Wee Birdy

London street style: Cult Beauty launch

I've been meaning to write about the brilliant Cult Beauty launch at Bloww last week. These two gorgeous birdies caught my eye, so I hijacked photographer Mark Martin to take their pics for Wee Birdy:

Dana, 23, wears a stunning Erdem dress, Miu Miu shoes, Fendi doctor buckle tote, and Belmacz earrings and rings.

Clare, 29, wears Topshop dress, Hooch top, vintage bag and Office boots.

I took along former beauty ed. Ms G, who got busy getting a brand new 20s-inspired hair-do, while I got fitted out with some ultra-glam false lashes by Eylure. They were fluttery perfection! There was also a free nail bar but somehow we skipped that and ended up eating the BEST sesame prawn toast in Chinatown. (Some day I will find out exactly where we went and report back.)

The superlative goody bag was packed full of the best Cult Beauty buys, including Neal's Yard Organic Orange Flower Facial Oil (seriously glow-giving stuff), Dr Bragi Intensive treatment mask, Tara Smith Base Coat Serum, Essie nail varnish (in Wicked - this season's perfect black/red shade), and some super-fancy Belmacz lip gloss, so fancy it's laced with 24-carat gold leaf. There was also a bottle of Shave Foam Gel by The Refinery, but by the end of the night I had swapped it for a Tony Blair cupcake, (don't ask!) courtesy of one too-many Moet piccolos followed by a verrry long night in Soho's various drinking establishments.

(p.s. Dear Mr. Gossip Columnist who had just come from the Tony Blair book launch - you got the better end of the deal, Mister!)

London shopping: Content Beauty/Wellbeing

Oh Marylebone, how I do love thee? Let me count the ways.* Actually, I’ve already waxed lyrical several times over some of the ways – via some of the best independent shops in London that call Marylebone home. And here’s another one to add to that list: Content Beauty/Wellbeing (quite a timely addition being Organic Fortnight and all, making a visit to Imelda Burke’s luxury eco beauty boutique all the more relevant).

Content Beauty/Wellbeing is the first of its kind in London, with a carefully edited selection of certified organic skincare and make-up gracing its certified sustainable wooden shelves. You can rest assured there’s not a smidgen of synthetic nasties in here, with Imelda paying more than lipservice to her ecological commitment. Not only does she choose each brand for their superior organic properties, but she also thoroughly investigates their eco-credentials through each stage of production.

It’s impressive stuff, and so is the boutique itself, with cupboard doors made from recycled vending machine coffee cups, and vintage powder compacts serving as door handles. It’s a curiously inviting modern space, where the minimalist sexy black walls (organic paint, natch) merge with a collage of found objects, old-fashioned botanical illustrations, Victorian postcards and pressed flowers. I also love the collection of Imelda’s vintage hand mirrors from the 20s and 50s, which are hung on the wall next to the Jane Iredale make-up counter. Such a lovely way to admire your new look.

 

Then there’s the 1920s photo album/sketch book which Imelda found at a market and uses as the store’s mailing list book. Flick through the pages of customers’ details and you’ll find the odd page with an endearing drawing or painting by the original owner.
 

As for the products themselves, well, they’re the heroes standing in all their premium organic glory. Here you’ll find niche British organic skincare brands like ila (the Face Oil for Glowing Radiance has a cult following), Laidbare and Inlight joining international brands such as Dr Hauschka, Suki, and Dr Alkaitis. Top picks include Saaf Organic Pure Face Cleanser (£24.99) Dr Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel (£36), and Organic Apoteke Rasayana Rejuvenating Serum (£49.95). More credit-crunch friendly picks include Laidbare’s Grapefruit Seed Body Wash (£12), Henry Tianus Pore Purifier (£8.50) and Butter London’s formaldehyde-free nail varnishes (£10).

 
Check out the website for online shopping and more info about the treatment room downstairs which offers excellent Dr Alkaitis facials (as Jess G. from Cult Beauty said, it’s the only place in London to get them).

* With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who is actually a former resident of Marylebone (at 50 Wimpole Street) and married Robert Browning at St Marylebone Parish Church.

Content Beauty/Wellbeing
14 Bulstrode Street
London W1U 2JG
Tel. 020 3075 1006

Nearest tube: Bond Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 10.30am - 6pm

Click here for more shops in Marylebone.

“My Secret London” with Jess G. from Cult Beauty

To kick-start this brand-new series, we asked Jess Gearheart, creative director and blog editor of uber-cool new online women's beauty destination, Cult Beauty, to share her London secrets with Wee Birdy readers. And my, she's really spilled on the good stuff ... Dig in, my dears.

Favourite London shops?
"One of my favourites is now closed. It was Mootich shoe shop on Elizabeth Street. Katarina's shoes were hand-crafted and stunningly gorgeous and the little studio was so welcoming and Dickensian in size and feel ... perfect.
Sari shops on Brick Lane and Southall for their endless vibrant fabrics and row upon row of sparkling bangles.
Huntsman and Henry Poole on Savile Row because they're some of the last true tailors left on a street that is swiftly filling up with posers trading falsely on the Savile Row name.
Ormonde Jayne because it's diminutive and black and filled with marvellous scents.
The Village Deli in Highgate because they make American-style coffee."

Best for a bargain?
"A bargain? Does it exist in London? I always make a beeline for the 'Buy Now or Regret It Forever' rack at Topshop (in the back right corner of the basement) and have bought some of my coolest pieces there. If you can stomach the insanity of the sample sales, check out Fashion Confidential or Urban Junkies for the best and most up-to-date listings. The Century Theatre in Westbourne Grove always has something going on (Paul & Joe, Temperley, Matthew Williamson et al) and so does The Music Room on South Molton Lane (i.e. Hermes, Prada)."

A Music Room sale

Best for vintage?
"Annie's on Camden Passage for dresses and Blondie/Absolute Vintage on Commercial Street for accessories and shoes. Go to charity shops in the country for real bargains because you won't find them in London. Vintage does not come cheap in the Big Smoke. Actually, now that I think about it, Change of Heart in Crouch End is great for vintage finds, as it's off the beaten track. I found the most beautiful DVF dress with tags still on marked down to 100 quid. Still, like I said, not terribly cheap. You could also try The Button Lady in Hampstead."

Best for fashion?
"Matches for Sum Fortune shoes. Spitalfields Market for one-off dresses and jackets. COS for simple, essential pieces like ballet flats, shift dresses, vests and jeans. And they sell slips! GAP for summer sandals (because they have a brilliant European design team). Wolford on South Molton Street for the best opaque tights. You can buy an entire, beautiful wardrobe from those stores and, although it's not, it'll look super expensive and put-together."

Sum Fortune shoes.

Best for jewellery?
"Blondie for vintage jewels; Kabiri on Marylebone High Street for precious and semi-precious stones; and Tatty Devine on Brick Lane for quirky pieces like cassette tape brooches, name plate necklaces or Rob Ryan cut-outs. Astley Clarke is the best online jeweller in town and will deliver same-day courier service and gift-wrapped. Belmacz does the most beautiful high-end pieces. So does Alexandra Jefford and she takes commissions."

Best for interiors and gifts?
"Palette London and The Design Museum."

Best for stationery?
"Liberty and Hazlitz. Liberty for traditional stuff and brands like Billet Doux and Hazlitz for cool stuff no one else will have."

Best for beauty?
"Facials: Monique Horsey (great at extractions) or Sarah Chapman for facials. Una Brennan and Vaishaly Patel are good too but you need to book waaaaaaaay in advance for those ladies.
Nails: Teresa Smith because she'll come to you. Get a buffed finish. It last longer.
Hair: Karine Jackson for colour and I usually cut my own hair (yes, I know I shouldn't).
Shopping online: Cult Beauty for the best beauty finds online without having to dig around for them, of course. The Cult Beauty blog or Vogue.co.uk for beauty news.
Shopping in-store: If I want to browse in-store I go to Urban Retreat, Space NK, Lost in Beauty or Content Beauty/Wellbeing [Top Bird: shop tour of Content Beauty/Wellbeing coming soon!]. Content Beauty/Wellbeing is an all-natural shop with the best selection of natural and organic products I've ever seen, both online and in-store. And they do Dr. Alkaitis facials, which no one else in London does.
Spas: Bloww does great massages, Bliss is good for a New Yorker who misses her American spa treatments and Origins do mini-facials in-store, as do Simple (both based in Covent Garden).
Fragrance: Les Senteurs for hard-to-find fragrances or Ormonde Jayne in the Royal Arcade for my go-to scents, Frangipani and Ormonde Woman.
Eyebrows and lashes: Vanda Serrador or Vaishaly for threading and Sue Marsh for Eye-tec false eyelashes. Marsh does the most artistic and cool lashes in town. She'll come to you or you can visit her at Daniel Galvin in Marylebone. They'll stay on for a Very. Long. Time.
Waxing: Otylia Roberts or Bloww. Just go. Otylia is the best. She does the least painful Brazilian in Europe. Bloww is the second least painful."

Content Beauty/Wellbeing.

Best London souvenir?
"Until it opens in New York, a Topshop dress and accessories; Organic Pharmacy shampoo and conditioner; BECCA concealer and beach tints [pick them up at Harvey Nichols]; sugar mice; Cadbury Flake; and new music that hasn’t arrived in the U.S. (Adele is just making it stateside)."

Favourite place to eat?
"There are four: Afghan Kitchen for a cheap night out and BYOB; the Grain Shop when I'm in west London and want a mound of healthy food (and sweets) to take away; Ottolenghi for brunch and 32 Old Bailey (but only on Balkan Fever night!) for a night of silly dancing. Also, on a sunny day I wouldn't complain if a mate invited me for Pimm’s and nibbles and poolside fun on the roof of Shoreditch House."

Salads at Ottolenghi.

Your number one London shopping secret?
"Stay away from Portobello Market. It's a waste of time, money and energy. Visit the other ones instead and go either really early or really late. There's no other city in the world with the street market culture of London. There's Columbia Road for flowers, Borough for food, Camden Passage for antiques and so many other smaller local ones (e.g. Broadway Market in Hackney et al)."

Click here for a Wee Birdy map of Jess G's Secret London addresses.
Check out Jess's must-read blog on niche skincare and cosmetics brands at Cult Beauty.

Super thanks and big birdy kisses to Jess for her generous tips and advice.

Top Bird loves: Stephanie Simek jewellery

Back in the fledgling days of Wee Birdy, I came across jewellery designer Stephanie Simek and her delicately playful sterling silver eyelash necklaces. I especially loved the sweet single eyelash with the freshwater pearl tears (US$35).

Stephanie has since added to her collection with a seemingly fragile speckled quail egg pendant, lined with 23k gold leaf (US$125).

Her latest piece is this rather sweetly subversive powder necklace (below), which features a pearlized Turbo Cinereus shell filled with a sparkling mineral powder (US$95). The idea is that you tap the shell whenever you want to dust your decolletage with a light sprinkle of shimmer powder. A sterling silver funnel is also attached to the clasp for decoration and refilling. (It's a kinda innocent spin on the "secret stash" vial necklace worn by Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in Cruel Intentions, don't you think?)

You can also customise the necklace by re-filling it with your favourite shimmer powder. (I like Becca's Loose Shimmer Powder in Angel or Nymph.)
www.stephaniesimek.com

What to take home Wednesday: Claridge's candles

If the ultimate souvenir serves to remind your senses of an authentic (and specific) sense of place, then you’d be hard pressed to do better than Claridge’s eponymous Black & White collection.

In fact, in The Goddess Guide (a Wee Birdy favourite), author Giselle Scanlon says she “can’t leave Mayfair without visiting Claridge’s to pick up a bottle of their signature musky bath oil – in its elegant Art Deco bottle, with the lid shaped like the hotel’s bathroom taps.”

The collection’s black and white packaging reflects the classic glamour of this historic London institution, as well as the foyer’s grand marble floor.

I especially love the candle’s evocative floral top notes of Turkish rose and Indian jasmine, with warm, woody-Oriental undertones of Russian wild coriander and agarwood bark. The entire Black & White collection is available exclusively from Claridge’s Flowers & Gifts stall (just inside the Ballroom entrance).

Claridge’s Black & White Candle, £32 (250g)
Claridge’s Travel candle set, £18.50 (2 x 50g)

Claridge's
Brook Street
Mayfair
London W1K 4HR
Tel: 020 7629 1508

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Nearest tube: Bond Street

(p.s. for the ultimate in bathroom luxury, make sure you check out the Ladies just to the right of the front entrance.)

Photography by Paul Raeside, courtesy of Claridge's.