🔖Little Black Book #7
Indulgences of a Woman About Town.
Welcome back to
’s Little Black Book column! Part diary, part directory, here I share a monthly dose of insights and recommendations - not with the intention of sending you out to spend hordes of cash, but to encourage you to spend mindfully, whether that be money, time or energy. And give you a little more insight into what this Valleys girl is up to in the big smoke.👗Wearing
One of my favourite buys from the end of last year was a silver sequin skirt, almost a maxi (though I was ideally searching for a pencil), which was the perfect piece for Christmas day - the soft waistband being a bonus - paired with a new cosy cream jumper unwrapped that morning. Despite not having worn it since, having it in my wardrobe brings me joy, and I'm vowing not to leave it until December before it’s out on parade again. There aren't many sizes left but it is currently half price at H&M, in case it takes your fancy.
Another H&M item that's been serving me well (picked up when spending a clothes recycling voucher) is a thin khaki knit with threads of glitter running throughout. Not so sparkly that it can only be festive, but eye-catching enough to be a little jazzy. I've worn it with shirts and extra jumpers, with blue jeans and black, and with a leather skirt, and so can attest it is nothing if not versatile. The slightly slouchy fit makes it a smart casual wear for home, work or play, and when I recently wore it for a day in the office followed by dinner with friends, I received a message the next day to compliment the outfit bringing a bit of sparkle to January - thank you Sarah!
Regular readers may also have spotted a long charcoal coat in last week's meanderings through Tuscany, which has become a staple piece since I relocated it from home home in Wales to London last November. Ankle length, with large lapels and shoulder pads to boot, this coat is a real vintage treasure, not least because it came from my grandmother's wardrobe. I'd never known her to wear it, and at not much more than five foot I'm really not sure how she could have. Maybe she styled it more as a cloak? Or kept it tucked away knowing that one day it might find a new home with one of us; those she left behind. Whatever the back story, I'm grateful it is now in my possession, giving something of a The Row vibe, if I may be so bold. Gramma, as we called her, would have been scandalously outraged at the mere concept of an £8000 coat, but as style icons go, the Olsen's really have nothing on what she had. I like to think pieces such as this coat let me carry on a little of that, with pride.
💄 Applying
A few new hair and beauty products I gratefully received for Christmas have been adding some zhuzh to January. One set comes from a new-to-me brand, Color Wow hair products, and I've been testing out the Color Security shampoo, and the Style on Steroids texturizing spray (which my auntie - the hair care gift-giver - insisted I try out immediately on Christmas day!). The spray lives up to it’s description of “long-lasting texture without stiffness”, while I have noticed somewhat of a glossy glow when using the shampoo. Both on the pricier side of what I’d usually pay for hair products, but a nice treat indeed.
Another gift was directly off my own wish list, added last year when I was Substack influenced by
's review of Refy Lip Sculpt’s staying power. Easy to apply and long lasting, this lip liner with added gloss makes a nice change to needing to check for lipstick smudges and wear every half an hour. I have it in blush.🎁 Gifting
I shared in the last issue of Little Black Book about my approach to gifting for the holiday season, so I won't retell it here. I will however highlight two gifts I arrived at thanks to Substack.
One you may have seen on Notes -
Creativity Island for Mums, which was gratefully received by the mum of an 18 month year old, who is indeed very creative, and will hopefully take the encouragement to carve out a little more time for this.The second was The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul by William Sieghart, recommended by
on the brilliant Bibliotherapists Podcast with and . I'm not sure how much he's dived into it yet, but as someone who struggles to maintain concentration when reading, a book to dip in and out of seemed to go down well with the recipient on Christmas morning.This month I was looking for an early birthday gift to send to a friend back in the UK for a few days (Sarah, of the jazzy jumper compliment), and conscious not to load her luggage for the return journey, I opted for a gift of the edible kind. After a bit of searching for somewhere that could deliver something freshly baked direct to her door, I opted for Cutter and Squidge brownies - a sweet treat that I think travel well and are quite frankly the perfect kind of comfort food for these grey and cold January days.
🥗Eating
Between end of year festivities, and a tour of Tuscany, these past two months have featured so much great food (and a bank balance to show for it). I'll just pull out a couple of brief highlights here - and though the food was great, as is often the case, the company made it all the better.
Last month there was a visit to Arthur’s at Liberty - the second floor cafe in the iconic London department store that has a charm like no other. Despite having browsed the floors countless times, I'd never stopped at the cafe, and so a Friday lunch date with a friend and fellow Liberty enthusiast travelling into town was the perfect opportunity. Malin and I shared a few savouries - truffle chips, flatbread with aubergine dip, salad with a hazelnut dressing - then hearty slices of cake from a selection at the counter, with coffee. The vibe was relaxed; we barely noticed people come and go as we chatted away about all things life, and likely would have stayed into the evening if the waiter hadn't ever so kindly let us know that, after several hours, we did now need to give the table back. We were offered a seat at the bar, but instead took the opportunity to stock up on some slightly overpriced but oh so pretty Christmas baubles on the top floor.
Afterwards, we went in search of a niche Nordic treat that Malin was hoping to take home, and so it was that I was introduced to a new-to-me bakery, tucked away in a Covent Garden side street: Bageriet. With buns, bread and biscuits galore filling the window and indoor shelves, this glorious little haunt is a carb lovers paradise - all the more if one is partial to a little spice with your sweet (think cardamom, cinnamon and even saffron topping and infusing the doughiest of bakes). I left with breakfast treats for the weekend ahead, which went down light as a feather despite looking a little dense. A return trip is most certainly on the horizon.
More recently, a brunch at Beam in Crouch End provided the perfect setting for a catch up with the girls (this time Gaby, Senay, and (another) Sarah). I have long said that Beam does the best pancakes (buttermilk as well as gluten free), and it’s the only place I’m prepared to mix the savoury with the sweet, enjoying both bacon and berries with the stack. Don’t ask me why, just trust that they make it work incredibly well. There are several branches across North London, but the benefit of being in Crouch End is the fact it’s also perfect for a Sunday afternoon mooch to walk off the indulgences and continue the catch up.
🎭 Visiting
While I am typically a North London gal (second to a Valleys one of course), Hammersmith has been calling several times lately - and is now an area I associate with Substack. Thanks to
’s meet ups, at which I am connecting and learning and enjoying the work of others, and on account of the fresh and festive drinks hosted by on a December afternoon along the river just before Christmas, this corner of south west London is now one I look forward to visiting. The commute down is a nice stretch on the Piccadilly line, ideal for reading a few chapters, and being close to the river is never a bad thing. The high street also served me well for a final bit of Christmas shopping, and with an Ikea that you don't need to drive to, I'm sold.
Out of London and back in Wales, there was also a visit to the theatre last month, for a performance of the Dickens’ Christmas classic with a Welsh twist. Set in and around Cardiff, with Scrooge as a Welsh woman who experienced a harrowing childhood at the workhouse, A Christmas Carol at the Sherman Theatre was a clever production, somehow managing to set hardline messaging against panto-like fun (cue a North-Walian singing star). It didn't hit me quite as hard as Odyssey '84, but I still walked away having been reminded through performance of the beauty of community spirit.
Elsewhere, the visiting of properties to potentially purchase has continued, and this month we've chosen a winner, but of course all that now means is that we are knee deep in paperwork and payments and trying to make decisions based on interest rates that may or may not be dramatically effected by whatever the hell Trump does to the global economy. And so, I'm treading very cautiously on the path of excitement, treating this as a learning curve that may or may not have a lovely prize at the end.
It is sparking fantastic conversations among friends who have treaded the path before us, and the multi-layered challenges of getting, and being, on the property ladder is a theme that rings throughout. Much more to say, but without the words to effectively articulate at the moment. Watch this space for more in coming months...
📚 Reading
A new little add on for 2025, having made the call to close the Cultural Compass column for the foreseeable, as part of Little Black Book I'll now share a snippet of what I've been reading, with a focus on words that are making me consider how we navigate one thing or another.
I could share a whole list of fantastic pieces from Substack, but for now here's two I’ve read in the past week that I’ve been chewing over ever since.
First, this insightful take from
on buying a flat in London, which articulates in a fantastically open way many of the conversations I refer to above. It makes one question whether buying really should be the aspirational move that it is portrayed to be, and although it is the step A and I are attempting to take this year, Katherine's book Your Not Forever Home has been on my TBR list for a while. I love the idea of leaning into making a rental feel entirely homely rather than waiting until some far off time when ownership might be an option. Although the piece is now almost two years old, I think much of it speaks to existing realities.Then something slightly more contemporary, an interview with
from which not only offers a peak into a chat between two media greats, but is full of interesting snippets on how the landscape for writing has changed over the years. Tina Brown is unsurprisingly thoughtful on what Substack is, can be and should be, making me think about who and what I read here, and what and how I want to write. The pair, like me, are passionate about print, while acknowledging the difficulties in keeping it alive. Another nudge for me to make the most of actually reading newspapers while I can.Elsewhere I've been enjoying books I unwrapped on December 25th, and, thanks to
, on the 24th too, with a Jolabokaflod package containing not one but two titles - including ’ Body Work which I have lapped up and will return to time and time again. The way Melissa speaks to quality memoir writing in this title is something I can only hope to learn.Writing advice of a different vein is also very welcome in Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird, which I'm currently about half way through. The book is as old as I am, which adds a lovely, and perhaps sort of weird feeling of connection to reading it for the first time now, both at 30. Full of timeless guidance, the lyricism of Anne’s words makes merely reading her writing a lesson in itself.
Outside of literary advice, I have just finished Ina Garten's memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens. Barefoot Contessa was one of the after school TV shows I'd watch with Gramma (yes I was born middle-aged and was never too bothered by cartoons), and I have a distinct memory of Ina showing me what an affogato is, approximately age eight, and dragging Gramma into the kitchen to recreate a PG version of this caffeinated sweet treat. I thought therefore I might find her memoir somewhat nostalgic, but more than that it was the tale of a woman who took the leap of leaving an impressive but unfulfilling job (albeit with the safety of having a husband with a good salary) to enter into something unknown. An unknown that turned into a brand that has held no bounds as Ina ventured down the path of every opportunity offered up. An interesting dive into one woman’s navigation of life - with a lot of added real estate and interior design anecdotes, plus a couple of recipes thrown in for good measure (including one jotted on a note from none other than Nora Ephron!).
Anything to share from your Little Black Book this month?
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It was lovely to meet you! I hope to see you again soon :)
I appreciate the beautiful role you play in our substack writers community in London. x