Tales From The Chair - September
Your monthly round up of everything I’ve been discussing and discovering straight from the salon chair . . .
Local Mentions
Popped into The White Horse in Richmond for the first time ever (not sure how that is possible given its proximity to the salon but better late than never!)
Visited on a Sunday eve when they were hosting their weekly open mic night and walked into the cosiest, candlelit place with a super chilled vibe then promptly headed back the very next weekend to try out their roast!
Le Swine ‘Britains best bacon butty’ are bringing Saturday sarnies to local deli extraordinaire Culver + Nelson in Sheen, 9am-1pm. Starting this Saturday 1st October!
Beauty Bits
An oldie but a goodie, I’m currently back to using Sarah Chapman Ultimate Cleanse, a luxurious balm/oil that smells like a spa and leaves skin feeling clean and deeply comforted. I like to use this as a wind down at the end of the day, pause to inhale the aromatic essential oil blend and then spend a good 5 minutes massaging it into the skin, sometimes I’ll use my gua-sha too. I always finish with a warm flannel to remove every last trace!
I’ve discovered yet another new variety of Klorane dry shampoo, this time it’s the volumising one, with organic flax fibre for fine, limp hair. I think it’s the finest of powders yet and has a lovely delicate fragrance. A little sprayed into the roots on freshly blow dried hair gives extra life and body. Ideal for people who don’t like to feel product in the hair but like a little extra va-va-voom.
Style Snippets
Trying to buy more pre-loved pieces? Fond of a vintage T? Then you need Second Archive on your radar, a carefully curated site from Personal Shopper and Stylist Josefina Boston.
Out & About
Had a little getaway to The Pig in the South Downs to redeem a long overdue, pre pandemic, Christmas gift voucher! Received a generous upgrade to the ‘Apple Store’ within the walled garden and spent a rainy couple of days cosied up in the Sussex countryside.
On the drive home we stopped and had a brief walk around the pretty town of Arundel . Juniper was a lovely find for lunch.
In my Ears
Doing It Right with Pandora Sykes
A weekly interview series created and hosted by Writer and Broadcaster Pandora Sykes, about the myths, anxieties and trends of modern life - from sex to sadness to self-care.
(Spoiler: there‘s no such thing as the ‘right‘ life.)
I think Pandora is just brilliant! Super smart and engaging, with the most soothing voice and I always learn something new when listening to her.
In particular the episode with beauty journalist Jessica DeFino has been fascinating where she talks about her newsletter The Unpublishable which “dismantles beauty standards, debunks marketing myths and explores how beauty culture impacts people.”
Currently Reading
Ruth & Pen, a novel by Emilie Pine
‘A fictional debut and a portrait of the limits of grief and love, of how we navigate our inner and outer landscapes and the tender courage demanded by the simple, daily quest of living.’
One day, one city, two women: Ruth and Pen. Strangers who’s paths cross, each trying to make sense of their own lives and their place in the world.
Over To You
Carley recommended Punch Drunk, an immersive theatre experience ‘in which roaming audiences experience epic storytelling inside sensory theatrical worlds.’
Tickets are currently on sale for The Burnt City in London, booking from now up until April 2023.
We often get chatting about the subject of food and next came a tip of for The Avenue Cookery School in Wandsworth. From world cuisine classes to baking, date nights to hen parties, these classes provide great value while learning new skills. Wine is inlcuded and you get to sit down and eat your creations at the end. Gift vouchers are also available.
Fran recommended Toklas restaurant at Somerset House and word is, the salty fries are a must!!
Caroline was telling me all about a dreamy upcoming trip to France with a pretty enticing sounding itinerary. Late September/early October is apparently the perfect time of year to visit Epernay and spend an afternoon wandering down Avenue De Champagne. Super easy to reach from London, you can hop on the eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, walk to Gare du Est and take another train out to the champagne hillsides. The avenue itself is listed as a world heritage site, stretches for nearly 1km and is lined with magnificient private dwellings and many of the most well known champagne houses. Most offer cellar tours and tastings so you can wander from one to the next, quaffing as you go. Sounds like the most perfect way to spend an Autumn afternoon!
Thanks for reading, I hope that you discovered something new!
Hx