A December Night on Charlotte Street

Snow falling on Charlotte Street. So pretty, I think.

Borough Market at Christmastime

Borough Market around Christmastime is just the best.

If you're not familiar with Borough Market, it's not only just a foodies' paradise, it's also London's oldest food market, established on the south bank of the Thames River when the Romans built the first London Bridge. For the past 250 or so years, it's on Borough High Street, conveniently close to my flat.

So last weekend, there I went. It's so quintessentially British. People are always banging on about how "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" were filmed there, but I like to picture a way more Dickensian time.

Some highlights!




I'm not entirely comfortable with this butcher's showy display, and I certainly don't envy the parents who have to explain to screaming children why they can't pet these pretty birds, but in any event, I thought it was worth a shot.




Brits just love their mulled wine. It's been at every Christmas party I've been to this year, and when it's cooking on a hot stove, it makes the whole room just smell incredible. I don't particularly enjoy it, though, much to my hosts' dismay. (Red wine gives me an insta-migraine.)



Look at all of these mushrooms! All I see are $$$, since every time I've bought a few exotic-looking mushrooms, I've been at least $10 poorer. But how strangely gorgeous are these?




Mmmm! This Mediterranean food stand reminds me of being in Turkey this past summer. The people behind it are pretty friendly, and they always insist on giving you samples of their yummy olives. Here I bought a tub of freshly made pesto sauce, as it's my beau's favorite. Trust me, the pesto likely smells and tastes better than any other pesto you've ever tried. You just need the tiniest smidgen to get the aroma and flavors going.




These people here are waiting for coffee. Seriously. Next!




At the end of my little trip around Borough Market, I met my friend L. at this place, Black & Blue, which has become one of our favorite meeting spots. It's a steakhouse, but we don't really eat there much. No, there we drink white wine at the restaurant's sturdy marble bar, sit in comfy, supportive cushion-y leather chairs, eat olives and cover a wide range of topics. It's heaven.

How to Pull Off Glittery Makeup

Last night I went for drinks with one of my former editors, the very talented A.

A. met me inside the candlelit Charlotte Street Hotel bar wearing a gorgeous tartan dress and even more gorgeous sparkly golden eyeliner. It was très festive, but completely casual. (The snow falling outside the hotel’s big paned windows made the whole scene just so Christmas-y.)

Back to the glitter eyeliner — I was so glad to see it. I’ve been championing glitter since I was a wee one, and as I grow older, I’m continually dismayed to see so many of my contemporaries throw the sparkly stuff by the wayside. Some of them I genuinely think feel glittery makeup is no longer age-appropriate. (BOR-ing!) Others I suspect fear they won’t be able to pull it off. Sad, because just looking at something sparkly puts me in a better mood. (Honk if you feel the same.)

I think the secret to making glittery makeup look covetable (and not insane) is really about the other products you wear it with. Whether it’s glittery lipstick, eye makeup, blush or nail polish you’re contemplating, balance it out by keeping the rest of your makeup super-casual. Why, take my friend A. for example.

Last night A. revealed the contents of her makeup bag to me — an exercise that tells you more about a person than a Proust Questionnaire — and she showed off a pretty neutral selection of au natural, fresh-looking stuff (The Balm Stainiac, MAC Lip Erase, etc.), complemented by the addition of the fabulous golden Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in (what I think was) Midnight Cowboy.

To get that pretty, ethereal look, A. had clearly used all of those nice neutrals, and then adorned her fresh-faced look by tracing the Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner along her top lash line. When you saw her, you noticed her pretty skin, smile and eyes, which were lit up by bright, shining, gossamer-like thread of teeny-tiny sparkles. She looked amazing, and she completely illustrated how glitter can be bold without being overwhelming.