The Little Black Dress - and tales thereabouts

About six weeks ago I tootled off to a 40th birthday party in a pub in Peckham with my old friend Jo, who now lives in Goring. We'd both thought it would be nice to make a bit of an effort for our great friend Janine's big day and dress up. I went for the old skinny-jeans-and-heels safety net, while Jo plumped for the glamorous classic: the Little Black Dress.

We got to the venue and Jo got into a bit of a panic. Would her LBD show her up to be a parochial old bird who'd lost her cool, urban edge? And why hadn't she too plumped for skinny jeans and heels? Especially as I'd just ditched the heels and kept my trainers on (bad friend, I know).

The thing is, the LBD remains an enduringly cool, classic, urbane and sexy thing. And right now (when 5th Avenue ladies are carrying their designer shopping away in nameless bags), it's about as right as it could get in terms of looking glamorous without looking like you're stuck in a pre-crunch Bling warp. The other thing is (and this hasn't changed, either) you can dress it up or down at will.

So in terms of what you might wear with the LBD - the shoes, the jewels, the scent even - it rather depends on you. For Coco Chanel, its originator, No 5 would have been the ideal olfactory fit. For me, it is something like Chanel's, fresh, tonic, Cristalle. For Jo that night in Peckham, it was Diane Von Furstenberg's sexy, grown-up, Eau de Parfum. For the French vintage fashion expert, Didier Ludot it is a new scent by Guerlain, La Petite Robe Noire. He has designed an LBD to coincide with the launch of this scent. If you're passing, it's on show at Harrods from Sunday - March 15th.

LBD chatter aside. Although Jo has mixed feelings of hilarity and alarm over the notion that her new, family-oriented, ex-London lifestyle has loosened her grip on how to dress up, she was in fact spot on. She'd simply lost sight that her own LBD was exactly the kind Kate Moss might have worn to a 40th bash in a pub. Because it was cute and sexy. Skinny jeans 'n heels go hang.

Aromatherapy pioneer leaves Knightbridge after almost 30 years

As an essential oil addict I was sorry to hear that after over 25 years, the Micheline Arcier Clinic quits Knightsbridge. Arcier brought the magic of aromatherapy massage to the UK in the 70s and established her clinic in William Street in 1981. Her daughter is still hand blending below the shop today. That is, until March 21st, which is when the clinic shuts its doors for the last time.

It'll sadden its many fans - Lulu recently told me about how much she loves their oils. As I do. I've just finished Enchantment, one of the most sublime-smelling bath oils, ever.

Good news is, Jilly and Nerys will still be offering treatments, but at a new location, not yet sure where. And until the 21st March, the clinic will be selling current stock at a discount of up to 40%.

For Jilly and Nerys call 020 7235 3545 or 07879 895359
For products call 020 7235 3545 or order online www.michelinearcier.com

Forget old style glamour - Oscars hair just got clever

Okay, so we're at this year's Oscars and here's the thing. As the HD cameras rolled and the movie stars swept along the red carpet, you couldn't help but clock the old-style glamour. If they'd switched to black and white, you could almost have believed it was 50 years ago and 1959, such was the silver screen nostalgia. Take the overriding hairstyle: the chignon. Whether worn off the face (Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway) or with a fringe, Hepburn style (Penelope Cruz), the classic, set, 'up-do' dominated.

I could bang on about its understated classiness, one that speaks of the kind of glamour that's acceptable in these gloomy old, down-at-heel times. Indeed, it's the Veronica Lake wave, the Grace Kelly chignon and the like, that have been filtering onto the catwalks, too. Yes, in many ways, old fashioned glamour is where things are going. But I'll stop right there.

These dos take work: think mousse, think volume spray, think blow drying, think setting tongs, think the lot. And you know what that means (aside of time)? The style stays put. And for anyone familiar with the pressure of looking flawless for hours, and at all angles, and whatever the Oscars requires of you (exhausted yet?): reliability is all. Anne Hathaway's hairdresser, Danilo sums it up (no wonder Pantene snapped him up): 'Her hair needed to be securely in place during the dance, sing and toss with host Hugh Jackman.'

Yes, red carpet hair just got practical. Because the kind of 'bed head' hair that's tyrannized erm, hair styles for way too long, just doesn't cut it. And thank heaven for that.

Just for the record, here's what I use for a bit of va-va-voom -
1. Frederic Fekkai Full Volume Shampoo and Conditioner
2. John Frieda Luxurious Volume Blow Dry Lotion
3. James Brown London Hairspray

Bobbi Brown and why colour hits the spot

I popped into make-up maestro, Bobbi Brown's book launch last week. She's just published a great little tome on how to do make-up like a pro. She's called it Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual. You can't get more straight forward than that, and if you're into make-up, thinking about doing it for a living or simply want to know how to master a few good looks, it's worth a peek.

The same night she previewed her new make-up palette, but rather than shades of brown, she'd filled it with mouthwatering brights - 35 of them. Flying in the face of her signature, she'd honed in on the beauty zeitgeist, nicely.

And there's the rub: it's a bleak old time, but we're tossing back our heads and facing the gloom head on. Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman summed up this force in her introduction to Vogue's March issue: 'There's something marvellously resilient about fashion. Even though economies around the world are being badly shaken, the creative impulse and abundance of ideas continue to flourish.'

In terms of make-up (and fashion), bright, sharp, glorious splashes of colour are what's coming through. Gloom? Pah. Look around you, on Oxford Street, girls are lining their eyes in neon brights. Hip chicks (Alexa Cheung, Peaches Geldof...) are daubing their nails with acid hues. And irresistibly, Fenwicks' Bond Street store has just thrown in some deliciously bright Antoni & Alison print skirts. Well, they put a smile on my face.

Colour lifts the spirit. A delightfully eccentric friend of mine once purred, 'when I wake up in the morning I throw on something pink and I instantly feel better - I could never wear black.' Colour is also brilliantly clever at making you look better, and there's no easier way than with make-up. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Peach or apricot blush gives you a youthful, fresh, radiant glow. Blend a little over the tip of your cheekbones. Today I'm wearing (and loving) Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Cheer (spacenk.com).
2. The right red lip colour makes your eyes sparkle. I have brown eyes, and on a recent excursion to the make-up boutique, Cosmetics a la Carte (cosmeticsalacarte.com) discovered a great red called Daiquiri. You know it's right for you if it lifts rather than washes you out, so get to the shops and experiment.
3. Bright nails make you smile. Ok, so maybe not for work, but at the weekend... Barry M's Nail Paints are fabulous (barrym.com). Just remember to keep nails short.

Bank of England Lipstick 'n Heel Blip

I've been pondering the idea of make-up at work - and how far it influences a woman's chance of success for a while, now. So I read with interest (and amusement) today's story about the Bank of England's Dress for Success furore. For the record, and at the risk of irritating a large number of women further, there's an argument and some evidence to suggest that it does. That aside, in as much as it is about looking neat and tidy (and I'm talking for the corporate and public world, here), the idea makes sense. Though to be lectured on it at work - I think I'd find it rather irritating.

I've written and advised on how to look good, for a long time now (13 years and counting). So it would be disingenuous of me to join the ranks of today's irked - Katherine Rake of the women's group, The Fawcett Society, the economist, Ruth Lea, Patricia Hewitt and Baroness Morris. So what do I think?

1. The B of E's lipstick-'n-heel blip was particularly poor timing. It happened the same week we Brits were told we've got Recession worst; strikes hit; global recession summit happened. They're probably kicking themselves, if briefly, they've got a lot on.
2. The memo that advised against wearing white stilettos, ankle chains, double-pierced ears - who leaked it? And more to the point, who wrote it? It's rather funny. Who wears white stilettos these days, unless they're being ironic, anyway?
3. The right make-up makes women look better. So in the work place, if it can help you look groomed, healthy and your best, it makes sense.
4. A large number of women don't know what to do with make-up and would like to know - especially for work. They know it can make them look better because they have a couple of friends who are a dab hand with the make-up brush, and always look fabulous.
5. Today's make-up is better, easier to apply and more wearable than ever.
6. Lipstick is a good idea. For work, the best colour is a natural looking rose, beige or brownish pink - a little darker than your natural lip colour. The texture should be creamy or sheer, not matte and not too shimmery. Can you wear red for work? Yes. Just make sure it's a soft, muted red - think brick, not pillar box. Still wary? Mix with lip balm to dilute.

Mornings hard? Here's my 4-step wake-up call

If you're anything like me - especially this time of year - you'll find getting out of bed akin to prizing the back off a mobile phone, or working your way through Westfield shopping centre, 3pm on a Saturday. It's difficult. And I'm afraid I don't have the answer for how not to hit the snooze button. I do it and am trying, trying to break the habit. But you might like to know how, a little after dawn, I cut through that morning torpor. (Please note dear reader, that I do all four steps when I've got the time. The beauty of each product I've mentioned, is that they do the trick on their own.)

Here goes:

1. I fill the basin with hot water, throw in my flannel, three drops of Ole Henriksen Skin Inhalation Therapy 1 (£24.45, beautyexpert.co.uk) and inhale deeply. Its scent has the zip of a just-squeezed orange - in reality, it's a mix of tangerine, eucalyptus and peppermint - and cuts through my sleepiness, brilliantly. 2. I wring out my flannel, press and wipe it over my face and neck two or three times (inhaling, all the while). 3. I massage a couple of drops of Darphin's Tangerine Aromatic Care Facial Oil (£38, houseoffraser.co.uk) into my skin, and breathe in its uplifting scent. 4. A spritz of Eau d'Hadrien (£49, boutiqueperfumes.co.uk), from French perfumer, Annik Goutal finishes the process. Its light, cologne-like, citrus scent is one of the loveliest - every beauty editor's bathroom cabinet has one.

There's method in this: scent affects mood (and citrus scent, as you know, energizes it). When was the last time a smell (however unusual) catapulted you to a time, a place, a person or an experience - and with that a chuckle or a shudder? Probably quite recently.

Indeed, there are lots of studies into how and why this is so. And with them, increasingly credible evidence to support this idea - that smell affects our mood, psychology and how we behave. One thing, and this I learned from the American psychologist, Rachel Herz, an expert in scent psychology. How a smell affects your mood, generally depends on your first experience of it. And this might account for why so many of us find citrus smells so reviving. Remember your first bite into a lemon segment as a child? Its rip roaring kerching? Nothing like it! And until there's more conclusive research around lemons, it'll be the reason I'd like to give for why citrus scent makes for such a great, morning wake-up call.