April in Pictures

Combating rainy spring days the best way I know how: with cheering colours and treats to make me smile. Cornflower blue Hunter wellingtons and yellow tulips on a grey day. Cupcakes from Primrose Bakery and the pastel-coloured houses of Primrose Hill. Walks on Hampstead Heath for the best views over London with my friends Dearne, Amanda and Jessie. The wonderfully clever pop-up Chanel flower stall in Covent Garden. Playing in Regents Park with Sasha and her sausage dog. Favourite Charlotte Olympia kitty heels and petal pink makeup. Diptyque‘s jonquil-scented candle making my whole house smell like spring. Afternoon tea dates for one (dining solo somehow feels so decadently indulgent and grown-up) at Laduree. Revealing just what I tote around inside my handbag each day (here and here). Sparkling every day.

Leaving snowy England for the welcome heat of Thailand (en route to Australia). Immersing myself in the cacophony of exotic sounds, smells and colours in Bangkok. Longboat rides on the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok beneath violet sunsets. Fresh coconut juice and the best Thai food of my life. Beauty at the Bangkok flower market. Exotic flowers lining every street. Midnight views over the city from the glittering Hotel Muse rooftop speakeasy bar. Larger-than-life Buddhas at the Grand Palace. Getting happily lost in the Chatuchak markets. Vintage 50s souvenirs from the retro Ratchada-Ladphrao night market. Tuk tuk rides through the palm-lined backstreets. Oysters and Taittinger with my friend Aimee. Shoe heaven and darling designer finds at MeReRa.

Flying back to my homeland for the first time in two years. Flawless blue skies and turquoise oceans. Beautiful Sydney Harbour. Dates with my favourite Australian people. Standing beneath the Sydney Opera House as the sun sets and the sky explodes in a display of fireworks. Strolls around the sloping, leafy streets of Paddington and dreaming of living in one of those gorgeous Federation-era townhouses. Messina gelato dates with my Sydney BFFs Tania and Hannah. Brunch beside the little boats at Elizabeth Bay with Rebecca. Shopping sprees at Zimmerman, Camilla & Marc, Lover and Manning Cartell. The feeling of being back beside the ocean with white sand beneath my feet and the salty air in my hair.

Playing tourist in my old home city of Adelaide. Trips to the Art Gallery. Strolls on leafy North Terrace. The best coffee in the world and al fresco dining on Rundle Street. Cellar door-hopping in wine country. Spending every evening walking along the beach. Cibo orange blossom gelato and Haighs chocolates. Foodie heaven at the Adelaide Central Markets. Tropical sunsets in Queensland. The smell of sunscreen and sweet frangipanis. Sandcastles and surfers on Noosa Beach. Walks in the majestic Glasshouse Mountains. Feeling on top of the world up above the treetops. Girl talk and Brisbane riverside walks with my big sister. Flying back to England just in time for Spring’s arrival. Soothing my jetlag with fresh blooms and small luxuries.

I hope you’ve all been having a wonderful month!

Love, Miss B xx

March Loves

1. Buying: Given the fact I’ve just celebrated my 30th birthday, I really should get over my penchant for dressing like my 5 year old self. But then I saw this pink floral drop-waisted dress by Girl by Band of Outsiders, and that went out the window. Sensible dressing is overrated.

2. On my wishlist: It is neither practical nor affordable, but this transparent Valentino bag trimmed with blush pink leather and gold hardware is the stuff of sartorial dreams. I’m not sure if I can make it mine, but a girl can pretend.

3. Beauty note: I simply cannot bear the thought of dark, moody winter makeup any longer, so things are getting pretty in my makeup routine: deep plum lipstick has been replaced with neon red and petal pink; pale skin with a hint of tan and a pop of pink blush; glitter and burgundy manicures with dusty blue and lilac polish.

4. Sparkling: I’m certainly never one to resist a whimsical or witty detail, so this Lulu Frost pearl and crystal-encrusted lips necklace is simply wonderful and must come and live in my jewellery drawer.

5. Wearing: I’ve kicked off my sensible winter boots and am easing into spring with pretty ballet flats. Could these marshmallow pink (they also come in mint and lipstick red and chic black) Ferragamo bow flats be any more darling?

6. For the home: The weather might still be undecided (here in Cambridge, it is warm and sunny one day and frozen and snowing the next), but I am officially in spring mode. I’m buying fragrant bunches of pastel spring flowers every week at the farmer’s market and lighting Diptyque‘s divine new Jonquille candle that smells of fresh daffodils and narcissi in the evenings.

7. Small luxuries: After months of bleak winter, the imminent arrival of spring has me feeling freshly enthused. I’m jotting down thoughts, story ideas and inspiration as it strikes in pretty new botanical Rifle Paper Co notepads (I have one stashed in my handbag and one at my desk) to keep track of my thoughts.

8. Watching: On days when all I want to do is hibernate, a Gossip Girl marathon is my guilty pleasure. Oh, to have an apartment on the Upper East Side and a wardrobe to rival Blair Waldorf…

9. Listening to: John Legend’s peppy soul tunes are helping me get through the last dark mornings of winter and too-late departures from the office.

10. Play: Flying South for three weeks in Australia (with a weekend in Bangkok en route). It has been over two years since I was back in my homeland, and I’m so excited I could burst! Now if you’ll excuse me, there is St Tropez to be applied and a packing list to draft.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful March!

Love, Miss B xx

Inside my Bag: Illustrated Edition

It seems to be a universal truth amongst women that we love having a peek inside other women’s wardrobes, beauty cabinets and handbags.* It is nothing short of nosiness, but I love getting to see what other women use, how they organise things, and exactly what it is they tote around with them each day. Perhaps it’s just me, but I always think you can tell a lot about a woman from her handbag (and the state of its contents).

So in the spirit of our sartorial nosiness, here are a few things you’ll currently find tucked inside my handbag, as illustrated by the super talented and lovely Kristina Hultkrantz (you may recognise her work from the pages of Matchbook Magazine) who so kindly sent me this drawing (isn’t it just darling?); my beloved blush Mulberry Lily bag and bow heels, my signature long pearls and Chanel brooches (there is always an assortment of spare jewellery in my bag, just in case…), a golden Anya Hindmarch lucky sixpence coin purse, Anna Sui mirror, Chanel lipstick (there are always at least 4 lipsticks in there at any time, because a girl never knows when a red lip may suddenly be required) and nailpolish, my business cards and a collection of miscellaneous lucky charms, tokens and little things I collect throughout the day (magpie tendencies).

Not pictured, but always present; Chloe sunglasses, Miu Miu bow purse, Moleskine notebook and a pen for jotting down ideas as they strike, gum and orange blossom pastilles, Clarins concealer pen for touchups, ipod, hairclips and a Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume rollerball.

I’d love to know what you carry around inside your bag each day?

Love, Miss B xx

* Please tell me it’s not just me?