Tag Archives: accessories

Hot on the Highstreet Week 221: SunGods

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Getting all your new summer wardrobe and accessories together can be a pricey business. Sunglasses rise in cost every year with brands like Victoria Beckham and Chanel charging well over £200 for a bit of plastic to shade your eyes. I always find my less valuable eyewear is more cherished as I can take them everywhere without worrying about sitting on them at the beach or losing them on a trip abroad. SunGods fill a huge hole in the market offering polarised sunglasses that are totally customisable, made from high quality innovative materials and built to last. Priced between £35-45 these sunglasses are affordable, so you don’t have to save up for a pair.

The young company started up last year noticing the trend for brightly coloured sunnies, and formulated a simple process so customers could customise sunglasses with their own choice of front frame colour, left and right arms and, most importantly the lens colour. A range of psychedelic and classic colours are available, and there are hundreds of options to ensure your glasses are one of a kind. After you’ve designed them, SunGods build them and send them asap to you. The frames are lightweight and comfortable so you can wear them all day wherever you are. The optically precise lenses block 100% UV rays  with an advanced polarise filter that reduces glare and scratch & impact resistant protection.

The classic style have been available since the start (they look like the Rayban Wayfarers but in much better colours!) I decided on a pair of Mavericks, the new shape (similar to aviators), with gold frames, pink polarised lenses and pink tips. Delivered within days, in a lovely black case with a microfibre cleaning cloth, it couldn’t have been an easier transaction. The sunglasses add attitude and personality to my summer look and are incredibly comfortable to wear.

SunGods will survive all your adventures and add colour and fun to your experiences… all without breaking the bank! I love my thoroughly modern pink pair and can’t wait to wear them on holiday.

Personalise your own pair now here.

www.sungod.co

Hot on the Highstreet Week 197

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Having my hair brushed as a very little girl was a nightmare. I have very thin hair but lots of it… easily tangled and painful to brush, a £2.99 plastic implement from the local pharmacy would just not do. Mason Pearson was a great option when my mum discovered this luxury brush brand, with thick but flexible bristles that are perfect for troublesome locks. Soon my younger sister and I both had one, an essential part of our morning routines. The Mason Pearson brushes are classic and traditional, and with no way to differentiate between brushes sibling squabbles soon became the norm too.

Let me introduce you to Rock & Ruddle, the lovely little company producing hairbrushes which solve all your hair problems. I met with the R&R ladies last week for chocolate and chatting at Rococo. Jackie and Alexandra met in their twenties when they were both working at L’Oreal. Years later they combined their knowledge of beauty and started Rock & Ruddle aiming to fill a noticeable gap in the market for a hairbrush that was both great quality and great design. The company began a couple of years ago after extensive research, and continues to thrive with stockists throughout the UK, though the main shop is online.

Visually they are very jolly with colourful and comical patterns and illustrations. Clare Mackie’s ‘Cats and Dogs’ design is particularly sweet. The pictures are printed into the plastic rather than on the surface ensuring the pretty pattern lasts forever. The hairbrushes are made in a traditional style with tufts of boar bristle. The natural bristle distributes the hair’s oil down each strand giving the hair extra gloss and shine. I really appreciated the additional nylon strand included in each tuft which gently separates the hair and detangles knots. The brushes are available in two sizes: Small (£20) and Large (£30). More reasonable than similar brands, but with loads more personality, Rock & Ruddle tick every box.

A thoughtful present for a friend, or a gift for mother’s day, the Rock & Ruddle products are a high quality and fun alternative to the boring brushes currently available on the British highstreet.

I have got a ‘thoroughly modern’ bright pink brush which I love. Buy a beautiful brush here.

Sophie Gass, Holland Park

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Every girl needs a local manicurist for a last minute beauty fix. In Acton I found Nara, in Holland Park I have Sophie Gass, a fabulous little nail bar on Ladbroke Grove.

Sophie Gass is a brilliant Holland Park ambassador, working in the centre of this West London area and enjoying all it has to offer. Whilst my toes were being pampered by her best therapist I picked her brains on the best things to do in the neighbourhood. At only 26, this girl has impressive ambition, discovering a gap in the market, she opened an affordable and stylish nail salon just a few months after quitting her high-powered job in the city. With an assortment of unique clothes, lovely jewellery and tempting accessories, it is also the ideal place to pick up a party frock or last minute gift.

I went along for a luxury pedicure and was amazed by the precision and care of the treatment. My feet were soaked, exfoliated and moisturised, my toenails were filed and cuticles were trimmed ready for my Essie colour of choice.

The salon is bright and airy, designed simply but with indulgent touches. Each reclining chair has a nearby iPad for your use and new monthly magazines are scattered about to occupy you while your feet are being pampered. When my bright blue nails were done, I tip-toed around the venue trying on the beautiful brightly coloured dresses and smiling at the sweet cards.

This is the highlight of Ladbroke Grove, and my favourite new hang-out in the neighbourhood. I can tell I will be spending a lot of Saturdays in Sophie Gass.

More information here.

www.sophiegass.com