Balancing your energy flow with fragrances from The Harmonist

On a beautiful sunny Monday, a few weeks ago, I headed to the Arts Club in Mayfair for an afternoon tea hosted by The Harmonist, a new fragrance house.

I was intrigued because I have always been a one-perfume kinda girl. In fact, I can chart my life by the perfumes I have worn and when, and there have only been four. My longest perfume love, Tiffany, lasted 21 years and I would still be wearing it if Tiffany & Co had not discontinued it.

Smell, to me, is the most evocative sense. I want a perfume to make me feel feminine and glamorous, enhance my self confidence, but above all reflect my character in some way - a lot of pressure on that beautiful bottle and its’ contents, I know. But because I place stock in that intangible connection I make with a fragrance, I was interested to find out more about the Harmonist.

The Harmonist perfumes are based on the five Chinese elements of Feng Shui - Fire, Water, Wood, Earth and Metal. Each element has been used as the inspiration to create two fragrances, one representing the Yin energy (the feminine energy, the softness in us all,) and one the Yang (the masculine energy, the strength in us). That is not to say the Yin perfumes are only for women and the Yang for men. All ten fragrances are unisex.

Founder Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva was drawn to the philosophy of Feng Shui and wanted to create a fragrance range that was based on harmony and the perfect balance of Yin and Yang. And perfumer Guillaume Flavigny was charged with bringing the concept to life. During his career, Flavigny has created fragrances for brands like Armani Privé and Tom Ford, to name a few, so his experience speaks for itself.

The Harmonist perfumes are said to channel energy and focus into designated areas of life by manifesting status, wisdom, socializing, creativity, prosperity and seduction depending on what your constitutional element is, and which perfume you choose.

With the environment at the forefront of business these days, The Harmonist also uses recyclable materials at every possible stage, from its perfume bottles and deluxe packaging to its vegetal wax candles. All of The Harmonist’s bottles are refillable, and each is made with an opaque glass that protects the vitality of its precious perfumes.

Over the course of the afternoon, all the guests discovered their constitutional element, which is worked out by your date, place and time of birth. I am Yang Water - so I set about finding the perfume I connected with the most.

My favourite, hands down, was Hypnotising Fire, one of the Yin fragrances. For me, it was instantly intoxicating and whilst I went back to some of the other fragrances, nothing came close to Hypnotising Fire for me.

It turns out my choice balances me well, the Yin balancing my Yang energy and the fire is said to enhance prosperity in my life, which sounds pretty good to me.

With her range, Karimova-Tillyaeva has created something really rather unusual – a broad range of fragrances that work, in my opinion, on a deeper, almost spiritual level and call to mind the element encapsulated in each fragrance rather vividly.

A thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable afternoon - I didn’t think I would walk away with a perfume I would want to wear every day, but I did…. If you would like to check The Harmonist range out, it is exclusively available at Harrods In London, and Barneys in New York. And if you do, let me know what you liked and why….PS: in case you didn’t know Karimova-Tillyaeva is an Uzbek diplomat and philanthropist. She is the daughter of Islam Karimov, the former president of Uzbekistan who died in 2016 after a 27-year reign marked by human-rights abuses. Today, Karimova-Tillyaeva serves as Uzbekistan’s permanent delegate to UNESCO and runs several charities based in her home country      

Supercharging your facial – with Natura Bisse’s Mindful Touch

I am massive fan of facials. And Natura Bisse facials are very much top of my list.

So when a week or so ago I was invited to the Savoy in London to have a bespoke Natura Bisse facial, I jumped at the chance.

I was delighted that my therapist was going to do the Vitamin C+C facial on me, as this is my favourite line for the summer months. She then offered the Mindful Touch experience as well, which I have avoided up to now. More fool me.

Anyway, I was intrigued by her description so I said yes.

The Mindful Touch experience is an 8-minute bolt on to any bespoke Natura Bisse facial - you wear goggles and are guided through a visual and aural relaxation - which massively enhances your facial.

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it. You are relaxed by beautiful and interesting imagery, music and a carefully scripted narrative  - which I thought would be intrusive or annoying but wasn’t at all. And as if that wasn’t enough the therapist massages and presses certain pressure points in time with the visual and aural programme.

The reason I say your facial is supercharged is because you are taken to a deeper state of relaxation much more quickly. I seemed to by-pass trying to quieten my brain myself; the Mindful Touch did it for me.

One of the reasons I love facials is because you’re in the hands of a specialist for an hour or so. They use their knowledge and expertise to cleanse and nourish your skin in a way I simply can’t do at home. And I have found the benefits of a good facial can last up to a week. But what Natura Bisse have done with the Mindful Touch added to their facials goes far beyond skin care.

The Mindful Touch ensures an almost immediate enjoyment of the treatment and is blissfully effective in providing a deeply tranquil state during the facial - and this from someone who finds it incredibly hard to switch off or not chat incessantly about the facial.

What’s even more incredible is that the end of the programme seems to energise you so you are refreshed, whilst still being relaxed when it is over. Although it is safe to say, I really didn’t want it to be over.

I am always conscious of my mind-body connection and this focus on well-being, I feel must have had a knock on effect on my skin.

Needless to say I was floating for the rest of the day…. So if you haven’t tried it I would really recommend getting down to a Natura Bisse spa and trying it for yourself…  

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The impact of an icon

I have been thinking recently about the impact of an icon.

My icons largely inhabit the world of art, literature, fashion, music and science. This month we lost Hubert de Givenchy and Stephen Hawking - two titans in their respective industries.

It seems my world is being stripped, with increasing regularity, of so many people I consider to have attained iconic status. People who have inspired me throughout my life, through their authenticity, artistry, intelligence or creativity, and whom I revere.

For example, Givenchy and Stephen Hawking are a type of benchmark of excellence in their fields, and personally I find there is a sort of comfort knowing my world is filled with such talent.Icons do come in many guises, but I feel, they are the type of people who have legacies that span decades, who leave an indelible mark on history through their life’s work.

A frustration of mine though is that these days, we seem to be living in a world where “celebrity” dominates our newspapers and social media. Over the last 20 years or so, we seemed to have fashioned a new strata of society largely borne out of reality TV. And to me, celebrity is about just being “known” which is not the same as deserving fame, and is worlds apart from being an icon.

My earliest memory of losing an icon was Elvis on 16 August 1977. I remember shutting myself in my room crying and crying. To my mind he exuded star quality. My mum often used to say that certain people had a “God gifted talent”. Elvis definitely fell into that category in my opinion – and I wonder if that is part of the essence of being an icon?

My life is especially filled with icons from the music world, artists whom I have admired and whose creativity has coloured my life in so many ways and in some ways has shaped my own artistic direction. And whilst I didn’t shut myself in my bedroom when Michael Jackson died in 2009 – I was shocked and saddened.

And I’m sure you remember a few years ago, in 2016 we lost a startling number musical stars: David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Maurice White, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Prince and Leonard Cohen and George Michael. I’m pretty sure I have missed someone out…. It felt unrelenting and made me, and a few of my friends, wonder what the universe was trying to tell us.

I feel that is the part of the pull of an icon. Their craft or work is so compelling and strong that when they die it feels like there is a void.

So as I type I’m wondering who my kids would consider icons, given they have grown up surrounded by people with celebrity status.

I have just asked them both and they can’t seem to give me an answer. But maybe it is a bit unfair of me as my daughter has just come home from Uni and my son is unwell. Their icons are undoubtedly present and I suspect they will hail from the sporting sphere… but I’ll ask again later and report back…     

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Why I’m a Ganni girl…

If like me, you love fashion, the stronghold of the Scandi brands on the UK fashion scene will not have escaped your notice.

Designers like Acne, Gestuz, Marlene Birger, House of Dagmar, Cecilie Copenhagen, and of course Ganni have been delighting us for a long while now - and year on year their collections seem to be getting stronger.What’s interesting is, whilst I am in no way, shape or form a typical “Scandinavian” shape (I thinking Scandinavian women are taller and more athletic in build than me) I adore these brands and my favourite is Ganni.

Fit is vital for me, and it just works. Ganni dresses (as you probably know by now I am dress girl) fit my short body and long leg proportions as well as they do my daughter, for instance, who is taller and has totally different dimensions to me. And there aren’t many brands that cater so expertly for very different body shapes.

What’s more is Ganni oozes a serious Danish cool vibe, but there is a definite injection of something else, a kind of effortless chic, maybe a little Parisian in quality – which, in my opinion, is a match made in heaven. Their most recent collections are a testament to this.

Their Spring Summer 18 collection is called Global Citizen and Ditte Reffstrup, the brand’s Creative Director says of this collection,“I wanted to create clothes for a woman who loves to travel to new places and who has an independent spirit. It’s an upbeat collection, taking cues from 90s sportswear, rave, and the hugely important Benetton ads from the 90s that challenged prejudice and encouraged diversity. The Global Citizen represents the best of everywhere.”

Whilst I wholeheartedly identify with this sentiment, when I look at the Ganni ad campaign I have a feeling it is primarily targeted at a younger demographic – but actually that doesn’t matter at all. This is the cleverness of Ganni, in my opinion; it is a great example of “Ageless” fashion.

The array of beautiful prints and fluid fabrics used in their collections are, season upon season, a huge hit for me. They suit my lifestyle and mood perfectly.

As I said I tend to head for the dresses on a rail and Ganni dresses never disappoint - they can be worn, not only in a “dress up”, “dress down” kinda way, but to channel whatever vibe matches your personality.

It is rare to find a brand that you can you literally style however you want and it works. Couple that with the price point (which at the moment is quite reasonable for a designer brand) and the fact that you can wash their clothes in your washing machine so bypassing dry cleaning costs – the ticks are endless for me.

I know I am sounding quite practical talking about washing instructions, but dry cleaning bills have in the past crippled me – so anything that you can wash at home and wear is a huge plus. In fact this might be something I cover in another post soon…

So if you haven’t had a look at Ganni’s collections - get online or check out your nearest stockist.

One last word in praise of their dresses, because I am slightly obsessed, is one of their staples is the wrap dress - but not like the stretchy wrap dresses of old – Ganni’s wrap dresses are fitted on top, flowing from the waist with the wrap creating a thigh slit - I mean need I say more??!! Hands down one of my favourite fashion details….              

Life after a detox...

The start of a new week, and I have to say I’m feeling pretty virtuous at the moment - nutritionally speaking that is.

Two weeks after my last detox programme I’m still feeling the benefits.

Long overdue after an incredibly social November, Christmas and January – both my body and mind were ready for a healthy reset.

Anticipating the festive excesses I booked a 7-day Alkalise, Balance and Cleanse from Nosh Detox; a programme designed to help you lose weight and cleanse your digestive system.

It may sound lazy to buy a detox, but the prospect of everything you eat being delivered to your door, freshly prepared every couple of days was extremely appealing to me.

It is true though these types of programmes are not a cheap option, but the good thing about Nosh Detox as a company is they have regular offers on their website; so for this one I took advantage of a 20% off discount.

I know have said this before, probably in one of my earlier blogs, but it is worth reiterating - I much prefer detoxing than dieting – it just suits my personality better. If I tell myself I am cutting out certain foods for the foreseeable future – my brain will obsess endlessly about those foods creating the polar opposite of a healthy environment for my mind and body.

But a structured week of balanced, nutrient rich meals, without any caffeine and, importantly for me, no sugar is long enough for me to break the conditioned reflex of looking for “unhealthy” foods every day.

The other massive benefit for me is reframing portion size. Portion control is something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember, and it is personally important for me to have at the forefront of my mind. Being attuned to when I’m hungry and only eating until I’m just full and not over full are also pertinent.

Another big plus for this kind of programme is the food you get is a combination of smoothies, soups, snacks and proper meals. Years ago I did a few juice cleanses - literally just juice, and I found them really hard going – they affected my energy levels and I realised I am one of those people who needs to chew food to feel full.

So, all in all, my 7-day detox was a success and whilst my goal was to feel ”healthier”, I lost about four pounds, which was of course a welcome by product.

For me though, the tricky bit comes after the detox. I’m not bad at being disciplined for a short period of time; it is maintaining consistency with healthy food choices that I struggle with.

But the detox has had a great knock on effect on my mind-set and I know I don’t want to undo all the good nutritional work I have put into place. So I have set myself some realistic guidelines - which seem to be working well for me. I am not denying myself anything – but I am making sure my caffeine free, and sugar free days outweigh the days on which I partake.

So two weeks on, my bad habits seem to be minimal, I feel energised and “lighter”, and I don’t just mean in terms of weight and I am very much enjoying this state of being.

So I’m going to keep up my strategy of moderation and the emphasis on lots of fresh fruit and veggies for as long as I can and see how I go… no doubt, I'll keep you posted! 

Speedy every day makeup VLOG

Finally!! My first VLOG of the year - speedy go to makeup I use everyday for a quick "done" look...have a look and please do get in touch and share your fave go to products x

https://youtu.be/j8_CzL-lGSg  

Loving The Skin You're In - Finding Your Self-Esteem Stride In Your Forties

 So, here is my most recent piece for Huff Post - let me know what you think x

Loving The Skin You're In - Finding Your Self-Esteem Stride In Your Forties

Do Women Get Better At Putting Themselves First As They Age?

I've recently started really making the effort to put myself first in my life. To some extent I am simply more able to now, but to another extent I've always needed to do this more.

Have a read of my latest Huffpost article to get my full thoughts:

Click here to read the full article.

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Underwear, Body Positivity and Ageing

My third piece of The Huffington Post has been published!

This time I'm looking at how you can use underwear to help yourself feel fantastic regardless of the changes your body goes through as we get older.

Personally, I can be quite conscious of the stretch marks and looser skin around my tummy that have been left by my two wonderful pregnancies. Does this mean I don't wear underwear to feel sexy? Quite the opposite!

Dig in and I hope you will find something useful to you :)

Full article here

I've also recently vlogged on this subject - take a look: 

Rethinking your underwear choices in your forties and beyond

I’ve been thinking about my personal underwear choices over the last few weeks.

I, like many women feel less than positive about my body at times - my issues might not be debilitating as someone else’s and might not be apparent to the world at large – but they can certainly affect my mood and definitely my confidence.

But as with so many things in life, our own perception tends to override any positives someone else might point out. I have no idea why, but when it comes to body image we are our own harshest critics.

Our underwear drawers are an integral part of our wardrobe, and like our wardrobes need rethinking and culling every now and again. But actually the lingerie we wear can be much more of a secret weapon than I initially realised.

I thought I would check in with underwear expert Caroline Randell, who owns her own boutique in Wimbledon Village and get her take on it.

It turn out that our underwear habits tend to shift, as we get older.

Frustratingly, a lot of forty-something women who come to Caroline’s shop feel like they don’t deserve to have pretty underwear. They might buy something special for a date – but it would be an anomaly.

This really bothered me because I might feel something looks a bit young, or I “shouldn’t” wear it but I definitely feel we all deserve to feel special every day, even if we are the only ones who know about it.

Also a lot of forty-somethings, like me feel like our bodies have changed irreparably after childbirth. I seem to fixating on my stomach and my stretch marks at the moment and how, at times I find them disgusting.

It has nothing to do with not loving giving birth, but I want to by pass my niggles and feel good about myself, everyday.

Some of us lose the fullness of our boobs, so getting fitted with a good bra helps with support and lift and it doesn’t matter what age you are – we all love a bit of lift (!)Some women fixate on the area above your bra strap, unflatteringly called “back fat”…The girls, at Caroline Randell told me that some women go in who are less well endowed and just want to look bigger, other fuller ladies want their boobs to look as small as possible, which I am guessing is tricky and something I had never thought of. The list goes on… it turns out we ALL have our issues, totally personal and often completely invisible to anyone else.

So why should we care about our underwear – if we are not happy about how we look naked, feel unattractive or don’t have someone special to wear something for?

Caroline put it beautifully, “Lingerie is for yourself, and something only you might know. It creates an inner confidence and kind of empowers us and that is what the world sees.” This is a really important point and one I feel we should all place stock in, especially if sometimes we do feel negative about our body image.

The good news is, as we age, no style or type of underwear is off limits. And I felt sure some things would be. Of course we all want good foundations to our outfits but we don’t need to view our underwear drawers differently as we get older.

It all comes down to personal taste, your personality and your mood on a given day.

My “go to” underwear is black but I also love to wear colour – I’m going through an orange phase at the moment – I think it might be the warmer weather…Without doubt, wearing lovely lingerie has a knock on effect on how we feel, what kind of energy we radiate, and so how we present ourselves to the world.

And finding the right underwear for you is not about hiding away your “negatives” but accentuating your positives  - and we all have positives, even though it might take us a while to realise it. Caroline Randell Lingerie offers a personalised fitting service and carries a wide range of beautiful brands. Check it out at: https://carolinerandell.co.uk/

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A fragrance affair...

Let’s talk about perfume…I know smell isn’t perhaps the most important sense. I would certainly place my sight and hearing above smell. But, smell, is the most evocative sense to me.

Like the opening bars of a song, a particular smell can instantly transport us back to a particular moment in time and make us feel a whole spectrum of emotions.

I have lots of friends who wear many different perfumes – it is an extension of their style and look on a given day.

I only ever wear one perfume at a time. And I have worn my current perfume for the last 20 years, Tiffany from the jewellery shop of the same name. I started wearing it when I was pregnant with my daughter and haven’t looked back.

It is so intertwined with my own smell that I can’t smell it on me. But everyone comments on how “I smell like me”.

I can’t really remember how I chose it - any perfumes I have worn and loved, I have instantly loved. I haven’t over thought it – but I do know there is a lot of subliminal pressure on that little bottle and its contents; I want it to make me feel feminine, beautiful, glamorous but most importantly reflect my character.

Wearing the right perfume can make you feel like a million dollars. It is the finishing touch that stays with you all day – heralds your arrival and lingers in the air after you have gone.

So I recently realised perfume was more important to me, than I thought… I realised this when I ran out.

A month or so ago I was running low so I went onto the Tiffany website and my perfume was unavailable. So I thought I’d check back in a few days.

Life is constantly busy so I forgot about it for a while and given there was enough in the bottle for a squirt or two, it was fine.

But sooner than later I ran out.

Anyway, I checked online, deciding I would spring for express delivery but it was still unavailable. Suddenly, a dreadful thought crossed my mind – what if it was discontinued???

So I picked up the phone and thankfully I was assured it was not discontinued, and they were expecting an order in about 3 weeks. 3 weeks??? That’s nearly a month.

I asked the dude about availability in store and he said there was some – phew!

So a few weeks ago, I went to every shop I could think of in London that would stock it – I covered a LOT of ground - It is amazing how focussed I can be, when I put my mind to it, but no luck. I even asked if I could buy the tester (!), turns out you are not allowed to do that.

As I walked back to my car from the store in Sloane Street, feeling dejected, I saw Jo Malone out of the corner of my eye like a beacon shining in the night and thought why not?

I went in and announced I needed a new perfume. I sounded quite dramatic and panicked, mainly because I didn’t have much time on my meter, but heavens know what they thought.

Anyway, they were lovely and after some time I walked out with Tuberose Angelica – and I liked it – but it wasn’t my smell. I felt hesitant but quite excited too – like I was cheating on my actual smell – I know that sounds ridiculous….Anyway, the jury of friends and family were divided. One friend hated it, one loved it and my daughter was somewhere in the middle.

I know this is trivial, but sometimes the trivial things do matter and I felt like my identity had been momentarily impaired.Anyway, my usual Tiffany perfume arrived on the weekend and I feel whole again…. but now I’m looking at the Jo Malone cologne thinking I should really give it another go…

So what about you? What's your favourite perfume? Are you a many fragrance or one perfume girl, or guy? How about chopping and changing scents - do you give it any thought at all?

www.jomalone.co.uk/

http://www.tiffany.co.uk/