Are you wearing make up? Well done, you're a proper feminist

This morning, Miss V directed me to this article by Liz Jones of the Daily Mail. In it, she chastises Holly Willoughby for posting a photo of her natural, slap-free face on her Twitter page. What follows is an impassioned haughty tirade against TV's sweetheart &any other women who dare to leave the house without a trace of a single cosmetic product on their visage.


We live in a confusing old world, don't we? 'Snog Marry Avoid' graces our screens every Monday, as everyone's favourite purple camera lens travels boldly up and down the nation to rid Britain of slap addicts. Then we have Ms Jones, who tells us that women who go slap free are doing little more than peddling a fantasy, an elusive ideal that no mere mortal can live up to. What's a girl to do?


We are told, quite emphatically: 'We all need help, don’t we? To deny this is to denounce womanhood itself. It is arrogant, over-confident one-upmanship. I, on the other hand, published in these pages a picture of my genuine ‘morning face’: what I look like as I open my sticky, puffy eyes on the world, in a stained old T-shirt.'



I'm not quite sure what Ms Jones is getting at here... Is she to be congratulated for posting a 'truer' image of her morning face? The photo of Jones' natural self is positioned next to a photo of a seemingly different woman all together, she's clearly gone to great efforts to mask her morning face with a sizeable dose of macquillage. It's as if she's saying 'we all look rough in the morning don't we? By putting on a pile of make-up I'm telling you that, I, like you, need help to look this good, so there's another point to feminism.' 


Are we to believe that a woman's secret weapon is her 'Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser and hydrating primer, Chanel Vitalumiere foundation, YSL touché eclat No2, Chantecaille powder, Nars blusher, and on and on'? I get that some of us aren't blessed with Ms Willoughby's 'teeny tiny pores', but why all the finger pointing &bitchiness? In a world where us girls are in pursuit of beauty (whatever that is), isn't it nice to be reminded that it's ok, nay, a good thing to go au naturale once in a while, no matter what our morning faces may be? My beauty regime (if it ever happens) consists of kohl &lip tint. That's really it. Not because I see myself as a beacon of natural beauty, but because I'm lazy. Does this make me more or less of a woman? No.


For Liz Jones to suggest that women who go slap-free are 'anti-feminist' is equally ludicrous as the assertion that women who spend three hours getting ready in the morning are paragons of womanhood. Why does one group have to be pitted against the other? Why is it that this piece assumes that our beauty regimes dictate whether we are for our against our sex? 

I don't wish to criticise Liz Jones for her apparently extensive beauty regime. What she puts on her face is her business, and if it makes her happy, well, good for her. Nor am I one of those raging 'feminists' who assume that a slight discrepancy of a single woman halts the march of our sex. What I do think, however, is that rather than claiming one- upmanship on those of us who go slap free, she could do Ms Willoughby and others like her a favour, and allow them to love their morning faces without fear of judgement. 

Miss Dx

Dandelionhead Jewelry

Simplicity is at the heart of great jewellery. Raw talent and a story to be told won’t go unnoticed.  Katharine Irwin, founder of Dandelion head, is an ingenious new designer with some real flair – headlining with her own dandelion hair.

Dandelion Head is jewellery with sentimentality. This is evident from  Katharine’s first collection. This collection is influenced by her grandmother, who in humble circumstances fashioned  beautiful clothes by hand along with her sisters.  Her gift to her granddaughter,(someone who clearly has already been gifted with her grandmother’s eye for design), was a jar of buttons.  I too, was given a jar of buttons by my granny. But while when I was small I would pretend these fastenings were currency for my ‘shop’ , Katherine these days put’s her materials to much better use. The earrings have a wonderful antique feel to them, each a one of a kind set, with many different designs to choose from.

This more vintage collection is diversified by the flash of colour of her eclectic “All the colours” collection. It is daring in colour but feminine in design. True to her own wardrobe, Katie comments on this collection “the buttons and flowers I wanted in as many colours as possible, as sometimes you just want a matching shock of colour to coordinate and not be a statement”.  They give off a hint of illumination that cannot help but catch your eye. Her jewellery in this and her Little Animals Collection are absolutely lovable, proving  jewellery doesn’t always have to be taken seriously – a great philosophy from someone who is serious on talent.

Friends, family and fond memories are the reasons behind Katie’s latest  Nautical Collection and Tea Party Collection .This collection of all ships and sailing things is a popular collection for Katie, and it is easy to see why with its sailor mood. Katie’s tea party collection is my favourite – I love the miniature tea cups and tiny dolly dishes, a thought Katie had had when salvaging her much loved doll house as a gift for her niece. It is really encouraging to come across such a passionate and gifted artist as Katie is.  A designer to take note of – I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of her. If you are interested in Katharine’s  jewellery ,  then make haste to  Dandelion Head Facebook Page.

Miss V x

Hair Style

One of my favourite styles this season! This only took the stylist on the day five minutes too, fab.

Miss V x

Something pretty brilliant happened today

Just a little while ago, I came back to my flat after having seen Aung San Suu Kyi receive her honorary DPhil from the University of Oxford. I think it's safe to say that my life has been made. I don't want to relay the sentiments, hopes and requests she expressed in her address to her audience, because I know I wouldn't be able to do them justice. What I do want to say, however, is that it really is a wonderful thing to be faced with someone who is willing to sacrifice so much of themselves to help a cause  far bigger than any of us. 

If you've got some free time, give her speech a listen. I can tell you now that you will find it a worthwhile and humbling experience. 

{Via Samuel Loh}

Miss D x

Lasting colour, happy customer.

Just a post-it really here to rave about Collection 2000 nail varnish! I am a nail varnish hoarder and love lots of different brands, and yet I have not ever paid much attention to Collection 2000. But...dare I say it, too cheap? Too ordinary?

Man, I was wrong.

A really lovely finish, very shiny and professional looking coverage. It also is chip-free for the best part of a week!


Miss V x

Pretty as a picture, perfect as yourself

I am such a victim to vanity. 

To say I idly flick through a glossy mag while rolling my eyes and filing my nails would be a misrepresentation of the truth. I am the girl who buys a magazine and then studies it like I am going to be graded on it. Every time those words are embellished on the front cover, promising within its contents instructions on “how to get more toned/less spots/prettier complexion/shinier hair”, I’ve already sussed out the mag and am on my way to the counter.

I, like many of you I’m sure, then do a little calculation (and trust me maths wasn’t normally my strong point) on what products I’ve then been seduced to invest in  (“oooooh I need this product because: my hair does look flat/ my teethcould be whiter/ my eyeslashes need lengthening etc) . But we always end up somewhat deflated don’t we? Somehow we still see the same person staring back at us. With the same homework/bills to pay/cat to feed.

Well I’ve decided that girl will just have to do.

And you know what? She looks great just as she is. And so do you.

This new leaf came when it suddenly dawned on me that as I naturally am, I am never going to be the girl on the billboard. These girls have always looked infallible. My pores sometimes look to me like craters on the moon, my mascara always runs, and I think sometimes I look a bit like a chimp. Yet how I naturally am – is me. The bigger version of the same little girl who had certain dreams and aspirations and is now all grown up.  These models on the billboard are real too, but what is not realistic is their portrayal here – we don’t all go around with the perfect lighting/make-up artist/ airbrush computer tool , and neither do they away from their work. So we need to start liking ourselves for who we are a bit more, and compare our image to others a bit less. There will always be someone who thinks you look great, just as you are.

I’m still wearing my mascara, and I still own a mirror by the way. But I am trying to be happier a bit more with what God gave me.  We shouldn’t have to change ourselves, we should however really like ourselves – be who you are.


Miss V x

Jubilee Style

Oasis Cut Out Dip Hem Belted Tunic from Asos 

Aroma Carvela Kurt Geiger 

Hepburn bag Aspinal

Miss V x

Happy Diamond Jubilee Weekend

Happy Diamond Jubilee Viewers ! Miss D and V x

Star of the Month: Katie Piper

What is it to be victorious?

Miss Piper is a 21st Century Hero, a pioneer for encouraging others to find courage, and a real winner.

via Rebecca Simms, from Quercus Books

I first knew of Katie from watching her Channel 4 Documentary 'Katie: My Beautiful Face'. Not knowing the emotional roller-coaster I would embark on by pressing the play button, I learnt how Katie, an aspiring presenter and model, was horrifically assaulted by her ex-boyfriend who then had her face drenched in acid. But the purpose of the programme was not to make us all simply feel sad for her situation post-incident.  Katie went through something terrible. But she survived. She dealt with it. And she fought back. The programme tracks several main themes, from hurt to healing, judgement to justice, and from fear to fearlessness.  

These days Katie runs her charity The Katie Piper Foundation. KPF offers emotional as well as physical rebuilding to anyone who suffers from burns or scars. 

A true victor. 

To learn more about KPF and to donate, please visit the site: www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk

Miss V x