The holidays are perhaps the best time to upgrade your phone, since many wireless companies offer their best deals around this time. The Pixel 8 Pro is Google’s newest phone in the Pixel series, and it’s one of the more affordable smartphones on the market at only $999. Its new camera has amazing resolution, and it’s integrated with Google AI to enhance the photos to your liking.

*This post contains a collaboration with Sezane & gifted products

It’s been well over 10 years now since I worked in an office, so if there’s one thing I know in this world – it’s the do’s and don’t’s of working from home. Daytime TV?! Major no no, been there, done that (not done the work!!). But getting ready for the day in an outfit you feel great in?! 10/10 would recommend. So today I’ve trawled through the new-in section of * to bring you four outfit formulas to try if you’re based from home this week; from the set that feels like it’s basically pyjamas, to some wide leg denim that I’d really, really recommend…

OUTFIT ONE: The Knitted Vest

This is one that I’ve really been enjoying recently, essentially using a knitted vest – like this * – as a layering piece (instead of just wearing it on it’s own during the warmer months). If you’ve cranked up the heating then the * will work underneath, or just wear your favourite jumper as a base. The * are a really great piece of denim – slouchy enough to be WFH appropriate, but an item you’ll wear all week long (like the sizing advice online I’d opt for your normal size for an oversized fit, or a size down if you prefer it tighter on the waist – I’m wearing a 12). Throw on some * incase you need to pop out, and a * and you’re good to go.

SHOP THE OUTFIT

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OUTFIT TWO: The Comfies

There is no better feeling than working from home in what is essentially pyjamas. Now I’m not talking the type you sleep in. I’m talking about the kind that are too fancy to sleep in – these are your daytime pyjamas. The ones you slip into when you’re fresh out the shower in the morning. My advice would be to try and find a set that works well with your everyday wardrobe, so you can break them up and wear them separately out and about and look for natural fibres for ultimate cosiness and comfort. The * and * are both 100% merino wool and tick all the boxes. Wear them with a * and you’re well on your way to a productive laptop day.

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SHOP THE OUTFIT

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OUTFIT THREE: The Classics

If you still want that ‘officewear’ feel, but just with a few tweaks to make it more practical for WFH, then here’s a formula to give a go. An oversized shirt is comfy, whether you’re in a meeting room or sat up to your kitchen table – and the * is a classic for a reason (I like to size up for a more billowy look). Try it with the *, which is almost a legging/trouser hybrid – has the shape of a crop flare but the feel of leggings. Throw a * over the top if you’re feeling a bit chilly, a * and a nice * and you’ll be feeling polished.

SHOP THE OUTFIT

OUTFIT FOUR: The Essentials

When I saw this * I was thought ‘I HAVE to include that!’. How gorgeous is it?! Heavyweight and just one of those pieces that you just want to snuggle down in. Grab your laptop – we’re heading to the sofa! Why not pair it with essentials that you already have in your wardrobe? Pop a * underneath and wear it with your favourite *, add as simple * and * for a bit of pattern – just all those things in your wardrobe that you just LOVE to wear.

SHOP THE OUTFIT

Photos by Mark Newton

In a captivating revelation, Hennessy showcased its limited edition Lunar New Year collection for the Year of the Dragon in 2024, a collaborative masterpiece with renowned Chinese artist Yang Yongliang. This marks the third installment of Lunar New Year celebrations by the esteemed French Cognac brand, following previous collaborations with Yan Pei-Ming and a global livestream event during the Year of the Tiger in 2022.

The latest collection showcases a series of limited-edition renditions, aligning with Maison Hennessy’s rallying cry, ‘Together we are unstoppable.’ Collaborating with digital technology artist Yongliang, the flagship bottles of VSOP, X.O, and Paradis undergo a transformative journey to encapsulate aspirations for the Year of the Dragon. VSOP is draped in scarlet red, symbolizing joy and luck; X.O is ensconced in shimmering gold, an embodiment of prosperity; and Paradis, a handcrafted marvel by Bernardaud in France, features a white porcelain decanter adorned with gold dragon artwork meticulously layered by hand. The exclusive Lunar New Year release of Paradis is presented in an oak gift box, limited to just 485 units.

Yongliang draws inspiration from a childhood memory—his grandmother’s gift of an antique coin bearing a dragon. Reflecting on this, he shares, “I wanted to share that memory in this Hennessy collaboration, and that’s why the dragon has a metallic surface, like a childhood memory of seeing a dragon on a coin.” The dragon holds profound significance in Chinese culture, symbolizing power, vitality, and good luck.

Having grown up hearing legendary tales about dragons in an old water town in Greater Shanghai, Yongliang infuses personal fondness into this collaboration. Trained in digital and three-dimensional art at the China Academy of Art in Shanghai, he employs contemporary techniques and traditional drawings to craft a captivating illusion of movement in the metallic dragons adorning the Paradis decanter.

Yongliang emphasizes the importance of collaborating with a brand that upholds respect for history and traditions, echoing his sentiment of resonance with Hennessy’s commitment to bridging the present and past. Through this limited-edition Lunar New Year collection, Hennessy and Yang Yongliang invite enthusiasts to delve into the rich historical and cultural contexts surrounding the symbol of the dragon.

The world of Arduino just got a major upgrade with the revamped Arduino Cloud Editor, a web-based code editor that’s undergone a significant transformation. Formerly known as Arduino Create, this online platform has evolved to bridge the gap between the familiar Arduino IDE and a more user-friendly, cloud-based interface.

Simplified Start-up Process: Arduino emphasizes that the Cloud Editor simplifies the initial steps of coding. Forget about navigating through setups or dealing with maintenance tasks typical of the traditional Arduino IDE installed on your computer. With the Cloud Editor, accessing your sketches is a breeze, and you can do it from anywhere with an internet connection.

What’s New in the Update: The latest version of the Cloud Editor aligns its design with the Arduino 2.0 IDE. This update brings about a unified look and feel, making it more intuitive for users. However, the current version of the Cloud Editor will remain accessible until March 31, 2024, before being completely replaced by the new edition.

Practical Improvements: Among the practical changes, users will notice a revamped library manager, akin to the Arduino 2.0 IDE, with convenient links to samples for each library. There’s now a single sketch repository for both IoT and traditional sketches. Additionally, the serial monitor has been enhanced to allow log downloads and includes timestamps for improved functionality.

Enhanced Compatibility: While the previous Arduino Cloud Editor supported official Arduino boards, along with some ESP32 and ESP8266 boards, the updated version is now compatible with any device that works seamlessly with the Arduino IDE.

Getting Started: Curious to try the new Arduino Cloud Editor? Visit https://cloud.arduino.cc/, click on the “Get Started for Free” button, and log in with your email address. The initial experience is different from the Arduino IDE, involving credentials, installing the Arduino Create Agent, and receiving a secure key for connecting to the Arduino Cloud, especially when working with WiFi-enabled boards.

Free vs. Paid: Unlike the Arduino IDE, the Cloud Editor is entirely free with no limitations, though donations are always welcome. On the other hand, the web editor has some restrictions (e.g., 25 compilations per day) with a monthly fee for expanded features. The amount depends on your needs and whether you are an individual, a school, or a business. Investing in the paid version unlocks access to the Arduino Cloud and features like Over-the-Air (OTA) updates.

In essence, the upgraded Arduino Cloud Editor is a game-changer, making coding more accessible and versatile for Arduino enthusiasts and beginners alike.

This post is sponsored by Vegamour. I only accept sponsorships for products I actually use and would recommend to friends and family! Read on for my honest review.

Hair loss and hair thinning have been hot topics lately, haven’t they? Some of my family members, including my husband, have been dealing with hair loss for years. I see how it hurts their confidence, and I know it can be particularly devastating for women. Some people use hair growth products because they suffer from alopecia, thyroid disease, hormone imbalances, autoimmune disorders, PCOS, or other health problems. Some (okay, I would say “most”) people start to lose hair as they get older. Even if you’re young, you may just have naturally thin hair, stress (don’t we all?), vitamin deficiencies, hair loss from wearing wigs, or you may just want fuller, thicker hair!

Vegan Hair Growth Products

Most of the natural hair growth products that I’ve tried (or my husband has tried) have done absolutely nothing. Many times they just condition the hair or exfoliate the scalp. While those are good things to do, in my experience they usually aren’t enough. Other over-the-counter and prescription products are made with hormones and chemicals that can cause irritation, itching, and even more serious side effects. And of course, they are usually tested on animals. My husband and I wanted a happy medium. We wanted effective, vegan hair growth products that actually worked. We found that with Vegamour hair products.

Vegamour is a 100% vegan and cruelty free company. They have a huge array of products that I highly recommend for lash, brow, and hair growth. I have purchased some products, and the company has sent me PR samples to test out. So my husband and I have been using them for years now. I’ve also turned some of my friends and family on to this awesome cruelty free brand!

Vegamour GRO Hair Serum

This vegan hair growth serum uses plant-based ingredients like caffeine, mung bean, curcumin (from turmeric), and red clover. Studies have found that when used topically, caffeine can stimulate hair growth and possibly reduce the effects of DHT (which can cause hair loss). Mung bean is full of the minerals your hair needs to grow. Curcumin is full of antioxidants that can wipe out the free radicals that can stunt hair growth. It can also lengthen the hair’s growth phase and suppress high levels of DHT. Red clover is another ingredient that can lower DHT. It also helps soothe the scalp as an anti-inflammatory.

The ingredients that really get me excited are peptides! I love me some peptides! Peptides are short links of specific amino acids that perform certain actions on your skin or hair. You know how beauty manufacturers love to add collagen to shampoos and skin creams? Well, in addition to being an animal-derived, non-vegan ingredient, it’s also a large molecule that, when used topically, can’t penetrate your skin’s surface. So it’s just marketing hype – don’t fall for it. Peptides, on the other hand, are small enough to get in there and go to work! The peptides in Vegamour’s GRO Hair Serum are known to stimulate cell growth, which helps with hair growth. One word of caution: if you’re at high-risk for skin cancer, do some research on the topic of oligopeptides and EGF (epidermal growth factor). I want to make this clear – these peptides DO NOT cause cancer, but if you already have cancer, and you apply something that stimulates cell growth, the potential is there to make it worse. This goes for skincare and body care products made with these popular ingredients too.

So does this stuff really work? In my experience, YES, this vegan hair growth product acts like Miracle-Gro, increasing the speed that hair grows, strengthening the hair, reducing shedding, and increasing overall thickness. Does it grow hair on completely bald spots where there are no hair follicles? No. If it did, that would be nothing short of a miracle! If you find a way to do that, please call me! Now, this is an amazing product but you have to be patient and consistent. It takes time to see results. You may see results in 90 days, but peak results will show in 120 days. And you do need to keep using the product. Once you stop, you’ll go back to where you started.

Vegamour GRO Scalp Detoxifying Serum

To keep your scalp healthy, try using GRO Scalp Detoxifying Serum once a week. If your scalp is oily or has a lot of buildup, it can be harder for hair to grow. This serum helps to clarify scalp buildup around hair follicles (especially if you use dry shampoo, gel, or other styling products). It also helps to stop any flakes or dandruff. Zinc PCA and willowherb help to reduce excess oils, flakes, and scalp irritation. Wild-harvested baobab and marula oils soothe and hydrate with omega 6 and 9 fatty acids. The serum also contains SR-Spider Polypeptide-1 to condition and protect (don’t worry – it’s a synthetic peptide that mimics the silk from a spider web!) and caffeine to further help you on your hair growth journey!

To use this serum, part sections of your hair and apply directly to your dry or damp scalp. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes, rinse, and then follow up with shampoo and conditioner. You can use it once a week for best results. How quickly does it work? Vegamour did a study and found a reduction of symptoms in 3 days and a 58% reduction of scalp buildup in 15 days.

Vegamour GRO Lash Serum and GRO Brow Serum

It’s not just the hair on our heads that we want to grow – what about lashes and brows? Vegamour’s GRO Lash Serum and GRO Brow Serum can add thickness, density, and length to your lashes and brows. These serums use many of the same ingredients as the hair serum (mung bean, red clover), but with a different peptide (Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3). The ingredient decks for GRO Lash Serum and GRO Brow Serum are the same, but the lash product comes with a liquid eyeliner-like applicator, and the brow products comes with a doe foot applicator.

Do they work? Yes! My experience with them is that they increase the speed of growth of my brows and lashes, which makes them thicker. But, they don’t grow new hair in my brows’ bald spots. As I mentioned above, I believe you need to have functional hair follicles for hair growth products to work.

The lash serum is great to use if you regularly get lash extensions (like me). The lash extensions can cause lash fall-out and damage over the long term, so it helps to keep them strong and healthy with GRO Lash Serum. You can also use it on upper and lower lashes. There are no hormones or chemicals that cause skin darkening with GRO Lash. Other lash growth products have irritated my eyes to the point where I had to stop using them. I’m happy to say I haven’t had any irritation issues with Vegamour!

In September, fashion enthusiasts and aficionados of timeless style will have reason to rejoice as Thomas Pink unveils its highly anticipated capsule collection, “The Jermyn Street Edition 2023.” This exquisite collection pays homage to the brand’s rich heritage as well as the iconic Jermyn Street, London, where it all began. With a vibrant colour palette and fresh design inspirations drawn from Pop Art and British art history, Thomas Pink once again asserts its status as a pioneering force in modern fashion.

A Nod to Tradition and Disruption

Situated at 106 Jermyn Street, Thomas Pink’s heritage is intrinsically tied to the heart of London’s traditional tailoring district. Founded in 1984 by the Irish Mullen brothers, James, Peter, and John, the brand rapidly transformed the landscape of Jermyn Street with its penchant for bold colours and patterns. This unconventional approach quickly attracted a new generation of ambitious young professionals, setting the stage for Thomas Pink’s enduring legacy.

Last year, Thomas Pink returned to its roots by opening a new brick-and-mortar boutique on Jermyn Street. This return marked a celebration of the brand’s ’80s legacy as a disruptor in the world of fashion.

The Essence of The Jermyn Street Edition 2023

At the core of the Jermyn Street Edition 2023 collection lies a seven-colour Bengal stripe, with each hue meticulously crafted exclusively for Thomas Pink. While the Bengal stripe shirts deserve their accolades, the spotlight now shifts to the collection’s solid-colour shirts. These bold block colours correspond beautifully with the matching Bengal stripe shades, offering an array of stylish and versatile options for every wardrobe.

A Contemporary Colour Palette

The collection delves into contemporary interpretations of soft greens, mustard yellows, blues, and, of course, the signature pink. Crafted from soft cotton sourced from Italy, these shirts have been specially engineered to maintain their vivid colours over time. Paying homage to Thomas Pink’s ’80s heritage, some of these new styles feature contrasting white Winchester collars and cuffs, adding a touch of modern elegance to the classic design.

A Legacy of Luxury and Craftsmanship

For nearly four decades, Thomas Pink has continued to define the standards of luxury shirting. The brand’s commitment to highly skilled craft techniques, a rarity in today’s fast-paced fashion industry, sets it apart. With “The Jermyn Street Edition 2023,” Thomas Pink invites you to be part of this enduring legacy, merging tradition and modernity in every thread.

As the collection’s launch approaches, anticipation builds for a colourful celebration of heritage and style. Thomas Pink’s Jermyn Street Edition 2023 is set to captivate fashion enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike, offering a glimpse into a world where history and innovation seamlessly intertwine. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this sartorial journey that continues to redefine luxury shirting for a new era.

Where to Find The Jermyn Street Edition 2023

Fashion enthusiasts eager to embrace this vibrant collection need not wait long. The Jermyn Street Edition 2023 solid-colour shirts will be available in-store at Thomas Pink’s iconic 106 Jermyn Street location, as well as online starting this September.

thomaspink.com