The Weekend Wrap-Up #7
Claudia sparkles on Strictly, London lights, panettone-scented candles, and the Fairisle moment in the new John Lewis Christmas ad.
Happy Saturday! How can we be halfway through November already?
The MBE will be here to help you de-stress, feel energised and keep glowing over the coming weeks.
I’m SUPER-excited to say that this Tuesday, celebrity hair colourist to Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, and Kate Moss, among others (and not all of them called Kate), Nicola Clarke at John Frieda will be talking to the MBE about helping midlife hair shine. In our exclusive interview, Nicola will share ways to freshen up your hair colour for the festivities, too.
As the weekday post is for paid subscribers only, if you’re thinking about an upgrade (also unlocking the entire MBE archive), now’s the perfect time!
Claudia shines on Strictly✨
What better way to kick off The Weekend Wrap-Up than with Claudia’s sparkling look at Blackpool for Strictly tonight?
Her dress is by Italian label Taller Marmo. Love her sleek pony, too—GORGEOUS!
London is on festive form already—the angels are twinkling overhead on Regent Street, and Fortnum’s iconic Advent Calendar windows are illuminated.
We caught the Covent Garden switch-on in a glittering and packed piazza on Tuesday. Luke Evans, a Save The Children ambassador—forever Gaston in Beauty & The Beast—hit the button (see video, below).
If you’re in the neighbourhood, there’s a Jo Malone London pop-up in the piazza, with a spin-the-wheel to win goodies, and Christmas gift ideas, running until 24 November. And while you’re in WC2, the Chanel beauty boutique is looking magical, and the queues outside the Charlotte Tilbury store on James Street—a few doors down from Tiffany—were lengthy, even by late morning when we were there.
Are things looking festive where you are?
I’ve been transfixed by reels of the Rockefeller Christmas tree arriving in New York City this week …
More festive scents
Having covered 10 of this year’s best Christmas tree-scented candles this week, a PANETTONE-SCENTED CANDLE fell into my basket in Waitrose this week.
We’ve whipped through a few actual panettones here already—bought early for friends who drop by, but ripped into because, say, it’s 4pm and raining—so this should last longer. Of course, it’s SUPER-sweet, with a soft, buttery note and a hint of candied fruitiness. Does it fall into the novelty category? Absolutely. And it has a great throw for its modest price tag.
I’ve just spied there’s an Acqua di Parma version.
Speaking of scent, a (woolly) hat tip to for flagging up two new winter limited editions in the M&S Discover range, on Notes this week.
They’re still in-store (often by the checkouts, with testers) at £10 a pop. Frosted Vanilla is definitely my favourite—it’s got real depth, smells way more expensive and I could still smell it on my skin a couple of hours later.
I was back in M&S midweek, because I’m still trying to be A Fairisle Jumper Girl.
It’s just not happening, however much I WISH IT WAS. Each time, I end up looking like someone on the cover of a 60s knitting pattern, rather than THIS:
THE sweater of the season also gets a cameo in the new John Lewis Christmas ad, which dropped on Thursday.
Amazingly, we now have MBE friends reading from 48 countries, so just to back up: the British department store’s Christmas TV ad is a festive institution, getting its own media screening and guaranteed divided opinion in the press and across the socials on its annual November release.
In this year’s ad, The Gifting Hour, our Fairisle-d protagonist, Sally, makes a last minute dash into the store to shop for her sister’s Christmas gift. (In case you haven’t caught it, no spoilers—click to watch below).
It’s definitely different, and I loved it (a nod to Narnia! John Lewis at Christmas! FAIRISLE! It’s this one, and not surprisingly sold out online). The ad was secretly filmed overnight at the landmark Oxford Street store.
Midlife style in the wild
She’s just a girl, in a hot pink cardigan, having her hair styled by celebrity hair stylist Serge Normant.
Nicole Kidman strikes a pose for Vanity Fair, with an MBE favourite, Gucci Westman.
And, behind-the-scenes on the same shoot, hair stylist Adir Abergel waves his magic styling wands.
Olivia Colman rocks an MBE-pink COCKTAIL JUMPSUIT, billed by Telegraph Fashion team as “this festive season's most sought after item”.
“Resolutely more modern than an evening gown, it was as close as a jumpsuit can ever come to being one, simultaneously marrying comfort and elegance,” said the Telegraph.
Love!
Thanks so much for reading, and clicking 💗 below posts, to help spread the MBE love. See you on Tuesday, for our exclusive interview with Nicola Clarke, the colourist behind the red carpet hair colour of so many MBE favourites.
Have a lovely rest of your weekend!
Olivia Colman in that jumpsuit! She is gorgeous, but it's not just that - it's acknowledging that you don't have to be tall and skinny to look glamorous. Love it.
I'm not sure how I feel about the John Lewis ad - I like the idea but am not sure they nailed it for me!
Oooh, I love Olivia Coleman and she looks fabulous! That icy blue dress on Nicole Kidman is a stunner!