Great Reads, December 2019

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What's Hot on Your Bookshelf, December 2019

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‘THE MAN WHO SAW EVERYTHING’ BY DEBORAH LEVY

Electrifying and audacious, an unmissable new novel from the twice-Man Booker-shortlisted author of Hot Milk.In 1989, Saul is hit by a car on the Abbey Rd crossing. He is fine; he gets up and goes to see his girlfriend, Jennifer. They have sex and then break up. He leaves for the GDR, where he will have more sex (with several members of the same family), harvest mushrooms in the rain, bury his dead father in a matchbox, and get on the wrong side of the Stasi.In 2016, Saul is hit by a car on the Abbey Rd crossing. He is not fine at all; he is rushed to hospital and spends the following days in and out of consciousness, in and out of history. Jennifer is sitting by his bedside. His very-much-not-dead father is sitting by his bedside. Someone important is missing.Deborah Levy presents an ambitious, playful and totally electrifying novel about what we see and what we fail to see, about carelessness and the harm we do to others, about the weight of history and our ruinous attempts to shrug it off.

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‘ACID FOR THE CHILDREN’ BY FLEA

Michael Peter Balzary was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 16, 1962. His more famous stage name, Flea, and his wild ride as the renowned bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers was in a far and distant future. Little Michael from Oz moved with his very conservative, very normal family to Westchester, New York, where life as he knew it was soon turned upside down. His parents split up and he and his sister moved into the home of his mother's free-wheeling, jazz musician boyfriend - trading in rules, stability, and barbecues for bohemian values, wildness, and Sunday afternoon jazz parties where booze, weed, and music flowed in equal measure. There began Michael's life-long journey to channel all the frustration, loneliness, love, and joy he felt into incredible rhythm.

When Michael's family moved to Los Angeles in 1972, his home situation was rockier than ever. He sought out a sense of belonging elsewhere, spending most of his days partying, playing basketball, and committing petty crimes. At Fairfax High School, he met another social outcast, Anthony Kiedis, who quickly became his soul brother, the yin to his yang, his partner in mischief. Michael joined some bands, fell in love with performing, and honed his skills. But it wasn't until the night when Anthony, excited after catching a Grandmaster Flash concert, suggested they start their own band that he is handed the magic key to the cosmic kingdom. Acid for the Children is as raw, entertaining and wildly unpredictable as its author. It's both a tenderly evocative coming of age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity.

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‘LADY IN WAITING’ BY ANNE GLENCONNER

Anne Glenconner has been close to the Royal Family since childhood. Eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, she was, as a daughter, described as 'the greatest disappointment' by her family as she was unable to inherit. Her childhood home Holkham Hall is one of the grandest estates in England. Bordering Sandringham the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were frequent playmates. From Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation to Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Glenconner is a unique witness to royal history, as well as an extraordinary survivor of a generation of aristocratic women trapped without inheritance and burdened with social expectations.  She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. Together they turned the island into a paradise for the rich and famous, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and it became a favourite retreat for Princess Margaret.  But beneath the glitz and glamour there has also lurked tragedy. On Lord Glenconner's death in 2010 he left his fortune to a former employee. And of their five children, two grown-up sons died, while a third son had to be nursed back from a coma by Anne, after having suffered a near fatal accident.  Anne Glenconner writes with extraordinary wit, generosity and courage and she exposes what life was like in her gilded cage, revealing the role of her great friendship with Princess Margaret, and the freedom she can now finally enjoy in later life. She will appear as a character in the new series of The Crown this autumn.

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‘THAT REMINDS ME’ BY DEREK OWUSU

This is the story of K.

K is sent into care before a year marks his birth. He grows up in fields and woods, and he is happy, he thinks. When K is eleven, the city reclaims him. He returns to an unknown mother and a part-time father, trading the fields for flats and a community that is alien to him. Slowly, he finds friends. Eventually, he finds love. He learns how to navigate the city. But as he grows, he begins to realise that he needs more than the city can provide. He is a man made of pieces. Pieces that are slowly breaking apart

That Reminds Me is the story of one young man, from birth to adulthood, told in fragments of memory. It explores questions of identity, belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, family and religion. It is a deeply moving and completely original work of literature from one of the brightest British writers of today.

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‘A SONG FOR YOU’ BY ROBYN CRAWFORD

The life and legacy of Whitney Houston has fascinated and devastated her fans for years, from her rapid rise to fame, to her tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, and ultimately to her passing in 2012. In the past two years, two documentaries about her relationships and the demons she struggled have emerged; even now, people can't get enough of the story of the enigmatic superstar, her astronomical rise and highly publicized fall. But one major figure from Whitney's inner circle has remained largely a mystery: her closest friend since before it all began, Robyn Crawford. In her memoir, Robyn finally tells her story of life with Whitney, from their teen years in East Orange, New Jersey, to time spent traveling the globe with and working for Whitney at the height of her career. Deeply personal, heartfelt, and ready to set the record straight, Robyn Crawford's memoir is a vital story and a previously untold part of Whitney's life, from a women who knew her better than nearly anyone else.

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‘THE CASTLE ON SUNSET’ BY SHAWN LEVY

For nearly ninety years, Hollywood's brightest stars have favoured the Chateau Marmont as a home away from home. It is a place filled with deep secrets but is hidden in plain sight, and its evolution parallels the growth of Hollywood itself. 

Perched above the Sunset Strip like a fairy-tale castle, the Chateau seems to come from another world entirely. An apartment-house-turned-hotel, it has been the backdrop for generations of gossip and folklore: 1930s bombshell Jean Harlow took lovers during her third honeymoon there; director Nicholas Ray slept with his sixteen-year-old Rebel Without a Cause star Natalie Wood; Anthony Perkins and Tab Hunter met poolside and began a secret affair; Jim Morrison swung from the balconies, once nearly falling to his death; John Belushi suffered a fatal overdose in a private bungalow; Lindsay Lohan got the boot after racking up nearly $50,000 in charges in less than two months.

Much of what's happened inside the Chateau's walls has eluded the public eye - until now. With wit and prowess, Shawn Levy recounts the wild parties and scandalous liaisons, creative breakthroughs and marital breakdowns, births and untimely deaths that the Chateau Marmont has given rise to. Vivid, salacious and richly informed, the book is a glittering tribute to Hollywood as seen from the suites and bungalows of its most hallowed hotel.

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‘CHAOS’ BY TOM O’NEILL

In 1999, when Tom O’Neill was assigned a magazine piece about the thirtieth anniversary of the Manson murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Weren’t the facts indisputable? Charles Manson had ordered his teenage followers to commit seven brutal murders, and in his thrall, they’d gladly complied. But when O’Neill began reporting the story, he kept finding holes in the prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi’s narrative, long enshrined in the bestselling Helter Skelter. Before long, O’Neill had questions about everything from the motive to the manhunt. Though he’d never considered himself a conspiracy theorist, the Manson murders swallowed the next two decades of his career. He was obsessed.

Searching but never speculative, CHAOS follows O’Neill's twenty-year effort to rebut the ‘official’ story behind Manson. Who were his real friends in Hollywood, and how far would they go to hide their ties? Why didn’t law enforcement act on their many chances to stop him? And how did he turn a group of peaceful hippies into remorseless killers? O’Neill's hunt for answers leads him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from the Summer of Love to the shadowy sites of the CIA’s mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with cover-ups and coincidences.

Featuring hundreds of new interviews and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI and the CIA, CHAOS mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Stephen Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. In those two dark nights in Los Angeles, O’Neill finds the story of California in the sixties: when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia-or dystopia-was just an acid trip away.

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What Is.. Reviv IV Therapy

Traditional oral supplements are something of a mystery. Some say they’re crucial to obtaining optimum wellness yet three’s a a whole other school of though that considers the taking of supplements a farce and we should be getting the nutrients from the foods we eat. It’s wildly debated as to how much goodness we actually absorb in our daily search for ultimate health via supplements, not to mention how many dollah bills we in fact may perhaps be wasting in the hundreds we spend on vitamins and supplements. 

What if though.. just what if, there’s a way of getting the immediate boost we seek in the form of something just as conventional yet much more effective. Ok step in and let me introduce you to Reviv IV Therapy. Tried and tested, it’s one of the only ways in which we get immediate results that instantly allows the body reap the benefits of 100% absorption. Yes 100%. I mean, whaaaaat!!! Imagine all those electrolytes, antioxidants, good fluids, vitamins and nutrients going straight to work, doing exactly what they’re meant to do. Benefits of IV Therapy with Reviv are endless, from the restoration of your general vitamin and nutrient balance, major upgrades in terms of your skins ability to let take what it needs to glow and shine as it’s meant to and not forgetting the overall advantage of a very empowering energy boost. 

Reviv is the real deal. Founded by four emergency room doctors who saw the need for general health boosters, such as IV therapies, to be more widely available to people and at a more affordable price point, it’s something you have to experience to believe. While understanding the underlying need and knowing it needed to be in a beautiful spa like setting instead of the miserable vibes we tent to associate with needles and drips around us, they began with an initial opening in Miami Beach in 2011 and have sine grown to a global level with spas in over 30 countries. Reviv also do genetic testing via understanding your DNA to help measure your genetic risk of serious illnesses and how to best avoid such onsets. Sports and nutrition testing alongside beauty and anti-ageing tests are also available as part of their DNA investigations. We spend so much on frivolous things in life yet what if investing in your mood, health, energy and the potential longevity of our lifespan is as easy as a trip to Reviv.. 

To book your IV Therapy session, visit revivme.com

Designer Spotlight; Christopher John Rogers

This year the young designer to join an elite legacy that includes the likes of Alexander Wang & Proenza Schouler is the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s 2019 winner, Christopher John Rogers. Helping to launch the careers of many super talented designers over the last 16 years, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund is a sure sign that Rogers is about to see his career in fashion jump into full throttle and we’re set to be seeing a lot more of him in the years to come.

The budding designer, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1994, now bases himself in Brooklyn, close to the fashion lime-light of New York’s well established elite. Growing up a Southern Baptist, his Grandmother had a huge influence on him and the way he understood the magic of dressing up. His love of fashion was evidently well established prior to his move to New York; he cleverly taught himself how to sew via tutorials on Youtube and carefully studied every word big designers, who he considers creative heroes, like John Galliano and McQueen would say in backstage interviews after their runway shows. After high school he went on to study at fashion at Savannah College of Art and Design before relocating to New York City. 

He has spoken about the realities of a young designer trying to catch their break in the fashion world and the innate difficulty it entails when you don’t “come from money”. Of his experience, Rogers says “Oh gag. So I actually have no money. I don’t have backers, I have a full-time job as a designer at Diane Von Furstenberg, and I take that money and I buy fabric I can afford and I try to turn the party.” However his diligent and industrious determination seems to be working, beautifully, for in 2017 he dressed Cardi B for the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards, SZA wore his designs in the Black Panther soundtrack’s “All the Stars” video and in that same year Tracee Ellis Ross donned a look from his SS19 collection. Just a year later he showed his first full NYFW show in September 2018 at the age of 23.

So in a whirlwind and short career to date, he has quickly established himself a firm favourite and someone the industries leaders are watching very closely, not to mention as a creator of avant-garde evening wear that, in all it’s excessive beauty, is something of a magical spectacle. His belief that there’s “nothing wrong in effortful dressing” beams through in his designs and he creates with a mindset that allows women feel seen and heard. A look by Rogers is always big, bold and ravishingly engaging. He recently received a well-deserved standing ovation for his SS20 NYFW runway presentation and in the audience to support him were some of the industries top designers and influential figureheads including his former boss Diane von Furstenberg, Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Adam Selman and Joseph Altuzarra. Self-proclaimed lovers of Rogers creations who have publicly worn his designs include celebrities from Michelle Obama and Rihanna to Lizzo, Ashley Graham and Kat Graham. 

With the help of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s financial prize of $400,000 and a year of invaluable mentorship from top industry insiders, ahead of him alongside his innate and towering talent, we’re absolutely sure Rogers is here for the long haul. 

Follow Christopher John Rogers on Instagram

*Unmissable* : Black Friday; Here's the Deal(s)

OK.. it’s that time of year again. When the world goes cray cray and we overspend on things we don’t need ($50.9 BILLION was spent this time last year in just a 4 day weekend period). Things that we’ll ‘fit into one day' but need right now cause we think it’s a great idea to have things that don’t fit just because they were good value or things that we just add to our basket because well, sure it’s only $500 and it’s usually $2,000. Yes you got it, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the 4 day period of online and in store sales that was once very much exclusively an American thing but has, in recent years, firmly made it’s way across the pond and into the psyche’s of pretty much everyone with an online connection, even my boyfriend who, when it comes to shopping, thinks it’s thee most torturous thing that life has bestowed upon us.. and i’m not talking luxuriating it up in Dover Street Market, just a quick visit to the local Waitrose for milk, even heeeee knows about it. Anyway, the thing to remember with sales is, it’s only worth it if you NEED it in your life - and ok there are blurred lines here between must have, need, and simply just CAN’T COPE WITHOUT IT, I know I know. Sales are an important time to plan and prep around and be aware of your own (and your bank account’s) limits and making sure to not let your hearts desires run wild and free. It’s not good value just because it’s on sale, trust me. And so with that in mind, here are HSF’s favourite sales to loose your sh*t over.

L A R S S O N & J E N N I N G S

The perfect gift for someone you love this holiday season is a fashion watch from this gorgeous London - Stockholm inspired brand that has taken on the quality of a luxury watch and brought it together with the chic designs of the classics and brought the prices down to temptingly dangerous lows.

30% off ALL watches

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I N C H 2

Leather goods with a little something extra, Inch2 is a beautiful young European brand specialising in quality leather pieces, focusing on shoes, boots and bags, to bring to life a perfect mix of masculine energy and feminine elegance. Their hero product, the leather brogue boots, are on sale for £184 down from £295.

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S P A C E N K

Nothing more to say than: We’ll take EVERYTHING please. Space NK has your every beauty need when it comes to cool, luxury and sometimes off the beaten track beauty brands to revamp your beauty shelves and bring a whole new glow to your skincare and makeup routine.

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M O N I C A V I N A D E R

Beautiful, elegant and super on trend, Monica Vinader is one of my go-to jewellery brands, that while not compromising on quality and design, doesn’t totally break the bank. Love this brand. ]

Shop 30% off and daily updated deals.

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C H I M I E Y E W E A R

Celine but make it half price. This young sunglasses brand is the BOMB. I love it. From big beautiful Jackie O styles to small and sleek Danielle Bernstein trendy pieces, you’re bound to find something to spice up your winter glasses wardrobe.

Shop with up to 50% off.

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C U L T B E A U T Y

We all know and love this beauty destination for your well known high-street and luxury brands’ cult products and the cult following they’re rightly created.

Shop with up to 40% off.

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D E A R F R A N C E S

Designed to last, a purchase with Dear Frances is something of a worthy investment in investment pieces. Luxury quality boots, flats, sandals, loafers and heels.. this brand is ethical in it’s productions and definitely worth a sneaky look at the very very least.

Shop 25% off site wide with the code BF25

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S O R U J E W E L L E R Y

Soru Jewellery is every jewellery lovers dream. Full of fabulous, elaborate yet super chic and elegant costume jewels, the brand is the perfect place to find that piece to make a pretty powerful statement no matter what you’re wearing. Adore adore adore.

Shop the entire collection with 30% off.

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S L E E P E R

When you’re a PJ’s girl like me you can’t not have a pair of these gorgeous night-out pyjamas. The brand is also known for their beautiful summer dresses that can be worn as a nightgown or out out and sales like this one are ABSOLUTELY worth falling for. Trust me, I’ve worn my pyjamas with feathered hems to weddings, birthday parties and dinner. Fab.u.lous.

For a full week shop 30% off all black items and up to 50% off on selected items.

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V I O L E T G R E Y

My absolute FAVORITE beauty store, this stunning destination is a heavenly take on what’s HOT for your beauty cabinet. Unfortunately they only ship within the US.

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A M B R E Y E W E A R

One of the best purchases of my year thus far has got to be these blue-light-blocking glasses that help those protect your sight when working long hours staring at a screen. The brand aims to bring quality back to our lives through their amazing lens technology and whether you wear prescription lens or not, you can totally wear Ambr Eyewear pieces.

Sign up HERE to avail of their buy 1 get 1 free Black Friday deal.

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A S T R I D & M I Y U

Costume jewellery at it’s coolest, Astrid & Miyu is the ultimate girls haven for all those cutesy little trinkets. Their ear cuffs are out of this world chic and it’s all made to be layered and worn however you wish, no rules, just fun and fabulous.

Shop 25% off the entire site, no code needed.

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W E S T 2 2

West 22 is a top secret fashionistas paradise. With dupe versions of the Bottega’s, in full leather, cute cashmere beanies, the prettiest hair accessories and endless fashion finds that add the perfect touch of fabulous to any outfit, this website is one of my favourites to get a stylish fix.

Shop with 25% off the entire website, till 11.59pm GMT Sunday.

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D U C I E L O N D O N

Everyday luxury is what Ducie does and damn do they do it right. Teddy coats, winter boots, amazing outerwear pieces and cute-find shoes and accessories, a click into Ducie is dangerously tempting and oh so naughtily the absolute right thing to do.

Shop with 25% off everything excluding sale items and the Kendall boots. Use code BLKFRI1925

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Who Is.. Cindy Sherman

Cynthia Morris Sherman was born in New Jersey on January 19, 1954 and is one of the contemporary art world’s most influential and consequential living female photographers. More widely known as Cindy Sherman, her career as an artist has spanned nearly 40 years and throughout she has exclusively created photographic self-portraits that explore, with a strong streak of feminist  messages, the construction of modern day life, drawing on social role-playing and sexual stereotypes. Socially critical and amusing, her work is never far from the truth; mirroring the realities of our time with a sustained and precise fabrication that forces the viewer to take a deep breath in personal recognition or perhaps a wider, more general appreciation of it’s greater meaning.

Sherman is an interesting and interested character. Upon graduating from the State University of New York in 1976 she moved away from painting and began what would become her life’s work beginning with Complete Untitled Film Stills (1977-1978) which would remain one of her most seminal series and consisted of 69 black-and-white images. In the 1980’s she moved on to colour film and larger more mammoth productions focusing slightly more on the use of lighting and facial expression. She has since, at different times, focused on directing motion film between her famous photographic series. But her photography remains her most celebrated and revered work. 

In every series of creations, Sherman works as her own subject while capturing herself in an endless range of pretences and guises. In the creation of one or any of her photographs, she is everything all at once, from makeup-artist and hair-stylist to creative stylist, creative director and of course, photographer. All of this means she stands alone in the industry, in which she is typically grouped within the era of the Pictures Generation, through her distinctive mix of performance and photography. Drawing upon film, fashion and a lot of influential and commercial advertisements, she ironically plays into with the cultural stereotypes that are massively supported and encouraged by such media portals and draws upon her belief that we must challenge them with a sense of sharpness and dark humour. In her processes, she uses wigs, prosthetics accessories, liberal amounts of makeup and set designs that all enable her visions to come to life. 

Sherman has been the subject of many major museum exhibitions, most recently at MoMA in 2019 and again at the National Portrait Gallery, in London which also showed this year. She lives in New York City where she also works in solitary in her Manhattan studio. 

What Is.. Gua Sha

WARNING: you might want to avoid Google-ing ‘gua sha’ without the word facial, for the practice of Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese medicine in existence since before the age-old methods of acupuncture + more scarily perhaps, it translates directly to “scraping” - not something you might consider helpful when you’re looking for your next facial try-out. The therapy originates as a body massage + the results leave beetroot red marks on your back or the specific area worked on. However teleporting ourselves from Gua Sha’s ancient Chinese roots to 2019 + the era of self-care enthusiasts who know the importance of personal attention, not to mention a love of anything that’s truly anti-ageing + a general boost to our wellness - we come to the ‘Gua Sha’ (pronounced gwa sha) in a whole new category, the Gua Sha Facial. 

Conducted very differently when used on the face, Gua Sha can be worked into your daily skincare routine at home. Simply apply facial oil all over the face + use a flat stone of your choice (not the infamous rollers seen all over IG right now, the Gua Sha tool is much more powerful than rollers), in upward motions, very gently gliding in minute strokes. It’s a massage technique that was originally designed to relieve any tension in the muscles of the face + works very well to promote the body’s natural lymphatic drainage system while also boosting blood circulation, resulting in something we all love: the banishment of bloat. Taking stock of the day-to-day stresses of modern day life that inevitably take their toll via our facial expressions + consequently the fine lines that find themselves making their permanent mark, the stimulation that occurs as a result of the Gua Sha practice, either in your daily skincare routine or as part of a professional facial with a qualified therapist, you can be sure it works to reduce all stresses life in 2019 can play on our skin. 

Also known as coining, spooning or scraping, benefits include stimulation of the immune system, reduction of pain like headaches + jaw discomfort, it’s anti-inflammatory, it decreases puffiness under the eyes + works to plump the skin as a result of collagen rejuvenation. Unlike the more traditional Gua Sha massage, it does not leave any markings when done as a facial - unless, in choosing to do a DIY job at home + you go too intensely. It is highly recommended you watch tutorials (the best ones are linked below) to see how best to practice the method by yourself.

So although it may be only just taking over IG in recent years ( wrote this piece in 2019 so it’s even more prominent now), this practice has been around for thousands of years + if you’re willing to put in the research + wish to add Gua Sha into your at home skin-care routine, I suggest following Rachel of Relax with Rach - the treatment designer + trainer at one of my favourite skincare brands GROUND. Rachel has a quick but brilliant tutorial on her IG. Find the video here.

Another amazing follow is Britta Plug @britta_beauty, one of NYC’s top Gua Sha experts, Queen of holistic self-care + the founder of Studio Britta.

Oh + another of my go-to oils for self Gua Sha is Organic Cold pressed Jojoba Oil by Irish brand The Nature of Things which you can find here..

Shop all the best oils + tools below..

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Shop the Best Gua Sha Products

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Hello, World!

7 Online At Home Workouts

Sometimes going to a gym and getting sweaty with strangers just isn’t what feels good. Whether it’s that you’re kind of shy or simply just too busy to get your butt there, if you like to get your heart rate up and move your body, there’s never an excuse to not find time for exercise in your day and life with this list of at-home workout plans.

L O U I S A D R A K E M E T H O D

Louisa Drake is London’s hottest exercise goddess. Focusing on a very a unique fusion style of working out that combines her expertise as a professional dancer + choreographer with her incredible knowledge of the body + how to make movement fun + effective, Louisa’s personalised method brings you on a shape-changing journey, resulting in longer, leaner lines + a strengthen body tone. Having travelled the world working with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow + Victoria Beckham, in 2017 Louisa set out to create her own method, opening her very own studio in London + it’s HOT AF. Incorporating resistance, conditioning, cardio + stretching, LDM is available online with videos to buy that you can enjoy on repeat or live classes to attend via Zoom. LDM is a complete non-negotiable, just give it a try!

louisadrake.com

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M E L I S S A W O O D H E A L T H

Melissa Wood-Tepperberg is a Mom, wellness coach, avid meditator, certified yoga and pilates teacher and plant-based eater, working to shift the way we live and help her fans thrive from the inside out. The former model’s goal is to help you find your best self through movement methods, intuitive eating and mindful meditation. Her method is a monthly subscription with membership including 12 workouts available at all times, exclusive workouts published every Monday by Melissa herself and bonus flows and guided meditations throughout the month. Her upbeat personality and infectiously positive attitude is completely contagious and she is the perfect workout companion whether you’re at home or on the road. Get a 5 day free trial before committing - but trust me, you won’t be able to give it up. 

melissawoodhealth.com

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L E S M I L L S

If you’ve been to a Les Mills class you’ll know what I mean, these workouts mean bin.ness. And Les Mills On Demand is no different and just as kick-ass. With membership you obtain access to over 800 online workouts, creating a plan to suit your overall goals. As a member you also gain access to the Les Mills online global fitness community to help you stay motivated and accountable. New workouts are published each week with none ever expiring. Train your way with Les Mills, no matter where in the world you are. Try it out before fully committing for a free 10 day trial. 

lesmills.com

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P. V O L V E

From your own custom dashboard, you can plan and track your progress with P.volve. From there P.vole is all about making sure your form is working for you. With form being everything, P.volve teaches you exactly how to do every movement correctly to reduce pain or injury and of course bring to life the results you are aiming for even faster. Choose from over 150 workouts with more being added every week - all accessible online or the P.volve app. Also, with access to a motivating private Facebook community group and discounts on P.volve equipment, if you’re looking for great results and something a little different, try this amazing new addition to the at-home workout sphere. 

pvolve.com

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G L O Y O G A

Glo is perhaps one of the only, if not the sole, online based yoga classes that equals the feeling of being at an in-person class. It’s fabulous yoga at it’s best.. and on the familiarity of your own mat in the comfort of your own home. Whether you access it through online or the app, it’s staggering how many types and the volume of classes available. With many famous yoga teachers accessible on the platform too you can literally find anything you want. The classes are honestly endless, from duration to type to classes specifically focused on a particular pose like Crow or Chaturanga. Also, an enquire month of unlimited yoga on Glo costs less than a single yoga class in New York City at just $18/month. So go get your zen on with Glo.

glo.com

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T H E S H O N A V E R T U E M E T H O D

Shona Vertue found her fame by becoming the lady that helped David Beckham find his flexibility. Known for her amazing strength training, HIIT workouts and yoga flows, Shona Vertue created her Vertue Method to help you find the strength in your yoga and the flexibility in your weights training. She incorporates all aspects of health and wellness in her plans and if you follow her on Instagram, you’ll find all her top tips for finding your flow and creating the healthy body you’ve always dreamed of. 

shonavertue.com

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S W E A T

Made famous by creator and fitness industry disruptor, Kayla Itsines, SWEAT is the ultimate quick and effective sweat session for those who are ‘busy busy’ but still need to get that heart rate going and feel like motivated to workout everyday - even on your off days. Created by females; Kayla has on-boarded some of the top female personal trainers in the world so that you can find exactly what you’re looking for in a PT, it’s the perfect all female community to help you feel at home in your body. With weekly fitness goals and plans (including days off) and weekly meal plans and shopping lists, SWEAT is a monthly subscription plan that is totally worth the $19.99 fee. 

sweat.com

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Who Is.. Tracey Emin

Known for her autobiographical and self-revelatory work, Tracey Emin is one of Britain’s most respected and revered artists of the 21st century.  Using immense personal disclosure, Emin produces work using a variety of mediums from drawing and painting to photography and film, her infamous neon texts, sewn appliqué and her life-size installations. 

Born July 3rd, 1963, in Surrey, England Emin grew up in Margate with an early life that played out rather brokenly. Living in a seaside hotel with her mother and mother, Emin claims she was treated like a princess and it was only when her father, who was Turkish, stopped living with them for half the week and left to live permanently with his other wife and family, taking all their money and leaving her mother completely bankrupt that life began to show it’s darker side to her. Continuing from this devastating burden, the young Tracey along with her mother and brother lived in poverty. 

Emin left Margate to start her studies and chose fashion at the Medway College of Design where her intimate relationship with the avant-garde personality Billy Childish was the foundational beginnings that would play a very influential part in her maturing as an artist and creator. Following their breakup in 1987, she decided to move to London, where she graduated with an MA in painting at the Royal College of Art in 1989. The few years following her graduation proved a difficult time for her and she went through an emotionally traumatic period which included two abortions. During this arduous stretch she destroyed her entire portfolio of work from her time at the Royal College in an impulsive act of self-rebellion. 

Her time in London gained her the reputation as a bit of a badass, befriending other artists of the time who would later become known as the Young British Artists, a group which included other majorly successful artists like Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas. This budding group gained massive recognition thanks to Charles Saatchi who is often credited with their discovery. He bought their entire collections from the beginning, showcasing them as a group at his gallery in March 1992 which he titled “Young British Artists”. Saatchi’s support played a major role in landing them in front of the contemporary art scene, with the value of their work instantly skyrocketing as a direct result of the Saatchi effect. Anything he supports becomes ‘valuable’ overnight. The Young British Artists - or the YBA’s as they were referred to - became so infamous that they are now understood as an actually historical reference for the time. 

Some of Emin’s most celebrated and remembered works are Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995 which she created in 1995 as a shout out to everyone she ever a bed with, sexually or otherwise. For the piece she embroidered every name in her own handwriting on a sheet. Another of her greatest pieces was My Bed (1998) which she was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1999 for - one of the art world’s most notable accolades. It was a turn of events seeing as just two years prior she had appeared on a television program about the Prize as an institution where she showed up on live TV drunk and aggressive, swearing on live British TV in front of a panel of art academics. The piece though was utterly important - inspire of it’s overt controversial nature. It was bed - as it stood during a depressive phase of her life in which she personally spent four full days in bed eating nothing and wrinkly heavily. It showed everything from sexual stains and pubes to empty bottles and a mess that that mirrored her mental state at the time. It was received with gravely critical reviews and the age old claim that “well anyone can make that”.. to which she cleverly responded “Well, they didn’t, did they?”.

Despite not winning, her nomination was something of a moment as her piece, portrayed the dire situation she found herself in personally and it played on emotions of a dark nature - something completely related to many who suffer with mental health. It played a huge part in catapulting her to fame and the piece’s notoriety has continued to this day. Another of her more recent pieces is a neon light sculpture at St. Pancreas International Station in London. The 20-meter long installation greets travellers with the words “I want my time with you” as they enter the station.

Tracey Emin has exhibited extensively including major solo shows at Château La Coste in France, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh among many others. She represented Great Britain at the 52nd Venice Biennale, an honour in which she invited to show a commissioned body of work as a solo exhibitor at the British Pavilion, titled Borrowed Light. 

Marking her true arrival and finally gaining a seat at the table of high-brow British artists, she was made a Royal Academician at London's Royal Academy of the Arts in 1997, a moment in which she was undoubtedly and ultimately accepted by the establishment. Emin has also been named as one of the most powerful women in Britain and awarded a CBE for her services to the arts in 2013. 

From an impoverished childhood, smeared with experiences children should never be subjected to gaining recognition as one of the top contemporary artists of our time, Emin - intelligent and wounded - has settled slightly in her controversial ways. However, she continues to work with an astonishing sense of urgency and determined vision that continues to push the boundaries of society and what is deemed “normal” despite her personal life and appearances lessening in their sensationalist ways. She is represented by White Cube and will open another major solo exhibition, entitled The Loneliness in the spring of 2020 at Oslo’s Munch Museum. Following that she is set to unveil her permanent public commission The Mother for Oslo’s Museum Island. The exhibition will later tour to the RA, London in November 2020.  

Designer Spotlight; Mother of Pearl

The perfect amount of classic with a flawless touch of twist, Mother of Pearl is a brand on a mission to evolve the way we consume fashion: reducing the impact we have on the planet while always remaining style forward. Never boring and always on trend, the London based sustainable label is one of the industry’s leaders in terms of quality and contemporary design while also being uber conscious of bringing an all important element of heart and spirit to the market: a transparent label that celebrates individuality and authenticity. 

With a base in East London, the relatively young fashion label never compromises on design, creating inspired collections that bring strength to our intricacies and a softness to the power dresser within. Printed luxe fabrics and carefully designed details come together to form it’s foundations with an equal focus on casual and luxury. Each piece has a voice of it’s own and can play both roles, that of an effortless everyday wardrobe staple or with a little elevation, can be brought out for something more significant and special.

The British luxury womenswear brand was founded back in 2002. It’s current Creative Director, Amy Powney,  who joined in 2006 - just 4 years after it’s formation, began her journey within from the bottom, sweeping the floors of the cutting-room floor, working her way up to the top and stepping into the role of Creative Director in 2015. Understanding each and every element of the company as a whole, she has brought the label the forefront of the industry and continues to build the brand’s stellar reputation season by season. Informed and inspired by her upbringing in Northern England, Powney draws upon her love of the 90’s and 2000’s - the era of her teenage years and is often creatively motivated by the critical social photographers and fashion shoots of those times. 

Showing at London Fashion week and stocked at some of the world’s most prestigious retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Net-a-Porter, Harrods and Goop, Mother of Pearl is something of a modern day beauty, combining a distinctive elegance with that cooler-younger-sister-IT-girl vibe.

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SHOP MOTHER OF PEARL

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Images: AW19 Mother of Pearl Campaign

Eating Out in Los Angeles, 10 Hotspots

M A R G O T

8820 Washington Blvd #301, Culver City // Monday - Sunday 11am - 2am

Margo is the ultimate any-day spot that can take you from morning to night, Monday to Sunday. 

Designed by Thomas Schoos, the space is a mix of California cool and unreservedly decadent rooftop terrace chic. The food is top-notch classic plates, headed up by chef, Michael Williams, with the menu consisting of elegantly presented classics - think avocado for breakfast, past dishes for lunch and meaty delicacies for dinner. Enjoy a cocktail by cocktail guru David Kupchinsky or a beautiful glass of wine, chosen with the guidance of sommelier and general manager, John Snowden. 

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C E C C O N I ‘S

8764 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood // Monday - Thursday 8am - 12am, Friday 8am - 1am, Saturday 9am - 1am, Sunday 9am - 11pm

L.A kinda cool, Cecconi’s is a West Hollywood staple. On the corner of Melrose Avenue and Robertson Boulevard, the Soho House created restaurant is a contemporary Italian with a classic twist. The vibe is scene-y, let’s just say, you might see Scott Disick, Kourtney Kardashian and the kids rock up for weekend brunch. It’s very L.A. Menu highlights are definitely ahi tuna tartare and the wood oven pizza’s, not forgetting any or all of the hand-made past dishes. 

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S U S H I P A R K

8539 W. Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood // Tuesday - Friday 12 - 1.45pm & 6 - 9pm, Saturday 6 - 9pm

Unassuming yet utterly unmissable, this quintessential sushi joint is hidden away on the second floor of a undistinguished strip mall on Sunset Boulevard. It’s a local hotspot where seats are like gold-dust and opening hours are limited, creating an exclusivity in a place you’d otherwise pass by without a second look. Upon dining at Sushi Park though, you just get it. The hype is real. It’s an Omakase situation only at the sushi bar or à la carte options are available if you chose to sit at a table. Wherever you sit though and whether you can get a seat, it’s worth every single (however pricey) dollar. 

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G R A C I A S M A D R E

8905 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood // Monday - Friday 11am - 11pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am - 11pm

Mexican delights with a twist: everything is vegan at this famed West Hollywood hotspot. Fear not though as every single dish has all the qualifications of a Mexican delight, spicy, zesty and full of flavour. It’s another somewhat too-cool-for-school spot that plays home to one of the chicest outdoor patio area where tables and lined with trees that sparkle with little fairy lights. Thanks to executive chef Alan Sanz, menu highlights have to be the guac and chips to start, any or all of the bowls or jackfruit carnitas tacos as a main and their signature mescal margarita or the CBD snow cone.. perhaps the most adventurous cocktails one can find in the vicinity. 

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L A U R E L H A R D WA R E

7984 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood // Monday - Friday 5pm - 2am, Saturday 3pm - 2am, Sunday 9.20am - 2am

Named after the original WeHo hardware store that once occupied the space, Laurel Hardware is a sleek peak at L.A’s beautiful crowd who casually hang out in the hotspots magical back patio. With the crowd typically just as gorgeous as their surrounds at the funky L.A eatery, the feel is definitely ultra scene-y. The creators are all about those unique craft cocktails with an inventive mid-priced New American food vibe. Menu highlights include allllllll the small plates, the grilled avocado & citrus salad and the delicious coconut curry grain bowl. 

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T H E L I T T L E D O O R

8164 W 3rd Street // Sunday - Thursday 6pm - 10pm, Friday and Saturday 6pm - 11pm

Nestled away in the hearty of 3rd Street, this tiny super romantic date night spot is one of the cities most reliable and trusty restaurants. The brasseries style eatery boasts a vanquishing combination of intimate character and delicious fare. Famous for it’s cutesy and intimate, dimly lit courtyard and classic Californian cuisine with ample French touches, you could say it’s a match made in dining out heaven and somewhere that, no matter how many places come and go in Los Angeles, will always be there to stay. The wine list is of note too with an impressibly extensive range, offering bottles from all over the world.

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R É P U B L I Q U E

624 South La Brea Avenue // Sunday - Wednesday 8am - 3pm & 5.30pm - 10pm, Thursday - Saturday 8am - 3pm & 5.30pm - 11pm

Replacing one of the most famous restaurants spaces in Los Angeles (previously Campanile), Republique had a hefty expectation placed upon it by simply opening where it has. However, in true LA style, the modern eatery has exceeded all such expectations with it’s contemporary French plates and friendly communal tables. Interiors here are something of a show and nothing short of magnificent with an impressive three kitchens, each opening out onto the main dining space. Along with the cleverly created marketplace-in-a-c courtyard and communal feel, an experience at Republique is a serious education in good dining. Menu highlights include (just about anything on there.. but specifically) the salads, the freshly made white corn agnolotti and the lamb shank or beef short rib. Also for the sake of humanity, do not pass on the bread basket, I repeat, do.not.pass.on.the.bread.basket. 

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R O S A L I N É

8479 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood // Sunday - Thursday 6 - 9.30pm, Friday & Saturday 6 - 10.30pm

A large, open space Rosaline is located right at Melrose and La Cienega and stands to be that trusty friend you can reply on for just about anything. Famed for it’s modern yet completely unpretentious take on Peruvian food - think traditional staples like paelle, ceviche and arroz con pollo; it’s got a little something that will suit every kind of eater. The space is cool, playing more in line with LA’s contemporary indoor-outdoor dining movement of late and boasts a Kevin Tsai architecturally-designed interior, bringing a very relaxed and modest feel to your evening out. Menu highlights have to be the crispy calamari marinated in yuzu kosho (a Japanese spice) and the solarito, a lima bean salad with avocados and feta. 

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C R A I G ‘S

8826 Melrose Avenue // Monday - Sunday 5pm - 12.30am

Rightly demanding the title of “the best place in Los Angeles to spot celebrities” Craig’s is that mystical place to experience even just once in a lifetime. Admittedly it’s not much more than overpriced American fare in the menu department and wouldn’t be our first choice for those looking for something mouthwateringly delectable but if you can overlook such details when dining out then it’s the most LA LA can get in terms of people watching. Guests are seated depending on their level of fame and from Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro to Larry King and the Gerbers, George Clooney and Amal, Kate Upton and just about anyone who’s anyone. Go even just for a drink at the bar; the $15 cocktails are worth it just to people watch. 

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T H E  B A Z A A R  BY  J O S É  A N D R É S 

465 La Cienega Boulevard // Wednesday & Thursday & Sunday 5.30pm - 10pm, Friday & Saturday 5.30pm - 11pm

Sexy and playful, this destination style restaurant was a $12 million collaboration between the famously hot-headed Spanish chef José Andrés, hotelier Sam Nazarian and designer Philippe Starck. Bringing to life something of a welcomed yet disorienting feel, the dazzling hotspot is brought together with a shockingly fabulous interior design, a patisserie, a Moss design store, two main dining rooms, a bar and an itinerant palm reader no less. The food is just as nonplussed, offering the likes of foie gras cotton candy and elegant cones filled with caviar which only once eaten can truly be understood; much like the overall experience of The Bazaar, it’s an experience comprehended as something truly special and bazaar. 

Edelle Kenny, The Interview

Edelle Kenny is an Irish, New York City based photographer, videographer and freelance TV producer. She has worked on major global campaigns, shooting top models and influencers, not to mention her work as a producer with the Discovery Channel. Edelle’s work is a beautiful mix of sultry and sexy with a depth of meaning very distinctive to her style. She lives and works in Manhattan and here we speak to her about her life as a photographer, her thoughts on comparisons and competition and what her dream shoot would be..

Edelle, tell us about your path into the photography world?

I’ve always been a very visual person and loved to document moments on point and shot cameras growing up. When I was 18 I started a PLC in Media and Communications and one of our modules was photography. It was probably my favourite module but I decided to pursue television and documentary and unfortunately my interest fell by the wayside for a few years. When I moved to New York I had access to different cameras in my day job and I started taking them home on the weekend to teach myself. I actually still have the first 60 photos I shot. I remember being too nervous to take photos of people. I used to go to Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue because they would have models as door men and I would creepily just shoot them standing outside. From there I decided to try make a side hustle and began shooting portraits and ‘looks’ for influencers to try build up my skills . Eventually I started booking more and more jobs via photography with private clients, brands and companies. 

 You’ve made a professional career of your passion which is something so admirable and not many can truly say they’ve achieved, how do you balance between personal preferences as a creator and your clients wishes when working on commercial work? 

This is a tough one. Like any artist or creative knows, if your work is your passion, but you are only willing to take jobs that are your creative preference, you will most certainly go hungry and broke.

For me, if I am not 100 percent invested and excited about a project I am unfulfilled. For a long time I found myself taking every photography job offered to make ends meet and then essentially not enjoying what I was creating and loosing interest in my passion. So I came up with a solution. I decided to spilt my time, I went back to working freelance in television and when a photography job came up that I was really really excited about, I would take it. 

How does the creative process happen when you’re working on a shoot?

While working on a shoot creative process always starts with a concept and deciding ‘What is the story behind what we are trying to create”? Even if the end results don’t necessarily project that story as a narrative, it’s a good vibe to remember on the day. No two minds are alike so I will usually ask for the client to present me with some visuals that inspire them and I will also create a mood-board of what is in my head and only then do we merge. On the day of the shoot, you shoot and adapt. Sometimes we’ll be trying to capture something we thought we wanted and instead the opposite will feel right, so you adjust to go with that. Everyones input is considered, make up artists, hairstylists, assistants, absolutely everyone gets involved.

On the relationship between you and the subjects you work with, how do you cultivate an environment that allows them to come to life in a way necessary for the shoot?

THE most important thing, in my opinion, is cultivating a comfortable and relaxed environment for your subject. If your photo is technically perfect and your model is uncomfortable, it means nothing. If your photo is slightly out of focus or under exposed but your model is showing their personality, then you can say it’s a great photo. You can fix photos in photoshop, you can’t fix emotions. I always sit and chat with the subject, get to know them, and ease them into a shoot.

We live in a very digital focussed generation, with so many people now creating content directly on their phones, what are your thoughts on it all and would we ever catch you using yours to capture moments in time?

I hear a lot of photographers give out about iPhone photography saying slightly passive-aggressively ‘Oh everyone is a photographer today’, and frankly, in my opinion, that’s the truth. Everyone can take a photo much like everyone is able to sing. But, it’s subjective, and I think artists need to find solace in that concept. Know that it’s subjective. Your vision of beauty is and never will be the same as someones else’s. If you have the ability to capture something that at least one other person can say beautiful, then settle for that. And if someone else is able to create that happiness with an iPhone picture, then it’s just another piece of good in the world.  Good photography is not about a beautiful person with a blurred background and perfect skin texture, (which iPhones can do amazingly now), that is good advertising! Good photography is about the beauty of this world and how you see it and sharing your point of view with the rest of us. So long story short, I am here for iPhone photography, the more beauty we can share the better. 

In saying that, I try not to use my phone for photography because I don’t think I would ever switch off. If I know I will want to take photos I bring my camera. But, if I feel I need to switch off, I leave it and home and don’t take pictures with my phone either. My camera roll is shamelessly full to the brim with screenshots of memes. 

How is photographing a celebrity or model different from photographing a regular person?  The only difference I find is the crew size. I never behave differently. I get one on one with the subject and find the connection between us. Whether it’s an international super model or if a 14 year old getting her portrait taken and we bond over favourite school subjects.People are people and everyone is a human on set in search of making that connection to feel comfortable.

Where do you find yourself most inspired?

I find myself most inspired in lower Manhattan; the personalities, the style, the stories are amazing there. It’s at times overwhelming. I walk by these two men every morning who sit and play music on their stoop and chat with all the regular neighbours. They wear very unique clothes and I always think, I just want to follow you all day with a camera. 

Do you ever get creative blocks? How do you deal with them?

Creative blocks are something I used to think where crippling and I would let them own me. I would stop posting on social media and watch other people thrive and beat myself up over it. Until I learned to give into creative blocks and see them as creative breaks. I think that’s something that is important to realise, when you’re a creative, you never switch off because you’re pulling inspiration from everywhere and everything; from the light than comes into your bedroom window the moment you wake up to the way the street lights catch a silhouette in the dead of night, it’s exhausting! Allow yourself a break and let your creative mind readjust and grow!

When do you know you have the perfect shot?

I wish I had an insightful answer for this but I just feel it. There’s always that one shot you take and you just shout, ‘this is it, we got it’ . Ironically, when you go into edits, it’s not the one you choose but that feeling on the day is usually where I put the camera down or move on. 

Living in a big city where creatives relocate to thrive, there’s so much competition; to what do you attribute your success thus far?

Competition. A word and concept I’m learning to remove myself from in every aspect of my personal and professional life. If you can lay your head on your pillow at night and know that you gave everything you had that day, it’s good enough. I remember one time I applied for a Photography Incubation Space. I went to the open day to meet the organisers to do an interview. I brought what I thought was my best work. They told me I wasn’t suitable and then referenced the excellence and creative intelligence of what was currently in the incubator. The series of photos they referenced, was a self portrait photo of a man’s testicles sticking out of his fly with a piece of pink bubblegum stuck to them. I’m not doubting this as art, but I remember leaving the studio and crying the whole way home on the subway because I was comparing myself to a testicle poking out through a pair of yellow cords. I considered giving up on photography. But trust me, DO NOT compare yourself and never ever give up. 

What’s your favourite photograph that you’ve taken.. and the one you wish you’d taken?

I go through phases but the one that immediately comes to mind is of a dear friend Ruthy. Ruth is a beautiful girl who modelled before and we see each other every week, on paper it seemed like the perfect match to shoot immediately but, we didn’t. Something didn’t feel right and I am glad we waited. When we met we were very chalk and cheese and as our friendship developed we began to understand each other more and right before she left New York I asked her to shoot. This photo is the perfect merge between our personalities. Sharp, blurred lines, sexual and reserved.

The photo I wish I had taken, with out a doubt, is ANYTHING shot by Vivian Maier.

If you were to land your absolute dream shoot, what would it be, where and with who?

Dream shoot would defintitely be with Nat Geo, photographing lost tribes. 

Who in the industry inspires you?

On a fashion visual standpoint, Matteo Montanari. His ability to photograph fashion in an effortless and documentary style is beautiful. 

For commercial and street photography, it’s a fellow Dubliner turned NewYorker, Rich Gilligan.  

Do you have any tips for those wishing too build a career as a photographer?

Take photos of what you love and take loads. You don’t need the best equipment on the market. Do it on a disposable. Curate your eye and don’t be afraid to stop people in the street and say, can I shoot you.

Follow Edelle on Instagram

Edelle Kenny's New York City Hotlist

Edelle Kenny is an Irish, New York City based photographer, videographer and freelance TV producer. She has worked on major global campaigns, shooting top models and influencers, not to mention her work as a producer with the Discovery Channel. Edelle’s work is a beautiful mix of sultry and sexy with a depth of meaning very distinctive to her style. She lives and works in Manhattan.

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Favourite way to spend a day to yourself?

Wake up early. A run along the east river. Then, scoot to Williamsburg and get a take out breakfast and sit in Domino park. Followed by a trip back into Manhattan to spend hours, walking around aimlessly soaking in the ample culture that New York has to offer. with a disposable camera in hand.  Also on a more practical note, I’d probably find an hour to go to Trader Joes and do a food shop mid day while there are no lines. It’s not all dreamy folks. 

Favourite breakfast?

My favourite breakfast is disappointingly oats, in my own apartment. I recently just got my own lease on my first Manhattan apartment, which is a big deal for freelancer, and my kitchen thankfully overlooks not one but two of the beautiful community artists gardens in the East Village. It’s a rare sight of green in the city. 

Favourite brunch?

My Favourite brunch is Cafe Collet in Williamsburg. It’s an aesthetically well thought out cafe with impeccable food. Everything on the menu is delicious and get the dark chocolate toast for the table. 

Favourite dinner?

My favourite dinner is a hard choice! For an intimate group or one on one with a friend I’ve been going Hanoi House on St Marks. At times there’s a wait time of over an hour, but I’ve never been disappointed. 

Favourite cocktail spot?

Apotheke in China town. I’ve been here a few times over the last year and I really like it as a treat. It’s good cocktails, atmosphere and amazing music.

Favourite hotel?

My favourite hotel is the Whyte hotel or the William Vale in Williamsburg. I recently spent the evening in September with a friend and her family who were staying in a water facing room. Wine, the sun setting over manhattan and friends that feel like family is the best feeling. 

Favourite night out?

Honestly, anything and anywhere intimate with my closest friends. a dinner followed by a few drinks and good conversation. 

Favourite hidden gem?

Roosevelt Island is a small island on the east of Manhattan. There’s not a lot going on there, but bring a picnic and a concealed bottle of wine in the summer evenings, sit in the Four Freedoms Park and watch the sunset over Manhattan. It’s also the most amazing place during cherry blossom season. 

Favourite exercise class?

My favourite exercise class is Rumble or GRIT boxing. Sometimes you just got to punch it out. I don’t need to say more.

Favourite weekend escape?

My favourite weekend escape is The Rockaways in Queens. It’s a strip of beach in Queens that seems like a little island of it’s own! It’s about 1.5 hour cycle from the city or you can get a ferry out there. I’ve regularly seen schools of dolphins and whales from the shore. It’s a really quick fix when you need to escape the madness of Manhattan. 

Favourite boutique?

Awoke Vinatge. Without a doubt. My 2019 new years resolution was to be more eco-friendly so Awoke is the perfect match between a little luxury and second hand. 

Favourite artist?

Nadia Lee Cohen and AlexPrager. Neither of them have the same aesthetic style as me but I find both of them captivating. 

Favourite museum?

Museum of Moving Image! Its small and seems specialised but it’s so interesting. I have been to the Jim Henson exhibition twice and if you watched the muppets as a child, it’s a must. 

Image Edelle Kenny

What Is.. Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy has been around for decades as an, albeit quite controversial, source of mental and physical stress relief. Benefits are said to include reduction in arthritic pain and migraine symptoms, depletion of atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions, the numbing of nerve irritation, alleviation of low mood disorders and it is said to aid weight loss and the reduction of disease-causing inflammation. That’s a hell of a lot of benefits in one treatment right? As popular as the treatment has become in the past two years though there is yet to be any formal scientific proof of all the possible advantages. Yet, despite it’s lack of FDA approval just yet, it has undoubtedly joined the ranks of high-tech skincare with many high-profile doctors and dermatologists, medical aestheticians and facialists getting behind it as a major player in anti-ageing skincare and overall health. The therapy style treatment for your skin comes in a facial form or as a whole body remedy . 

A shortcut to brighter, tighter skin, the treatment has amassed a serious cult following, boosting cell rejuvenation and collagen while also stimulating the immune system; so there’s something good for the inside and the out and what’s not to love about that! Using it as a whole body treatment is often practiced by top athletes to rehab muscles and increase circulation. In the full-body treatment, users strip nude and are encased in a cryogenic chamber (similar to a tanning booth) where you are exposed to extremely cold temperatures - like say negative-225-degrees-Fahrenheit kinda cold - created by liquid nitrogen for a period of 3-5 minutes. Perhaps more popular in the beauty world though is the cryotherapy facial which has gained immense popularity in recent times among the beauty world’s elite and celebrities alike.  

A cryogenic facial is similar to that of a full body treatment and can be either an in-and-out treatment with just the cryogenic element or can consist of a myriad of steps, only one of which is the cryotherapy itself. Options around the main event include thorough cleansing, microdermabrasion to give a deep exfoliation after which the freezing, ice-cold air is blown across each area of the face, neck and chin, followed by LED light therapy. Avid followers of the trend claim to see benefits of glowing skin and anti-ageing elements bringing them back for more. 

Image Man Repeller

Who Is.. Ellen Von Unwerth

Playfully erotic images of female pop stars and models have made Ellen von Unwerth’s photographic career a seriously sexy success. Born In Frankfurt, Germany in 1954, von Unwerth’s childhood was dotted with stints in foster care and was marred with unrest. Upon graduating from high school however, her vivid imagination saw her taking a job in the circus as an assistant. She regularly performed in the travelling show’s magic acts, it was her escape and she loved it. Soon enough though her great escape presented itself and her fashion career began to take shape when she was at university in Munich on her first day when she was spotted by a modelling scout. She modelled in Munich for some time before relocating to Paris where she signed with Elite and remained in front of the camera for 10 years, booking many prestigious jobs including the cover of Cosmopolitan.

It wasn’t until her boyfriend at the time gifted her a new camera on a shoot on location in Kenya that her inner passion and gift for being behind the lens came to light. She began taking her own photos and in no time she was shooting regular campaigns. In 1989 however she really found her footing, landing a monumental project, a Guess campaign in which she shot one of the era’s newly rising models, Claudia Schiffer. The two budding stars found major fame in the moment and von Unwerth became a hot commodity overnight. Just two years later she won first prize at the International Festival of Fashion Photography earning her her place in the industry as one of it’s top fashion photographers. Her photographic style was a refreshing take on the provocative, portraying women in playful settings while drawing a seductive story in every shot; something that would continue to dictate Guess’ notoriously suggestive campaigns for over 30 years since. 

Opulently feminine and luxuriously sensual, von Unwerth’s work is instantly recognisable. She has said of her craft that “Technique undoubtedly helps make photography magical, but I prefer to work with atmosphere. I think that the obsession with technique is a male thing. I would rather search for a new model or location.” Her work has been published in major fashion publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview, The Face, Arena, and i-D.  and she has shot some of the most prolific and sometimes controversial campaigns in fashion history for brands like Dior, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo, Thierry Mulger and John Galliano. 

She understands the sexy and makes it somehow sexier, something perhaps only a female photographer can do so powerfully and without objectification. Her creative prowess has spawned many mediums including her directorial work on music videos and the creative direction of some of the past decades most famed album covers, including Duran Duran’s 1990 Liberty album, Pop Life by Bananarama in 1991, Saints and Sinners by All Saints in 2000, Blackout by Britney Spears, 2007 and Talk That Talk and Rated by Rihanna. She has also been director of commercial films for brands such as Revlon, Equinox and Clinique. No matter her way of delivering beautiful images however, you can be sure that Ellen von Unwerth will always maintain her sexy distinctive style, holding her place as one of her generations most celebrated image makers. 

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SHOP ELLEN VON UNWERTH BOOKS

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Designer Spotlight: Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh is a British fashion designer renowned for his fantastical and futuristic designs, an aesthetic unparalleled in the industry since perhaps the dark and dreamy era of McQueen’s. Born August 31st 1981, Pugh grew up in Sunderland in the United Kingdom and was an avid dancer as a child. The famed designer started his career in fashion, close to where his passions lay, at the youthful age of 14 when he began working as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre as part of the Wayne McGregor Company, the celebrated resident choreographic company at Sadler’s Wells, London. 

Later he went on to study his craft, beginning his fashion studies at the City of Sunderland College and later completing his formal education at the prestigious Central Saint Martin's. Upon graduating in 2003, his final collection was selected for the cover of cult British magazine Dazed & Confused, something that catapulted him into a whole new realm of fame and popularity as a young budding designer.

In 2005, Pugh was asked to design for Kylie Minogue’s Showgirls tour, a project from which came the opportunity to design for Lady Gaga, Roisin Murphy, Beyonce and Rihanna on their world tours. His earlier life as a dancer has continued to have a thread throughout his career in fashion, seeing him design costumes for Alea Sands at the Paris Opera Ballet and Eliogabalo at the Paris Opéra. 

His creative tendencies do not stop at dressing the worlds most elite stars and fashionistas though; his love of film has seem him collaborate with director Ruth Hogben and creative genius Nick Knight on fashion films, one of which, A Beautiful Darkness examines our internal dispute between chaos and control alongside the journey we take through the fluctuating states of sanity. His work holds an immense profoundness and he consistently seeks to wow through his search for the dark, unapologetic depths of creativity that aren’t always perfectly placed or wonderfully beautiful. 

He opened his first boutique in Hong Kong in 2010 and is stocked in major international boutiques and department stores such as Opening Ceremony, SAKS Fifth Avenue, Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Selfridges and Dover Street Market in London, Colette in Paris, IT and Joyce in Hong Kong and Side by Side in Japan. His work has been featured in all the top fashion publications including W, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and LOVE.

Pugh lives and works in London where he currently shows at London Fashion Week and has an ongoing collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor. 

garethpughstudio.com

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SHOP GARETH PUGH

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Great Reads, November 2019

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What's Hot on Your Bookshelf, November 2019

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‘BEYOND BELIEF’ BY JENNA MISCAVIGE HILL

Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares her true story of life inside the upper ranks of the sect, details her experiences as a member Sea Org—the church's highest ministry, speaks of her "disconnection" from family outside of the organization, and tells the story of her ultimate escape.

In this tell-all memoir, complete with family photographs from her time in the Church, Jenna Miscavige Hill, a prominent critic of Scientology who now helps others leave the organization, offers an insider's profile of the beliefs, rituals, and secrets of the religion that has captured the fascination of millions, including some of Hollywood's brightest stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

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‘THENICKEL BOYS’ BY COLSON WHITEHEAD

Elwood Curtis has taken the words of Dr Martin Luther King to heart: he is as good as anyone. Abandoned by his parents, brought up by his loving, strict and clearsighted grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But given the time and the place, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy his future, and so Elwood arrives at The Nickel Academy, which claims to provide 'physical, intellectual and moral training' which will equip its inmates to become 'honorable and honest men'.

In reality, the Nickel Academy is a chamber of horrors, where physical, emotional and sexual abuse is rife, where corrupt officials and tradesmen do a brisk trade in supplies intended for the school, and where any boy who resists is likely to disappear 'out back'. Stunned to find himself in this vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold on to Dr King's ringing assertion, 'Throw us in jail, and we will still love you.' But Elwood's fellow inmate and new friend Turner thinks Elwood is naive and worse; the world is crooked, and the only way to survive is to emulate the cruelty and cynicism of their oppressors.

The tension between Elwood's idealism and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision which will have decades-long repercussions.

Based on the history of a real reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped and destroyed the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative by a great American novelist whose work is essential to understanding the current reality of the United States.

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‘FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE’ BY TAFFY BRODESSER-AKNER

Finally free from his nightmare marriage, Toby Fleishman is ready for a life of online dating and weekend-only parental duties. But as he optimistically looks to a future that is wildly different from the one he imagined, his life turns upside-down as his ex-wife, Rachel, suddenly disappears.

While Toby tries to find out what happened - juggling work, kids and his new, app-assisted sexual popularity - his tidy narrative of a spurned husband is his sole consolation. But if he ever wants to really understand where Rachel went and what really happened to his marriage, he is going to have to consider that he might not have seen it all that clearly in the first place..

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‘GRAND UNION’ BY ZADIE SMITH

In the summer of 1959, an Antiguan immigrant in north west London lives the last day of his life, unknowingly caught in someone else's story of hate and division, resistance and revolt.

A mother looks back on her early forays into matters of the human heart - and other parts of the human body - considering the ways in which desire is always an act of negotiation, destruction, and self-invention.

A disgraced cop stands amid the broken shards of his life, unable to move forward into a future that holds no place for him.

Moral panic spreads like contagion through the upper echelons of New York City - and the cancelled people look disconcertingly like the rest of us.

A teenage scion of the technocratic elite chases spectres through a premium virtual reality, trailed by a little girl with a runny nose and no surviving family.

We all take a much-needed break from this mess, on a package holiday where the pool's electric blue is ceaselessly replenished, while political and environmental collapse happen far away, to someone else.

Interleaving eleven completely new and unpublished stories with some of her best-loved pieces from the New Yorker and elsewhere, Zadie Smith presents a dizzyingly rich and varied collection of fiction. Moving exhilaratingly across genres and perspectives, from the historic to the vividly current to the slyly dystopian, Grand Union is a sharply alert and prescient collection about time and place, identity and rebirth, the persistent legacies that haunt our present selves and the uncanny futures that rush up to meet us.

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‘THE FABULOUS BOUVIER SISTERS’ BY SAM KASHNER & NANCY SCHOENBERGER

A poignant, evocative, and wonderfully gossipy account of the two sisters who represented style and class above all else—Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill—from the authors of Furious Love.

When sixty-four-year-old Jackie Kennedy Onassis died in her Fifth Avenue apartment, her younger sister Lee wept inconsolably. Then Jackie’s thirty-eight-page will was read. Lee discovered that substantial cash bequests were left to family members, friends, and employees—but nothing to her. "I have made no provision in this my Will for my sister, Lee B. Radziwill, for whom I have great affection, because I have already done so during my lifetime," read Jackie’s final testament. Drawing on the authors’ candid interviews with Lee Radziwill, The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters explores their complicated relationship, placing them at the center of twentieth-century fashion, design, and style.

In life, Jackie and Lee were alike in so many ways. Both women had a keen eye for beauty—in fashion, design, painting, music, dance, sculpture, poetry—and both were talented artists. Both loved pre-revolutionary Russian culture, and the blinding sunlight, calm seas, and ancient olive groves of Greece. Both loved the siren call of the Atlantic, sharing sweet, early memories of swimming with the rakish father they adored, Jack Vernou Bouvier, at his East Hampton retreat. But Jackie was her father’s favorite, and Lee, her mother’s. One would grow to become the most iconic woman of her time, while the other lived in her shadow. As they grew up, the two sisters developed an extremely close relationship threaded with rivalry, jealousy, and competition. Yet it was probably the most important relationship of their lives.

For the first time, Vanity Fair contributing editor Sam Kashner and acclaimed biographer Nancy Schoenberger tell the complete story of these larger-than-life sisters. Drawing on new information and extensive interviews with Lee, now eighty-four, this dual biography sheds light on the public and private lives of two extraordinary women who lived through immense tragedy in enormous glamour.

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‘ME ELTON JOHN OFFICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY’ BY ELTON JOHN

Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three, he was performing his first gig in America, facing an astonished audience in his bright yellow dungarees, a star-spangled T-shirt and boots with wings. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.

His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation. All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade.

In Me Elton also writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father. In a voice that is warm, humble and open, this is Elton on his music and his relationships, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story that will stay with you, by a living legend.

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‘CHANEL’S RIVIERA’ BY ANNE DE COURCY

Far from worrying about the onset of war, in the spring of 1938 the burning question on the French Riviera was whether one should curtsey to the Duchess of Windsor. Few of those who had settled there thought much about what was going on in the rest of Europe. It was a golden, glamorous life, far removed from politics or conflict.

Featuring a sparkling cast of artists, writers and historical figures including Winston Churchill, Daisy Fellowes, Salvador Dalí, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Eileen Gray and Edith Wharton, with the enigmatic Coco Chanel at its heart, CHANEL'S RIVIERA is a captivating account of a period that saw some of the deepest extremes of luxury and terror in the whole of the twentieth century.

From Chanel's first summer at her Roquebrune villa La Pausa (in the later years with her German lover) amid the glamour of the pre-war parties and casinos in Antibes, Nice and Cannes to the horrors of evacuation and the displacement of thousands of families during the Second World War, CHANEL'S RIVIERA explores the fascinating world of the Cote d'Azur elite in the 1930s and 1940s. Enriched with much original research, it is social history that brings the experiences of both rich and poor, protected and persecuted, to vivid life.

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Who Is.. KAWS

KAWS, the subversive artist considered one of the most relevant artists of his generation has found himself as one of the industries most talked about creators in recent times. Something of a worldwide phenomenon, and a noted disruptor in an industry that typically has rules expected to be obeyed, he stands somewhere between the high-brow world of fine art and the very real temptations of international commerce as he plays to his own directives, sidetracking all the industries traditional hierarchies. His creations are exhibited in museums and galleries from New York to Tokyo and literally everywhere in between. 

Born in Jersey City, NJ as Brian Donnelly in 1974, the distinguished artist spent his teenage years graffiti-bombing trains, buildings, phone booths, advertisements and billboards around his neighbourhood. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration. It was before college though that his career began when he moved to New York City in 1996 and started by changing the images found on bus shelters, phone booths and billboards, tagging them with his signature KAWS. His graffiti tags garnered huge popularity and become progressively desired by the public. After graduating in 1996 he worked for a time at Disney as a freeman animator where he was part of the team that painted backgrounds that contributed to movies such as 101 Dalmations and Daria. 

Taking inspiration from art history and popular culture he has become famous most notably for his larger-than-life sculptures and their amazingly clever placement in a variety of different settings around the world, all of which have come together so successfully with added thanks to the power of social media and the influence of younger generations instrumental mastery of the ‘gram’. Possessing a sophisticated humour along with his incredible ability to deconstruct iconic characters he represents a whole new era in contemporary art and a luxury market that worships the pop in popular. 

His work influences a multitude of industries while he uses a myriad of mediums including painting, printmaking, sculpture, fashion, toy production and merchandise to reach his fixated audiences. Over the past two decades, his paintings and cartoon characters have garnered a cult following, including major collectors and celebrities such as Kayne West and Travis Scott - something the art world can’t ignore despite those at the top of the pecking order’s desperate attempt to dismiss his career as empty and his famed creations illogical. Engaging audiences far beyond the museums and collectors homes though he reaches us via his continuing collaboration with major brands such as Comme des Garcons, Original Fake, Dior, Supreme, A Bathing Ape, Uniqlo, Hennessy, Undercover, Kung Faux, Nike and Vans. In 2018 KAWS pieces generated a total of $33.8 million at auction and the average for each piece doubled from the previous year, proof of his pull when it comes to the devoted nature of those investing in art as a global market. 

Larger than life, in real life he works and lives in Brooklyn, New York where The Brooklyn Museum will open a major retrospective in 2021. His first Middle East museum show, KAWS: He Eats Alone, recently opened at Doha Fire Station (Qatar Museums) and will run until January 2020. 

What Is.. The Ricari Method

Born in Beverly Hill, Los Angeles the Ricari Method is something of a modern day take on a classic tradition. Created by wellness connoisseur Anna Zahn, the cult L.A lymphatic drainage treatment is a cellular approach to great skincare and the fundamental first step in bring your body to the next level. Ricari - which is an Italian word, derived from the word “ricaria” which translates directly to “reharge” is a wellness spa that aims to rejuvenate and restore our bodies to their best through the stimulation of the lymphatic system. 

Incorporating varying procedures - within the overall treatment - from deep dry-brushing and time in an infrared sauna to drainage massage with the use of a hi-powered medical vacuum style machine, the Ricari Method works to purify the inner workings of our bodies, boosting blood flow and circulation - all of which naturally plays an immensely important part of any extraordinary skincare routine. Ricari sessions mean you’re getting a clear foundation to a more comprehensively healthy body, leaving room for more effective aesthetic results.

Responsible for so many aspects of our overall health, the lymphatic system is in charge of the elimination of waste from the bloodstream, production of lymphocytes to take-down dangerous the absorption of fat and specific vitamins from food which have a knock-on effect on cellulite, bloating, moods, skin and your overall immunity. So taking care of it means taking care of endless other facets of the body. 

Zahn recently opened a pop-up on Mercer Street in NYC’s SoHo neighbourhood and in her successful launch on the East Coast, it seems the favourable outcome of her venture is that she’s been convinced to open a permanent location in the city by Spring 2020. And let’s face it, if celebrities and models like Camille Rowe, Romee Strijd, Amanda Chantal Bacon and Dree Hemingway have Ricardi Studio on speed dial, then I guess, treating your body like you treat your face has just become that bit more fabulous and alluring than ever before.

Book a session in Los Angeles // New York // London

Images Ricari Studios

Who Is.. Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons is a renowned American contemporary artist best known for his transformations of everyday objects such as puppies and inflatable plastic toys to vacuum cleaners and delicate trinkets, turning them into fantastical, larger than life masterpieces, including, most iconically, balloon animals in vibrant, garish colours, produced in stainless steel with mirror-finish surfaces.

Born in York, Pennsylvania, on January 21, 1955, the celebrated artist is something of a living legend. After finishing high school he attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. During his time in Maryland, a school trip to the Whitney Museum in New York to see a Jim Nutt exhibition would prove a major turning point as he was so infatuated with the Chicago artist’s work that he up and left Maryland, leaving to enroll at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the very establishment that would afford him an honorary doctorate some 30 years later. 

Swiftly making a beeline for New York in 1977, Koons took a job at MoMA in an administrative role. His presence was always noticed due to his brightly coloured and outlandish attire and hair, sometimes he would adorn himself with an inflatable plastic flower and large brash bow-ties - the first signs of his now infamous sculptures. In 1980, he jumped ship and got a job working on Wall Street, selling mutual funds and stocks at First Investors Corporation. This job was a strategic move however as it allowed the young artist fund his creations which would eventually appear in his first solo show, The New series (1980–83) in which he had vacuum cleaners and shampoo polishers displayed in clear Plexigas vitrines.

In the years since his first solo show in 1980 his work has been shown at all the world’s major museums and galleries, in cities around the world, from Berlin to Sydney, New York to Los Angeles, London and Paris, Oslo, Venice, Zurich, Shanghai and beyond. His most recognisable pieces are of course his larger-than-life balloon animals but beyond his Neo-kitsch materialisations is his artistic love of a variety of other art forms including human sculptures and paintings, all born of his eclectic portrayal of his misunderstood vision. 

Astute and media-savvy, the self-proclaimed crowd-pleaser is not one to shy away from applause or acclaim. In 2014, the self-assured and extrovert artist posed naked in his gym for a major Vanity Fair profile, shot by Annie Leibovitz, which was published to welcome one of the most crucial points in his career, a retrospective of his entire body of work shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. This is one of many solo exhibitions the artist has enjoyed internationally. Not only is his work enjoyed by millions, the world over, he has influenced many other artists over the past few decades, most notably perhaps, Damien Hirst, another of the 21st century’s most prolific contemporaries. Of his hero’s work, Hirst has said “The first time I saw his work, in the late 1980s, it just blew me away”.

Commanding a team of over 100 in his New York City studio, in the Chelsea neighbourhood, Jeff Koons continues to test the boundaries between high-brow art and the pull of mass culture, not to mention the potential as an artist found in the mass market following he has cultivated. In his long standing career to date, he has created something very unique: the combining of the art world and celebrity, his status as both artist and celebrity firmly rooted in our innate interest in both his art and him as a person. Koons has noted that there are no hidden meanings in his art and he leaves the world deeply divided, some think his work is innovative and holds a major place in art-history, while others feel it is vacuous, tacky and full of self-importance, some even referring to him as the “king of kitsch”. However despite the critical divide, Koons continues to have the last laugh - as do those who invest in his work; he is the most lucrative living artist, his famous Rabbit fetched the highest price ever for a piece by a living artist in May 2019, selling for $91 million. The epitome of Neo-Pop, investing in a Jeff Koons is definitely worth the hype whether you’re after high art or something more culturally popular. 

12 of the Best Red Lipsticks

Whether you’re more into something silky and smooth or mate and moody, a good red lipstick can change everything.. and I mean everything. It’s a statement of confidence and one of the most instant attainments of an" “ok world, I’m ready for you” kind of mood, of course not forgetting the tiny detail that takes many an outfit from day to night in the simple swipe of an application. High-pigment is vital for a power play while slightly more subtle options that can be worn during the day are also a good addition to your lipstick wardrobe. Here we look at 12 of the best on the beauty market, from MAC’s cult favourite Ruby Roo to Tom Ford’s ever classic take on the world of red in Armie 33 from the Boys & Girls II collection and of course one of my all time favourites, Modern Matte Powder Lipstick in Flame 509 from Shiseido.

CHANEL

ALLURE Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Pirate // £31

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L’ORÉAL

Color Riche Matte Addiction in Haute Rouge // £7.99

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TOM FORD

Boys & Girls II in Armie 33 // £30

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BOBBI BROWN

Luxe Lip Color in Parisian Red // £25

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SHISEIDO

ModernMatte Powder Lipstick in Flame 509 // £25

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RIMMEL

Lasting Finish By Kate Moss in shade 01 // £5.49

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LANCÔME

L'Absolu Rouge Drama Matte Lipstick in shade 507 Dramatic // £27

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GIORGIO ARMANI

Rouge d'Armani Matte Lipstick in shade 401 // £31

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CHARLOTTE TILBURY

Matte Revolution in shade Red Carpet Red // £25

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NARS

Semi-Matte Lipstick in Jungle Red // £23

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MAC COSMETICS

Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Roo // £17.50

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REVLON

Revlon SuperLustrous Matte Lipstick in shade Reds Rule the World // £7.99

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