus the touch of sparkle is just perfect for party season.

What's on your wishlist this month?

OUTFIT - My Style on Sunday 13.11.2011

Today is a lazy day, I've already done my chores so I can relax for the rest of the afternoon. I'm currently watching Charlton on TV and then it's off to the pub for a nice big Sunday Roast. I hope you've all got something just as lazy and indulgent planned.

As for the outfit., this dress is from H&M and I got it for £3 in a charity shop. It's so comfy and I love the voluminous sleeves which hide my pesky upper arms. The necklace is my current fave and cost me 50p in a sample sale - bargain! 

But my favourite part of the outfit is my new fur trim, wedge ankle boots from Sarenza. They're by a Spanish brand called XTI and although I hadn't really heard of them the boots I chose are great quality. I slipped my feet in them and the cosy fur trim hugged my skinny little ankles keeping them warm and cosy. The wedge heel isn't too high and I've been able to wear them all day at work and then out for the evening too - hurrah!

The boots cost £60 from Sarenza, plus they've got loads of other similar styles online at the moment. Take a peek...

GIFTS - A Rose Gold Watch For Christmas

I've noticed how much rose gold is rising in popularity, particularly for watches. I've been to lots of press days lately where alternative coloured metals took centre-stage. What I love about rose gold is that it sits less harshly against the skin in terms of its colour, it's warmer and softer. My current watch is horn instead of gold or silver and I get loads of compliments on that too - Michael Kors rocks!

When I had the opportunity to choose a watch from Time2 to review I knew I wanted to go for a rose gold one. I opted for the bracelet style rose gold watch from DKNY above as I thought it would be perfect as a gift for my mum's birthday. She tends to prefer dainty, simple watches so the sleek styling of it was ideally chic. Glitz is great but if you are choosing a watch to wear day in day out then sometimes it's better to keep things simple.

Watches from Time2 come perfectly packaged and well protected to ensure they're immaculate when you give them as a gift. The DKNY watch I chose comes in at a fairly reasonable £89 but it's good quality and feels nice and heavy. Growing up I often went for a DKNY watch because they had plenty of smaller styles - I've got tiny wrists so anything too big looks a little bit ridiculous.

This year I'm away for Christmas for the very first time so I'm doing my shopping as early as possible. In fact, I've been saving bits up for ages. As a busy blogger online shopping is a life-saver, so even though Time2 has stores in the likes of Westfield, it's great that they've also got an easy-to-navigate website. One day I might even be able to browse the over £5000 category (I can dream).

Here are a few more rose gold styles from the women's watches at Time2 that caught my eye...

  Rose gold plated watch - Armani Exchange - £180

 Rose gold plated watch - LTD Watch - £95

Rose gold watch - Michael Kors - £259

Rose gold plated bracelet watch - Michael Kors - £199

FASHION - SS12 GANT For The Girls

I consider GANT to be more well known as a menswear brand, and although the womenswear isn't all my cup of tea there are some fab SS12 pieces I couldn't keep to myself. The palette of navy, bright yellow and cream is one I've seen before but it's a more interesting take on Riviera style. I don't think there's anything wrong with reinforcing brand identity and sticking to a chic look that you're known for and that's what GANT do well.

More yellow with this cute sundress. I realised recently that I was getting older when I found myself moaning that some brand's seem to only sell the shortest of dresses. This one is a great length for summer, short but not bottom-skimming. It would look great with a white tailored jacket.

I'm not so keen on the styling of this outfit, but I do love the top. At first glance it's very plain and demure, but the little holes will show just a glimpse of flesh for a subtle way to do sexy. A hot pink bra underneath would give it some edge.

I was surprised to see toggle details popping up in a spring collection as they are usually associated with winter duffle coats. That said, I quite liked the waffle hooded jumper as a relaxed evening cover up for spring. I'd buy a size bigger for extra-slouchy comfort.

Prints featured plenty of colour, including these more autumnal stripes and the striped garment in question was a straight fitting skirt. Brights were the order of the day though as we've come to expect from GANT. To complement, there was a Morraccan inspired collection too which was a lot softer in terms of colour with linens and cottons - perfect for holidays to Egypt and the like.

But my favourite pick from the new collection was the cute conversational prints on these brightly hued trousers. Seahorses = cute, cute, cute! I'd team the trousers with a fitted white shirt and pumps for preppy chic.

Explore the women's GANT collection

ACCESSORIES - Tods SS12 Preview

I've often seen Tods advertised and know a little bit about the brand but I'd never really had a good look at the product close up until recently. They are well known for their loafers which are a classic style that has seen a hike in popularity generally in recent seasons. I headed along to the SS12 press preview to see what is next for the brand as we hit the new season. 

I didn't get pics, but the clothing range seems to be expanding. Leather goods are at the core with a buttery soft, blush coloured leather mac taking centre-stage. This was shown next to a matching bag and it was explained that this is how Derek Lam (creative director) is suggesting we wear the ensemble... matchy matchy! Each season there are new 'fashion' bags which complement the core range. For SS12, tassles are big news for the bags and it's embellishment glamming up some of the casual flat shoes. Those will definitely go down well with customers!

I also loved the Signature Collection of bags which have been spotted on numerous celebs. The texture is what I love most though, it's like an alternative quilting effect which just begs to be touched. I've got the envelope clutch bag on my wish list.

The owner of Tods is very famous in Italy (and beyond) and when I visited Italy our friends drove us through the town where he lives. The whole area has benefited from the growth of his companies and my friend's boyfriend even works for a local company supplying hardware for the brand's bags and leather goods. But that's not all that's benefitted from his success, he is funding the restoration of the Colosseum in Rome through the Tods brand. 

One of the new shoes for men is named after the boat that Diego Della Valle owns which belonged to JFK Kennedy. It's apt as the deck shoe style would be perfectly at home on the glossy decks of the famous boat.  Tods definitely sell a lifestyle, and you can just imagine Diego wearing his Tods deck shoes on his boat cruising around the shores of Capri with martini in hand... you can tell I am looking forward to my sunny holiday in just over 4 WEEKS!