Pre-teen beauty

I was browsing products online and came across a slew of the things that I used as an American pre-teens, deseparate to get rid of my acne and get my hair and makeup to look a bit like the main character in (what I thought was the super-cool movie) Teenage Witch and a bit like Nikki Taylor. I was never going to look like either, but in my aspirational quest I used a slew of products that are still available right now, this very minute. Crack open those Stridex pads or that bottle of Loves Baby Soft. Just the slightest whiff will thrust you back into those awkward, self-conscious years as if you never left.

Buy back a slice of your childhood (unfortunately, I'm not sure if they're available to buy if you're not in the US. Also, we can't help changes in formula and branding, which is such a shame!): Stridex pads, Sea Breeze astringent, Clearasil Vanishing Cream, Jean Nate, Loves Baby Soft, Lip Smackers, Cuticura Anti-bacterial soap, Nexxus shampoo and conditioner, Buf-Puf, Wet 'n' Wild cosmetics

Le Labo launches in Liberty's today

Be sure to check out the amazing Manhattan fragrance house if you find yourself on Great Marlborough Street today. Their stand alone shop opens for business today.

The classic barber shop...

In London, there are a select few proper barber shops. Trumpers and Truefitt & Hill come to mind. But in New York City, especially on the upper east side, there are a plethora of classic barbers that seem to be packed with old and young alike throughout the early hours of the day. The interiors seem to look the same as they might have in the early years of the twentieth century with the smooth contours of the barber shop chairs, tiled floors and ever-present old men who meticulously cut hair and shaved faces with straight razors and an un-wavering hand, steadied from decades of practice. Even the candy-striped beacon beckons customers from the street, as fresh as the day it was erected. A bit Gatsby, a bit Mr. Big, we can't help but admire the classic barbers of Manhattan.