A Very Selfridges Christmas

Selfridges has unveiled its brand new super stylish Christmas campaign, shot by world renowned fashion photographer Bruce Weber.
The campaign is entitled 'Not Your Usual Christmas', and certainly delivers an edgy, unexpected take on the usual festive marketing fare with all the darkly sparkling glamour that we've come to expect from Selfridges.

Take a look at the video here:

http://style.selfridges.com/whats-in/not-your-usual-christmas-bruce-weber

What do you think? Are you loving Selfridges fashionable festivites, or are you wishing they'd stuck to more traditional trappings?

The sweet smell (and sound) of success

Scientists have found that there is a direct link between sound and smell, and that the relationship between the two may be much more complex than was previously thought.
Participants were asked to eat toffee while listening to different pieces of music, and experienced the taste and smell of the sweet differently when the music was changed, seemingly associating certain sounds with sweetness and others with bitterness.
This news has fascinating implications not only for the food and beverage industries, but also for fragrance marketing. The music played in department stores could soon be put together as carefully as the visual displays, in order to enhance customers' enjoyment of different perfumes. The discovery could also open new avenues for the collaborations between pop stars and perfume houses, with fragrances and hit singles potentially designed to work together in new ways.
For more information, see Cassie Barton's Wellcome Trust prize winning article for the Guardian G2 here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/oct/22/sound-and-smell-create-harmony

The countdown has begun!

Only 11 days until Starbucks red cups are here!

I don't know about you, but for me the arrival of the red cups marks not only the opportunity to enjoy a toffee nut soy latte (absolute coffee bliss), but also the official beginning of the festive season. 

What's your red cup favourite?

Christian Dior Grand Bal Golden Tattoos

 

Christian Dior has unveiled a collection of 24 carat gold leaf temporary tattoos, just in time for Christmas! The tattoos are designed by Dior jewelery designer Camille Micelli and are made to resemble bracelets, charms, cuffs and rings. They set retails at £120 and is available exclusively from Nordstrom here.

What do you think? Luxurious... or just plain ludicrous?

Silence is golden...

By now (unless you've been living under a rock) you must surely have seen the new Chanel No 5 advert, starring Brad Pitt. Mr Pitt has starred in a fair few disaster movies, but this is surely the most catastrophic.
The dialogue is utterly cringeworthy: “Every journey ends but we go on. The world turns and we turn with it. Plans disappear. Dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are.” (At this point I felt that Brad looked slightly concerned, as if addressing an over zealous fan hovering stage left. Possibly bearing a knife). 
I don't know what kind of new direction Chanel were looking to explore here, but I for one miss the old No. 5 adverts. Pretty young starlet, beautiful designer dress, and best of all... the sweet sound of silence. Now that's tv gold.

NARS Andy Warhol Collection... Continued

I've already blogged about the newest NARS collection, and in particular the eyeshadow palettes, but I love the lipglosses so much I thought they deserved their own post!

The Warhol collection features 5 shades of lipgloss: Penny Arcade, Candy Says, Holly Woodlawn, International Velvet and Viva. Each shade is named after one of Warhol's Superstars, the troupe of drag queens, drug addicts, debutantes and debauchees whose rainbow bright, sexually permissive party subculture came to define a very special period in New York history. 

I loved these shades in particular, shown with the superstars they were named after:

Penny Arcade

Holly Woodlawn

And finally, my absolute favourite item of the collection - the Beautiful Darling makeup bag illustrated with an image of Candy Darling. An absolute necessity, Candy is one of my all time favourite drag queens. Please Santa...!

Beautiful Darling Makeup Bag

NARS Andy Warhol Collection

NARS has announced the launch of the brand new online-only Andy Warhol collection, celebrating the artist's unique vision and in your face aesthetic.

Personally, I was surprised at how wearable the colours are - this is definitely Warhol for grownups, and the collection fits well with the NARS palette in general.

The standout item is the Self Portrait Eyeshadow Palettes, in a selection of 3 colours at £39.50. Each palette combines 3 shades of eyeshadow, and is printed with a different Warhol quote.

NARS Andy Warhol Self Portrait 1 Eyeshadow Palette - black/bright periwinkle blue/vibrant green.
"I believe in low lights and trick mirrors."

NARS Andy Warhol Self Portrait 2 Eyeshadow Palette - black/white/silver.
"Art is what you can get away with."

NARS Andy Warhol Self Portrait 3 Eyeshadow Palette - dark brown/rose pink/heather blue.
"I never met a person I couldn't call a beauty."