Going to the spa at Urban Retreat Harrods is always a treat – from the calm waiting room opposite the perfume emporium and the professional staff to the delectable array of products that entice you as you try to leave. However I wasn’t feeling particularly relaxed when I went recently, I was stressed, frazzled and it was all showing on my face (when my mum told the teenage me I would grow out of breakouts, she was lying!).  Read more... (337 words, 3 images, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

There is a new festival on the block and they are kicking off early. The-Hiff is the place to be  for the last weekend in April. No it’s not some new fandangled dance the kids are doing, it’s the Henley International Film Festival and it’s perfect for sentences such as, “Oh, we’re off to The-Hiff this year.”  Read more... (518 words, 3 images, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

If you haven’t realised by now, the French macaron is the new cupcake. And why not, they are delicate, pretty, sophisticated and you can choose from an array of colours and flavours to match any menu or scheme.  Read more... (561 words, 3 images, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

[Main picture: Navy Boat Print Cotton Square Neck Dress; Beach Hut Print Cotton Square Neck Dress, both £110, White Linen Mix Tie-Front Cropped Cardigan, £50; all from Laura Ashley]

While red, white and blue are obviously very patriotic colours, especially with the Olympics this year, they are also very fresh and evoke a summer feel. This is why nautical-style fashion is a perennial favourite, and this year is no exception.  Read more... (504 words, 3 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

When they first receive a script, actors often scan its pages to count how many lines they’ve got—or, if it’s a TV series, to see if their character gets killed off. Rupert Penry-Jones is no different, but he’s got an extra reason for having a thumb through—he wants to find out if he has any naked scenes. And he utters an almost audible sigh of relief when he discovers he doesn’t.  Read more... (451 words, 3 images, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

A trip to the hairdresser has never been straight forward in our family. I have been known to send my husband to a different hair salon each month over the past six years. His Middle Eastern background granted him a beautiful Afro which has always required, in my opinion, special attention. My eldest son, five, inherited the tight curls or the “scruffy hair”, as he calls it. My younger son’s straight hair seems to fall directly in his eyes.  My own hair’s not much better with its radical transformation into hay and straw after my second pregnancy. Thankfully for our  family we have now discovered Michael Van Clarke (The irony is that Michael himself was my husband’s discovery. But don’t ask), a true gem on the quiet corner of Beaumont Street just in the heart of lovely Marylebone.  Read more... (366 words, 2 images, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

[Main picture above: clothes and jewellery from a selection at River Island]

It was mix and match with prints on the catwalks for Spring Summer 2012 with paisley and checks at Jil Sander, Hawaiian style prints from Stella McCartney and  bright colours and tropical plants at Alberta Ferretti. And after almost six months of coveting the mood-enhancing patterns, they have reached the retail outlets.  Read more... (347 words, 3 images, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

Robert Downey Jr Setting The Gossip World To Rights?
No one likes to admit that they are a gossip but we all like to hear the latest rumours and stories, particularly when they are about the rich and famous and Hollywood is no exception. Many a celebrity has been photographed buying and reading the latest gossip magazine whether it is a story about themselves or about their contemporaries and competition. Well someone in Hollywood seems to have gone one step further and started to confirm or deny blind celebrity rumours on gossip sight Crazy Days and Nights. The person, or people, who go by the handle Himmmm, got very vocal last week about some of the seedier side of Hollywood and the casting couch. ‘I have no issue with ANYTHING people voluntarily do in their private life as long as it is consenting – (kids and animals cannot consent!), and NOT hurting another mentally or physically,’ Himmmm said. ‘I’m no saint, especially in my youth but am close these days-lol.’ He went on to say:  ’I do this for fun, and occasionally to try and right some wrongs (even my own). I don’t use an anon name because it’s false info I share… I have to be anon because it is TRUE! We ALL love Blinds and gossip because we’re human. Flawed, but human.’ With a few clues dotted amongst the comments, people started guessing who the insider could be and the common consensus at this stage seems to be that it’s Robert Downey Jr. The star, who spent time in jail for drug abuse but has now cleaned up his act, is well connected and respected in Hollywood and had his fair share of trouble in the past.  Regardless of who it is, they have certainly picked up some respect along the way for not letting abusers hide behind their fame. Read more about this on Jezebel.  Read more... (1141 words, 6 images, estimated 4:34 mins reading time)

St Patrick’s Day is a day, it seems, to wear green, drink, be jovial and celebrate all things Irish. However if like me you are not too keen on the classic Guinness stout, don’t despair, we have a fabulous way to join in the celebrations and make it more palatable - with chocolate of course.  Read more... (283 words, 3 images, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

Artist Reece Jones was brought up in picturesque Norfolk, before studying for an MA at the Royal Academy Schools. His successes run from helping set up the project space Rockwell in Hackney, which ran until 2005 and showed the work of more than 120 artists to catching the eye of  Charles Saatchi and teaching at the City & Guilds art school.  Read more... (1154 words, 6 images, estimated 4:37 mins reading time)