#WardrobeWedneday with Fabulouly Fetish & Phine Ka

   

          

Fabulously Fetish | Phine Ka

I did my own hair and makeup and my skin was prepped by Bareskin Beauty :)

Vogue Italia, and an unusual assignment!

Facebook isn't letting me type anything atm, which is a bit infuriating as I need to update my Norfolk availability (see top of this page!) and wish Simon Buck and Stuart Bebb a happy birthday.

Oh well, time to blog some pretty pictures instead!

Can't believe I forgot to blog this photo by Marcus Jake from Vogue Italia's website!!!

My skin is cared for by Bareskin Beauty.

I love working with Marcus because he always comes up with such simple yet ingenious artistic concepts. This was made by shooting through a pane of glass that he's painted in preparation :) The emotional theme was feeling trapped, or rather, realising that you yourself are the only key to escaping your trap. I really enjoyed the acting/ performance art/ interpretive dance side of this shoot :)

In other news, I thought I must have covered just about every genre of modelling there is by now, until someone booked me as a male fashion model for a shoot on Saturday! It's not without precedent- I'm aware of one or two female fashion models who are also on the male boards at their agencies- but it's certainly an unusual challenge. I'm Googling images of male models (my job is such a drag sometimes) and I'm REALLY looking forward to it! I'm going to have to get my French manicure cut back, though!

Anita xx

"... POWERFUL AND COMPELLING"

I have some more romantic pictures of my sweetheart and me modelling together in London :) These photos were taken at by Alison Carlino from Texas during The Societies Convention earlier this month, just days before our tenth anniversary. I know it's unusual for a couple our age to have been together so long, but hey, we're pretty unusual in general :) Alison captured us perfectly; this is what true love looks like to me, at this point in our London-y lives.

Most shoots I've done so far this month have been bridal/ couples-related!

Just yesterday, the day of our actual anniversary, I was up in York working on a big shoot for a cluster of bridal clients' SS14 collections.

The typical fashion model problem- that summer clothes are shot in winter, and winter clothes in summer- arose, resulting in 8 hours of strapless dresses in temperatures of -4°C. Even the male agency model was cold, and he was in a suit! But I think mind over matter led to some great pictures, which of course makes everything worth it :)

 Having my hair and makeup done yesterday. No Photoshop, just good skincare (Bareskin Beauty)!

My hotel room the night before

 Tired but happy to be defrosting indoors after a great shoot :)

oh, and last thing- happy Burns Night, everyone!

I don't think I'll be touching any whiskey or haggis (although the prize-winning haggis I tried on my Scottish Tour was pretty tasty!)- will champagne and strawberries do?

Anita xx

A bridal fashion #WardrobeWednesday with Brett Florens

Well, Liam and I had a blast modelling together for five days at The Societies Convention! It's the biggest photographic society in Europe and we must have seen about 10 000 photographers, and were photographed by some of the world's best portrait photographers in their Masterclasses.

Our tenth anniversary is tomorrow, so I think I'll post photos of us together then, maybe when I'm on the train on my way to York! I have a full day shooting for a wedding dress designer up there on Friday, and the call time is so early that I have to go up the night before and stay in a guesthouse. I actually prefer to do shoots like that- wake up in the same town as that day's shoot, if possible- but it means Liam and I will have to celebrate our anniversary rather modestly tomorrow morning. We'll celebrate properly when I get back, probably with a night out in London :)

Anyway, here are some photos of me from the Convention, from Brett Florens' Masterclass! I did the hair and makeup and my skincare is by Bareskin Beauty.

Thank you for all lovely birthday messages sent through Facebook, Twitter and email. I couldn't reply to them all but I did read every single one and it made my day even nicer :) I got some great vintage pin-up themed gifts, including a beautiful cupless lingerie set from the lovely people at Playful Promises, and this delicious sugar-free, dairy-free carrot cake made by my friend Daniel Hubbert, "iced" with organic honey and pecans.

#foodporn

Spaghetti for dinner, then packing for my trip to York tomorrow, then bed!

Anita x

#NakedSundays with Neil Cordell

Hi everyone! I hope you're all well and enjoying the new year so far :)

I'm on Day 5 of my detox and doing well so far- no meat, alcohol, cow's milk, "bad" fats, additives or processed foods, very little gluten or soy, and tons of fruit, veggies, sea veggies, water, probiotics, Mag07, lemon juice, herbal teas, wholegrains, mineral baths and exercise. The little fine lines I collected around my eyes over Christmas have all gone :) Hopefully I will look my best at the TV presenter training course I'm doing at Pinewood Studios tomorrow!

As it's Sunday, I thought I'd share this photo by Neil Cordell for the first #NakedSundays of 2014!

I had a lovely yoga session this morning and feel super relaxed today. I also really enjoyed my first flotation tank session the other day. It's interesting what thoughts and feelings come into your mind when you temporarily cut out all that outside "noise" :) I feel really happy and balanced today.

Just need to colour my hair, pack and plan my showreel presentation for tomorrow, then make a herby raw nut "roast" to my own (made up) recipe with almond pulp, soaked cashews and fresh sage, thyme and rosemary, to munch with steamed veg and homemade gravy in front of Sherlock tonight :) Then another steaming hot Himalayan pink and Epsom salts bath with coconut oil and a Bareskin Beauty Clay Mask before bed.

Love and peace as always,

Anita xx

Beauty Detox, Day 1!

I'm sure lots of us have made "get healthy" one of our new year's resolutions, so I thought I'd share a little detox that I'm doing, as I often get asked what I eat!

The answer is, plenty; I don't calorie-count, but in case you like to know that kind of stuff, about 2000-2500 calories per day. The trick is to get the calories from fresh fibre-rich food that works with you rather than against you ;) I like Kimberly Snyder's healthy mostly-vegan approach and use it as a template, personalised for me by my London nutritionist, Juliette Scarfe.

I aim to detox very strictly for the whole of January. I won't be doing anything terribly different from what I usually do, just being a little stricter than usual ;) After all, I think it's better to do a little "detoxing" every day, with good food, natural skincare and exercise, rather than yoyo-ing between treating your body terribly and doing one of those extreme juice fasts, or something. Nothing against juice, I just think that 99% of people (myself included!) aren't healthy enough to suddenly start "eating" that way for a week or more without feeling really ill. Besides, I like solid food!

I'm not going to report back with what I eat every day or anything terminally dull like that, just provide an example of what I might eat on a typical "good" day.

Hopefully I will make every day in January a "good" day, but even if I slip a few times, I'll get right back on the horse :)

My goals are to:

• increase my energy levels after a rather lethargic December
• maintain healthy skin and hair
• support my exercise regime

On waking

1. 1 cup warm/ hot (not boiling) water with Himalayan pink salts and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
2. 1 pint of lemon water with probiotic, vitamin and mineral supplements
3. Workout DVD: alternating cardio with Pilates each morning, and yoga on Sunday mornings :)
4. Bareskin Beauty Clarifying Serum, toner spray and day cream.

Breakfast
The most important meal of the day! :) 1.5 pints of Glowing Green Smoothie. I also add raw ginger and coconut oil to the mix for extra skin-boosting and energy :)

If I'm still hungry or have a day or shooting in cold temperatures ahead of me, I follow this 20 minutes later with a bowl of homemade almond milk porridge, sweetened with cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins.

Mid-morning
Homemade organic almond milk cappuccino or chai latte dusted with cinnamon, with an organic banana


Lunch

1. Starter: nettle and peppermint tea, digestive enzyme capsule, big mixed salad with a homemade vegan dressing or just extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar, with some fresh or dried herbs and spices
2. Entrée: fresh veg, lightly steamed, stir-fried in coconut oil or lightly softened in a homemade soup, with sweet potato, jacket potato drizzled in olive oil and black pepper, quinoa, gluten-free spaghetti, sushi rice or soba noodles
3. Dessert: 74% dark chocolate, as much as I like!

Mid-afternoon
Dandelion or roobis tea with a whole avocado, sliced in half and sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt or naturally dried sea salt. This is one of my favourite snacks!


Dinner

1. Starter: nettle and peppermint tea, digestive enzyme capsule, big mixed salad with a homemade oil-free dressing or just fresh lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider vinegar, with some fresh or dried herbs and spices
2. Entrée: fresh veg, lightly steamed, stir-fried in tamari soy sauce water or lightly softened in a homemade soup, with a homemade nut pâté, three bean salad or some soaked seeds sprinkled in.
3. Dessert: 74% dark chocolate, a Nakd bar, or if I fancy something savoury/ cheesy, some avocado slice sprinkled with nutritional yeast and Himalayan pink salt or homemade courgette houmous on organic brown rice cakes

Late evening (no later than 8pm)
Organic carrot sticks or raw kale chips with a cup of dandelion or roobis tea. I add a heaped teaspoon of xylitol to my tea if I fancy a sweet taste. If I'm feeling really cosy, I make almond milk cocoa sweetened with xylitol, yum yum!


Bedtime

• Bareskin Beauty Clay Cleansing Mask, toner spray and night cream
• Immunity Detox Tea, which is pieces of raw ginger brewed in a cup of hot water for a couple of minutes, followed by adding freshly squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. It's wonderfully tasty and warming, like hot ginger beer, and amazing for your skin as well as your immune system!

As you can see, I don't put any restrictions on myself when it comes to portion sizes- I'm happy to eat healthy food until I feel satisfied- after all, hunger is a sign that you're missing out on some nutrients. Plus, it sucks :)

I know this was a rather long blog, but I thought it would be nice to help motivate anyone who is planning on doing something similar this month, as well as myself, when I re-read it!

Happy, healthy new year, friends :)

Anita xx