Thinking of those affected by Hurricane Sandy

or should I say, Superstorm Sandy.

I've been watching the news coming in from the Eastern Seaboard of the United States with grim horror.

Although I've never been to New York City, I use the underground here in London so pictures like this fill me with dread at how awful this must be.  I've been in London when the whole city has closed down for one reason or another (usually a terrorist attack), and I know how horrible it is.  You can't do anything but sit and wait.

Image via guardian.co.uk

Image via businessinsider.com

Image via businessinsider.com

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamt of going to New York.  The glamour, the creativity, the buzz, the people, the iconic landmarks - I need to experience them for myself.

So, in solidarity with NYC, I've compiled a list of my favourite New York based films, TV shows and stage shows.  No disaster movies allowed.  Stay safe, New Yorkers, we're all thinking of you.

1.  42nd Street

I'm talking about the stage musical here.  This was one of the first shows I worked on when I came to London.  I sold ice-creams in the interval & I couldn't believe my luck to actually be working in a real theatre in London.  Every night I used to sneak into the auditorium and watch the show.  The spectacle and the glamour were breathtaking.

 

2.  Rear Window

I'm a big Hitchcock fan and this film is one of my favourites.  I love the way the tension is built up from seemingly ordinary occurrences.

Image via oilersnation.com

3.  Ghostbusters

What's not to love? 

4.  How to lose a guy in 10 days

Kate Hudson is the quintessential single New York girl about town. Career driven but looking for love.

5.  Sex and the City

Of course I wouldn't have forgotten it!  Still the best programme I've ever seen about being single and trying to find love.

Autumn, how I love you.

Ah autumn!  It's definitely my favourite time of year.  I grew up in Africa so I really appreciate seasons.  The light is a little clearer now, the weather a little chillier and there's a feeling of 'back to business' in the air.

Although I love the relaxed, pretty clothes of summer, autumn fashion is really where it's at for me.  You can keep your denim cutoffs if I can have the fierce glamour of goth or brocade.  A rainy afternoon in an old wood panelled pub wearing cozy jewel coloured knits beats an sweltering day at a festival in dirty, muddy clothes surrounded by drunk students.  And the shoes!  A pair of killer heels at a barbeque looks far too 'try hard' but wear those same shoes with a velvet coat at the opera and you're smokin'!  Flip flops are fine but Manolos are better...

And the colours of autumn always make my breath catch as the majestic trees shed their leaves.

Image via http://www.akamum.co.uk/theblog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/traces-of-autumn-leaves.jpg

Even now, seeing piles of autumn leaves just makes me want to go and jump in them.

I'll leave you with Keats's wonderful 'Ode to Autumn' which says it so much better than I ever could...

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless
        With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
    To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
        And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
          To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
        With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
    And still more, later flowers for the bees,
  Until they think warm days will never cease,
          For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Hero beauty product - Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel

I have a tricky complexion - dehydrated and sensitive yet prone to congestion so I do have to be careful which products I use.

Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel was, in a word, superb.

Image via www.echemist.co.uk

  

It's a wash-off cleanser.  I have had problems in the past with wash-off cleansers dehydrating my skin but this certainly wasn't the case here.

It smells gorgeous - orangey & fresh and it's very easy to use.  Wet your face by splashing on water, squirt some cleanser into your hands, add a little water (not too much, mind) and work up into a lather. Apply it to the face and really rub it in, then rinse with water et voila!  A perfectly cleansed face.

I used it in conjunction with my usual wipe-off cleanser. It was great if I'd been in a very dirty environment and my face needed an extra thorough cleanse.