{a new month : march}

March is always an amazing month for me, not only is it the real start of spring but the 7th marks the  anniversary of the mine and the boys first date, six months to the date we met! Somehow four years have rolled by since that first magical night at The Killers concert (yes, it really was magical..) and we always try to take a romantic little trip away for the occasion...

Last year we headed to the stunning Paris, and this year - on the sixth - we jet to Barcelona to lose our mutual virginity of the Spanish capital, any things to do/places to eat/things to see/where to drink excreta would be very helpful...

{the rachelle lust list : 23rd january 2013}

For once; my lust list isnt particularly extensive this week, I've my eye on a few pieces that I know will slide seamlessly into my everyday wardrobe, and I cant help but fall in love with beautiful (and horribly expensive) lingerie in anticipation of Valentines Day - but there are significantly less extravagant bells and whistles than usual, probably why I'm a little behind schedule on a Wednesday. . . 

t h e  t w en t y t h i r d  o f  j a n u a r y . . .

1. J Crew are make the best chic and affordable separates - fact. I adore this breton-stripe jumper, always flattering, with the cute floral print collar, £100 at Net a Porter.

2. I couldnt talk about the sexiest of underwear and not talk about Agent Provocateur. The 'Love' range has been in their permanent line for what feels like years, so you know its good. At £150 for the pair - they dont come cheap, but nothing will make you feel better in the almost nude.. This range also comes in a few different colours, with suspenders and waspies also available.

3. The Spring All Saints collection is consistently a good one.  These two dresses (Black 'Jungle' Sweater Dress £125 & Pleated Silk 'Peony' Dress £175) are so wearable, I'm desperate to get my hands on them to throw on under a leather jacket and pair of Acne ankle boots on off-duty days.

{& a very happy new year}

There is an age-old saying of 'leaving on a high note', 2012 is the epitome of the phrase, things only seem to get better in life as time progresses; the last three hundred and sixty five days have been a happy whirl of love and laughter and romance and travel and simply the most wonderful things I ever could hope for.

The boy & I said goodbye to the year in style; with a stunning hotel, amazing food and definitely too much champagne but best of all - spending the last few moments of the year and the very first few simply wrapped up in each other. 

A New Week.. and Late Weekend Links

When the 'Happy Weekend' links don't arrive until Monday, you know its been a good weekend. Its been one of those special ones you know that you're going to look back on and smile in the years to come; live music and gin, gorgeous restaurants and a pub in the afternoon, lie-in's til noon complete with breakfast in bed and a healthy dose of lying with entwined limbs, candles and a glass of wine or two...

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend and we're all starting the week as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I am...

Happy Weekend: Velvet & Floral Details

There's something about the cold weather that's consistently drawing me to warm, luxurious colours and textures; grey, mink and dusty pink in rich velvet with a little chiffon detailing.

How have your weeks been? I've been in a wistful blur from the incredible, romantic time that was last weekend where we celebrated the boys birthday with cozy nights, too much lovely food and an amazing end to the weekend at The Killers gig - and the following comedown! There's also been fireworks (in more than one respect on bonfire night..), make-ups, an evening at the races and more fireworks and most importantly - terrible things in the form of terminal illness that really put things into perspective...

The Rachelle Lust List: 5th November 2012

1. After we've had Halloween, the boys birthday and bonfire night out of the way; its a green light for me to go Christmas crazy. I love the run up from now until the 25th December, the boy knows me too well and bought me this super-sweet Smythson Christmas Organiser, dying over it. 2. The boy & I went to see The Killers perform last night, wow. Their Day & Age tour was our first date; it was amazing to go back and relive the magic of Brandon Flowers, the beautiful, perfect little man. Give their new album, Battleborn, a listen, its seriously good. 3. Christmas jumpers have always held a special place in my heart, who could resist when Preen makes them look so good?! (£595). 4. I picked up this cute skater dress from Topshop (£40) to wear to the gig, but -1 degree temperatures in Newcastle made me think twice, but I'm definetley keeping this little rock-chic number and already planning this weekend around it... 5. Another Topshop winner, these shoes (£62) are soo Charlotte Olympia, but around £800 cheaper. Score. 6 & 7. Like every girl on the planet, I'm going crazy over the new season Chanel nail varnishes, in particular Vertigo, which is 100% me, and Frenzy which is just the most perfect milky, flattering nude. I dont know how Chanel always do it, but they do! (£18 each). 8. This time of year is made for snuggly, cosy, maybe slightly sexy nights in and this Eberjey lace-trimmed teddy (£68) is perfect for said occasion. 9. Quirky jewellery storage that looks as good on the dresser as it is useful is always a winner, this ASOS Stag Jewellery Holder (£20) is perfect for the job, and would make an excellent gift for that friend who has everything. 10. The inner 6-year-old-girl/magpie within me is going crazy for these Miu Miu Glitter Leather Chelsea Boots (£495), styled with dressed down skinnies or jersey skirts.. neeed. 11. I read the beautiful Kayleighs review of the YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick (£23.50) in the most amazing pink, 'Rose Caresse' and need it in my life. The rose pink is the shade missing from my lipstick collection, this will probably be getting picked up on my lunch hour... rachelle xo

Happy Weekend: Happy November

"I don't mind being burdened with being glamorous and sexual. Beauty and femininity are ageless and cant be contrived. Glamour, although the manufacturers wont like this, cannot be manufactured  Not real glamour; its based on femininity."

~ Marilyn Monroe.

Its that time again, a brand new month ahead to enjoy (be it this post is a little late..). I'm still feeling a little dark and gothic, Halloween must still be in the air - speaking of which what did we all dress up as? I didn't have the opportunity to dress anything other than my little shihtzu, who made an excellent Witch, I did sport a black lace dress with a peplum, smokey eye and dark burgundy lip in the form of my beloved Tom Ford Black Orchid Lipstick in a nod to the holiday...

Five Favourites: Red Lipsticks

Red lipstick has long been, and will be, an iconic look for women. Keep the lip neat, the rest of the makeup simple and only ever apply a good shade that suits you skintone onto properly moisturised lips and you cant go wrong! Matte shades of red have always been my favourite, but the stunning editorial of the equally stunning Rosie Huntington-Whiteley from the UK edition of Vogue, March 2011, has me craving a big fat glossy red lip. 

My favourite ever, suits-everyone reds are; Chanel Rogue Allure Luminous Satin Lipcolour in Lover - 09 (£25)  |  Yves Saint Laurent Rogue Pur Couture Pure Colour Lipstick SPF 15 in Rouge Vernis - 35 (£22)  | NARS Cosmetics Semi-Matte Lipstick in Heatwave (£17.50)  |  NARS Cosmetics Semi Matte Lipstick in Red Lizard (£17.50)  |  Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in Red'n Chic (£8.95)  |  not a lipstick, and we're now onto number six of five favourites.. but you cant create Rosies red lip without this hero NARS Cosmetics Larger than Life Lipgloss  bin Norma (£19).

p r e v i o u s  f a v o u r i t e s  . . .

rose tinted glasses  |  face masks  |  liberty beauty hall splurges  |  beauty oils  |  summer nails  |  may 2012  | british beauty buys  |  tom ford spring/summer beauty  | matte lipsticks  

rachel xo

Five Favourites: Reinvent Your Makeup Bag

Its easy to get stuck in a makeup rut, but just as easy to refresh your day-to-day look with a few key products. I've picked five new(ish) products which are amazing in their own right, and perfect to 'jazz up' your makeup bag.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow in Premier Regard (£37) - Chanel’s eye shadow quads are basically the season’s key colours for beauty all in one place – and for autumn it’s all about pretty browns and pale pinks. You can’t go wrong. 

Tom Ford Lip & Cheek Stain in Tainted Love (£36) - This easy-to-use berry stain rolls onto lips and cheeks for a girlishly flushed look. I'm trying to convince myself that the multi-use product justifies the typically extortionate Tom Ford price tag... (Available from September).

Dolce & Gabbana Blush Luminous Cheek in Delight (£30.50) - A healthy, pink glow was on show at the Michael Kors, Mulberry and Dolce & Gabbana shows for autumn/winter 2012-13, and thus I suggest you make sure to have a great blush on hand for that just-in-from-the-cold look.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour (£20.50) - There’s no easier way to create a quick smoky eye than with one of these crease-resistant metallic Caviar Sticks. They glide on easily for long-lasting metallic colour, and they’re pretty much fool-proof.

Dior Diorshow Mascara (£23) - Blue mascara was the beauty focus at Stella McCartney, where models wore it layered up for maximum effect. This Dior version is as bold as they come, and curls the lashes too. rachel xo

Inside Her Wardrobe: Cat Deeley

As a young teen, I used to adore Cat Deely presenting Saturday morning tea alongside Ant & Dec in her cool clothes, pretty hair & makeup and charming British manner. While she's now moved to the other side of the pond, shes retained the same cool-girl charm, and I was so excited to stumble upon these pictures from her newly renovated abode complete with amazing details from the art, to the Jo Malone reed diffusers to Lanvin sneakers...

"I love the great British High St.: Topshop, Miss Selfridge, French Connection, Monsoon; affordable fashion at its best! This dress is a River Island number, no one here in the States believes it!"

Lust List - 27th August 2012

A highly beauty(iful)-based Lust List this week beauties, the autumn/winter collections are really starting to conqeur the high street now we're almost in September, but I still have beach holiday in the pipeline (in fifteen little days, eeeeek) so am reluctant to indulge too much in winter wear just yet! 1. Chanels iconic Coco scent goes dark and moody with new Coco Noir (£75 for ml) to capture the gothic feel of the upcoming season. With heady sandalwood and jasmine, you wont smell anything like this anywhere else - I cannot wait to get my mitts on a bottle. 2. Groomed brows are essential for a groomed face. I'd die without my old-faithful Brow Pencil by Mac in Spiked (£12.50). 3. Another old favourite I'll never tire of is the highly-acclaimed Mac 217 blender (£17). More often than not, this is the only tool I use to apply eye-shadow. 4. Tanned skin is a year-round essential for me; I've raved about Nars bronzing powder in Laguna (£25) many times, but after reverting back to Mac Mineralise Skinfinish Natural for a week following an incident with a shattered compact (ahem) I was searching for a fix of my beloved Laguna. Never let us again be parted. 5. The first designer collaboration for Topshop makeup comes from British designer Louise Gray, my favourite piece is the glitter nail varnish in Pink Punch (£6.50). 6. The Nars Multiples (£29) are amazingly versatile, my new favourite shade is Maldives which I've been using as a highlight and eye-shadow base pretty much all summer. 7. One autumn/winter purchase I haven't managed to resist is this perfect black fur gilet from Topshop, at only £55 its exactly what I've been looking for over the last three years, but never managed to find!  8. I'm literally dreaming about these Acne Tess booties (£430). The perfect ankle boot, I need these in my life. 9. I'm a sucker for all things natural, and great tasting, and these Firefly drinks are the best of both worlds. My three favourite flavours; Lemon & Lime, Orange & Passionfruit and Raspberry & Pomegranate are all now widely available for £1.75 each, or you can bulk-buy at Harvey Nicholls. 100% natural, nothing artificial. rachel xo

A Guide To: Jet Lag

w h a t  i s  j e t  l a g  ? . . .

The cause of jet lag is simple. As the body crosses time zones its circadian rhythms (the internal body clock that tells us when to sleep) becomes disrupted. Deprived of exterior stimuli (light, dark or a day-to-night routine) our body clock becomes confused. As a general rule, it takes one day to recover from every hour lost or gained.

h o w  t o  c u r e  i t  ? . . .

The golden rule is to try and book a flight which allows you to sleep while it is night at your destination. That way, immediatley on arrival, you can enjoy some daylight and try to enjoy a full days activities.

Hello: A Brand New Month | August

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."

~ Coco Chanel.

A new month, the peak of summer, August - is upon us. I cannot wait to spend the month soaking up the last of the British rays, getting rather overly excited at London 2012, and primarily buying too many clothes for a last minute September escape . . .