Cashmere Cardigans, Marriage & Single Mothers, Black Stereotypes on TV, Lymphatic Facials & Netflix Moments

I am writing this from the Wolverhampton to London train as I’m flying from City Airport tomorrow morning to head to Six Senses Ibiza for Alma Frequency Festival - an epic three day wellness retreat. 

This is the first time in a year that I’m not taking my Rimowa. I find the classic to be a little clunky these days so I’m going to experiment with a hold-all...

I’m having a beauty top up today because my feet, nails and lashes are in dire need to care. Last week I managed to get a haircut at Bleach Brixton and a facial with Lead Aesthetician Fatma Gunduz at Skin & Sanctuary in Spitalfields. I‘ve been seeing her for years now and her eye massage just drains all the puffiness from my face. Fatma just has the magic hands.

Fatma she uses her 25+ years of skin health experience to create a fully personalised facial. I have a facial once every 3 months as the weather starts to shift. This month I needed to rehydrate from all the travel and air conditioning and get some lymphatic drainage from all the alcohol, so I had a Bespoke Facial at Skin & Sanctuary in Spitalfields.

Next Sundays newsletter is going to be my epic Beauty Black Book but for now, my girls at Skin & Sanctuary have offered my wonderful newsletter readers an epic discount! You can book a Signature Facial at 50% off (normally £160, now £80) using my code below!

Book your facial up to January 31st 2025. One per customer! Run don’t walk!

My Monday Muse is Carmen Herrera a Cuban-born American abstract, minimalist visual artist and painter. She was born in Havana and lived in New York City from the mid-1950s. Herrera's abstract works brought her international recognition at 86 years old. She is proof that you can hit the big time at any time.

Feeling... that I totally binged on travel and now I don’t want to leave my house until 2025. I normally go away for Xmas as I get SAD in Winter, but I might just huddle up in my attic and write.

Eating... clean because one week of pasta and wine and Halloween sweets and I’m feeling gross.

Watching...  This weekend I was so exhausted that after my house admin and errands I pretty much stayed in bed from 4pm. I binged Beauty In Black which was the craziest piece of trash TV I’ve ever seen.  Obviously I know Tyler Perry by name but his first look deal with Netflix means that this is the first time I’ve watched his work and just WOW it was a madness. Strippers, drug dealers, “nappy head” babies, bitch CEOs, it was every Black stereotype you could ever imagine. I hated it, but also watched the whole thing.

Immediately after, I rewatched Zola (2020) to see a more artistic version of stripper dom. It's currently free on Channel 4. The Stack Community watched this when it was released at Curzon Bloomsbury and it was still as good the first time.

And then immediately after that, because I was thinking how I’ve never seen Taylour Paige in a normalish role, I watched Jean of The Jones (2016) which was a full circle antidote to Beauty In Black. In this debut by Stella Meghie, Paige plays Jean, a writer having some sort of existential crisis. She’s from a Jamaican all female family living in huge chic apartments in New York and the film follows the women’s love and lives. 

This has the artsy Black middle class intellectual feeling of American Fiction with a bit of Royal Tenenbaums vibe. I enjoyed it.

I drew a diagram of the above viewing…

Smelling... We had a new addition to the family this this week so I smelled of nothing. I always use quite a strong and intense scent and I’m always conscious of distressing a newborn by muddling up their scent profile. Plus they smell so good so I wanna inhale that. 

In my bath I am using Le Labo Hinoki Shower Gel which is the most perfumed body cleanser that leaves your entire bathroom smelling gorgeous. 

Wearing... All my autumn faves!!! 

Reformation recycled cashmere is actually really great. I was gifted a piece two years ago which is still going strong so I got this cardigan for winter. 

These dark denim hipster pants from Zara are like super thin cotton with an almost sweatpants like cut.

This bag from Isla De Gar is the most gorgeous green.

Patent Knee Boots always remind me of back to school dressing and these are mega comfy with a wide calf.

This ankle length winter coat from Other Stories been keeping me warm.

Reading... Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway for research on book structure.

Newsletters... Loved Tina Browns newsletter this week on Trump Rally’s.

Podcasts… Here’s what’s queued up in my Spotify for this week.…

Listening... It’s winter. I’m in Wolverhampton. The smell of Bonfire night is making me listen to all the Emo 90s songs I played as a teen, wandering the streets. 

Business 2.0… Netflix are allowing users to CLIP their fave shows and share on social. They’re calling it Moments and it makes total sense. Since the VINE (rip) days I’ve been recording the screen and on all my fave streamers, I can’t even screenshot my fave quotes. I’ll be using this A LOT! But what about spoilers? User Generated Content is still your best (sometimes) free marketing channel

Applying... For a Churchill Fellowship as I want to head to America and see how artistic communities are built. Wish me luck!

Talking... At Alma Festival, delivering two very intimate workshops around my book.

Thinking... How 2025 is just around the corner and if Kamala doesn’t win, what will the world look like? 

Have a great week!

Love SR