Shop of the Week: Topshop

I've been on the lookout for some plain, dark denim shorts that aren't cut-offs and unable to find a pair anywhere. They all have some form of vile embroidery or creepy 'distressed' patches. Finally tracked down a pair on the Topshop website, although I am a bit scared by the fact they're labeled as 'hotpants'. Am hoping they're just short shorts. Can't be doing with Jenny Lopez looking bum-cheek grazers. Popped a couple of sizes in my online shopping bag in the hope that one will work.

I have an issue with paying for postage and the site offers free delivery when you spend £100, so... I spent £100. To save £3.95. I'm assuming one or both of these pairs of shoes will be rank in the flesh and I'll be able to take them back. I'll be really cross if they're both keepers.

Hula Tassle Sandals, £28
Blue Denim Hotpants, £25
Velocity Heavy Studded Pumps, £22

Scarlett Johansson Gets the Chop

Scarlett Johansson rocked up to the Comic-Con International comic book convention at the weekend with a new choppy bob hairstyle. It's quite a drastic change from her usual long layers. I love the way she's always changing up her look. What do you think of this latest style?

Waitrose Christmas in July

Tis a rare treat for me to attend a press day, being based outside London. The last time I was in town I managed to pack in a couple of different events and a massage.

The Waitrose 'Christmas in July' event was staged over several floors of a gorgeous townhouse. Various goodies were packed into different rooms. Katy (makeupbykaty.blogspot.com) and I made a beeline for the beauty goodies, obviously. I've always thought that Waitrose have the best product selection – loads of gorgeous goodies from Tisserand, Weleda and Crabtree & Evelyn, as well as their own ranges.

Having smothered my hands in Cath Kidson Rose Hand Cream I asked the very talented manicurist, Giselle, to give me a speedy French Manicure. She did a fantastic job in double-quick time. I've never had a French mani before – it made me feel reet elegant and chic!

After Katy helped me to pick up my bag (nails darling!) we headed downstairs to what was essentially a Christmas feast. Every type of meat, cheese, savoury nibble, chocolate prune and delicious pudding you could imagine! Oh my goodness. If I hadn't been pretending to be unfazed and professional I would've stuffed my face.

We worked our way around the room, trying different cheeses, before hitting the desserts. A plate of four different treats was proffered (and snatched). The Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding from the new Heston Blumenthal for Waitrose range was absolutely lush – and I don't even like Christmas pud as a rule. Everything was delish but the Waitrose Seriously Raspberry Torte had Katy and I clearing our plates.

All of the Waitrose staff in attendance were so lovely, knowledgeable and friendly, they really made the event. If anyone is a fan of 'food porn' the Waitrose look book with all the different dishes we tried is here. Warning: do not look if you're feeling a bit peckish!

MAC Rodarte: the Power of Beauty Bloggers

SO FAR, SO CHIC
MAC has bowed under the weight of mass blogger protest and consumer horror, agreeing to donate $100,000 to 'a non-profit organisation that has a proven, successful track record of helping women in need and that can directly improve the lives of women in Juarez in a meaningful way'. They're also going to change the product names used in the collection.

We have a result. But is it good enough? I initially read the amount as pounds, not dollars (it's late and I'm tired!) and felt semi-consoled. However, $100,000 converts to just over £65,650. When Caroline at beautymouth.com tells us that MAC's number one UK outlet makes £86,538 a week. One shop! I'm thinking no.

MAC are no doubt trying to spin this publicity in their favour. I just hope that their customers have a long memory. I certainly won't forget the total absence of judgement and ethics that made this collection a reality; one that could have been sitting proudly on your local counter. Not one penny would have gone to the women of Juárez.

And it gets worse. The reaction from Rodarte is truly astounding:

'We recognise that the violence against women taking place in Juarez needs to be met with proactive action. We never intended to make light of this serious issue and we are truly sorry.

Helping to improve the conditions for women in Juarez is a priority for us and we are thankful for all the comments calling attention to the urgency of addressing this situation.'

Sorry, what was it they're doing? I think I missed it. Oh, that's right. Nothing.

Anyone who feels that MAC aren't doing enough, please sign our petition here. 

MAC and Rodarte: Taking Tasteless to a New Level

I wasn't going to include this picture in my MAC/Rodarte post as I really can't bear to look at it every day. But then I noticed the blue-red dribbles in the silhouette on the left. Is that blood? You probably wouldn't make the connection unless you knew the 'inspiration' behind the Rodarte Autumn/Winter 2010 catwalk collection shown in New York.

The Mulleavy sisters (the design duo responsible for Rodarte), inspired by a road trip from El Paso to Marfa, Texas, became interested in Ciudad Juárez, the troubled Mexican border town that boasts the title of 'murder capital of the world'. Escalating violence between rival cartels competing for governance of this 'drug corridor' into the United States has led to the murders of more than 5,500 people since January 2008.

After the North American Free Trade Agreement was established in 1994, 'maquiladoras' (Mexican factories that take in imported raw materials and produce goods for export) became commonplace in Juárez and other cities. Staffed predominantly by young women, conditions in these factories are often dangerous – the toxic chemicals used in manufacturing cause nosebleeds and long-term health problems – but, despite receiving approximately one-sixth of the average US hourly wage (Mexican labor must remain cheap and competitive to keep United States firms operating within the assembly plants), workers are still paid more than those in other sectors.

A brutal phenomenon known as feminicidios (femicides), or las muertas de Juárez (The dead women of Juárez) has arisen in parallel with the growth of both the maquiladoras and the drug cartels. Hundreds, possibly thousands of young women have been kidnapped, violently raped, tortured and murdered in Juárez since 1993; the majority of whom are young maquiladora workers aged between 12 and 22. Many of these women vanish as they walk to and from their factories at dawn. Despite the continual flow of defiled and mutilated female corpses, Mexican authorities rarely investigate the murders or succeed in prosecuting anyone. 

I know what you're thinking: this all sounds like the perfect inspiration for a designer clothing collection and subsequent makeup brand partnership. Well, you'd be right!  

The sight of the female maquiladora workers 'drifting' to work in the middle of the night gave the Mulleavy sisters the idea to build a collection around the (impoverished) sleepwalking women of Juárez and the 'ethereal nature of the landscape'. Because, god knows, a backdrop of violent gang wars, mass female homicide and worker exploitation is nothing if not romantic.

The collection was a huge success, the inspiration behind it mostly lost (the Catwalk Queen TV website gleefully described the 'touch of Mexican thrown in for good measure'), and Rodarte succeeded in comodifying the troubled lives of Mexican workers. They also failed quite spectacularly to use their obvious platform as a catalyst to do anything whatsoever about the manifold atrocities in Juárez. 

Estée Lauder-owned international makeup brand MAC have collaborated with Rodarte to launch a limited edition range based on their Autumn/Winter 2010 clothing collection. As of September, customers can buy lipstick named 'Sleepless' and 'Ghost Town' and nail polish called 'Factory' and 'Juarez'. This charming blood-streaked eyeshadow is called 'Bordertown'.

If this macabre collection is turning you pale, perk up your cheeks with a sweep of 'Quinceanera' – a blue-pink blush. Presumably the fact that Quinceañera is a ceremony held in Latin-American cultures to mark a girl's fifteenth birthday is a tasteless reference to the feminicidios killings; teenage girls often failing to make this seminal age.

In response to the calls of outraged bloggers and beauty folk, MAC have issued a statement (which you can read elsewhere) saying that they are sorry if the 'product names' have offended anyone and that they will donate 'a portion' of the proceeds from the collection to help the people of Juárez. I think they're rather missing the point. I am offended by the whole ethos of the collection, from its Rodarte inception to its MAC diffusion, not merely the product names. And I'm not the only one. Dozens of beauty bloggers have come together in unison against the tastelessness of the Rodarte collaboration. Click here for Tsunimee's rather excellent and comprehensive list.

Review: Hydrohealing 60 Minute Massage

As I sat on the train to London contemplating how the hell I was going to make my appointment with only 15 minutes to spare (as of course, my train was delayed), I couldn't imagine being able to relax and unwind once I hit the treatment table. Well, a taxi sorted the first problem; the second was remedied by a woman named Jane.

Arriving at hydrohealing Day Spa I was impressed with the set up. The reception was very light and bright, the staff were lovely, and after a glass of water and a couple of forms I was taken downstairs to the treatment room.

As soon as I was inside I knew the mad dash to the train and subsequent stress would soon be forgotten. The room was immaculate: tiled walls and floor combined to create a clean, professional space, while the bright white towels and comfy looking treatment table invited me to lie down and relax.

As Jane was about to begin the massage I enquired as to whether she could focus solely on my back instead of my whole body as advertised. She was completely obliging and immediately made me feel comfortable.

To the massage. Oh the massage! When asked what type of pressure I'd like, I said medium. You see, there was an incident a few years ago at The Randolph Hotel Spa in Oxford where I asked for a hardcore 'tension-relief' massage. Cut to me, biting the towel my head was balanced on and having to stop myself from swinging a punch at the masseuse as she repeatedly prodded the endless knots popping up from my shoulders like a colony of meerkats. Never again. I had no such problems at hydrohealing. Jane gently but firmly zoned in on all of my tense areas, gradually working them out with minimum discomfort, maximum pleasure. An hour flew by in what felt like five heavenly minutes and I was left to quietly get dressed.

I paid £20 for my hour-long massage as it was a Wahanda mobdeal. I'd say that was an absolute steal! If you're ever in the vicinity of Notting Hill and in need of a little pampering, I wholeheartedly recommend the hydrohealing Day Spa. They offer a wide range of treatments including their signature hydrocushion three dimensional massage, where you lie face up on a heated water pad while being massaged from underneath!