We really have got ourselves tied up in knots over pursuit of the perfect. Blame our silly human nature, blame Instagram. The perfect relationship, the perfect house, the perfect pair of jeans…
Perfect is fine, until you start thinking your life is not fine without it. And there’s ridiculous unattainable perfect – a £1000 hangbag which, let’s be honest, is Emperor’s New Clothes kind of perfect hiding behind a logo and excessive price tag – but then there’s something that hopefully is a little more real, and just perfect because it’s perfect for you.
So here’s a few of my perfects with a little extra beauty of interest thrown in.
THE JEANS
Yesterday a friend said, “I never know which are your favourite pair, you wear so many on Instagram!”. A truth indeed. And I have many great pairs of jeans – the Topshop straight, the Anine Bing skinny, the MiH Lou kick flare – but the pair that stand out so extremely strong is last year’s Wedgie fit by Levi’s. I tried on a faded black pair in Clapton’s Bad Denim and was sold there and then. High but comfortable but still looking damn good on the waist, and a kind of 80s leg shape, part straight, part carrot. And real, non stretch denim. Rigid denim, Vogue tried to coin it, but I don’t think it stuck. Nothing beats pale and torn though, and with an old, nearly out of date voucher, I nabbed this pair from Shopbop and they are my new best friends, the pull-on-everyday-pair and the rest of your outfit will sort itself. I’ve linked below the range of Wedgies I could find currently online…
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2418439″]
THE SCARF
It’s still billowy cold, so big oversized grey scarfs are what’s needed. But as soon as the temperature eases up, and we start to see spring in the misty distance, it’s a lighter, cashmere mix that is needed. I’ve had some beautiful ones over the years, the come with me everyday and sad to say, I’ve lost a couple from such frequent use and my most recent purchase a couple of years ago, had an unfortunate encounter with a moth. So new in, is this exquisitely made loose weave pure cashmere scarf from London’s Nihao Planet – tempted as ever to go for grey, I chose light beige instead because, Spring is all about the light and airy. It’s just exquisite and sits so beautifully around your neck, the perfect partner to a white tee, blue denim jacket or black biker.
Cashmere scarf* | Nihao Planet
THE JEWELLERY
My jewellery passion has evolved of late from small and delicate to slightly bigger designs and charms. They feel somehow more meaningful and my talisman pieces at the moment are a small collection of signets worn on middle fingers. This etched rose gold signet is by Millar Jewellery and the handcarved charms by Roz Buehrlen. The heart to remind me to keep my love full and strong, the lighthouse, because my Scottish side were once lighthouse keepers!
Charms* |Roz Buehrlen / Signet* | Millar Jewelllery (both at The Pommier)
THE CANDLE
So many beautiful candles around right now as you know. But then one comes along that totally gets you! The #mykindofmeltdown message from Seven Seventeen speaks to mothers in need of a reassuring laugh-filled hug! Created by ex-Elle commissioning editor Naomi Reilly and her magazine journalist pal Sarah (mother to five between them!) who felt a little sanity restoration was something they could offer to all mothers in need carried along on the soothing scent of wild fig and grape. Love! And at £14, nicely priced too.
Candle* | Seven Seventeen
THE BEAUTY
You know me, I’m not a big makeup wearer but one perfect tool over the years has long been YSL’s iconic Touche Eclat. Now you can find the perfect match for the foundation (and this is the primer) to work perfectly with your shade. This being a touch more makeup than I usually wear (my daily is Dr Hauschka’s translucent makeup) I save this for when I need to look a little bit more perfectly made up (like when I record my podcast haha, joke! – oh wow, so much more relaxing than You Tube I can tell you! (Check out my new Phototalk series here on the blog or on iTunes so you can listen on the go).
The Geneu double-pump action serums you see are maybe a little more hi-tech than my usual beauty but where they come in on the perfect front, is that they are created for you – an anti-oxidant and a collagen serum – based upon a DNA swab test (just a cotton wool bud inside your mouth) you do first and a lifestyle assessment. Epigenetics is the buzzword in the glossies – “the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself”. Turns out I’m in need of an extra boost of antioxidants (as I don’t wear sunscreen everyday and smoked in the past) and that my collagen gene is a little more broken down than it could be. So this is all taken in hand by the ingredients that go into the serum. 12 weeks is needed for the skin cells to refresh and improve, so I haven’t yet seen the results, but there’s something super satisfying knowing that you’re using something tailored to your needs. Perfect 😉
Primer & foundation | YSL / Serum | Geneu (visit the Selfridges Geneu beauty bar for the in-store DNA test or home kit )
THE COVER
On a final note, I thought the most recent New Yorker cover just so completely nailed it with their extinguished flame of Liberty smoke trailing in the sky – poignant and elegant. The shocking state of world affairs and what’s been happening in the US has got this year off to quite a hellish start, events shaking so many to the core. Wonderful suggestions for action over on the Women’s March website and recent small victories, Ivanka’s clothing brand dropped by big retailers, Trump’s speech to Parliament blocked do show that small actions all add up – you can sign up for the 10 Actions 100 Days movement here.
All photos by myself on Olympus Pen F with 17mm lens