Classy Lassy

By Jennifer Ennis

Am currently reading 'Classy' by one of my fave society writers, Derek Blasberg. A very humorous and tongue-in-cheek guide on how to determine yourself a lady and not a tramp. He has a fab witty writing style and the book makes me laugh constantly. It also has great images and illustrations and a nice collage of Derek and his famous bessies on the inside cover. Awesome.

A real treat.


ps. Don't feel that by reading his book, you are saying you actually need tips on how to be classy. I am justifying myself with my admiration for him as a writer. Just clearing that up.

Image from Amazon.com

Music: Top 5 of 2010

By Jennifer Ennis

Before anyone gets smart, yes this is a fashion and beauty blog. However as I am also a music fanatic I feel compelled to review my Top 5 albums of 2010. And I must stress this list is in NO particular order!

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Easily one of the most anticipated albums of the year, Arcade Fire's third offering did not disappoint. This band continue to amaze me and this has become my favourite album of their's. From the opening bars of title track 'The Suburbs' I knew I would just love it. The music throughout is beautiful and it is full of stand-out tracks like 'We Used To Wait', 'Rococo', 'Ready To Start', 'Suburbian War' and 'Sprawl II'. It didn't just excite Arcade Fire fans but critics and new listeners alike, and has topped many Best Album of the Year polls. Definately an album that lives up to the hype.

Favourite track: The Suburbs

Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown

I am pretty much biased to anything the Followill clan do, but I have to say 2009's Only By The Night slightly disappointed me. And by disappointed me I mean I don't listen to it very often. But with this album, they are more than back on track and it is my most-played album of the year despite only being released in October! This album will always remind me of living in London as anytime I have been travelling anywhere alone, it has been on full blast in my ears! It has a more mature vibe than previous records and has a great chilled out rock feel. The singles 'Radioactive' and 'Pyro' are particulary strong as are 'Pony Up', 'The Immortals' and 'Back Down South' which sees the family delving back in to their southern roots. A superb album and one I am very much looking forward to seeing live in Hyde Park in June.

Favourite track: Pickup Truck

Beach House - Teen Dream

Beach House are one of my favourite bands I discovered this year. I came across them on Twitter and with some extra cash on iTunes decided to purchase the new album Teen Dream. And what an absolute beauty! It has become my favourite relax, de-stress album. The lyrics and music are beautiful. It takes a few listens to truely appreciate the album but songs like 'Zebra', 'Lover Of Mine' 'A Walk In The Park', 'Norway' and 'Silver Soul' are anything but forgettable. It is hard not to list every song on the album! A great new find and one I hope to see live in 2011.

Favourite track: Used To Be

The Whigs - In The Dark

I have been a fan of Georgia band, The Whigs, for a long time now and they always had a college rock type band feel to them. However, this latest album in my opinion has projected them to the rock big time. Full of great bass lines, catchy choruses and amazing guitars, it is by far their strongest offering to date. Highlights include 'Black Lotus', 'Kill Me Carolyne', 'In The Dark' and 'Automatic'. I still play it all the time. I love their charisma and attitude too - they have tweeted me twice on Twiter don't you know! A fun band who deserve to finally be taken seriously now as a respected rock band.

Favourite track: I Am For Real

Best Coast - Crazy For You

Best Coast were introduced to me by one of my favourite magazines, Nylon. This California-based band released their debut album Crazy For You this year and I can't get enough of it! Defined as 'surf rock' the band have a cute, laid back and ridiculously catchy sound! Front woman Bethany's vocals stay with you and after just one listen, songs like 'Boyfriend', 'Our Deal', 'Crazy For You' and 'Goodbye' will be stuck in your head. I look forward to hearing more from them.

Favourite track: The End


So there is my Top 5... It was hard to narrow it down as it has been an exceptional year for music. Now I look forward to discovering more top music in 2011...

Images from Amazon.com

Elle UK Cover Girl: Cheryl Cole

By Jennifer Ennis

Could this be the most beautiful magazine cover Cheryl has ever done?

I love it - it's simple, it's chic and a lot more stunning than she looked on any X Factor episode last season. Also a reminder that she should ditch the red and return to her natural gorgeous brunette-ness.

Can't wait to see more of the shoot when I buy it this week.

For now, here is another similar-ish pic. What a beaut...



Photos from Justjared.com

Beauty Crush: Katy Perry

By Jennifer Ennis

She's. Just. Perfect.



Photo from KatyPerry.com

Mascara Mayhem

By Jennifer Ennis

First up, Happy New Year!

Now on to one of my favourite topics of discussion - mascara. As the proud owner of what I like to call 'subtle' eyelashes, mascara is my best friend and something I never leave the house without. My favourite so far is CoverGirl's LashBlast Mascara, a gem for less than $10. The downside is it's only avaliable Stateside and on eBay. Which is grand. But I am always on the lookout for a local gem.

So for Christmas, I was kindly given two new ones, starting with Lancome's Hypnose Precious Cells Mascara.



I always thought the name of this mascara was a bit daft, but Julia Roberts looks stunning and classy as ever in the advertisement. The idea is that the mascara magically boosts lash growth through nurishment of the cells. However, this hasn't really been proven since by many critics. But as a mascara I must say it is pretty damn good! It is my first non-waterproof mascara to wear for an age but I was pleasantly suprised with how it held the curl. It gave a lovely dark yet natural and fluttery look and was very long-lasting. I am going to give it a testing period of a week but so far I am impressed. It is easy to remove also.

Verdict: 8/10 (so far)

The next was Maybelline's Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara.



This mascara has intrigued me for a while now, mostly due to the decent reviews and general credability of Maybelline mascaras anyway. The curved brush is a bit tricky at first but I read that once you take your time, the effect is worth it. And I have to say yet again that this mascara is also pretty damn awesome! It give wonderful length, definition and curl. It really does look like I am wearing false lashes yet natural looking ones as I hate the 'clearly fake' look. It is long-lasting, smells nice and the purple tube is very attractive.

Verdict: 9/10


I have to say that while these mascaras have impressed me, they are still not perfect and have not replaced my beloved CoverGirl. The search continues.... but what fun it is!

Images from Lancome.co.uk and Maybelline.co.uk