All Things Considered #10

Skin trouble, flat searches, things I'd buy, links to read

Hello! If you’re a new reader, All Things Considered is a recurring series and a fridge picnic of things I’ve seen/bought/saved in recent weeks. It’s a medley of life updates, current fixations and the recommendations I send to my friends.

Let’s talk about skin

I’ve just started writing this at 2:30am because I’m at my most focused when everyone else is sleeping (I should probably move to Australia where I’d truly thrive as a morning person). It’s annoying to be this way, but the bodyclock wants what it wants, and I come from a bloodline of female night owls.

I’ll set the scene for you…

I’m horizontal on the sofa with my laptop on my belly, wearing Loop earplugs (so I can comfort-watch Wicked and muffle our neighbour). I’m dressed in a soufflé-light If Only If nightie because it’s 28 degrees in here and the laptop is doubling up as a portable heater.

Two months ago, we spontaneously spent £160 on this Meaco pedestal fan, which felt annoyingly expensive for an object I’d rather not look at, but in a country where aircon has not been embraced, it completely saved our bacon this summer. It’s cooling yet super quiet, so it won’t keep you awake – we rave about it to everyone. Anyway, that’s a few feet away, doing the lord’s work.

My hair is clipped off my face because I’m at the tail end of a mystery rash on my forehead and a flare-up of perioral dermatitis on my chin. For a week, I’ve been using a combination of azelaic acid (good for improving texture), followed by my go-to skin saviour: Avene Cicalfate (highly tolerable and soothing). They’re both affordable and, unless it’s a total coincidence, they’ve definitely calmed the situation.

My skin can be a bit of a prick in general – it’s spot-prone, congested, reactive, pigmentation-prone and dehydrated, all at the same time. I’ve spent a lot of money over the years trying to improve it, but I’ve still never found a product or combination of products that has made it look substantially clearer, more hydrated, or more even in tone. I also haven’t tried a sunscreen that my skin gets along with. I was using Heliocare oil-free gel to avoid sunscreen-triggered acne, but it makes my skin so dry. We’re back to the drawing board on that one…

For the past couple of years, I’ve used a gentle cleansing milk and moisturiser (both by Dermaviduals and safe for my sensitive skin), and that’s my entire routine, which feels woefully minimal for my age. I once tried to introduce retinol, and it took months to slowly repair my skin barrier afterwards. I also tried radio frequency earlier this year, which is well-tolerated by most skin types, but of course, my face looked like a pink and flaky gravel drive for a couple of weeks.

Despite all this, I want to try microneedling for pigmentation – I have a cluster of conjoined freckles above my upper lip, and I’m just not about that moustache life. I’m also interested in laser for sun damage and the thread veins around my nose, but it’s expensive and – frankly – I’m scared! We’ve all seen that SATC episode. I did find it insightful to read about Emma’s Fraxel laser experience, though.

If you’ve had a salon treatment or invested in a gadget that’s been the holy grail in skin texture or pigmentation improvement, I’d love to know what it was?

I’d usually dig out my rarely-used LED mask to help calm an unexplained skin reaction (I bought the award-winning Light Salon mask that everyone seems to rate highly, but for me, it feels like it’s crushing my average-sized nose). Thing is, I lacerated my eyebrow in an accident four weeks ago, and now I have an unnecessarily lumpy and red zig-zag of a scar because the hospital was slapdash when glueing it closed. I’m worried about antagonising the delicate scar tissue, so if you happen to be a dermatologist, please feel free to weigh in on whether LED might help or hinder the healing, or if it's too soon to use it?

I’d prefer the Dermalux Flex device to the mask I have, because it doesn’t touch your face at all and it’s more powerful. Alas, it’s £2000, so that’ll have to stay on the wishlist. Anyone tried it?

P.S. Googling reviews for those masks is how I discovered there’s a whole subreddit for red light therapy. Love a niche deep-dive!

The flat move saga continues

OK, so the most preoccupying topic in our household is still the need to move. If we’re not talking or thinking about flats/houses/areas/budgets/commute costs, then we’re both scrolling through Rightmove, sitting side by side on our laptops.

We made an offer on another rental flat in Barbican (rejected, once again), and then we missed an affordable dream rental by the sea, near Rye. It looked like a little Hamptons beach cottage, with views for miles, a smart green dining-kitchen with a skylight, a pitched ceiling, a garden, and two bedrooms so we could WFH.

We booked a viewing but couldn’t make our slot because the once-hourly train from London was cancelled, and hiring a car last-minute would have been over £100 for a few hours, so we decided to reschedule. That same afternoon, I had a bad cycling accident and ended up in A&E, and the following day, my boyfriend came down with Covid and a throat infection. When we finally felt well enough to rebook our viewing, another couple had put a deposit down that morning.

The Sussex beach house that we missed out on

I have to hold on to the belief that the cancellation, accident and illness were fate telling us the cottage wasn’t meant for us, but we really loved it, and we’re not seeing anything else within our budget that feels right. We check every new listing in London (and surrounding counties) every day, which takes hours and leaves us feeling deflated and rudderless.

It would be far easier if I didn’t care so deeply about home, but I do.

A recent suggestion has been to follow the well-trodden path of many a Millennial before us, and temporarily move back in with a parent in our thirties to save for a deposit on a small flat or house outside London. It would be a door out of the rental circus, but we’d have to move to Doncaster (not a handsome place – think vape shops and Bargain Booze) for around six months.

For my boyfriend, that would look like a four-hour round-trip commute to London twice a week, which is doable but quite expensive, and I would be more or less stuck inside, as nowhere is walkable from the house, and I can’t drive. Still, time goes so quickly that I imagine six months could feel like three?

When I was up north visiting family three weeks ago, and bearing in mind I’m not far off middle age, my dad marched into my dark bedroom at 8:30am and woke me up with ‘Eleanor, you should be up and dressed by now! It’s half past eight!’

I can feel the potential teenage regression from here, but realistically, it’s the only way we’ll get on the property ladder. We’re still mulling over the importance of that, and I do worry how my mental health might fare after being isolated in a house that was never my home, far from friends, but it would be silly to exclude it as an option when it would be for a relatively short time.

A flat in Chelsea Studios, available to rent via Thirzie Hull

I’m sharing the superb flat above because 95% of what I see in London is either in appalling condition, a featureless box, or it could be great, but it’s been grey-washed from top to bottom. This is in the other 5% – it’s a characterful one-bed flat in Chelsea Studios, Fulham, currently available to rent via Thirzie Hull (she’s about as stylish as estate agents come and her properties are always design-led).

I only came across Chelsea Studios for the first time recently and – despite its proximity to the football stadium – I’m fascinated by the idea of living there. It was designed by artist and sculptor Mario Manenti as a haven for artists and creatives, and it’s inspired by Florence, but to me it looks like it belongs in California – especially the gardens. This flat isn’t right for us as the kitchen isn’t functional enough, and the bedroom doesn’t have enough storage, but objectively, I love it, and the space with the marble floor under the skylight is very special.

If I’d had the foresight to search there a couple of years ago, we could have rented this two-bedroom cottage. With clever styling and some replacement carpet, it’d be giving Richard Curtis film house. As a lifelong sport-hater, I’m quite curious to know how noisy Chelsea Studios is on match day…

*This post contains some affiliate links. I only recommend what I’d buy (or have bought).

I just bought these Burgundy Adidas SL72 trainers – an exclusive colourway for ASOS – and I am fanatically happy about the wine colour with the green trim and crochet stripe. They make you sign in to add them to your basket, which is weird, but we do what we gotta do. I wore mine today with my favourite green ribbed ankle socks from Alex Mill, and they were an absolute vibe together.

Sorry, I know it’s annoying that (almost) everything I like is expensive – it annoys me too. Anyway, I’ve taken a fancy to this checked Comme des Garçons men’s jacket. A few stockists have it on sale, but there’s a size small here and at £379, it’s the best discount I could find. If you’d need a medium, there’s one here on Mytheresa for £401.

This simple oversized canvas bag is the perfect colourway, and the strap is long enough to wear it over your shoulder. It’s a reasonable £37 from Arket men’s dept, but it’s constantly sold out online. According to their website, two of their three London shops have stock, so it’s worth keeping an eye out if you can get to a store!

Another very good fabric from Studio Ashby – a soft woven check that looks particularly good on this ottoman. It’s quite pricey at £230 a metre, so probably one for cushions, headboards and upholstered tops of footstools and benches.

I finally understand why everyone loves 90s Pinch Waist jeans by Agolde! They go with everything, they’re straight but not too slim, and they come in many washes. My hips are around 10-12 inches wider than my waist, so waistbands often gape, but these fit really well. I went for my usual size, not realising the waist would relax a lot with wear, and in hindsight, I could have gone down a size. They’re pricey at £310, but they’re often on sale (the black colour is currently).

Stainless steel coupes have been omnipresent for a while, but I love ice cream, choc mousse, rice pudding, trifle, etc, so there’s no problem here. The taller stem and fluted edge set this one apart from other coupes at this low price point (£9.99).

This striped alpaca jumper is in Toast’s new season menswear collection, and I love the grungy vibe. My boyfriend tried it on and it looked excellent, but this is very much my colour palette too, so I will 100% be borrowing if he buys it.

I came across Gazar on Instagram, and she makes some really beautiful vases and lamps. I’d go for this large brown ceramic number as it will never date, and no one would be able to guess whether it was old or new; it just looks great without being identifiable, which is always ideal. It’s €550, but quality lighting is always worth investing in – choose well and it’ll carry the whole room.

I struggle with round-toed Mary Janes in summer; I love them on others but they never feel quite right on me. I don’t often like to wear sandals, so a squared-toe espadrille flat like these leather-lined numbers from Castaner could be a sweet spot for holiday packing. They’re currently on sale for £91.

For a special event, how elegant is this full-length silk dress from Doen? The draped neckline and sleeves are a total knockout. I think it’s stunning. It’s £531 to buy in the UK, so FYI it’s cheaper to buy in the US. Undoubtedly more than I would have ever spent on a dress before, but I would if the occasion was worth it.

I probably share Liffner bags far too often on here, and I still don’t own one because I’m too indecisive, but there are at least five styles of theirs that I’d use to death. The large bucket bag is a current fave (I love all the colourways), but I’m also very partial to the idea of their smaller woven top-handle bags.

On two occasions in the past week, I’ve been at chic London restaurants that use the Odeon model of Bauhaus-inspired cutlery by David Mellor. Both times, it reaffirmed my love for its classic shape.

I don’t often shop on the high street for homeware, but this cotton bedspread has been on my radar for a while. I’d use it in a tiny, cosy bedroom with rich, earthy brown walls and wardrobes painted in a matching gloss. It’s £189.99.

I tried this mac in Soeur the other day and it went straight on the wishlist. Pale coloured Viscose wouldn’t have been my first choice for a coat as it’s so slinky and fluid, and I’d worry about marking it, but the movement and drape were undeniably good – it felt great on. It’s £500, so it is punchy, but if you’re less spill-prone than me, you’ll wear this forever. It’s generous, so I sized down to a 34.

The annual rewatch of Girls

I binge-watched seasons 1-6 of Girls this week (Too Much didn’t hit like I’d hoped, so I rebounded to a classic). Here are some things that I think about every time I watch it from the beginning:

• I get glassy-eyed with nostalgia at the soundtrack, particularly the Dancing on My Own scene with Marnie and Hannah.

• No one but Adam Driver could have been cast as Adam; he’s superb.

• I now bristle at Jessa telling her ex-boyfriend that 38 is ‘old, like a mum’. When I watched it for the first time in my mid-20s, I would have agreed that 38 was old, like a mum.

• Marnie’s painful office karaoke for Charlie truly paved the way for Kendall’s rap in Succession.

• If I were playing any character on the show now, I’d want to be cast as Adam’s troubled sister. Or Marnie’s mum.

• But if I were to identify with the personality of anyone on the show, it’s probably Ray, the concerned, pessimistic coffee lover.

• I’d love to be as body-confident and fine with my own nakedness as Hannah.

• I want to learn the dance routine from Marnie’s weekend in the Hamptons.

• Charlie is hot in The Panic in Central Park bottle episode. Sorry, but he is.

• Fran is such a red flag in sheep’s clothing.

• The amount of boyfriend swapping for one friendship group is off. the. charts.

• I always regret watching the finale. The casting of Hannah’s child is puzzling. The penultimate episode felt more like an ending imo.

The other thing we’ve been binge-watching is Fargo, having somehow never seen it before! Season one was excellent, but two and five were true perfection. Three would have been better if Ewan McGregor hadn’t spoken in his Scottish accent half the time. Four was fine, but it didn’t really feel like Fargo at all.

I obvs watched the AJLT finale and can’t bring myself to comment, but this post by Vicky Smith summarises my feelings perfectly.

The audacity of the SATC theme music at the end! You can’t soften three seasons of utter tripe with a bit of nostalgia. That entire screenplay should have followed Epcot’s contribution to the finale and gone straight down Miranda’s loo.

A few other links and things:

• Do you subscribe to Interesting Facts emails? I love reading obscure tidbits, such as J was the last letter added to the alphabet, and the sharks that live for 400 years.

• And if you like Interesting Facts’ emails, you’ll like History Facts, where I’ve received gems such as why we have middle names and 5 facts about England’s Elizabethan era.

• This hilarious summary of Brooklyn and Nicola’s vow renewal is why I love Substack.

• I plan on doing this today – ‘How to discover what you’re actually good at - 12 points of pleasure at work’

• I’ve been feeling increasingly bad about pigeons. We domesticated them and then abandoned them. I read this, among other things, and now I feel guilty.

• ICYMI, I wrote this note about my auntie’s near-death experience, when she received a message from beyond the grave. Her telling of it made me cry in a garden centre.

• I interviewed Utah-based boutique owner Kyong Millar about the renovation of her English-inspired holiday home in France for a House & Garden story.

• I love how previously over-polished heritage fashion brands are getting more creative and fun with ads. The new Baby Dior ‘Diorlings’ vid is perfection.

• I found this piece interesting as it explores what I’ve been realising when pricing up staying in London vs leaving. That is, leaving can actually make the cost of living more expensive, not less.

• In the past week, I’ve tried the £40 ‘Scratch’ set menu at Spring at Somerset House and the River Cafe’s newer, smaller Cafe (next door to the OG). On both occasions, they were excellent and much cheaper than the a la carte menus at the main restaurants, even though the experience felt much the same. I thought the set menu at Spring was especially brilliant for the amount of food you get. Both were PR invites, but there was no request for me to mention them here.

• My friend Martina Casonato interviewed me for her podcast, and as per, I went straight in with the oversharing and buzzkill. It was quite a serious one about rejection, work and mental health, so I’ll share a link once my cheerful chat is live! Also, whenever I’m asked for recommendations, my brain wipes itself clean like an Etch A Sketch, so when Martina asked about my favourite Substacks, I forgot about 80% of the ones I wish I’d mentioned. If you hear it and think I surely meant to name-check yours, you’re probably right!

Substack is getting busier, and it’s hard to keep up when there are so many brilliant things to read, so I really appreciate you taking the time for mine.

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E x

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