Beauty, Grace & Style

This is the sister fragrance to 212 SEXY and is an essential golden sparkle to add to your dressing table.

All you have to do is decide who you would like to invite to your Private Party.........

and if you do have a special man to buy for try this, the male fragrance from the 212 SEXY line. You will both be the toast of town.

Van Cleef & Arpels have had an amazing 2010 with their sponsorship of the Grace Kelly : Style Icon exhibit and closing the year with a coverted award in Switzerland for their 'Arpels Poetic Complications, Pont d'Amoureux' ladies watch (centre below).

Either side of the watch are two of my choice stocking fillers, a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace in Edition de Noel and the Bracelet Diamonds from the Perlee collection. Very wearable all year round and great to take out to the special party.

Another must-have for the season is the Paco Rabanne fragrance Lady Million.

This fragrance features the warmth of Orange Flower, Honey and Jasmine that just make you feel that you are being wrapped up in somthing wonderful and warm. There is a firey sprakle there too with citron patchouli and Gardenia notes also.

For a Fragrance that has a luminosoity of it's own to wear throught he party season and into next year you couldn't go wrong with Lady Million.

Launched in 2010 and developed by Anne Flipo, Beatrice Piquet and Dominique Ropion, this fragrance is developing a strong following and after the compliment I got when I wore it I can understand why.

Nesti Dante make beautiful soaps in the family's factory near to Florence. Here is one of my favourites from their range 'Philosophia'.

The milling of fine soaps was recognised as a profession under the Medici Court and today they are still pursuing sweet-smelling excellence.

I also loved the Gold 60th Anniversary soap and the 'Emozioni in Toscana' range are bliss.

Nina Ricci L'Elixir could be just the tonic that you need to go into 2011 with a burst of rejuvination.

As the heart-shaped bottle suggests this perfume is inspired by the young hearts quest for love. Red Toffee Apple, Berries and Jasmine are at the heart of this fragrance.

Coton Musk, Cedar, Amber and Citrus all go into the mix to create a sparkly perfume with a hint of fairy dust to make you magic wish.

This is naughty and bold and may avail you more than one naughty kiss under the Mistletoe. 

Chanel Les Vernis 'Riva' Cruise Collection 2010 - 2011.

If you are fast you can still find bottles of this nail polish launched in late November 2010. It's the perfect colour and I will be using it to brighten up my nails in the New Year. It's a delicate Aqua Blue and when I visited Chanel Press day in November, I saw that the Spring - Summer 2011 models where also wearing it as a lip shade. Very fresh and lovely.

If you can't find it on the counters try the Chanel Boutiques in main cities around the globe.

Good luggage will some serve you well and I think it can be a romantic gift for a partner, especially one that travels a lot for business.

Wherever he or she is in the World they will always have something from you to remind them of you and of home. Ahh (romantic sigh)

Louis Vuitton has been making all kinds of luggage for a long time and they are very good at it.

This Speedy and Pochette to the left are nice gifts for a special lady who is always smart and organised when she travels. I love the coloured canvess styles, I think they're fun.

The above two pieces are useful gifts for the Gentleman in your life. A discretly labelled Large Speedy for the Weekend and a Wallet that is very similar in size to the Louis Vuitton Passport Holder.

If you really want to spoil the special lady in your life or want to drop a pretty big hint if you are a lady, I would suggest that making an order with Louis Vuitton for something from the Spring - Summer 2011 collection.

It may not be an instant gift you can give but she will know that she is streets ahead in the style stakes and anticipation always heightens the pleasure. All ladies like to feel special and their is something very seductive about a man who plans gifts well. 

The Berkeley Square Cosmetics Company have a beautiful line of products that will kit out any bathhroom or dressing table in style. The Natural Couture collection chanels the glamour of the Breakfast at Tiffany's era of Mayfair Chic with packing adorned with Images taken by society photographer John French.

The Natural Couture Collection is flawless in white using White Bergamont, White Amber and White Muguet. The products range from Body lotion to hand and nail cream and Shower Gel. It is available at Fortnum & Mason's and other select retailers. 

Part of the ethos is that no nasty harsh additives, colours or parabens and other icky things included so this is really is premium skin care at it's pure and simple best. For more information about Berkeley Square click here.

Berkeley Square also have a 1920's range that captures simple traditional English Fragrances such as Rose, White Tea and Fig & Cherry.

I love the time that they have taken to develop the art work for this libe with all of the different products in the range carrying colored drawings of Lady's from the 1920s dressed for a day or evening out.

There is also a set of lip balms for this collection which fit very well into the purse. There is a full 'Tried and Tested' article covering some of these products from Berkeley Square in the January page. 

Aspinal of London have a whole host of treats this Christmas for the special people in your life. I love the Red Audrey Hepburn Coin Purse (Below left) and the bracelet and i-pod/phone holder are extra ways to work some glamour into your accessory collection. All these pieces are available in numerous colours but I love Red so I chose these to show you in particular.

Here are two bags from Aspinal's current collection that I think would suit most ladies. The Blue Aspinal Romance Clutch is quilted and tasselled to swish along as you skip about town. The Berkeley Crocodile bag in Purple is a chic staple and I think this line, that somes in several colours, deserves a bit more exploration and praise. Aspinal have made fantastic luggage and bags for many years and this is a British Heritage Brand that we should be shouting about!

Elizabeth Hurley has designed a line of handbags with Aspinal to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Research's Pink Ribbon campaign.

Below are the two editions of the Hurley Bag, in patent Black and Gold both with the signature lock-fasten clasp at the front. A very stylish way to support a cause close to many peolpe's hearts.

At the CHANEL press day I got to try some of the Summer 2011 make-up range and they very kindly sent me along some samples to try.

Here are two colours Morning Rose and Mimosa that are both stunning. Morning Rose is my favourite nail colour and twins well with a Morning Rose lipstick that I bought in New York a couple of years ago.

I love the thought of a Rose opening in the morning. I think it's how we would all like to feel when the light first touches us each day.

Mimosa is a beautiful colour and reminds me of the Laduree Mimosa Macarons in Paris. I would recommend trying this colour to give a twist to your outfit colour scheme. Both polishes have strong colour in 2 or 3 coats and have the durability regular CHANEL nail polish wearers will be used to.  

Here are two different lip colours that will suit the majority of complexions. To the left is Monte-Carlo, which is vibrant and Red and for me is an evening lipstick. On the Right is Boy which is lighter nad gives an almost nude effect. I've worn this mostly in the day and sometimes in the evening as the nude make-up look is still going strong. I'm thinking of Kitty Spencer and her sisters at the Royal Wedding of William and Catherine.

Both these lipsticks have a definate cream feel to them that isn't heavy in the least and goes on well. Most importantly the colour last and when it does fade, it's gentle, gradual and almost flattering, just leaving an impression of lined lips.

The Levres Scintillantes lip glosses come in a new range of colours and I was given the Aurora shade to try. This is moist and lightly applied gives the satisfying nude finish that we expect from Chanel lip colours.

Aurora in Homer's Iliad is when the goddess Dawn stretches out her Rosy fingers at the break of Day and as a twin with Morning Rose above it makes a pretty spectacular lip and nail set.

Again there is a satisfying soft creamyness as in the Rouge Coco Shine lip colours above and it drys quickly too, which as we all know is important in a gloss.

Aurora is a favourite on my lips right now and I hope you can try it at a department store near you where ever you are in the world.

Rose Platine or Platimun Rose is as the name suggests a soft metallic colour that has the same shimmer as the Morning Rose nail polish and the Aurora lip gloss. Roses certainly seem to be en Vogue in this make-up collection and as this is A Blush of Rose, how perfect!!!

The delicate tip of the liner keeps it staying sharp as you use it and the wand is the perfect length to sit comfortably in the hand. I would suggest teaming this with your favourite CHANEL mascara for beautiful evening make up or wearing very lightly on it's own during the day time.   

Khaki has returned again to the CHANEL make up stable but this war-paint is gentle on the oh-so delicate skin around the eyes. The make-up is creamy and non-drying and can be applied wet or dry using one of the two applicators.

As always with CHANEL compacts I'm loving the High definition mirror and this little gem will be travelling with me in my make-up bag.

Also in the collection are some wonderful Blusher Quads that are toned in four colours. These look fun and you could also be sneaky and use them as eye shadows sweeping off your colour of choice.

(C) All images me with kind permission of Berkeley Square Cosmetics.

At the Wedding of year (April 29th Westminster Abbey, London) many of us where re-introduced to  the wonderful fragrance White Muguet, if you think you havnt heard of it this, it is French for Lily of the Valley. Ever surfing the trends with a chic and natural take on products, Berkeley Square have produced some new Must Have's that celibrate Catherine Middleton's Bouquet.

She use Muguet as one of the plants in her bouquet but Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco used only that flower. It's a special link also as Bridal Catherine's dress and taste echoed Grace's so closley. 

The most beautiful handbag essential is the White Muguet Eau De Toillette. The conveniently hand sized 100ml bottle (right).

I love the John French achive images that they use in their packaging that take us back to the glamourous 1950s. It's a key marque of the Berkeley Square Natural Couture look.

The full range of White Muguet Natural Couture includes, Hand and Nail cream, Body cream, an extra creamy Body Butter, shower cream and scented Soap. All of their products I've tried on myself and others are gentle to the wearer and the creams are always light and melt into the skin.

There's a lot to chose from and the products are stocked Nation wide across the UK and also abroad. I seriously recommend that you try them out. Please follow this link to their main website to discover more amazing treats. www.bsquare.co.uk

Dear Readers I now combine products into the monthly report pages. This page is an achieve piece from 2011. I've left it up live as many items are still available or have lines running so it's still helpful. Best wishes Angela