tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:09:39 +0000The anonymous thoughts of an English fashion editor in Manhattan on life, love, fashion, design and food.http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/libertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)Blogger834125Libertylondongirlhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-425755658442210556Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:19:00 +00002009-07-13T13:29:45.100-04:00My Life in New JerseyMy life seems to have settled into a gentle pattern here in New Jersey. I write all day, breaking for meals. Y & I eat lunch together every day in the French fashion. That is we sit down together at a table, with salad bowl & placemats and talk, as opposed to my usual fashion which is to shove everything into a deep white bowl and retire with it to my lair to type & eat simultaneously.Supper is http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/v5JLmAJGFDU/simple-pleasures.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/v5JLmAJGFDU" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/simple-pleasures.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-6094474408284672286Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:39:00 +00002009-07-13T11:53:37.832-04:00My TravelsMy Life in LondonHotelsfamilyIt’s weird living abroad. On one hand it’s quite useful being thousands of miles and five, sometimes eight hours out of sync from family arguments, squabbling infants and the overly familiar quotidian grind. On the other it is rather miserable not being able to give & receive comforting hugs. Playing on Facebook does not make up for proper face time.So when I go back to England my first priority http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/-9yXkHWCxtM/mother-daughter-bonding-at-halkin.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/-9yXkHWCxtM" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/mother-daughter-bonding-at-halkin.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-5760830151147581942Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:35:00 +00002009-07-12T23:39:28.363-04:00My Life in New Jerseydogshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/RP61RSS71f8/are-you-ready-for-your-close-up-max.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/RP61RSS71f8" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/are-you-ready-for-your-close-up-max.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-4594509218171955689Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:21:00 +00002009-07-12T01:33:50.634-04:00accessoriesAmerican fashion designersBack in May, Carine Roitfeld told The Guardian (UK): "You know, I think as you get older, the snake is more chic than the leopard." She happened to be wearing a pair of Margiela python boots, but her mantra applies just as well to the delectable python bags from accessories designer Sang A.The bags have that rare combination of immaculately well-made good looks and neat solutions, (detachable http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/i9kazJGEcs8/getting-carried-away-studio-visit-with.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)8<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/i9kazJGEcs8" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/getting-carried-away-studio-visit-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-2941218365541848303Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:18:00 +00002009-07-11T04:36:55.015-04:00CuriositiesI can't sleep and logged onto Twitter where I saw a tweet telling me a man dressed as a dinosaur was playing swingball & crushing the Houses of Parliament on the Fourth Plinth* in Trafalgar Square. And there was.I checked his reason for being on the plinth:Girlfriend told me to do it. And his plan for whilst he was there?I will be monstrousI may or may not destroy LondonI will see how I feelI http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/Y2qaTiFEKZM/one-other-fourth-plinth.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/Y2qaTiFEKZM" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-other-fourth-plinth.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-3863202318918221090Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:46:00 +00002009-07-10T23:53:19.522-04:00Competitions and GiveawaysBeautyThank you everyone who left a comment on the Kimberly Sayer Deep Cleansing French Clay Mask competition post. They all made fascinating reading and I'll be sure to cover some of your beauty suggestions and skin types in future posts.Meanwhile, to find a winner I used a random number generator to pick comment number 13 who was Anna, who left the following comment:"I'm always keen on a competition!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/w_1DgLvRYa8/and-winner-is.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/w_1DgLvRYa8" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/and-winner-is.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-2591021263478368734Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:40:00 +00002009-07-11T04:11:07.074-04:00My Life in New YorkMy Life in New JerseyI would just like to have it on the record that I am thoroughly pissed off with the behaviour of the Clerk of the Weather right now. By July, the temperature on the East Coast of America should be in the mid-late eighties. We should be spending our off hours lolling on the beach, or sitting propped up against trees with our laptops in the park. Instead we are wearing wellies in Manhattan, at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/_Sy5geH5dkg/could-someone-please-turn-heat-back-on.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)12<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/_Sy5geH5dkg" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/could-someone-please-turn-heat-back-on.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-4112731227056521487Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:27:00 +00002009-07-09T00:29:29.630-04:00I took this in my mother's country garden. I like the promise of this picture, that tomorrow this flower will be even more beautiful than it is today.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/VFekeWnOEwM/picture-of-day-unfurling-poppy-in.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/VFekeWnOEwM" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/picture-of-day-unfurling-poppy-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-574974990911232919Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:50:00 +00002009-07-08T18:51:45.431-04:00My Life in New YorkNew York restaurantsfoodAs I pedalled down Fifth this morning I wasn't just keeping a look out for kamikaze taxis and suicidal pedestrians: I was searching for a large white truck which I knew was parked up somewhere near Madison Square Park.A couple of weeks ago I'd seen a piece on the Diner's Journal blog on The New York Times website about Cupcake Stop, a new food truck prowling the mean streets of Manhattan, sellinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/NIgjFfv4gHE/todays-indulgence.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)7<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/NIgjFfv4gHE" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/todays-indulgence.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-482475309789389619Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:42:00 +00002009-07-08T08:48:45.689-04:00RantsWhen an icon dies there’s often a wrenching twist to the heart & stomach, with a realisation of our own mortality, and the passing of our youth. The icon becomes a totem for each loss one has suffered, plastered across the world’s media. It happened with unprecedented intensity after the Princess of Wales was killed and, again, this past week after the sudden unexplained death of Michael Jackson,http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/QDXYl26k9vQ/universal-grief-michael-jackson.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)19<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/QDXYl26k9vQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/universal-grief-michael-jackson.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-5632394419303174315Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:13:00 +00002009-07-07T18:30:05.834-04:00My Life in New YorkIt's only Tuesday and already I feel drained. Trying to get my Dell XPS laptop fixed has taken up most of my time over the past two days, what with the countless hours spent talking to well-meaning but ultimately ineffectual Dell Tech Support. Without it I cannot work, and I have three stories I need to finish and file on there, and which I cannot access until the Dell technician comes to New http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/KkiLg5mzCZA/tuesday-back-in-manhattan.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/KkiLg5mzCZA" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/tuesday-back-in-manhattan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-1238814084054110660Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:12:00 +00002009-07-06T18:15:36.772-04:00Rants“Yes for sure a technician will be calling you this afternoon or Sunday morning.”(Premium XPS Tech support Saturday 1pm approx)Nope, he didn't. “The parts are out of stock. It may be taking 2-3 days for the technician to receive them.”(Premium XPS Tech support Monday 930am approx)“I will be calling you absolutely for certain this afternoon to let you know the status” Supervisor, Premium XPS Tech http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/Sbw2FCmUyvw/weird-beauty-of-dell-online-tech-chat.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)8<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/Sbw2FCmUyvw" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/weird-beauty-of-dell-online-tech-chat.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-199205942034700393Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:38:00 +00002009-07-06T10:52:09.579-04:00RantsI've been stuck in the hell of Dell's Technical Support call centre for the past hour. I have a very nice man in India dealing with my increasingly irate state of mind. The only problem is that he has no authority to make any decisions off the call centre's prompt sheet.I paid Dell large amounts of money for a three year Complete Care comprehensive warranty & service contract that included Next http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/S4YI44ouJQo/rant-du-jour-dell-lack-of-customer.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)18<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/S4YI44ouJQo" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/rant-du-jour-dell-lack-of-customer.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-313900655640781055Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:56:00 +00002009-07-05T18:32:37.940-04:00BeautyAs my skin grows older, I find that I need a serum in addition to my moisturisers to keep my skin feeling plump and healthy. I've tried plenty, with mixed results, but the one I keep coming back to is Kimberly Sayer Firming Botanical Serum.Kimberly trained at Neal's Yard Beauty Therapy College and went on to develop her own organic & natural line, inspired by her family's use of organic fruit & http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/0HWos4gI0QA/kimberly-sayer-firming-botanical-serum.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)49<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/0HWos4gI0QA" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/kimberly-sayer-firming-botanical-serum.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-8751435896714060853Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:35:00 +00002009-07-05T11:15:07.982-04:00My Life in New JerseyBeing awake very early is one of my most favourite things. Doesn’t happen very often as I rarely fall asleep before 2am, being more of an owl than a lark. Not that I’m out partying, just reading and writing late. Jet lag is brilliant: when I fly back to America from Europe I wake at 6am for at least a fortnight whilst my body adapts to New York’s time zone. I’m always amazed at how much I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/d_xZsBIx3TM/good-morning-new-jersey.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/d_xZsBIx3TM" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/good-morning-new-jersey.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-481908956595507473Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:10:00 +00002009-07-04T23:59:54.131-04:00My wardrobeAmerican fashion designersI've been obsessed with finding the perfect swimwear ever since I started my first job and could afford to look further than the High Street. Blessed with a very small back (32) and a very, very large front (fluctuating between F & GG), I had been reduced to wearing Speedo tanks, purely because I could shovel myself into them. Swimsuits are a problem as ones without cups aren't an option (too http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/QMn5Yfqm1_8/perfect-swimsuit-gingers-island-custom.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)19<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/QMn5Yfqm1_8" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/perfect-swimsuit-gingers-island-custom.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-5743494827327481375Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:16:00 +00002009-07-04T10:35:38.033-04:00CookingI called this a martini as it is nothing more than vodka with a splash of flavouring, but of course it would have a classically trained bartender raising an eyebrow at its presumption.It's so simple, so fruity, so...thoroughly restorative that it seems perfect as a cooks pickmeup/reward for slaving over the barbecue(grill) on a sunshine-y day.There are plenty of recipes kicking around for http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/sJczpsc6TKs/independence-day-cocktail-watermelon.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/sJczpsc6TKs" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/independence-day-cocktail-watermelon.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-2479860726754143838Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:01:00 +00002009-07-04T00:49:36.082-04:00Image: Flag dress by Catherine Malandrinohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/w0Tqt2ghBbc/happy-independence-day-my-american.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/w0Tqt2ghBbc" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/happy-independence-day-my-american.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-1046120549648808800Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:56:00 +00002009-07-03T17:00:22.045-04:00jewelleryAmerican ShopsThe Garden Statement Necklace from Banana Republic $98http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/aDWZERxzaR0/object-of-desire-vintage-style-necklace.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)9<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/aDWZERxzaR0" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/object-of-desire-vintage-style-necklace.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-5500330702717192726Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +00002009-07-03T11:22:32.303-04:00CookingWhen we went shopping at Delicious Orchards for all the ingredients for Y's birthday dinner we saw these courgette (squash) blossoms on our way to the till:Y was looking longingly in their direction so, ignoring the $9.99 sign we picked out eight of them. Which ended up costing a breathtaking $1.50.I'd dredged up a memory of seeing them stuffed with ricotta, then shallow fried. So I beat togetherhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/O5fwstz4-CU/fried-courgette-flowers-stuffed-with.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)7<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/O5fwstz4-CU" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/fried-courgette-flowers-stuffed-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-2867107835752072088Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +00002009-07-03T09:30:02.237-04:00BooksReleased this week in the United Kingdom, I think Chastened: No More Sex in the City by literary critic & journalist Hephzibah Anderson would be a great addition to any bedside pile of reading material. (And that's not just because she's a friend.)The book is a memoir, covering the year that she decided to give up on sex voluntarily and explore what it really means to be chaste in a sex fulled http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/uJ2aA88yCzo/book-of-day-chastened-no-more-sex-in.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/uJ2aA88yCzo" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/book-of-day-chastened-no-more-sex-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-6112764559866991030Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:14:00 +00002009-07-02T23:10:49.283-04:00My Life in LondonfamilyI find this photograph of my godson Oliver's little sister at her 3rd birthday party in London last month just the most immensely cheering thing. I also covert her Mouse ears.I had very few days in London on that trip, spending most of my time in the country with my mother and the hounds. But I did sneak away for 24hrs, to lunch in the garden with Tara & her family, and eat her wonderful homemadehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/_iOZMYhKxgI/luella-as-minnie-mouse.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/_iOZMYhKxgI" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/luella-as-minnie-mouse.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-2295636097797897160Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:13:00 +00002009-07-02T18:22:50.875-04:00CookingI had volunteered to cook everything, not just pudding, for Y's birthday, if he would tell me what he wanted to eat. Sitting on the sun-filled deck at lunchtime, eating bowls of my homemade leftover Thai curry, he came up with the following menu of things he loved and I added a few things too:Discs of grilled New Jersey goats cheese with walnuts on sourdough toasts with a mustard vinaigrette, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/ls17c4IOCSQ/ys-birthday-supper-menu.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/ls17c4IOCSQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/ys-birthday-supper-menu.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-1294974890504186777Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:35:00 +00002009-07-02T13:20:48.236-04:00CookingfoodWe celebrated Y's birthday yesterday with a supper for four of us, which I cooked as part of my present for him. The piece de resistance was pudding, a classic French fruit tart with a strawberry puree.I made this! I'm beside myself with glee. My first ever fruit tart!Whilst I've been making classic quiches for years with great success, I've always been a little scared of making a proper http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/-jmJBEvS4RQ/strawberry-tart-with-strawberry-puree.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)10<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/-jmJBEvS4RQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/strawberry-tart-with-strawberry-puree.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34038650.post-4664871616059570210Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:38:00 +00002009-06-30T14:53:22.379-04:00CarsI love driving. It's up there on my list of favourite occupations. Whilst I was in California if I heard about a road with a mountain pass I was so there, even if it meant a massive detour. I like the feeling of being in control, I love the speed & the escapism, and I ended up covering over 4000 miles in the seven weeks I spent in California.(And no speeding tickets. Helps being English when you http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~3/3RrdaiI8HKU/aston-martin-cygnet.htmllibertylondongirl@gmail.com (Liberty London Girl)9<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Libertylondongirl/~4/3RrdaiI8HKU" height="1" width="1"/>http://libertylondongirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/aston-martin-cygnet.html