Breaking news: our very wonderful beauty editor colleague Karena Callen (ex-Red, ex-Elle) yesterday opened the kind of beautique that frankly you'd be happy to stumble upon in any corner of our fair isles. In fact, it's in Rye (East Sussex), a convenient hop-skip-and-a-jump from Jo's home town of Hastings - but definitely worth a pilgrimage from much, much further afield.
What will you find? Beautiful Miller Harris fragrances, the cutest discoveries from Sussex-based Juliette at Home (loving the teacup candles and the gorgeously gift-wrapped soaps), This Works skincare and bath oils (we swear by Deep Calm), Adrianne's vintage-inspired jewellery, Max Benjamin candles, Cartolina cards (our favourite), and lingerie from Tallulah Love, which comes in powder-style boxes. Vintage items, too: you could buy that table Karena's standing beside, if you fancied. Coming soon? Paul & Joe, Narciso Rodriguez fragrances, and - fingers crossed - the amazing perfumes of Serge Lutens, which will definitely be a fragrant Sussex first.
If you're lucky, you'll find Karena there, too: as lovely, clever and drily funny a beauty editor as you could hope to meet. And if you're very lucky, she might answer your beauty conundrums.
Which is a gift-with-purchase beyond price, if you ask us.
Violetta, 110 High Street, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7JY/07793-824166
