Le Soft Perfume's latest offering - The Artist - is the perfume for those who fancy smelling like a '20s literary salon; a sultry evocation of much-loved novels, whisky, smoke and moonlit Parisian streets. With a warm, bergamot top note that gradually gives way to a smouldering, garçonne-esque cedarwood base, it's a (marginally) more feminine version of my boyfriend's best-loved Terre d'Hermes (for around one fifth of the price), and the ideal olfactory accompaniment to 'Le Smoking'. Trust me on this, it's the warm weather 'Rock'...
With the 'extremely loud and incredibly close' nature of summertime London beginning to take hold (gross), I've been arriving at the office looking like I've been deep fried. I've therefore turned to an old favourite - Aesop's Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Hydrator - to keep my skin protected, with a semi-matte finish that controls the dreaded shine. Seemingly weightless, my skin stays dewy but never feels smothered - an absolute boon for city-dwellers, who can't stand the heat and, are stuck on the underground...
The frizz-factor is making its annual comeback, so I've turned to the following mane-tamers. The Wet Brush - particularly the in-shower paddle adaptation - has made de-tangling almost a pleasure (and this is coming from someone who usually prefers to tie wet, knotty hair in a purposeful knot, and deny its existence 'til unintentional dreadlocks happen...). I don't know whether The Wet Brush has magic powers, but it manages to get tats out without ouches, and distributes conditioner evenly so my locks feel super-sleek and glossy. Leonor Greyl's Serum de Soie Sublimateur then helps prolong that 'grown-up', separated vibe that is usually the preserve of 'ladies what bother to blow-dry' (of which, as you may have already deduced, I am not one).
When is a brow pencil not a brow pencil? When it's an Anastasia Beverly Hills' Brow Wiz of course - and I know, I know, enough already but this 'wiz' is the shiz (full stop).
Jouer Cosmetics' Cheek & Lip Tint in 'Peony' has become my go-to brightening blush - it's that universally flattering blue-toned Barbie pink, that looks scarily neon but in reality, is infinitely wearable. I apply the tiniest dab with the pad of my ring finger, to the higher points of my cheekbones, and pat like a maniac 'til I get that soft-focus effect.
...and because I'm trying to be a good brush cleaner (why are these 'must-dos' so numbingly boring?), I've been reaching for The Pro Make Up Shop's Make Up Brush Cleanser, which makes light work of eliminating (god knows how many days of) foundation, to leave brushes free from make up, germs and general yukkiness...
