Darling Shearling

This exactly what our weather is like right now. It's so beautiful but so cold. I'm lusting over this stunning shearling coat from here. I can imagine how soft it would be against my neck and how warm and cosy I would be.

It's so lovely.

Hhhm...

Santa? Santa? You there?

Want To Come to a Party With Me?

Are you free on Wednesday the 8th of December? Want to come to a great shopping evening at Harvey Nichols with the Sunday Times Style Magazine? Free cocktails and 20% of fashion and 10% of beauty. And I'll be there doing some party makeup looks. Pass this link on, the more the merrier....

There's another great reason why you should come...

I will be launching my new partnership with Harvey Nichols on the evening and I'm pretty excited about it! I will now be available in a beautiful private suite in the store for one on one makeup lessons where I will pick the best products for you from all the store has to offer and teach you how to use them to best effect. It is a two hour personal beauty shopping experience and it is only offered by me in Harvey Nichols. You cannot get this service in any other department store.

It's a great way to get access to an experienced professional makeup artist who is only focussed on you. I will edit your current makeup collection and advise you on what to buy to create the looks I show you. I work with your budget and your personal taste to design your new looks and update your makeup collection.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by all the brands facing you when you walk into a department store, here is your solution. Come and see me...we'll have such fun!

P.S. It's a pretty cool Christmas present and gift vouchers will be available from Harvey Nichols.

Get in Line

This is my new toy; La Ligne de Chanel. It is an old fashioned cake eye liner from the revered cosmetic House of Chanel. With super makeup artist Peter Phillips at the helm, Chanel has become so much more fashion forward, with it's seasonal nail polishes rapidly becoming collectors items and this year's Rouge Coco lipsticks out-performing most other lipstick brands; it seems we would all like a little piece of Chanel. Particularly when our dreams of owning a quilted bag or classic boucle jacket have been shattered by our new prudent shopping habits, we can at least take some of the brand's glamour home in a black polished compact with the intertwined C's.

There is nothing more glamorous than a classic, deep black eye line and this product is the prefect way to achieve it. The compact contains the tools you need and by dipping your brush in water and then into the inky palette you can easily create a gorgeous line. (Aim as close to the upper lashes as possible to keep the line tight) . There is a dark sparkly side to complement the deeper tone and I find that it's great when you add a bit on top of the line you have just drawn for extra shimmer. You can also use it as a shadow all over the lid.

Wouldn't it make a nice stocking filler? It's time to start with the hints ladies!

Toasty

I love checking out the new seasonal campaigns from Toast...their Christmas images are always so evocative and romantic.

I really want this gold paper bunting for my house...

Sweet, old-school hot water bottle covers...

I just like this shot - no real reason!

Tables and Chairs

Just saw this fab online interiors site called Rue. I like the grey walls and metallic features in the room above.

Nice Autumnal spread...

Cute floral chairs...

Lovely curved lines and studding on these great chairs...

Brrrrr

Well, Winter is well and truly here my friends! We are in the biggest deep freeze we have seen for years and I am loving it! We live on the side of a beautiful hill right beside the sea and it's like a proper winter wonderland. These amazing pictures were taken yesterday, just 5 minutes from our house.

It's pretty unusual to see dolphins in Ireland but these three have taken to our local shore and are much loved by us all...

Creamy Smooth

Oh my word, Laura Mercier's new Creme Smooth foundation is just lovely. I mean, really lovely. I don't usually lean towards Laura for foundations apart from her tinted moisturisers, which are very good indeed. I find her original foundations to be a bit too opaque for my taste for sheerer things. But I tried this in Space NK in Harvey Nichols the other day and I will be going back for more. For both myself and my makeup kit. It is creamy and luxurious with a very good coverage that stays smooth and soft with no caking whatsoever. It leaves a polished and groomed look to the skin which is almost mannequin-like. Bear in mind that a little goes a very long way, so just use a tiny amount and buff it lightly over your face, building up layers where you feel you need it. It's quite a grown up foundation with a very grown up price point at €60, but in Laura Mercier HQ they say that one pot should last you two years if you use it correctly. So going by their projections, it's actually a budget foundation at not even one cent per application! (I'm somewhat dubious of this claim, but time will tell!)