Christmas with Luxuria!

OK, I feel very guilty for neglecting my blog over the last few weeks, but things have been crazy at Luxuria HQ leading up to Christmas. I'm not complaining, but it has meant that i) I haven't been able to follow some of the fab blogs I usually read, ii) all my creative juices have been completed zapped in the manicness of the Christmas rush, and consequently iii) I haven't had any inspiration for my own blog.

So I thought I would share with you some of the things that made me smile at Luxuria HQ this week.



These have definitely proved to be our best seller for Christmas. They have been flying out the "cyber door". The most popular is the 3 stone ring although I personally prefer the 2 stone ring (but I know I am in the minority on this one).




I know these two versions of beautiful solid silver cuffs that we sell will be in quite a few stockings this Christmas. Needless to say that it has been mostly men that have purchased these over the last month!



A few luck ladies will also be receiving this gorgeous necklace on Christmas morning. This necklace is the most expensive item we sell in our boutique, and again all purchases were made by men (some lucky ladies out there!)




OK, no need to feel neglected chaps, as many lovely ladies have purchased these gorgeous solid silver cufflinks. I personally hate insects (especially wasps!), but these are really, really classy, yet with a modern twist.




Finally I'm just deciding which earrings to wear on New Years Eve? It's the night when "plain" just won't do; it's the night to be a Diva and proud of it! I'm still undecided though-what do you think?

OK, that's it for this week. I hope to get one more post in before I go off on my Christmas hols.Hope you are all enjoying the lead-up to Christmas and your shopping isn't proving too stressful.
Happy December Lovelies!!!!


(All items shown are available from Luxuria)

Simply Luxurious!

Please pop over to The Simply Luxurious newsletter where I am interviewed for the "Reader Spotlight". I gave my views on all things luxurious and had a really fun time asking the questions posed to me. I LOVE this newsletter and corresponding blog because at a time when "luxury" is something most people cannot even consider, it's a great way to dream. Shannon (the writer of both the blog and newsletter) always reminds us that luxury isn't only about living the "rich life"; it's more profound than that. Luxury can mean different things to different people. Her blog always has the most "luxurious" images;it's real decadence without taking out your credit card. I am always telling her what "blog envy" I have for her blog!

Pop over and see if you agree with my interpretation of luxury, and a BIG thank you to the wonderful Shannon for featuring me/Luxuria in this weeks newsletter.

Here's the link to the newsletter.
http://aweber.com/b/1xCZJ
Click on her image/button to the right of this post to go straight to her blog; you will not be disaapointed.

Brit designer Eli Spanning joins Luxuria!

OK, in amongst the excitement of our Facebook competition which is buzzing (we have nearly reached our target after only 3 days, so a second prize of Swarovski earrings have been added!) I forgot to mention that the wonderful Brit designer Eli Spanning has joined our boutique.

Her trendy bracelets are fabulous. So if "bling is not your thing", then you will love these.



All bracelets are made in cord and metal and come in various colors. If you don't see a color you fancy I can put your request into Eli, who will try and conjure up your color choice.

The design above also has two round discs which can be engraved for a small extra charge. These would make such FAB, and affordable Christmas presents.



As a special promotion, we are offering FREE SHIPPING on any Eli Spanning designs shown above from now, until Sunday 5 December. All you have to do is add the code: BLOG-ES to your order form and it will be whizzed to you wherever you are in the world!

Don't miss this opportunity to stand out from the crowd this party season.

Luxuria Facebook Competition!

OK friends up for grabs are these GORGEOUS Swarovski crystal earrings by Dutch designer Mieke. These are just perfect for the forthcoming party season and are in a beautiful gun-metal grey (Night Shade is the name!).
Can't you just imagine these dangling from your ears this Christmas or New Years Eve?

OK, all you have to do is go to our Fan page on Facebook and:
i) become a Fan (and leave a comment saying you are a new Fan).To become a Fan now all you have to do is click the "Like" button on our Page, or
ii) if you are already a Fan get your friends to become fans.
We need to reach 250 Fans on our Page by 23 November for a name to be drawn for the prize. If we don't reach 250 by this date, the earrings will be mine (and I know you prefer to have them dangling from your earlobes). We already have 99 Fans so we are nearly there; not many more to go.

So good luck and I hope I have the pleasure of sending the earrings to one of my faithful blog followers.

Renowned NY Designer joins Luxuria!!

Well, it's been a few weeks since my last post; life suddenly became super busy. But I am so excited to announce that a new designer has joined Luxuria. New York designer Victoria Tillotson's beautiful pieces can now be seen on our website (www.luxuria-jewellery.com)

Victoria and I connected by chance as neither of us have a typical jewellery designer background (both of us have academic/science backgrounds). I guess neither of us imagined that there would be another scientist interested in contemporary/modern jewellery.

Victoria's designs have been showcased in Allure, InStyle and Lucky magazines, as well as adorning the earlobes of a very famous MTV Diva!!!!

She is also the author of 'Chic Metal-Modern Metal to Make at Home' and has contributed to many other jewellery and jewellery making books. Now you can understand why we are so honoured that she has joined us.

Just take a look at some of her gorgeous earrings (all are available from Luxuria).



Silver hammered double hoops with 12 sparkling gemstones in rich purple Amethyst and black streaked tourmalated Quartz.



A sparkling cascade of 5 hammered silver mini squares, accented with a faceted Aquamarine stone. Earrings are 3" (7.5cm) long.These would look fab at a Christmas celebration/party. One of my favorites!!!


These earrings are absolutely DIVINE, and so unusual.Gorgeous hammered silver with Iolite gemstone.


These are the "famous" MTV Diva earrings!!



I am definitely buying these. They are hammered into an organic pomegranate shape (perfect for Fall/Autumn). Gorgeously
discreet enough to wear during the day without looking like a Christmas tree.


So there you have a sneak view of Victoria's designs. More can be seen on our site, along with all the prices.

As a special promotion we are offering FREE shipping for any one of Victoria's designs,from now until Thanksgiving Day (offer ends on Thanksgiving Day)

Would love to hear your views on this collection.

The Drink of All Divas!

One drink that is always associated with decadence and divas, is Champagne (well bearing in mind Mariah Carey won't sing a note without a dressing-room supply, then you can see how this perception has grown.

Here's some more facts/trivia about the bottle we always love to pop when there is a celebration:


*Hip hop favourite Cristal was the first prestige brand created in 1876. P Diddy did his bit for the brands street cred when for his 29th birthday at New Yorks Cipriani, the bill for SIX free-flowing champagne bars was $500,000!

*The world's ritziest concoction is the Diamond Martini served at London's Sheraton Park Tower. For up to 4,000 Pounds (approx $6,500) a glass, you get a heady mix of vintage cognac, Champagne, Angostura bitters, a sugar cube- oh, and a loose diamond of your choice!



*Despite the recession, Champagne sales leapt by 14% in the UK last year.

*Legend has it that the champagne "coupe" (a shallow broad rimmed goblet) was modeled on the shape of Marie Antoinette's breast, using wax moulds.

*James Bond is portrayed as a frequent drinker of champagne. A count reveals 35 occasions in which he is portrayed drinking Champagne. I am surprised as I always thought his drink was Martini; shaken not stirred!



*A Champagne corks leaves the bottle at a velocity of approx.38-40 mph, but can pop out as fast as 100 mph!

*The pressure in a bottle of champagne is 90 pounds per square inch, about three times that in an automobile tire.



*There are approximately 49 millions bubbles in a 750ml bottle calculated by scientist Bill Lembeck. Wouldn't you have loved to be involved in the fact-finding?



*Marilyn Monroe is said to have once taken a bath in the bubbly. According to her biographer, it took 350 bottles to fill the tub.

*The average 120ml glass contains 90 calories and contains antioxidants that lower blood pressure.Compare to some calorie laden cocktails,what more excuse do you need to indulge?

So there you have it, some facts about the Divas drink of choice. Having put this post together, I can now confess I don't like Champagne!

What about you? Can you take it or leave it, or is it really your drink for celebrating in style?


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The Million Dollar Bracelet

A £3 million collection of jewellery once owned by Wallis Simpson went on display ahead of its auction at Sothebys.

The pieces chronicle Mrs Simpson's scandalous affair with Edward VIII that shocked Britain and led to the King abdicating in 1936 for the woman he loved.
Messages of love and support are inscribed on some of the items that also document Edward's brief period on the throne and his married life with the American.



The 20 pieces, many made by Cartier, were first sold in Geneva 23 years ago with a host of other objects owned by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as the pair were later titled.

Sotheby's will auction the collection in November but is exhibiting the pieces in London until September 29 before showing the items in Hong Kong, Moscow, New York and Geneva.

The objects are not only beautifully preserved, incomparable examples of the genius of Cartier in collaboration with the Windsors, but also pieces whose inscriptions tell the story of perhaps the greatest love story of the 20th century, the romance that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain.

Highlights of the sale include an onyx and diamond panther bracelet and a flamingo-shaped ruby, sapphire, emerald, citrine and diamond clip, both by Cartier and estimated to fetch up to £1.5 million each.



The jewels not only represent the height of fashion at the time they were made but give an insight into the life of the famous couple, and many pieces in the sale are dated and bear inscriptions of an intimate nature.

A diamond dress suite estimated to make £90,000 and made by Cartier in 1935 is engraved with the initials W and E and the inscription 'Hold Tight' - a phrase used by the Duke and Duchess in their correspondence during the abdication crisis.

The Duchess' favorite diamond Cartier bracelet, which supports nine gem-set Latin crosses, has one cross engraved with a reminder of an assassination attempt against the King - 'God save the King for Wallis 16.VII.36'.



The auction is estimated to make up to £450,000.

I trust we will ALL be going !!!



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Friday Jewellery Quotes

"You can always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you." (Audrey Hepburn)




"My husband gave me a necklace. It's fake; I requested fake. Maybe I'm paranoid, but in this day and age, I don't want something around my neck that's worth more than my head!" (Rita Rudner)




"I would rather lose a good earring than be caught without make-up." (Lana Turner)

Hope you enjoyed these quotes. Wishing all you lovelies a great weekend.


(All images are the property and copyright of Luxuria).

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If it's Good Enough for James Bond.........

This blog is about everything decadent (as the tag-line for our company is “Decadence for Divas”) and what more decadent a place than Monaco.
If you are from the USA you have Vegas. But if like me you are from Europe, then we have to settle for this little principality.

I have been to Monaco a few times, but the thing that strikes me is just how over-crowded and built up it is.

Here are some more facts I’ve gathered about the “playground for the rich and famous” :-

*Monaco is only about the size of Hyde Park (London), which is ony about 350 acres. Now you get a feel for just how small this prinicipality is.

*70% of people rent their homes in Monaco, including one of their richest residents Sir Phillip Green (owner of TopShop).

*the average rent for a “normal” apartment in Monaco starts at 25,000 GBP/ $40,000 or 30,000 Euros PER MONTH!

*A 4 bedroom duplex, facing the harbour will set you back 60M Pounds to buy. That works out to about 30,000 GBP/squared metre!

* 1.5 Million GBP will buy you 47 squared metre; basically a shoe box with no garden, or no pool. The most basic accomodation you can imagine.

*There are more millionaires per squared metre than anywhere else in the world.
There are approximately 2,000 Millionaires and 50 Billionaires currently living in Monaco.

*There is NO crime, and the papparazzi are banned from the principality.

*Every car licence plate is scanned and recorded as it enters Monaco.

*The streets are scrubbed clean every morning, and there is no graffiti anywhere

*40,000 workers from France cross the border everyday to work.



*Monaco is 6X the size of the Vatican

*It is the most densely populated independent country (as you can see from the photos)

*The Gran Prix started in Monaco in 1929,and is now broadcast to 100M people. It is now deemed the most glamorous Gran Prix in the world.

*Lets not forget the principle reason people move to Monaco; it is a tax haven.

* Jack Nicholson called Monaco “Alcatraz for the rich!”



So there you have it, some trivia about one of the most glamorous places in Europe.
If you could, would you want to live there in a shoe box simply because your postcode was Monaco? I’m really not sure I would. I think I would prefer to live just across the border in France and get more “bang for my buck!”
I would love to hear your views, and if Monaco is on your list of “Places to see before I die!”



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The Winner Is ........................

Dear friends I am SO pleased to announce our Giveaway winner-Nº16
Unfortunately I couldn't save the actual image from random.org (perhaps someone would be kind enough to tell me how to do it??)

Nonetheless, the lovely Sandy @ohhlafroufrou is the winner!!

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max: 24 Result: 16
Powered by RANDOM.ORG


Sandy, please send me an e.mail to:
vanessa@luxuria-jewellery.com, with your postal address etc

A HUGE thank you to all who participated. Don't worry if you didn't win, there will be another "Giveaway" in October.

Jewellery Giveaway Update!!

Dear Friends

as you all know our blog Giveaway ends tonight at 11pm (CET).
However, we have a small snag. I've just been advised that the earrings in our Giveaway are completely sold out in our boutique!! Good news for me, bad news for you!

Don't worry dear friends. I'm checking if the other color is available ( a beautiful Autumnal olive green), if not, another pair of equal value and beauty will be the prize. I will post the picture as soon as I get word from my assistant at "Luxuria HQ"!

Please accept my apologies to any of you that had your heart set on the purple. As soon as they are available again, I will run another Giveaway.

Fingers crossed for all of you!!

My Favorite Shop in the World (cont'd) !

OK, so in my last post I said I would give you some trivia and tit-bits about my favorite shop in the WHOLE world-Selfridges.
I used to pop in at least three times a week when I lived in London, and now I miss it like crazy. It's so true when they say you don't know what you've got until it's gone!!!I'm sure that phrase wasn't intended for a shop, but never mind.

OK here goes:

*Selfridges opened the world's first ground floor beauty department in 1910. Today, it has the biggest Beauty Hall in the world and sells 7,700 lipsticks, 2,800 mascaras and 1,000 nail polishes every week.Can you believe it is the biggest beauty hall in the world? God, how many times I walked up and down it not being able to find what I wanted. Now I know why?

*In 2007, Hermes created two exclusive Birkin bags in the Selfridges yellow - Pantone 109. More than 1,000 people tried to buy them!

* Years later, the British movie hit, Love Actually, included scenes filmed in the Oxford Street store in 2003.

* By 1966, 'Swinging London' was in the midst of its own youth revolution. Girls wanted short skirts and long false eyelashes - and Selfridges obliged by opening their own in-store boutique, 'Miss Selfridge'. I had no idea Miss Selfidge opened so long ago.

*The store's external décor to celebrate the Coronation of King George V1 in 1937 was said to be the most opulent for any building in Europe. It was certainly the most expensive with a budget of £50,000, which would be £1,250,000 today

*In April 2005, 77 Elvis Presley impersonators sang 'Viva Las Vegas' as part of the store's Vegas Supernova event - earning themselves a place in the Guinness Book of Records for being the most Elvis impersonators gathered in one place.

There you have it, some tit-bits about my favorite shop.
What's your fav shop/shopping experience (because shopping in Selfridges really is an experience!)


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Every DIVA's Dream!

My favourite store in the whole world (Selfridges) had a huge event last week. They opened their doors to the biggest shoe department in Europe (wouldn't you have loved to have been there). Just reading about it made me feel SO homesick.

Even Carrie Bradshaw could not have dreamed it up;35,000 sq ft of shopping space dedicted sole-ly (sorry!) to shoes.

It was unveiled on the eve of London Fashion Week.
Fashion royalty such as Vivienne Westwood were among the guests celebrating the London department store's new Shoe Galleries, where Paolo Nutini serenaded guests.

The vast space - which is bigger than Tate Modern's Turbine Hall - will showcase over 5,000 pairs of shoes from 120 brands, ranging from designer styles by the likes of Roger Vivier and Jimmy Choo, to collections from high street chains including River Island and All Saints.

Designed by architect Jamie Fobert, there are six different salons, each with a different look. In one, shoes are showcased like works of art on floating glass panes, appearing to float across the room. In another they are spotlit on long dark blue shelves.

And in anticipation of the shoppers likely to spend hours trying on the coveted designs, there is plenty of plush fuchsia pink seating.
The space will play host to 30 designs from labels including Balenciaga and Marc by Marc Jacobs, available exclusively to Selfridges.
There are 11 designer boutiques too, each with their own distinct style. The Chanel area is a recreation of Coco Chanel’s apartment, while the Christian Louboutin boutique boasts a red carpet and a trompe l’oeil chandelier.Can you imagine how wonderful to spend a Saturday afternoon playing about in Coco Chanel's apartment?

Ugg Australia hopes to inspire shoppers to buy its sheepskin boots with a chalet-style boutique, while Topshop's is the brand's first footwear department outside of its own stores.

The department even has its own restaurant, an outpost of French eatery Aubaine, should you run out of steam mid-shop.

Selfridges’ director of accessories, Sebastian Manes, said: 'The Shoe Galleries will be a new and exciting way to experience shoe shopping within one huge space.
'The new department will fit perfectly into the essence of what Selfridges is - a place where everyone can find something extraordinary to buy, from the inexpensive to the luxurious.'

Definitley a "pit-stop" for me when I go in December.

Next blog post I will bring you more fun facts about the fabulous shop called Selfridges.



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Friday Quote

"If God is the DJ, then Life is the dance floor, Love is the rhythm, and YOU are the music". (Pink)



To all the wonderful friends I met on my blog this week, here's to a weekend of dancing! Let the music play loud and strong.



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Oooh! You Smell Lovely.

"No elegance is possible without perfume". Coco Chanel

Do you agree and do you have a signature scent?

My signature scent has to be Diorella by Christian Dior. Why? My Dad's Accountant's girlfriend used to wear it. She was French, and she just epitomized everything that was gorgeous, glamorous and chic (when I was only 16!). She always smelled wonderful and I vowed I would use this perfume when I could afford too. When you are 16, that was a HUGE milestone.

It was in 1972 when this fragrance came out. Composed from a rather short formula by Edmond Roudnitska, it came as a female counterpart to his extremely successful Eau Sauvage: the masculine cologne that proved to be the most shared scent between the sexes in the 20th century. The heads at Dior soon saw that women who grabbed this magnificent, vivacious specimen from their boyfriends’ bathrooms would want a comparable fragrance to claim their own. And so Diorella was born exactly 6 years later, smelling as fresh as tomorrow.

What's your signature perfume? Do you even have a signature perfume or do you wear what you feel like on the day? Do you wear perfume if you are at home, or only when you go out?

Do tell us all your perfume secrets.

p.s don't forget to enter our 'Gorgeous Giveaway' if you haven't already.

So unassuming and yet......................

I used to pass this gorgeous town house every day when I lived in London 9 years ago. I never really gave it a second glance, although I always noticed chauffeur driven luxury cars waiting outside; but I still never thought twice about it, as it is quite common in this part of London.

However, with the introduction of Carrie Bradshaw and the gang, I now know that this very gorgeous townhouse is in fact the shop that all women revere. To say most women worship at this mans feet (feet is a big clue here girls!) is an understatement.

It is the gorgeous shop of none other than Manolo Blahnik. Surprised?

Here are some more facts and trivia that you may have not known:

*Jackie Onassis wore Manolos
*Madonna said his shoes were “as good as sex!”
*Princess Diana used to sit on the floor of his studio chatting to him while she tried on pair after pair.
*Sex and the City introduced his creations to a whole new generation.
*His father was from Prague and his mother was from Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands
*During the war his mother learnt how to make her own beautiful shoes with the help of an island cobbler.
*His parents wanted him to become a Diplomat and shipped him off to the University of Geneva to study Law. But he dropped out after his first forensic medicine class when he passed out on the floor at the sight of the corpse.
*One of his earliest creations was for Ossie Clark.
*His first shop was a tiny boutique in Old Church Street, Chelsea.
*He keeps one of each pair of shoes he has designed; 25,000 shoes are arranged in date order in panelled cupboards that fill up two adjoining houses in Bath. Wouldn’t you love to play around in that house for a day or two?
*He tries on many of his creations to ensure they don’t snap (a sight to be beholden!)
*His first “pop-up” store will open in Liberty’s of London which will not only sell his shoes, but also umbrellas, notebooks, cushions, silk scarves and drawings from his shoe archive.

So there you have it, some facts/trivia on the Saint of Shoes. If you are lucky enough to be in London to visit the pop-up shop, I SO envy you!


p.s if you haven’t already entered our ‘Gorgeous Giveaway’, do scroll down and enter. The winner will win TWO fab prizes.

Friday Quote

"And the day came when the risk to remain in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" (Anais Nin)

I dedicate this quote to all the wonderful people I have met this week via Twitter, Facebook and my blog, each of which has helped me blossom.

Happy weekend, may it be a weekend of "blossoming out".

Blog GIVEAWAY!!!

OK, I have bravely decided to do a blog giveaway. As I own a jewelery boutique, what better than to give one of our products.

So our giveaway is for the beautiful earrings (only) that form part of this gorgeous collection PLUS a $25 gift voucher to spend at our boutique (which will be sent with your prize)

OK, so here are the rules:

FIRST ENTRY:
Become a Google follower (plus leave a comment)

EXTRA ENTRIES:
(Don't forget to leave a separate comment for each of the following and an appropriate link/e.mail if you don't have a blog):
i)visit our boutique (www.luxuria-jewellery.com), and come back and comment on your fav item (who knows it might be in a future 'Giveaway').
ii)Tweet about this giveaway (my twitter name is @VanLuxuria)
iii)Follow Luxuria on Twitter and Facebook
iv)add me to your blogroll.

All really easy!

GIVEAWAY CLOSES:Saturday 25 September at 11pm (Central European Time= GMT +1)
NUMBER OF WINNERS: 1
RULES: Winner will be selected using radom.org and announced on Sunday 26 September
OPEN TO: World-wide

Good Luck!!!

The Diva we ALL Loved.

Our lives seemed to change forever when we met Carrie and Co.
What was it about Carrie that made us take her to our hearts?

Here’s some other facts about Sex in the City that you might not have known:

i)The tutu that Carries wears in the opening credits was nearly a Marc Jacobs slip dress.Producers initially didn’t like the tutu, but were forced to stick with it when traffic prevented them re-shooting the “bus-splash” scene. Now that tutu, will stay with us forever!
The ballerina tutu cost only $5 from a vintage store New York.

ii) The medicine cabinet in Carrie's apartment was first spied by Sarah Jessica Parker at a flea market shortly before filming began on the series. She and Matthew Broderick didn't buy it but reconsidered. When they went back, the cabinet was already sold to "some TV show". When she showed up for filming, the medicine cabinet was there.

iii) Manolo Blahnik delivered the truckload of shoes to the set of the latest movie because the sales of the Hangisi (the blue stain shoe that Big gave to Carrie when he proposed). Wouldn’t you have LOVED to have been there?
Being that I live in Spain (the birth place of Manolo) I think I will do a future posting on this great man; the ‘God of Shoes’ who I know we all pray too daily and think should be canonised into Saint Blahnik!.

iv)Cynthia Nixon does not have pierced ears. All of her earrings on the show were clip-ons. Sometimes the costume designers would send away earrings they liked to a jeweler to make them clip-on earrings.

v) From the very first season up to the 12th episode of the 4th season, in the opening credits, Sarah Jessica Parker's name was shown with the World Trade Center towers behind her name. After the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001 and the collapse of the towers, her name then appeared with the Empire State Building in the background. The same thing happened with the show's main title.

vi) SATC wouldn’t be the same without it’s cameo roles. More than 46 cameos appeared in the TV series. Scene stealers included Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus and Penelope Cruz.

What’s your favorite memories of SATC? What appealed to you about this series? Who is most similar to you of the 4 girls?
Would love to hear your comments.

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Every Diva Loves Lipstick

OK here's the deal. I LOVE lipstick. I haven't got my head around lip-gloss yet, as one gust of wind and my hair is subsequently stuck and smeared across my lips. So lipstick is still my faithful friend.

Here are some more "beauty by numbers":

13.2 BILLION :
is the number of British Pounds consumers spend on cosmetics and toiletries. If you ask my husband he will say 10 billion of that comes from our house!!

1770:
The year Parliament made lipstick illegal, declaring women who "seduced men into matrimony by cosmetics means" witches! Of course stuffy old "suits" always know best about cosmetics. Why do we never think to ask them??

19:
This is the century in which Eugene Rimmel invented the first ever Rimmel.
God Bless Eugene Rimmel! May he be canonised (well he's my saint).

5:
The number of lipstick shades the average woman owns.
A "conservative" estimate I would say. It's more like 5 per season or brand in my make-up bag.

1:
The number of bottles of Chanel No.5 sold every 30 seconds.
I must be the only woman on the planet that has never tried Chanel No.5.Freud would say this stems from some traumatic event that happened in my childhood-perhaps!

81%:
The percentage of British women who wear lipstick.
I often wonder if this number is greater or smaller in France and the US.

What are you thoughts? Would love to hear abut your favorite lipsticks. Or maybe you can't stand the feel of lipstick on your lips; maybe you're a "gloss girl".
Do share your make-up secrets; Diva's united by lipstick!!!!!!!


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Friday Quote:

"You can always tell what kind of person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you" (Audrey Hepburn).

Just been thinking, my husband has never given me earrings..........what does that say Audrey?



Earrings shown available from our boutique LUXURIA
Images copyright© of Luxuria

The Bold and the Beautiful.

A ring is the most symbolic piece of jewelery there is. It is a sign of love, a token of commitment, a public display of personal heritage etc. Also, it is just damn good fun wearings rings; as fake as you wish and worn with glee on any finger you choose (except the thumb, unless you are Phoebe from Friends!)

If you have small-boned fingers, then I am sorry my friends but you are unable to take anything too bold. If you on the other hand (like me) have joints and knuckles that can floor a heavy weight boxer, then you can think BIG. Your true love will have to compete with Richard Burton, and size in this instance DOES matter !

If your knuckles and joints can black out Rocky, then you can carry off wonderful jewelery, that may cost next to nothing, but still be real “Bobby Dazzlers”.

Nowadays any stone goes at any time of day, but too many rings on a finger detract from their individual beauty, and a ring on every finger is exceptionally tacky (note to Javier Bardem’s mother!!!)
One stunner is better than eight mediocre bands.

Rings shown above can be bought/ordered from our boutique.


Images copyright© of Luxuria

Friday Jewellery Quotes

" You can turn an absolute whore into a lady by just putting pearls around her neck"-
(Donald Brooks)

Just think Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's! Need I say more?

Jewellery: I'm feeling blue

Blue sapphires are evaluated based upon the purity of their primary hue. Purple, violet and green are the most common secondary hues found in blue sapphires.Blue sapphires with any amount of green as a secondary hue are not considered to be of fine quality.

Here's some facts/trivia about sapphires:

*So strong is the power of a sapphire, it has been said that a venomous snake put in a vessel made of sapphire would quickly die. Sapphires therefore earned the reputation as an excellent all-purpose medicine and were ingested as an antidote to poison
* Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gemstone given for anniversaries of the 5th and 45th years
*Sapphires are favored in the western world because their coloring is so sympathetic to the complexions of northern women. Just think of Princess Diana and her HUGE sapphire engagement ring
*In the Middle and Far East a sapphire is thought to be either extremely lucky or unlucky. Inconveniently, it is not until you wear it that you know which!
*The 423 carats (85g) Logan sapphire in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC is one of the largest faceted gem-quality blue sapphires in existence. Ooooh! Wouldn't you like to get your hands on that beauty?

Friday Jewellery Quotes

Usually by Friday I am drained of inspiration and imagination. So I have decided that Friday's will be quotation day; any quotes relating to our niche.

"Jewellery takes people's mind off your wrinkles". (Sonja Henie)

Jewellery: Long neck? Lucky you!

OK, here's the follow on from the previous thread. In the last post we talked about how no neck = no necklace (in most cases).

Today, we are talking about those who are blessed with a lovely long neck.
If you are lucky enough to have a long giraffe-like neck, then you can really make a bold statement with your neck- wear

Long necks look weak if circled by a thin choker, whereas these work perfectly for our no-neck friends. Women with long necks can carry off something much grander and over the top (without looking over the top). Just don't wear all your statement pieces together i.e big earrings, statement necklace etc, otherwise you will start looking like a walking Christmas tree!

A long neck coming out of a round neck top looks fabulous with a big chunky necklace at the collarbone.

Flat chests are also wonderful boards on which to rest a huge show-stopping piece that can reach as low as your belly button.

However, don't get too bold and wear lots of gold chains together; unless you are a rap star!

Jewellery: The Power of the Necklace

The beauty of necklaces is that they don't need to be heirlooms to lift an outfit from the bottom step of mediocrity to the highest echelons of a Best Dresser. Just look at at Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O; they both understood the power of a plain dressed teamed with a fabulous necklace.

However, be warned. If you have a short neck, squat face or big boobs, then necklaces should be one of the lesser items in your repertoire. Unhappily short necks, especially those with a hint of a double chin look terrible in necklaces.

Here's my guide list:

* Look at your neckline of your top to decided whether you should wear a necklace. Slash neck styles are "barred" from necklaces, so go for earrings instead.

*Big boobs cannot do long and dangly as the necklace becomes distorted as it hits the chest.

* Short necks are best entwined by delicate pieces that won't take up too much space between the chin and the breast.

* Sloping shoulders are best suited to necklaces that are fine and filamented with small beads; angular, architectural necklaces need a good pair of coat-hanger shoulders to carry them off.

*A short neck can give the illusion of being longer either wearing a very long necklace or a wearing a lariat. The lariat (which has two dangling ends) gives the illusion of length. They have an overall slimming effect visually on your entire look.

Finally never allow a pendant to disappear into a cleavage ravine!

Next post will be all about what necklaces to wear if you have a long neck, and no boobs!

Do emeralds make you superstitious?

Emeralds are thought to be unlucky because green is associated with bad luck in many cultures. I know my Dad always told me never to buy a green car as it was unlucky (but I thought that was just his "personal" superstition). But in ancient Egypt they were used as a healing some and believe it has a re-balancing effect on the psyche, even promoting clairvoyancy.

I'm off to ask my psychic if it's true!!!!