Rainbow Avant Garde

When it comes to beauty, Japan is a zillion years ahead of us in the UK. Remember the hype last year when Selfridges started selling anti-ageing marshmallows? The Japanese must have been cackling into their sake - a beautifying sugar fix is nothing new to them. It's like someone calling Wine Gums innovative. Products-wise, beauty is more advanced and experimental.

But in terms of style, make-up and hair goes in a completely different direction. Subtlety is rejected while the avant garde is sought out and embraced. And to see what I mean, visiting the Barbican's Future Beauty exhibition is a must. Although it is primarily fashion-focused, the use of colour and shape is inspiring. After five minutes with the incredible creations on show you will want to shun this season's nude nails in favour of a hot pink or banana yellow.
In other news, this is Madina. She is friend of a super-cool Parisian journalist called Noreen I met on a press trip a couple of weeks ago.

We saw each other at an event the other night and Madina and I shared a cab to the east end. She moved to London from Cannes ten days ago, loves beauty and is working in a bar called Ruby Blue. She is currently reading a book called Le Gens. She says: "It's about different people's lives. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I like it, but I like to read very much."

Pure(ology) inspiration

Last night I attended the UK launch of all-natural hair-brand Pureology at the Soho Sanctum hotel in chilly London (total side note but it has the nicest loos I've seen in ages). As Ilamasqua is on the same street I turned up a little bit late with my mind on make-up but I wasn't distracted for long.
Jo Fairley, co-founder of Green and Black's and beauty journalist extraordinaire, was the guest speaker and after a bellini and some yummy canapes with the girls from Redken, we sat down to listen to her amazing story.
A choice quote was, "I always tell people to invest in their hair because you have to wear it everyday."
She also said a postcard she once saw picturing a man about to jump off a diving board had always helped her make decisions. It said, "If you don't do it, you'll never know what might have happened." Good philosophy. And as for the products, well so far so good.

I tried the Pureology masque this morning, which is enriched with shea butter and avocado. Technically is is best used on coloured hair to see the benefits but it can be used on all types to quench dryness and make tresses glow.It has the consistency of melting fudge crossed with butter and coats the hair like a dream. My hair is glossy and uber-smooth as a result and post-blowdry this morning my flatmate Lorna said it looks "like glass it's so shiny". Love a peer endorsement.

Once upon a time...

Fairytale and folklore have long been my favourite genres. Where else would an old lady be allowed to have a house made of hobnobs? And what other type of writer would let their protagonist potentially sleep for so long? Beauty should be magical, should make us imagine, should come from inspired minds rather than celebrity endorsement.

So, imagine my excitement at the Aveda Colour Roadshow when artistic directors revealed this season’s trends are based on Little Red Riding Hood and Marie Antoinette?

That combination of other-worldly recklessness and exponential decadence made me want to leave first just to get a headstart on backcombing my hair. Models in vintage Alexander McQueen sashayed down the catwalk showcasing huge hair-ups stained with flamingo pink and muted purple. 

Nonchalant tufts escaped the 3-D structures of candy-floss texture adorned with haphazard embellishments. Beautiful boys had dishevelled volume coloured with pale blue.

I sipped on my champagne and thought god bless Aveda.