The Monthly Round-Up: April
Everything I've been buying, reading, eating, ordering, watching, using, sharing, wish-listing, and just plain loving this month (fashion, home, beauty etc.) that I think you'll love too...
Welcome to the April Round-Up!
How are you?
How has it been a month already??
Here’s what we’ve got coming up in today’s round-up…
My most asked-about item in my home (online and IRL), what's on my current Wish List, best black swimsuits out there (I’ve done the trawling), a brand’s new collection I’m loving, nostalgic towelling beach accessories, £8.00 new kitchen addition, chicest tan and brown sandals, gorgeous spotty dresses, my favourite pancakes in London, LED face mask everyone’s loving (and an exclusive discount code for you), book I can’t wait to dive into, my go-to bath mats, lace, macramé and crochet… Phew! Welcome to the April Round-Up!
Wish Listing…
Top row: Dissh dress | Chloé bracelet, £410.00 | Dôen trousers, £218.00
Second row: | Wiggy Kit shorts, £225.00 | Free people dungarees, £140.00 | Mango sandals, £35.99
Third row: | Ruslan Baginskiy basket bag, £340.00 | | Isabel Marant jeans, £495.00
Fourth row: | Rixo earrings, £125 | Anthropologie flats, £120.00 | Free People dress, £228.00
Fifth row: | Hush trousers, £90.00 | Zara -t-shirt, £22.99
This is what’s my current shopping/wish/lust list (links on my iPhone notes) looks like right now. It’s a mash-up for sure.
Favourite Bath Mats…
Left to right:
Graham & Green, £26.00
The White Company, £18.00-£44.00
The Small Home, £25.00
This style of Portuguese bath mat has always been my favourite, and I just bought this one (our previous one had seen better days - it was pretty ancient to give it its due) from The Small Home (a new site to me) for our ensuite bathroom.
New Collection I’m Loving…
Wiggy Kit’s Camargue collection
Where rustic beauty meets effortless style. I have been a Wiggy fan since the beginning (no fads, die-fast trends, gimmicks), but this is my favourite collection so far. It’s literally everything you want from a Summer wardrobe (and these are just my favourites!), and this is exactly my holiday vibe when we’re at our place in Italy in August.
Discover the full collection here
Take Me To The Beach (please!)…
From left:
Poncho towel, £24.99 | Beach cushion, £12.99 | Beach bag, £19.99 | Beach towel, £9.99
There’s something so nostalgic (for anyone born at any point in the seventies anyway) about anything towelling, and I love this mini collection from H&M.
Reading…
I cannot wait to dive into this. Grayson Carter was pretty much God in the magazine world (I subscribe to his brilliant newsletter, Air Mail - would definitely recommend). And for anyone who hasn’t read it, this is a great read too if you haven’t already read it (I think I have vague recollection of reading it on a beach in Bali).
Your Style Dilemmas Answered…
I shared this on my Douceur Diaries Chat page (sorry, it’s only available to paid subscribers) last week - I’ve asked people to share their fashion/style dilemmas (thank you to those who already have). I will then choose my favourites to either share/answer in the upcoming weeks in the paid posts, or respond privately. Think of me as your Fashion Fairy Godmother (with 25+ years of fashion experience at my disposal).
The Best Tan/Brown Flat Sandals…
First row: A.Emery, £160.00 | Boden, £90.00 | M&S, £19.50
Second row: Ancient Greek Sandals, £102.00 | A.Emery, £140.00 | Loeffler Randall, £240.00
Third row: Amanu, £360.00 | Zara, £29.99 | Zara, £29.99
Fourth row: | Mango, £59.99 | K Jacques St Tropez, £175.00 |
Fifth row: Hush, £45.00 | M&S, £49.50 | Isabel Marant, £495.00 |
A tan or brown sandal is my go-to every Summer. I will literally wear them into the ground - with anything and everything. Chic and timeless.
The Beauty Industry’s Must-Have Product…
I’m sure you’re aware of LED light therapy (I may have even talked about it here in the past?), but I really rate it. I am generally pretty lo-fi when it comes to my skincare, but I have been lucky enough to experience it as part of many a facial over the years, and I always notice the difference in my skin afterwards. For me, the appeal is the ease of use and lack of time and commitment - literally ten minutes (roughly the time it will take you see read this post) a day. We can all find that amount of time can’t we?
I won’t blind you with the science behind it, you can read it for yourself here.
Current Body very kindly sent me mine as a gift, but if you fancy treating yourself, I have an exclusive discount code for you (these masks don’t come cheap). Use the code DOUCEUR to get 10% off.
Occasional Spots…
From top:
& Other Stories balloon-sleeve blouse, £87.00 & flounced midi skirt, £145.00
M&S sweetheart neckline maxi waisted dress, £79.00
Nobody’s Child Felicity bandeau midi Dress, £99.00
& Other Stories frilled maxi dress, £115.00
Dôen Maryanna silk-georgette midi dress, £575.00
Spots are definitely having a moment. My favourite way to wear them is in/on a monochromaric romantic dress (or co-ord).
For The Home (that’s already full of baskets)…
I will be adding this to my (already groaning) kitchen peg rail, because I simply couldn't resist it. I’ve also got my eye on this sweet shelving unit for our en suite bathroom…
Take Me To The Beach (please!)…
Top row (from left): La Redoute | Hunza G | Mint Velvet | John Lewis | M&S | Eres
Bottom row (from left): Boden | M&S | Hunza G | Mateau | M&S | La Redoute
I will always defer to a chic black one-piece. There’s always a place for a pretty print and pastel colours, but one of these will take you anywhere. And a well-fitting black swimsuit will never let you down.
From Douceur.uk (in case you missed it)…
Got any weddings in the diary? You might just find the dress of your dreams here. Wedding guest shoes and bags in the edit too.
The Best Pancakes In London (imo)…
Granger & Co. is one of my favourite brunch spots in London (find them in Chelsea, Clerkenwell, King’s Cross, Marylebone and Notting Hill), and one of my absolute favourite things on the menu is the ricotta hotcakes, with fresh banana and honeycomb butter. The pancakes are pretty sizeable, but as light as a feather and absolutely delicious. Like, literally HEAVENLY. My mouth is literally watering writing this!
I made American pancakes (served with crispy steaky bacon and blueberry compote) at home last weekend, and this recipe never fails me.
Watching (on the small screen)…
We’re actually about to watch the final episode, but have really enjoyed it. Episode 7 was the best yet in my opinion. And I can’t be the only one with an unexpected crush on James Nelson-Joyce can I? I did not see that one coming!
Now the other show I’ve been watching is definitely a bit of a guilty secret (no judgement please guys), but I’m willing to share with you… I happened to be talking to someone about how I’m re-watching Come Dine With Me and Four In A Bed (non-stop lols) with my daughter, Tabitha, and how funny we find them. They suggested Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Soloman as another ‘low level’, but ultimately enjoyable show. I was dubious. But in I went (Tabitha wasn’t interested in this one - less lols), and now I’m sort of hooked. There’s no reinvention of wheels here, but if you are a bit of a neat freak and love organising (me!), you may well like it too. My favourite bit is when they lay out the entire contents of the home in a giant hanger, for the owners to see everything they own, then edit. It’s wild! Literally, every tube of toothpaste, cotton bud, pair of socks. But it really makes you think about how many duplicates of things you have in your house (frying pans, tins of tomatoes, boxes of cereals, towels - anything).
Anyway, next time you just fancy something pretty mindless, but feel-good (if organising is your thing), give it a go. It’s my favourite thing to watch on a Saturday morning when everyone’s still asleep.
Treasured Twiggy Print…
When people come to our home for the first time, one of the first things they comment on (usually after: wow, you have A LOT of books!) is this print of Twiggy. Ours is pretty big (including the frame it’s 103x73cm) and I absolutely love it beyond. I have had it for many, many years now (it was a gift from a boyfriend when I was in my twenties - two boyfriends ago). It’s an ‘Iris print’, which I believe is one of the highest quality prints you can get (when you look at it closely, the details kind of blow your mind). Anyway, it’s become a real talking point in our home, for visitors of all ages (my daughter’s school friends always thought she looked “really scary'“ when they were little) right up to people in their eighties (they tend to want to discuss the photographer). Anyway, I just happened to stumble across a site the other week, and saw it! It’s a little smaller than ours, but I think it’s a great price for a beautiful framed print (they also sell it unframed).
Just Dropped (and loving)…
Last, But Not Least…
During the Summer months I like to add/layer a few more playful pieces in with my existing gold jewellery, and have got my eye on one of these cute necklaces.
That’s it for the month’s round-up. Thanks for reading. If you’re enjoying these posts and fancy getting them more often, you might want to consider upgrading to a paid subscription (literally for the price of a coffee). You will also get full access to the complete archive of posts (getting close to a year’s worth now!). I am still loving putting these (free) monthly edits together, but it’s the other posts where I sometimes like to ‘go deeper’ and get more personal (also with smaller edits of things I’m loving in all areas of my life - fashion, home, beauty style…). Anyway, something to consider - zero pressure.
See you next time! In the meantime, thank you for all your continued support. It means the world. Have a gorgeous weekend ahead!
ps: if you enjoyed this post, please do ‘like’ with a heart, comment or share - it’s hugely appreciated and really does help with my posts being seen on Substack. Plus I always love reading your comments! xx
pps: if you’re enjoying Douceur Diaries (thank you), you will probably also enjoy my website, Douceur.uk (if you’re not already!). Sunday Style is always (and always has been) the most popular (and the chunkiest) of all the edits (a high-low mix of all my favourite fashion finds from the week), and drops in your inbox at 7am every Sunday. You can subscribe (for free) here.
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Oh those necklaces are fabulous! And how did I not know of wiggy kit? The shirt sarong dress!!!
Loving all your updates. I look forward to the notifications of new posts. Xx