Night Russian

Mari Vanna is a beautiful Russian restaurant in the heart of the City. A few weeks ago I went along for a birthday dinner to find out if the food was as perfect as the decor. As you enter the restaurant it's feels more like a perfectly over the top house with its large front door and narrow corridor filled with coat hooks, vintage frames, chandlers and gold wall paper.

We were seated at one of the beautiful mismatching tables in a small cosy dining room. The walls in this room were also well covered in dressers filled with trinkets and similar frames and lighting to the first. The service was great and we were quickly presented with a delicious breadboard filled with an assortment of breads and goodies. I chose to start with the smoked salmon and couchette pancakes, and they were perfect. Light and fluffy with sour cream and salmon, yum. For my main I went for the beef stroganoff with bulgur wheat - also very good indeed. The lovely staff showed u their stash of in house vodkas (well it is Russian,what did you expect). Huge jars sat brewing behind the bar filled with strawberries, cherries, cucumber and dill, honey, chilli and pretty much any other flavour you could think of. We tasted a few and the cherry is exquisite!

This is a lovely restaurant and I would hugely recommend, especially perfect for a special occasion. This place would give serious first date points too! Thank you Mari Vanna x

Visit http://marivanna.ru/london/

Oh Yves

YSL has always been a truly inspirational brand for me.  When my boyfriend surprised me with a gorgeous maine coon grey spot kitten she quickly got named Yves.  She is now far larger and lounges around my house on neutral furniture and coffee tables.  When I discovered YSLs Touche Eclat a few years ago my eyes lit up - literally.  Too-much-gin&tonic-last-night eyes were a thing of the past.  And then this...

The adverts came first.  Vogues spread of nude, back and white beauty with the label 'Saint Laurent'.  Then followed the word of the fashionistas.  Yves Saint Laurent would loose its Yves - lets hope my Yves doesn't go missing hey?  It has become the only place to go to for those last and love forever pieces, with a very cool edge.

These are few of the best of the best from Saint Laurent's new classics - Check out more of the collection at www.matchesfashion.com

LuLu Leather Shoulder bag - £1075 via matches

Tail-back tuxedo Jacket - £1885 via matches

Merino-wool fine knit sweater - £465 via matches

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Fresh

Last weeks SS13 Wallis press event really impressed with their launch of the W limited edition collection.  Pretty fresh mint greens and pale nudes made up of skinny suits and even skinnier heels filled the rails.  Some of my favourite pieces were the simple shift colour block dresses, the monochrome cut out shoulder dresses and peach short suit - perfect summer workwear.  Check out below for a few great pieces available now at www.wallis.co.uk. Love xx

Pale pink Jacket - £65

Pink tailored shorts - £30

White city dress - £70

Liberty London

Of course it was beautiful, it was Liberty.  Liberty is beauty.  It has to be my favourite store in the world.  A fairyland filled with everything you could ever want, I fell in love with every jacket, every bag and every golden elephant necklace in the AW13 Press Show.  Peter Pilotto, Phillip Lim and Givenchy stole the show.  Textures were key with feathers, metallic and neon neoprene.  I don't want to wish away the summer but I can't wait to stock up on beautiful winter essentials in-store.  The key items seemed to be huge fluffy oversized knits to wear with dramatic large necklaces and the perfect work dress to take you from day to evening.  Lovely event xx

If you cannot get to Liberty then check out their great website at www.liberty.co.uk. Below are a few of my favourite now buys.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bull dog coin purse £50

Kenzo enamel tiger bracelet £140

Richard Nicholl Blue diamond dress £365

Fresh Face

A few weeks ago I went along to the launch of DHC in the UK.  I was drawn in by the fact it is Japan's number one skincare brand but I really wasn't sure about the base of Olive oil in most products.  I get the odd blemish, especially in the cold winter months, and the thought of rubbing oil into it worried me slightly.  DHC has been creating skincare and beauty products in Japan for over 30 years, using natural ingredients.  The brand are great at sampling, and when you purchase any product you can select four samples to try - they know how great their products are.  The packaging is simple, and a little mismatching, but I do think this gives it a rather charming, straight from the science labs feel.  I decided to give the entire range a go and hope for the best.  The star product, the deep cleansing oil feels just like a light olive oil.  The idea is that oil attracts unwanted oils, and removes them from your skin.  You use it like a face wash, coat it onto dry skin, then rinse it off.  It removes all make up, including stubborn mascara easily, and foams slightly once it gets wet.  It leaves skin super soft, blemish free, and after three weeks of using it morning and night I am completely smitten.  

The other products are all just as fabulous.  The Pore lotion is a super gentle toner that contains brown algae which supports collagen and minimises pores.  It has a very light grapefruit scent and feels far more luxury that its price tag.  Other star products that are now being used everyday are the Pore Milk (a gentle light grapefruit moisturiser ), the Velvet skin coat (the perfect primer for when applying make up - its called velvet for a reason) and the Perfect pro double protection mascara. 

A special mention has to go to the Liquid Eyeliner.  This is the ONLY eyeliner that I have ever found that will not smudge.  My eyes are shaped so that when open my eyelids touch the top of the eye and eventually smudge any eyeliner, except this one!  (Clinque's has been my essential for several years, and is a good second to this DHC one.)  It has a super fine line and so is perfect for a simple eye, or to build up for a more dramatic look.

Every product seems to be the best of the best.  I would recommend DHC to everyone.  My skin is the best it has ever been. Some products on the website are not yet available in the UK but most are either available or on their way over.  I am looking forward to trying other products from the range when available.  Visit www.dhcuk.co.uk for the range.  Enjoy xx

Deep Cleansing Oil - £21.50, currently on sale for £18

Pore Lotion - £28

Pore Milk - £28

Mascara - £14.50

Liquid Eyeliner - £16

Velvet Skin Coat - £17

Beautiful things

I have been spoilt rotten over the past month. These fabulous Burberry Prorsum wedge heels were a present from a very influential person in my life and I am truly smitten with them. I fell head over heels in love with these beauties the minute they clomped down the Prorsum catwalk and now they are on my feet. I am planning a 90s grunge summer in silk shift dresses followed by a winter of oversized thick 70s coats and black tights. 

This Parks London Rose scented candle in its lovely box was a birthday present from friend and fellow blogger Emma Louise Layla - emmalouiselayla.com and has made my house smell exquisite.  It is floral but fresh and made of natural ingredients. I must try more Parks products now - check out www.parkscandles.com .

How awesome is this studded suede look clutch? Skulls of course. A complete find for around £6 in Primark of all places. Perfect for throwing make-up, iPads or whatever else into a large tote. In store now.

Xx

Skin beautiful

Over the past few months I have turned from product lover to product addict. I must have trialled 200 cleansers, toners, scrubs, moisturisers and more. I am determined to sort the best of the best from the not-all-that. Just to recap, my skin is normal to dry, with the odd blemish (more after a birthday weekend though). I have a few fabulous products to show you this week. I won't post products unless I truly believe in them. My skin is currently the best it has ever been and I put it down to my favourites. I will always have my fall backs that I have posted before - Clinique foam wash is just brilliant and Garnier's simple tub of rosé moisturiser is the best thing for under £5, resembling a £30 product. These products to follow could even beat these babies!

Aromatherapy Associates is a brand that I recently discovered and read great things about. I have a stressful day job in Visual Merchandising and have been after a lux eye cream for evening to soothe my tired iPad eyes, preferably at a not so lux price. I was a little worried these products may be too rich or greasy but completely the opposite. I will use the Firming eye serum at £39 for ever and ever! It is Devine. It smells soothing and cools the eye area. It is a light gel and you only need the smallest amount. It is rich in anti-oxidants including black tea and cranberry which plump and smooth. My eyes feel more revived constantly, not just when I put it on. Highly recommended, treat yourself, save your eyes.

The other product I tried was the Rose hydrating face mask at £36. This is the perfect present for a stressed friend or just yourself. There is officially NOTHING better than an evening in the bath in this luxury hydrating mask with aloe vera and damask rose water distiller from Bulgarian roses. It is cooling and seriously boosts moisture.

Fabulous products! Can't wait to stock up on the whole range including rose hydrating mist £20 and the moisturising lip balm £15. Visit www.aromatherapyassociates.com for more. Xx