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Monday 4 December 2017

ENHANCED SKINCARE




After speaking to Panasonic's resident skincare expert and beauty ambassador Louise Thomas-Minns, she suggested I give this product a try. My main skin concerns are quite universal; I get the occasional eruption and want to ward off any wrinkles or signs of ageing for as long as possible. That's where the Panasonic Micro-Current Facial Enhancer comes in; two of its main fortes are deep cleaning (and therefore, keeping spots at bay) and minimising wrinkles by enhancing the effects of your moisturiser and anti-ageing creams.

The way I feel about this tool reminds me of how I feel about eyebrows. When I was 15 I didn't even realise that you could do anything to your eyebrows, they were just sort of there; wild and probably growing halfway down my eyelids. But now - HOW did I ever not shape and groom them?! How did my face look even slightly normal without them? Basically what I'm trying to say is, now that I've used this tool, I don't know how I ever went without it. 


The Enhancer essentially turbocharges the effects of your skincare routine. It maximises the effects of your favourite products whilst also adding its own, unique benefits via the cooling and heating plate. The plate itself emits an alternating current of negative and positive ions which improves molecular water movement, which in turn stimulates your skin to improve its moisture levels naturally too! It's terribly clever. As if that wasn't enough for this magic wand, when cool, the head can also be used to reduce the look of dark circles and reduce puffiness around the eyes. I also really love the fact that it has a 3 minute auto mode for early mornings that will essentially make decisions for you. Too tired to even lift your finger to switch between warm and cool? That's fine. It does it for you. 

Also, for those of you who are allergic to some metals (Hi Mum!!) the head of the tool is entirely hypoallergenic. 



Hands up, how many of you have hovered your face over a precarious bowl of piping hot water and draped a towel over your head to attempt a DIY steam facial? Me! *Purple top girl with hand in the air emoji* Well, those days are gone. I have 'glowed up' as the kids say, in terms of my home steam facials. 

First of all, how cute is this steamer?! It's undeniably, WALL-E style adorable.

The main aim of this steamer is to help your skin to look its naturally-beautiful best; hydrated, purified, elasticised, hydrated and revitalised. It's basically a natural reset button for your skin. 

It uses nano ionic technology to generate steam particles that are 18,000 times finer than average steam particles, which means that the steam is able to better penetrate the skin and encourage natural hydration, as well as minimising the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen production deep within the skin's layers. It's a wonderful product to use pre-cleansing to open up you pores, as open pores mean less rubbing and scrubbing at your skin.

This is such an amazingly easy to use but luxurious feeling product. Literally all you have to do is add some distilled water (I also like to add a drop of lavender oil to enhance the experience further!) turn it on and you're ready to go! There aren't any running costs or batteries required so it's super low maintenance.


After trying these two Panasonic Beauty tools, my skin feels well and truly treated. What I really like about these two products is that they're so, so easy to use and store. So many at-home beauty tools or treatments require so much faff and preparation that most of us just don't even bother - who has the time to assemble something before using it? It's not the most relaxing process. In contrast, there's no song and dance required with these tools even though they feel like there should be - they're an extra luxurious but quick step that I've added to my skincare routine rather than something that requires a huge amount of effort, and I can't wait to continue seeing the effects.



A huge thank you to Panasonic Beauty for kindly sponsoring this blog post.

Thursday 2 November 2017

Autumnal outerwear

Magical Pocket Coat: here & Hammered Ring Drop Earrings: here. Both C/O Laura Ashley. Boots: here. Shirt: here.
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'Tis officially the season! And by that, no, I don't mean Christmas (although there's a concerning amount of Christmas themed decor popping up in the shops already...) I mean the season of rich, striking jewel tones - as I've always associated the A/W season with luxurious colours like ruby and emerald.

In addition to that, I feel like my style repertoire really expands with the reintroduction of coats come autumn, so you can imagine my joy when I spied this vibrant red number. Red is without a doubt one of my favourite colours to style and one of the most versatile, especially come autumn. I love mixing red with block colours like black, white, green, or even pink if I'm feeling brave enough for a deliberate clash, textures like faux fur and leather, and printed pieces too - checks or stripes are my favourites! As well as mixing patterns and textures, I also love mixing metals. It's something I've always done and thought nothing of, despite it being regarded as a stereotypical no-no. That's where these hammered ring drop earrings come in; two differently sized silver hoops held together by a single gold hoop. To me, mixing metals when it comes to jewellery only leaves you with more choice for other accessories, as you're not tied in to any hardware shade. Can't decide between your favourite silver hardware handbag and gold hardware belt? Wear both! 

This coat is one of those quite rare finds that I'd describe as; warm enough to be practical but elegant enough to be stylish. It's not a style VS. substance piece, it's very much both. Another little detail I just have to mention is that it has REAL POCKETS. Yes, you heard me right. REAL, quite sizeable pockets that you can put things in. Not a fake, deceptive 'I'm-not-really-a-pocket-I'm-just-a-weird-slit-in-the-fabric-made-to-look-like-a-pocket-but-I'm-actually-not-a-pocket' pocket. PRAISE BE.

So, I've told you that red is my favourite colour to style come A/W - I'd love to know yours. Please let me know below!
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Thank you to Laura Ashley for sponsoring this blog post. 

Sunday 9 July 2017

Exploring Paris with Small Luxury Hotels of The World - PART 2

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Next on our itinerary was the glamorous Grand Hotel du Palais Royal, a magnificent 18th century listed building located between the (v insta-famous!) Palais Royal and the Louvre. The Royal Gardens that sit beside, flow through the decor of the hotel in the form of lush green accents and floral features.

The hotel also has a Carita spa with an authentic Turkish hammam, as well as it's own fine dining restaurant; Le Lulli. I recommend the salmon!

One of the most spectacular and unique delights of the Grand Hotel du Palais Royal has to be its inredible views - one of the rooms we visited had spectacular views over Paris and all the way to Sacré-Cœur. Grand Hotel du Palais Royal is one of many hotels in the SLH Parisian portfolio that has everything to offer on its doorstep.

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We also popped into Hotel du Petit Moulin, a historic 17th-century bakery complete with its original shop front. From the outside, Hôtel du Petit Moulin looks like another one of Paris' charming bakeries, but inside lies a 17-room hotel flamboyantly decorated in baroque, couture and rococo styles by Christian Lacroix. 

Hotel du Petit Moulin is definitely a hotel to note if you're looking for a more intimate, understated (on the outside!) place to stay in Paris.
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Lastly, we visited Hotel San Regis for an indulgent, three course lunch before heading back to Gare du Nord to enjoy the Eurostar Business Class lounge.

A short walk from Champs-Élysées and Avenue Montaigne, Hotel San Regis is located in the designer district of Paris, the 8th arrondissement. The classic, elegant decor of the San Regis was one of my personal favourites. I've mentioned before that my tastes regarding decor and furnishings are more on the traditional side, without being stuffy and old fashioned. The hotel, which it set within a townhouse that dates back to 1857, is styled in a grand, extravagant way whilst still maintaining an intimate charm. It's impressive without feeling cold, unwelcoming or overbearing. 

The rooms, like many of the hotels in the Small Luxury Hotels of The World group, the 42 rooms are individually decorated in a traditionally elegant and Parisian style. If you choose to stay in one of the hotel's Deluxe Junior Suites, you'll enjoy your very own balcony with a magnificent view of The Eiffel Tower.

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For lunch, we dined in Hotel San Regis's very own gourmet restaurant. Like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant is impeccably decorated, intertwining antique oil paintings with modern glass features - the most impressive of which being the eye-catching glass roof that really gives the room a light and airy atmosphere - almost as if you're dining on an enclosed balcony or terrace.


Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this little two part series. Do check out Small Luxury Hotels of The World if you're looking for a place to stay in Paris in the future.

Wednesday 28 June 2017

GET READY WITH ME - THE RACES AT SANDOWN PARK

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When preparing for a big event, any woman knows (and hey, some men too!) that the preparation/getting ready stage is almost as, if not more time consuming than the actual event itself. There's a lot of thought and planning involved.

Which dress shall I wear?! 
Do I have a matching clutch? 
WILL MY FOLDING FLATS FIT IN THE MATCHING CLUTCH? 
etc.

On the 8th of next month, I'll be attending Sandown Park for a day at the races, so in this instance there are a few more aspects for me to consider. If you've never been to the races before, it's a wise move to familiarise yourself with the rules a little. I've been to the polo before, but obviously they're very different - so the only piece of wisdom I've gained through my time as a person allergic to horses at a horse related event... is to take my antihistamines. (I spent a portion of my childhood riding horses whilst drugged up on Clarityn so I'll be fine.)

So, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned through my getting ready process in case you find yourself in a similar situation!



The part of the preparation I'm most looking forward to is the hat/fascinator decision. Sandown encourages visitors to dress smartly, so hats and fascinators are encouraged but not compulsory. I need no encouragement. 

Sandown Park's website has an entire section dedicated to travel and parking, which I found really useful as I'll be driving a couple of hours to get there. 

The website also has lots of other helpful tips regarding the dress code, dining options, and a betting guide. Regarding betting, if you're going to get involved, of course I encourage you to bet responsibly. I've said to friends in the past, only bet what you'd be willing/can AFFORD to lose. If you dropped £10 in the street would you be very, very irritated? Only bet £5 then. Or alternatively, it's perfectly alright to refrain from the betting element of the day and simply enjoy the fun, exciting atmosphere! 

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I also wanted to find out a little more about the history of the racecourse before attending, and found that Sandown Park, which opened in 1875, was one of the first courses to charge visitors for attending and everyone had to pay at least half a crown. 

Also, the feature race on the 8th of July is called Eclipse, eponymously named after the racehorse born in 1764. Amazingly, more than 95% of modern racehorses are descended from Eclipse. I also had no idea that horseracing is the second biggest spectator sport in Britain, with over 6 million people attending the races each year.

A few of my other favourite facts include: 
A racehorse can cover 100m in half the time of the current Olympic record held by Usain Bolt.
Jockey silks (the colours they wear to differentiate themselves) date back to the 18th century and there are over 26,000 possible colour combinations.
The average daily calorie intake for a racehorse is 35,000. I'm jealous. 

You'll be able to follow what I get up to on the day on my Instagram, Instagram stories and twitter if you're interested. All @arabellagolby. 

Have you ever been to the races before? If not, do you have plans to? Let me know!