How Well Do We Know Our Friends?

I met Paloma at a Tweetup in Ealing. It was towards the end of the night and it was almost a fluke that we met, and a very happy one at that. At the time she worked for the Ealing Gazette and she interviewed me for it. This was a marker for our future friendship: she is generous, giving and always looks for opportunities to help people. She really is a true friend and is now my chief bridesmaid at my wedding in July. When I met her I thought she was beautiful, nice, sweet, smart, a decent person and great company. All things turned out to be true.

Paloma Kubiak

However, it was a little embarrassing doing the Flowers of Holland competition challenge which is hosted on their Facebook page, because I learned that, even though we know a lot about each other, there is quite a bit I don’t! Almost like a Mr and Mrs challenge where the guy does really badly. For the challenge, if you guess your best friend’s favourite flower correctly you are entered to win a bouquet of flowers. Which is pretty cool so take the challenge yourself.

I will find out soon if my answers were even slightly correct, but what I do know is that we have loads in common: we have the same anniversary with our fiancees’, got engaged at the same time, are the same age, are the youngest with two older siblings…the list goes on. You can take part in the competition yourself here.

Flowers flowers summery

What is my friend’s favourite cafe?

It will be somewhere amazing that no one else had heard of yet. She is good at finding the buzzing places before they are trendy.

What’s my friends’ favourite place to shop?

She has good style but is also not too frivolous. I reckon she might like Topshop and will also know lots of out-of-the-way boutiques and shops that no one else knows about.

What’s my friend’s favourite city?

London I reckon. It is an amazing city and she grew up in London.

What’s my friend’s favourite movie?

Oh, hard one. Maybe Dirty Dancing? It is pretty classic and most women like it.

What’s my friend’s favourite flower?

Roses I think. Paloma is elegant.

What’s my friend’s favourite fragrance?

Maybe something from Dior.

I hope I got some of these right! I now nominate two excellent bloggers, http://teatimeinwonderland.co.uk and http://www.lookwhatigot.co.uk/ to do the challenge. Good luck gals!

Take the challenge yourself and leave your link below, I would love to read it.

 

Sponsored Post.

 

Contino Reserva 2007 Wine Review

This is a very classic red wine, ruby red in colour and clean with a fruity intensity. It has hints of strawberry, blueberry, vanilla and balsamic.

Established in 1973, this was the first Rioja region wine to be made in a single vineyard. Contino Reserva 2007 has great depth and flavour. It is medium bodied and stays on the tongue long after in a nice way. It is light with fresh acidity and silky tannins. This is a delicious wine, perfect for even fussy wine drinkers. It is pricey, usually more than £20 per bottle but worth splashing out on for a special treat. Available from Tesco and Waitrose.

fresh acidity, red wine, wine review

Goes with: grilled & roasted red meats, casseroles/stews, mature strong cheese and roast suckling pig.

 

Boris Entrup 10-Minute Make-Up Book Review

Boris Entrup 10-Minute Make-UpBoris Entrup is the resident make-up artist on Germany’s Next Top Model and is the exclusive make-up artist for Maybelline. It is fair to say that he knows his stuff.

This rather excellent book has 50 gorgeous looks that give you everything you need to transform your image in 10-minutes. There is a good variety of looks, from natural to glamourous, that are all easy to recreate as there is before and after pictures and an easy step-by-step guide.

If that wasn’t enough; there is also masses of insider tips, techniques and tricks that all help you reveal your natural beauty.

The book starts off with an introduction from Boris, then some advice on skincare, beauty tools and products. I have read a lot about beauty and review a lot of products but I found that I learned a lot. I also love that the book shows all 50 looks at a glance over two pages. Very handy and useful.

The book also goes through the basic techniques of applying different products and different facial features. It also gives advice on different face shapes and different tips for each decade of your life, along with S.O.S tips at the end.

This is a brilliant beauty book. It has great advice and pictures. I highly recommend it.

Boris Entrup 10-Minute Make-Up

President Obama And Ryan Seacrest Interview

President ObamaWe are a fan of President Obama here at Frost and we particularly enjoyed this interview the President did with Ryan Seacrest. In it he talks about his “Between Two Ferns” interview with Zach Galifianakis. Apparently, Zach was nervous and President Obama had not even heard of “Between Two Ferns” but his daughters had and were excited.

“Zach actually was pretty nervous, It was funny to watch because this whole ‘Between Two Ferns’ schtick — which I wasn’t familiar with before my staff told me that we had been pitched to do this — his whole character is to go after the guest, and I think he was looking around and seeing all these Secret Service guys with guns and thinking, ‘I wonder what happens here if I cross the line?’ But we had a great time.”

 

The interview was done to encourage young people to sign up for health care via HealthCare.gov. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the website saw a 40 percent boost in traffic after the interview.

“And as I said, I wasn’t familiar with this thing, but when I was at the dinner table with the girls and I said, ‘Well today I did something with Zach, it’s called ‘Two Ferns,’ I think,’ Malia was so excited, She had seen all the previous episodes, so I figured it was going to reach our target audience, which is a lot of young people, and it turns out we’ve had close to 15 million hits. And the amazing thing is afterwards people actually did link to healthcare.gov and people actually signed up for health insurance, so it ended up working, but I think I have to keep my day job.”

What do you think?

 

Danny Dyer “I’m Held Back Because I’m Working Class”

Danny_Dyer_at_Upton_Park,_02_Oct_2010Danny Dyer has spoken out about the classism in the acting industry in an interview with Woman, stating that being working class, and playing working class characters, has held him back.

The Eastenders actor said “You’ve got actors like Benedict Cumberbatch – a great actor, but he’s a posh boy playing posh boys. He does it well, and he doesn’t get mocked for that.

“I play working class people, and I get mocked for it. I’m stereotyped, he’s not. I’ve done plays at the National Theatre, come off stage and gone into the bar and I ain’t got nothing in common with those people.”

He went on: “When it comes to playing the game, I’m rubbish. The middle-class actors are better prepped at working the system, because they’ve got more in common with the decision makers.”

What do you think? Do you agree?

 

 

Spring/Summer Fashion Picks

MyaBlueBeach is designed by Lindsey Brown and each piece is hand cut and individually hand finished. I checked out the range and not only are the designs great, but the cut and fabric is top class. Perfect beach wear which gives great shape, rather than a baggy tent shape. In sizes 8-20. We particularity like:

JEMMA_Turquoise-Cotton-Beach_Dress_BeachKaftan_large

EMMA – Turquoise & Pink Cotton Fitted Tunic with Short Sleeves £80.00
beachwear
AMORE – Designer White Kaftan beach kaftans with Gold Sequins £95.00

From http://www.myabluebeach.com/

We love this Labradorite necklace from Clea Silk Jewellery . Very summery. From http://www.cleasilk.com/jewellery.html

clea silk jewellery

The Cambridge Raincoat Company

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean it won’t rain. Especially if you live in Britain. We love these gorgeous coats from The Cambridge Coat Company: http://www.cambridgeraincoats.co.uk/

raincoat

Also worth checking out is Vida Moda, a great site for plus size fashion, they are an online boutique that showcases fashions from European designers. They have lots of beautiful clothes on the site, proving that you can buy beautiful clothes in bigger sizes. http://vidamoda.co.uk/

Zara Taylor Jewellery have this beautiful deer ring. A kooky and unique addition to any jewellery collection that always gets people talking. http://zarataylor.co.uk/

Zara Taylor jewellery deer ring

 

Amoir Camaira have beautiful and flattering swimwear. We love the colours and designs. http://www.amoircamaira.co.uk/

Amoir Camaira Amoir CamairaEsmaya_Pink_Swimsuit_lc_sm Amoir CamairaAnd these amazing pieces from Topshop.com

topshop dress

Bardot Floral Prom Dress £70.00

skater dress

Two Tone Bonded Skater Dress £75.00

pink platforms, pink, pastel

SHELLY Pink Cutout Platform £60.00

What do you think? What’s your favourite piece?

Errazuriz Pinot Noir Wild Ferment 2011 Review

Errazuriz Pinot Noir Wild Ferment 2011 ReviewThis Pinot Noir has the perfect balance between light and full, harvested in the first week of March in Aconcagua Costa. This wine comes from Errazuriz, which was founded by Don Maximiano Errazuriz in 1870. Over 140 years later, They are now one of Chile’s most important wine producers.

The wine has aromatic intensity and is fresh and elegant. It has good structure and typicity and the tannins have ripened well. It is a beautiful ruby-red colour and it has subtle notes of sour cherries, rosehips and wild strawberries. It also has a smokey side thanks to being aged for ten months in French oak barrels, only 13% of which were new.

This is a wonderful Pinot Noir: crisp, juicy and with depth. It tastes great and goes down well. Drink now or let it age over the next 4 years. Drink with roasted lamb, turkey or goose.

 

The Capsule Wardrobe

I have worked with amazing stylists and many you will be familiar with, one in particular was Nicky Hambleton-Jones of 10 Years Younger. All the stylist at NHJ Style are taught to carefully look at the clients wardrobe and break it down into sections.
The only way you will get the wardrobe you have always wanted is to do the same.
The Capsule Wardrobe is one phrase you must have heard of? If not its basically the main items everyone needs and should have to hand.Like a black biker jacket, a well fitting pair of jeans, black court shoes, a pencil skirt and a beautiful white fitted shirt. Along with an essential little dress for those nights out. All of these can be worked with in multiple ways.

Styling
A really good sort through of the things you own. You might feel inspired or the you feel a little flat. Either way you need to do this every few years.
I tend to advise my clients that any unworn items just hanging in the closset that haven’t been worn for more than 2 or 3 seasons need to either be revamped, refitted, sold or donated to a charity shop. There is a reason they haven’t have the pleasure of being worn by your beautiful self.Go through your wardrobe and anything that doesn’t fit either give away or have altered. If it makes you feel good for a particular reason then keep it as long as you know you will wear them again.

Sort out the clothing into 3 piles. The first pile should be clothing you love that makes you feel good and fits well. The second is for items you are not sure about that may need reworking or altering and the third pile will be for items you need to throw away, donate or even burn!! Now decide what suits you and what needs to change.
Fashion and style changes so chances are that you are holding onto unattractive and misshaped items, that could do with a bit of TLC. Now look at what you have left and decide if they work.
Time to make a list of what’s missing and what you would like to add.
Here is a list of what I think are the essentials for every wardrobe.
  •  Leather biker jacket
  • Classic Pea coat
  • Navy trench Coat
  • Fitted Black Blazer
  • White and black well fitting, good quality T-shirts
  • Breton top or stripy top
  • Black and white Vest tops
  • Black Pencil skirt
  • Leather shorts or leather mini skirt
  • Cream or white shorts
  • Black Maxi Skirt
  • White Jeans
  • Fitted white shirt
  • Oversized jumper or Boyfriend cardigan
  • A well fitting pair of jeans
  • Cut of denim shorts
  • Perfect LBD
  • Black and nude ballet flats (French soles are perfect)
  • Black court shoe
  • Ankle boots
  • Fedora hat
  • A classic Scarf
  • Sunglasses
  • Waist belt
  • Patent clutch
  • Statement necklace
  • Everyday handbag
  • Red lipstick
Now Sort out and arrange your wardrobe so it’s really easy to find the things you are looking for. Almost merchandise it too, by this is mean colour coordinate it into sections. Place outfits that work well together and have things at hand like shoes in clear boxes to make your mornings easier. A little bit of preparation will go a long way.Now all you need to do is fill the gaps in the wardrobe with good quality items. Always quality over quantity.

Check out Vintage or thrift stores for classic items that have been well made, then have them altered as these will be far superior in quality…they don’t make them like they used to!For more Style and DIY Style advice visit SLB Style for more information and follow Sarah on Twitter @sarahbacchus