I am currently amusing myself by taking pictures of my sleeping cat and making them look like crime scenes. See above. They tend to work really well if you put them through Instagram and hit that little sunshine (contrast) button above the effects – it gives a very realistic shadow [...]]]>

I am currently amusing myself by taking pictures of my sleeping cat and making them look like crime scenes. See above. They tend to work really well if you put them through Instagram and hit that little sunshine (contrast) button above the effects – it gives a very realistic shadow around the body! Morbid, yes, but also fun. Especially when you’re supposed to be working on your dissertation!

Please do upload your own Crime Scene Cats to Instagram and use the hashtag #crimescenecats so that I can peruse at my leisure. Oh, the joys of the internet!

Ten whole years ago I did a lookbook shoot for a (then) fledgling dress designer called Jenny Packham. It was quite common, early on in my modelling career, to be given clothes in lieu of payment when I did certain jobs – as a “new face” you tend to do [...]]]>

Ten whole years ago I did a lookbook shoot for a (then) fledgling dress designer called Jenny Packham. It was quite common, early on in my modelling career, to be given clothes in lieu of payment when I did certain jobs – as a “new face” you tend to do a lot of work for free or very little money. (Instead, you gain experience and beautiful pictures for your portfolio which, in turn, will hopefully gain you more lucrative jobs!)

So: the dress. I could have picked any of the dresses from the shoot that day – all were incredibly detailed, heavily embellished, finely-crafted dresses – but inexplicably I went for the one that had caused me the most trouble. When I wore it, the chains and crystals all tangled up together so that I could barely move; the straps cut into my shoulders painfully; the cut was low, unforgiving; the fabric was sheer…but when I wore it, I also felt a million dollars. I don’t say that lightly – I’ve worn couture dresses that have cost more than a house! – there was just something about this dress. So that’s the one I chose, and a month or so later I popped into Models1 and there it was, a new, specially-made-for-me version, hanging up in the back room. I promised myself that it wouldn’t be a dress that would sit in the wardrobe – I’d show this dress off, I’d wear it to parties and weddings and all sorts….

Cut to ten years later, the TV BAFTAs, and me pulling the dress out of the wardrobe to give it a try-on. I couldn’t believe that it even still fit! But fit it did – like a glove. I think, probably because I’m a little fuller in the old curves department, that it fits a little better than it did ten years ago, but I can’t find the old Jenny Packham lookbook to compare the pictures! I was dubious about wearing this dress to the BAFTAs – it’s a very long event and you have to spend quite a portion of it sat down – but it was Mr AMR who eventually convinced me. He’s been trying to get me to wear this dress for a whole decade!

So, here I am trying the dress on in my bedroom. Please excuse the numerous handprints on the mirrored door – just one of the many chores I don’t get around to!

Here I am trying it on in the hotel – you can see that all of the little chains and crystals are meticulously folded into little paper packages all over the dress to stop them tangling up and ripping the fabric:

I later added some “nipple protectors” because I knew that I’d have to walk the carpet of horror red carpet and if there’s one thing a pap loves, it’s some kind of nipple appearance. (These nipple-cover things are amazing – I’ve had them for years and they are invaluable if you need to go bra-less. I know there’s nothing wrong with a bit of visible nip, but sometimes you just don’t want everyone talking to your smuggled peanuts!) I think mine are these: Self Adhesive Reusable Fashion Hypo-Allergenic, Silicone Gel Nipple Cover

I also added a feather vintage wrap, my “usual” nude heels and a gorgeous nude satin clutch from LK Bennett – the Amelia - which is actually on sale at the moment should you fancy it! It’s here: www.lkbennett.com/bags/clutch/BCAMELIA673SATIN

I couldn’t cut the little parcels of crystals and chains until the very last minute, because they would have tangled up, so Mr AMR very kindly spent twenty minutes in the lobby of the Corinthia hotel “finishing” my dress for me, both of us fumbling about with our clumsy fingers trying to un-knot all of the chains!

Here are some pics from the red carpet – my hair was styled by the wonderful Mark Hill and my makeup was by MAC, my skin was made slightly tanned and glowy by St Tropez and my umbrella was borrowed from the Corinthia hotel. The doorman looked completely shocked when I actually returned it, as promised, at about 1.30am!

In the rain, waiting doing my vlog:

On the red carpet:

For more red carpet footage, see the video below. I’ve actually made two videos about my BAFTAs day – the first is more focused on the look I ended up going for (Great Gatsby (ish) style) and the second is a vlog. I’ll post the vlog later in the week so that you’re not overwhelmed! If you’re reading via email then you need to click here to watch the video – everyone else simply look down!

Click here for BAFTAS Video

(Video Info:

Thank you so much to Mark Hill for my wonderful hair – you can tweet Mark here: https://twitter.com/markhillhair
and his website is here: http://www.markhill.co.uk

I do not have a list of the MAC products used for my makeup but the lipstick is Viva Glam 5. I will try to hunt down the makeup artist and get a list of products!

I had my skin “finished” by St Tropez – a mixture of wash-off tanner and body lotion. See vlog for a little info on that!

Dress is by Jenny Packham. I have a feeling it’s a one-off! http://www.jennypackham.com
Shoes and bag are LK Bennett: http://www.lkbennett.com
Feather wrap is vintage, but I bought it from Lovely’s Vintage: http://lovelys-vintage-emporium.mysho…)

Beauty Sleep products seem to be getting more and more popular – perhaps we’re all finding it harder to sleep! No wonder what with all the technology buzzing around our heads at night – hands up who sleeps with their iPhone nearby, using it as an alarm clock? I’m definitely guilty of [...]]]>

Beauty Sleep products seem to be getting more and more popular – perhaps we’re all finding it harder to sleep! No wonder what with all the technology buzzing around our heads at night – hands up who sleeps with their iPhone nearby, using it as an alarm clock? I’m definitely guilty of that one, though I do try to leave it out on the landing…

Anyway, latest sleepy-product to hit the shelves is the Neal’s Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Body Butter. Very appealingly named, I must say. It smells gorgeous, too, as you’d hope – very relaxing and not even a whiff of that awful synthetic lavender fragrance that sometimes gets shoved into “bedtime” home products.

The texture is quite unusual – it’s a dense, rich butter upon application but it very quickly melts into a light formula with very little slip. This isn’t a balm that takes an age to massage in – it’s surprisingly non-massage-able. Because I always expect my balms to be very oily and rich, I have to say that I was quite surprised by this turn of events, but I can imagine that it would appeal to the many people who hate getting into their pyjamas covered in beauty products! I personally don’t mind it – I see it as a larger-scale version of putting socks on over foot cream – but I know that it’s a common complaint.

Neal’s Yard stores seem to be popping up in lots of places now, so have a little browse when you next pass one. My friend Lauren has just announced to me that she adores their Frankincense Cleanser so I suppose I’ll have to try that, next, or she’ll never leave me alone!

The Beauty Sleep Body Butter is £22.50 from Neal’s Yard Remedies – online here.

You can find a few other sleep-treats that I’ve written about here

Just in case you haven’t had the misfortune of using a toilet with a faraway door, and have absolutely no clue what I’m on about, let me explain. A toilet with a faraway door is almost exclusively to be found in dodgy old pubs, hotels and restaurants that have been [...]]]>

Just in case you haven’t had the misfortune of using a toilet with a faraway door, and have absolutely no clue what I’m on about, let me explain. A toilet with a faraway door is almost exclusively to be found in dodgy old pubs, hotels and restaurants that have been converted from other things. Walls have been moved, kitchens have been bunged in, WC facilities have been added as an afterthought – usually with old, chipped sanitary-ware and those high-up cisterns with a chain flush that doesn’t work.

Nothing wrong with that – we’re all used to rubbish toilet facilities, probably. Lack of loo roll, the toilet seat that isn’t attached properly and propels you off to the side at the crucial moment, the door that doesn’t have a lock so that you are forced to wee with one foot pushed up against it. (Interesting.) Ah yes! The door with no lock! There is only one thing worse than a toilet door with no lock, and that’s a Faraway Door. The toilet with a Faraway Door, Dear Friends, is at one end of an inexplicably cavernous room, and the door is at the other. Does this not make anyone else feel ridiculously vulnerable? It only takes one drunken person to push the door just a little too hard and there you suddenly are, exposed and guilty-looking, sat on your throne to be viewed and pitied until the intruder deems it a fitting time to utter their apologies and shuffle out backwards. THIS IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE! (Apart from drowning, getting stuck in a cave without a torch, being buried alive and accidentally scraping Mr AMR’s special Audi wheels in the Westfield carpark.)

A toilet door should be right next to the toilet. Whether it’s in a hotel room, at home, in a pub, in a service station: there should be no more than a couple of feet between you, sat on the loo, and the door. You should be able to block invasions with a foot, wedged against the woodwork; you should be able to stop that door with Kung-Fu reaction times, your hand shooting out at lightening speed as soon as you hear the handle being rattled. (I hope that none of this is “just me” and my weird phobias? I know that some people are absolutely fine to do their private things with the door open; long-lost relatives traipsing on through to brush their teeth, a film crew squished into the shower-stall, but – show of hands – who quite likes a completely secure toilet environment?)

Real-life example of a too-faraway toilet door. Setting: expensive hotel room with palatial bathroom. Toilet is approximately 300yds from the door, door has no lock.

“Room clean!” (Voice from outer door.)

“No thank you!” (That’s me.)

Door to hotel room opens.

“NO THANK YOU!” (That’s me. I am sat on the toilet, obviously, otherwise I would get up and tell the maid rather than bellowing it across the great expanse of marble flooring. I am also completely naked, which makes things a LOT WORSE.)

“Room clean!” I hear the maid cross the room and (why?!) approach the bathroom door.

“NO! NO! NO!” I am apoplectic with a strange form of helpless rage – I am in a difficult situation. What does one do in this precarious time? There are not enough seconds to stop and “secure the barracks”, so to speak; getting caught midway through this is one thousand times worse than just staying seated and adopting a content expression, like a hen upon an egg. But who wants to be viewed, by a stranger, sitting upon the loo? Not I! Needless to say that the door burst open and I was faced with the blank expression of the hotel maid, who, to be fair, must have seen things that we wouldn’t even be able to imagine. (Perhaps she should learn the “knock and wait for someone to answer, then actually listen to their answer” method of entry.)

“Room clean?”

“Okay,” I said.

…

Toilets with Faraway Doors: begone. If you must have a ridiculously large bathroom, then make sure it has a good lock. For the sake of your guests, at least. If you’re designing a restaurant or pub re-fit, consider, perhaps, having four lavatories in the gargantuan space that presently, on your plans, contains only one. We ladies do not need a powder room big enough to do a U-turn in a juggernaut in – we just want to be able to wee in peace. Uninterrupted. Without the threat of our Uncle/Great Aunt/Boss/Father-in-Law walking on in.

And I’ll just add, to this: those new-fangled toilets on trains. The ones where the WHOLE ENTIRE WALL slides away if someone presses the “open” button. What’s up with those, please? Once that door starts a-sliding, there ain’t nothing you can do to stop it – just prepare to greet your audience with a smile on your face. I know there’s a button that says “LOCK”, but do excuse me if I prefer the old-fashioned type, the ones that actually create an attachment between door and wall.

Thoughts?

Sunday Tittle Tattle (noun?): everything from the week that I have forgotten to post about, in easy brunch-sized chunks…

 What’s been going on this week, I wonder?

1) I have decided to write my dissertation for my Masters Degree on Wolf Hall. (Above,) If you haven’t read [...]]]>

Sunday Tittle Tattle (noun?): everything from the week that I have forgotten to post about, in easy brunch-sized chunks…

 What’s been going on this week, I wonder?

1) I have decided to write my dissertation for my Masters Degree on Wolf Hall. (Above,) If you haven’t read this book yet, and you love historical novels, then DO! It’s absolutely brilliant. But set aside about four years of your life, because it’s a chunky old sod. I lost my original hardback copy (it probably fell through the ground and into the centre of the earth) so I had to buy a new one the other day. If you want to read along with me (well, you read it and I’ll read-it-and-make-notes-on-it-and-analyse-it) then you can find it on Amazon here: Wolf Hall. I don’t even know why I’m telling you about my dissertation, because surely this is as boring as news can get; I suppose I want you to feel my pain.

2) I had a bit of a lingerie splurge on Friday. I realised that some of my bras were getting a little bit worn in the underwiring department and the sharp bits were sticking into my skin. Not good, not good. I hate throwing things in the bin and will hoard for decades, so I was quite impressed with myself for putting them out with the food rubbish. They were completely unfixable so they would have just gathered dust. I put them in the food bin so that they would smell if I tried to retrieve them later! (That’s how badly I hoard….) Anyway, after the success of my last Stella by Stella McCartney set, I thought I’d invest in a couple more. I went for the new tiger print set and also a cute one that’s been out for a while called Marguerite Riding. I’ll let you know how I get on with them – it’s the weekend so I am bra-less! I like to gad about in a crop top and many layers of cotton, no underwiring in site. The fact that I have to hold onto my breasts when I run down the stairs is a small price to pay for such luxurious comfort! If you want to have a look at the new undies then the Stella Smooth Bra is £42 here and the Marguerite Riding is £45 here. I wear a 32DD in this brand and a medium in the knickers, FYI.

3) More purchasing (I promise I don’t spend my life buying things!) – I tracked down a new pair of LK Bennett Idina shoes on eBay. Fifty quid!! They still have the price label on the bottom and, though unboxed, are in pristine condition. What a coup – one hundred pounds off! eBay is a good old chap when he behaves, but I have been stung in the past. I now have three pairs of Idinas but the first lot are about to go to the recycling bin because they are totally, irreversibly knackered.

4) Useful beauty product of the week: Liz Earle’s Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion. This is one of those beauty products that I wheel out each and every spring/summer when my eyes begin what I like to call their Gammy Cycle. Gungey and itchy in the morning, tired and itchy before I go to bed. It only happens when the pollen count increases – I don’t get any other hayfever symptoms at all, but the eyes are enough! I either use the Liz Earle Eyebright as a tonic, sweeping it over my eyes to freshen them up, or on cotton wool pads as a soothing compress. I am a “snooze addict” – I can’t get up until I’ve hit the snooze button at least once – so what I sometimes do is pop the soaked cotton wool pads over my eyes, hit snooze and relax for nine minutes. You can find full ingredients list and more info on Eyebright here.

5) The obligatory Mr Bear photograph (note I’ve put it last so that people who are bored of cats don’t have to read if they don’t want to. I’m nice like that!). This is Mr Bear’s twice-weekly face clean. Always executed by Mr AMR, always followed up with a Dreamies biscuit, just the one. Mr Bear just sits there are purrs as his eyes and nose are cleaned!

I’ve mentioned this Photo Set Finishing Powder before, I’m sure, but it deserves a full post because it’s an essential part of my makeup kit when I’m filming. It’s a very fine, ultra-lightweight face powder that takes away shine and leaves the very faintest “blur” on the surface of my skin. Rather than [...]]]>

I’ve mentioned this Photo Set Finishing Powder before, I’m sure, but it deserves a full post because it’s an essential part of my makeup kit when I’m filming. It’s a very fine, ultra-lightweight face powder that takes away shine and leaves the very faintest “blur” on the surface of my skin. Rather than absorbing oil and then sticking to whatever foundation I have on, it seems to almost sit away from the skin like a light veil – it’s quite hard to explain, really, and it’s not something that a video would demonstrate very effectively!

I think that this powder is an absolute must-have if you need to reapply powder throughout the day – it absorbs oil but never, ever goes cakey on me and during a typical day doing DailyMix or other filming, I use it between five and ten times. A quick sweep over my forehead and nose, a touch to the chin – because it’s so light it doesn’t disturb any makeup underneath and it’s translucent, too, so it doesn’t look chalky or pale. (If you were darker than a medium skintone, you’d want to tread a little carefully with multiple applications, I suppose, because any powder will build up to some colour eventually, but I find it to be undetectable on my fair/medium skin, even after layers and layers of it!)

I apply the Photo Set Finishing Powder using a fan brush – the one shown is by Smashbox but there are plenty out there that are light and feathery. I dip the brush into the powder pot and make sure that I really get rid of any excess powder before gently sweeping the brush across any skin that looks shiny. It has this amazing revitalising effect on makeup that seems to make everything look a little fresher and less tired, and I suppose this is why it’s such a permanent fixture in my filming kit. I love pressed powders too, and I’m really fond of my big tubs of Chanel and Shu Uemura loose powders, but the Smashbox one is so light and portable, so colourless and easy, it just ticks all of the boxes.

It’s £18 (or 1800 points) from Boots.com and also from SalonSkincare

The new issue of TWO Magazine is out and inside it, the first of the fashion stories that I shot in Palm Springs. Yee-ha! I turned into a Cowgirl for the day at Joshua Tree National Park. All in a day’s work…

You’ve [...]]]>

The new issue of TWO Magazine is out and inside it, the first of the fashion stories that I shot in Palm Springs. Yee-ha! I turned into a Cowgirl for the day at Joshua Tree National Park. All in a day’s work…

You’ve seen this Hush dress about seventy-five million times now, so I don’t need to say anything else about it (apart from I love it, love it, love it) but I wanted to draw your attention to the amazing cowboy boots I have on. They have tiny little heart-shaped holes cut out from the leather! We used boots from Durango for pretty much every shot, they just worked so well and looked pre-vintaged which is always a bonus. There’s nothing worse than a shiny pair of cowboy boots – you want them roughed-up and dusty, in my opinion!

Check out these babies:

They’re so kitsch and over-the-top – they were an instant hit. I always think that cowboy boots should be worn with plenty of leg, but that’s just me. I do wear them with jeans every now and then, but I try to avoid looking as though I’m actually trying to be a cowboy – I like to sex them up a tiny bit so that I avoid that “fancy dress party” look. Tanned legs, soft cotton, dusty-bronzed makeup – those are my ideal Cowboy Boot side-orders.

I wrote about Durango Boots before – you can find more details here.

For the full magazine spread, you can sign up (free) to TWO Magazine here.

Another facial to add to my list of favourites; the Valmont Energy Ritual at Harrod’s Urban Retreat. I was at Harrods to have a little introduction to Valmont’s latest product launch, the Time Master Intensive Program, which is a month-long treatment of powerful serums that tackle signs of ageing. I’ve simplified it greatly, there, but the [...]]]>

Another facial to add to my list of favourites; the Valmont Energy Ritual at Harrod’s Urban Retreat. I was at Harrods to have a little introduction to Valmont’s latest product launch, the Time Master Intensive Program, which is a month-long treatment of powerful serums that tackle signs of ageing. I’ve simplified it greatly, there, but the programme costs £827 so it’s not going to have mass appeal! (If you’d like to find out more then the link to the Urban Retreat page is here.) A quick glance over Valmont’s (extensive) product line and prices revealed that this is a super-premium brand; serious, science-led, sat right up there in beauty’s Premier Heights alongside brands such as La Prairie and Creme de la Mer. These are not beauty regimes many people could ever afford to maintain in their entirety, which is why I think that often their signature facials are quite a good idea. You get to experience the brand’s key products and hero ingredients and you can usually ask the therapist quite detailed questions about the ranges and the particular things that would suit your skin.

 I opted for the “Energy Ritual” which seemed to have dozens of steps. Despite many of the stages feeling very functional and efficient (cleansing, tingly mask) I was absolutely relaxed from the very first second. The balance between massage movements and what I like to call “proper hardcore facial moves” was spot-on – and there was never a moment that felt like wasted time. It lasted for a full hour (not a minute less) and afterwards, on stepping into the bathrooms to check my face, I found that my skin looked perfect. Full of life, even-toned (how does that even happen?) and plumped out. The initial effects lasted for a few days but my skin still felt very soft and smooth a week later. Uncharacteristically so. I’ll be adding the Valmont Facial to my list of favourites – there was no strange period of “purging” or spots popping to the surface and so this is definitely one that I’d do the day before an event or party if I needed to pep myself up.

There are two other rituals – the Firmness and the Hydration facials. Each costs £140 for an hour and can be booked at Urban Retreat, Harrods. (020 7893 8333) The dates for the summer sessions are as follows: 21-25 May for the Energy Facials and 18-22 June for the Hydration Ritual.

Last week I showed off my new white stilettos from Topshop (above) -and  I’ve just spotted a pair on ASOS for less than half the price.

I’m not sure how the quality compares as I haven’t seen the ASOS ones first-hand, but [...]]]>

Last week I showed off my new white stilettos from Topshop (above) -and  I’ve just spotted a pair on ASOS for less than half the price.

I’m not sure how the quality compares as I haven’t seen the ASOS ones first-hand, but they’re not leather which will be a sticking point for lots of people. (Me.) However, if you’re after a quick-fix, cheap way of “doing the trend” then they’re not bad at all. £25 at ASOS.com

While we’re at it – look at these two-tone camel-coloured ones! I love them! They may creep their way into my life… They are here: ASOS.com

ALSO, for those of you who fell in love with my Fluro Boucle Jacket (see post here!) there’s a new version I’ve spotted. For those who want to keep it a little more subdued, there’s a grey version with Fluro trim – still that bright little pop of colour but easier to wear, perhaps. Same price, £35, the page is here – they seem to have all sizes in stock at the moment.

SpaceNK’s latest customer goodie bag is a bit of a winner – over £190 in value, it includes the cutest Diptyque candle and a travel-size Institut Esthederm sunspray. Lots of handy things for your hols… Contents pictured above. My friend Maya will be there like a shot – I’m sure she goes to [...]]]>

SpaceNK’s latest customer goodie bag is a bit of a winner – over £190 in value, it includes the cutest Diptyque candle and a travel-size Institut Esthederm sunspray. Lots of handy things for your hols… Contents pictured above. My friend Maya will be there like a shot – I’m sure she goes to every single customer event – they should give her a trophy!

To bag the goodies you need to spend over £150 instore on the 15th May – but what if you don’t live near a SpaceNK? Well, good news. There’s an online version too – same value, very slightly different samples. All of them still luxe and gorgeous, and that all-important Diptyque candle is still included… I’ve popped an image of the online contents below – you can try and play spot the difference if you’re bored! Notable differences for me: the inclusion of a By Terry serum sample and a dark-spot correcting product from StriVectin. There’s also a product from “Radical Skincare” worth thirty-three pounds for 8ml! The mind boggles.

Online customers can take advantage of this offer anytime between 1am on the 15th May and midnight on the 16th – so all of Wednesday and Thursday. If you fancy one then just use the code “maybag14″ – please note that this is for UK customers only, no international shipping unfortunately!

Space NK Online

If you were in need of any inspiration, (as if!), then take a look at this Custom Artist Portfolio from Laura Mercier. You may recall the luxury brush set that she bought out for Christmas (post here) – well this one doesn’t have brushes but it’s quite similar in that it’s a hard shell case with detachable mesh makeup bags inside. Quite handy if you travel a lot and want something sturdy and practical that will protect your precious palettes and glass bottles!

You can get a version without makeup (£65 and comes with 4 makeup bags, brush “page”, two fillable makeup compacts, here) but this one includes two eye duos, a cheek colour, a lipgloss and an eye pencil. It’s £85 from SpaceNK.

These little hard-cases are quite expensive, but they seem to be very durable and they look glamorous in an understated way. The mesh removable bags are surprisingly useful – they’re magnetised so they just snap in and out in less than a second. Good for people who like to be organised when they travel – especially the £65 version with four mesh bags! You could have one for lips, one for eyes, one for cheeks and one for foundation and powder. If you were so inclined… Move over Monica from Friends…