Bleach my hair beautiful

This is my friend, writer and trend forecaster Rachael Bridge. Usually she has baby blonde ringlets but recently she gave us all a super-dose of hair envy by biting the bullet and getting a pink dye job at Bleach in Dalston. Don't we all want to look like we've stepped off the set of Marie Antoinette a la Sofia Coppola?

The London salon in Kingsland Road - a pop-up inside WAH Nails - specialises in colouring hair using a rainbow-like spectrum and bold peroxide. If you want blonde highlights, this is not the place for you. But if you fancy dip-dying your hair aquamarine, it's time to make an appointment.

The colour fades out gradually over the course of a few weeks and Rachael's went from deep candyfloss to baby pink to a light rose peach. Although the shade changed, her hair still looked incredible. So, fancy looking particularly eye-catching this Christmas? Call Bleach. Or is 2011 the year you plan to change it up? Call Bleach. Having seen the results first-hand, I can vouch natural colour is so 2010.

Is it the woman or the rouge?

Perhaps it is because Charlotte Rampling is incredible. Perhaps it is because when you find the perfect red lipstick, it will make you look amazing forever. But looking at the actress herself in the latest issue of Glass magazine makes me want to slick on my rouge and curl up on a battered leather armchair. And, that's not all there is to see in the winter 'Secret'-themed edition. Photographer Bill Silano, artist Zhang Xiaogang and architect Renzo Piano also feature. J'adore.

In my stocking, part 5: The perfect last minute gift

After a brief hiatus due to a nasty fall on an escalator, The Literary Look is back with a last minute In My Stocking! Have you got all of your presents yet? I don't have a single one and am starting to get slightly worried. However, all is not lost because there is one key gift every lady will welcome: a beautiful scented candle. Winding down with a glass of wine and music after a hectic day, nothing soothes me more than lighting my Neom three-wick or a couple of Aveda alternatives. Enveloping fragrance from a burning candle is like balm for tired minds. It creates atmosphere and if you invest in a good one it will last for months So, here's my pick of the best scented candles out there. If you cannot figure out what to buy a loved one, any of this trio will most most welcome.

Complete Bliss - Morroccan Rose Blush, by Neom (£35). Not only has rose made a huge comeback in the scent stakes this year but the candle is made from vegetable wax and pure essential oils.

Holistic Silk's scented organic candle (£32.50). This divine jasmine and lavender fragrance will help you drift away into a world of your own, and its glass pot is a lovely little keepsake.

Amber-Spa Candle by Elemis (£25). Scented with vanilla, amber and mandarin this will be treasured by those who love a sweet scent fix.

Weekend beauty inspiration

From Vogue Japan...work those pale lips. Get the look with MAC's matte lipsticks in Honey Love or Pink Plaid and have wonderful weekend.

In my stocking, part 4: Fragrance by Organic Pharmacy

If I could have lived in any era other than this one, it would have been the modern period. I love the fashion, the literature and the art - as far as I'm concerned the girls of the 1920s-late 1930s got it right. And, if you know a special someone who's equally drawn to that Gatsby-inspired glamour look no further for the perfect Christmas gift for them. Organic Pharmacy's first range of fragrances evoke the modern age wonderfully. Not only are they good for the skin, the bottle is so Coco Chanel I feel like a Parisian flapper every time I take a spritz. This will be loved by the girl who still puts her make-up on at a dressing table wearing a beautiful kimono. Free from toxins, the rich quartet comes in Citron, Glam, Oriental Blossom and the currently revered Oud (£110 each). The latter is the ideal scent for heady winter's nights involving dancing, stockings and lots of red lipstick. 

And the perfect accompaniment? A copy of an F Scott Fitzgerald classic from the Penguin collection of art deco-inspired newly designed covers. Tender is the Night is the masterpiece everyone should have.

The cold weather isn't so bad...

The cold weather and I are getting on famously. Mostly because it facilitates my desire to wear my amazing fur hat Derek (as named by chocolatier Paul A. Young - I wanted to call it Coco, he said don't be stupid and thus a beautiful hat was christened a horrible name).

However, my enjoyment of the so-called big freeze goes deeper than its accompanying sartorial benefits. The drop in temperature means I can stay at home, curled up with a book and not feel guilty about the fact I'm missing something I promised ("I'll be there! I promise!") to attend.
And this is taking me beyond contentment, mostly because I'm re-reading my Roald Dahl collection.
Was there ever a children's writer with greater understanding of how to make you feel excited/ scared/ sore from laughter? You can imagine him penning every sentence trying to suppress giggles. At the moment, I'm tearing through his second autobiography Going Solo.
Dahl's descriptions of Brits in Africa and his own efforts to round up - upon instruction from the army - Germans at the beginning of the Second World War are priceless. ("I'm just the man who works for Shell!" he protests, having never been a soldier. "Don't let us down," says the ever-so-British sergeant.)

Yet the punctuating excerpts of letters to his mother remind you of the anxiety of separation and how precarious life was during WW2. Next I'm moving on to Revolting Rhymes (my personal favourite) and after that, Matilda - the only thing that put a smile on my face when I was living on a barge in Norfolk and had food poisoning.

After those two, I might pick up The Twits - although that particular story had a rather adverse affect on my childhood breakfast habits. The bit about cornflakes being stuck in a character's beard has resulted in a lifelong repulsion of the classic cereal.
The thing with books by Dahl is everyone has one they treasure. You can remember when you first cracked the spine, where you were and how you felt. Those books feel personal. Yes, you know millions of other people got to them before you, but it doesn't matter. Each reading feels magical.
And so, this is my prescription for the cold weather. Take a book - Esio Trot, Boy, The BFG - whatever one was your favourite. Add a cup of tea and a warm blanket. And enjoy a night of pure contentment in the literary companionship of the wonderful Mr Roald Dahl.

In my stocking, part 3: Rosy Beauty Balm by Andrea Garland

There are some treasures you know will delight a special person as soon as you see them and Andrea Garland’s range of beauty products for the face and body are some of these. In particular, the Rosy Beauty Balm is a gift that can only delight - original and beautiful.

Formulated using organic shea butter, hemp seed oil and jojoba oil, it softens and balances the skin wonderfully.
Meanwhile, sweet almond oil and vitamin E tone and moisturise and Rose Otto, Palma Rosa and Rose Geranium protect and nourish. Apart from anything else, it smells incredible and rose has made a huge comeback this year, so this will keep both skincare-obssessive and fashion-loving friends happy.

But the very, very special thing about this product is every balm comes in a specially sourced vintage tin that has been sterilised and lined.
Remember the beautifully coloured and antique-like tins your granny used to keep her buttons, needles and threads in? Just like that. And this is the present that keeps giving. Once the tin is empty, trained aromatherapist Garland will refill it for a fraction (just £12) of the original price (£38).

Everything is going to be alright

Last week my mum Isabel came to visit me. We wandered round London and had a grand old time.  She had a really bad cold but put on a brave face  like a good sport.
I was waiting for news that could be really good or really bad so - thanks to red wine - we were also able to pretend I wasn't in a state of teenage-intense angst.

Being very no nonsense and marvellous in general, my mum wouldn't let me get too self-indulgent and bought a very large hat to wear.

I like to think this was to cheer me up, but I do of course take into consideration the sub-zero temperatures and snow.

In between watching a gypsy band at the Royal Concert Hall and going to see a play, we went to the Tate Modern.

On a laissez-faire mission to see what there was to see, we started in the Poetry and Dream galleries on the second floor. A lot of the art was strange.

Most of it I didn't really understand without reading the placarded side notes. And some of it I just stared at without seeing it properly.

 My mum said: "I hate modern art." I said: "I wish we'd gone to the Tate Britain."

 

In my stocking, part two: Silk eyemask by Holistic Silk

One of my favourite scenes in Breakfast at Tiffany’s is the first meeting between Holly Golightly and Paul Varjack. He rings the doorbell, waking her, and she emerges from bed wearing a man’s white tuxedo shirt and a silk eye-mask. Oh the nonchalant decadence of it all! Ever since watching that film, a silk eye-mask has been on my wish-list. 

It's perfect for the lady who loves luxe and sleeping late after dancing til dawn. Enter the Lavender eyemask by the glorious Holistic Silk. Observe the rich colour. Imagine how soft it is to touch. Picture the joy on a particularly hedonistic friend’s face as they unwrap such a soother. Available in 15 colours, the product is offered with and without scent and comes beautifully wrapped in black and gold. It costs £36.00 and an additional festive gift-wrapping service is available. Dream a little dream…

Christmas rebel nails for those on a budget

Everyone in nails is in a state of delight over OPI's Shatter Top Coat, a product created in collaboration with Katy Perry. When applied over colour lacquer, the product splits to give the effect of a broken window. Dramatic? Yes. Eye-catching? Most Definitely. Will I be buying a bottle? You better believe it. However, at this rather financially difficult time when personal wants must be put aside to make sure there are presents under the tree, purse-friendly alternative versions with similar effects are always welcome. Ah, Barry M, aren't you a wonder? Instant Effects by the cheap and cheerful brand creates that same graffiti look for just £5.99. It only comes in black, but if you are looking for an antidote to festive red this has Christmas rebel written all over it. Paint it over a glitter polish for statement party talons.

In my stocking, part one: Style Me Vintage, by Belinda Hay

And so it’s Christmas time. Personally, I’m nowhere near going shopping. The funds don’t roll in until mid-month plus I like the pressure of a tight deadline –typical journo.

But if you’re in a pickle over what to buy for a beauty-obsessed loved one, look no further than Style Me Vintage by Belinda Hay. The book is a step-by-step guide to achieving the most wanted looks, from a Brigitte Bardot beehive to a Rita Hayworth curl.

And if anyone knows how to create amazing tresses from times gone by it’s Hay. Owner of The Painted Lady salon in Shoreditch, she keeps east end hipsters looking retro for a living. From nails to make-up, cutting to colouring, her stylists are seriously skilled and the salon itself is a unique little gem. 

Vintage styling makes it feel like visiting a decadent parlour from the 1950s, when as soon as the curlers were out and the lipstick was on you'd go straight out dancing with a highly unsuitable boy. Ideal way to spend the evening if you ask me... If you’re in need of a Christmas present, Style Me Vintage is the perfect stocking filler. And if you’re in need of party season glamour in the London area, pay a visit to The Painted Lady. Looking luxe has never been more fun.