The Fantastic Mr Ford

Over a sumptuous dinner at The Balmoral in Edinburgh last week, I was treated to my first taste of the sexy new fragrance from that master of the sexy fragrance, Tom Ford. Following the success of his Noir and Noir Extreme perfumes for guys, he has now created a feminine variation – though, as with many of Mr Ford’s scents, it’s as likely to be coveted by the opposite sex as by the one for which it was designed.

Tom Ford Noir Pour Femme is a floral oriental, with opening notes of citrus and spice, a floral heart of precious rose absolute, jasmine and orange flower and a sensual, warm base of vanilla, sandalwood and amber. As with the original Tom Ford Noir, it plays on the idea of a person’s duality: this one captures what is described as “the powerful assuredness” which the TF woman uses to turn heads, and “the vulnerable romanticism she keeps fiercely private”. Put it this way, it’s the kind of fragrance that will stop both men and women in their tracks – if they get close enough…

Tom Ford Noir Pour Femme (from £53 for 30ml) and Tom Ford Noir Pour Femme Hydrating Emulsion (£35 for 150ml) are on sale now. For stockist info, call 0870 034 2566.

The Nudes Headlines With Ms Moss

The most covetable mini make-up range this summer comes courtesy of my fellow 40something, the redoubtable Kate Moss. Her Nude Collection for Rimmel was born out of her experience and knowledge that nude shades can be sexy, demure, polished, pretty and pretty damn versatile – and her belief that there is a nude shade to suit every skin tone. The spectrum of nudes on offer in her bijou collection ranges from delicate pinks to rich toffee tones, via pretty peaches and cashmere beiges – in five new shades of the creamy Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipsticks (£5.49 each) and four new shades of Rimmel London Salon Pro With Lycra nail polishes (£4.49), the fab nail polishes which have a salon gel-like finish.

Enthusing about her chic and sexy collection, Kate (who is pictured wearing the Lasting Finish Lipstick #43 and Salon Pro #26 Bare Yourself) says: “I want every girl to feel great in her own skin and find her prefect nude. Make-up is all about having fun and experimenting with both natural looks and red carpet glamour. But, for this collection, I really wanted to go back to basics, so I have designed a perfect palette of nudes to suit everyone. I think we’ve truly got a shade for every Rimmel girl.”

The collection is on sale nationwide now; it’s joined by Rimmel London Lip Conditioning Balm by Kate (£4.49), a nourishing lip balm, on August 5.

O-yes-jon!

I’m just back from a fortnight on the Scottish coast. Usually, I go armed with all sorts of moisturising hair masks and detangling creams as the sea air invariably dries out the ends of my hair, turning it to straw. However, this year, I put all my (haircare) eggs in one basket – Ojon’s. And I’m delighted I did ..

Just before I went on holiday, I was given Ojon Rare Blend Infusion Shampoo (£25) and Ojon Rare Blend Moisture Therapy Conditioner (£23), and they turned out to be the A-team of holiday haircare for me – leaving my hair tangle-free, shiny and with well-nourished ends. The shampoo is unlike any I have ever tried as it contains beads of Rouge Oleifera, an anti-oxidant packed extract of the fruit which surrounds the Ojon nut (the cornerstone of the Ojon range) – and so felt like the haircare equivalent of an exfoliator, at least in terms of its texture.

The conditioner, golden coloured and very creamy, restores hydration by replacing missing lipids in the hair and sealing in cuticles. A blend of oils and butters, including shea, it looks set to replace my old Ojon favourite, the Restorative Leave-in Treatment for Blondes, which was discontinued some time ago – much to my chagrin!

Shades of Grace

If ever there was a poster girl for stylish sunglasses it was Grace Kelly, whose fondness for slightly masculine tortoiseshell shades – which complemented her blonde hair and fair skin, and looked as if they had been borrowed from co-star Cary Grant – became a hallmark of her classic style in the 1950s. She wore variations on those throughout that decade, when she wasn’t sporting her normal prescription glasses, which she was often photographed wearing  at events.What’s interesting about trawling the net for photos of Grace in her sunglasses is that she invariably teamed them with hats or turbans – not an easy thing to pull off with any degree of comfort as anyone who has tried to keep a straight sun hat while putting on sunglasses knows.

We may all love that classic Kelly sunglasses look, but she moved with the times and reflected changes in frame fashions, going on to experiment with variations on the cat’s eyes style which had been popular when she was  honing her signature look.

I’m not sure if the next pair are sunglasses or not (or if they are the same ones as shown above!) but they are certainly worth including as they show yet again how beautifully Grace carried off her shades and hat combo.
During the 1970s, she was occasionally photographed wearing fashionably oversized frames but these weren’t always successful; in fact, some of them are, surprisingly, real howlers. Still, if you’re the queen of sunglasses, there’s only one way to go – down! Here she is, pre-princess, in her still-inspiring signature style.