Brighton Style Stalking with Kenco Millicano

It was always a dead cert that we’d find some of the finest vintage styles in Brighton. The city is liberally peppered with a myriad of twinkling little vintage shops, and the streets are filled with girls appearing to have stepped out of various different eras. Vintage has gone worldwide, but Brighton still styles it with the best of them. Some ladies went all out, styling a head to toe look, but many expressed their love of vintage through their handbag. Whether it was a snakeskin satchel, an 80s style sports sack or a Navajo style tapestry bag, these vintage beauties wore their handbags with pride.

The three ladies below had all opted for some vintage glamour, but all had interpreted differently. Nicola worked her classic vintage snakeskin bag with the clean lines of her classic camel coat, while Tiffany combined a businesslike boxy bag with a warm fur, creating some Jerry Hall-esque decadent glamour. Finally, Ceci, in the hat, worked a beautifully ‘done’ top half, combined with the casual practicality of her jeans and black oversized carry-all.

We spotted two different variations of sixties style – the lady with her tousled gamine crop (Brightonites seemed terribly fond of short hair!) showed off a sweet and smart satchel style bag. She kept her outfit fun and playful by adding dotty tights and mulberry coloured shoes. The second girl worked a more Navajo-influenced sixties look, pairing a suede jacket with a feather necklace and tapestry shoulder bag. The bag perfectly complimented the colours of her jewel toned skirt and bright necklace.

We must give a mention to Jordan, below. By far the most enthusiastic girl we shot, she rocked a bandana and fur coat combination. She told us that her bag, below, was the only one she owned, and that the two most important things she was carrying around were her bike lock and her Graham Coxon ticket. Most women we spoke to had a fairly wide range of bags, and Jordan was the only one who stuck with one. But if you find a bag you love, why not stick to it?  Jordan, you put a huge smile on our faces!

And finally we have the very striking and wonderfully vintage Ellie, complete with lacy skirt, vintage suitcase bag, double breasted pea coat and sweet little yellow beret. The size of her bag made it perfect for daily use, while still adding some vintage glamour to the look. Ellie was one of the many girls we saw who said ‘Oh no! But I don’t look very good today!’ Well, we thought she looked gorgeous, as did all the girls we shot. Have more confidence, ladies!

As you can see, we spotted some absolutely corking vintage looks in Brighton. We’ll be back soon with yet more Brighton Street Style from Lady M Presents in association with Kenco Millicano. In the meantime, stay stylish…

Brighton style stalking with Kenco Millicano

The sky might have been grey and the sea even more so, but we definitely weren’t short on colour on our Brighton adventure. Brighton residents stepped out into the January afternoon in their best and brightest outfits. Interestingly, most weren’t afraid to use colour in their outfit, but still kept with their classic bags. You could put it down the recession and the need to stick to a staple bag instead of buying one for every day of the week; or just chalk it up to the stylish women of Brighton wanting versatility from their bags. Coats and hair might have been in glorious techni-colour, but for many, outfits were bolstered by brown, tan or black handbags.

Let’s start with our ‘Colour Pop’ collection. These were the ladies that we spotted from halfway down the street because of their bright and stunning outfits, and they didn’t disappoint up close. In the orange coat was the charming Cathy, who chatted away to us and despite saying she wasn’t comfortable in front of the camera, came out looking utterly gorgeous, as I’m sure you’ll agree.

As the day went on, we noticed a theme. There was an amazing amount of the colour red lacing through the Brighton streets, and wherever we turned we saw shades of scarlet, vermillion or strawberry. We were particularly struck by Vikki, who strolled along the street looking like she’d walked straight out of a Red Riding Hood inspired editorial for Pop magazine, swinging a fab black Kelly style bag.

Then came the appropriately named Scarlet, who we convinced to pose for us – flowers and all – despite her saying she hated cameras! We loved her bronze cross-body bag, and especially the on trend tassel. Our third gorgeous lady told us she loved oversized bags, and wanted something she could just sling on and pop all her ‘stuff’ into. Three different bags for three different ladies!

There has to be a special mention given to Kirsty, below. We were struck by her almost plum tumbling curls first, and her elegant silhouette (and I was also struck by the cuteness of the dog!) It wasn’t until we approached her that we saw just how beautifully put together she was, with coat, bag, dog coat and even her chap’s scarf all tying in with her personal colour scheme. Now that’s fashion dedication. Definitely a change from ‘classic’ bags we’d seen. We wonder if she has one to match every outfit?!

Some of our girls had definitely opted for classic colours to contrast with the brights in their wardrobe, but a couple of ladies did the exact opposite. These two ‘statement’ handbags caught our eye, and I suspect they might leave you drooling too. The highlighter coloured Paul’s Boutique bag is a guaranteed attention-getter, and the adorable heart shaped bag is for life, not just for Valentine’s Day.

Feeling inspired by these bold ladies? Pour yourself a yummy cup of Kenco Millicano, pore over these pics (did you see what I did there?) and vow to take a fashion leap. Keep checking back for more posts from Lady M Presents in association with Kenco Millicano.

On last week’s episode, presenter Elle McPherson was looking for potential models in the lingerie section of a department store, when all of a sudden she proclaimed that all the ladies around her should buy some beautiful lingerie, as a treat for their husbands, partners or just themselves. And Elle knows what she’s talking about when it comes to lingerie, she has one of the best collections around (her balconette bra is my secret weapon!).

Bridal and Valentine’s Day lingerie

Your wedding day lingerie is important – figure-flattering underwear can make a real difference to the fit of your dress and make you feel confident too, whether you prefer the sleek and slender look or want some killer curves. I love Agent Provocateur for chic and sexy pieces – their new bridal collection is out on 6^th February.

For Valentine’s Day, lovely lingerie is a treat for you and your partner. I work with the gorgeous girls at BooBoo Burlesque for my boudoir photo shoots – they provided the lingerie in all of these photos. The image below was even featured in February’s Vogue.

BooBoo Burlesque have also created some party packs for Valentine’s Day, including pretty pants, cheeky accessories and silky seamed stockings.

 Tasteful boudoir photography

When you’ve got your lingerie sorted, why hide it away under all those clothes? A beautiful boudoir photography photo shoot is the perfect way to celebrate your curves and capture the moment forever. Along with my team of female photographers, I can make you look and feel fabulous; creating beautiful photos that make perfect presents.

Take a look at my boudoir photography packages for more details, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kerry x

Glossybox review: The Valentine’s Edition

Back in September of last year, I reviewed the September Glossybox for Lady M. I was delighted with it at the time, and enjoyed all the products. But then came a snag. Glossybox take payment out at different times every month, and always at the end, so while I was on holiday I received an email saying they’d been unable to take payment. I was given about a day to remedy this, and being on hols, I didn’t manage to get to the bank and put money in. So they took it upon themselves to cancel my subscription.

I understand that as a company, they can’t give people infinite chances to pay up, but I was shocked that they’d simply cancelled my subscription, instead of, say, freezing it instead. As a result, I didn’t bother resubscribing, and chalked it up to experience. Come January, I had an email from Glossybox advertising their very special Valentine’s Day box. It was hot pink. There was no way that I was going to miss out on that box, so I quickly signed up again. With their first ever box containing a full size Nars illuminator, I felt sure that any ‘special edition’ box was going to be a bit of a corker.

It turned up on Monday – a freezing cold, drizzly Monday – and I tore into it like an overexcited toddler at Christmas. Wow, the box was beautiful. I slipped the lid off, loosened the ribbon, and pulled back the tissue. I first zeroed in on the Clarins. Clarins? Really? Having worked in a department store perfumery in a previous life, Clarins samples were ten a penny. My room is still rammed full of them, actually. I could construct furniture out of my Clarins sample collection.

But that wasn’t Glossybox’s fault. That was my fault, for being a jaded old beauty hack. I explored the rest. Murad Primer? Very nice, and on testing did a great job at holding my makeup all day. Eyeko Skinny eyeliner in plum? Not my thing, really, but again – personal tastes and all that. And finally, FAB Body moisturiser (mistakenly listed on the card as Body Wash). Meh. Oh, and a sweet. So…where was my amazing Valentine’s Day box? I was expecting some yummy candy coloured makeup! Maybe some red lipstick…some perfume…But the thing is, my review of the actual products isn’t important. If you subscribe to Glossybox, you won’t get these same items anyway. But I can review the service.

From looking at the Facebook page for Glossybox.co.uk, this box has been something of a PR disaster. They’ve come under flack before (the inclusion of a sample of Batiste dry shampoo seriously pushed the boundaries of ‘luxury product’ last year), and it seems that customers are starting to really turn on the service. As I said, the products are subjective. One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure. I adored the ‘Plum’ perfume sample I had in my last box, but it was generally panned by everyone else.

So what’s the problem? Where has it all gone wrong? I thought I’d make a list. I love lists:

1. Overhyped box – Glossybox made this out to be AN AMAZING BOX. Like, you’d be a complete fool to miss out. By doing this, expectations were much higher, and were subsequently dashed
2. Delayed the box due to ‘how special it is’ – Glossybox pushed back the date on this box by a couple of weeks due to the promised amazingness. I’m fairly sure many subscribers are bemused as to why it took longer to produce this, regardless of whether they liked it or not
3. No V Day theme – For a special Valentine’s Day edition, it’s not at all romantic or Valentine-y. Only the packaging reflects the theme
4. Three different possible boxes, of different values – Glossybox run a ‘lucky dip’ system whereby you get one of three different boxes. Unfortunately, these are not all of equal value, so it’s the luck of the draw as to whether you get the best box or the cheapest one…
5. Bloggers got sent roses and better contents, despite not paying – …or is it the luck of the draw? Bloggers who are ‘ambassadors’ for the brand all got sent big bouquets of roses. By some weird stroke of ‘luck’, they also all got the boxes with the best contents, despite getting their boxes for free. This then sets up the Glossybox precedent as one of: ‘it doesn’t matter what our paying subscribers get, as long as the bloggers are happy and keep talking it up’. Their PR ploy has backfired somewhat, with this particular issue being thrown back at them by unhappy subscribers
6. Press mentioned a ‘treat’ – all the publicity about the box mentioned an extra special ‘treat’. Unless there’s something nestled at the bottom of the box (there isn’t) then I can only assume this is the sweet we’ve been given. I think most people were probably expecting a bonus product…
7. Issue with products themselves – I was a subscriber who got Clarins products. Splashed across the Glossybox page are hundreds of complaints about one of the samples being practically empty. This is the case for me too, and quite simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH. And while this is most likely an issue with Clarins, my contract is with Glossybox
8. Silly mistakes/carelessness – I know I’m being harsh on Glossybox, but the incorrect description of body wash, when we actually got moisturiser, is a silly oversight. If you’re going to delay the time it takes to send out a box, at least make sure it’s all been carefully checked

In conclusion, I have been extremely unimpressed with this service, I’m sad to say. I love the concept of getting a box full of goodies, but it hasn’t been well executed, and the Facebook backlash has demonstrated that. I must mention that Glossybox themselves have been good at replying to people and handling concerns, so their customer service team at least is doing well. Unfortunately, that isn’t good enough for me. And as for the themed box? I don’t know about you, readers, but some unscented body moisturiser and anti-ageing cream doesn’t put me in the sexiest of moods. But hey…whatever works for you. I don’t judge.

I didn’t contact them and ask for a free box, I am a paying user of the service, and I seriously take issue with all bloggers mysteriously receiving much better boxes than subscribers. I think that’s a poor attitude to have (and I’m sure Glossybox aren’t the only offenders). I’m disappointed that I’ve had to write this review, but I was honest in praising them back in September, and I must be honest in my criticism. As someone who is extremely interested in how businesses use social media, I was fascinated to watch this issue unfold. It’s an abject lesson to companies to over-hype at your peril. I’m giving Glossybox one more month, and then I shall make my decision. That is, if they don’t unsubscribe me again themselves…

What do you think? Are you a beauty box subscriber? Did you get a Glossybox this month? Am I totally off base in my expectations? Leave a comment below or get in touch @ameliafsimmons.

Brighton style stalking with Kenco Millicano

Like most girls we met, the Kenco Millicano drinker is always out and about, so her handbag needs to be as versatile as she is. After all, it holds all the little things that make life so special, a bit like Kenco Millicano, which is made of little millicules that make the coffee so special. We even managed to sneak a peek into some of the bags of the girls we interviewed to see what they keep inside, some items were stranger than others…

Brighton is split into distinct areas, each with a different feel.  And none has a ‘distinct feel’ as much as the North Laines. In my eyes, this is Classic Brighton. Brighton at its best. The North Laines are packed full of brightly coloured little shops selling everything from retro sweets to vinyl records, to supplies for casting spells, florists and obviously vintage clothing shops. The Laines proved to be the perfect place for spotting girls with an array of styles, like the lovely young ladies below:

We were also allowed a peek into the contents of some bags, as you can see in the next set of pictures. We knew what to expect – most girls told us they carried essentials like lipgloss, an iPod, a notebook. Nothing unusual there. Well, we certainly weren’t expecting this. This very lovely Dutch lady, Antoinette, popped her hand into her bag to show us what she always carried around, and out popped a little toy monkey! His name is Ugo, and he always travels with her as a lucky charm! The next essential item she showed us, some hair wax to maintain her sleek crop, suddenly seemed fairly mundane!

To avoid petrifying people, we’d promised we wouldn’t start running after anyone. And we stuck to it, until we spotted Annabel. She was heading rapidly down the road in a spectacular lacy coat, swinging a Prada bag and leading the most adorable dog. We turned on our heels and dashed over! I think you can see why…

We were hoping for a bit of Brighton Rock (sorry!) and we found it in the Laines, in two very different incarnations. Here we have classic rock on the left, with a military/utilitarian bag, Guns‘n’Roses tee, and patent DM’s, and a bit of glam rock on the right. You simply can’t beat metallic snakeskin trousers paired with a grey leather jacket and gold studded black bag. Not to mention, these were two of the smiliest girls we met!

The Laines were packed full of style, and you can see more of it in the next few posts in our series of Kenco Millicano street style stalking in association with Lady M Presents.

Bracher Emden – Clutches to fall in love with

Bracher Emden are a luxury, British handbag design company based in London. Recently they celebrated 10 years in the accessories industry and they make a valuable contribution to London Fashion Week providing the accessories to fashion labels such as Bryce Aime and Jean-Pierre Bragazna. We have previously featured their great range of clutch bags, shoulder bags and accessories that are just perfect for everyday wear to smarten your look and also for evening wear to create the perfect party look.

Valentines Day Bags to Covet

For Valentines Day, we’ve teamed up with Bracher Emden to explore their great range of red clutches and also to offer you the chance to win a Sophie Clutch. Red is the colour for this season. A hot winter trend that is great for bringing some fire and passion into your look. It may be cold outside but a fabulous red clutch can really give your outfit a great accent.

Bracher Emden Clutches

Each bag in the Bracher Emden collection is made from the finest of Italian leathers and they carry a range that of clutches that are small enough to not outdo your outfit but big enough for all your necessities, to quirky shaped purses and shoulder bags.

Win a Sophie Clutch!

Just for our lovely readers this Valentines Day we thought we would share the love, so we have this Sophie Clutch worth £275 ready to give away to one lucky winner.

Just answer this question below  

All entries must be by the above form. No comments on this feature will be counted. The competition runs until February 7th. The Winner will be notified by email.

Check out the Bracher Emden collection on their website for the full range with mens accessories coming soon.

Mens Fashion – Autumn/Winter 2012

The collections had an almost optimistic feel taking these current gloomy, recessionary times that we’re living in and reasserting a sense luxury into lives, but how was this done I hear you ask…. well, firstly by using plush, rich colours such as purples with deep inky blues, and fabrics such as tweeds and velvets. A sense of grandeur even came from the locations with the likes of Givenchy, showcasing next to Napoleons tomb.

Gucci, Missoni, AMI, Gucci

Don’t worry guys the knits of this season are here to stay until next autumn! Hurrah! Use it to add a splash of colour to your wardrobe during the dismal winter months.

Marni & RAF

If knits aren’t your thing to add colour why not try a print. They’re back and they’re bigger and bolder than ever. Probably the most apparent use of printed fabric was at Dries Van Noten where they were inspired by a mash up of Oscar Wilde and the American singer songwriter Frank Zappa, the result? See for yourself…..

Dries Van Noten

Another key trend for next winter is that of layering. We saw designers playing with the proportions of the traditional overcoat, moving away from sharp tailoring to a much looser oversized look. Layering coats over knits and suits for formal and informal looks.

Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, AMI, Burberry

Thought military was gone? Think again! In the past we’ve seen the military trend take an urban, casual feel with combats and flight boots taking the lead. However next, season we’re seeing militant glamour, taking the traditional evening suit and giving it a military twist. Miuccia Prada made a clever move recognising the richness of her collection, she used movie stars and ‘real’ men to model the clothes humanising the whole show.

Prada and Dolce & Gabbana

Yes yes, I’m sure you’ve noticed I appear to have neglected the whole discussion of the suit. Never fear my avid reader I plan to cover that in my next post. With this being the ‘season of the suit’, I thought giving it a mere paragraph would have cheated it out of the debate it deserves. Watch this space! For now, I shall let you digest my wise(ish) words.

Mark x

Follow me on Twitter to hear my daily ramblings on fashion and other such subjects @mshiach

All pictures courtesy of www.style.com

Who’s Next 2012 – Paris Fashion

Located in Portes de Versailles, the Who’s Next show gathers so many clothes and accessories at the same time that you just don’t know where to look. A champagne break is often necessary.

Here, the Parisian ready-to-wear is classified by areas. ‘Private’ hosts international big brands while ‘The Cube’ is dedicated to leather goods. ‘Mr Brown’, with its 300 textile brands, gathers shoes and accessories, and in ‘Fame’ you will find pretty cool creators brands, about 200 each year. This year, we shared the air with brands such as Day Birger and Mikkelsen, Fossil, Converse, American Rétro and the fashion label See you Soon, who are planning an amazing, preppy collection for the Spring!

But the Who’s Next show is also the occasion for fashion-drunk addicts to have some beers in the middle of hundred of brands.

So if you like Grolsch and clothes, and that you missed this event, you can still buy your tickets to Paris for the next session from June 30 to July 3, or just take a look at this little video.

Naomi Clément, our new Paris correspondent is a 20 years old Journalism student  with her own blog. www.lenouveaublogdenaomi.blogspot.com

Brighton style stalking with Kenco Millicano

If you don’t know about the brand, then I’ll just say that Kenco Millicano is the Rolls Royce of instant coffee. Kenco Millicano is a clever combination of instant coffee and finely-milled wholebeans that make for a full-bodied taste and rich aroma. I say this as a humungous coffee snob: this stuff is delish. With the launch of the ultra cute new stick packs, you’ll always be prepared for a great cup of coffee. So without further ado, let’s start looking at those handbags!

Ask anyone about Brighton, and they’re bound to mention the Pavilion. We pounded the walkways of the park, grooving to the musicians who set themselves up in the area (man playing a piano on wheels outside, anyone?) and sussing out the style. We weren’t disappointed.  Our first spot was this rather tremendous checked bag, below. We soon learnt that a combination of practicality and good looks was what was most desired in the bag department by Brighton residents.

We may have spotted their glamorous coats first of all, but we were soon peering at their bags. The darling yellow satchel was one of our faves. Where most of Brighton seemed to be devotees of large practical bags, we just had to take some pictures of these tiny ones. How on earth did they get all their stuff in there? These girls certainly weren’t planning a picnic in the park!

And some gorgeous Brighton residents didn’t bother with even a tiny bag – for this lovely lady below, big pockets were enough to store all her essentials! Dashing around on errands, she explained that she kept all her key items in those amazing pockets. There’s definitely room in there for a stick pack or two…

The park and the Pavilion act as a gateway between the quirkiness of the Laines, and the more commercial style of the main town. When we spotted Jayne, below, we were so supremely excited by the combination of gorgeous cobalt coat, stylish hair and adorable bag that we not only rushed halfway across the park to her, we completely interrupted her lunch. Sorry, Jayne! Oh, and did I mention she was a coffee lover? Kenco Millicano is perfect for girls on the go, and Jayne was most definitely a busy lady.

It was a promising start to our Brighton handbag adventure. Stay tuned over the next two weeks for plenty more posts from Lady M Presents in association with Kenco Millicano.

Fabulous Facials at Lucy’s Beauty Studio

Lucy’s Beauty Studio is the place to go for indulgent and fabulous beauty treatments. Lucy Pilfold offers a fabulously friendly welcome to her beauty studio at the Mercure hotel in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.  She has been a professionally qualified beauty therapist for ten years and brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to her work.

The studio was founded seven years ago and has developed into a thriving venture and as Lucy heads off to be a new mum in a few months time, she welcomes the lovely Amanda and Kelly to the team.

The Fab Four – New Facials

Just to help keep you looking young and beautiful, we’ve introduced four new facials, we call them the ‘Fab Four’; Microdermabrasion Facial, Collagen Smooth Facial, Hyaluronic Filler Facial and Silicium Lifting and re-firming Facial. As they say on the telly, ‘Here’s the science bit’, (well, sort of). As an introductory offer for you – you can get £5 off your first facial when quoting ‘LadyM’ on booking.


Skin Perfecting Microdermabrasion Facial

A unique facial that can offer exceptional deep exfoliating properties of mirodermabrasion without a machine. Combined with a natural peel that will stimulate cell renewal and regeneration. The skin is left with unrivalled smoothness and dazzling texture.

Treatment lasts 1 hour and costs £60


Collagen Smooth Facial

Correct the signs of ageing as they appear with this facial designed for moisture deficiency, fine lines and wrinkles. Ideal for sun damage and dehydrated skin types. The ultimate pampering treatment with instant results for anyone 25+.

Treatment lasts 1 hour and costs £55


Hyaluronic Filler Facial

An innovative treatment designed to correct the signs of ageing as they appear, a smoothing and filling facial designed for 35+ (with more pronounced wrinkles).

Treatment lasts 1 hour and costs £58

Silicium Lifting and re-firming Facial

A luxurious treatment to smooth and fill deeper wrinkles and lift the contours of the face and neck (a super lift facial), designed to combat all the signs of ageing for those who are 40+.

Treatment lasts 1 hour and 15 mins and costs £60

Hot Stone Massage

Another new treatment we’ve introduced to help you wind down and feel great is the Hot Stone Massage, which makes you feel warm and helps recharge your batteries. For the massage, we apply water-heated basalt stones of varying sizes to key points of the body, which creates sensations of comfort and warmth.

The direct heat relaxes muscles, stimulates circulation and promotes self-healing. As an introductory offer we are doing an hour treatment for £45 until the end of March.

Orly Gel Fix Nail Treatment

Pop in for this fantastic new nail treatment from Orly, it’s really amazing and we’re currently offering it at a great price! Power packed with vitamins, Orly Gel FX is a gel manicure system containing antioxidant vitamins A and E to help promote healthy nails and pro-vitamin B5 to protect the structure of the natural nail. It’s available in 32 of Orly’s top-selling colours, so your inspiration never fades, from fingers to toes.

This new nail vanish treatment lasts up to two weeks and is non- chip. Usually costing £32 but, as a special treat, you can have it for £25.00 until the end of March.

Gift vouchers make perfect gifts for your loved ones and they can be bought from the studio website.  Contact Lucy and the team to discuss the treatments on offer and book an appointment – 01892 820444