All Things Considered: September edit

Shopping saves, a new hotel opening and cake attacking my face

Hello! If you’re new here, All Things Considered is a monthly medley of things I’ve seen, bought or thought about over the past few weeks. There’s no set formula but they usually involve multiple pairs of trainers, low-brow TV, things I love but can’t afford, a minor personal gripe and at least one lamp, but hey, I am who I am.

Every month, at least one post is available to everyone, so this is free to read regardless of subscription type. These round-ups take me ages, so please consider a like or a share so my work can reach a wider audience. My most personal and time-consuming writing is reserved for my paying community, without whom I couldn’t afford to keep this Substack going, so thank you as always to that small yet majestic group!

We’re already a week into October (wtf) and this is September’s round-up, so without further ado…

Skin behaving badly (I’m blaming cake)

Don’t have the image source but this is what my face believes is happening…

My skin is seriously peeved and I’m feeling the same. Earlier this year I worked with a brilliant facialist who came highly recommended (Anna at Arc Skin), she patiently helped me get my spot-prone, reactive skin and perioral dermatitis under control and I’ve sabotaged it all because I can’t say no to a cinnamon bun.

We identified my triggers as stress and excessive dessert consumption, which isn’t surprising since I’m an overthinker who’s never more than a few feet from cake. I cut back on puddings, introduced more vegetables and only used the gentle skincare Anna recommended – I also diligently declined every facial I was offered just in case the products triggered a reaction. My skin was the clearest it had been in months and we were building up to introducing a mild retinol and microneedling (to help with texture and pigmentation). Alas, in early summer I fell off the wagon when my mood hit a low and I’m back to daily brownies, cakes, doughnuts and very few greens or goodness of any kind. It was all going so well…

My forehead and chin have been plagued with stubborn cystic spots for a few months and three of them hung around for so long that they’ve left small holes. I’m gutted as my collagen production isn’t what it was, so I know they’ll scar.

One of the cakes I obsessed over last week, it’s from Ottolenghi and the cream cheese frosting has me in a chokehold

I say this with a heavy heart but I need to cut down on the bakery visits. I just have to. Yesterday, for example, I got up early and walked 16,000 steps, getting home just after lunchtime with the aching hip joints of a pensioner. Sounds like a positive start but all I’d eaten for walking fuel was a pear galette, a banana loaf cake and a pumpkin doughnut – three of my five-a-day wrapped in a shroud of sugar and flour. On the way home, I’d also tried to buy a custard slice as I’m back in the depths of a vanilla custard obsession and what’s a fourth cake when you’ve already had three?! My boyfriend coaxed me out of the bakery, thank god.

I’ve been fortunate with my metabolism so I’ve never worried about my body shape but when I think about my insides and my beige diet’s invisible impact on my organs, arteries, joints, gut health, brain, teeth, energy levels, skin ageing (sugar has been scientifically proven to damage collagen and accelerate ageing). Well, it’s just not good, is it? I’ll never be a steamed veg and chicken gal but our dinners can’t remain limited to ready meals, pizza, pasta and beans on toast. And I cannot keep getting by on sugary treats in place of breakfast and lunch. I know it, my stomach cramps know it and my skin definitely knows it.

I think the first step is making sure there’s something nutritious in the cupboards, so I won’t pop to the coffee shop on the corner (the perils of living in central London: dopamine-boosting pastries at your fingertips). The second is to invest in a smoothie maker, so we can cram loads of greens, good fats and other mystery goodness into a liquid breakfast. Any tried-and-tested recs? Our kitchen is tiny and we don’t have a dishwasher, so bonus points for ease of use!

Red woven leather dining chair, £905 from Traba’ at Artemest

I was searching for a totally unrelated vintage Italian dining chair and Google Images served me this woven leather beauty. Expensive yes but it’s timeless – I love the simplicity and the shade of red. This is the kind of piece that makes a so-so room sing. You can also see it in situ in the banner image for this post.

Brown trainers with suede patches, £49.99 from Zara

I quickly tried these the other day when I was in a rush and not meant to be shopping. I think they’re a good shape, a great colour and fairly priced, plus the suede patches are genuine suede and not some shiny imposter microfibre.

Oscar coat, £645 (left) and Berlin coat, £645 (right) from Soeur

I spent about an hour in Soeur a couple of weeks ago trying every coat in the shop. They have so many good ones! My favourites were the Oscar (left) and the Berlin (right). The Berlin is a bit of an awkward colour tbh – it looks dark grey in some lights and an odd teal-ish green in direct sun. The cut is perfection but it’s definitely an investment buy and I don’t buy coats often, so I’m still debating whether I can deal with the colour…

Nautilus onyx necklace (left) £599 and Woven hoops silver chain necklace (right) £642 from Le Sundial

This is a jewellery brand I came across on Instagram and I don’t actually have much to say besides I love their silver shell earrings and necklaces, plus their chunky silver necklaces look pleasingly attention-grabby. They’re not an impulse buy but you could wear some of their more versatile pieces every day and you’ll keep them forever, so the cost per wear isn’t too bad.

Saltmoore hotel in North Yorkshire - opening rates from £225

As a northerner, I’m particularly excited about the long-awaited opening of Saltmoore next month – it’s just outside Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast. If this hotel was set in the Cotswolds or Somerset, it would be a great opening to add to an already strong pile but in the north of England, there’s a limited selection, so this feels big! There are only a few images online at the mo but it looks very promising and I can vouch for the beautiful setting. If you’re quick, they have an opening offer on the room rate. I need to use it to book a stay for myself!

Oak and metal desk, £459.99 from Zara Home

Zara Home is killing it atm! I haven’t seen this IRL to speak on the quality but I like the look of it. That simple oak top and metal legs, oof! Quite spen for the high street but then isn’t everything these days? I’m still in shock after going to my local M&S the other day and noticing that the old £10 Dine In offer that used to include wine but no longer does has gone up again to £15. Whatever next?

Studded leather belt, £59.95 from Massimo Dutti

Massimo Dutti currently has a very decent leather belt selection, all circa £60. They’re not all as wannabe Khaite-ish as this one but you know what, I don’t even hate it and I usually like my belts as fuss-free as possible.

Painting by Anyaa Dev Lenczner at Wondering People - coming soon, £POA

Wondering People is one of my favourite places to browse online for art and photographic prints as their taste is generally very aligned with mine. I spotted this on their Instagram today and I love it. It’s by artist Anyaa Dev Lenczner and it’s not online yet but it will be soon, so keep an eye out if you’re keen. The colours! The forms!

Navy blue wide leg cords, £87 from Arket

I bought these high-waist wide navy cords from Arket about three weeks ago and I’ve barely had them off my body since. They’re so comfortable and they get me out of a pickle when I’m going somewhere too nice for jeans. Cannot recommend them highly enough! I bought a UK 8 and they fit my smaller waist/wider hips proportions well with no waistband gape.

The Little Prince Sequinned Mary Jane flats, £150 from Flabelus (or £135 with a code for signing up to their newsletter)

There are various brands selling unstructured fabric Mary Jane flats with recycled rubber soles but I have a particular soft spot for Flabelus. Theirs have a thicker sole than some of the others, so they feel especially bouncy and slipper-like. I don’t wear heels but sometimes an occasion calls for more effort than Converse, so a heavily sequinned lilac shoe seems perfectly reasonable to me. These come up small so size up by one.

Lundy Pull handle on left, £63| Eggardon handle on right, £63 both from Our Shop at Albion Nord

If you don’t know Albion Nord, they’re an interior design studio but they also have an online shop selling a mixture of antique finds and their own designs. I can’t even remember why I was on there but look at these little handles! I especially love the one on the right.

Tingere striped linen tablecloth, from £350 at Cabana

Do you know that Cabana Magazine isn’t just a mag, it’s also an online shop? They always have great table linens and I am SO into this stripe and its colours. Yes, it’s punchy and I probably can’t be trusted with food around something this nice, but I think I’d likely always keep it on the table as a permanent decoration.

Lyra II plaster lamp, £870 from Alexander Griffin at Wondering People

Another one from Wondering People. I think the large and small lamp bases in the picture have already sold but the mid-size on the left is still available. It’s made from plaster and I think the shape is excellent. A work of art in itself!

Atomic floral navy knitted cardigan, £295 from YMC at Harvey Nichols

I went off YMC for a while as their knitwear was leaning heavily towards acrylic, which is not my vibe, but I spotted a few nice things the other day and they were mainly or all wool. I don’t feel drawn to florals as a rule but I loved this cardigan. The small was a perfect fit and the weight is good – heavy and could act as an alternative to a light jacket in this in-between stage.

Red patent horsebit Mary Janes, £755 from Gucci

Can I afford these heavenly patent Mary Janes? Absolutely not but I could happily pop them on top of a wedding cake and just admire their loveliness. Practical heel height too and so elegant!

Gustave rechargeable table lamp, £370 from Flos at Mytheresa

I first spotted these Vincent Van Duysen for Flos rechargeable lamps in the window of The Conran Shop in South Kensington (RIP) and made a mental note to buy one for my Vitsoe shelving, where there’s no height for a bigger lamp. I can’t decide which colour I’d choose. The green is great but ultimately, I think I’d go for silver or glossy brown. It looks huge in this photo but they’re actually neat little things. Ideal for a kitchen island or dining table.

Framed plain cotton canvas, 100x71cm, £85.99 from Zara Home

I need to do a whole separate post just picking my fave things from Zara Home because there were far too many things to narrow down for this email. I’m going with these for now as I think they’re so clever and practical. They’re wooden framed canvases, left plain so you can pop the canvas out and decorate them yourself (if you’re brave enough to put paint to cotton) and then, ta-da! A unique piece of art on canvas for much less than it would cost to buy a painting and frame it yourself. I actually think I’ll have a go with one of these myself!

Bronze Adidas SL72 OG £85 from End Clothing | Black Adidas Gazelles, £95 from Net-a-Porter

I know I keep saying I’m sick of seeing Adidas trainers everywhere and I am, but they keep hooking me back in with new colourways. I’ve always preferred a Gazelle to a Samba and these will go with everything for winter. I also love the admittedly slightly baby-poop-ish colour of these SL72 OGs as an alternative to the chocolate brown and yellow stripe that everyone has.

Baby wavy lampshade in black silk, £145 (plus VAT) from A Considered Space x Munro and Kerr

I don’t even know if I’ve ever mentioned them here but in 2020, my friend Alex (aka Munro and Kerr) and I collaborated on a wavy lampshade design that became a bit of a lockdown icon and they sold out quicker than Alex could make them. They’re still hand-made here in London and a new boutique hotel in Paris recently put one in each of their bedrooms, which again, I think I forgot to tell anyone! Anyway, if you’ve never seen them before, we still sell them in two sizes and various finishes, pictured is the smaller Baby Wavy in slubby black silk.

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And another thing…

• In my last All Things Considered, I’d just started watching Gilmore Girls for the first time. I finished the whole thing in two weeks and loved it (any place where it’s always autumn or Christmas works for me). My only gripe is I wish they hadn’t spoiled my lasting memory of it by making A Year in the Life. It was a weird experience watching a show for seven seasons and getting to know the characters as they were in the early 2000s, then suddenly they’re 15 years older, one has passed away and one is wearing a hairpiece. Wasn’t ready for any of that. Also, the ending was baaaad!

• Other things I’m watching at the mo… Obviously Bake Off, which is the purest thing on telly IMO and I need Nelly to be an ongoing feature on our screens after it ends. Nobody Wants This – watched it twice in two days, might go in for a third soon. It has that Schitt’s Creek-esque easy watchability for me. I also just smashed through the whole of Love is Blind UK in a single 24-hour period (what is my life coming to?) and I much preferred it to the recent US seasons. The slightly older characters felt more genuine and measured in their search for love and more emotionally mature. I also watched In Vogue: The 90s and it was interesting to look back on the changing pace of fashion in a decade where my only sartorial memories are trying to dress like a Spice Girl or Vada Sultenfuss from My Girl. Also, I did not realise Tom Ford’s voice sounds like that and I’m obsessed! Lastly, I’ve started Mad Men for the very first time (I know, I know) so I’m watching that as I type. Tomorrow I’ll be glued to the series finale of Slow Horses. It’s BRILLIANT but over far too quickly.

• In my last round-up, I told you we were getting new cork flooring and it felt like a new lease of life for our very tired rented flat. The idea of a not-vile floor made me feel energised about a reshuffle of the furniture and re-hang of the art. Alas, it’s not happening anymore. In an unfortunate turn of events, the flooring supplier sadly decided to close their business with immediate effect as they were struggling to make it work. Our landlords were only keen to go ahead because we were getting an incredible deal, so the stained carpet will stay for god knows how long.

• Just dropping a reminder about Substack’s group chat for recommendations or general chitchat – I’d love to use it more often. I’ve also changed the settings so that paid subscribers can start their own threads if there’s a topic they want to discuss. So far, there are plenty of suggestions for great books to read when you’re out of the habit, plus favourite London restaurants. Come join in if you fancy?

That’s it for today, leave me a comment about any of the above if you feel like it. I always love to hear from everyone!

As always, it would be a huge help if you could like/restack or recommend my publication – it makes a big difference. Free posts like this might take a writer hours (or in my case, days) to put together in their evenings and weekends when they could be doing paid work, reading that book or taking that walk, etc. It means a lot after a late finish to know that someone’s reading at the other end and enjoying what I’m putting out there!

Thanks and have a lovely week,
E x