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

December Loves

1. Wearing: I’m currently feeling festive in daily combinations of sparkles, lace and snuggly knits. I’ve just added this Alice by Temperley lace dress (which after months of wanting, I finally nabbed on sale at MyWardrobe.com) to my wardrobe and have been wearing it with opaque tights and heels and tuxedo jackets until the return of summer means it is warm enough to wear it on it’s own.

2. Buying: I can’t get enough of Lulu Frost’s spectacular jewels at the moment, and have just added this necklace (in the white version) from her latest collection for J. Crew to my jewellery drawer.

3. On my wishlist: I simply adore my Charlotte Olympia Kitty heels, so much so that I’m contemplating a pair of the flats too. I can’t justify a second pair in black, but this burgundy velvet pair is too perfect for words and would add a dash of fun to everyday outfits.

4. Small pleasures: Things are hectic this week to say the least, so I’m so looking forward to a week of lie-ins and decadent laziness between Christmas and New Year. Whenever I put on a silk sleep mask (this version is so Holly Golightly-cute!), it means I’m serious about a looong sleep and not to be disturbed!

5. Sparkling: These tiny golden star earrings are festive, whimsical and fun, but cost less than a Christmas pudding. Yes please!

6. For my home: In lieu of a real Christmas tree, I’m burning Diptyque’s limited edition holiday spruce candle - which smells exactly like the real thing – each evening. It’s festivity in a (beautiful) jar!

7. Beauty note: Come December, only dark red or glittery nails will do (or, better yet, a combination of both of these). I’ve been wearing Deborah Lippmann‘s burgundy ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ glitter polish constantly.

8. Play: Indulging in my favourite festive tradition and watching the English National Ballet’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum. Quite simply the loveliest way to spend a December evening!

9. Listening to: My Rat Pack Christmas album is on nightly rotation (apologies to all my neighbours); Frank, Dean and Sammy Davis are getting me in the festive mood…

10. Watching: This weekend we’re getting together with some friends for an all-day Christmas movie marathon (with a lunchtime trip to the outdoor ice rink thrown in for good measure). It’s all about The Holiday, A Muppet Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooged, Elf, Love Actually and Miracle on 34th Street.

I’d love to hear what you’re all enjoying this month! Happy December lovelies.

Love, Miss B xx

October Loves

1. Play: Flying to New York this week (there will be Autumnal picnics in Central Park and West Village shopping and apple cider and rides in yellow taxis and Manhattan skyline gazing)

2. Wearing: These darling glittery Pretty Ballerinas via Zalando (because practical shoes should be fun too)

3. Beauty note: Plummy, burgundy manicures (Chanel Suspicious is my current favourite)

4. Buying: I’ll need to clear a whole section of empty space in my suitcase for J. Crew purchases alone, but I’ve especially got my eye on their perfect cashmere jumpers in bubblegum pink and navy that I’ll team with crisp white Oxford shirts or ladylike chiffon midi skirts and jewels for walks on the Upper East Side (that last part is mostly just in my daydreams).

5. On my wishlist: Because a ~~magpie~~ girl like me can never have too many twinkly jewels, I’m dreaming of a wrist adorned with Lulu Frost’s marvellous cocktail bracelets.

6. For my home: Laduree Marie Antoinette tea in powder blue teacups; the height of luxury for cosy rainy weekends indoors.

7. Sparkling: These cheap and chic gobstopper-sized earrings from ASOS.

8. Watching: Mid-week theatre dates always make me smile (this month it’s Roald Dahl’s Matilda in London). The red velvet seats, the sound of the orchestra tuning and the lights dimming give me happy goosebumps every time.

9. Listening: The mornings may be getting colder and darker (rendering it near-impossible to get out of a cosy bed), but the sounds of big band standards as I’m putting on my makeup definitely makes getting ready for work feel a whole lot more fun.

10. Small pleasures: Watching the trees that line the Thames and the River Cam turn to shades of umber and burnt orange, and jumping in big piles of crunchy autumn leaves underfoot.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful October! What are a few of your favourite things currently?

Love, Miss B xx