Lara Bohinc unveils Lydia Hearst for new campaign

 Who on earth is qualified to front an international campaign for a brand so synonymous with luxury that Sam-Cam gifted it to the First Lady of the United States?

Why the international Crème de la crème supermodels, of course.

Lydia Hearst (crowned International Supermodel of 2008, no less) has been announced as the face of Lara Bohinc’s latest fine jewellery palladium collection.

In a pleasing urban-meets-rural collaboration, the super-luxe 5-piece collection (cuff, choker, earrings, ring and pendant) takes inspiration from both the architectural shapes of London’s skyline (the campaign’s backdrop) and natural constructions such as spider webs and trees.

The best part? The weightlessly strong palladium metal allows several hundred diamonds and luminous south sea pearls to be displayed on each piece.

Swoon – we’ll take all five, please.

The collection will be sold exclusively at Harrods and Lara Bohinc

Merder Beauty launches Jamaican Voyage Spa Ritual

To hell with this topsy-turvey weather, darlings! Lady C has found a way to stay looking hot and feeling divine – and all with a little culture thrown in. The best part, though? Unlike other warmth and relaxation options, this one is - quite wonderfully - 100% jet-lag free.

Meder Beauty at Harrods’ Urban Retreat has just launched its Jamaican Voyage Spa Ritual, celebrating all the best that the sun-seekers’ destination au choix has to offer And no, it’s not just the rum, darlings (although we wouldn’t turn down a Mojito right now..) – we’re talking coffee, sugar cane and precious spices..

Meder’s signature Jamaican Voyage Body Potion begins the process with a double-pronged attack: it physically exfoliates, stimulates and energises the skin, whilst the powderful ingredients (remember: not rum) deeply penetrate the skin, creating an intense warming sensation. The result is boosted circulation and metabolism, which instantly revive dull, lifeless skin – and that’s before you’ve even got started.

The ritual proper then commences with cellulite-busting massage using Jamaican Voyage Massage Honey (sans sucrose, you’ll be pleased to hear – no-one likes a sticky masseuse) and classic ayurvedic teachings, renowned for their ability to stimulate weight loss. You’re then cocooned in an Aqua Capsule wrap, which is basically a heated glycerine gel containing skin-saturating micro-capsules bursting with active ingredients (such as extract of coffee beans, would you believe?!).

The full spa ritual is £155 for 1hr20mins, and can even be re-lived from the comfort of your own bath tub should you choose to DIY it (Body Potion, £69) – just maybe enlist the assistance of your own Mr C, first…

Caudalie to launch Urban Spas

If the month-long pop-up at Harrods simply isn't long enough, you’ll be pleased to know that luxury skincare brand Caudalie have just announced that they will be landing at a city near you, as they launch their Urban Spas across the UK.

CAUDALIE POP-UP AT HARRODS

Offering a capsule collection of four facial and one body treatment, the spas will initially launch in London, Liverpool and Dorset, before rolling-out to locations including Essex, Cambridge, and Lancashire.

This is the first time the luxe Français brand has ventured into our urban cities - we think we'll put their anti-oxidant know-how to excellent use..

If you can’t take the girl out the city, at least give her a good spa – thanks, Caudalie!

Lady C talks to the pros

A vibrant pop of lip / cheek / eye colour may look like hard graft to perfect, but according to the NARS backstage stying team, statement make-up is a doddle compared to nailing the no-make-up make-up trend. A flawless face will never betray a high maintenance regime – your best compliment should be “who is your facialist”, not “who did your make-up”.

A look that screams au natural even if you’re wearing more slap than ever before? How on earth does one achieve that fabled “dewy” skin without straying into the dreaded “shine” territory?

Trust in your Lady C, darlings, for I have done my homework.

Backstage at Christopher Kane, the models had their face massaged to increase blood circulation for a natural glow. But if you don’t have a masseuse to hand (and why-ever not?) NARS’ International Lead Stylist, Jane Richardson, suggests a mega-hydrating over-night mask the before a big event. Or get the pros in and indulge in Crème de la Mer’s The Facial at Urban Retreat, £120 for 60mins.

Next, choose your cosmetics wisely. Opting for brand continuity is a good idea, since varying proportions of oil and water can cause make-up to slip or “fall off” as you layer-up, which does not a natural look create.

Burberry’s latest cosmetic collection references the effortless elegant of the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2012 ready-to-wear, with colour limited to wearable English countryside hues, and an emphasis on matte, velvety textures. Think lightweight foundation, rich velvety eye shades, gently contoured cheeks, and natural dusky pink lips. They’ve done it all for you, really.

Top tip? Wendy Rowe, Burberry Beauty Artistic Consultant suggests applying foundation from the centre of the face, blending outwards, for truly natural coverage. Lady C fully endorses getting your fingers dirty for this – the skin on skin contact warms foundation, allowing it to blend more seamlessly. 

The Burberry collection isn’t available til August, so bide your time and brush up on application skills. And woe betide the unprepared come Autumn - this look is going to be huge!

Lalique launches 20th anniversary limited edition

 First impressions count. That’s obvious.

But add to that the whizzy science bit that 70% of all communication is non-verbal, and suddenly the scent you choose (or don’t, for that matter) becomes a powerfully influential tool.

Our point? Lalique’s signature scent - the formidably elegant Lalique de Lalique of circa 1992 - is back. And better.

A floral steeped with femininity, the scent opens with an elegant bouquet of Bulgarian Rose and radiant Jasmine, concealing a fruity heart of Blackcurrant, Blackberry and Pear. It is the olafactory equivalent of an English garden, and about as quintessentially British as it gets.

So – quel surprise, darlings – the fragrance feast is back once more, this time in special 20th Anniversary limited edition bottles. The Chevrefeuille crystal carafe from 1992 comes in two exquisite forms. 350 limited edition 40ml bottles – each signed and numbered, and laced with 24k gold honeysuckle leaves. Oh, and 50 deluxe bottles, £5,800 for 600ml.

The deluxe is, to be perfectly frank, a sheer vat of scent (for want of a less vulgar phrase), and is overwhelmingly elegant, showcasing of the work of no less than eight master glassmakers. Swanky. This is the crème de la crème of fragrance. The pièce de résistance for your dressing table. The pièce maîtresse for just-about-anywhere… Ooh la la, the fabulosity has made us come over all en Français…

Suffice to say, your dresser looks naked without it.

Head to Harrods or Fortnum or visit Lalique

Ushvani launches Kaffir Lime Reinvigorating Ritual

With that frightful Made In Chelsea lot parading round the streets of SW3, it is easy to forget the hidden gems that lie just off the trodden track. But to the intrepid amongst you, Chelsea’s rewards are still there for the taking. 

Ushvani is a luxurious 6-star holistic spa nestled just off Sloane Street, a stone’s through from Harrods (should you be so indulgently inclined). The holistic spa is guided by the principles of nurture, well-being and relaxation.. and of course some serious indulgence. The best part, though? It is completely and utterly unique.

Quite apart from the staid, clinical feel of some day-spas, Ushvani is as one-of-a-kind as it gets, from contemporary mandi baths, to specially commissioned Malaysian artworks. Oh, and there’s the gentle aroma of ginger that wafts about the place (in a good way), too. The treatments themselves continue the immurement into the orient: all products contain potent active ingredients native to Asia.

Ushvani’s latest launch is the Kaffir Lime Reinvigorating Ritual (£180 for 90 mins), which begins with a thorough scrub-down before a results-driven massage. We say results driven because this does not only relieve tension: it stimulates a non-invasive colonic cleanse. You have been warned..

The results? Aside from the obvious relaxation benefits, Lady C noticed an immediate decrease in bloating, thanks to the aforementioned methods. The treatment claims to stimulate metabolic rate, too, so we treated ourselves to that skinny latte we’d been craving..

Visit www.ushvani.com

Harrods to host Caudalie pop-up spa

Sod the English “summer”, Lady C has a little treat for those planning a July Staycation..

From Monday 25th June to Monday 23rd July, Harrods’ aptly named Urban Retreat is bringing a tranquil slice of the French countryside to central London.

Since it’s debut in 2008, the Urban Retreat Pop-up Spa Festival has brought world-wide spas to the world’s largest super salon, from The Forte Village in Sardinia to The Pangkor Laut in Malaysia. Simply: if you can’t get to a spa, UR will bring it to you..

Caudalíe’s pop-up is an indulgent treat inspired by the Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard in Bordeaux where the brand was born and with all their signature anti-oxidant prowess. A world apart from the drizzly sky outside, Caudalíe’s pop-up is a temporary haven of French bucolic paradise, and a breath of fresh country air in the heart of London. Sigh.

Choose from five uber-luxe signature Caudalíe treatments for face or body, or the exclusive Urban Retreat Combo Express package. Lady C was treated to the super-speedy Express D-Vine Facial, £50 for 30mins, which whipped our tired, lack-lustre skin into luminous, radiant shape with the perfect cleanse-mask-massage combo. We hear this is one for Mr Chartwell, too..

Visit www.urbanretreat.co.uk/harrods to book.

YUMI lash treatment launches at Harrods

With refreshing news that Royal Ascot has upped the ante on the Royal Enclosure dress code for this year’s meet comes a welcome sigh of relief that the WAG craze has finally passed. And since where fashion goes, beauty follows (backstage at fashion week, models confessed “now, everyone wants to be the Marant girl”), it’s time to turn understated. So that’s Swedish-model gorgeous but totally and utterly natural. Right. What’s an English Rose to do? 

 

Head to Harrods, that’s what. Because (oh, rejoice) that coveted au-natural look has just taken a gigantic leap toward being achievable.  

You see, Lady C was invited to test-drive Urban Retreat newbie Yumi Lashes. The latest Swiss export promises to take lashes from zero to hero in 45 minutes, lasting for up to 12 weeks, and with no glue or falsies in sight. We understandably had our doubts.

But we were wrong. Essentially, the treatment lifts, straightens and tints lashes (you pick your shade) in a one-er, before the results are sealed using a gentle serum. During the process, eyes are brightened and revitalised thanks to potent co-enzyme Q10 pads that smoothe fine lines and wrinkles, which quite literally knock the years off.

Similar stand-alone treatments are available, but the 5-in-one combination is staggering.

Your lashes are less Bambi, more Beauty, and it’s finally a classy answer to falsies. 

It’s our time to shine, ladies – let’s make extensions a taboo.

P.s. if you must fake it, choose your materials wisely – nothing screams glue-on like synthetics. The latest lashes use mink – head to the Away Spa at the W Hotel.

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