Raw Fairies

A few years ago I was 2 stone overweight, after months of moping I bit the bullet and joined Weight Watchers, within 6 months I was the thinnest I had ever been. Over the past few years the weight has crept back on (plus half a stone more) and now, weeks before my 30th birthday, I want to shed at least some of those pounds, but, not through fad dieting. I need a kick start to change my lifestyle and eating habits, so, after a lot of research I turned to Raw Fairies. Why? Eating raw preserves the enzymes, vitamins and nutrients that are lost during cooking, these essential vitamins and minerals are anti-aging, promote weight-loss, give you more energy, make you glow and can improve mental and emotional health. I had read great reviews about their 'Mini B Cleanse', many fashionistas turn to this popular 5 day detox to get 'front row ready' for the gruelling month that is fashion week, inspired by this I decided to give it a go and signed up. For the next 5 days I will wake up to my daily rations delivered to my door. Plus for 2 days leading up to and 2 days after I must not consume alcohol, caffeine and be strictly vegan, sounds easy? Come back to see how it goes! The 'Mini B Cleanse' costs £295.00 from www.rawfairies.com. Images taken from the website.

Cheryl watch

Cheryl Cole is back! She was pretty much off the radar in 2011 and has returned of late (brought to my attention by my good friend Anna who is always on Cheryl watch) with both guns blazin'. Since stepping out in Cannes in May she's upped the style stakes, her wardrobe heating up in perfect timing to the release of her single, 'Call My Name', which came out this week and is already the fastest selling single of the year. The clothes are definitely causing a buzz in the press, this lady is EVERYWHERE at the mo. I'm especially loving her current obsession with Charlotte Olympia shoes, so far this week she's been spotted in at least 4 or 5 pairs (close ups of the shoes from the top three images are below). I'm looking forward to seeing what's to come, especially around the week of her album launch, 'A Million Lights', later this month. Images Getty and Splash News. 

Get them before they sell out! Shoes from charlotteolympia.com.

Orgasmic Organics

I am fanatic about organic and natural products so when I discovered Urtekram at my local natural foods store, Earth, I was overjoyed. Sounds a tad dramatic, but, since watching the BBC3 series 'How Dirty Can I Get?' back in 2007 I've been near obsessed with avoiding products that contain harmful chemicals and artificial nasties. Back in the day natural products were hard to come by and very expensive, in the past few years consumer demand has driven production of more natural and organic products, dramatically bringing down the price and making them more widely available. I used to spend up to 30 quid on a bottle of shampoo, since trying Urtekram's Rose Shampoo my hair has felt healthier, stronger and I'm guilt free about washing the residue down the drain as it only contains aloe vera, coconut and corn sugar soap, vegetable glycerine, levulinic acid, anisic acid, rose flower extract, citric acid and essential oil. At only 4 quid a bottle I'm converted. Images from urtekram.com.

Barbie hand

I've been shunning the recent trend for ridiculously coloured nails, yellow? gross, blue? silly... I am not an extra in Star Trek. My default polish is any bright shade of red ranging from 80's glamour puss, nigh on orange, to deep classic clarets. Recently, however, I've been wanting to try out something a little more spring like and have been on the quest for the perfect pink. I am really fussy and have failed to find the right shade so far, Mavala and Essie have come very close to finding that sickly, sweet candied hue reminiscent of Barbie pink plastic accessories, so I decided to create my own. This hybrid lacquer is the love child of Leighton Denny and two shades of Mavala, I am very happy and cannot stop looking at my hands, its a little Essex but I love it (I am a chav at heart). Leighton Denny in Plush Pink, £11.00. Mavala in Wichita (97) and Riga (56), £4.10.

Calling all vintage lovers...

It turns out that you can have your cake and eat it. Many of us find our careers restricted by convention and society, feeling that we must pick one path and stick to it, well that's not me and I'm always enthused when I find other like minded people. I came across Freelance Journalist, Stylist and PR Consultant Katie Antoniou today via my brilliant local community website, The Kentish Towner. After scouring Katie's creative and exciting website KatieAntoniou.com and blog, The London Plinth, I fell in love with her work and was full of admiration for her dedication to all things vintage.  Starting out as an intern at Marie Claire for the online team she turned her back on mainstream fashion, from there she headed to luxe vintage e-tailer, Atelier Mayer to create copy for their website, I guess the rest is history (excuse the vintage pun). The vintage scene is booming and will continue to do so, trends may come and go, but, true classics are forever. Our fascination with the past will never cease to inspire us. If you are a massive vintage fan be sure to check out her sites.

Images: katieantoniou.com and londonplinth.blogspot.co.uk

Photographers: Julia Boggio, Gemma Hall, Claire Huish

POD Obsession

Being freelance I often find myself in new work locations, I'm never concerned about how to get there (I'm a travel nerd), what I need to wear or hong long my day is, the question on my lips is always "where's good to go for lunch?!". Unlike many girls in fashion I'm not sample size, but my chance of getting there is greatly increased by eating lunch and breakfast at POD. Apart from being naturally low in fat, carbs and calories POD prides itself on being natural, nutritious and delicious whilst using foods that are fair-trade, have low food miles, are sustainable and organic where possible. On top of that everything is packaged in compostable, sustainable and recycled materials! This aside, the food is really tasty and filling. My favourites are the 'Slow Burner Salad' loaded with seeds, nuts, lentils, barley and veg topped off with feta, peas and mint followed by the 'Cacao and Pistachio Pot', a gorgeous combination of greek style yoghurt sitting on agave nectar, sprinkled with raw cacao nibs and pistachios. If you are a calorie counting obsessive you will be pleased to know that calories and saturated fat are clearly printed everywhere. For now POD only has branches in central London but are slowly branching out, check out their website to find one near you www.podfood.co.uk.

Finishing touches

In a last minute decision on Friday morning, merely hours before I was due to catch a train to a friends wedding, I decided that I needed to polish my wedding outfit with a few finishing touches. Previously I had prided myself on the fact that I'd managed to purchase everything online for this weekend's celebrations, but in a last minute rush to Oxford Street to get a belt for my boyfriend's suit I was led astray... When time is short one must head to John Lewis, I know I can get near enough everything under one roof (including a bite of sushi from the Food Hall). On the list was jewellery, a hair accessory and a neutral clutch, good old JL managed to score 2 out of 3...

I don't usually go in for 'matchy matchy' but as I was wearing an un-matching two-piece (top and skirt) instead of a dress, I deemed it acceptable whilst also making my life easier. After scouring the John Lewis Jewellery department I drifted toward the lower price point jewellery, sometimes you gotta keep to a budget! These reasonably priced pieces are from Swimwear designer Melissa Odabash, you can go for gold, rose gold or silver in this gorgeous Lotus flower design. Gold Lotus Cuff Ring £49.00, Lotus Studs £29.00 and Lotus Bracelet £49.00, all triple dipped in 18k gold with crystal detailing.

Fitting in with the 'matchy' theme I selected this hair corsage, which also doubles up as a brooch, to go with my hot pink skinny belt and shoes. Hot Pink Silk Flower Corsage £20.00 from John Lewis.

To mix it up a little I added this dusky pink leather clutch from Etui Bags available in the bags concession section in Topshop's Flagship Oxford Street Store (sadly I can find no info online). They have a great selection in every shade imaginable and have an optional long brass chain strap to make it a chic little day bag. Etui clutch £45.00.

Sophisticated Summer Sandals

Seeming as the sun came out (It's gone again, apologies UK, I may have jinxed it) I rushed to old faithful, Kurt Geiger, to buy summer sandals. I spied these beauties in Selfridges months ago but couldn't justify splashing out, the recent weather provided the perfect excuse, plus I searched the web for a voucher code and got 25% off, so I don't feel too bad... These are probably my most grown up sandals ever, I'm the type to slum it in Havaianas, but as my 30th is fast approaching I should embrace womanhood and grow up, I'm hoping the 'bling' element will keep my tootsies looking youthful. 'Misty' Leather and Metal Sandals, £110.00 from www.kurtgeiger.com.

Hard Candy

If had to describe Kurt Geiger's AW12/13 collection in one word it would be 'Fierce', swiftly followed by the word 'Sexy'. The collection, dubbed 'Pretty in Punk' hit the nail on the head in terms of summing it up, very rock 'n' roll with a sweet, girly twist with plenty of studs and chains on sugary shades. I found myself drawn toward the grown up and sophisticated end of the showroom (platforms do have their place but I'm a classicist) to find slim, elegant heels, flat soles with pointed and almond toes. The highlights for me were a pair of gorgeous, buttery soft , suede ruby, heeled ankle boots with lazer cut detailing and laces, and a pair of nude suede ankle boots with the most flattering cut just below the ankle, pointed toe and an edgy zipper. Sheer sex in a shoe.

Treasure Island Treats

I foolishly thought I could quickly 'pop-in' to the River Island AW Press Day this morning before work, there was so much to see I resigned myself to the fact that I'd be running late. River Island's design team powerhouse has the luxury (of both time and budget) to afford dipping more than just a toe into at least 10 hot trends for AW 12/13, the unifying factor being all the heavy embellishment. The showroom was literally dripping with bling from Tom Binns-esque neon and diamanté jewels and brooches to McQueen inspired greedily decorated baroque clutches and shoes. The highlights for me were a pair of bitchy black fierce ankle boots, a dangerous looking origami fronted metallic clutch and the sweetest sweater with a naughty looking kitten on it.