At the Plaza Athénée at the heart of Avenue Montaigne lies the Dior Institut Spa, tucked underground of the prestigious carpeted 4 star hotel. I was welcomed from the cold into the warm hands of my designated beautician, Noella. There is all the Dior elements and luxury the brand has to offer. Marbled flooring (heated), Dior’s signature geometric patterns which decorated the walls, elegant lighting etc.

Guided into the changing rooms where there is a sauna and steam room I change into their thick toweling bathrobes of the hotel (the type you vow to buy when you get back home but never find). Taken into the relaxation area where a well equipped seating area I am offered tea, fresh juices and some appetising nibbles.

Later the beauty room surprises me with their elevating bed which later I discover heats up (From snow to this I couldn’t of wished for anything more). Booked for an anti ageing facial I am first given a back rub which transcends me from Paris fashion rush to total relaxation as Noella’s hands and oil work the tension out of my body. Now a woman with a busy hectic lifestyle never switches off, so my mind drifts to the lists of things I need to do but with all the therapeutic sounds and smells I surrender to the rare moment and start to enjoy my facial and my time off from running around in the snow from show to show.

Cleansed skin and a delicate lifting scrub is applied all professional purpose products dedicated to getting the best results. Now here is the luxury Dior’s ‘Capture Totale one essential serum’ is applied to boost my skin while a mask is applied. During that a neck and shoulder massage is given which fills up the waiting time for the mask to penetrate and later peeled off with all the anxiety.

After this experience an appropriate moisturiser and eye cream is selected for my needs, I discover Dior’s Hydralife Sorbet Creme which is a 2 in 1 includes serum within the cream. Also Hydralife Sorbet Eye Cream is applied.

Just as I thought the experience was coming to an end Noella asks me to relax and exposes my arms applying Diorsvette Body Desire and continues to relieve me from the tension with a well needed massage.

I am given time to pull myself together and wake up from my ‘me time moment’. I look in the mirror and discover a better version of me, I have been upgraded! It was hard not to notice a difference. Welcomed to the relaxation room and offered a refreshing drink together again with some healthy nuts and dried fruits.

“MY DREAM, WAS TO
MAKE WOMEN NOT ONLY
MORE BEAUTIFUL, BUT
ALSO HAPPIER.”
Christian Dior

There is a vast choice of treatments to delve in. From face and body therapies to improve skin tone to the more complex needs of micro-debrasion options. Other cures such as the Anti-jet lag treatment or leg reviving treatments are also on offer, but don’t think that all this is limited to women only, there is also treatments catered for men, facial include the Dior Homme range are available.

Beauty note on Capture Totale:

Discover Dior’s Capture Totale if you haven’t yet.

Beneath the impetus of hypodermal stem cells, the new CAPTURE TOTALE range offers the first highly sensorial treatments capable of acting from the deepest levels of the skin to the surface in order to:

Restructure the skin – Skin is once again supported and readjusts harmoniously to the features

Re-plump the skin – Skin is bursting with plumpness and regains denser volume

Smooth and illuminate the skin- Skin is once again smooth and reflects light intensely

In a few weeks, the skin regains all its youthfulness and radiance.

The face is profoundly more beautiful!

The Paris streets were covered in great style during PFW, here are a few snaps taken with my trusty iphone 5

How pretty is the packaging?  Ahh let the summer dreaming begin here is the update.

Gloss Prodige: Here we have two glosses from the Gloss Prodige range, Vibrant Rose shade 10 and Water lily shade 09.  The Vibrant Rose has a lovely glitter finish and the textures on these are not at all sticky which is a bonus, what’s also great about theses is they smell just like strawberries!

Palet Eclat: In the middle we have a beautifully designed face and blush powder where an Iris flower is embossed. This is an all over powder but can also be used as a blusher.  By stroking your blusher brush onto the pink or peach strips you can enhance the cheeks with a natural wash of colour onto the apples of the cheeks.

Joli Rouge Brillant: These two lipsticks are from the Joli Rouge Brillant range, above in Sweet Plum shade 18, and Watermelon shade 17. These lippies are super sheer and give a lovely shine to the lips, the colours are perfect for the day time and give a ‘just bitten’ glossy look. They have a slight sheen to the colour and last a good few hours! I’m currently trying Watermelon today and didn’t have to re apply until lunch time, and I drink a lot of tea!

Rouge Eclat: Pink Fuchsia shade 10, Tropical Pink shade 04, Coral Pink shade 08, Juicy Clementine shade 09, Passion Red shade 11, Red Wine shade 07

This pretty row of lippies are also new to Clarins. With their first anti aging formula that retains youthfunless of the lips, Clarins have produced 15 shades offering a beautiful selection of colours. We were sent these great bright shades which we’ve featured in our beauty stories this season! My favourite is Juicy Clementine, such a fantastic colour!

Have you tried this collection?  We’d love to know what you think!

John Galliano – Photo by Rex Features – Vogue.co.uk

The reason behind his dismissal from the famous fashion house is due to the anti-Semitic remarks Galliano made to a couple in a Paris café.

The argument first came about after a lawyer for John Galliano the label and Christian Dior Couture, Jean Néret of Jeantet Associés, stated the case needed to be heard by a commercial court due to the complicated nature of Galliano’s contracts with both firms.

A court heard yesterday what Galliano was earning whilst at Christian Dior, close enough to a whopping 1million pounds a year. Plus variable compensation of up to £600,000 along with a percentage of the brands annual sales rise. He was also given a clothing allowance of up to £25,000 and a ‘grooming’ budget for personal appearances of £51,500. Who blames him for being this upset! That is a hell of a lot of money to lose…

John Galliano – Photo by PA photos – Vogue.co.uk

Now that the court has accepted his case Dior has 15 days to contest the decision and if challenged, the case will be referred to the Paris courts of appeal  in 9 months time!

EEEEEEK!!

Lancome Hypnose Mascara

I’m such a fan of Lancome, their products never fail to impress! My all time favourite is Hypnose Mascara in black, it defines the eyes giving my lashes super volume. Other mascara’s I’ve used in the past run out pretty quickly, this however lasts a good 2 months! I only need to apply one coat to each lash for an intense look as the ingredients in this mascara, combined with their patented brush builds up the volume beautifully!

For the perfect eye’s I combine this mascara with their liquid eyeliner!

This week  it was announced that luxury group PPR have bought a 51% stake in his company, meaning there will be some exciting plans for the Christopher Kane brand.

PPR are known for the acceleration and growth of luxury brands including Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Their goal is to expand the Christoper Kane label internationally and offer support to the young designer.

Designer Christopher Kane

“Christopher is a truly great talent who has shown a real sense of modernity in the way he mixes elegance and subtle constructions,” said PPR chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault. “In just a few years, he has built a very distinctive and exciting brand with a unique DNA. I am delighted that Christopher Kane is joining PPR’s portfolio of luxury brands and working with us to further develop its business as a global luxury brand. Christopher Kane is already established as a luxury label and has a tremendous intrinsic growth potential. We thus have great ambitions for the brand and will enable it to benefit from our expertise and know-how, while providing the space for it to further develop its own creative identity.”

Watch this space!

`Happy New Year! Hope 2013 is a stylish, elegant one. Here are some resolution to kick start your year…

The ‘bulging’ closet but nothing to wear: I am a victim of this wardrobes spilling clothes, but everyday I can easily complain that ‘I dont have anything to wear’. Now this consists of stuff I bought because I was feeling down, feeling happy, had a baby or two oh and the classic one “its a bargain”. Its time to edit your wardrobe. Be honest if its been buried there for over a year then lets face it you are not going to wear it so ebay it or donate it.

Avoid oversized clothing: As comfortable as it may seem, roomy clothing is just wrong and its time to get it right and part with them. Stick to clothes that actually fit and embrace your assets to the maximum.

Same face: Like fashion time to reassess your make-up. No need to wear the same look you wore to college because ‘it suits me’ or ‘its me’… Lets face it the bare face is you and makeup is to enhance or compliment.  Check out the latest foundations that suit your skin and its needs, Eyeshadow textures have become easier to use some you can just smudge on with your fingertips and done. There are some cool lipstick shades out there other than nude, have a go.

Romeo Beckham with creative director Christopher Bailey / Burberry

The new face for the new Spring/Summer 2013 is 10 year old Romeo Beckham, son of  Victoria and David Beckham. Shot by Mario Testino along side a cast of models such as Cara Delevigne, Edie Campbell, Charlotte Wiggins, Charlie France,, Alex Dunstan, and Max Rendell. But Creative director Christopher Bailey said ” Romeo stole the show”. Dressed in a signature burberry trenchcoat, shirt and tie finished with a pair of brogues, Romeo has all the style success of mum and dad; topped with a smile that says he is enjoying his new found talents.

Romeo Beckham in his debut campaign for Burberry

Another shot photos Mario Testino

The Beckhams: Romeo (far left) with father, mother and siblings

After assisting Nicholas Kirkwood who acted as a mentor to the London designer, she very quickly got on the fashion ladder with her first collection. Her shoes are now stocked in Harvey Nichols and online exclusively at net-a-porter.com.

Her first collection is based on her recent factory trips to Brazil where she admired the pastel coloured houses. Taking inspiration from the buildings, the people and the landscapes with their lively and colourful ways she created these fab designs below:

The results are beyond expectation, vibrant and highly visual.

Here are some snaps from the makeup room!

The Mood Board

Makeup artist Amanda gets her nails involved!

Pretty eye colours by Trish McEvoy, Guerlain foundation, Lancome concealer, Liz Earle pressed powder, Paul & Joe brow definer and sheer lipstick

Dior and Shu Uemura colours in palettes, how organized!