Work Out at Home with these Wonders

Here are two of my all time favourite gym accessories to transform ANY workout or training plan. As a keen marathon runner and gym-bunny, I recommend giving these a go when you're next at the gym and consider buying them as they are unbelievably versatile and can be used in pretty much any exercise or position. 

Foam roller

You might have gathered my slight addiction to foam rollers through my published fitness articles on various websites and magazines. Save your money on physio and get yourself a foam roller. You can thank me later when you've saved £££'s. 

What is it?

Pay caution to the name... It might say 'foam' but this will be one of the most painful things you try out (keep at it - it gets easier). Unsurprisingly, it's a roll of hard-celled foam, which can be bought in different lengths and circumferences in different textures ('normal'/flat, or the grid rollers which look tortuous). By purchasing a 'normal' foam roller, you are by no means ‘chickening out’. I own one, and hold no regrets.

What do I do with it? 

This is a great accessory to transform your warm-ups and (more importantly) your cool-downs. Some leg muscles and ligaments (such as the iliotibial band - known as the dreaded ‘IT band’ by most runners) are prone to shortening, and are difficult to effectively stretch out. Cue the foam roller. This is the equivalent of having an intense deep-tissue massage at the end of every workout, without the large bill and awkwardness when the masseuse goes that bit too far up your leg. Lying on your side, use your own body weight to sandwich the roller between the body’s soft tissue (e.g. the side of your leg) and the floor. Once a sensitive spot is hit (usually around the knee area), concentrate on this area for a bit until you feel a release of tension. 

Moves to try...

Aside from rolling away injuries, foam rollers are useful for a variety of exercises, including core-strengthening and stabilising postures and movements. This can be used before competing, or at night whilst watching TV.

To stretch out quadriceps, lie on your stomach with a roller placed under the front of your thigh. Slowly roll up and down from the bottom of your hip to the top of your knee, pulling yourself forward and back with your resting elbows. 

My Story

When I was training for the Brighton Marathon 2013, I started to experience pain in my the side of my leg and around my knee which made going on long runs really difficult. By speaking to other runners, I realised I was suffering from IT-band syndrome, an injury that often causes pain on the outside of the knee, common in runners, cyclists and hikers. 

My personal trainer showed me how to use a foam roller, and it was so good that I went and bought one for myself to use at home after every run or workout. Despite being made from foam, it can be really painful to use if you have lots of muscle tension. Once I’d started using it though, the speed in my recovery was amazing and since then I’ve never experienced pain around my knee again! I’d definitely recommend it to anyone doing a sport which puts pressure on the knees, and it’s cheaper than any sports therapist.

Medicine ball

If I was on a desert island, one of the three things I would take with me is a medicine ball. They’re like a kettlebell and a free-weight rolled into one, making toning exercises fun to do whilst providing many other benefits to keeping fit and trim. 

What is it?

A medicine ball looks like a netball, but you’ll get a nasty shock if you drop one of these on your foot! They come in different weights from 1-20kg, so you can find the perfect one for you. Suitable for all ages, fitness levels and sizes, a weighted ball can add great intensity to any workout by increasing your range of motion and making the body build muscle faster. Instead of isolating certain muscle groups, you are able to train different core muscles at once with the medicine ball. 

What do I do with it?

There are hundreds of exercises to explore, all which improve core strength, balance, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and upper and lower body strength. Transform those boring squats and lunges by holding a medicine ball at arms length in front of you to increase the intensity of the exercise.

Moves to try...

My favourite exercise with a medicine ball is doing crunches - it really helps revolutionise such a mundane and daily exercise. Hold the ball above your head when positioned on the floor with your legs bent, and then as you lift your shoulders up into a crunch, bring the medicine ball above your head, finishing the crunch with your back upright and the ball held up in the air above your head. Be sure to keep your movements smooth and maintain good posture. Using the ball to transform crunches will help work your core muscles even more, as well as tone up your upper arms. 

November Recommendations - Tried and Tested

Kit yourself out for winter with these pamper-perfect goodies to make the frost less biting and to brighten up your day! These are all my recent purchases, which I fully recommend for a stylish and carefree Christmas.  

Chanel Le Vernis 'Paradoxal 505' has knocked 'Particulière 505' right off my top spot for nail varnish, and adds a bit of sparkle with elegance to your soirées. It's a much darker shade to the Particulière, and when looked at closely, reveals a sparkly yet understated purple hue. 

Vitabiotics Perfectil skin hair and nail tablets are a saviour to the modern working woman, and through bouts of stress, this is when priorities regarding our hair and beauty treatments may slide. I chucked these into my shopping basket during 'one of those weeks', and haven't regretted it. my skin almost seemed instantly back to top notch, and I haven't had any nail breakages since (touch wood).

Clarins hand cream is something your hands have been calling out for since the weather turned chilly and the winds got nippy. At £20/ 100ml tube it doesn't come cheap, but it's a non-greasy, nail-strengthening formula, with that sophisticated Clarins scent. 

Salvage your hair with the help of MoroccanOil oil treatment, to reduce split and dry ends, and bring life back into your locks. My advice is to buy direct from hair salons, as it really is the best price (better than Amazon!) and more reliable and trustworthy (I had a incident involving MoroccanOil that was sent from Israel, and looked entirely suspicious).

I treated myself to these Asos jewel earrings after letting my Gossip Girl addiction get the better of me. The earrings worn on set are fabulous! Unfortunately we can't all have diamonds for daily wear, so I bought these replicas to catch the sun rays.

As a sucker for box clutches, I was delighted to be given this Dune box clutch for my birthday, and whilst it’s way more than I’d spend on a clutch, I absolutely adore it. It’s black suede, with gold frame, latch, and modern chain. It’s something that will never go out of fashion and I hope to still be using in 50 years time. 

Carex moisture plus hand gel is in my top 5 handbag items, and this almond milk-smelling moisture plus one is my absolute favourite. Banish those winter blues by staying prepared and obliterating any nasties before they reach your face. 

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without those evening winter-warmers, particularly in adorable yet stylish cast ironware which goes by the name Le Creuset. Splurge out on a set of Le Creuset ramekins for individually portioned creme brûlées, miniature apple and cinnamon crumbles or simply for serving nibbles in whilst hosting the perfect gathering! The rich cerise colour is perfect for brightening up a kitchen, not to mention a fit comme un gant to your festive decorations. 

The Foundation Trials

I hope that anyone woman will understand the outrage one must feel when told that their foundation brand/shade is being discontinued. Uprooted. Betrayed. This is what happened to me when the time arrived to purchase a new tube of Estée Lauder Maximum Cover foundation, paid with my painstakingly saved-up Boots advantage card points, only to find that the ‘01 Creamy Ivory’ shade had been discontinued. Cue uproar, and begging them to give the tester pot to me. A foundation, the base and core of all make up, and something I rely so much upon, to get me out of the house each morning. Obviously, the boyfriend didn’t see what the issue was. 

After the rants and wrath which then occurred, and countless emails and tweets to Estée Lauder’s customer service team, I decided to turn this into a two-week trial of other foundations (and an excuse to live off free make up for a while). Circulating around the luxury cosmetic counters in Boots, I was on a mission to fill my handbag with testers, accumulated by my persuasiveness and the mutual understanding (and horror) about my make up ordeal (AKA ‘Estée Lauder-gate’). 

Skin type: very oily, occasional blemishes, but not prone to redness/wrinkles/uneven skin tone.

Looking for: a matte effect, non-oily foundation.

Make up routine (in order of application): No7 Primer, Rimmel hide the blemish concealer, Estée Lauder maximum Cover foundation, Benefit blushers, BareMinerals eye shadows, Collection 2000 eyeliner and Dior Blackout mascara. 

To the horror of any make up artist, I use a cosmetic sponge to apply foundation. Yes, it wastes a lot of foundation whenever I start a new sponge, with the first few attempts of foundation just soaking straight into the sponge, but it helps create a really matte and even finish, I don’t get my fingers sticky and covered in make up, and the idea of a) painting my face and b) having to regularly wash brush bristles that have clumped together with foundation goop makes me shudder. (I hear that baby oil is best for cleaning foundation brushes.)

The offending item:

Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover... the last tube of ivory!

Allow yourself to imagine an artistic squiggle of foundation emitting from the nozzle, as I’m not prone to wastage, and certainly not when the remnants of this foundation are like gold-dust (one sold for £56 on ebay whilst I was in the ‘denial’ phase… I hasten to add that (unfortunately) it wasn’t me…)

And with that… let the trials begin!

Clinique’s anti-blemish foundation has a very creamy and verging on ‘thick’ consistency (although still not thick to my liking). The anti-blemish factor is always a benefit, but in my opinion, nothing will ever beat the combination of hormones and oily skin, so I can’t say whether it’s helped my complexion or not - I’d probably have to try it out on a more permanent basis. It did stay on my face, with partial ‘rubbing off’ around the nose area, but was easy to apply. This turned out to be a very close ‘second place’ to my first choice, but I will definitely consider buying it in the future. 

The very generous Clinique tester

Lancome took ages to apply - it was very translucent, so I had to really layer it over blemishes and darker areas to achieve an even cover. It was very fluid and almost ‘sticky’ to sponge on, but once done and sealed in with loose powder, if gave a pretty flawless and airbrush finish. I was rather biased to this one, until I had to face the truth and admit that by the end of the day, there was absolutely no foundation on my face at all. Where the hell had it gone? I can’t even lie and say it had gone all speckled (when foundations partially rub off); it had literally vanished, revealing a very shiny (oily) and make-up-less complexion. Really bad. On a positive note, the tester pot I was given from their counter in Boots contained over 5 days worth of foundation, and the colour was an excellent match to my skin tone. 

 

                                    My selection of testers                                                           An artistic splodge of Clarins Everlasting  

Estée Lauder Double Wear is actually a better match to my skin than their ‘Double Wear Maximum Cover’, but I’ve never liked the consistency - it’s much too thin for my liking. I noticed after application and powdering-down, than it dried in streaks - mainly noticeable on my chin. It was the most fluid of them all, and I had to be speedy with the sponge before it all slid off the side, and impossible to layer up on the face. By the end of the day the usual area of make up had rubbed off - nose and spreading across my upper cheeks, perhaps more so than others, and all my blemishes were showing. Not good. 

Clarins Everlasting smells like watermelon - it’s something I’d never come across with foundation and I have no idea if this is an intentional ‘feature’, but rather nice. Their testers are ridiculously small sachets of the foundation - the sort you’d pull out from a magazine, so barely even enough to apply once. It applied extraordinary thinly, so I returned to Boots to swipe another sample, and this time used the whole packet, and I have to say I was nicely surprised!  It did apply thickly once I had plenty on the sponge (perhaps the previous time I’d tried to make the packet last at least two days…), giving me an airbrushed effect. After a while, it sort of ‘dried’ on my face, giving me the feeling of wearing a facial mask and powdered off whenever I touched it, but surprisingly by the end of the day (where I’d got caught out in the middle of a torrential downpour, attempted (and failed) to put in contact lenses in preparation for Halloween causing a lot of teary eyeballs, and got fake-eyelash glue everywhere but my eyelids), it was still firmly stuck on my face, with minimal rubbing-off - true to its name. 

Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover is the foundation I’ve used since I started troweling makeup on my face at the age of 14. It’s the foundation my mother uses and has always used, and I like it as it’s a very thick texture (so I know it’ll cover up any blemishes and stay on my face), whilst really helping with both our oily skins (don’t mock - oily complexion helps slow down the aging process). She liked it because you could layer it in different areas, whereas I just sponged it on thickly...everywhere. The issue I had with layering is that despite having the lightest shade, applying it thickly in one area actually gave it a darker appearance, which isn’t great. Despite being outraged and distraught when discovering that they had discontinued their lightest shade: 01 Creamy Ivory (with their lightest shade now being ‘03 Vanilla’, showing some indication of how appalling this is), trying the other luxury brand foundations and then re-trying the last remnants of my much-loved Estée LauderMaximum Cover foundation, I came to realise that the colour was never right to begin with, and rather on the dark side. However, I will maintain that this is a fantastic foundation, and if only I was slightly more darker skinned. 

Chanel was very disappointing, purely because they don’t stock pale coloured-testers. Their testers came in three colours, starting with ‘beige’, which looked practically orange on my hand (I wouldn’t dare attempt it on my face, like the cosmetic counter lady suggested). I’d have looked African! It was a shame, seeing as the benefits sounded so good, but no way would I (anyone?) pay £36 for a pot they can’t test at home. The cosmetics lady offered to do a make-over in store, but I explained that in doing so would require me to leave the house with no make up. Which wasn’t happening. Ever. 

Chanel... in orange colour.

So my final decision was the Clarins everlasting, purely because it was the only one that stuck to the tip of my nose like wall paper paste (and I’m secretly in love with the Clarins’ sisters). It’s £26, which is at the lower end of the ‘luxury make up’ price scale, and matched my skin tone (I have their 103 shade - which is their lightest). Their testers were a let down, by only having a small sachet of the foundation, so I only hope that buying a full pot of it won’t turn out to be a let down. I have the Clinique anti-blemish as a firm backup though.

The Uni Life

Announcing that I study English Language and Linguistics immediately sparks the misconception that I am studying literature, and results in the question ‘what books are you reading?’. The answer is not Austin, Brontë or Hardy, and if you have time to read anything other than a linguistics textbook or a journal on Strawson’s ‘ground-consequent’ theory, then you can't be doing the degree properly. 

I chose English as it’s a strong, valuable degree, keeping many possibilities open after graduation. Although, after weekly reading lists of ten books, a three paged essay on the word ‘if’, and attempting to explain what ‘meaning’ is in 500 words, there have been numerous moments when I’ve screamed ‘WHY?’ and considered transferring to politics, media, forensic computing… anything that doesn’t require syntactic tree structures, truth tables and the phonetic alphabet. Or explaining what linguistics is to every person who asks what I do at university. 

I often describe linguistics as the ‘science’ of language, where you dissect sentences, not frogs. Semesters are spent analysing the English language, focusing on each word and its individual meanings. Whilst English may be considered an ‘easy’ subject compared to statistics or chemistry, it’s refreshing to be challenged in a subject I love, through the structural approaches of language, language acquisition, morphology, and syntax. What mathematician can explain a monophthongal vowel? Lectures read off powerpoint slides are compensated for by professors married to their subject, and willing to offer any length of their free time (when they’re not re-reading the entire library section on linguistics ‘for fun’) to helping you with essay techniques and understanding of modal logic and a descriptive theory which determines the existence of Santa Claus. 

Without doubt, uni is an experience not to be missed, with its carefree whirlwind of life-long friendships, after-parties and a drinking habit verging on alcoholism. Nothing will be as poor quality, mould-ridden, or shoddy than student housing, and with your bank balance so far in the red that you’re reduced to living off toast. It’s the three years of battling with landlords, housemates from hell, days spent procrastinating and then realising the art of discipline and time-management when it’s too late, to appreciate life after uni. 

Despite wanting to strangle Chomsky, and the awkward moment where you make the glare-inducing mistake of saying ‘preposition’ instead of ‘proposition’ in front of an entire lecture hall of linguists, you discover the importance of independence; how to use the washing machine, and the horrible truth that the cleaning fairy doesn’t exist (although Russell’s descriptive theory would prove otherwise). It’s like a holiday, but without the great weather. The work hard, party hard lifestyle is an important passage before ‘growing up’ that an apprenticeship or badly-paid internship won’t achieve. If you’re smart, you’ll use your holidays for internships and work experience, whilst still remembering the times where you crawled home at 5am and woke, hungover, with a 30kg Buddha statue in your wardrobe (don’t ask, but it’s happened). 

Feel Revitalized the Morning After

So you went out last night and ended up having rather too many cocktails to remember, and now you’ve woken up with false eyelashes stuck halfway down your face, the spot the size of Mr Blobby on your chin and a Louboutin missing (quelle horreur). Here’s a list of the best skin savers to use as an emergency hangover pack, and wipe away that post-party pallor. 

First things first, you need a cold, invigorating shower. Ok, so maybe not cold, but make sure to buff your body with a body scrubber and a good scrub, such as The Sanctuary Salt Scrub, £11.25, sanctuary.com, or Soap and Glory Flake Away Body Scrub, £2.50, boots.com. Get a good exfoliating face wash as well, such as Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control Scrub, £4.45, superdrug.com, to scrub off your party war-paint, scrape off a layer of dead skin cells, and unclog pores. Your skin will thank you for it! 

 

Next on the list is a refreshing and revitalizing cleanser, such as the Vitamin C Facial Cleansing Polish, £10, thebodyshop.co.uk, or Nip + Fab Glycolic Foaming Cleanser £7.99, boots.com to purify, hydrate and smooth tired skin. After a good head massage to liven up your hair follicles with Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner, £15.85 each, hqhair.com or John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo and Conditioner, £5.99 each, boots.com, towel down and give your body an uplifting moisturise with Moroccan Rose Otto Body Cream, £26, renskincare.com, to hydrate and soothe skin with added anti-inflammatory properties, or Palmer’s Olive Butter Formula Body Lotion, £3.85 for 250ml, boots.com. 

   

If you’re aiming for a quiet morning with the TV remote and unlimited refills of iced water, make sure to add a 30 minute session in a Montagne Jeunesse Blemish Mud Mask, 99p, superdrug.com. But if not, perfect for the dehydrated in need of a drink (that isn't of the alcoholic variety) is Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, £15, clinique.co.uk.

On morning's when there's no option but to pull your socks up, pick up the pieces and act sociable for the day, fake eight hours sleep with the Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on, £6.99, superdrug.com, a refreshing roller ball containing caffeine to de-puff and tinted mineral pigments to cover dark circles, or Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener, £22, bareminerals.co.uk. Witch Anti-Blemish BB Balm, £6.99, boots.com, offers light coverage, brightening and an SPF 15 with added witch hazel extract to bust blemishes and can be used as a primer or base, or a light foundation. 

If you’re able to stomach food (we’ve all been there when the thought of all those shots we did last night sends us running to the bathroom again), aim for simple foods, ideally raw fruit and vegetables for a boost of nutrients and vitamins. Keep drinking water to push out toxins whilst maintaining hydration levels (your body will sweat overtime as a way of eliminating the toxins), add a slice of cucumber for a slight twist to your county tap water, and take the day easy. 

What to Cook in a Mini-Cocotte

My Le Creuset obsession started when the boyfriend bought me an innocent-looking mini casserole pot (or ‘mini-cocotte’) in graded blue. I was over the moon with it, not least because he’d bought me something a) original, and b) I hadn’t already suggested, and it immediately sparked a long-term obsession with Le Creuset kitchenware. However, the first question (as is most people’s) is ‘what can I actually cook in it?’.

A friend suggested using it to serve dips and olives in, but I thought surely there must be recipes which don’t result a pile of washing up for a measly portion of casserole-for-one, and which don’t result in pushing it to the back of the cupboard as an expensive dust-collector. I have collected three summer recipes which require the use of two mini-cocottes, to make the perfect portion sized meals for two.

Oeufs en Cocotte (French omelette)

2 fresh duck eggs

1 sliced leek (white and light green parts only)

5 Chanterelle mushrooms

4 tbsp creme fraiche

Salt and pepper

Baguette sliced into thin strips (for dipping)

Handful of chopped chives

1.In a medium skillet, saute leeks in olive oil for 2-3 minutes (until it begins to wilt). Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat to set aside.

2. In a deep saute pan, bring about 2 inches of water to a boil – fill it enough so that when the mini-cocottes are placed inside, the water goes half way up the side. Place one tablespoon of creme fraîche at the bottom of each mini-cocotte. 

3. Divide the leek and mushroom mixture in half and add on top of the creme fraîche. Add another tablespoon of creme fraîche in each cocotte. Finally, crack one egg on top of each serving (keep the yolk in tact). Season with salt and pepper.

4. Gently place each mini-cocotte in the boiling water and cook until the whites are opaque, about 10-15 minutes (do not place a lid on the pan). Once the eggs are done, carefully remove from the water. Garnish with chopped chives and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Serve with toasted baguette cut into thin strips for dipping.

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Tart

3 filo pastry sheets, cut in half

20g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

90g feta

1 medium free-range egg, beaten

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½

Handful of toasted pinenuts

100g roasted peppers, drained and sliced

1. Preheat a baking sheet in the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Brush the filo sheets with the melted butter, then layer 3 half-sized sheets into each mini-cocotte, allowing the rest of the filo to overhang the pots. In a bowl, mix the egg, garlic and feta, then season.

2. Fold in the pine nuts, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and peppers through the feta mix and spoon the mix into your mini-cocottes, then fold the remaining pastry over the top, scrunching to seal. Brush the pastry all over with more melted butter.

3. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and set. Remove from the oven, then cool for 5 minutes before serving in slices with a green salad.

Apple Crumble

2 apples
75g plain flour
45g butter, cubed
45g brown sugar
25g porridge oats
1tsp cinnamon

1. Peel and cut the apples into bite sized pieces, and put them in a small saucepan with about 2 tbsp of water and a tbsp of sugar. Cook on a low heat for 15-20 mins until the apple is soft.

2. Measure out your flour and butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add the cinnamon, sugar and oats to the flour and butter mix, and take the apples off the heat. 

4. Add the apples and sugary liquid in the bottom of the saucepan to the bottom of two mini-cocottes and sprinkle the oat mixture on top.  Bake in the oven for about 20mins at 180C. Let it cool for a few minutes, then serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.

A Night Never to Forget

I had expected the Chelsea Arts Club to be grandiose and ostentatious, set in a large hall where Chelsea royalty in their finest strut about and socialise. It was surprising to turn off Kings Road onto Old Church Street, and walk through a pokey little door, almost something out of Alice in Wonderland, and into a pokey reception room. After marking us off the guest list (it’s member’s only, you see), we head in, and are transported into a world of flamboyance and flair. 

The main area resembles the combination of the Gryffindor common room and a scene from Moulin Rouge. Artwork covers every inch of the walls, and around a giant billiards table where two men in emerald green waistcoats are playing, are clusters of old leather sofas, bottle green or oxblood in colour; those ones with gold studding and tufted upholstery. 

Within five minutes of stepping foot into a world resembling a Gatsby party, I see two colleagues I know from work. When you’re in the club, you’re automatically accepted as part of the league, and can strike up a conversation with anyone - the common factor being the love of art, and that you’re ‘one of them’. Out in the giant garden, people are milling around or perched on large garden furniture, joining huge groups in conversation or smaller circles to network. Verandas with additional seating line the bottom of the stretching garden, keeping it more enclosed and exclusive - no one can so much as peep inside. The only all-seeing, all-hearing non-member is the resident cat, who spends the evening tangling itself round members’ legs. There’s a choice between al fresco dining on the patio, or fine dining in the elegant, candlelit dining room, which houses an enormous banquet table stretching down the centre, and smaller, more private tables off to the side and in the conservatory.

Once the house and studio of James Whistler, the Chelsea Arts Club was founded in 1891, and friends continued it after his death. Now a popular, bohemian, and arty hangout for networking artists, sculptors, architects, writers, actors and the like (the sort to wander around in moustaches and monocles, waistcoats and brogues), it is a club that on the outside is surrounded by mystery and eccentricity, and the desire to be part of it all. An elusive underworld unspoken of, a place where no mobile phone or electronic device is allowed, but once inside, it’s an experience you’ll never forget. 

An Online Shopping Obsession

Sitting in a shop waiting for a friend to finish her trying-on session, I was tempted to have a browse at the handbags, before telling myself, ‘don’t bother, wait until later when you can shop online.’ And that was when I realised I might have a (slight) online shopping addiction. 

On my MacBook, all I need to type into my address bar is ‘n’ and instantly I am transported to the online shopping-haven that is Net-a-porter, which resulted in a £500 shopping spree in the June sales on my credit card. Have some faith though, because the one thing money can’t buy - my boyfriend - eventually persuaded me to return the pairs of shoes. Despite still regretting it, and trawling websites to buy the same pairs again, I know it was the right choice. Maybe. 

When I want, I can save money. I gave up my bank cards for Lent one year - and stuck to it for the entire 40 days without giving in to temptation (I was, however, allowed to spend cash earned in waitressing tips and babysitting to get me through that traumatic time). I’ve also been known to spend a week eating rice and gravy in an effort to save (dark times of student living). 

I like to believe that all my purchases are well considered, and I always ask myself ‘impulse or investment?’. The most reckless thing I’ve done was leaving my anti-bac gel at home one time, so I do spend time evaluating the financial consequences of my spending. A proud moment was persuading my dad that my first designer purchase at the age of 18, a pair of suede 6-inch Louboutins, was a wise decision and it wasn’t long before he too was agreeing on the quality and craftsmanship. Perhaps recently discovering Sex and the City movies hasn’t helped, and turned Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion and other online luxury designer websites into a daily habit. Wake up, make a cup of tea, and check my phone - not for FaceBook updates or my twitter feed - but for the latest emails and offers promoting three-digit price tags. 

One theory for our obsession with shopping is that our ancient female ancestors - millions of years ago when people were hunters with skirts made out of gazelle skin and loafers from cow hide - were responsible for gathering food. Their DNA was wired in such a way that would help them enjoy every aspect of gathering – of which socialising was a fundamental part. While our ancestors gathered berries, we’re inclined to gather Burberry’s. The science behind both is evidently the same. 

I’ve now got my eye on an orange Lamborghini (in all seriousness), and through a LOT of saving and, of course, a very high paid editorial job by age 30, I’m sure it will be a realistic possibility in ten years time. Don’t mock. The good news is that the current desire for a super car is marginally greater than the latest Prada bag, so temporarily my spending has been curbed. I am proud to admit that I am three days ‘clean’. Meanwhile, I shall sit in my room with the electricity off, eating cold baked beans and flicking through my back-log of Vogue magazines. 

When in Rome

There comes a point when you need a holiday abroad, not to mention the fact that there’s no better excuse for buying clothes than that all-necessary pre-holiday shopping. So the boyfriend and I decided to spend our first holiday abroad in Rome, for some sun, guilt-free spaghetti, and of course: shopping.

After many attempts at packing: sitting on the biggest bag which could still pass as hand luggage in an effort to zip it up, and googling any magic tricks that might fit five pairs of shoes and an outfit for every possible circumstance into my Longchamp travel bag for our 2-night city break, it was finally time to leave, and take a cut-throat approach to leaving half my shoes behind. 

When we arrived in Rome at lunchtime, we were grateful for the private taxi I had booked in advance to take us directly to the hotel. The taxi man found my hair bouffant a hoot, and drove like a lunatic, making my driving look like the pace of the most undetermined snail. As usual, my skill of selecting a decent hotel did not disappoint, with very welcoming staff, roof terrace and a glass floor in the lobby revealing a maze of old Roman walls underground. We drop our bags off and soon head out for our first meal de l’Italia, in the direction of the Roman Forum - pretty much on our doorstep. At the Roman Colosseum, we are bamboozled by some Rotten Romans, pillaging us for money. They’re dressed up as Roman soldiers, and offering the chance for photos. However, after a slight misunderstanding on my part, I very quickly find myself dressed as a Roman empress, with crown and drape, and surrounded by several Romans posing for another Roman holding my camera. After four photos capturing my complete mortification and embarrassment, he asks us to pay 10€ each for photos I’d rather never lay my eyes on again. I haggle it down to 15€ but we both know we’ve been ransacked by Romans; duped into the tourist trap. I will also add that they too, found my bouffant hilarious, as it had a horrifying resemblance towards their helmet plumes.

Despite wearing my most sensible footwear (suede ankle boots), all the cobbles around Rome result in me hobbling around like a cripple - a slightly alarming fact as I am due to run a marathon in 2 weeks time. I insist we squeeze in a trip to the Trevi Fountain, always a favourite since watching The Lizzie Maguire Movie ‘When in Rome’. We toss our 20p into the vast fountain (the smallest domination of euro we have is a 20€ note and there’s no way I’m chucking that in) and make our wishes (I am a true believer of wishes, don’t mock). Traditionally, to throw a coin in means that one day you will return - neither of us knowing that our return would be that very evening, when I insist in seeing the fountain yet again as ‘It’s a totally different place at night, with the water lit up’. We end up visiting the fountain no less than four times in the two-and-a-half days. 

Day two, and with the amount of pain my feet were in, nothing could have made me put my boots back on, so I choose to wear my most summery outfit, consisting of a crop t-shirt, a high-waist midi stretch skirt and the flimsiest sandals you could imagine. We head on the metro to the Spanish Steps, where I’ve already earmarked Via Condotti as designer heaven. When it starts to pour down torrential rain, and I’m standing on the Spanish steps in a thin cardi with bare legs and virtually bare feet, it looks like a whole new outfit is on the cards, with the only choice to make between Gucci, Prada or Vuitton. The boyfriend, being a sensible man every girl needs in her life, has already restricted me to a maximum of three designer shops, but I have to remind myself that buying a new handbag probably isn’t the most sensible thing at this current moment, and a coat and boots are higher priorities. (I also know that had I been on holiday with either my Granny or my Aunt, they’d have a) insisted I took a coat each day, and/or b) taken the worst raincoat possible so that when it did rain, I’d have to wear it, or rather, be begging to wear it.) In the end, my boyfriend (AKA knight in shining armour, or more precisely, in a nice looking coat), lends me his coat to keep at most half of me dry. By the afternoon I’ve given up stepping over the puddles forming between every cobble and dip as water has already seeped between my toes, and I end up dashing through puddles like a woman on a mission to buy new shoes. 

We eventually make it back to the hotel late afternoon - surprised to see that the whole of Rome hasn’t submerged under a monsoon river - for a hot shower and clean clothes. I am proudly wearing my new Italian leather (of course, what else?!) cream biker boots, which felt like heaven when I slipped them on in the shop, and held out in the rain despite being cream. In the evening, after a nap and a refresh, we head out back towards the Spanish Steps to a small non-touristy piazza where we find, hidden away up a small side street (I would add ‘cobbled’ for the perfect depiction, but then again, all the Roman streets are cobbled) Italy’s best-kept secret, Al Granasso. It is bustling with Italian friends and couples, all sharing the scene from Lady and the Tramp - table for two, white table cloth, Italian music and a plate of meatballs. We sit downstairs in the wine cellar, sharing a carafe of house red, ordering bruschetta, two bowls of hand-rolled fresh pasta, sharing another carafe of house red and a side order of spinach (which in itself, turned out to be the highlight of my holiday, not to mention the evening being the best meal of my life!). 

Day three and we venture back into the city to visit a few museums, with the boyfriend turning out to be the best tour guide I could have asked for - his knowledge on the sculptures, artwork and historical goings-on in the religious side of Rome (mainly learnt from the TV series, The Borgias) was particularly impressive! We also visit food markets for salami and olives, make the discovery of ‘Olives Ascolane’; the two greatest things I love rolled into one - a giant green olive stuffed with sausage meat, and then covered in a light breadcrumb shell, and stop off at a Gelateria in yet another tiny cobbled street, with a choice of 150 flavours of ice cream, sorbet and mousse, including to my great delight, Nutella ice cream. Despite only being two nights and two-and-a-half days, we’ve tried the tastiest pasta, the freshest tomatoes and the best ice cream to never want it again elsewhere, in fear of ruining the memory. 

We arrive back to England probably more tired than before we left what with all the pavement-pounding and cobble-trodding walking we’ve done in the last 48 hours, but it was totally worth it and I’d highly recommend it! Do beware of any tourist traps that will empty your pockets of your holiday money by day 1, and never pose for photos with a group of hairy Romans, no matter how friendly they look.