Rouge Allure

Jessica Rabbit

Yesterday, at a visit to the hairdressers, I hit the bottle so to speak and decided to dye my hair red. Or rather re-dye my hair - I was born a red head, but have been obstinately dying my hair for years (much to my mother's despair) every colour from blonde to deep chestnut. However now it is time to go back to my roots (or at least a deep burnished copper version).

I love the fact that red heads have always been controversial. In history, red heads were feared-the fiery colour of red used to symbolise violence. Writers have portrayed red heads as strange or unnatural characters, for instance Mark Twain believed that whilst humans were descended from apes, red heads were descended from cats. And in the great Russian novel The Master and Margarita, the female vampiress, Hella, is a red head.  There is no doubt then that this colour will always make a statement, I think that was best summed up by this unknown quotation:

Blondes are noticed, but red heads are never forgotten.

I think I'm addicted.  Here are some of my favourite fellow red heads of the moment:

Tilda Swinton - actress

Vivienne Westwood - designer

Julianne Moore - actress

Lily Cole - model

Julia Johansen - model

Pandora Lennard - fashion editor/stylist

Taylor Tomasi - editor

....red hair looks amaze with: bright red lipstick; dark lipstick; pale skin; black and neutrals.....I am looking forward to experimenting with more new looks so watch this space!

Freckle Monster

As a child I grew up absolutely hating my freckles. I will never forget being absolutely devastated when the boy I fancied when I was 15 nicknamed me 'the freckle monster'. Teenage boys can be so cruel! My hope was that one day they would all merge into one giant freckle and I would look as though I had been blessed with the olive skin I had always wanted so much and that all my school friends seemed to have and take for granted. 'Freckles add character' my mother used to say, invoking a parent's favourite euphemism for anything their children detest! I did not want 'character'; I wanted conventional beauty in the form of an all-over caramel tan. My dilemma was such that I had a fringe cut to cover the dreaded freckles on my forehead and even considered having them removed cosmetically.

Thankfully however, I have learned to love these freckles of mine. I have just come back from a week in the sun, which brought out the freckles on my nose, cheeks and shoulders, and it looks like I have given hundreds of tiny kisses by the sun. The best thing is that unlike a tan, freckles can not be faked. As usual, mother you were right, my freckles are now a part of my character and I can't imagine life without them. Someone said once that 'A girl without freckles is like a night without stars'. I think it is one of my new favourite quotes!