So I'm Practically a Goddess

Well that's what I like to pretend after reading the fabulous book - The Goddess Guide by Gisèle Scanlon.

I was given this as a gift from my older sister, a perfect present for any fashion-addict who's a bit of a perfectionist at heart. 

It is an invaluable guide to fashion, travel and lots of bits and pieces - overflowing with knowledge and golden nuggets of delightful advice. It also has a personal touch which makes it more readable, as it is clear that a massive inspiration for the author was her mother. 

Beautifully decorated the cover is black and gold with a wallpaper design covering it. Just to look at it, it seems luxurious and a self-indulgent read. The inside is similarly beautiful with a scrap book design. 

The six Goddesses - Home, Office, Sex, Urban, Earth and Luxurious - guide you through 10 chapters. There are loads of tips and tricks as well as personal anecdotes, coupled with expert advice from the likes of the legendary Christian Louboutin to the inspiring Tracey Emin. 

Just to give you a little taste of this little treasure here are some of my favourite snippets from each chapter...

1. Style - "Mum used to read the Yves Saint Laurent pages to me omitting the word 'sexy' and replacing it with the word 'stylish' (in the last paragraph the naughty word appeared four times). I hadn't a clue who any of these people were but the book taught me several huge lessons; that though the catwalk was wonderful and compelling, 'style' was about expressing your individuality and celebrating the things about yourself that you liked the most."

2. Beauty - "A hint of Chanel No. 5, the sweet soapy-scented dust as she dips her white powder puff into the peach coloured face powder, piled high in the ageing Max Factor box. Escaped particles dance about in the shafts of light streaming through the tiny window frames. She looked like a Princess to me, my Mum, her milky-white ponytail perfected by a spritz of saccharine Elnett."



3. Travel - "The scent of Mimosa as I dash past Liberty; an overwhelming sense of frustration at the lists and lists of amazing things to do and see in Time Out, and the lack of hours in the day in which to do them; creators with new haircuts, new ways of dressing; raw urban-style literature on the underground; the stifling heat on the tube at rush-hour; suits drinking beers at lunchtime; aromatic ducks displayed in windows in Chinatown; and lots and lots of pigeons."

4. Home - "Mum had all of the new furniture stored safely in the attic wrapped in cardboard and blankets; the boards in the ceiling were buckling under the weight. The contents of our new life forever expanding, it spilled out through the doorway until the attic could fit no more."

5. Garden - "The most relaxing hours of my life took place lying flat on my back, arms splayed out in an angel position in Doolin's little green field. The daffodils bloomed, little bundles of springtime and happiness, as I lay there under the ash, or was it an oak, or a sycamore?"



6. Food - "At home on the farm the kettle is always on boil, ready and waiting to make another cup of tea. As a family we will drink tea and eat cake at any time of the day or night, and having travelled the globe, scoping out teashops, on the hunt for the perfect cuppa, I've come to realise that Mum and Dad still make the best tea - and that my Gran's Christmas Cake and Victoria Sponge are unequalled." 

7. Havin' Fun - "Okay so an impromptu bash at chez toi is what we all hope to organize - one where we fall in the door with our friends in our glad rags, rustle up some Mojitos, put on the hippest music or leave the tunes to a DJ friend who just happens to turn up with his decks in his van."

8. Joie de Vivre - "When travelling, joie de vivre rides along with me. Walking an empty country road at home on a warm evening or seeing the glow of a taxi light when you need one in a city in the rain - every single one of these things gives me that special feeling; like finding a pathway back to that first moment of overwhelming glee you felt as a child. No one can ever take that sensation away from you - it's yours, yours alone, and yours to celebrate in whatever way you see fit."



9. Pillow Talk - "Okay, so I'm not a sophisticated, lip-licking, hair-flicking man-eater. I spent several years on the bench working out my own stuff and prioritising me. I was happy and single for years, until one day Dad asked if I was waiting to make and cut a man from my own paper pattern so that he'd be perfect". 

10. G-Spots - "I lay on my back in the snow looking up at it as it danced about, curling its way round the sculptures. I was the most beautiful sight in the world. E*Face and I toasted Mama Nature with huge glasses of vodka."

***All quotes were taken directly from The Goddess Guide by Gisèle Scanlon