june favourites

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 This is where where I pull together my favourites in fashion, food, beauty and everything in between for the month of June. F A S H I O N :BDG Denim Duster Jacket in Blue - What a classic eh? Daniel spotted this for me at Urban Outfitters (he's good like that) and when I tried it on I knew right away that I should buy it. I've been wearing it as a second skin ever since. It goes with everything - summer dresses, jeans and t shirts, my current favourite - a stretch cotton pencil skirt and an oversized tee and it's equally nice with trainers, sandals or jellies. I like wearing it with the collar up.Cockatoo Comfort Bra and Knickers by Mimi Holliday - I have a bit of a thing for nice undies. I have always, since I can remember, liked things that come in sets. I also really enjoy a little bit of attention to detail here and there and feel a very good place to start with this is your knicker drawer. I couldn't recommend wearing nice pants more. My favourite label is Mimi Holliday, known for their beautiful silks and laces and their fantastic pops of colour. This neon set is right up my street right now.Nathalie Du Pasquier Kaya Tomato Print Tent Dress for American Apparel - One of my favourite pastimes at the mo is scrolling through Pinterest looking at and being inspired by the plethora of beautiful and colourful geometric patterns that illustrators are coming up with. You can imagine my delight when, in American Apparel last week searching for a summer floaty cover up, I found this perfect representation of all I'm loving in the illustration world in the form of a tent dress. It is perfection and I feel very happy when I'm in it. Huge bonus - it has pockets! B E A U T Y :Chanel's Les Beiges Healthy Glow Hydrating Lip Balm - I've been looking for the right lip balm for a while now. I've learnt that Vaseline tends to dry out my lips, so that's a no-go, and most things I've tried with a little bit of pigment in them have left my lips feeling tacky. So I've had my ear to the ground for recommendations for a really hydrating, creamy lip balm with a bit of a healthy looking peachy glow for the summer. Enter Chanel's Les Beiges Healthy Glow Hydrating Lip Balm. Chanel's new limited edition collection Les Beiges is all kinds of lovely. I now have my eye on the Multi-Colour SPF 15 / PA++ Face Powder in Mariniere No. 01Maybelline Dream Sun Bronzing Powder and Blush Duo - For the time being I'll be whacking this powder on my face instead. This bronze/blush duo is an absolute winner and super easy on the wallet. The larger bronze section works really well on my skin-tone for light contouring (although I'm still very much a beginner in this area) or all over the cheeks for a subtle sun-kissed bronzing. The blush is a particularly gorgeous pick me up pinky peach and the two combined give you that ready for the world, healthy looking complexion. You know the one.Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder Brush - I've been getting into brushes recently having not used them at all in the past and it's fair to say I'm converted. Having the right tools to do the job makes all the difference. This month's addition to my dressing table's brush pot is the Sheer Powder Brush by Bobbi Brown. She's great for brushes and this versatile powder brush pops things on in a pretty much invisible way. No cakey, powdery layers on the surface of the skin to be seen with this bad boy. I use it mostly for setting powder but it's an all-rounder, so good for bronzer and blush too. F O O D :Manolya's Helva Tahin Brownie - If you're a regular reader of this blog you may have seen my recent post, Manolya Bakes. Manolya Isik is part of team SMUG and bakes many of the sweet treats we serve in CAFE SMUG. She's recently been to Istanbul and bought back the most delicious halva. Luckily for me she used some of it to make up a batch of her helva tahin brownies a la Ottolenghi.Taste of London - Danny and I were invited to Taste by one of my favourite people in the world, Gemma Bell. Gemma has her own PR company gemmabell.com and she's the right person to knock around with at these sorts of events! We enjoyed delicious food expertly prepared by three of Gemma's clients (these also happen to be some of my favourite restaurants in London) The Clove Club, Koya Bar and The Modern Pantry. In my opinion the tastiest dish to nibble on while roaming around Regent's Park in the sunshine, was the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Pine Salt from The Clove Club. The Pork Belly from Koya Bar was a very close second though. Thanks Gems!Burnt Aubergine with Tahini recipe by Ottolenghi - Yotam Ottolenghi's second mention in this blog post. Can you tell I'm a fan? (And he's another one of Gemma's clients!) I made this dish for the first time ever last week for my parents and it went down a treat. It's great fun just burning the aubergine straight on the flames of your cooker top. Feels kinda naughty. Tastes utterly delish. The recipe is from my favourite cook book of all time - Plenty. O T H E R :Nike Women's 10K Run - This was absolutely a highlight for June and has gotten me back into running. You can read a little more about it in my post Fitness Files - June. Maybe I'll do the Hackney Half next year!?SMUG Turned Six - I'm so pleased with and proud of what SMUG has become and achieved in the last 6 years. You can read about the lovely birthday event we held in store and the new exclusives we launched here. Special props to Ruby Taylor and her amazing Fruity Portraits and to Sipsmith for all the Gin! I'm excited to see what we can manage in the next 6 years.