Scream! It's: Jenna Ortega
Scream! It's: Jenna Ortega
Scream! It's: Jenna Ortega
Scream! It’s
JENNA
ORTEGA
THE UNSTOPPABLE RISE OF
THE WEDNESDAY STAR
Plus
THE
SHOES
& BAGS
UPDATE
The Barometer Edited by Priya Elan
ON THE COVER JENNA ORTEGA PHOTOGRAPH GREG WILLIAMS STYLING CAROLINE NEWELL. DRESS, £740, CHRISTIAN COWAN, FROM SAKS FIFTH AVENUE. SHOES, £360, BY FAR. SOCKS, £13 FOR TWO PAIRS, FALKE
EDITOR LAURA ATKINSON DEPUTY EDITOR CHARLOTTE WILLIAMSON ART DIRECTOR ANDREW BARLOW FASHION DIRECTOR KAREN DACRE BEAUTY DIRECTOR SARAH JOSSEL ACTING BEAUTY DIRECTOR PHOEBE MCDOWELL
FEATURES EDITOR PRIYA ELAN ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR SCARLETT RUSSELL JEWELLERY DIRECTOR JESSICA DIAMOND ASSOCIATE FASHION DIRECTOR VERITY PARKER FASHION AND MERCHANDISE EDITOR FLOSSIE SAUNDERS
BOOKINGS DIRECTOR AND CREATIVE PRODUCER LEILA HARTLEY ACTING BOOKINGS DIRECTOR AND CREATIVE PRODUCER JESSICA HARRISON PICTURE EDITOR CATHERINE PYKETT-COMBES ACTING PICTURE EDITOR LORI LEFTEROVA
SENIOR DESIGNER ANDY TAYLOR JUNIOR FASHION EDITOR HELEN ATKIN STAFF WRITER AND EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ROISIN KELLY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ALICE KEMP-HABIB CHIEF SUB-EDITOR SOPHIE FAVELL SENIOR SUB-EDITOR JANE MCDONALD
© Times Media Ltd, 2023. Published and licensed by Times Media Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF (020 7782 5000). Printed by Prinovis UK Ltd, Liverpool. Not to be sold separately
Heating up
▲ INNER CIRCLES
A front row? How 2022.
The hottest catwalk
shows right now have a
circular seating plan
THOM BROWNE
▲ DESTINATION FABULOUS
Top style and life tips
THOM BROWNE
from fashion editor Anna
Murphy in her new book
▲ PAPER
The unlikely inspiration
LUAR
for Diptyque’s new
fragrance. A4 lined
notepads, anyone?
LUAR
Go, go gadget fashion is here
Forget David Byrne, the new jacket icon is Inspector Gadget’s
▲ THE BACK-ARM TATTOO inflatable trench coat. Supersized suiting has been around for a while,
Back of the upper arm, to be but this season’s shows have taken things up a notch: Raul Lopez of
precise, as seen on pretty Luar made his models look like they were positively drowning in
much every 20-year-old their coats, while the jackets at Thom Browne were fitted with a
model right now knowing wink of exaggeration. We say: go, go gadget shoulder pads!
Cooling down
▼ ‘COMPLETE
DARKNESS RETREATS’
No natural light, no
sound. It’s A Thing, but
sounds like solitary
confinement to us
▼ KALE
Additional words: Victoria Brzezinski, Phoebe McDowell. Photographs: Getty Images, Alamy
It’s all about Brussels
sprouts now (as seen on
the menu at the hot
London restaurants
Primeur and Straker’s)
▼ FLUTES
In Milan the fashion set
are currently drinking
their champagne from
Spice up your staircase
Forget the souped-up utility room — stair runners have become
“deep coupes”
the new interiors must-have. Yes, if you’re serious about keeping up
with the Joneses, your stairs must sing with something long,
▼ ‘HIPSTORIC’ skinny, punchy and patterned. Handwoven from New Zealand
New interiors term to wool, Sophie Cooney’s stair runners (above) are emerging as a firm
describe where hipster favourite among design doyennes. You also can’t go wrong with
meets historic — mixing anything by the French heritage house Pierre Frey. Adding instant
modern furniture with old. oomph, the alpha move is to paint the stairs underneath in a
Cease and desist complementary or, better still, clashing colour. Truly steptacular!
Scream
QUEEN
Jenna Ortega very nearly said no to Wednesday, the
Tim Burton series that made her a global star at just 20.
Now appearing in Scream VI, she tells Polly Vernon
why she can’t resist embracing her dark side
Photographs Greg Williams Styling Caroline Newell
Petal cutout dress,
£995, Christopher
Kane. Shoes
(throughout), £360,
By Far. Socks,
(throughout), £13
for two pairs, Falke
From left Ortega as Wednesday Addams in the dance scene that went viral and with Catherine Zeta-Jones as her on-screen mother
‘I thought
Wednesday
wasn’t going to
be watched.
That it would be
a little gem that
someone finds’
The Sunday Times Style • 21
Gathered tulle
dress, £2,750,
Dolce & Gabbana
going to be covered in blood and dirt and sweat and platform’s history, surpassed Stranger Things’s record
guts. You’re never clean. And very sticky. At the end of for the most amount of streamer hours in its first week
the day, when you’re peeling your clothes off, it does — and elevated Ortega to an entirely new level of fame.
that thing where your skin is attached [to the fake blood I ask her if she wanted the role desperately, from the
and prosthetic wound gore], so your skin is kind of first moment she heard about it.
raised up from your body as it slooooooowly separates “No, I didn’t. I got the email, passed on it.” Really?
itself. You’re going to lose a few arm hairs.” Why? “I had done so much TV in my life, all I’ve ever
So you don’t need to wax? wanted to do is film. When I first started acting, I don’t
“No, so that’s a benefit.” want to say nobody believed in me, but at the same
There may be no gore in Wednesday, but it’s her time nobody believed in me. You have to prove yourself.
deadpan stoicism in the face of mortal danger, super- It’s only in the last three or four years that I’ve been able
natural horror and vicious schoolgirl status games that to start going up for film. I was scared that by signing on
is much of the reason she is so adored — and by so to another television show it could prevent me from
many. Wednesday is a breakout success for Netflix; it doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about. The
debuted at No 1 on its release in 83 countries, became only reason I went back is because Tim [Burton,
the second most watched English-language show in the director and executive producer of Wednesday] is such a
I need it.”
And because this is a gloriously Wednesday Addams-
ish point on which to leave Jenna Ortega, scream
queen, perfectionist, truly reluctant international
acting star, I do. ■
10
Main picture Defy Skyline 36mm in steel with diamonds, £10,600, zenith-watches.com. 1 Superocean Automatic 36 in stainless steel
with rubber strap, £3,750, breitling.com. 2 RM88 in ceramic and red gold with fabric strap, price on application, richardmille.com. 3 Defy Skyline
36mm in steel with rubber strap, £7,500, zenith-watches.com. 4 PRX 35mm in stainless steel, £320, tissotwatches.com. 5 True Thinline x Great
Gardens of the World in ceramic, £1,950, rado.com. 6 Bouncing Blue in bio-sourced material with silicone strap, £109, swatch.com. 7 Formula 1 in
stainless steel with rubber strap, £1,550, tagheuer.com. 8 J12 41mm in ceramic and steel with diamonds, POA, chanel.com. 9 Big Bang Tourbillon
Automatic in Saxem with rubber strap, POA, hublot.com. 10 Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M in stainless steel, £6,100, omegawatches.com. 11 Royal
Oak Selfwinding in yellow gold with turquoise, £52,800, audemarspiguet.com
11
10
5
8
Main picture Linkage earrings in white and Sakura gold with pearls and diamonds, £20,100, ring with pearl, diamonds and pink
tourmaline, £14,600, and bracelet with pearls and diamonds, £46,500, tasaki.co.uk. 1 Quatre Blue Edition Mini Ring pendant with
diamond, £3,040, boucheron.com. 2 Solarium ring in sterling silver and gold, £445, Spinelli Kilcollin, matchesfashion.com. 3 Aurora ring
in white and Sakura gold with diamonds, £5,380, tasaki.co.uk. 4 Bracelet in white and yellow gold with diamonds, £1,640, Yvonne Léon,
net-a-porter.com. 5 Scatter Orbit earrings in yellow, white and rose gold with diamonds, £4,900, ananya.com. 6 Stacked ear cuff in
blackened, yellow and white gold with diamonds, £3,640, Eéra, net-a-porter.com. 7 Flutter necklace in platinum and yellow, white and
rose gold, £1,525, siataylor.com. 8 Trinity ring in yellow, white and rose gold, £1,020, cartier.com. 9 Nova earrings in white and rose
gold with diamonds, £8,000, lilygabriella.com. 10 Offspring necklace and pendant in sterling silver and rose gold, £350, georgjensen.com.
11 Iconica bracelet in yellow, white and rose gold, £18,000, Pomellato
TOTEME
ACNE STUDIOS
Time hasn’t been kind to the It bag. Much like TFI Friday almost unidentifiable”, noting that customers are
(Chris Evans downing pints on primetime TV, anyone?) increasingly interested in “softer silhouettes with
and those platform trainers the Spice Girls pretended to subtle brand details rather than bold logos”. And
like, the idea that we would hanker for a bag that is loud indeed, you only have to cast your eyes down the New
and obnoxiously expensive is wildly out of date. In section of your favourite luxury fashion website to
These days, with “considered purchasing” a buzz see the evidence. While the big-budget brands once
phrase not just in fashion circles but among anyone went all out on bells, whistles and logos to titivate their
who gives a monkey’s about the future of the planet, latest arm candy, today things are deliberately
handbags are a whole lot more low-key. So much so that restrained, with the season’s hottest handbags defined
in 2023 the thing to have on your arm is not a bag that instead by their anonymity.
can be easily affixed to a particular designer or specific Quietly luxurious, the most-wanted bags of the
season but one that is intentionally understated. moment include the Row’s Park tote (a handbag
Getty Images
Welcome to the age of the blandbag. with its own trench-coat-and-navy-knit-clad fan club),
Liane Wiggins, head of womenswear at Matches- Khaite’s Lotus bag and a smooth leather shoulder tote
fashion, describes this season’s bags as “luxurious but by Saint Laurent (so low-key it goes by the humble
Due to give birth in just ten days, relaxed about having our son out of wedlock — what with
it no longer being the Fifties — but it felt romantic, and
Laura Pullman also found herself possibly easier, to get married with a manageable bump
rather than a mewling baby.
getting married. But what to wear? Post-proposal, driving through the wilderness outside
Reykjavik last November, I called our local register office
Hot pink with vertiginous heels – and in London, Old Marylebone Town Hall, looking for a
maternity shapewear (of course) slot before Christmas. Alas, the next availability for the
£250 “You Plus Two” ceremony — the couple and
two witnesses — was October 2023. So much for sponta-
A brilliant New Yorker cartoon came out last year that neity. Then a cancellation came up: midweek, late January,
showed a man on bended knee proposing to his girlfriend. 9.30am and ten days before my due date. Not exactly
“Will you spend 18 months and tens of thousands of dollars a no-brainer but we took it. First babies are always
planning a party with me?” read the caption. Shortly after- late, right?
wards, under a wide Icelandic sky on a final holiday before What to wear as a nine months pregnant bride is a
the arrival of our first child, my boyfriend of six years asked sartorial head-scratcher. An expensive meringue dress was
me to marry him. Geordie already knew what my answer out of the question: I’d never dreamt of being a princessy
would be: yes please, but let’s get on with it. bride and with a baby imminently incoming I was loath
Not for me the guest list quagmire, cake-tasting sessions to spend thousands on something I’d wear only once.
(delicious as they sound) and ballooning budgets. We were Children, I’m told, can cost a bit.
rather than a punchy £298 — to tell Geordie of my luck. a newsagent to buy Ferrero Rocher to eat in the bath.
“You’re practically saving money at this point,” he said, The skies were grey, it was bitingly cold, I couldn’t drink
eyebrow arched. cocktails or fit into a chic suit, but none of that stuff really
Never did I think my belly button would play such a large mattered. I stroked the bump poking out of the bathwater:
role in my wedding outfit planning, but at some point “Mummy and Daddy just got married and it was perfect.” ■
Leussink guides participants through exercises HIGH, GO BACK it, noticing the emotions that creep in. I ask
designed to help them determine how they receive TO STEP ONE myself, do I want to take this on? A clear, calm
intuition and discern how it differs from anxiety Do that thing voice from within answers: no. I pass, and instead
and other emotions. And since “we cannot be that brings you joy/ of my usual second-guessing I don’t think about it
intuitive unless the body is relaxed”, there’s a lot of de-stresses you for the rest of the day. And guess what? That feels
that too, in the form of breathwork and movement. and try again. right, all the way to my gut. ■
Hair Lewis Pallett at Eighteen Management using Keune. Make-up Sunao Takahashi at Saint Luke using Shiseido.
Nails Cherrie Snow using Dior manicure collection and Miss Dior hand cream. Models Elvina Patrick and Jessica Luostarinen at Wilhelmina
1
2 3
4
6
5
7
11
8
9 10
12
14 15
13
16
18
17
19
Token of love
1 Jumper, £330, madeleine-thompson.com. 2 Sunglasses, £150, finlayandco.com. 3 Wellies, £135, hunterboots.com. 4 Dior Prestige Le Cushion
Teint de Rose, £93, dior.com. 5 Bookworm Candle, £65, paulsmith.com. 6 Bookend, £35, conranshop.co.uk. 7 Ring, £410, rachelboston.co.uk.
8 Flower scissors, £28, Niwaki, woodandmeadow.com. 9 Glass tumbler, £95 for four, lamuertetienepermiso.com. 10 Hammock, £76,
thehammock.co.uk. 11 Bag, £410, missoni.com. 12 Heavenly Gingerlily, £120 for 100ml EDP, moltonbrown.co.uk. 13 Nailbrush, £15, and soap,
£5, oxfordbrushcompany.com. 14 Ring, £99, kurtgeiger.com. 15 Notebook, £30, dunelondon.com. 16 Earrings, £120, sandralexandra.com.
17 Nutrient-Charged Water Gel moisturiser, £65, murad.co.uk. 18 Lambswool throw, £185, issygranger.com. 19 Tin O’ Twine, £7, nutscene.com
6 7
5
11
9
10
12
13
14
15
18
16
17
Cool classics
1 Tank top, £99, Jaeger, marksandspencer.com. 2 Plate, £48.50, Minnie-Mae Stott, glassette.com. 3 Letterbox flowers, £35 (vase not included),
bloomandwild.com. 4 Hand mixer, £150, smeguk.com. 5 Bean pot, £105, Hay, couvertureandthegarbstore.com. 6 Botanist candle, £19,
Urban Olfactory, tkmaxx.com. 7 Spice spoon, £7, kabinshop.com. 8 Core Collection Brush Set, £30 for four brushes, No7, boots.com. 9 The
Longines Master Collection watch, £2,250, longines.com. 10 Pyjamas, £125, toa.st. 11 The Body Cream, £145, augustinusbader.com. 12 Leather
bag, £69, marksandspencer.com. 13 Memo block, £210, smythson.com. 14 Picnic basket, £195, Les Jardins de la Comtesse, selfridges.com.
15 Slippers, £45.50, geox.com. 16 Set of six spoons, £36, artemisdeco.com. 17 Napkins, £38 each, volgalinen.com. 18 Jug, £75, wovenrosa.com
4
3
5
6
7 8
First position
Main picture Bow ballerinas, £46, mango.com. 1 Red ballet flats, £690,
therow.com. 2 Beige ballet flats, £300, atpatelier.com. 3 Bow ballet flats, £195,
Porte & Paire, net-a-porter.com. 4 Black ballerinas, £50, clarks.co.uk. 5 Neoprene
Edit Helen Atkin flats, £30, zara.com. 6 Satin ballet flats, £450, Chloé, net-a-porter.com. 7 Pink
ballerinas, £249, prettyballerinas.co.uk. 8 Blue flats, £245, aeyde.com
2
3
4 6
9
7
3 4
5 6
Higher purpose
Main picture Block-heel mary-janes, £75, charleskeith.co.uk. 1 Patent shoes, £129,
kurtgeiger.com. 2 Satin shoes, £730, Versace, brownsfashion.com. 3 Maroon
mary-janes, £75, charleskeith.co.uk. 4 Pink shoes, £1,050, prada.com. 5 Block-heel
shoes, £120, mango.com. 6 Nude mary-janes, £595, nodaleto.com. 7 Patent
mary-janes, £390, carel.fr. 8 Black embellished-button shoes, £315, ganni.com
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
Loafing around
Main picture Square-toe loafers, £135, cos.com. 1 White shoes, £450,
toteme-studio.com. 2 Brown loafers, £169, arket.com. 3 Snaffle loafers, £225,
russellandbromley.co.uk. 4 Red shoes, £360, dearfrances.com. 5 Mimosa loafers,
£410, atpatelier.com. 6 Beige loafers, £510, tods.com. 7 Tan loafers, £95,
dunelondon.com. 8 Colour-block loafers, £100, stories.com
FEELING FRUITY
2
I love a citrussy
scent, and this one
doesn’t disappoint.
Corsican
clementine and
Italian bergamot
mixed with warming
honeysuckle — it’s
the fragrance
equivalent of
MADE-TO-MEASURE
1
sipping an Aperol
Does the “perfect” pair of by the sea. Aerin
jeans exist? Thanks to Levi’s, it Mediterranean
does, because a new service Honeysuckle
called Lot-1 gives denim the Savile Clementina, £100
Row treatment. Head down to for 50ml EDP,
the Carnaby Street store, esteelauder.co.uk
London W1, where tailors will
3
ABOUT TIME measure you up. You then
The new Omega get to pick your denim,
Her Time buttons, thread colour and
exhibition, which pocket pattern and, a couple of
runs until March 29 months later, your made-to-
in Mayfair and measure, one- of-a-kind jeans
showcases will be ready. The perfect
women’s watches present for the woman — or
from the 19th man — who has everything.
century to today, Couture jeans, anyone?
has reminded me From £750 a pair, levi.com
how much nicer
it is to stare at a
beautiful timepiece
than my phone.
This Omega
Seamaster Aqua
Terra is top of my
list. £6,100, omega
watches.com
5
a classic bag shape,
and one in a shade
other than black is even
better. This green
ADD TO BAG version by Dara
With sunglasses season round the corner, it’s time for my Hamarneh will be slung
shades to go back in my handbag. Missoni’s retro-inspired over my shoulder for
frames are ready to slide between my purse and diary. the foreseeable. £560,
Sunglasses, £175, missoni.com darahamarneh.com
7
look glorious
loaded with daffs
and hyacinths.
From £7 each,
arket.com
9
PRIME POSITION
10
I’m always looking
for a way to save time
when it comes to
skincare. As well as
being a moisturiser,
this vitamin-packed
cream acts as a
primer, making
foundation
application an THROWN OVER
absolute doddle. I’ve been snuggled under this Granite + Smoke blanket all winter
Vitamin Enriched long, and now I have less use for it to keep me cosy, its colours
Ben Parks
Face Base, £49, look delightful folded over the back of my sofa à la Architectural
bobbibrown.co.uk Digest. Cashmere and wool blanket, £665, graniteandsmoke.com
Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin retinoid into your evening routine. Keep the tolerability, so can be a good place to start.
condition characterised by redness, flushing rest of your skincare exactly the same. Start You seem interested in vitamin C, but
and sometimes small spots. When I say twice a week, so that you’re only minimally I would prioritise introducing the retinoid
flushing, I don’t mean when your nose or rocking the boat, and always look at the first. As a dermatologist, I’ve tried a lot of
cheeks go pink when you’re cold or too hot; formula; don’t just pick up a random different vitamin C products and many
it’s persistent redness, worsened by things product. Look for one designed for sensitive have irritated my skin, so you do need to be
like sunlight, alcohol and spicy foods. We skin with soothing ingredients, such as cautious. That said, I have found two prod-
don’t know exactly what causes rosacea and Kiehl’s Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily ucts that didn’t cause me any irritation:
it can be difficult to diagnose — it’s often Micro-Dose Serum (4 £49). It contains SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic (7 £165) is an
mistaken for acne. This means finding the peptides and ceramides, which help to keep investment, but in terms of evidence of effi-
appropriate treatment can be a process of the skin barrier intact. I’m also a big fan of cacy and clinical studies it’s the best on the
trial and error. Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair market. Another option is Naturium
My first piece of advice with rosacea is Night Cream (5 £112) — I acknowledge that Vitamin C Complex Serum (8 £22), which
always to consult a dermatologist. From your this is pricey, but it’s very gentle, with is very skin-friendly and unlikely to disrupt
question, I assume you’ve already done this. minimal risk of irritation. the barrier.
So, on to the case of active ingredients and Seeing a dermatologist in person is the Mishaps can happen when using active
how you can apply them to your routine. best option, but if that’s not accessible to ingredients, so if a rosacea flare-up does
One of the most common symptoms of you then I would recommend the support occur, stop using the offending product and
rosacea is sensitivity, so I see a lot of fear of an online dermatology service, such allow the skin to settle. If it doesn’t seem to
around cosmetics and active ingredients as Dermatica (£20 a month), which I be getting better on its own, do go and see
when speaking to patients. mentioned earlier, or Skin + Me (6 £25 your doctor. With the exception of Azelaic
Before introducing anything new, make a month). These online services provide a Acid 20%, no products available on the
sure your rosacea is under control. Your daily consultation assessing your skin and life- high street can effectively or directly treat
skincare routine should be centred on gentle style factors before you begin treatment, rosacea, so a prescription — whether that’s
products developed for sensitive skin: a which is very helpful. They’re also able topical or oral — may be more suitable. ■
cleanser, moisturiser and SPF. Avène to formulate things like tretinoin, a form
Tolérance is great for this: the Extremely of retinoid, at low doses to help improve Dr Beibei Du-Harpur is an NHS dermatologist
Gentle Cleanser (1 £14.50) is soft and
creamy, while the moisturisers (from £18) 3 4
contain no fragrance. Beauty of Joseon Relief 1 8
6
Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ (2 £16) is
hydrating and non-irritating — apply daily.
Many people manage rosacea by avoiding
ingredients like retinol altogether, but actives 7
aren’t necessarily your enemy. Speak to your 2
5
doctor about azelaic acid, an ingredient that
helps to keep inflammation at bay. You can get
topical products over the counter like
Dermatica Clarifying Azelaic Acid 20%
Cream (3 £20), or if your doctor thinks it’s
necessary, they may prescribe something.
If it’s anti-ageing benefits that you want
from introducing actives, gradually build a Submit your skincare question to skincaresos@sundaytimes.co.uk or via Instagram @theststyle
I will not rest until people who are scared of red lipstick
understand its goodness and unbeatable transformative
power, at any age. But if you’re still fearful of the full red lip,
I have an excellent gateway drug, though it’s so good that you
may stop right there and go no further. I would understand.
A more modern way of wearing red is to apply it and take
half of it off, so it’s more of a stain and doesn’t semaphore
“Hi, I made an effort!” (The way of not semaphoring this
message if you still want to wear a full red lip is to pair it with informal clothing, flat
shoes and not much else that looks like obvious make-up.) But back to the stain concept.
The issue is that this looks lovely for a couple of hours, but since you’ve removed half the
product, you’ve also removed half the emollient properties of hydrating lipsticks. This
means that after a while the stain looks slightly dried and withered, which is the opposite
of the idea — you want the stain to look juicy, if artless and almost accidental. You want the
stain to look French, basically.
How you do this is with Typology Tinted Lip Oil (£19), which happens to be one of the
products I always have about my person — it’s weird that I haven’t written about it before.
So, as the name tells you, this is a lip oil (no flies on me). This means that its primary
purpose — Typology is first and foremost an ethical skincare brand — is to look after your
lips by keeping them supple, nourished and hydrated. It does this via squalane, jojoba and
vitamin E, and doesn’t lob in a ton of pointless and/or dubious other stuff to fill up the
space in the container, as many other brands do. It’s all of the goodness and none of the
crap, so no nanoparticles, no mineral oils, no silicones. (It’s vegan, by the way.)
Now, I’m going to tell you to buy the red one, Ruby Red, because it’s perfect. Being a
mere tint, it is only very, very mildly red — dramatically less red than you’d think it was
from the little glass bottle — but it does exactly what I’ve just been describing, namely give
you a slightly oomphed-up version of that bitten or “I’ve casually been eating cherries”
look. It’s also shiny without being gloopy, either in appearance or in feeling. But it does
come in other shades too, including a jaunty coral, a hyper-natural blush pink and a
plummy purple that is lovely on darker skins. Really, though, with the colour being this
subtle and barely there, you might as well go for the red. Its lasting power is not great,
because there’s nothing in there to glue the product effectively to your mouth, but I’m OK
with that, especially given how comfortable this is to wear. Just reapply as needed. The
little bottle is very pleasing and the applicator is tiny enough to ensure that the stuff goes
on your lips and not anywhere else. ■ @indiaknight
It gives you
a slightly
INDIA LOVES oomphed-up
BUY I know it feels ridiculously early to think about garden furniture, but it’s always sold out — version of that
or has an eight-week lead time — when the weather gets warm. My best purchase in years was
‘I’ve casually
Victoria Adamson
some Adirondack chairs from a Canadian company called CR Plastics Products. They’re
completely recycled, comfortable, handsome, substantial and absolutely bombproof. Nothing
gets near them: they don’t fade in a heatwave or suffer in subzero temperatures, because they
been eating
are Canadian and used to extreme weather. Tons of colours. £350, mobek.co.uk cherries’ look
Last summer I ended an eight-year relationship. It was the right thing to do and I don’t regret
it, but I really miss him. So now I’m in my early thirties, single and spending a lot of time on
my own. I have an amazing group of friends who I see regularly, but the majority are buying
homes, having babies, etc. I’m doing a lot of shagging. I’ve joined Feeld and I’m having a lot
of fun. But as I settle into this kinky space, I’m worried I’m getting too caught up in it. Two
dates a week have turned into three, a threesome on a Monday one week into a threesome
(Monday) and a foursome (Tuesday) the following week. I feel really empowered, sexy and
adventurous but I can’t help but wonder if feral girl winter is going to catch up with me? SOS.
Oh sweetie, you don’t need me to save your I wonder if you’re also worried that you
ship! Read back the penultimate sentence aren’t fully processing your break-up
of your letter — you feel “really empowered, because you’re having so much sex. This
sexy and adventurous”. Do you know may be true and if it is, don’t worry, any
how many women long for this? You’re unresolved heartbreak will come knocking.
young and enjoying yourself and, thank It makes itself known at some point, no
God, we live in a time when your life matter how many threesomes you’re
won’t be ruined because of it. You won’t be having. But I also wonder whether this
thrown into a nunnery. You won’t be locked goes back to the idea of female norms —
up and hidden. You won’t get pregnant and whether you’re worrying you’re not moving
be forced to have a baby before you’re ready. through the break-up because you’re not
You won’t be publicly disgraced in the village. You won’t eating Häagen-Dazs alone and crying. Or on a solo trip to
be forced into marriage with someone you don’t want to Bali while keeping a daily journal. Eight years is a long time
marry. You’re having fun and that’s allowed. You’re doing to be with one person in your twenties, and perhaps this
what so many women would have loved to have done sexual awakening is a part of the journey of you working
before you but couldn’t. out what it is you like, and what it is that you want next.
And yet there is a part of you that’s worried you’re doing You also mention that you’re getting “too caught up in
something wrong, that this is going to “catch up with you”. it”. Now, this is one to keep an eye on. Perhaps you’ve
I think your choice of words is telling: they imply repercus- started to get the feeling that you’re losing control — that
sions or a day of reckoning. I can’t give you the exact reason you’re becoming obsessive or even compulsive in this area.
you feel that, but I can suggest the questions you should be If that’s true, it’s worth looking at how you can try a period
asking yourself to work out where this fear comes from. of moderating it all. Try giving yourself a limit on the apps
The first thing to ask is where this small voice of judg- or messaging people or meet-ups and see how you feel —
ment around female promiscuity originates: is it cultural? if it’s really difficult, then you may have to look at whether
Religious? From your parents? Or is it because your you’re using sex as a way to avoid other feelings. It sounds
concept of what is normal as a woman, at your age, is deter- like this could be a really fun adventure for you, but it
mined by those around you? I spend a lot of time thinking shouldn’t monopolise your life or become something in
about what’s normal in adulthood and the truth is the which you feel powerless.
norm is only ever dictated by what your friendship group Because being part of the kink community does not
is doing. I remember once telling my therapist that mean having mindless sex. Quite the opposite. Kink
I felt like I was doing adulthood wrong because I was the culture is about having thoughtful sex. Sex where desire,
only person who was single and childless in my early thir- consent, safety, health and boundaries are discussed. If you
ties. She pointed out there are many friendship groups of feel that all those things factor into your new sexual life
majority child-free, single women in their early thirties that with like-minded partners, if you can find a way to enjoy it
exist, and the odd one out would be the woman who is a without being dependent on it, then I think you should just
Alexandra Cameron
married mother. She suggested that my sense of my own enjoy it. You are doing the thing so many would love to dare
strangeness was not a fact but a feeling. A feeling that to do but don’t. Stay honest, mindful and safe and enjoy
would be entirely different if I happened to spend my time your freedom. Bon voyage to you, and your ship, and to all
with an entirely different group of women. who sail in her. ■
To get your life dilemma answered by Dolly, email or send a voice note to deardolly@sundaytimes.co.uk or DM @theststyle