I was listening to an interview this morning on BBC Breakfast with the iconic Vidal Sassoon, who still looks absolutely brilliant at 80 plus which just goes to show there is no excuse for anyone to stop taking pride in their appearance. But that isn’t what struck me. He was asked if he was checking out the female presenter’s hairstyle. His reply – ” No, I was checking out her ankles”. Both presenters thought he was referring to a masculine desire to mentally overview the female form but he was not. He explained - to create a hairstyle that flatters the wearer you need to be aware of the rest of the body, its proportions and bone structure. He likened it to creating a new building in the middle of an existing older city. The building needs to fit in with the rest of the architecture but it also neds to be visually unique and striking.

Yippee!!!! I’ve rarely found any hairdresser or top class stylist that asks you to stand so they can appraise your overall look. Not only should they be doing this, but they should also be asking pertinent questions about your lifestyle so that the hair style they provide will not only look fantastic but it will appropriate for your work, fit in timewise with your routines and be as easy or difficult as you can cope with.  If only there were more stylists like Vidal, our hair salons would be less scary places to visit. After all, your life really is in their hands.

The Sassoon team has the following credo:

We believe that perfect beauty is different for every woman and that achieving it need not be a daily struggle.

That’s why we never mass produce but always tailor the look: Considering the individual’s unique features and needs when conceiving their cut and colour.

We never concoct styles that just wash out, but cut a shape that stays in the hair, making it quick and simple to recreate every day.

Realising perfect beauty – individual and practical – is our goal.

This is Sassoon. This is Hair Design.

http://www.sassoon.com/about/index.php

Sounds good to me.

If you want to know more about this fascinating subject and how it can help you sell your home and dress your body, then look no further than the Feng Shui conference on Saturday 25th September. I will be speaking alongside Rachel Elnaugh ( Dragon’s Den) and other knowledgeable presenters.

For more details and to obtain your ticket go to:

http://www.fengshuisociety.org.uk/Feng-Shui-Conference-September-2010.php

or does no-one really care anymore how they dress for important events? No, let me re-phrase, as this unprecendented rant from me only applies to the women amongst us, not the men.

I attended a wedding at the weekend. It was tails but no top hat, so quite formal. ALL the men, including the small boys (under 10 years old) were in suits and ties looking really handsome. The women? A few were badly dressed, and I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt by saying it was probably due only to the fact they had little idea of  what suited them, but the majority had made no effort at all. Well, unless you call wearing faded jeans and a once white T-shirt, trying!  I spotted fit-flops teamed with a faded, long cotton skirt with a ripped hemline, too tight maxi dresses worn with ridiculously placed fascinators, dated suits with the 90′s shoulder pads, really bad hairstyles and the most prevalent of all, the ultimately dated accessory – a cigarette dangling from every pair of lips. I actually felt quite disheartened for the wedding couple before we even entered the beautiful Norman church. The bride and groom both looked fabulous but the female side of the congregation let them both down.

If we can’t be bothered to make an effort for what should be the most exciting and happy day of someone’s life, when will we? What are we saving ourselves for, or is it just all too much effort? I know we’re in a recession but it didn’t stop women looking glamorous in the war did it? Come on ladies, pull yourselves together.

I ran my 3rd consecutive programme on Friday and what a fabulous experience it was. Yet again, I was amazed by the generosity of women to bare their souls, share their experiences and revel in their new found understanding of who they are and how to put it across, authentically, in their image.  It’s so hard to put what I feel into words but these courses are breathtaking for all the participants, including me. Next one 5th November.

A comment in an article in The Telegraph got me thinking about scent. Perfume to be exact. There are now so many zillions of fragrances launched every week that’s it’s actually difficult to know where to start. Gone are the days when you recognised  immediately the in-vogue aromas of Poison, Opium, CK One, Rive Gauche or Chanel No 5 and who was wearing what. I like the idea of a signature fragrance but even with the choices on offer, you still seem to come across someone else who loves your favourite and wears it often.

Since I gave up smoking a few years ago, the fragrance industry has held less appeal for me. I think I used to use it to mask the smoke battling under the illusion no-one would know I had a filthy habit – in reality I probably gassed everyone within a large radius of my presence ! My husband, also a reformed smoker, rarely touches aftershave now for the same reason. So I decided to do a little research of my own to see if the perfume industry is still as vital and active as I once thought.

Yesterday I attended the Beer Festival at my local pub. I checked everyone I met, which I admit was quite a number throughout the proceedings, to see if they were wearing perfume. The result: only one older man who wore a slightly overpowering cologne. Wonder who’s buying it then?

I must admit I do have a favourite but I sometimes forget to apply it. It’s Sa Majeste La Rose by Serge Lutens. Heavenly, if you love the smell of fresh roses. But please don’t go and buy it. Find your own!

Customer Service. My bug bear, or at least the lack of it. I rarely receive the level of service I require and if I do, you’ll have heard about it via this blog. Spurred on by an inspirational  Australian colleague, Clare Maxfeld, I decided to investigate locally and take my passion one step further. Clare had taken part in a Mystery Shopping expedition and was shocked by the appalling service levels in her native Melbourne. Knowing full well that I could expect a similar response in Peterborough, I decided to test it out for myself but using the shopping trip for a very valid reason. To buy a new suit ( we’re going to a wedding in less than a month) for my ‘much larger than he used to be’ husband.

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather. The service we received from the 3 stores we entered was unbelievably brilliant. My husband’s chest has expanded to 52 inches and his waist is 10 inches smaller. Most men’s suiting has a ‘drop’ of 6 inches i.e. the difference between the chest and waist measurements so we were never going to buy off the peg – or were we?  M&S, Big on Style and Moss Bros ALL spent ages tracking down separate jackets and trousers from stores throughout the UK. M&S’s store manager went through every rack to see if they had any returns ( the store here is too small to warrant the larger sizes as standard stock) and his staff took to their computers to track down other ranges that would be suitable. Big on Style was fabulous but all the trousers were far too large, so at least hubby’s ego stayed intact, and I did buy him a fab pair of pink stripey socks care of Dragon’s Den’s Peter Jones.

I was literally gobsmacked and so was hubby. Has word got out that customer service is the only thing that differentiates a store if it wants to retain its customer base or is it just different for men?  Whatever the answer, let’s hope it continues.

I was talking about my stress free week in yesterday’s blog and how fabulous it has been. I feel completely refreshed, weightless and happy. So it was great timing and synchronicity when a much awaited book from Elizabeth Villani dropped through my mail box as she advocates the same things.

I met Liz a few years ago and liked her immediately. She is one of those truly lovely people who inspire and encourage without being pushy or brash. Her book has a BIG message for anyone who knows that their life isn’t all that is could be right now.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here is what Robert Holden, author of Be Happy and Shift Happens! has to say about it:

‘Awakening is the sort of book that finds you when you most need it. The timing is always perfect. Inspiration is at hand’

Aavailable from www.o-books.com

www.elizabethvillani.net

I have a really busy life and a husband who is not keen on holidays in the UK or abroad. This means it’s often difficult for me to switch off completely, forget about my lovely clients, my writing, my teaching and my business generally.

So following up from my Spa break last weekend I have made a concerted effort to do no work – unless you count writing this blog as working. I have met up with friends and colleagues for coffees and days out, attended daily yoga classes and stretched my body into shape, read a brilliant novel, bought a bright pink  YSL lipstick (I LOVE it)  and generally done nothing more strenuous than my daily Killer Sudokos, another passion.  I’ve knocked alcohol on the head for the last few days, though the weekend beckons and so do a couple of glasses of wine, and ate supremely nutritious food (apart from a couple of heavenly cappuccinos and a piece of divine walnut cake). The only TV I’ve watched is my beloved cricket – Test Match against Pakistan and the fantastic Eoin Morgan, so no depressing news, police dramas or sensory stimulation. How do I feel? Fantastic. You should try it. I might not be able to keep it up but for a few days it really is heavenly.

…….  or does it? Many of us get so hung up on size labels when, in reality, it’s such a waste of time and effort. Sizing has not been regulated since the 1950′s and our bodies have changed in shape and size dramatically since the days of Doris Day et al so use them as a guide and leave it at that.

A case in point  -  I bought a fantastic trench dress from the new All Saints flagship store on Regent Street a few weeks ago. I had tried it on in a fabulous chocolate brown thick silky material (almost like a raincoat fabric)  in my normal size 8 and had panicked about getting it off again. I seriously thought I might need scissors to cut me out of it as it was so tight round my shoulders and chest. The same thing happened with the size 10. I’m making this sound quite ordinary but it was a scary ( and very sweaty) moment I can tell you. I knew I had expanded around my middle but had I put on that much weight? Despite my confidence issues I still coveted the dress but the 12 was out of stock, so I settled for one in linen instead. For some reason the size 10, in a pale blue fabric, fitted me fine and looked great, albeit in a different way.

Weeks later, I was still thinking about the chocolate brown dress - always a sign that it should be in your wardrobe.  Having already checked it wasn’t available online, I was highly delighted when I saw it at half price in the Leeds branch this weekend. Not surprisingly, the rack was full of 6′s and 8′s (you’d need to be a twiglet to get into them) and one size 14. Yes, you’ve guessed correctly. That was the one I bought.  Bizarre but true. So forget size. It really doesn’t matter. What does make the difference is great fit and your happiness at finding something you love – which also loves you back.

By the way, if you are very small the online shop has reduced the 6′s and 8′s by a further 50% so a real bargain is to be had. www.allsaints.com   £145 dress is now £37.50

I’ve just returned from a long weekend break with Leisure Plan Holidays. I use them frequently, as they are SUCH good value for money and experts in the field of fitness and looking after yourself (but you can still have a drink!!) 

This particular break was at the newly refurbished Met Hotel in Leeds. I was astounded by the fantastic quality of service I was shown by EVERY member of staff. I know I shouldn’t be surprised as this what hotels are supposed to do, but it’s rare to find it these days. So I can heartily staying there. Some of the bedrooms have seen better days but the food in the Tempest restaurant is to die for.

So having been pummelled, oiled, soothed and reflexologied out I am content with the world AND also the great sale at All Saints, just down the road in the Victorian Quarter!!  More on that tomorrow.

http://www.fitnessfiesta.com/bodycare-breaks.php