On How To Be Lovely

Thank you

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:19:11 +0100

Today is my birthday. So far, I’ve had a lovely day just thinking about all the great things that happened to me and the great people who made most of those thing happen for me.

I know that on our birthdays, each of us enjoys being spoiled and being the centre of attention. However, I’ve just realized that my birthday is actually a day I spend mostly thanking and being grateful to those who call to tell me “happy birthday”, to those who wish me well, to those who think of me and to those who give me wonderful presents. So while to others my birthday might be about me, to me, my birthday is about others.

Thank you for making On How To Be Lovely happen :)

Lovely summer

Sat, 26 May 2012 14:45:58 +0100

I know I should be out, enjoying the sun and the amazing weather here in London and I will be shortly after I finish sharing my thoughts on how to have a lovely summer with you.

I always find that in summer I have more time- maybe because the days are longer, because the weather keeps me in a good mood most of the time or maybe just because summer gives all of us that beautiful feeling of carefreeness and freedom. My daily routines- from beauty to eating and even reading change a little in summer so this is why I’ve decided to tell you more about these tweaks I make. Aside from planning holidays and getting ready for bikini season, summer should be the time when we go lighter on everything, especially on beauty products and food.

Beauty-wise, what I usually do when summer comes is change all my products (face creams, body lotions, you name it) to their lighter versions and of course add an SPF. I also use lots of thermal waters, floral waters or other mists in order to keep my skin refreshed and become best friends with deep cleaning masks. For my body, I use a toning oil, lots of scrubs and a gradual tanner every 2-3 nights. My skin is fairer that Show White’s so self-tanners are a big no-no for me. No matter how much I exfoliate and how much attention I pay to the application of self-tanners I always end up with stains and patches that look hideous. The St Tropez Everyday Gradual tanner is my personal favourite- doesn’t smell horrible and it’s very easy to use. Another tweak in my beauty routine is using a detoxifying shampoo once a week- all that sweat and dirt build up in your hair also, just so you know.

In terms of food, in summer I can’t start my day without a large glass of green juice. I also fing that my body only asks for ons of fresh fruit, salads, yogurt and frozen yogurt and of course some ice cream. But not a whole tube of supermarket ice cream- I prefer the real thing, bought from a real Italian gelateria.

Working-out also seems easier to do in summer- I walk a lot, swimming is a no-brainer and I also keep up with my Ballet Beautiful work-outs. Dancing, jogging, beach-sports, hiking, cycling, there are so many activities you can do in summer that it would be a waste not to. Especially when you can actually enjoy all of them outdoors and don’t have to step into a sweaty, stinky gym.

Summer is also the time when I read a lot. And by that I mean 3 books a week. I’ve already made a list of my favourite summer reads but aside from those, in summer I indulge myself in a lot of photography, art and coffee-table books, in classical fairytales and my childhood books, I catch-up in my French, Spanish and Italian or go back to my books on writing well.

It’s true that in summer we party, travel and go out a lot, but to me, summer is also the time when I feel very creative and my head is filled with ideas so I usually make plans and think about new projects. And if you are already planning or going on holiday to some hot location, check my post about beach DOs and DONT’s here.

Enjoy a very lovely summer :)

Summer reads

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:59:39 +0100

Summer is finally here. Or at least in London it appears to be. So as you are shopping for dresses, sandals, shorts and tanning body lotions, why not shop for some books as well. Fill your bookshelf or your Kindle with some great summer reads that will keep you company in your holiday at the seaside, while traveling to the other side of the world or on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the park. Below, a list of my all-time favourite summer reads:

The Magus- John Fowles

The Bad Girl- Mario Vargas Llosa

Of Love And Other Demons- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Bonjour Tristesse- Francoise Sagan

Laughter In The Dark- Vladimir Nabokov

On Chesil Beach- Ian McEwan

Narcissus And Goldmund- Herman Hesse

The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Sound And The Fury- William Faulkner

Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro

Bonne Lecture :)

Prada surely suits me. Beautiful new short movie by Roman...

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:46:00 +0100

Prada surely suits me. Beautiful new short movie by Roman Polanski & Prada. Helena is brilliant, as always.

Back and hungry

Sat, 19 May 2012 15:08:53 +0100

I am back and this time for good. What kept me away from you was my finals as I’ve just graduated from University but as of today, I am no longer required to write about anything other than what I like. And because my first free weekend is dedicating to catching up on my reading, I’m here with a new and exciting discovery: the Hunger magazine.

I must admit I was really sceptical when I bought it and was sure Hunger would turn out to be yet another boring variation of Dazed or Nylon- something edgy but meaningless. The cover featuring a stunning photograph of Monica Bellucci was obviously the main reason I got my hands of the magazine but I also wanted to have a taste of something different and see if I could push my limits to actually liking a magazine that doesn’t conform to the perfection of Vogue.

Not only Hunger did not disappoint me, but it actually surprised me by being one of the best fashion initiatives I’ve come across in a long time. To call it a fashion magazine, however is not entirely fair because Hunger is more a celebration of contemporary art, beauty and fashion with an edge. It surely celebrates London- especially East London- quirkiness more than anything but it does so with very much style.

Imagine 500 pages of art, amazing editorials, great photography, beautiful fashion, interviews with British actors, singers, designers and artists and not one single page of advertising. I must say that in terms of concept, Hunger is just the magazine I would create.

Edited by Rankin, a British photographer that I’ve only discovered because of Hunger, the magazine is such an intelligent juxtaposition of old and new, trendy and timeless and it surely lives up to its description: “for the culturally and visually hungry”. And although you can find pretty much all of its content online, the magazine is created in such a way that you really want to buy the printed version because it is worth collecting. As a bi-annual magazine and given its quality, it could easily pass as a coffee-table book.

Here a just a few of my favourite photograph and the editor’s letter that I’ve found brilliant.

Get yourself a copy and share your thoughts :)

Table manners from A Cup Of JO

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:35:00 +0100

Really great post on table manners by Joanna Goddard of A Cup Of JO- one of my favourites blogs out there. She kept it short and sweet so it’s great for those who don’t have the patience to go through and entire etiquette book.

Read Joanna’s blog post here.

To see, visit and eat this spring

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:30:48 +0100

I haven’t been able to post as often as I would like to recently and will probably keep it this way until mid-May. But after that, brace yourselves for I shall invade your lives with loveliness. Without further ado, let me introduce you to a few lovely things to keep you busy this spring- or at least until I get back to my regular posts. I have compiled a list (yes, yet another one) of things happening around town and places worth visiting, so get reading.

First and foremost, there’s the Ballgowns exhibition and the V&A- an absolute must see.

Also catch Turner at the National Gallery and Picasso & Modern British Art at Tate Britain.

For a different kind of spring blooming, check the Out of Sync exhibition at the Somerset House. Bonus- it’s free.

For all the photography lovers out there, the Swondon exhibition put together by Acne at Dover Street will also be a hit this spring.

To stay with the fine arts, you must book tickets to Angelin Preljocaj’s Snow White showing at Sadler’s Wells on thr 10th, 11th and 12th of May. I’ve seen it a couple of years before and it truly is one of the most amazing modern ballet shows. Also, Misterman at the National Theatre looks really promising indeed.

Next on my list is the Maltby Street Market- according to many the new Borough Market. Go there on a Saturday morning and fill your basket with bread, cheese, wine and cake or fresh fruit and then have a picnic in the Kew Palace gardens. What could be lovelier than this on a sunny, spring day?

And because I’ve started talking food, here are my top picks- splurge wise:

10 Greek Street

The Mount Street Deli

Karpo

Pitt Cue

Bubbledogs- opening July

And finally, after so many indulgences, cherry on top should be the new beauty heaven opening soon at Harvey Nichols- Beauty Mart.

Happy, lovely blooming!

The only way to wear track pants. Source: V Magazine

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:24:39 +0100

The only way to wear track pants.

Source: V Magazine

Bruce Webber for Vogue UK part II.

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:19:00 +0100

Bruce Webber for Vogue UK part II.

My love for fashion editorials knows no boundaries and this is...

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:15:29 +0100

My love for fashion editorials knows no boundaries and this is the kind of edito that I find perfect. Wonderful photography, clothes, models and story. By Bruce Webber for Vogue UK April 2012.

25 wonders of spring

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:09:00 +0100

I love lists. I love making them, keeping them and organizing everything by them. So it only comes natural that at the beginning of a new fashion season I make a (sometime huge) shopping list. I never just wander the stores and pick up stuff that looks nice. I know what pieces I need or want and go buy those. This saves me a lot of time and energy especially since I hate shopping and I much prefer buying stuff online. I’ve started shopping the spring collections back in February but I have now realized I didn’t manage to share my list of must-haves and key pieces for this season yet. So here it is, a little bit late but still helpful, I hope.

1. The pointy, metallic shoe. Kurt Geiger, Zara and Next have really nice ones.

2. The safari dress. Either in khaki, beige or even white, an utilitarian dress is the best choice for urban, minimalist look, especially when paired with gold and snake-skin accessories.

Boy. by Band of Outsiders at Net-a-Porter

3. The print trousers. I’ve already bought this lovely pair on Asos.

4. The sporty dress- or trousers, or anything sport luxe for that matter. Fierce stilettos are in order.

Both on Asos

5. The flapper dress. Gucci is my absolute favourite.

6. Anything gipsy boho from the Pucci collection, accessorized with a cross, of course.

7. The pencil skirt in tribal or tropical print.

Burberry Prorsum

Asos

8. The lady-like bag.

Jil Sander

9. A timeless, monochrome dress.

Roland Mouret

10. The boxy coat.

Prada

11. The white summer dress.

Junya Watanabe at Net-a-Porter

12. An oversized clutch. Even better in an electric colour.

Victoria Beckham

13. Pastels. Dresses, blouses, skirts, trousers, you name it.

Diane von Furstenberg

Vanessa Bruno

Ralph Lauren

Tibi at Net-a-Porter

14. The peplum blouse or dress.

Alexander McQueen

15. The ankle strap sandals

Giambattista Valli

16. The floral dress.

Oscar de la Renta

17. The vintage Americana printed shirt.

Asos

18. The cat-eye sunglasses.

Miu Miu

19. The full skirt.

Jil Sander

20. The high waisted shorts.

21. The sheer, lacey dress. Both sheer pieces and lace are big trends this summer, so why not get a two-in-one?

Alberta Ferretti

22. Something pleated.

Bottega Veneta

Jil Sander

23. The bijou flats.

Roberto Cavalli

24. The perfect 50s dress.

D&G

25. The shimmer and sheen dress that will make you think of the world under the sea.

Christopher Kane

This week's bargain buy

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:53:35 +0000

This week’s best buy was a beautiful blouse from Asos which in reality looks even better than online. It was on sale for one week only and that made it a win-win, of course. It has a really lovely silky texture and feels very nice on the skin. For just £14.00 (which is nothing) I now have a blouse that could easily pass as Prada. I was desperately looking for something with a car print and since this one comes with martini glasses prints along with the car ones, I can declare myself happy. I will probably buy lots of 50s Americana inspired pieces this season so be prepared for some other posts about my love of everything Californian housewife. What I don’t like, however, is that they’ve styled it with jeans and this pretty much destroys the whole 50s effect. I will be wearing mine with a pencil skirt and big cat eye sunglasses. And bright red nail polish, bien sur.

Long live Asos.com!

First look at the Great Gatsby movie poster. Isn’t she...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:03:51 +0000

First look at the Great Gatsby movie poster. Isn’t she lovely?

Spring clean

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:38:58 +0000

We’re almost half way through March, the temperature in London is above 10 degrees celsius and today I had lunch outside. To me, this means spring is here. Since I’ve been wearing pastels since January, I cannot tell you how excited I am about this new season. And it’s not just the clothes. It’s the good weather, the longer days, the warm air, the flowers, and everything lovely. Ok, maybe the fact that my birthday is in May adds up to the general state of joy as well. In nature, spring offers a fresh new start every year so I am thinking we should do the same. I’m sure your mothers still do a big spring clean around the house and if you don’t want to help with that, (although you should) then do my version of a thorough spring clean.

Start with your fridge and cupboards. Throw away all meat, winter legumes and starchy carbs and fill your kitchen with as many green veggies as possible. This is the season of so many vitamin rich vegetables and fruits that it would be a shame to miss out such an opportunity to get as many antioxidants as possible in your system. I am not an adept of detox diets or just drinking juices for a week so I wouldn’t recommend such a drastic spring clean. If you want the benefits of a detox diet plus something that you can actually chew to, you could drink a green juice on an empty stomach every morning or replace one of your main meals with grapes. But if you just splurge on fresh (not cooked, boiled, fried etc) veggies, fresh fruit, some fish, nuts and seeds and drink green juices and tea, you should start feeling full of energy and your skin should look much better in a few weeks. For all London lovely girls I recommend Crussh, that’s where I have my morning juices, and lunch salads and soups.

Spring is also the best time to start taking long walk. As you already know, I don’t like going to the gym so for me walking, swimming or dancing are the perfect ways to get my body moving. If you would like to try something new, I suggest Ballet Beautiful- which you can order online and it’s absolutely lovely, or taking up some dancing classes at Frame, if you live in London. If you love to jog or swim, try do switch to interval training which works for any type of cardio activity- even walking. Simply alternate the pace and speed of the way you jog, run or walk in order to get your heart rate up.

If you want to add some extra glow to your skin, start taking Epsom Salts bath which I can assure you work wonders. You can find Epsom Salts here and all you need to do is pour them in your running bath and then soak for 20 minutes. Before your bath, you could brush your body with a dry brush for a few minutes in order to boost your circulation. I have been doing this for years now and I am telling you is the best and cheapest method of keeping cellulite away. Vitamin E and Flaxseed Oil supplements are also very good for your skin especially if you don’t eat enough fish and nuts. My favourite beauty products for spring are Lush’s Argan Body Conditioner which smells divine and leaves your skin ridiculously soft, Alpha-H’s Micro Cleanse with glycolic acid (their whole Liquid Gold range is really, really good), the already famous Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel and because the sun is now up, Dermalogica’s Solar Defense Booster.

With make-up things are very clear these season: peach is the way to go. Peach on your cheeks, eyelids, lips and nails. For once forget about rosy cheeks and go for peach hues because the look is more natural and modern. Surprisingly, I love Topshop’s blusher in Head Over Heels because it has the perfect peach shade although Chanel’s new blusher isn’t too bad either. For more contouring, try Dior’s Matte Bronzer which has a SPF20. As always, your best friends should be illuminating bases, tinted moisturisers and illuminators. My favourites are the Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser and MAC’s Cream Colour Base. For lips, there are too many delicious lipsticks and glosses out there, so just pick your own juicy, peachy shade. As for nails, this season’s star is the new shade from Chanel, called June.

Moving to your closet, you should pack all your heavy knits, fur coats and other winter clothes in bags filled with lavander satchels and keep them in the back in order to make room for spring, floaty dresses and skirts. This is also a good time to actually “detox” your wardrobe and see what needs to be thrown away. Be ruthless. Bellow are more suggestion of new spring/summer pieces from Asos. As always, they’re all saved on my wish list and will be purchased in the following weeks. Happy shopping then, and happy spring!

My modern day Audrey

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:07:49 +0000

If I were to pick just one woman as my style icon, or my modern day Audrey Hepburn, she would be Uliana Sergeenko. Simply put, she is me. Only richer. Her style is so feminine, poetic and gracious that you cannot not fall in love with her. She has that kind of Carrie Bradshaw way of dressing, telling stories through her clothes and you can always see that those outfits are meant to help her become a different character every time.

Here are some of my favorites:

Look that inspired me today. Source: Garance Dore

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:34:44 +0000

Look that inspired me today.

Source: Garance Dore

Giambattista Valli- loveliness in its purest form.

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:27:06 +0000

Giambattista Valli- loveliness in its purest form.

Why I don't believe in sexy

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:07:22 +0000

Although I’d pretty much always choose a dress or skirt over a pair of trousers, I never dress sexy. I don’t even believe in dressing sexy since for me “sexy” is something that you are or not. The problem with “sexy” is that the concept itself is very narrow and limited to a certain image or a certain range of things (tight, short dresses, cleavage, legs, boobs, lips etc) that have nothing to do with being fashionable. And I would always choose the latest. Men, for example, will always think mini skirts are sexy. But I don’t even remember the last season mini skirts where on the catwalks at fashion weeks in either New York, Milan or Paris. Maxi, midi and full skirts, on the other hand, have been the stars of the past few seasons and to me, a sheer long Lanvin or Gucci skirt is far sexier than a short denim or leather one. Which brings me back to my previous point that sexy is something that has nothing to do with clothes or makeup. Think about Monica Bellucci in a long, black Dolce & Gabbana lace dress. Now picture her in a tight Versace one. Hideous.

But then again, in most cases women who dress sexy and wear strapless, tight shiny dresses paired with super high heels, straight hair and over glossed lips don’t really know much about fashion. Or style for that matter. They’re just following some simple (stupid) rules of looking like a Barbie doll. And of course men will turn their heads on the street but that wouldn’t flatter me because I know the kind of man I want to like me will never turn his head no matter how sexy a woman is. And then again, I am one of those girls who doesn’t dress for men but for the love of fashion. I’ve had men looking dumbfounded at some of my outfits or making fun of a Philip Tracey hat. As a matter of fact, last year while in Paris, I’ve actually had a fight with a guy trying to defend my hat and ended up throwing it in a bin on Saint-Germain. He apologised properly but what’s more important is that I’ve learned a valuable lesson: while there might be those guys you see on the Sartorialist who go crazy over accessories and beautiful socks, truth is most guys don’t get fashion.

In my world, this is sexy:

and this is NOT:

Even Rihanna’s Armani dress is just a little too much for my taste, but at least it doesn’t scream essex girl on a Friday night in Leicester Square. And this is why I will always choose bare back over cleavage, a long, sheer dress over a tight, short one and in general everything that is more subtle, understated and not too done. In the end, what I’m trying to say is that if you’ve been blessed with a big bossom or derriere, people can see that anyway, so you might as well skip de Versace or Herve Leger dress. Why look like Kim Kardashian when you can be lovely instead?

Hello, my name is Sabina and I am a beautyholic

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:06:00 +0000

Having obsessions is not lovely at all but having little ones it’s acceptable. 2 years ago it was about being skinny, last summer about having skin that’s too white- hence the (still) full drawer of St. Tropez tanning mousse, then there was a brief obsession for lingerie and so on. My latest preoccupation is finding the perfect beauty products. Not that such thing exist, but I have to try.

Before moving to London I used to have perfect skin. Most people claim I still do but there are some things on my face that *I* notice and that make me really angry. My girlfriends tell me that I have no clue what skin problems are and that my face is perfect. My best friend- who is a guy- says I’m crazy. And I say those blemishes need to go away and I shall not stop until I’ve won this war.

In a attempt to go to the root of the problem and find out what’s causing those nasty pimples to pop up on my face I started going to various skin clinics in London. The biggest disappointment was The Private Clinic on Harley Street where the lady looking at my skin was a complete amateur and didn’t seem to take her job very seriously. She then went on describing microdermabrasion and a glycol acid treatment after having heard from me that I have sensitive skin!

This week I’ve tested out Destination Skin and fortunately this one went better. Karen took a good look at my skin and did some scanner tests. According to her I have combination/ dehydrated, not dry skin, my skin’s texture and pores are ‘“fantastic”, no wrinkles, and no sun damage. She concluded my spots are definitely hormonal and told me that treatments and products will not banish them completely but will keep them under control. The interesting part, however, was her prescription: 7 products for my daily morning and evening routine and 3 courses of treatments including laser treatments, vitamin C facials and glycol peels. “And it all comes down to £1,750”. I nearly fell off my chair and not so much because of the price but because of what she’d previously mentioned. Let me remind you: “perfect skin texture, no sun damage, blah, blah and the products will not banish the spots.” Then why pay £1,750?

Because they make you feel like you really need all those products and those treatments. Because your skin is great but it could be even better and they obviously have the best thing for you. Although for one moment the idea of handing her my credit card crossed my mind, I mentally slapped myself, thanked her and left the place feeling rather dazed and somewhat confused. But because I am crazy, as my best friend says, I didn’t give up and came up with a plan B of my own. Good thing I kept the prescription so I could go home and start a thorough research on various products having the same ingredients as the ones she recommend, sans the ridiculous price tag.

And I have found them. And ordered them today actually. A bunch of lotions and potions that will arrive tomorrow at my office. Now, to clear something up: the products I found might not work, but they might as well “destroy” my blemishes. The point is that I’ve chosen them, I looked at all the ingredients and I didn’t simply take something that was offered to me by someone who “knows better” but who- excuse me for saying this- has far worse skin than I do.

The second part of my obsession with beauty products is a fairly recent discovery of mine which is called amodelrecommends.com. Ruth is a model who tests all sorts of beauty products and then uploads the reviews on YouTube. Simple as that, but so addictive. Because she is good, she gives great reviews and advice, she’s funny and most important- she has amazing skin. I really think her website and YouTube channels are worth checking at least for getting some great make-up tutorials. I admit that I’ve spent hours watching her videos so I have to give a little warning for you to know what to expect.

And in case you were wondering what miraculous products I’ve ordered, I though of making a list for you to have a peek. Don’t, for one moment, imagine that I don’t own any beauty products and thus I’ve decided to buy everything in sight. It’s just that I thought of doing a “spring clean” and changing pretty much everything- hence the quite impressive number of products. Bear in mind that some of them were on my wish list for a while but never got the chance to try them since there’s always something new and exciting coming up.

There will be more posts on beauty products, skincare and make-up because I’ve neglected this department lately- despite my obsession with everything beauty. Without further ado, enjoy Ruth’s blog and feel free to have a look at my list as well.

PS: Your tips are welcome, you know where to find me.

List

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser

REN Hydra-calm Youth Defense Serum

Dermalogica Solar Defense Booster SPF 30

Clarins Hydraquench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase

Darphin Hydraskin Light Moisturizing Cream-Gel

Lierac Diopticalm

Alpha-H Micro Cleanse with 12% glycolic acid

REN F10 Smooth and Renew Peel Mask

Elemis Fresh Skin Face Mask Duo

Agera Antibacterial Peptide Cream

Bioderma Crealine H2O Micelle Solution (will stock up next week when I’m in Paris)

Guerlain Meteorites Base Perfectrice Pearls

Tom Ford Cheek Colour

(All available from lookfantastic.com/ except Guerlain and Tom Ford which you can get in Harrods)

The model and the woman

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:28:00 +0000

I really don’t like it when I see a collection designed entirely for models. And that’s what the Fall 2012 VPL collection is. Not only that knits are difficult to wear anyway, but to design knitted shorts and jumpsuits is just too much. No one can really pull such a look without having Anja Rubik’s legs.

Call these clothes cool or edgy but don’t call them flattering because they aren’t. It may come as a surprise but most of us are not that skinny- as in hole between legs skinny.

However, why should one even bother with let’s say VPL’s collection when there’s Oscar de la Renta’s absolutely fabulous one? Before I show you what I am talking about, a warning is in order: this is a must-have-it-all collection.

Monsieur Oscar makes clothes for women. Clothes that are beautiful and jewelry like- not only do they come in sapphire or ruby shades but the fabrics scream luxe as well. Sumptuous, elegant and above all so, so glamorous.

There was a mix of Russian, Marie Antoinette, 20s and Holly Golightly influences creating such a lady like melange.

There were also very modern touches- see the casual knits paired with fur and embroidered skirts or dresses.

So many mighty nighty outfits in the most gorgeous rich colours.

And those blue shades that remind me of one of the most beautiful chambers in Versailles.

A perfect little black dress.

Or a perfect little blue dress if you might.

And finally, think pink! Even a pink bride sounds promising to me.

So which one will you pick this season- the model or the woman?