I kid, but sometimes with all the various modes of transport I consider daily just to get from A to B within London it does feel like what a threesome might feel like: EXHAUSTING. (Or not? Tell me in the comments) (OMG PLEASE BE DESCRIPTIVE)

I don’t tend to write much about apps, not because I pride in some strict editorial integrity (heck I’ll write about adult diapers if it’s awesome), but this time I’ve quite genuinely stopped using all other taxi apps and moved onto Karhoo. So this post, effectively, is me saving myself from a week-or-so of embarrassing fan-nerding on Twitter, like I did when Deliveroo was on the rise. It’s everything you thought you need in a cab comparison app in one – pre-booking, real-time car tracking, post-trip rating, service levels, and choice from multiple cab companies – they even list taxi numbers in cities they haven’t yet launched in. Here’s three ways I use and abuse.

Top – POLO Ralph Lauren. Culottes – Zara. Suitcase – Globe Trotter. Bag – J&M Davidson.

Dress – Kalita. Heels – Gianvito Rossi. Belt. Stella McCartney

Coach holiday campaign #GiveCoachorElse

It’s that time of year again, when you’ve just done dusting Halloween sweets off your chin and immediately a school of reindeers materialize above you, harnessed by a string of fairy lights, attached to a (glittery, it has to be glittery) sleigh of some sort. You yell ‘STAHhhP’ and try to protest, but you can’t deny that the days are shorter, colder and that toffee nut latte is exactly the thing you need to replenish the calories lost shivering in your ill-heated office. You feel bad and dust the top with a bit of your husband’s banana-tasting protein powder, for which you later get yelled at for spilling all over his gym bag.

Yep, even I – the self-proclaimed Cynic – have taken to mentally dividing shops into gift categories (i.e bag of sweet potatoes at Tesco’s = Husband) and threatening for certain gifts – quite like the cheeky new Coach #GiveCoachorElse holiday campaign, where the Coach girl gets exactly what she asked for. I’m excited to share with my readers here first. See, it’s my kind of campaign, because 1) I, the cynic, have always wanted to punch Santa and 2) one really should be clearer about what they want unless they wanted a drugstore hairbrush for the holidays. This bag, husband, this bag. And vouchers for Five Guys.

In collaboration with Coach as the season’s digital ambassador.

Leather shearling trench- Coach. Bag – Coach ‘Swagger 27’

Leather shearling trench- Coach. Trousers – Simon’s own. Brogues – Chanel. Bag – Coach ‘Swagger 27’. Luggage – Globe Trotter. Sweater – Coach.

£21.50

DHC

Deep cleansing oil with oilve oil

From £15.60

Bobbi Brown

Make up brushes

£9

Pro make up shop

Make up brush cleanser

£6.50

The Brush Guard

Make-up brush protectors

£16

Beauty Blender

Cosmetic sponge for blending

£125

Charlotte Tilbury

Set of three Complexion brushes

£14

Labour & Wait

Paintbrush Holder

My brushes are from: Bobbi Brown, Inglot, and Laura Mercier.

If you’re anything like me, your make-up brushes are hobos and could do with a good shower. If you’re anything like me, you also suffer from chronic laziness and will wish for a never-dirty brush set , like Legolas’ never-empty quiver. Given that it’s a fresh new year and I’ve decided to be captain cliché (I’ve joined a ‘gym’ too, more on that later), I’ve given all my make-up brushes a good clean, and while I’m at it thought I’d share how I like to go about it. Now, there are many different ways to clean a brush, as Dr. Google will advise, and while I usually opt for the glob of olive oil + glob of antibacterial hand-soap option simply because the two ‘tools’ are readily available, my brushes are nevertheless drunken hobos because both olive oil and hand-soap are routinely called back into to the kitchen. Out of sight, out of mind. My trick, if you want to even call it that, is using the oil cleanser that’s already sitting by the bathroom sink, the one that you trust on your skin type, and use daily. Just one glob of that should take care of three small brushes, or one big brush – the dirt lathers out, while keeping essential oils within the brush hair (another reason I tend to avoid the baby shampoo option). When it comes to calculating cost vs. use, depending on how many brushes you own, it’ll be like washing your face two-ish more times a month. Which, let’s be honest, balances out the number of times you fall asleep in full clothing/make-up clutching a kebab in one hand every month. Or is that just me. Anyway, here’s a few more tips to get you going:

• A foundation brush/sponge, especially if you use liquid foundation, should be cleaned once a week if not daily, and for brushes used to apply powder make-up, once a month.
• My personal favourite is the DHC oil cleanser that’s made of olive oil, but that’s not available where you live, Shu Uemura cleansing oil is a great alternative (for face cleansing!) albeit slightly more expensive.
• Swirl the brush in your palm to let the dirt lather out , then rinse until water runs clear.
• Use warm water to rinse, never hot as it can ruin the brush hair and loosen the glue that holds the brush together.
• NEVER dry a wet brush with the hair pointing upwards, the water will leak into the stem and loosen the glue, destroying the brush. Use a brush guard, or a paintbrush holder from an art store and dry upside down.

Happy cleaning!