Wee Birdy

My Secret London with Imelda Burke

In the latest instalment of My Secret London, I caught up with Marylebone's organic beauty queen, Imelda Burke, owner and founder of Content Beauty/Wellbeing. She opened up her little black book to share some of her secret London gems...

Best for a books?
Books are an ongoing obsession – our house is covered in them. We’ve got everything from art and photography books to medical encyclopaedias - it’s quite an eclectic collection. I go to Donlon Books for the hard-to-finds. It has the best photography and art collection and books on subculture. It’s now got two stores - one in Bethnal Green and one in Broadway market.

For books to give your brain a workout, I love The School of Life. Their faculty have read their way through thousands of books to bring you a carefully edited selection. They have the best categorisation of any bookshop I’ve been to. Shelves are organized in the following topics:

How to turn over a new leaf
How to know you’re in love
How to be green on the cheap
How to be more creative
How to enjoy your own company
How to make the world a better place
How to find pleasure in everyday things
How to understand your childhood
How to survive melancholy
How to find a job you love
How to think deeply about life
How to get on with other people

Charlotte Mann's hand-drawn walls at The School of Life.

Best for vintage?
The Peanut Vendor, a mid-century furniture shop based in Newington Green in Islington. It’s filled with wonderful, previously-loved pieces of furniture and homewares as well as design classics. Look out for G-Plan and Ercol classics.

Best for interiors and gifts?
Rob Ryan’s store on Columbia Road, Ryantown, would have to be my favourite. From tiles to prints, glassware and now cushions – we decorated the treatment room at CONTENT BEAUTY/WELLBEING with his ‘No other planet could be as beautiful as this one’ print.

Best for stationery?
I love a notebook and the best come from www.o-check.net. Their ‘Another Day, Cloudy Memory’ notebooks are sometimes available from twentytwentyone. Made from old-school heavy newsprint paper, numbered and fabric-bound.

I also love their cards, especially the ‘Spring Bird’.

Others I love are from the Monocle shop in Marylebone. Great linen-backed notebooks designed by the Monocle team in London and produced in Germany by Brandbook.

Best for kids?
Jabberwockie in Islington has the best clothes, gifts and shoes for kids. Great for presents, skincare and quirky Japanese ranges. Don’t bother with the mainstream.

Best for beauty/skincare?
That would be my own shop, CONTENT, of course! A selection of the best organic brands such as Dr Alkaitis and Pai Skincare and established near-natural brands like Ren and Nude. We also have one of the most extensive collections of natural perfumes and hold CONTENT wellbeing evenings once a month, which include food and wine tastings and tips for keeping healthy from our team of naturopaths.

Best London souvenir?
I think the best thing to take home from London is an appreciation for the diversity living in a large city brings and the energy it creates.

Best place to eat?
Saf vegan restaurant in Curtain Road.

Click here for a Wee Birdy map of Imelda's secret addresses.
Click here for more Secret Londons.

My Secret London with Neal from Present & Correct (Part 2)

In part two of My Secret London with Neal from Present & Correct, we find out exactly where he shops for stationery, children's toys, skincare ... and stacks more. Dig in, birdies.

Best for stationery?
Present & Correct of course! I always check out Magma, Muji and Shelf too to see what they are stocking on their shelves. Most of all I think that there are some brilliant old-school stationers dotted around. Belsize Stationers in Hampstead is a good example. Lots of binders, school notebooks and an eraser for any mistake. Holloway Arts, on Holloway Road is another good one. They have an old Letraset sign that I have been coveting for around 8 years.

Some of the design and stationery goodies from Neal's online shop, Present & Correct.

Best for kids?
Caramel has a great selection of things. The museum shops too, especially The Natural History Museum. And Couverture. Anywhere that sells traditional wooden toys makes me happy.

Above: wooden toys at Couverture.

Best for skincare?
I always buy Aesop products for myself and as gifts, I love the old-style apothecary packaging. The store itself is original and fun. You can’t beat Boots though. A good long walk in any London park will work wonders, too.

Neal out for a stroll on Hampstead Heath.

Best London shopping secret?
My friend Emma introduced me to Sunbury antiques market in Kempton. Get there early and be prepared to dig through lots of nonsense to find a great gem.

Above: Treasure to be found at Sunbury Antiques Market.

Best London souvenir?
A bag of Brick Lane bagels and something to put on them from Fortnum & Mason.

Best place to eat?
There are a few, because I love to eat lots and try new places. For breakfast The Modern Pantry on Clerkenwell Road is brill, as well as Bob Bob Ricard in Soho which is an OTT diner/brasserie where the staff have gold and pink uniforms and the menu features Farley’s Rusk milkshake!

Above: the fabulous interior of Bob Bob Ricard.

Ottolenghi is always good for lunch, as is Leilah's at Arnold Circus near Brick Lane. Market on Parkway in Camden is great and not dissimilar to the brilliant Quality Chop House in Farringdon - hearty British dinners.

Café Paolina on Kings Cross Road is a wonderful, cheap Thai café. Wood panelling, fake flowers, melamine chairs. An old greasy spoon now run by a super-friendly Thai family. Monmouth is always great for coffee, at Borough Market or in Covent Garden. I plan to go to Petersham Nurseries this year as I have been wanting to go for ages. 

I like eating on the sofa at mine, too. It’s BYO at P&C headquarters.

For all addresses and a Wee Birdy map of Neal's secret London, click here.

Read more about Present & Correct here.

For more secret Londons, click here.

My Secret London with Neal from Present & Correct (Part 1)

Neal Whittington, 29, runs the rather splendid online design and stationery store, Present & Correct. With a solid professional background as a graphic designer and illustrator, Neal spends much of his time these days scouring the globe for weird and wonderful paper-y delights. Here he opens up his little black book of favourite London haunts.

Best for a bargain?
Any of the city car boot sales: Wimbledon, Kilburn, Battersea, Chiswick. Borough Market late in the day for cheap veg.

Above: Bric-a-brac a-plenty at Battersea car boot sale.

Best for vintage?
There are several great shops at the Highbury end of Holloway Road which all sell a mixture of mid-century furniture and accessories. Due to its location you will find these places are much cheaper than if they were located in a trendier part of town.

I love vintage places that just sell one thing too, like Get Stuffed (for taxidermy) or EW Moore (for amazing retro wallpaper), as well as DA Binder (for old shop fittings).

Best for fashion?
I love Paul & Joe, and I always look in Liberty. Smaller independents like Sefton and Diverse stock some good labels. Second-hand shops like Rokit, Beyond Retro and charity shops come up with the goods, too.

Above: Vintage finds at Beyond Retro.

Best for jewellery?
I don’t wear any jewellery but I love Solange Azagury-Partridge. Also our friends Zoe and Morgan.

Above: Designs by Solange Azagury-Partridge.

Best for interiors and gifts?
SCP and Skandium are lovely shops and there are some great little gifty places along Columbia Road – like Ryan Town and Treacle. Labour & Wait is unique and so attractive and I cannot leave Muji empty handed. Ever!

Above: Skandi-heaven at Skandium.

In part 2 tomorrow, Neal reveals his secret London destinations for stationery, kids' stuff, skincare, souvenirs, and places to eat.

For all addresses and a Wee Birdy map of Neal's secret London, click here.

Read more about Neal's online store, Present & Correct here.

For more secret Londons, click here.

My Secret London with Martina McHowat - part II

In part two of "My Secret London", Urban Junkies Style Editor Martina McHowat tells us her favourite London destinations for gifts, stationery, beauty and food. It will make you dream of Icelandic mud and stationery with tiny beefeaters...

Best for interiors and gifts?
Lifestyle Bazaar on Newburgh Street always has a cool selection of lifestyle bits. Urban Outfitters and Muji are good for knick-knacky gifts, and the Magma product shop next to the book store is great for unusual finds. And I’m looking forward to seeing what H&M does with its homeware offering, slated to arrive in February.

H&M homewares range.

Best for stationery?
I do love Liberty’s stationery department, as much for their own line of note cards, diaries and address books, as well as the range of designers they stock. Smythson do great correspondence cards and stationery which you can have personalised, and their current Giles collaboration is a fashion-lover’s dream, with design sketches on the front and neon pink and green tissue-lined envelopes.

Best for beauty?
I get facials at Elemis off Bond Street, which is like a little sanctuary in the middle of potentially the busiest shopping district – not that you'd know it! It’s all quite South-East Asian feeling which I love, and Amanda gives the best tri-enzyme resurfacing facials - sounds hardcore but is really gentle.

I also love Sjal skincare, you can get it on www.cultbeauty.co.uk (also love their website, finally a site you can believe in completely, full of things properly tried out and reviewed).

And if you’re ever in Iceland, try out the hot springs at Blue Lagoon which have pots of this amazing silica clay mask dotted around – you just slather it on and float about. They’re doing it in tubes now for us poor souls who can’t be there in person.

I’ve just come back from Compton Hair in Covent Garden where I tried out their Brazilian Keratin Hair treatment, and it may well change my GHD-dependent life - after leaving it in for three days, my usually wavy, frizz-prone hair is down to a quick morning blow dry and it still looks straight and soft. I didn’t think it was possible!

Other London favourites?
I’m a bit obsessed with Columbia Flower Market on Sundays. The prices are just silly compared to what you’d pay in town, and the street is just stunning filled with every imaginable kind of tree, bush, shrub and stem.

Even better though, is that one side of the street is choc-full of some of the coolest little boutiques in the city; Cerise for jewellery, Suck & Chew for vintage-style sweets in jars and pocket money bits and Treacle for cupcakes and cool kitchen/homewares. I also love Far Global and Nom for the collections of Far Eastern antiques and bits & bobs. They have that lovely incense-y smell and everything inside is authentic and comes with a story. 

Best London souvenir?
I try and stay as far away from the tacky souvenir shops you tend to find down the dodgy end of Oxford Street; nobody needs a Union Jack G-String. Instead, try Muji’s ‘London in a bag’ full of wooden London landmarks like the London Eye and St Paul's, and now they’re doing rather fabulous little ‘London transport in a bag’ containing little painted wooden buses, black cabs and tubes.

I also like Julie Bell’s stationery, which come in beautiful boxes and have London icons embossed on them - beefeaters, buses or phone boxes.

Best for food?
Sophie’s Steak House on the Fulham Road - it’s a lovely, homey but chic feeling place with no reservation policy, so you turn up, get given a number which flashes up on a board above the bar, and wait over delicious cocktails. Lots of exposed brickwork, lightbulbs hanging loose from the ceiling and old train carriage luggage racks above the tables. And it’s not unusual to see Sophie herself wandering around serving steak, which by the way, is divine. They’re just opened in Covent Garden too. Go!

For all addresses and a Wee Birdy map of Martina's secret London, click here.
Check out Martina's London Fashion Week coverage at Urban Junkies, which includes designer interviews, backstage images and a competition to win the Ultimate Swag Bag.

My Secret London with Martina McHowat

To celebrate London Fashion Week, I asked Urban Junkies' Style Editor, Martina McHowat, to delve into her little black book for her favourite London addresses. The good news? The girl with her finger firmly on the pulse of London’s fashion scene doesn’t hold back. In fact, it’s so good, I’m posting it in two parts. Dig in to part one today…

Favourite London shops?
Maison Martin Margiela, where the shop assistants are dressed in white lab coats and the clothes are the main focus in a glassy, futuristic space - though I do miss his old Bruton Street Store, which barely had signage and was practically hidden from the untrained eye!

Liberty for the fabulous old Tudor frontage and window displays, Dover Street Market for their ever-changing designer spaces, and Partridges on the King’s Road for their American imports, which keeps me in supply of apple and cinnamon Pop Tarts every morning. 
 
Selfridges for their underwear department, and Long Tall Sally for their pyjamas, because at 6 foot, my legs tend to get the bum end of the deal with nightwear! Sadly Long Tall Sally isn’t a favourite for any other reason, which is a shame, as I suspect it could be onto a winner with plenty of other young, tall women out there in need of well-tailored trousers and fashionable pieces.

And I love London’s constant stream of inspiring pop-up spaces; Moet’s Atelier room at Christmas, Monocle magazine’s shop, the currently installed Nowhere space in Dover Street Market; and the PPQ ‘Jackdaw Store’ at number 6, Burlington Arcade for London Fashion Week.

Best for a bargain?
Get onto sample sales; there’s some seriously good stuff out there, I’m still kicking myself for missing the Lara Bohinc sale last year – amazing gold pieces and leather wallets at a smidgen of the price.

 

My favourite Chloe bag is from one of their sample sales at the Music Rooms, again, less than half price. Get onto www.urbanjunkies.com and have a look in our style section; I personally trawl the rest of the web and make sure we always have an amalgamation of the most up-to-date sales, and as we’re constantly updating, we’re a step ahead of sites that only put out a listing at the beginning of every month.

Apart from us, it’s all about sites like cocosa.com - they’ve had some amazing online sales since they set up last year, stuff like Christian Lacroix, Luella, Peter Jensen and Eley Kishimoto. And definitely keep an eye out for The Outnet, Net-a-porter’s discount sister, which should go live some time in April.

Best for fashion?
I’ve just gotten into All Saints as I love their Westwood-inspired cuts and unusual draping. I’m waiting for the right time to wear my floor length Parachute Dress (unless some terrible air accident forces me to evacuate in style sometime soon, I’m thinking it might never come).

The new Liberty of London store on Sloane Street is lovely. Independents like Beyond the Valley are always fun for a browse, and The Shop at Bluebird is really cleverly set out, with great denim and first edition books.



Zoe Lem’s boutique/gallery space, My Sugarland, opened last year and stocks all kinds of new designers, cool accessories and hosts art installations on the side. And The Convenience Store is a bit secret, located in an old cobbler’s shop, but it stocks some hard-to-find labels and has ‘under the counter’ pieces for loyal customers.

Matthew Williamson’s H&M collaboration in April should be great for the summer, as I hear there’s a lot of gold peacockery and his usual boho style involved.

Matthew Williamson for H&M.

In a dream world, I’d be swathed head to toe in McQueen’s subversive anglophilia, Nina Ricci’s dreamlike gowns, Bottega Venetta’s draped elegance, and Chanel’s pumps, which are my guilty secret. They are seriously comfy, and as they only rarely seem to stock more than one pair in my size at one time, I snap them up and hide them in my cupboard for fear of ruining them on an actual pavement. Rubbish crunch behaviour, I know.

Nina Ricci.

Best for accessories?
I’m such a magpie when it comes to anything bejewelled - my whole bedroom windowsill is covered in bits and bobs. I go everywhere. Topshop always has the most fun bits, loving their neon collections at the moment. Shanghai Tang keeps my Asian spirit happy; my Louis Vuitton Sprouse scarf is undoubtedly my most worn investment (check out the current Sprouse collaboration for some graffiti-filled fun), and I love Rowan Mersh’s weird material neck pieces and brooches.

   
Rowan Mersh.

If I had all the money in the world, I’d be straight on to Chanel’s carousel necklace and Alex Monroe’s bee necklace. I have a bit of a penchant for the whimsical.

Chanel's carousel necklace.

I love Miu Miu’s shoes and bags for some fun, and Mulberry’s handbags and wallets when I need something more classic, and the only heels I can walk in with any confidence come from LK Bennett - simple black platform pumps.

Tomorrow: Part 2 with Martina's tips for London's best homewares, stationery, souvenirs and food.
For all addresses and a Wee Birdy map of Martina's secret London, click here.
Check out Martina's London Fashion Week coverage at Urban Junkies, which includes designer interviews, backstage images and a competition to win the Ultimate Swag Bag. Have a peek - some very tasty prizes, indeed. There's also loads of info about pop-up shops and places to go and hang out during fashion week.

My Secret London with Alex Monroe

London-based jeweller (and Wee Birdy favourite) Alex Monroe is renowned for his delicate, whimsical (and Valentine's-worthy) creations. So when I had the opportunity to ask him about his secret London destinations, I jumped at the chance. Here's what he had to say ...

"Warning! Don’t forget that although I make particularly feminine jewellery, I am a bloke! Which means that I have a whole different relationship to shops and shopping to women. Bear this in mind and forgive my sins ..."

Best for a bargain? 
"Guilty secret: I love cheapie shops like Uniqlo, Hennies and Gap. And they’re all over the place! I sometimes pop into town with my eldest daughter to buy piles of skinny jeans (for her not for me!). The kids grow out of things so fast, which isn’t a problem when they’re cheap. We always have a bit left over for Hot Chocolate at Leon, and a treat lunch in Sakura (on Hanover street). I’m afraid I’m not much of a bargain-hunter, except for my bi-annual purchase of John Smedley pull-overs from London Fashion Week-end. Oh, and the odd spree at The White Stuff."

Best for vintage?
"I only ever buy vintage bikes and crockery. I don't know how many bikes I have - Holdsworths and Hetchins from the 1960s. Ahh. Bliss. Herne Hill bike jumble if you’re a ‘Classic Lightweight’.
Never drink out of a mug. I get my cups, saucers, tea-pots, etc from car boot sales. Now friends buy me bits and bobs whenever they see something. There’s a handy car boot sale in Battersea on Sunday morning, or check out Bermondsey Market on a Friday morning."

 

Margaret Howell's spring/summer 09 collection.

Best for fashion?
"Margaret Howell, mmm! Or Old Town Clothing, they rent a showroom in Dickensian East London once in a while. You have to get in touch and make an appointment. And John Smedley. For browsing, stroll from Angel tube station through Camden passage and along Upper Street. Don’t forget to stop for a coffee and treat in Ottolenghi!"

Old Town Clothing.

Best for jewellery?
"Ha! Me, of course! But seriously ... Liberty are re-doing their jewellery department for Valentines Day, it should look great. Harrods have a fab department. Sweet Pea in Primrose Hill is lovely, as well as Kirt Holmes in Camden passage. It's harder work, but it's really exciting to see the St. Martin’s degree show exhibition in June, or New Designers in Islington in July."

Alex Monroe jewellery.

Best for interiors and gifts?
"For gifts, head to Burlington Arcade. Lovely macaroons from Laduree, tea from Luponde, or smellies from Penhaligons. Anything extra, pop over the road to Fortnum and Mason (and get afternoon tea while you’re there!). Petersham Nurseries are fab. They have a lovely nursery, cafe and wonderful shop in the old greenhouses. Lovely gardening pots, strings, and gadgets all on a dry mud floor intertwined with jasmine and honeysuckle. It’s heaven. Great furniture, too."

 

Best for stationery?
"Smythson of Bond Street. (Save up for it though, it’s not cheap!)"

Best for kids?
"My kids are out-doorsie so we love Nunhead Cemetery and Dulwich Woods."

Best for beauty/skincare?
"I’m a bloke! But my wife is an aromatherapist at Neal’s Yard in Marylebone. She does natural facial rejuvenation which is fantastic."

Number one London shopping secret?
"The Neal’s Yard Dairy cheese shop in Borough Market. I love it!"

Best London souvenir?
"Cheese of course!"

Best for food?
"Depends if you’re feeling poshy, or noshy. For Posh I love a long lunch at Roussillon in Pimlico. The wine is perfect and the food - well, try it for yourselves. It’s a taste-bud treat from heaven.

For Nosh there’s only one place, The Anchor and Hope in Waterloo. I’m a real fan of great British food, and that’s what they serve. Crab on toast, mackerel with pickled cucumber, potted shrimp and beetroot salad. All washed down with a lovely Kentish beer. It doesn’t get much better than that. The freshest of local ingredients at a great price. I go there every week to catch up with my big brother. We have a chat, a drink and some grub. It’s lovely."

For all addresses and a Wee Birdy map of Alex's secret London, click here.

Click here for Alex's jewellery and blog.

 

“My Secret London” with Jane Ellis from KJ’s Laundry

In the latest instalment of “My Secret London”, Jane Ellis from Marylebone’s award-winning independent fashion boutique, KJ’s Laundry, spills the secret London addresses from her little black book.

Best for a bargain? Brick Lane, East London.

Best for vintage? Hammersmith Vintage Fair.

Best for fashion? Shop at Bluebird.

Best for jewellery? Kabiri.

Best for interiors and gifts? Mint.

Best for beauty and skincare? Liberty beauty hall.

Best for kids? Blossom.

Best for stationery? Smythson.

Any other favourites? Chapel Market.

Your number one London shopping secret? La Fromagerie in Marylebone.

Best London souvenir? A retro poster from the Transport Museum.

Favourite place to eat? Yauatcha.

Click here for a Wee Birdy map of Jane’s secret London addresses.
Check out the latest collections online at KJ’s Laundry.

Huge thanks and wee birdy kisses to Jane for her generous tips and advice.

“My Secret London” with Jess G. from Cult Beauty

To kick-start this brand-new series, we asked Jess Gearheart, creative director and blog editor of uber-cool new online women's beauty destination, Cult Beauty, to share her London secrets with Wee Birdy readers. And my, she's really spilled on the good stuff ... Dig in, my dears.

Favourite London shops?
"One of my favourites is now closed. It was Mootich shoe shop on Elizabeth Street. Katarina's shoes were hand-crafted and stunningly gorgeous and the little studio was so welcoming and Dickensian in size and feel ... perfect.
Sari shops on Brick Lane and Southall for their endless vibrant fabrics and row upon row of sparkling bangles.
Huntsman and Henry Poole on Savile Row because they're some of the last true tailors left on a street that is swiftly filling up with posers trading falsely on the Savile Row name.
Ormonde Jayne because it's diminutive and black and filled with marvellous scents.
The Village Deli in Highgate because they make American-style coffee."

Best for a bargain?
"A bargain? Does it exist in London? I always make a beeline for the 'Buy Now or Regret It Forever' rack at Topshop (in the back right corner of the basement) and have bought some of my coolest pieces there. If you can stomach the insanity of the sample sales, check out Fashion Confidential or Urban Junkies for the best and most up-to-date listings. The Century Theatre in Westbourne Grove always has something going on (Paul & Joe, Temperley, Matthew Williamson et al) and so does The Music Room on South Molton Lane (i.e. Hermes, Prada)."

A Music Room sale

Best for vintage?
"Annie's on Camden Passage for dresses and Blondie/Absolute Vintage on Commercial Street for accessories and shoes. Go to charity shops in the country for real bargains because you won't find them in London. Vintage does not come cheap in the Big Smoke. Actually, now that I think about it, Change of Heart in Crouch End is great for vintage finds, as it's off the beaten track. I found the most beautiful DVF dress with tags still on marked down to 100 quid. Still, like I said, not terribly cheap. You could also try The Button Lady in Hampstead."

Best for fashion?
"Matches for Sum Fortune shoes. Spitalfields Market for one-off dresses and jackets. COS for simple, essential pieces like ballet flats, shift dresses, vests and jeans. And they sell slips! GAP for summer sandals (because they have a brilliant European design team). Wolford on South Molton Street for the best opaque tights. You can buy an entire, beautiful wardrobe from those stores and, although it's not, it'll look super expensive and put-together."

Sum Fortune shoes.

Best for jewellery?
"Blondie for vintage jewels; Kabiri on Marylebone High Street for precious and semi-precious stones; and Tatty Devine on Brick Lane for quirky pieces like cassette tape brooches, name plate necklaces or Rob Ryan cut-outs. Astley Clarke is the best online jeweller in town and will deliver same-day courier service and gift-wrapped. Belmacz does the most beautiful high-end pieces. So does Alexandra Jefford and she takes commissions."

Best for interiors and gifts?
"Palette London and The Design Museum."

Best for stationery?
"Liberty and Hazlitz. Liberty for traditional stuff and brands like Billet Doux and Hazlitz for cool stuff no one else will have."

Best for beauty?
"Facials: Monique Horsey (great at extractions) or Sarah Chapman for facials. Una Brennan and Vaishaly Patel are good too but you need to book waaaaaaaay in advance for those ladies.
Nails: Teresa Smith because she'll come to you. Get a buffed finish. It last longer.
Hair: Karine Jackson for colour and I usually cut my own hair (yes, I know I shouldn't).
Shopping online: Cult Beauty for the best beauty finds online without having to dig around for them, of course. The Cult Beauty blog or Vogue.co.uk for beauty news.
Shopping in-store: If I want to browse in-store I go to Urban Retreat, Space NK, Lost in Beauty or Content Beauty/Wellbeing [Top Bird: shop tour of Content Beauty/Wellbeing coming soon!]. Content Beauty/Wellbeing is an all-natural shop with the best selection of natural and organic products I've ever seen, both online and in-store. And they do Dr. Alkaitis facials, which no one else in London does.
Spas: Bloww does great massages, Bliss is good for a New Yorker who misses her American spa treatments and Origins do mini-facials in-store, as do Simple (both based in Covent Garden).
Fragrance: Les Senteurs for hard-to-find fragrances or Ormonde Jayne in the Royal Arcade for my go-to scents, Frangipani and Ormonde Woman.
Eyebrows and lashes: Vanda Serrador or Vaishaly for threading and Sue Marsh for Eye-tec false eyelashes. Marsh does the most artistic and cool lashes in town. She'll come to you or you can visit her at Daniel Galvin in Marylebone. They'll stay on for a Very. Long. Time.
Waxing: Otylia Roberts or Bloww. Just go. Otylia is the best. She does the least painful Brazilian in Europe. Bloww is the second least painful."

Content Beauty/Wellbeing.

Best London souvenir?
"Until it opens in New York, a Topshop dress and accessories; Organic Pharmacy shampoo and conditioner; BECCA concealer and beach tints [pick them up at Harvey Nichols]; sugar mice; Cadbury Flake; and new music that hasn’t arrived in the U.S. (Adele is just making it stateside)."

Favourite place to eat?
"There are four: Afghan Kitchen for a cheap night out and BYOB; the Grain Shop when I'm in west London and want a mound of healthy food (and sweets) to take away; Ottolenghi for brunch and 32 Old Bailey (but only on Balkan Fever night!) for a night of silly dancing. Also, on a sunny day I wouldn't complain if a mate invited me for Pimm’s and nibbles and poolside fun on the roof of Shoreditch House."

Salads at Ottolenghi.

Your number one London shopping secret?
"Stay away from Portobello Market. It's a waste of time, money and energy. Visit the other ones instead and go either really early or really late. There's no other city in the world with the street market culture of London. There's Columbia Road for flowers, Borough for food, Camden Passage for antiques and so many other smaller local ones (e.g. Broadway Market in Hackney et al)."

Click here for a Wee Birdy map of Jess G's Secret London addresses.
Check out Jess's must-read blog on niche skincare and cosmetics brands at Cult Beauty.

Super thanks and big birdy kisses to Jess for her generous tips and advice.