🔖Little Black Book #8
Indulgences of a Woman About Town.
Welcome back to The Navigation’s Little Black Book - the diary/directory offering recommendations and encouragement on spending your money, time and energy mindfully, with insights on what this Valleys girl is up to in the big smoke.
As regular readers will know, after a year of coming to your inboxes weekly, I have reverted back to a fortnightly schedule to allow a little more time for all the other things that life is currently requiring of me.
I’m glad I’ve made this decision, keeping a commitment to myself, and to you, to show up regularly, but in a way that feels more manageable and is therefore still enjoyable.
To celebrate this scale back - and two years of being here! - while honouring the hours of work it still takes to think and write and edit and scrap and start again and ponder and write some more… and try to bring you something as enjoyable as it is helpful or insightful, I am sharing a 50% discount on a paid subscriptions through this next month, should you wish to financially support The Navigation.
As a reminder to new and seasoned subscribers, everything here is free to read, accessible to all. Tell your pals!
But as I invest in the craft - with both time and money - if it feels like something you might like to back in a way that boosts the sustainability of bringing these words to you, then a pretty penny would provide you in a special place in my heart forevermore - as well as continued musings, meanderings and methods.
Click below to explore the monthly and annual options, or ignore and read on - I’m still very glad to have you here anyway! 💌
👗Wearing
I cannot find them online, and honestly there were so many different pairs in store it was hard to play snap when I was looking for an alternative size, but I bought a pair of wide leg blue jeans last month - and am very much enjoying the new wardrobe addition.
I wasn't actively in the market for a pair, but lately I have seen a few outfits on the streets and in the mags that have had me tuned into the idea. They caught my eye in H&M as I dropped off another clothes recycling bag, and the jeans themselves are in part made from recycled cotton, so have a looser look than something 100% denim. It gives them a nice fall; almost more of a trouser effect.
They'll see me through all four seasons of the year - for now with boots and those Zara polo necks, and later with wedges and halter-necks. A 365 70’s look at your service.
I’m starting to feel like H&M is having more airtime here compared to how much of my wardrobe is made of it’s items (there’s not that many) - but what can I say? They’ve offered up some gems in recent months so always worth a browse.
💄Applying
Okay now beauty gurus, bargain hunters and busy mums alike gather round, for I’ve a cheeky serum find to share with you that looks like a dupe(-ish) of one rather fancy bottle.
On a recent trip to the local Poundland to stock up on some cleaning products, I wandered out of the ‘under the kitchen sink’ aisle and into the ‘bathroom cabinet’ aisle, thereby spotting some bright blue packaging. On inspection the (glass!) bottle, and accompanying description, offered a keen resemblance to the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum, but with a price tag that’s a mere 2.3% of that luxury buy at £1.50.
Now, I’m not a scientist, but I’ve Googled the ingredients to compare and can tell you there is a lot of crossover, just perhaps a noticeable difference on where the presumably fancier /more active ingredients sit in the list. This might explain why I need more than with other serums I've used to feel full coverage across my face and neck (2-3 pippets).
If you’re more in the know on this stuff and reckon I am ruining my skin with such a cheap product, then your insights are incredibly welcome in the comments!
But until I hear otherwise, I will enjoy this silky potion on my visage each evening, and luxuriate in the bargain price.
🎁 Gifting
A busy one on the birthday front this month, with gifts covering everything from little luxuries for dreary WFH days, things to pamper with through the last days of these winter months, and fun but practical buys to support a new hobby.
For the men in your life, may I recommend some swanky Egyptian cotton M&S socks? Soft as you like and in a large range of colours, one to keep in mind for those who enjoy a little luxury for the feet. These timeless Uniqlo long-sleeve tops might also go down a treat.
On the pampering front, avoid the waste of packaging that comes with big gift sets (unless in a reusable container/wash bag that might actually get used) and make your own bundle of all their favourites - or fancier versions of things they might never buy. The luxury toiletries section at Boots is always full of delicious smelling wonders, often with discounts across certain brands or 3for2 deals that mean you can get even more bang for your birthday gift buck.
Covering the cost of a fun day out together is also a worthy way to spend that buck, or indeed a weekend away. See more in the visiting section of this issue for an insight into how we spent A’s birthday this month.
🥗Eating
Using Valentine's Day as a reason to try something different, A and I ended up at a Filipino spot in North London, D'Cocina. A smart casual affair, with a market section downstairs, underneath a mezzanine that has a surprise karaoke area (we didn’t partake). The menu offers a handful of beef, pork and chicken dishes, plus starters and a few veggies sides, with a generous addition of prawns sprinkled throughout.
The highlight for me was fried plantain in a sort of sweet soy sauce, and pak choy in a creamy peanuty Kare Kare sauce. Neither of us were bowled over by the food, but it’s a nice option to check out something new if you're in the area - though heads up that it’s an alcohol free zone (we had a nightcap back at home) but the homemade ice tea still felt like a treat.
Feeling a bit uninspired and in need of something healthy earlier in the month, I scrolled through the recipe folder on my phone, where I save snaps of digital and print makes and bakes that look appetising, and tried to find something that was easy and somewhat nutritious.
Alongside the fail safe giant tray of roasted veg that lasts for days and offers sides and sandwich fillers to keep on hand, I landed on whipping up some pea fritters from a Madeleine Shaw recipe.
Ready in literal minutes, I adapted the recipe for what I had at home, and merely blended 250g of blanched frozen peas with 70g flour, chilli flakes and an egg. I spooned patties of the mixture into a pan with coconut oil, fried for a few minutes on each side, and voila! A batch of fritters to eat, as the original recipe suggests, with avocado and poached eggs, or, as I did, along with those roasted veggies, stuffed between two slices of beautiful sourdough, slathered with hummus and chilli chutney, to make for a delicious and decadent lunchtime sandwich.
🎭 Visiting
I’ve managed to squeeze in a few cultural outings to this short month, starting with a cinema trip to see Timothée Chalamet in Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. A and I both enjoyed the movie, taken by Chalamet as a young, angsty Bob, grappling with the pressures of 60’s stardom and remaining authentic while among colleagues, lovers and fans who all want something different for and from him.
It ended without us having felt the passing of more than two hours. On the rainy walk home we discussed my surprise at how the main character isn't portrayed as a warm-hearted folk hero, but more a tortured artist finding his way. The supporting cast are also very good, and it’s nice to feel you’re getting a little snippet into the stories behind the songs. Would recommend.
The day after, as part of A's chilled birthday celebrations, we headed to the Royal Academy of Arts - somehow neither of us had ever been despite all our years in London - to reignite our Italy trip and visit an exhibition on Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael, and their time coinciding in Florence, c. 1504.
The showing is small but impressive, with some ancient works offering a glimpse into how these three legendary creators interacted, and their influences on each other, as well as artists through the centuries that followed.
Much of what is displayed are sketches; practice drawings ahead of completing a commissioned piece. They are admirable, but I wondered how they might feel knowing their unfinished rough creations were on show; and indeed how I might feel if one day the rough drafts of my words ended up framed for others to fawn over. The thought does not excite me, but let's hope they didn't mind.
Aside from the exhibition we spent much time enjoying the gift shop, which I will be returning to for presents ever more, as well as the RA Café for lunch and later Poster Bar by José for a quick espresso.
The rest of the afternoon was spent perusing the bookshops along Piccadilly, namely Hatchards, Assouline and Waterstones (including a cheeky afternoon drink in the 5th floor bar).
An excellent street if ever I knew one.
Elsewhere, and a very different exhibition visit in the form of Lives Less Ordinary at Two Temple Place - a space I did not know even existed before seeing this exhibition advertised. The showing explores working class experiences in Britain, from the 1950s to present day, through mixed media installations from a range of artists capturing what it is and how it feels to be working class.
Challenging typical perceptions, and inviting viewers to look and see beyond surface level appearances, this free display spanning two floors and several rooms can spark a multitude of conversations and reflections (there is also a very nice gift shop). It's open late on Wednesdays, so can serve as a thought-provoking post-work / pre-dinner activity if you're in the area.
Class is something I have many complex thoughts and feelings about, and that I intend to return to in more detail at some point on
. For now I will just say, let us celebrate these spaces that offer free and pay-what-you-can, welcoming and family-friendly (whatever that may mean to you) experiences that can introduce people from all walks of life to new meanings, hobbies, and perhaps even friends.They are few and far between, especially in London, and exactly the kind of places we should be supporting in whatever way we can.
To round off, last week I listened to Emily Austen speak at a Trouble Club event about her book Smarter, which challenges a lot of typical productivity hacks and, from what I could tell without having read it, encourages readers to tap into their energy rhythms and embrace unique skills in order to get shit done.
Austen spoke with a candidness that is often rare today, disregarding several of what might now be considered typical ‘millennial woman’ activities like journalling and vision boarding, while also touting the benefits of bums on office seats.
Some of what she shared I already try to lean into in my day to day life - including rolling back from busyness culture and the status it supposedly comes with - while other tips or mindsets I tend to disagree with. That said, she is clearly onto something having grown a successful PR business from the ground up over the past 14 years, starting at just 22.
I didn’t come away feeling compelled to buy the book (though if I happen upon it in a charity shop I will inevitably snap it up) but enjoyed listening to a women speak with such conviction and confidence.
More of that please - for which I will be diving into her podcast archive.
📚 Reading
I've had several books on the go this month, starting with Jenny Offill's Weather, which as I shared on Notes, I started and finished all in one day - one afternoon and evening in fact. It was a joy to read, getting lost in someone else’s story that along the way also makes you think. With a certain President back in office, and environmental concerns ever present, if you missed it the first time, don't hesitate to pick it up now.
I’ve also just finished Daring Greatly, somehow my first Brené Brown title, despite having followed her work for years - and it being previously recommended on
by ! It is of course a compelling read, and I like how she captures parenting and corporate life and relationships all in one holistic approach - acknowledging that we are just one person in all these different realms.Published over ten years ago, reading it now feels like a lot of what this queen of vulnerability is writing about should be second nature, and I think in many coves of my echo chamber, it is. Sadly that does not reflect the wider world, and there is still much that can and should be learnt from this book, not least appreciating the nuances between shame and guilt, and how to communicate in a way that helps bring out the best in others, rather than shoot them down.
A thank you to Ellie of for the loan of these books!
Less engaging reading has come in the form of detailed documentation and complicated emails relating to the property purchasing process, which right now feels like more of a headache than it’s worth. It’s a full time job to keep abreast of the admin required, especially if there’s any hope of responding in a timely way - which is actually not something that all stakeholders seem too bothered about.
While there is no immediate rush for us, the approaching deadline for a change in Stamp Duty thresholds does add some pressure, and yet in the grander scheme of everything there is to keep up with, I cannot help but feel this to be quite arbitrary.
I’ll continue with these little snippets of property-related insights until there is something more concrete to say and celebrate - but know there is a mountainous draft in progress to share a bunch of lessons learnt if/when this is all over!
In the meantime, happy Sunday x
If you enjoyed this month’s issue and would like to show some support without a paid subscription, a Ko-fi coffee is always welcome.☕
You've packed a lot in, in such a short month. Enjoyed the insights around the events most of all. Good luck with property hunt.
Happy Sunday Lauren, I think I’ll see you tomorrow!
Looking at your Poundland bargain, I feel there is so much involved in the marketing of these expensive products and that’s what makes them expensive! I heard that Estée Lauder make Bourgeois make up, and another posh brand (I can’t remember who) make some of Primarks!