Tales From The Chair - July

Your monthly round up of everything I’ve been discovering and sharing with clients, straight from the salon chair . . .

Local places worth a mention this month include Obon Teddington, a cosy sushi & grill restaurant serving up maki, grills, tempura and skewers, a lovely addition to the high street.

And a recent visit to Kew meant that I finally got to visit Dear Coco, the sweetest little coffee van in all the land. Parked kerbside near a scenic stretch of the Thames, an iced mocha and a shady spot beneath the trees was perfection on a scorching hot day.

We ventured way out East with friends to Leytonstone to check out Filly Brook - a newish bar, restaurant and music space. Such a cool little venue and the night we went, Sophie Tang was in residence in the kitchen cooking up some really tasty Asian plates. After we headed to one of my favourite London bars, Brilliant Corners, for late night beats and a boogie, it’s a real gem!

It’s been open for a while now but for our anniversary we went to Gold for the very first time, tucked away discreetly on Portobello Road in Notting Hill and it’s now easily one of my fave resto’s in the capital! The food was out of this world !!! The service was faultless and the interiors and general vibe just perfect. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it!!

New beauty discoveries I have been trying this month include Olaplex No.4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo which can be used once a week in place of your regular shampoo for a ‘deep clean’ to remove product build up, excess oil, heavy metals and pollutants, without stripping and causing dryness.

I’ve also been enjoying using Biossance Squalane and Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum. Featuring a 10% vegan, lactic acid formula, it works to dissolve dead skin cells while you sleep, promoting a brighter, smoother complexion. The addition of squalane offers a moisture boost. I find that lactic acid also works well to keep my breakouts under control by helping to unblock pores. As with all resurfacing acids, just remember to wear SPF in the daytimes as you will be more prone to sun burn and sun damage!

On the subject of beauty sleep, I’m about as fussy as it gets when it comes to pillows (I’m a side sleeper) yet I think I have finally found ‘the one’! I took a gamble on the Panda memory foam pillow with bamboo cover and loved it from the very first night! Using the latest in memory foam tech, (REACH certified so no harmful chemicals used in the production process) it allows the neck and spine to align perfectly and won’t lose shape or density over time. There’s a 30 night trial period and a 10 year warranty! I have their mattress topper too which is also great!

I finished reading Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens in record time (for me!) by buying a ticket to see the film so I had a deadline looming! My favourite cinema is The Olympic Studios in Barnes, previously a recording studio in the 60’s, where musical royalty including The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Queen to name but a few, recorded albums. If a film isn’t showing here, I don’t see it! The comfiest seats, best sound and a layout that doesn’t have me fretting that a tall person is going to sit in front of me seconds before the curtains glide open. If you’re local and haven’t visited you must! Even if you are not local it’s well worth the trip. There is also a cafe and dining room.

As is often the case, I thought that the book was better by miles but the film is still worth a watch with some beautiful scenery. Have you read it? Part coming of age love story, part murder mystery and one for all of the nature lovers. I really enjoyed reading it!

Have you heard of The Know? Over the last year I have found myself shying away from the news more and more, I can find it pretty depressing but equally I can then feel uninformed and ignorant as to what’s going on in the world. The Know is a weekday, daily, 5 minute digest of news with breakdowns of big stories, tangible ways to take action if you feel compelled to, an uplifting story to start your day off on the right foot along with some cherry picked recommendations. On Fridays they share opportunities from their jobs board and companies can only list if they are transparent about salary details and are encouraged to share their policies on issues that matter such as maternity and mental health too. Sign up to The Know here.

Over To You

Tips I’ve been receiving from hair and facial guests this month . . .

Ruth recommended the Feel Better by Delicously Ella app - for mindfulness and sleep tools, movement classes and plant based recipes from £2.33/per month.

Manda recommended Bird & Blend Tea Co. and in particular the Red Velvet variety for when a sweet craving strikes.

I spied Jess wearing this pretty floral, quilted jacket and assumed it was Liberty print but no, she reliably informed me that Newbie kids & baby clothes now offer a small selection of womenswear exclusively online.

Thanks for reading, I hope that you discovered something new!

Hx