Midnight Blue Princess Fearne

Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton rocked an awesome midnight blue, velvet playsuit last night - so beautiful it had me weeping into my keyboard...
The rock chic, added a little effortless glamour to the MacMillan De'Longhi art auction in the big smoke last night.
I love her lace tights and sexy hair - I must confess I am not a fan of green on handbags or clothes...not really sure why? LOVE IT on jewels though...

Max the midnight blue with Chanel Le Vernis in Blue Satin and some sexy lace tights from My Tights.

I have however, found some gorgeous stockings from lingerie and hosiery expects, Ann Summers. Although they are stockings, which can be a little harder to wear, imagine them under a hot silk dress! Lush. £6

www.chanel.com

www.annsummers.com

NEXT AW/09 and Christmas 09

I have been the holder of a Next Catalogue since 2003 and would not have it any other way! Last night I was flicking through the amazing new Christmas bible and I was blown away.
The clothes are sexy, the shoes high and the home collection was beautiful.
Now, as I have just returned to my re-built burnt down flat, I have had to re-decorate and am following some advice from Feng Shui to help me get a nice, calming flow and balance about the room.
We only have a one bedroom apartment, so out with the clutter (the fire pretty much sorted that aspect anyway...) and in with the eye-catching key pieces.
As much as I loathe to be back in the flat where we almost died, I think making it a warmer nicer place to be will help me settle back in and get to grips with the fact that I have almost no clothes or shoes left and only a handful of precious photos to pop on the wall.
Check out some favourites of mine:
Helena Table Lamp: £35
Melrose Armchair and footstall: £275
Botanical Study Wallpaper: £15Check out next.co.uk - the website is brilliant. Style guides, product videos and more. Next is the changing face of the High Street - expect more blogs on the beautiful new range.
K x

Follow Lindsey Kelk in NY

Nuff said: witty, playful chat with the hero. Check her out here:

http://beautymecca.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

Interview with Chic Lit author and beauty mecca blogger, Lindsey Kelk

Well hellllloo...
So I managed to blag an interview with superstar blogger and author of I Heart New York, Lindsey Kelk.
Talk about living the dream - this girl is my hero.
She decided to get pen to paper, wrote her book, won a multiple book deal and is now living in New York a la her lead character.
I love her. The writing is refreshing, honest and pacey. Now, I'm not usually a big fan of Chic Lit, I have always been one of those who would prefer to be reading To Kill a Mockingbird on the beach rather than Daisy does Danny or Fanny's fanny diaries. Nope not me at all.
So, imagine my surprise when I genuinely fell in love with the character and Lindsey's inspirational writing. She rocks and I can't wait for her next installment....
K

What inspired you to write the I heart series...?

I was in a bit of a general rut and really playing 'anywhere but here'. I was broke after Christmas, stuck in cold, wet London in January with a rubbish boyfriend when I really wanted to be shopping in sunny New York, chasing after hot boys. Since I couldn't up sticks and leave, the only thing I could do was write about it!


How much do you resemble the protagonist Angela?

A lot at the beginning of the book. We have similar jobs, similar relationships, I just never broke anyone's hand or weed in their washbag. As far as they know... But as the book (and now books!) went on, she really started to become her own character. I'd write something and then think, 'no, that's something I'd say, Angela would never say that.' And before I knew it, she had a life of her own.


When writing about Angela's make-overs, did you use your make-up experience to make it as true-to-life as possible?

A lot of people ask if I did a lot of research for the books and by God, did I use the makeover parts as an excuse to shop myself stupid. My credit card is still hurting. I LOVE make up and write a blog, http://beautymecca.blogspot.com, which I started at the same time as I started writing I Heart New York. I didn't want the makeover part to be too over the top so I just wrote in what I would want to read about. I don't know if everyone gets as hot under the collar at the idea of spending hundreds of dollars at MAC as I do but, god, those parts of just as exciting as the sex scenes for me.
And yes, in case you were wondering, I am single. This is why.


How long did it take you to write the books?

I Heart New York was really quick, just six weeks from start to finish on the first draft but I was so bored and really not doing anything with my life at all so it was exciting to come home every night and write it. By the time I came to write Hollywood a year later, things had changed massively - I'd just broken up with my boyfriend, I was going out a lot more, I was busier at work - but once I got into it, I got it out in a couple of months. I write really quickly, I think because I've spent so long writing for my day job, and once I get on a roll, I can't stop. I'm completely knackered today because I was up until one writing I Heart Paris!


Tell us about your career as an editor:

I work in licensed children's books just like Angela, so I write books for brands like Noddy, Fifi and the Flowertots, Shrek and Hello Kitty. It's different to general editorial work because we actually write a lot of the books as well as edit them but that's been great experience. And who can complain about watching kids' TV and movies all day and then writing stories? It's criminal really.


When did you start your blog Beauty Mecca an dhow many followers have you now amassed?

I started BeautyMecca in 2007 at the same time as I started writing I Heart New York. They were both part of my New Year's Resolution to write every day and I'm really proud of both of them. I get about 2000 readers a month but that's going up now the book is out - the pressure is too much!


What are your dreams for the next year?

Well, I'm actually moving to New York in two weeks! I'm moving to the US HarperCollins office to work with their kids team and help develop new brands and series. It's going to be very exciting but super scary too. I need to borrow some of Angela's bravery... and hopefully she'll let me borrow Alex too. I'm going to be living around the corner from him in Williamsburg, so I'm sure she won't mind. I Heart Hollywood is out in January so I really hope that does as well as I Heart New York and (whisper this part) we're at really, really early stages of talking to people about making I Heart New York into a movie or a TV series and I would LOVE that to happen.


And finally...what advice would you give to aspiring writers who feel challenged, downtrodden and lack inspiration for the kick up the bum they need?

Just open your laptop, pick up your notebook and start. Seriously, there's no big secret, no magical inspiration fairy that comes and plants ideas in your head when you're asleep. Think of something that excites you and start writing. For me it was escaping my boring life, getting back to New York oh, and my massive crush on All Boys in Bands, the rest of the story just evolved as I went along. And once you start, don't stop. Don't re-read and then convince yourself it's crap, there are plenty of people out there who will tell you that. You just need to believe in yourself and carry on writing.


LOVE THE KELK!
So check out Iheartnewyork.co.uk to find out more and keep a look out or pre-order I Heart Hollywood on Waterstones or Amazon - it is out on 07.01.2010 - two days after my b'day. I hope I get one in the post courtesy of Lindsey's lovely PR guru!
Happy reading xx

Wellbeing at The Royal Day Spa

Breathing in the sweet smell of tranquillity as I walk into the Royal Day in Tunbridge Wells, I am overwhelmed by the immediate feeling of calm. Greeted by two immaculate therapists and handed a pair of ‘indoor flip-flops,’ I know I am about to be transported to a world of absolute serenity.
White walls, slate and ivory tiles paving the way to paradise and discreet low lighting, set the scene of this once Victorian Sorting Office. Owner Shelly has transformed the shabby, decrepit building and transformed it into an open plan haven, with nooks and crannies leading off the trail waiting to be discovered. I have reviewed a vast number of spas over the years and am yet to find a spa in the South East that offers such a perfect, dedicated package. From the minute you enter, you are blown away by the sheer dedication that has gone into creating a space that is not only perfect for dead-on-their-feet commuters who favour the historic spa town, but for expectant mother’s, hen-parties and often clients who have a vast array of conditions, searching for the cure in alternative therapy.
I am one such explorer, having suffered from a bereavement earlier in the year and dealing with hereditary condition Ehlers Danlos Syndrome* and arthritis, I was desperately seeking some sort of solace in a spa I know I can trust. I was not disappointed.
Meandering into the bedroom where I reclined on a Hagrid-sized Tempra mattress and sipped mint tea, I waited for my therapist to take me into one of the side rooms behind the enormous salt-water pool, hot tub infused with Moor Mud and Sauna and Steam rooms.
Every room is decorated in an Eastern theme and as Senior Therapist and Spa Manager Hayley guides me in, she asks me a series of questions about my health and wellbeing. As Hayley begins the treatment, I am swept into such a relaxed state, I am surprised when she wakes me up to turn over – an hour of bliss has already passed!
Hayley, a trained Reiki master confides that

she would like to change my treatment and focus on a particular area for the last hour and half of my treatment. Although surprised, I trust her implicitly and ask her why she feels such a strong need to change my treatment.
I am told, quite honestly, that I have a huge black cloud of angst held in my stomach – so much so that she feels compelled to start eradicating the trouble, stress and worry from me immediately.
She gets to work, using a practiced Reiki treatment, whereby she kneads the bad energy out via my colon, focusing on incoming energy, present energy outgoing energy. Hayley tells me very seriously that I am holding onto a lot of baggage and that this distress is having a detrimental affect on my life.
I feel the need to cry and confess all of my worries to this lovely girl, but hold back and nod obediently. She proceeds to pummel my stomach with such force that I was having to breathe through the pain. When I say pain, I mean a force that I am obviously not used to on my tummy – in a weird way it felt so cathartic and I enjoyed the feeling of her pressure on my depressed little tummy. As she worked her magic, she explained that we store our emotions in our stomach and that she was getting such strong negative waves from me, it was all she could do not to flip me over and start on my stomach as soon as I walked into the room. Her explanation led to the ‘bad’ energy I was storing in my ‘present’ place. I had not got over recent, life changing events and these events had such a dramatic affect on me that I would be changed forever and it was this period of change that was causing me so many problems.

As the session began to draw to a close, Hayley recommended I start on a course of treatments and think about working on myself at home; perhaps even learning art of Reiki myself. She tells me as we part ways that she felt a lot of good energy coming my way and she felt sure that I would soon be in the right frame of mind to move on from my demons and fill my life with positive thoughts and outcomes.
I mull over her comments over a beautiful champagne lunch, complete with fresh salmon, pancetta, mozzarella, cous-cous and more and come to the conclusion that she is right.
Not having ventured near a swimming pool since 2005 (I hate, hate, hate them) I decided to take the plunge in the most flattering pool ever invented!
Black slate tiles, salt water and dimly lit, no one will see a) the lumps and bumps and b) that I cannot swim…but hey, that’s another story…
I can only describe the next few moments as…mmmmmmmm, ahhhhhhhhh
Lush.
After ample time floating, ahem, swimming, I decided to venture into the Sauna. Another blissful experience that left me floating on cloud nine.
So, in light of these discoveries I will now be writing a weekly diary – highlighting my process with Reiki, the power of the mind, healing and how places like the Royal Day Spa can make you a better person.
For further information, contact reception@royal-dayspa.co.uk
Royal Day Spa, Post Office Square
12 Vale Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1BP
01892 616191 or visit their beautiful website: www.royal-dayspa.co.uk