Marie Claire ideas and a dating question

Remember I was vegging out last weekend, reading fashion magazines? Well, here are a couple of things from Marie Claire that caught my eye.

I've talked about Marmite before here. Obviously this is only for you Marmite lovers out there...

John Lewis

These lipstick-stained teacups would be so much fun for tea parties with the girls.

FrostFrench for Lipton Infusions

Vegetable soaps! Nice gift idea for gardeners.

Liberty

Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Watts and Jennifer Garner have all been spotted wearing these.  They're for a very good cause: buy a pair of Toms, and they will donate a pair to a child in need. Read the Marie Claire article here.

Toms

Now for this last one... Calling all New Yorkers! Eye-gazing parties... like speed-dating but in silence. All you do is stare! Is that true? Who has done this?! Do tell!

Magazines... and Elle's Beauty Awards 2010

Did you have a good weekend? I was really lazy and just read magazines. The freebies this month weren't that interesting (Marie Claire included a bracelet - handmade by Kenyan Artisans using recycled / sustainable materials - www.made.uk.com, and InStyle offered Como Shambhala aromatherapy products.)

I haven't read all of them yet but they are packed with Christmas gift ideas as well as lists of the best beauty products... I thought you might be interested in Elle's beauty awards for 2010.

The winners are:
- Liz Earle cleanse & polish
- Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb
- Vivienne Westwood Boudoir
- Jean-Paul Gaultier Classique
- Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (Tried it, hated it.)
- L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Express Pro Self-Tanning Dry Mist
- Moroccanoil Treatment
- Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream (I tried this a long time ago and didn't like it. Smells weird.)
- Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara (It's good but is it that good? I prefer Chanel Inimitable Intense.)
- Nars The Multiple
- Chanel No 19 (I didn't even know there was a no. 19.)
- Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (Yes, I agree. I use this every night.)
- Sisley Emulsion Ecologique
- Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Creme
- Sudocrem (Yes yes yes! I wanted to do a separate post on this.)

(Click to enlarge)

I'm not particularly impressed with their list of "winners". Are you?

On a personal note... I found out last night that a good friend of mine collapsed at home and was taken to the hospital. They found some bleeding in the head and I don't like the sound of that... They don't know what the problem is yet. We are so worried... and hoping that it's nothing too serious. 
This could also happen to any of us.... let's not forget to be grateful for all that we have.

Not worth it: Free but gooey Lash It mascara

Freebies! I like it when magazines give away stuff for free, and I picked up this particular one just because it was offering a mascara and a shower 'smoothie'. (I haven't even looked at the magazine yet! No time... yesterday I packed for eight hours!)

I'm currently loving my Chanel Inimitable Intense but I am always happy to try out new things. This Lash It mascara came with a metallic base and an extra volume mascara in black. So I took some photos first, then went to take my eye make-up off. I applied the base - it was boring - and when I unscrewed the mascara end, I got this gooey mess, instead.

I couldn't rescue it. So I chucked it out without even trying it.

I was going to say that I can't complain because it was free but I just realised that I paid an extra 50p for this! SO not worth it! Don't get it!

A free Essie on 8 July

If you are in the UK on 8 July, you might want to pick up a copy (or several) of Tatler: there will be a free Essie nail polish with every Tatler magazine!

There will be six colours to choose from:
Yes we can pink, Mint candy apple, Lollipop, Flower girl, Rock the croc, Rock candy

I saw this in the current issue of Tatler, which also came with another freebie: sunglasses!

Which colour nail polish will you get?

Avocado oil: The new olive oil?

So apparently Jamie Oliver is a fan of this stuff: extra virgin avocado oil. That's all you need to know - now go and buy!

No, just kidding. But I definitely want to try it. I love avocados and they're supposed to be very good for you so this makes sense. One 250ml bottle contains the oil of 20 avocados. 

They claim that it is the only extra virgin oil that can be used for high heat cooking. Their suggestions include:

- brush onto summer vegetables and bake at 200°C

- brush onto fish or prawns and grill / barbecue

- use in salad dressings.

To find out more about avocado oil, click here. 

I found this in the latest issue of Jamie magazine.

I just had to include this. The heart-shaped avocado is so sweet!

I'm guessing most people use olive oil for salads but what do you use for high heat cooking?

Trophy life pictures + Thomas Goode teacup inspiration

In "Trophy life: Ruffles and rocks, frills and fur - meet spring's high-maintenance woman" (May issue of Tatler) there are some beautiful and creative pictures. I just wanted to share these. 

It depicts a lifestyle that is far from my - and I'm guessing most people's - reality. Haute couture and long evening dresses, with not a strand of hair out of place... (People like this must go through loads of hairspray.)

Love the make-up. Note: lipstick, not lip gloss! 

In the bottom right corner of the collage, I've zoomed in on the teacup from the last picture. It instantly caught my eye. It's slim and elegant. The small print says that it's by Thomas Goode. Ever heard of it? Anyway I think I am now leaning towards slim teacups like that, not the big round ones... In any case, I have totally gone off mugs. 

Are there particular brands I should look at when I go shopping for new teacups? They need to be dishwasher safe! 

For the record it was Heidi Klum on the cover of this issue. 

"I would die without lemons"

What do you do with your lemons, once you've squeezed out the juice?

Mine usually end up in the bin (feeling guilty now) because I can't be bothered to keep them for peeling later etc. They would just take up valuable space in the fridge. 

I was quite surprised (but nodded with approval) to read that Jamie Oliver peels the zest from every single lemon that he squeezes, and I'm sure that's a lot. He continues:

"The zest can be dried out in a dish then used in a curry or meat rub. Or mix it with dried lavender to make potpourri, then put it in a bag and keep it in a drawer with your clothes."

I like the potpourri idea. Let me know if you get round to trying it. 

Check out his magazine(s) for more tips and recipes.