Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

How I Switch Up My Look with SHOW DRY at London Fashion Week

When I travel to London Fashion Week I’m always working for the duration, that means I’m on duty for five full days and nights and in turn that results ins an overpacked suitcase that I usually need to sit on in order to close.  With that in mind, I need to meticulously plan every single item I take.  I plan two outfits per day, one for working shows and presentations, the other for partying on an evening.  Once I’ve done this, there’s little room for anything else.

I never, ever take any hair washing or styling equipment with me, not even so much as a hairbrush because space is precious and messy hair is cool.  So, how do I manage to stay looking awesome?  I always wash, tone and blowdry my hair the night before I travel, because I travel early, I get up and go, I don’t fiddle with it or restyle it, I literally get up and get out.  I wear that hair for the next three days, however it is when I wake up is how it is for the rest of the day, if it rains I might throw it up into a messy bun but I’m more likely to wear it messy topped off with a tifler.

Day three is where the magic happens.  I visit my favourite Notting Hill blowdry bar SHOW DRY who always look after me during Fashion Week and tend to my tresses.  They wash and prep my hair using products from the SHOW BEAUTY range (seriously, it’s worth it for the fragrance alone) and I usually opt for some sort of braid to keep my hair off my face and switch up my look for the remainder of the schedule.

Pixie Tenenbaum in the rain at London Fashion Week FW18

For the FW18 season day three brought with it hella bad weather.  The first day of bad weather for the whole of show season in fact, I’d been to the Paul Costelloe show that morning and been puddle dumped by a truck as I left The Waldorf Hotel so arrived at the salon in a fresh set of clothes but with gross and very wet hair.  After being greeted by Rihanna and given a bottle of San Pellegrino I felt decidedly less stressed.  She took me down to the back wash area downstairs which is dark shades of grey and black accented with gold, exactly like the bottles the SHOW BEAUTY products are so beautifully packaged inside.  We chatted about what sort of style I like, there have been some staffing changes at SHOW DRY so this is the first time Rihanna and I have met, I tell her that I’m an urban princess and “don’t want anything bridesmad-y or wedding guest-esque” she nods in agreement.

I usually plan exactly what I want in advance but this season’s schedule has been way too crazy to even remember my own name, so with that as her only brief, Rihanna gets to work blowdrying my over-processed hair.  To be totally honest, I pay little attention to what my Stylist does when i’m at SHOW DRY, I know I’m in good hands, the Notting Hill salon seems to just get it right without forcing their own opinions about what you should do with your hair.  For the duration of my appointment I sit and read the latest issue of Vogue on an iPad provided by the salon whilst they kindly charge my phone.

Engage Fembot mode

In 45 minutes I’m done.  Washed, blowdried, waved and braided.  In just 45 minutes my rain and puddle soaked hair has been transformed from resembling dull hessian curtains you might find in a nursing home, to bouncy FemBot-esque waves with twin split Dutch braids through the front.  Winning.  Despite leaving the salon looking freaking amazing, I hasten to add that it literally rained crazy heavy for the rest of the day.  I threw on a Baker Boy hat and popped the collar of my faux fur coat (which hasn’t looked the same since) and went on my merry way.

Basically the moral of the story is, pack heavy, ditch the styling equipment, rock messy hair for part one, hand part two over to a superfly blowdry bar like SHOW DRY and basque in how easy you made it for yourself.  Cheers SHOW DRY Notting Hill, same time next season.

Pixie xo

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

SHOW Beauty Hair Care

You take time to select the perfect fragrance for each occasion right?  Well I certainly do, as you’ll know if you read my recent post on vacation fragrances, I love taking the time to check out the latest releases from my favourite fragrance houses and love it when I find something that fits my look.

I definitely have a type when it comes to fragrance, I love something heady, something that leaves a lasting impression and Oud, Amber, Tobacco and Vanilla are my favourite types of fragrance.  So, what about when it comes to your hair?  We all have those days when we try a new haircare regime and get the scent of our freshly washed hair, but what if this could compliment your fragrance?

Well, in my opinion your hair is your best accessory.  I’ve had my fair share of Hair Tragedies, which you can read about here (and marvel at some cringeworthy photos of said tragedies).  A good haircut can make you or break you, and Karlie Kloss is testament to that.  Once you have that, maintaining condition is crucial.

My bathroom shelf is chock full of haircare products that I use in my regime, remember that Vidal Sassoon commercial in the early nineties about not taking two bottles into the shower?  I’m their worst nightmare, I have around 15 in there at any one time.  From my L’Oreal Colour Correcting Silver Conditioner, to my weekly Brightening Shampoo, everything serves a purpose.

Currently as my regular, non-treatment product I’m using the Lux Volume range from SHOW Beauty – you already know I do a lot of work with this brand and they always look after me during London Fashion Week – when they asked me to road test the range I jumped at the chance after having attended the launch party earlier this year.

All of the SHOW Beauty products in the range are interchangeable and designed to compliment one another, they all have that heavy patchouli based scent reminiscent of Dior’s original Poison.  So whether you opt for Moisture Shampoo with Volume Conditioner or a Repair Mask, the scent is the same and once hair is dry it lingers like perfume.  They’re all as beautiful to look at as they are to use and have serious shelf appeal, designed to look like vintage cut glass, each bottle is a masterpiece.

With the Lux Volume range, you get weightless Volume with nome of that associates stickiness.  Hair feels clean, has bounce and you still get that gorgeous scent that lasts all day and beyond.  I have super thick, but very damaged hair so I was concerned that adding more volume might make me look like a dandelion clock but my hair stayed sleek and shiny but still felt light.

The only possible sticking point is the price.  At £30 for each shampoo and conditioner in the range, £40 for a mask and upwards of £50 for finishing products it’s definitely an investment.  After using the products myself, it’s an investment I’d recommend.  Probably not for every wash, depending on your budget, if you’re short on cash and treating yourself to something from the SHOW Beauty range I’d maybe save it for when you have a big night out or a special occasion and use the L’Oreal Pro Fiber range in between which is a more modest £15 per product.  Personally I’m a bit of a product snob and don’t use high street hair products, with my hair in it’s current state I doubt they’d do any more than Fairy Liquid would!

The real gem in using the SHOW Beauty Haircare range is that’s divine fragrance.  You’ll know from previous posts that the brand uses a Parisian ‘Nose’ to create that dreamy scent and as it’s triple layered with notes, it lasts on your hair as your regular perfume does on your skin.  After I’ve washed and styled my hair with Lux Volume Shampoo and Conditioner and Lux Volume Mist , I spritz a little Tom Ford Noir de Noir on my skin – the two fragrances work perfectly together – and I’m on my way.

Thinking of trying the range for yourself?  Scope it out first, the range includes a product to address and treat most hair needs and you’re guaranteed to receive compliments on how your hair smells, just like the Elle Woods endorsed Bend & Snap, it has a 100% approval rating.  The SHOW Beauty Hair care range really is luxury hair care at its very best.

Pixie xo

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, North East, Uncategorized

Show Beauty Launches Lux Volume

This week I was invited along to the launch of the latest in hair innovation from SHOW Beauty – Lux Volume.  The whole SHOW Beauty Haircare range aims to address those hair niggles we all have, whether it’s Moisture, Repair, and now Volume, there’s something in the range that all hair types can benefit from.

I went along to the North East’s only SHOWDRY Blow Dry Bar at House of Fraser, Intu Metrocentre to get the skinny on the ever expanding hair care range from the woman with a better blowdry than Kate Middleton. With complimentary express dry styling available, I opted for this braided topknot, which lasted for three whole days. Winning.

If you’re familiar with SHOW Beauty then you’ll know the ethos, founded by Creative Director Tamara Ecclestone, SHOW Beauty is an indulgent and luxurious range that focuses on opulence and decadent glamour, from the packaging to the ingredients, no expense is spared in making these indulgent hair products.  Plus, they have serious shelfie appeal.  If you’re not familiar with SHOW Beauty, you probably know by now that I’m a huge fan.  These guys always look after me during London Fashion Week and their braids and signature blowdries see me through pretty much the whole week

Lux Volume is the latest addition to the range, enriched with white truffle and wheat protein, the Volume range adds weightless lift and boosts volume right at the root making hair look, and feel fuller with no stickiness and no nasty residue.  Caviar – which we all know is super protein rich – helps nourish and moisturise hair leaving it soft and supple so that you can achieve that perfect bouncy blowdry every time you wash your hair.

You know all about my hair struggles and dilemmas over the past two years and I’ve been using the SHOW Beauty Moisture range (not every wash) for a while now and I can vouch for just how luxurious it is.  The scent is divine, developed in partnership by Ecclestone’s and Givaudan – the perfume house behind iconic scents including L’Air Du Temps, Opium, Obsession and Poison – it’s become a signature across the entire range and ranked as one of the best ever scented hair products of all time by Allure magazine.  There’s even a Decadence Hair Fragrance finishing product that sounds crazy but I guarantee, one sniff and you’ll be hooked on it’s rich patchouli base notes.

I’m using Lux Volume on days when I’m attending events and shows and the big difference for me is the ease of styling after washing, and how weightless hair is afterwards.  I’ve used Volume products in the past which have left my hair feeling sticky after styling but Lux Volume is different, and the scent is still present after drying, almost like perfume.

As you might expect, Ecclestone’s style doesn’t come cheap and the range is pricey.  Lux Volume Shampoo and Conditioner are £30 each and there’s a Volume Lotion and Mist that complete the Volume Care Collection.  It’s advised that you double shampoo each time to remove styling product build up and environmental pollution so the cost soon adds up.  Is it worth it?  Silly question, I’m a convert and have been since the range launched in 2015, Ecclestone delays the launch of the Volume specific range in order to ensure it was absolutely perfect before going on sale.  It’s a range with as much thought put into the packaging and scent as the desired effect on the hair, if you can afford it then it’s worth the splurge.

Pixie xo

Lux Volume is available to purchase now in the North East at House of Fraser, Intu Metrocentre and throughout the UK at Harrods and selected Selfridges stores.