Amanda | The Womens Room

Things We LoveFebruary 12, 2013

Tea and Cakes from Jo Malone (with Sugar & Spice and Earl Grey fragrances)

By Amanda

The Great British Bake Off has much to answer for, not least a this bakery-inspired limited edition fragrance collection from Jo Malone London, just launching for spring. Sugar & Spice consists of five scents, Redcurrant & Cream, Ginger Biscuit, Lemon… Read More

Middle Aged MumFebruary 10, 2013

Middleagedmum: more small things that matter

By Amanda

This week, youngest son turned 17. Now, everyone in our house is legally allowed to turn the ignition key in a car, although I am still wondering at what age any of my sons needs to be to voluntarily load… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 8, 2013

Hydrangea and bird prints from Nandinoo at Anthropologie

By Amanda

While we are on the subject of printed items (see yesterday’s ‘printed pencils‘) can I just mention these lovely designs from talented Manchester Met fashion graduate Nadia Izruna? I’ve been meaning to write about them since they launched in Anthropologie… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingFebruary 7, 2013

David Bowie Is, edited by Victoria Broakes and Geoffrey Marsh

By Amanda

David Bowie, at the V&A from March, join the queue. For those who aren’t planning to make a pilgrimage, there’s the book, available from the V&A bookshop exclusively, at £20.… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 6, 2013

Shay & Blue: new own brand perfume brand to cheer up February

By Amanda

One of the offshoots of doing all this fragrance research for the day job is that I get to pass the good stuff I found on to you and I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that… Read More

Things We LoveFebruary 4, 2013

Valentine chocolates from Hotel Chocolat

By Amanda

Hotel Chocolat is my new favourite place to hang out, the Monmouth Street store in Covent Garden does the best hot chocolate drink I’ve yet to try and while you warm your toes you can watch them making artisan chocolate.… Read More

Art & CultureFebruary 4, 2013

Blogging from the Tate Tanks for Silver Action with Suzanne Lacy

By Amanda

What an awesome day we had yesterday with Suzanne Lacy and her Silver Action art performance piece at the Tate Modern Tank space, where 400 women of 60 plus came together to have a huge conversation about their lives as… Read More

Art & CultureFebruary 2, 2013

Suzanne Lacy’s Silver Action project at Tate Modern

By Amanda

Tomorrow, Sunday 3rd Feb, we will be acting as recorders/witnesses at Tate Modern Tanks space for the awesome Suzanne Lacy and her Silver Action art performance. We wrote about Suzanne’s work with older women for The Crystal Quilt project here, … Read More

Home & GardenFebruary 2, 2013

The Ecobubble washing machine from Samsung… and a bear

By Amanda

There’s this new washing machine from Samsung, the Ecobubble, which washes at a very low temperature -15 degrees -using some new fangled way with bubbles and 70% less energy. Sounds impressive although ee haven’t tried it, but the company has… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 31, 2013

Galeria Loewe in Barcelona: more lux-leather heritage

By Amanda

Luxury leather brands are currently bigging up their heritage roots through fancy exhibitions, you remember the fabulous Hermes Leather Forever one we wrote about, it’s all about authenticating their origins to -in part- justify the hefty price tags attached. Well… Read More

Things We LoveJanuary 29, 2013

Ayate Exfoliating Cloth from Neals Yard

By Amanda

My friend Mary Rose gave me this cloth for Christmas and I’ve only just got around to really using it properly. It looks deceptively ordinary when you first see it, but when you get it wet and use to as… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 29, 2013

When did you last change your foundation? YSL’s Le Teint Touche Eclat

By Amanda

I’ve been desperate to try the new Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation from YSL ever since I heard about it. I am acutely aware I haven’t changed my foundation for yonks and the science of foundations has moved on big… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 27, 2013

Blackboard inspiration for the TWR office space…

By Amanda

For the last few months I’ve had the top left picture on my mood board for inspiration. I really love blackboards and things painted in blackboard paint, it seems such a useful idea on some bits of furniture. This bashed… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 25, 2013

Sale round up: Penelope Chilvers sale shoes and boots

By Amanda

I’m still unable to talk about spring clothes in January so I’m pottering around the sale sites to see if there’s anything worth drawing your attention to. I am rather taken with these lovely cheerful Penelope Chilvers Icelandic felt… Read More

Health & HappinessJanuary 23, 2013

Look after your skin in the cold

By Amanda

I don’t ski, I can’t see the point of heading to the freezing cold when the same money allows you to find sun and a beach or an interesting city to discover. However I do get that lots of people… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingJanuary 21, 2013

The Art of Scent 1889- 2012, by Chandler Burr

By Amanda

This is a slightly aspirational book suggestion here, as it costs approx £250 and is only currently available from the US. But with the book, which is produced to accompany The Art Of Scent exhibition at the Museum of Art… Read More

Middle Aged MumJanuary 21, 2013

Middleagemum.com: a word or two about diets

By Amanda

I refuse to talk about spring clothes with five inches of snow on the ground so while we are having a momentary fashion pause, I’m going to have a quick middleagemum.com rant about diets in January. Ever since time began,… Read More

Things We LoveJanuary 21, 2013

Guerlain’s Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash

By Amanda

For me, mascara is mascara is mascara, but I was sent this pretty one by the ladies from Guerlain and I am rather in love with it. It is really thick, like a lick of creamy set honey, which goes… Read More

Middle Aged MumJanuary 19, 2013

Middleagemum.com: ebay, lunchtime shopping for homeworkers

By Amanda

There are many, many upsides to working from home, far too many to list, but there are also things I miss about going into an office to a job. I miss the interaction with work colleagues, I miss long involved… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 17, 2013

Keeping cosy with tea, knitting and Woman’s Hour

By Amanda

I know everyone’s talking about spring clothes, but as I write this I am swathed in woolly jumpers and I have my Uniqlo heattech leggings on and the very last thing I’m thinking about is anything not made from a… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 15, 2013

Taking inspiration from Golden Globe winning Les Miserables…and Rundholz.

By Amanda

Even though I’m not really a musical sort of girl, I do think the new Les Miserables film looks good, partly because I love the look of the costumes and also it gives us a reason to put a picture… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 13, 2013

Sale Fairisle buys at Marilyn Moore

By Amanda

I’m not sure talking about snugly Fairisles sits so well after Jane’s post this week on the god of style David Bowie, but we are nothing if not diverse here at TWR, covering all tastes. This is what I bought… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 11, 2013

We love: Dents gloves -maker of those Mr Selfridge red leather ones

By Amanda

Did many of you watch the first episode Mr Selfridge on ITV this week? What did you think? As massive fans of Lindy Woodhead’s book Shopping Seduction and Mr Selfridge (Lindy reads our blog by the way, how cool is… Read More

Out & AboutJanuary 9, 2013

Best bargains with perfume sale buys

By Amanda

Last week I did something I’d never done before and actually didn’t think was possible – I searched for sale bargains in perfume. It is generally believed that perfume brands -particularly top end ones- don’t ‘do’ sale, as there is… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 8, 2013

Update on those Terra rainmacs

By Amanda

With so much rain falling in the UK and weathermen predicting more for years to come, can we justify investing in a smart rain mac? I think we can. The news of more wet weather coincidently comes just as I… Read More

Things We LoveJanuary 8, 2013

Bodhi rose facial oil

By Amanda

We’re fond of a good facial oil here at TWR, particularly if it’s a rose scented one and if you do nothing else to your beauty routine this year we’d advise adding a serum or oil to it (use before… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingJanuary 7, 2013

Embellished: New Vintage by Karen Nichol

By Amanda

We spotted this lovely book featuring artist/embroiderer Karen Nichol’s beautiful work in the January 2013 edition of Selvedge Magazine (a cracker by the way, it’s the Inspiration issue and it definitely does inspire). Karen has worked closely with the design… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 7, 2013

A few statistics on 40+ fashion shoppers

By Amanda

Last year was a better year for the 40plus female, we actually appeared to exist in terms of marketing. I know we’ve still got a long way to go, but marketeers are understanding that maybe not every female is under… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 6, 2013

Black and white from Margaret Howell

By Amanda

Black and white is a big trend for spring 2013, which is something of a joy as it’s a classic story that we can all pull off. Excuse the glare on the above photos but I wanted to show this… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 4, 2013

Clarks Winter Warmers, be prepared!

By Amanda

As I write this my camelia plant is flowering beautifully, the magnolia buds are pushing through and you could almost think that spring was close…..It’s so easy to think winter is over after Christmas, but of course it isn’t, not… Read More