Metropolitan Mum

They say all good things must come to an end, and this time, “they” are right. This is the last day of Metropolitan Mum’s 2011 Advent Calendar. It’s been enormous fun – apart from making other people happy, I loved seeing who really reads my blog. Commenters are usually bloggers themselves, i.e. I don’t get to see much of the other readers. This Advent Calendar has encouraged many more than the usual suspects to comment. A big thank you to all of you that have played, you have made this Advent Calendar much more exciting.

Today’s Advent Calendar price is the above scarf from The White Company. For the few among my readers who don’t know them: go straight to their website and indulge in gorgeous, stylish, high quality products that come at affordable prices. My personal favourites are The White Company cashmere socks, their scented candles and all things from The Little White Company.

Merry Christmas! With love, Metropolitan Mum.

And The White Company scarf goes to Karen Langridge. Congratulations! Please email me and I will pass on your details.

Just as much as I had vowed not to convert into a tea drinker (HA!) or to ever drive on the left side of the street (HAHA!), I once declared to my pasty, continental European self never ever in my life to succumb to fake tan.

Seven rainy summers, countless home experiments with St. Tropez and a few minor accidents later (they do say ‘wash your hands vigorously’ for a reason), and I am openly confessing: I love myself a little bit of a glow. You know, not the kind of TOWIE tan, but a healthy, radiant, slightly fresher version of myself.

Over the years, St. Tropez has become a Met Mum bathroom cupboard staple. I love them in the summer – much healthier than roasting like a chicken in the midday sun. And I adore them in the winter – their lighter products give you a bit of a healthy glow, without any of the potential dangers of ‘proper’ fake tan.

Today’s Advent Calendar surprise is glow in a jar aka St.Tropez Naturals Radiance Self Tan for Face. Plus, I am sharing celebrity make-up artist Karen Alder’s Snow Queen Skin secrets with all of you:

STEP 1: With central heating and cold windy weather parching the complexion, hydration is key for this look and as the temperatures drop, skin needn’t get drier. Skip foundation and apply St.Tropez Naturals Radiance Self Tan for Face to infuse the skin with moisture and vitamins whilst adding a subtle base glow that gently blurs imperfections

STEP 2: Groomed brows are a must, use a brow shaping gel to define your natural brow and add hold without being heavy or obvious

STEP 2: For a shimmering wintery finish take a fan brush and contour and define the cheekbones with St.Tropez Bronzing Rocks – with an almost iridescent quality they ensure the skin gleams

STEP 3: The St.Tropez Bronzing Rocks can also be used along the eye socket line to make the eyes really pop, blend upwards with a brush for a seamless shine

STEP 4: Lashing of mascara completes the eyes.  Curl lashes and then take time to build up mascara using a fine wand for the fluff factor

STEP 5: For warmth, apply a dab of rose gold crème blush to the apples of the cheeks blending carefully for a natural flush

STEP 6: Most importantly, add an icy edge to the look using the St.Tropez Violet Skin Illuminator.  Apply to the cheekbones and inner eye corners, the stunning violet hue glimmers and enhances any skin tone

STEP 7: Finally be sure to follow the Snow Queen glow through to the body.  Blend the St.Tropez Violet Skin Illuminator with your favourite body lotion for a luxe frosty luminosity

And St.Tropez Naturals Radiance Self Tan for Face goes to (Mostly) Yummy Mummy. Congratulations! Please email me and I will post it to you.

As for tomorrow – another British brand I have grown to be very fond of. You can find their items everywhere in my house, even in little L’s bedroom. From gingham curtains to winter candles, can you have a guess?

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the last day of the Advent Calendar.

When in New York, one of my favourite things to do is to nip into the Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circus, have a drink at the Lobby Lounge, enjoy the dramatic views over Central Park and use the washrooms. Because in the washrooms, they have luxuriousness that comes out of a bottle and drips right into your hands. It’s called Molton Brown.

I first came across Molton Brown when I had a drink at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok (note to self: add drinking in swanky hotel bars to long list of hobbies). Ever since washing my hands in the first soft foamy cloud of Molton Brown Naran Ji, Molton Brown has become my favourite brand of hand washes. I soon discovered their extended range of body and skincare, fragrances and candles – if you are lucky enough to be living in London, pop into their first ever shop on South Molton Sreet and smell your way through their gorgeous products.

Today’s Advent Calendar surprise is the Molton Brown symmetry set from the illuminata collection. ‘Relax and rebalance with this sumptuous four piece body collection. Cempaka tree oil is the perfect antidote to a fast-paced lifestyle. Ideal for anyone who needs an escape.’

Today we’ll be giving a bit of an escape to Patricia Neal. Congratulations! Please email me and I will post it to you.

As for tomorrow – their name might sound suspiciously French, but they are definitely a British beauty company…

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the 23^rd day of the Advent Calendar.

Apart for my love for all things British, I have a thing for the French. They have a way of putting things together with a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that lets my heart beat faster, and their melodic language makes everything sound like music, even when they are talking crap du taureau.

Of course I would easily fall for FrenchBlossom.com, co-founded by a British/French couple.

FrenchBlossom.com is an online boutique that brings together exclusively French, independent designers, who specialise in the creation of delightful, ?unmistakably French, children’s clothing, gifts and accessories.  French Blossom discovers and presents all things that exude an essence of French style for children. The concept behind their website is to ‘Celebrate French Fashion for Children’ and to showcase chic and stylish, independent French children’s designers.

Shoppers can easily mix and match unique designs and outfits to create a perfect look for their children, find an ideal gift or simply be inspired by wonderfully elegant designs.

Today’s Advent Calendar surprise is a £35 voucher to shop gorgeous French children’s clothes at French Blossom.

And the French Blossom voucher goes to from fun to mum. Congratulations! Please email me and I will pass on your details.

As for tomorrow – this truly British brand makes me want to wash my hands over and over and over again. It started out in London. Do you know it?

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the 22^nd day of the Advent Calendar.

There’s a bit of added sparkle in today’s Advent Calendar. A set of three gorgeous charm bracelets, courtesy of cutey.

Jewelry company cutey was created to provide a range of affordable charm bracelets, whilst maintaining a very high quality product. When the company launched in 2012, there seemed to be only two types of charm bracelets in the market: high end and very high priced or low priced and usually poorly designed. cutey launched last September with an initial range of bracelets and are looking forward to launch further bracelets, individual charms and DIY bracelets in early 2012.

You can now follow them on twitter to find out more.

And the cutey bracelets go to Julie Hogg. Congratulations! Please email me and I will pass on your details.

As for tomorrow – for the last time in this year’s Advent Calendar, something to make the little ones happy…

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the 21^th day of the Advent Calendar.

Wandering the streets of London in late November, there is little more promising than spotting the first Christmas decorations going up, clutching a Starbucks red cup between your cold hands. Ever since I moved to the UK in 2005, Starbucks red cups have made it onto the list of ‘Things that make me feel Christmassy’.

I have always liked Starbucks, but have grown really fond of it shortly after little L was born. Not only did my local Starbucks welcome the screaming bundle and me with open arms in the wee hours (7:30 on a Sunday morning). They also provided me with my favourite Vanilla Latte & Tuna Melt breakfast – fuel to keep me going after yet another sleepless night.

Free babyccinos and free WiFi are only two of the reasons Starbucks still are one of my favourite coffee places. I just love their inclusive attitude. No matter if you are a business person on the way to your next meeting, a shopper in search for a spot of cake or a mother with a young child – there’s a space for everyone.

Behind today’s Advent Calendar door waits a £50 Starbucks card. That’s a lot of coffee and cake.

And the Starbucks card goes to: Maria @ Feisty Tapas. Congratulations! Please email me and I will pass on your details.

As for tomorrow – something pretty, something sparkly…

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the 20^th day of the Advent Calendar.

For long a favourite (and somewhat secret) brand among the style conscious crowd of South West London, caramelbaby&child has only recently been discovered by a wider audience.

Their gorgeous designs are both original and practical – created to be taken to the park and worn to school. Colours you wouldn’t at first associate with children’s clothing are used to create that distinctive traditional yet up to date feel. You will find traces of continental European formality as well as a little laid back Englishness in their pieces.

Just as much as caramelbaby&child don’t do any advertising, their clothes don’t advertise themselves with logos or fake details. A gorgeous trait in a consume driven world.

To find out more, you can now keep up with them on their fabulous blog.

Today’s winner will take home this beautiful caramelbaby&child Ostrich Dress in Yellow/Blue Fair Isle, available in sizes 3-10 years. And the dress goes to: Jessica Whitehead-Stevens. Congratulations! Please email me and I will pass on your details.

As for tomorrow – this brand has recently managed to get on my ‘what makes me feel Christmassy’ list. Can you guess?

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the 19^th day of the Advent Calendar.

Some weeks ago I was asked to enjoy a morning of pampering and beautifying in Chelsea, courtesy of iconic shapewear and lingerie label Maidenform. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have realised that I am a sucker for a bit of pampering and that I live in the aforementioned neighbourhood. Add to that my love for lingerie and my growing interest in all things gravity defying (isn’t getting older fun?) and voila – Maidenform, here I came!

Apart from getting my nails painted in a beautifully festive red, I also tried on different items from the Maidenform Flexees® range, invited to take one of the gorgeous pieces home. My choice fell on the Easy-Up® body shaper – a silky smooth little one-piece that should soon become my new best friend.

The body briefer promises to make the best of every body, and in my case it has held its promise. Removable straps and a lower back design make the body briefer the perfect partner in crime for wearing strapless dresses or tops. Worn with low-cut jeans, its firm control waist has saved me from dreaded muffin top moments – no matter how often I bended over for shoe lace tying or nose wiping.

Forget Bridget Jones’ leberwurst coloured granny pants. The Maidenform body shaper is part of a new era of luxe shapewear that looks and feels like lingerie. It will make you feel a million dollars, no doubt about it.

Available at House of Fraser for £44.

And the Maidenform body shaper goes to: SaraLouise. Congratulations! Please email me and I will pass on your details.

As for tomorrow – another iconic British brand, another beauty product I cannot live without…

Leave a comment below to be in the draw for the 17^th day of the Advent Calendar.