I’m not the first person you’d want on your pub quiz team when it comes to sports trivia, but even I understand the incredible legacy that Michael has left on football. Arriving in Cheshire amidst a torrential downpour, we were greeted by Michael and his daughter Gemma who gave us a personal guided tour of their Manor House Stables.

Walking around, their love for the horses was evident in different ways. Michael loved sharing fun facts and stories, excited for us to meet the horses owned by Luke Littler, Sir Alex Ferguson and a whole host of sporting greats. Gemma worked quietly alongside him, gently fussing each horse we visited and happy to chat away if we had any questions. Together they made a great team and made us all feel welcome and at home.

What inspired their docuseries, Meet the Owens?

All of this was in celebration of a new reality show, Meet the Owens, coming to Prime this week. Whisper, the producers, are Emmy-nominated documentary makers, known for capturing intimate stories such as that of Sven. Though they touch on Michael’s football career extensively, the real focus of the show is his modern-day life in the horse world.

When we sit down to chat, Michael explains that publicising the stables was one of the reasons he wanted to do the show. “People say to me, ‘what do you do nowadays? I see you on the television, but don’t you like your horses?’ But this is a business I’ve had for 23 years now! I’m proud of it, and I want to show it off.”

It’s natural to have favourites, and here’s why Louise is mine

It’s hard to say who Meet the Owens has been aimed at, because the football lovers will want to hear from Michael and the Instagram generation will love seeing Gemma. But for me, it’s further into the series where the magic happens. We get to know Louise.

Early on in the tour, someone asked Michael if he had a favourite horse. He joked that it was only natural to have favourites among both the horses and the children. Later on, I told him and Gemma that I couldn’t help having favourites either, and that I was happy to meet my favourite Owen, Louise! What can I say? She seemed kind, smiley and generally quite nurturing, overall my kind of person.

Sharing their back story on the show, we learn that Michael’s wife has been with him since the very beginning. Her parents lived ten doors down from Michael’s growing up, and they’ve been together ever since.

When you consider any sporting professional and the pressure that they’re under, I can’t help but ponder the responsibility this puts on their partners. A few episodes into the show, Louise reflects on the time they spent in Spain when Michael joined Real Madrid. This was the opportunity of a lifetime for him, an unthinkable career move, but she found this period really challenging.

They both opened up here and it made for profound viewing. To paraphrase, Louise explained that this was a lonely time for her, and Michael shared that he felt very torn between wanting to spend time with her and needing to socialise with his new team members. A young man joining a squad of players like Beckham and Ronaldo, desperate to fit in? A young woman in a new country, alone all day and with a tiny baby to take care of? My heart went out to both.

We’re so used to people with this level of fame being media trained to within an inch of their lives. These admissions were so unexpected and I think they’ll catch people off guard. If Michael Owen can open up about times like these, it gives permission for the men that admire him to do the same. I really hope and feel that, by being so candid, they’ll inspire meaningful conversations in other families when they watch at home.

Getting to know the Owens

More tender moments follow when we meet their son, James. There’s a lot of insight into James’ condition, Stargardt disease, which drastically impacts his sight. I thought Whisper did a really tasteful job of bringing this to life. They gently used shadows on the screen to give the viewer an idea of what James’ vision is like day to day.

When speaking about James, Louise is very graceful. She worries that other families have harder struggles than theirs and shows huge gratitude for everything that they have. It’s such a sign of the times, isn’t it? For a family under this much scrutiny, every misspoken word can be a headline and click bait. I’m glad she still opened up, and I think every mother watching this will feel a connection to her regardless of whether her house is bigger than theirs.

Is Michael Owen boring?

Asking Michael about the impact of having the cameras around, he laughed and told me that “people have possibly seen me as boring and miserable for years and years. But we’re just a normal family. People sometimes look at you like you’ve got two heads because you were good at football, but there’s a lot of unsung heroes that do astonishing things day to day. It just so happens that the thing I was good at, everyone loves that sport, so you get fame and fortune and the rest of it added in.”

Meeting him, I didn’t think Michael was boring at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. As part of our immersion into the stables we were all expected to mount the equicizer with his hilarious racing trainer, Franny. The Owens are all quite gentle and easy to be around, and if that’s what equates to boring, I can happily get on board with it.

Ending our day at Manor House Stables

Sat in our marquee, having tea and cakes and waiting for our interview slots, a group of us journalists bonded about how special it was to be there. Every one of us was buzzing. If you’ve read my Substack before, you’ll know how much I love the idea of honouring your inner child, of being playful and having fun. Little me would have had kittens to meet the man who’s face I was always hoping to see when I opened up a fresh pack of Merlin stickers. (If you loved those as much as I did, there are a load of them on eBay.)

As for the show, my one suggestion would be to watch a few episodes of this before you make your mind up. The chats get more enjoyable as the episodes go on, and it’s only by persevering that you will actually feel as though you get to meet the Owens.

Meet the Owens is nowhere near as dramatic as your average reality show, but there’s something quite easy and cosy about how normal they all are. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still an element of escape here. Their house is enormous and gorgeous and it’s nice to have a look around. But ultimately people will see themselves in this family, and that’s why it’s going to resonate.

In a funny turn of events, meeting the rich and famous Owens taught me that there is big magic in ordinary life. It doesn’t matter your treasures or possessions. Love, loneliness, joys, worries; they touch every single person. And, of course, if you’re passionate about horses then there will be lots in here for you to love.

Meet the Owens is available to stream on Prime from this Friday 28^th August.

I’ve always liked Zara, but this year I decided that I really loved her. A few things came together. Sophia Sinot started doing her makeup, and each night I loved seeing which kind of colourful gem constellation they’d go for. Then she started bringing up an audience member each night to do the Lush Life dance with her, and I live for stuff like this! The fun of seeing who’d be chosen and watching them have a ball? I feel like every single person has had a fantasy that somehow they’ll get tapped on the shoulder at a concert and invited backstage because their favourite pop star wants to be besties. (No, just me?) I just love that Zara actually makes it come true and we all get to be part of the adventure.

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And then, the most crucial part of the puzzle, I realised my favourite thing about Zara. She’s so funny! There is quite literally no media training in sight with this girl. She opens her phone up after a gig and films a little debrief of the concert like it’s a FaceTime. She shows us her outfits and hair and makeup in all their glory and then the next minute has zero filter, chatting to us when she’s just woken up and is in her joggers.

This is what girlhood really is. These are the sides that you actually see of your girlfriends, being super glam the night before and then getting a maccies in your comfies the next day. For Zara to communicate in this way has fostered such a deep connection, and I could genuinely feel that spirit in the air last night. I go to so many festivals, it’s my favourite thing to do, but there was a completely different current in her crowd. Everyone was more free and more into it, and they felt they were able to be because of the intimacy she has cultivated.

It was kind of like being at a pyjama party but you happened to be in a dusty field. (When I got home, despite wearing trainers and socks, the dust had actually seeped through my layers and was gathered thick between my toes! My whole face was brown with dried dust! And it was so worth it.)

Unfortunately I didn’t get to stay for Djo, Pink Pantheress or Lorde which I am so gutted about. I live in Birmingham, and for the past few months I have truly had nightmare after nightmare on the trains. If I’m not delayed I’m diverted, and I travel a lot for work so it’s been stressful and tiring. Two of my favourite songs this year have been Midnight Sun and Stateside, and so you can’t even imagine my joy when Zara announced that for the first time ever, Pink Pantheress was going to be joining her to sing! The crowd all went berserk and everyone danced and had fun. It was such a special moment and I’m so glad I got to be there for it.

In terms of the show itself, her set was truly unbelievable. It’s been years since I’ve seen such a true pop-star, dancing in unison with her ensemble and all looking incredible. She’s like a real-life Barbie and everything about her is so captivating. Her voice was so powerful, and I truly can’t get my head around how strenuously she danced without missing a beat or note. She was an incredible performer, as were her whole crew, and hearing Midnight Sun live was one of my favourite ever live music experiences.

It was truly the girlie pop day of dreams. We started at Nell Mescal’s show. I’ve seen her several times over the years, from tiny venues in Birmingham to supporting the Haim sisters, and she is just a total sweetheart. Nell shared that she has found love and everyone was thrilled for her because so many of her songs are about heartbreak. Two new artists to me were Esha Tewari and Audrey Hobert, both cute and catchy and fun to listen to with a tinnie in the sunshine. Then, just before Zara, we saw Sienna Spiro. What an incredible voice. It was amazing how quickly she took the vibe from being fun and playful to tender and gentle. She felt too special to be of this time, and listening to her made me feel happy that so many talented musicians like her, Raye and Olivia Dean are having their moment right now.

Do you know what I loved most about seeing Zara yesterday? She’s given me the push I needed to keep going. I’ve had a weird few months. This year, I’ve had some of the best and most exciting work opportunities come my way, and yet I’ve had some of the most frequent rejection of my career so far. It’s been quite mentally challenging to juggle the highs of finally reaching places I’ve been wanting to reach, and simultaneously feeling like I am banging my head against a brick wall when I pitch feature ideas and get completely ignored. (Being ignored is actually why I set up this Substack, so it’s been a blessing in a way because I love writing this now.)

Zara isn’t an overnight success. She’s worked away for years and years, always doing well, breaking records, and releasing some of the best-loved songs in modern music. But somehow, in the blink of an eye, something shifted this year and she just found herself in an explosion of success. We live in an age where the goal is to go viral and generate sudden and massive attention. I love that Zara has done the opposite of that, gently building a world, brick by brick, that celebrates her passions and engages her fans. Seeing the joy she inspired in that park yesterday has made me want to keep laying my own bricks, even on the days when I am tired, self-doubting and ready to exit the building site.

If you are working towards something at the moment and it feels like it’s not quite happening, stick on a bit of Zara Larsson each morning. Her fun, light heartedness and unapologetic self-love are all things that every girl needs in her toolkit on the days that feel like a struggle. And maybe, by soaking in a bit of her magic, we can all make our own ta-dah moments happen too.

Here are some of the beautiful Zara fans I met yesterday at All Points East. Thank you so much for stopping to chat to me and letting me take your picture! <3

Panettiere started acting so early on, you’ve likely grown up watching her. From voicing Dot in A Bug’s Life to her long-standing role as Juliette in Nashville, she is one of the most loved pop culture princesses of the 00’s. I love my horror films and the Scream franchise is among my most watched, so my favourite role of hers was as Kirby Reed in Scream 4.

A child star catapulted to the heights of fame from an early age, Panettiere unfortunately felt the wrath of Hollywood like so many others before her. Throughout her life, she experienced many struggles including the sudden loss of her brother Jason, a battle with addiction, and making a difficult decision to have her daughter live with her father so as to focus on her own recovery.

Less than three months ago, Panettiere released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. Her publisher, Hachette, describes it as “a rare and intimate glimpse into her life behind closed doors, opening up about postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma, domestic abuse, and loss.”

Her collection of anecdotes left no stone unturned, touching on teenage moments like the time a renowned actor exposed himself to her, and the time she was encouraged to engage sexually with a much more powerful actor whilst quite literally stranded out to sea on a yacht.

We’re so used to seeing well-oiled press junkets today. A celebrity is in a well-lit room, interviewed by someone who had to submit their questions ahead of time, and the interaction is pleasant and light. The video goes viral, the film is promoted, everyone is happy. But Panettiere broke that mould altogether, and simply met people in the middle by having a deeper conversation.

One of the most moving interviews I remember of hers was just recently when she spoke to Jay Shetty. She cried as she spoke about grieving her brother.

“There was nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half, the other half that was born to be the yin to my yang. We were so close. Heartbreaking doesn’t even begin to cover it. I would need a dictionary to go through all the words and all the feelings. When he first died, I just remember screaming ‘I don’t want to live in a world where he doesn’t exist,’ and I’ve unfortunately had to. It makes me so angry to see that there are bad people thriving in this world, and then one so good that’s just taken. Why? It’s not fair. It doesn’t make sense.”

Panettiere also spoke often about her family life. Out of respect for her family I don’t want to touch on their story too much today, but I will say that she encouraged open conversations around her parenting choices while she recovered from her alcohol addiction. Conversations like these are so important. Removing stigma and speaking openly can help everyone involved to have happier and healthier outcomes, and with a platform like hers, I can’t begin to imagine how many families she helped by sharing her journey.

Speaking your truth can be terrifying for all kinds of reasons. I’ve spent my life as a classic people pleaser and am actively trying to unlearn and retrain those behaviours. Even setting a simple boundary can cause me so much guilt that I wonder if it’s even worth the agony. I can’t even fathom the amount of strength it must have taken for Panettiere to share her stories. With the eyes of the world on her, speaking on sensitive topics with such candour and knowing that each admission would have a repercussion, it took enormous courage to use her voice.

Though she’s known for so many beloved films and TV shows, I think Panettiere’s greatest legacy is her truth. Scrolling TikTok for footage of her past interviews this morning, I felt such a sadness. Here we have a person so comfortable to be herself, setting an example that you can rebuild after a hardship. It’s so sad that she had to go, and I’m so glad that she got to tell her story in her own words.

At the time of writing we aren’t sure of the circumstances around her passing, nor do we need to be. I am sending the hugest of well wishes to her family, and I hope that when remembering Panettiere, we always remind ourselves that speaking our truth can be radically freeing and healing.

If a little potter about with no sense of urgency is your idea of a good time, Wilderness would be great for you. They host such a variety of activities with lakes to enjoy, fine dining experiences and old-fashioned delights like a helter skelter. In addition, their line up this year included the likes of a first ever UK festival set from the legendary Annie Lennox.

Everything I packed to feel put together

Part of the festival experience for me is having a few days to feel free. One thing I’ve learned through my many excursions is that hay fever will always hit me hard. Though I love nothing more than colourful eyeshadow and glitter, my eyes water so much that any makeup efforts have disintegrated by midday.

This in mind, here were five things I used that made me feel put together every day.

Half Magic Beauty gems

I knew my eyeshadow wouldn’t survive my allergies, so by day two I ditched it altogether and opted for a constellation of gems. Mixing iridescent stones and neon studs, I created a gem pattern over wash of glitter and they didn’t move all day. The adhesive on the Half Magic gems is so powerful. We were all covered in them by the end of the weekend, and part of the fun was finding them in bags and on shoelaces over the next few days.

Morphe lip liner

This was one of the few things I made a conscious effort to keep topped up and my photographs thanked me for it. I love lip liners; my lips are very pale and I love being able to chisel them. The Morphe lip liner formula is one of my favourites because it’s creamy to apply but it lasts. So often you have one thing or the other with lip liners; they’re creamy and bleed, or they’re lasting but drying. This one sits perfectly in the middle, it’s comfortable and long-wearing, and my favourite shade is Wifey.

Naked Sundays SPF, in particular the Cabana Milk and the Glow Mist

I’ve just had laser treatment for my rosacea and as a result I’ve been advised to be militant with mineral SPF. For a little while now I’ve been using the Cabana Milk under my makeup, a lovely buttery formula that melts in seamlessly. As an additional purchase for Wilderness, I got myself the SPF spray to go over my makeup. This is really lightweight and doesn’t leave an oily sheen over your makeup, and it was portable enough to keep in my bag and carry around for the day. I loved it. The texture of mineral SPF often gets on my nerves, but these feel light and easy to wear.

Biossance eye cream and face cream

From being in the sun all day to navigating my watery eyes, I always feel a bit more puffy when I go to a festival. I decided to keep things simple with a rich moisturiser for my face and a slightly more targeted tool for my eyes, both of which were from Biossance. Though I always opt for simple, gentle face creams, I loved having something slightly more buttery to take away with me to replenish lost moisture. The Squalane + Omega Repair Cream is that bit richer, meaning makeup sits well over it and your skin feels less tight after a long day.

Prior to working this in, I would take the Squalane + Niacinamide 5% Brightening Serum. As the name would suggest, this is designed to brighten dull eyes. The appeal for me, however, was the cool metal applicator. Using this to gently massage my eyes before bed was a simple and quick way to ease any discomfort from my watery eyes and restore the balance a little. If you suffer with watery eyes, you’ll know how congested they can make you in general. A gentle but firm massage can do wonders for clearing the airways again.

Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier sachets

I’ve used these for years now and swear by them. Though I started to take them intermittently whenever I was travelling or away on a trip like this, they’ve become something that my dad and I take regularly as a little pick-me-up. These sachets are designed to replenish essential salts and sugars, and dropping this formula into a glass of water always helps me to feel revitalised. I tend to take one before bed, but they’re a great reviver in the middle of a hot day also. Recently they introduced a sugar free variation and I gave those a try, but to be honest I much prefer and see more benefit from the originals. This was my first time trying the Passionfruit flavour and it’s one of the nicest I’ve tried of theirs.

Indulging in the Secret Spa

Wilderness is known for being a festival full of home comforts. It’s not the kind of rough and ready experience you’re tumbling yourself into at Reading or Leeds, for example; they pride themselves on offering elevated experiences to make it more of a relaxing weekend.

This in mind, one of the experiences I made the most use of was the Secret Spa. Day to day, Secret Spa operates in London, Manchester and Brighton, giving people the chance to book services like hair, a manicure or a massage to the comfort of their homes.

At Wilderness, Secret Spa operated a full Pamper Parlour, open to all guests who had opted to use the Boutique camping facilities (complete with pre-erected tents, bathrooms and showers).

Being able to visit this space each morning just made the weekend feel like such a treat. By the time the sun is up at any summer festival, your tent feels a little bit like a greenhouse. Having a cool, airy space to sit and start the day really made the weekend all the more restorative.

There were a few ways you could work it. If you wanted to sit back and relax, they offered bookable services. You could have full makeup or hairstyling, or even a Biosculpture manicure or pedicure. If you simply wanted to unwind you could book a Dr. David Jack facial. But if you just wanted some me-time with your own stash, there were dressing tables at your disposal, complete with heated hair tools. It was a relaxing and social way to start the day, and if I’d gone by myself I think this would have massively made me feel safer for having a place to touch base each day.

My favourite faces of the festival

Last week, I wrote about my experiences at Tomorrowland festival in Belgium. One of the things I did there was capture photographs of people from all over the world that had travelled to this tiny town for an almighty rave. Here were three people I photographed at Wilderness, and between them I think they captured a little of the spirit of this English countryside escape.

Poorna, visiting from London

Substack natives will likely already love Poorna as much as I do. She’s a much-beloved writer and I attended her panel discussion about dating in the modern age. I loved the simplicity of her look, fresh skin, a big smile and a tailored but comfy outfit for the day.

Oliver, visiting from Hertfordshire

Oliver stopped me in my tracks because his look was genuinely effortless. Those tiny gems under his eyes and tendrils gently catching the breeze; this to me is the epitome of carefree festival beauty. I loved meeting his family and we all had a gorgeous chat in the sunshine before heading off on our own adventures.

Emma, visiting from Derbyshire

I saw Emma’s big smile and playful outfit and just had to take her photo. This was her mother’s dress and she showed me her beautiful country house in Derbyshire as we chatted away.

After sharing my Tomorrowland experience last week, I had someone tell me how lovely it was to see people their own age there. It’s something I’ve never really considered, but I think we sometimes see a skewed view of festivals online because they’re often filmed by people who grew up in a digital age. Gen Z, for example, are just used to documenting everything, and so you’d be forgiven for thinking that everyone at a particular place was in their early 20’s. In all of the places I’ve been to for festivals, from America to Spain or Scotland, there are people there of all ages. They’re probably just not as used to filming themselves all weekend like I tend to do. (It feels cringe at the time, but honestly I love it when I watch it back and would 10/10 recommend. I must have watched the video of going to Electric Picnic with my cousin about 100 times now.)

If you’ve never been to a festival before and you like the idea of a gentle entry point, Wilderness would be perfect. There’s something for everyone there, from wild swimming to morning yoga or a full-on forest rave if that’s what you’re looking for. We saw panel talks on all kinds of topics, watched a comedy set from Joel Dommett, caught a surprise set from Professor Green, had margaritas while Denise Van Outen hosted a DJ set. All of the spaces are quite small, so wherever you are you’re going to have a great view. And the capacity was relatively small in comparison to the space, so even the headliner stage felt accessible and close with no crowding.

Whether or not you want to engage your wild side, there will absolutely be something for you at Wilderness. In particular, if you’re taking your family, I think it’s well set up to support people of all generations.

We were guests of Live Nation this weekend, and I want to extend an enormous thank you to them for having us!

You can find lots more festival reviews right here on my Substack. Here are a few from Tomorrowland, Electric Picnic and Primavera to point you in the right direction.

Here are 10 things I loved and learned along the way…

The art and design of the space is truly out of this world.

Visually, Tomorrowland is the most beautiful festival I’ve ever been to. Each stage is quite mesmerising in it’s own way, and when I first turned a corner and saw the main stage I found it quite overwhelming in a good way. If you like art then you’d appreciate all of the smaller details around this festival. They thought of everything. The bins are shaped to look like flowers. Ropes to manage traffic are detailed with posies. There is no operational touch point whatsoever that looks like a functional thing; everything is embellished and part of the experience.

I met people from all over the world.

Of all the festivals I’ve been to, I’ve never met people from as many different parts of the earth as I did at Tomorrowland. One of my favourite things to do in a new place is bring my mini mics and chat to people. At Tomorrowland, visitors had come from all over, united by a desire to feel free and have fun (and trust me to have found a bunch of Brummies in the middle of it). It made the whole atmosphere so welcoming. There was no ‘normal’, so no chance for anyone to feel ‘other’.

The grounds are grand, but not ridiculous.

Though I did a fair bit of walking each day, averaging around 20,000 steps, the grounds didn’t feel enormous. One thing no-one prepared me for before my first Glastonbury was just how enormous the space is, and Tomorrowland is much more compact by comparison. The grounds were laid out like a long rectangle with stages coming off it. What I thought was brilliant was that one plain and simple path ran through the middle of the festival, so if you wanted to get from one end to the other you could do so relatively quickly.

All senses are engaged when you enter Tomorrowland.

The reason I found myself at Tomorrowland to begin with was that the skincare brand Grown Alchemist kindly took me as their guest. They have created an official Tomorrowland collection, complete with bodycare, haircare and skincare, all designed to specifically work well for ravers.

“These are inspired by our best loved classics but tailored to match the needs of Tomorrowland”, explained Isobel from the product development team. “Let’s take the shampoo and conditioner, for example. It’s similar to the Hydra Restore Shampoo that people already know and love, but we tweaked the ingredients to make it more suitable for a festival environment. The Tomorrowland shampoo is better at thoroughly removing grit from the hair, and the conditioner is slightly richer because hair that has been out in the sun would need a bit more hydration.” My personal favourite from the collection was the Hydrating Elixir Mist. I used it throughout the day to keep cool and again to revive dry-looking makeup.

The festival itself was a total sensory overload. Here were some of the things I noticed that made it a completely immersive experience…

Touch: One of my favourite things was the Tomorrowland wristband. It was leather bound, buckle tied, and embellished with a precious stone which granted you entry and paid for your drinks. Total magic.

Taste: The food was delicious. Even my burger was embossed with the Tomorrowland logo! We also ate at Lost in Thaislation, a culinary experience designed to introvert things. Our chicken dish was based on a Pina Colada drink, and our cocktail inspired by mango sticky rice.

Smell: The Elixir of Life, the signature Tomorrowland scent, burst out of grand plinths that were dotted around the grounds.

Sight: Artworks, lights, water displays… everywhere you turned was a visual circus.

Hearing: Despite having multiple stages, no music overlapped which I thought was great. The layout and spacing were fantastic. Also, I got the Tomorrowland x Loop ear plugs and really felt the benefit of wearing them. I’ll bring them to more live music things moving forward now, they helped to drown out the crowd noise and fine tune the music itself when I saw Calvin Harris.

People weren’t rowdy.

Given I had arrived in party central, I was amazed to find that nothing felt rowdy or heated at any point. Drinks were flowing, fun was had, yet no one seemed aggressive in nature. It’s a rare thing to say in such a large group of people, and something I’ve only ever noticed at Glastonbury. The crowd were unanimously happy.

It was clean and safe.

Each festival has its own energy, and that can hugely be swayed by the performing artists that year. But when I wandered this enormous raving universe, I was struck by how safe it felt. People were of all ages. Crowds were well managed. It was lovely. On day one, a combination of the heat and a busy week before I’d arrived, I wasn’t feeling good. I thought I was going to faint at one point, and luckily lovely Lauren and Niamh took such great care of me. But in that moment, I found a seat easily and there were shaded areas to recoup. Of all the places to feel unwell, it felt like an environment where help would be nearby in a heartbeat. (You learn a lot about a person when your light headedness has entirely derailed their afternoon, and if you’re reading this girls, I’ll remember that kindness forever.)

Coming home, I felt switched off and energised at the same time.

I am incredibly lucky that through my job I get to experience things that I might not otherwise. Though I absolutely love festivals (and mostly go to them on my own time and money), I probably wouldn’t have booked Tomorrowland. To me, it sounded like a place that would be a 24/7 rave, quite headstrong and intense, but I go to bed early most nights so I wasn’t sure we’d be compatible.

What amazed me the most about this place is that, yes, it was total party central, but it was also deeply relaxing. The grounds are green and flowery with lots of water running through them. There are places to chill as well as places to dance. It’s such a sensory overload that I felt really transported by just taking it all in. Being there on the grounds gave me a deeper understanding of why people travel all this way to come here; it felt like a fantasy world, and it was enjoyable whatever kind of experience you were hoping to have.

I was wrong about ravers.

A combination of past experiences and a lack of understanding had given me a certain impression of ravers. I try to pride myself on being open minded and someone who doesn’t judge, but I will hold my hands up and admit that Tomorrowland showed me that I did have prejudgements. I honestly thought raves were for people who wanted a crazy, wild night out, and instead I found deeply chilled out people who were just there to unwind.

I knew so much more dance music than I thought I would!

I do love all music, but I am more of a pop princess than anything else. Though I love classic dance music (the songs you can sing along to), I was expecting to hear lots of things that I didn’t recognise at all. I can’t believe how wrong I was! Wandering the stages I heard Justin Bieber, Beyonce, saw a live orchestra perform Born Slippy. It was such a brilliant mix. Of all the people to headline, I got to see Calvin Harris for his first ever Tomorrowland set and he was wicked. Seeing thousands of people singing along to Rihanna’s Where Have You Been? was a definite weekend highlight.

My fave set of the weekend was from Chris Lorenzo. I don’t know Chris personally but I knew he went to my school so I wanted to go and see him. I’ve always loved that expression ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, and for me it was really inspiring to see the world that Chris has made for himself. If someone with largely the same starting steps as me could go on to achieve this, I took away that I could achieve the things in my head, too. I’ve been in a bit of a fatigued headspace recently, working towards little things that haven’t quite panned out, so having a reminder that big dreams can come true was just what I needed this weekend.

If you’ve got the preconception that Tomorrowland will be really heavy, or it’s just for people who are going to go berserk, I promise you, you’ve got it wrong. I thought the same and I feel silly for thinking it now. Remember when I went to Electric Picnic, thinking it would be really idyllic and quiet, and it ended up being total chaos? This was like the opposite experience to that. I could swap the preconceptions I had about both of these places to form the correct descriptions of each festival.

The tiny town of Boom has left a mark on my heart forever. And, on a side note, having stayed in Antwerp I am so excited to get myself back to Belgium. What a gorgeous country.

If you’ve been to Tomorrowland before I’d love to know how my experience lined up to yours. And if you’re thinking of going, I’d really recommend it as a place to truly engage your mind and switch off. It was a real reset and I loved it.

Thank you so much to the entire team at Grown Alchemist for the trip of a lifetime. This summer, they’re hosting Grown Alchemist treatments at various locations in London to immerse you in the world of Tomorrowland. If you want a little taster of what we got to see, it’s the perfect way to channel the scent of the rave grounds.

If you enjoyed this, I’ve written about lots more festivals here on my Substack. Glastonbury, Primavera, Coachella, All Points East, Latitude, Reading… I’ve made a beginner’s guide to all of them.

This weekend, I wandered the Belgian town of Boom during my first ever trip to Tomorrowland. I made so many friends along the way. Here were some of the faces that made me curious enough to go and say hello.

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Sofia, visiting from Portugal

Sofia was watching Chris Lorenzo’s set at the top of the hill by The Great Library. That tiny hint of turquoise eyeliner really made her brown eyes pop.

Tamta, visiting from Georgia

I was on the busiest possible stretch of people when I spotted Tamta’s illustrated baby bump but I just had to stop her to say hello. Butterflies are a huge part of the Tomorrowland aesthetic, and they mean a lot to me for various reasons. How cute that her baby girl was embellished with pearls, gems and illustrations!

Lenda, visiting from Belgium

With those bunches, Lenda reminded me of a Spice Girl. I’ve not long cut my hair into a bob and she’s made me want to try this look with some glitter the next time I’m at a hot festival.

Anita, visiting from Frankfurt

I loved that Anita was still having a brat summer and her t-shirt was an instant conversation starter. She wore chunky iridescent glitter flakes which looked lightweight but bounced the light so beautifully.

Mireya, visiting from Mexico

When I approached the Main Stage during Morten’s set, everyone was watching Mireya dance. Every time I looked at her I saw something new; the gem embellishments, hair bunches, brat green braids… it was all just fantastic.

Ashley, visiting from Washington DC

I found Ashley near the Freedom stage after I’d just seen the Symphony of Unity, a live orchestra playing club classics like Born Slippy. I loved her pink eyeshadow and amber gems.

Sofiana, visiting from Switzerland

Sofiana and I caught eyes when we were going in different directions and it was like I’d met my old long lost friend! He was so friendly and warm.

Florence and Elien, visiting from Belgium

Elien’s frosted eyeshadow made reminded me of a 90’s pop princess, and Florence’s colourful braids were the perfect complement to the whimsy of Tomorrowland.

Kenya, visiting from Mexico

Kenya’s smile tells you everything you need to know about Tomorrowland! I loved the pastel ties she added to her curls, framing it into a 90’s style and creating a look that felt playful.

Electra, visiting from Colombia

Electra may as well have been a Main Stage headliner because everyone was having a photo with her when I went over. She had embellished every last part of herself, head to toe, and her butterfly crown was my favourite part of the look.

Bianca, visiting from New York

As I walked among the masses taking a path to the Rave Cave, Bianca’s headpiece caught my eye. I loved her chunky glitter, and the tiny rhinestones that sparkled through the print of her poncho.

Laura, visiting from France

Laura’s makeup was one of my favourite looks of the day. She had glitter on her eyelids, glitter on her lips, and rhinestones on her cheeks. This will have taken her all of 30 seconds to apply, and that’s the whole point. Festival beauty is supposed to be fun, not take all morning!

Aleida, visiting from Mexico

Aleida was in the Crystal Garden watching Ayybo and Odd Mob. Those tiny touches of champagne glitter on the inner and outer eyes really framed her navy liner flicks.

Natalie, visiting from Belgium

This patch by the water was my favourite place if I needed a breather because it’s one of the few spaces on the grounds where you can’t really hear any music. Natalie looked like a princess when she walked past, with those milky grey curls and her silver glitter accents.

Vrinda, visiting from Singapore

Vrinda was the perfect testament to how the simplest festival beauty looks can be best. A pop of cobalt blue liner was all she needed on her eyes, and then the little trail of silver gems from her face to her chest tied the whole thing together so beautifully.

If you’re feeling a certain type of way about yourself (and we’ve all been there), spending the day at a festival can be such a powerful healer. I know that a big festival like Tomorrowland takes a lot of planning and investment, but it doesn’t have to be anything as extravagant as that. Seeing people in their most carefree form always reminds me what’s important and changes my perspective for the better.

I want to say the world’s biggest thank you to Grown Alchemist for taking me to Tomorrowland as their guest this weekend. I had such a special few days. I’ll tell you more about our time together in my next piece.

When you hear of a prequel to something that you love so much, you always wonder how it will serve to honour the original. But when I immersed myself into the teenage world of Elle Woods this July, I was transported back to my childhood. There were so many comforting references that I hadn’t thought about in so long, like all of us knowing the dangers of substance abuse from when Jessie Spano was revising for her exams in Saved by the Bell. I wrote a review of the show itself for Stylist magazine which I would love for you to read (and Reese liked it on Instagram so I had kittens)!

One thing I loved about Elle is that it was light, fluffy and fun, but anchored by deep moral lessons. There were so many tender messages rooted in the visuals, like how you can never judge a book by its cover or that feeling great in yourself doesn’t always equal vanity.

To get to the heart of a show I enjoyed so much, I spoke to Jennifer Powell, makeup designer for Elle’s pink and plaid Seattle adventures.

Creating a world of 90’s nostalgia

Set in 1995, Elle takes us back to Elle Woods’ teenage years. Jennifer was the perfect person to story tell this era through makeup because she lived it the first time around.

In my early years I was working at a little makeup shop in Vancouver and we sold to people in the local film industry. We had Visiora by Christian Dior, Ben Nye, Joe Blasco, all the classics. Then we had this modern little makeup line in the corner called MAC.

I used to order 12 Spice lip liners, 6 Nutmeg lip liners and 6 Vinos and hope it wasn’t too much. Although I was never officially a MAC girl, the names are all in my Rolodex of memories now. MAC shades are a universal makeup artist language. If someone says Cork, Wedge or Espresso as a reference I know exactly what they mean. Satin Taupe, Nylon, Swish… it’s all in my head.

I told Jennifer how much I loved all of the 90’s pop culture references in the story. Though I know people of all ages will enjoy Elle, it just lands so cosily for me because I was little when these things were popular. I wanted to know how she felt seeing these moments from her younger years being reimagined for the show.

The way our set designers recreated things like Blockbuster Video and the Rainforest Café was just so impressive. I can’t do spoilers, but in season two also we were just like “oh my gosh, you made that?” On set, people were walking by Blockbuster and you could see that they actually wanted it again. We’d be saying, “ I remember Friday nights wandering aimlessly just to pick a video, that’s what we used to do!”

The nostalgia is so well done. Things like the Walkmans, Elle’s phone; I would have loved Elle’s bedroom as a teenage girl. There’s a real sweetness to the show, and lots of special memories for those of us that lived it back in the day and miss it a little bit. It will be an interesting history lesson to the young folks that are watching it.

Stepping into Elle’s world in the makeup trailer

Jennifer wanted to make sure that, for the cast, the pink power kicked in the minute they landed on set.

I really wanted the trailer to be comfortable, pretty and reflective of Elle’s world. I wanted to keep the story of Elle in the trailer, so we got heated, fluffy pink blankets on every chair, because we have cold mornings in Vancouver. We had big pink flowers up on the mirrors. I brought in my personal collection of my 90’s makeup magazines (thank you, Mom, for keeping those for me). So I had my Allures and my Cosmopolitans and my Elle magazines.

They were really great for reference and to flip through the L’Oreal and Dove ads of the time. I wasn’t just finding things on my phone. I had hard copies, and it was so nice to touch it and feel it. Even for the actors to be able to flip through them, they were reading the articles that we were reading in 1995. When we left the premiere, they were handing out the pink Dove soap from the old adverts! I love it and I don’t think I’ll ever open it.

I printed photos of people like Winona Ryder, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. It was all a big mood board of references.

Honouring Reese Witherspoon and turning Lexi Minetree into Elle Woods

Obviously all of the Legally Blonde looks were printed out. They filmed that in the 2000s so we needed to take it back a few years and make the looks a little softer and younger.

Elle still likes pink, obviously that’s her go-to colour, we just tried to keep it maybe a little less sophisticated. The lash line wouldn’t be as polished as Reese’s, it was a little more purple and soft, but they look so similar that it all worked really well. I remember when we were filming in LA, Reese and her daughter Ava showed up one day on filming. You could see them watching Lexi on the monitors, amazed at how similar they all looked. Molly Dixon did such a beautiful job of styling Lexi in Reese’s old outfits for the press tour. It all felt very meant to be.

She was always going to have her nails done so Tony Tran did the square tip French nails. His salon is playing the show 24/7 right now! And we have a sweet tanning girl from Ireland, Deb from Tancouver. She’s hilarious. She’s like ‘I came to Vancouver and I thought, ‘where’s all the tans? We spray tan in Ireland. What’s happening?’ So she is the spray tanner for everything! She just did Elle, Off Campus, Animal Control. She’s amazing.

Lexi isn’t so much like Elle when you meet her. I always want to remind people that she’s acting! She puts on that voice and those mannerisms.

The first time she walked in she was in her green Crocs with little horns on them and her baggy jeans. Her hair was beachy wavy, and she’s got a huskier voice. And then you tan her up, you blonde her up, do the nails, the makeup, you put her in pink, she does the voice, and I’m like, ‘you’ve completely become another person!’

I think Lexi could walk down the street as herself and people might not recognize her. She really transforms to play Elle and it is so fun to watch.

The inimitable allure of Eva Woods

June Diane Raphael as Eva Woods was my favourite character in Elle. I explained to Jennifer that she and Elle didn’t feel like caricatures to me. Eva is obviously so glamorous, but she never came across like a bimbo. To me it felt like she had a sense of pride in herself and a deep self-respect. It would have been so easy in such a pink universe for them to come across as airheads, but there was so much dignity behind them.

June is so incredible. I mean, she really, really is. And you’re so right.

Eva Woods is not a bimbo. Her character is somebody that makes no apologies for waking up in the morning and getting ready, and I love that. No matter what the day is she does her hair and makeup and puts on a fabulous outfit. Even if she’s in a sweatshirt, she still does her grooming and there’s no apologies for that. I never felt like her character was doing it for anyone else’s approval; she does it for herself.

There’s such a strength to that, because maybe that’s not the cool thing. Maybe that’s not the right, humble approach to oneself that you should have. It’s the same with Elle and she takes a nod from her mom.

Like hey, maybe pink isn’t the cool colour? Take a look around your environment in Seattle. You don’t fit in, but you never changed. You stayed you, you accept people for how they look, you hope they’re going to accept you for how you look, and you just keep building relationships.

I think that’s such a lovely thing about Elle. She’s never asking anyone to put some pink lip gloss on. She’s never asking anyone to dress themselves up. She’s just her – a rebel in pink, being her authentic self, which is such a heartwarming story.

In Legally Blonde and in Elle, the moral is that you can be smart, you can like pink, you can do anything you want. You don’t just have to be one thing.

If you love coming of age stories as much as I do, or The Breakfast Club, or just want to remember all of your favourite 90’s songs, you will love the teenage world of Elle Woods.

Elle is available to stream on Prime Video.

All images courtesy of Jennifer Powell and Prime Video.

I spent my weekend watching an early preview of Elle, a prequel to the film from Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine. Starting in Los Angeles and moving swiftly to Seattle, this Prime series joins Elle Woods through her high school years in a new city.

When the story begins, we see Woods ostracised by her new friends in Seattle when she arrives in her bubble gum pink glory. She sticks out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of this laidback, muted community, and at first their differences cause friction. As time goes on, they each learn a little more about one another and unlikely friendships are forged.

In Elle, clothes are used as a physical way to illustrate the differences between these characters and their worlds. Watching it took me right back to my days as a beauty journalism intern.

I’m from Birmingham and I studied in Liverpool, so I’ve always taken a more is more approach to makeup. When I first came to London for my internships after graduating, I was really confused.

I was getting really dolled up every day with a full face of makeup and bright, glittery clothes, but my trusted mentors wore fresh faces and quiet outfits. What was going on? I wasn’t expecting this at high fashion magazines?

Looking back now, I stood out like a sore thumb, a bit like Woods at Rainier West High School. I was from working class beginnings, completely out of my comfort zone, and desperate to make a good impression. With Irish roots and fresh from three years of living in Liverpool, that impression equated to making myself look as glamorous as possible. I’d sit on the train (the one I got from Birmingham to London and home again, every day) and do a full face of makeup, complete with false lashes. My clothes were as vibrant as physically possible so as to stand out. I still remember my vivid orange River Island handbag and the multi-coloured sequin ballet flats I got from Office. “Are they French Sole?” one of the girls in the lift asked me one day, and I was so delighted that she thought I had the same budget as her.

What it took years for me to realise is that my clothes had told my peers everything about my class, and I felt that they really looked out for me because of it. It was glaringly obvious that I wasn’t from this world, one where many of my peers had grown up in affluent families. In their circles, being understated was chic. It was classy to have such great skin that you didn’t need a dot of makeup. The simple monochrome pieces that they wore everyday were timeless designer classics that had lasted them for years. But as we figured this out, we got a kick out of each other’s differences.

Years down the line, and those first three women still look out for me now. Whether or not I was the perfect intern I guess I’ll never know, but I remember that all three told me fondly how great it was to have someone there that was so excited to be in the room. At the time I wondered why this was so noteworthy to them. I was the beauty intern at the most prestigious of fashion titles, and at a time when their team was filled with truly genius minds. Surely everyone was falling over themselves to be there? This was another lesson it took me years to understand.

I was having kittens every day because this was another world to me, and soaking it up felt like being in another universe. Many of their interns, to the contrary, probably grew up with more privilege. They accepted that this level of prestige was simply part of their fabric, and perhaps didn’t realise quite how special it was to be there.

All of this remembered, it made me feel warm and fuzzy to watch a similar journey in Elle. This series is a total celebration of girlhood, where differences make for fun and friendships will always find a way when your common values align. We need a bit more of that in the world today.

And as for the ladies that guided me in my first three weeks in London – Jessica, Kelly and Nicola – thank you for showing kindness to the overwhelmed intern that blew in from quite such a faraway world. The biggest lesson I learned from them is that the people at the very, very top are often the very kindest.

Elle premieres on Prime this Wednesday July 1^st, and if you grew up in the 90’s it makes for the most gorgeous, nostalgic watch. You can read my full review on Stylist magazine.

Images courtesy of Prime Video

Though we’ve always seen this crossover, fan culture has powered a whole new appetite for these partnerships. Places like TikTok and Reddit allow fan communities to connect in a more widespread and powerful way, meaning more demand for these keepsakes. Just look at the Wicked films. Their merch infiltrated just about every commercial category, going as far as making glittery variations of my favourite Robinson’s squash.

This in mind, I’m really pleased that this partnership approach seems to have found the beauty community. For years now, I’ve opened press releases about new celebrity beauty brands that have made my eyes roll to the back of my head.

“I just couldn’t find what I was looking for so I designed this skincare myself,” claims a Hollywood actor, naturally having no credentials in skincare.

The thing is, I can understand wanting to be part of this industry. It’s so much fun! But I’d have more respect for them if they said “I wanted to invest in this because it seems lucrative” rather than making out that a cleanser, toner and moisturiser had been so hard to come by.

If you’ve read my Substack page before, you’ll know that I love celebrity culture. I’ve got an Aupen bag that Taylor Swift wore on one of her first dates with Travis, and my first fancy perfume was Thierry Mugler’s Angel because I read that Britney Spears wore it. I am quite literally the prime candidate for all of this hysteria. But I don’t need a whole brand from most of these people. I just want something of theirs that I can buy and feel extra special when I use it.

That’s why this new wave of beauty and pop culture partnerships is making me happy, and here are three launches from the past few weeks that felt like matches made in heaven.

Lisa Eldridge x Marilyn Monroe

When Lisa Eldridge announced her partnership with the Marilyn Monroe estate, it was makeup that felt meaningful. She’s created a capsule collection of makeup, inspired by Marilyn’s signature looks, and boxed in relaxed, soft photographs of Marilyn that were taken by Sam Shaw.

This partnership was particularly inspiring to me because it reminded me how important it is to be yourself. For years, Lisa has told us how much she loves vintage makeup. She collects it. She made a beautiful video over 10 years ago now about Marilyn Monroe and her makeup artist, and has continuously referenced and remembered the great artists that came before her. Marilyn’s estate knew this and approached Lisa to create this collection in honour of her 100^th birthday.

At the time of writing, Marilyn’s birthday has been a hot topic. A TikTok video I shared has got people back and forth in the comments, wondering whether using Marilyn’s likeness is the right thing to do. But I think the context here is crucial. This isn’t someone who has simply thrown a red lip together and splashed a name over something. This is a true expert who has put thought and care into honouring a legacy. She was approached as a result of a sincere and continuous fascination with Marilyn. It made for a beautiful collection.

Lisa has always seemed different to the rest of the beauty industry. She’s a gentle voice in a landscape that often rewards those that shout the loudest. If you scroll your TikTok right now you’ll see endless shock value videos, desperate to grab your attention and keep it. Lisa, on the other hand, is magnetic in her calmness.

Haim x Ilia Beauty

This one popped up on my Instagram last week, completely unexpectedly, and instantly felt like a perfect match.

I love the Haim sisters so much. Women In Music Part III is one of my all-time favourite albums, and in general they just seem so warm and friendly. From what I know and see of them, I think they’re a real force for good.

Having kept up with them for years, I know that their makeup aesthetic is very minimal and clean. They tend to favour soft waves and a fresh face, which is why this partnership with Ilia actually feels so perfect. Ilia serve to merge makeup with skincare, creating sophisticated formulas that look great but ultimately feel comfortable on your skin. Given they blend makeup, skincare and SPF, I think the tagline of the skin tint being the ‘ultimate trio’ is just the perfect nod to these three sisters.

Being really honest with you, I’ve used Ilia things before but they’re not a brand I would automatically gravitate towards. But it just goes to show how powerful these placements are, because now I want to try everything and get to know their story. You can show me all the influencer content you want, but if the Haim sisters say this is good, it’s going in my basket.

Chappell Roan x Viva Glam

This partnership feels unbelievably perfect and I am so delighted for Chappell Roan.

In case you’re unfamiliar, Viva Glam is a franchise within MAC Cosmetics wherein lipstick proceeds go to charity. Over the years just about everyone has had their own Viva Glam lipstick, from Rihanna to Elton John and Pamela Anderson.

What I love about this is that Chappell, a girl from a small town who felt a little afraid of being herself, probably wore these lipsticks growing up. She will have had MAC things; it’s a given, we all did. But Viva Glam specifically works to champion the very communities that she has dedicated her art to, and now she gets to be the face of it. It’s a touching full circle moment.

Keep in mind, I’m 36. When I was growing up, MAC was the place to get your makeup from, and the be-all and end-all in cool makeup. These days, people have endless choice. There are so many great brands and lots of indie colour brands. Though MAC is still a powerhouse, there’s no denying they have much more competition now.

I love the idea that younger fans of Chappell’s will be curious enough to research this partnership, and investigate the long-standing support that MAC have shown the LGBTQIA+ community. I want them to scour the internet and remember that MAC had Ru Paul as the first face of Viva Glam, a man in drag with legs akimbo. I want them to read about the many diverse charities that the MAC AIDS Fund has supported, and how it feeds into local communities all over the world. The internet is so quick to jump on this girl, and it winds me up because I think she’s spreading so much light.

Rather than go to the rigmarole of coming up with a whole new set of products, these are unions between experts and creatives, working together to make something lovely. That’s when it feels cool. It’s less wasteful. It all feels a bit more like fun again.

I’d love to know if there’s a partnership that always rang true to you, or made you feel differently about a beauty brand for the better. And in the meantime, I know I’ve just moaned about pointless celebrity brands, but if Zendaya or Hayley Williams want to launch one they can take my money in a heartbeat.

Yesterday I went to Lovebox festival at Dreamland in Margate, and as far as festivals go it was unusual because it was more like a nostalgic day out. Think of the charm of Barry Island with the good manners of Latitude festival and you’ve got yourself the measure of it.

Set at a compact theme park, Lovebox has one main stage, a separate club room, and that’s the line up for music. Then, dotted in and around the grounds you have a games arcade, a roller-skating rink, classic fair games, rides, and sweet favourites like candy floss and ice cream.

Because it’s such an intimate park, wherever you are you have a great view. There’s a rounded floor in front of the stage, some tiered benches on a slight hill, and if you have a VIP ticket or an accessible ticket there is a further pathway slightly higher up that gives you an aerial view of the park.

Soul II Soul were incredible. They have so many talented musicians in their band, and then such a mix of vocalists and backing singers. Each of them had a powerful stage presence and the performance was just so deeply layered, it was mesmerising. They covered Sinead O Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U which any Irish person can attest they have heard 100 different renditions of, and yet they really made it their own.

After seeing them I went for a little mooch by myself and wanted to go on the ghost train. I met this lovely group of 3 that needed a 4^th to go on. They got my ticket for me, and I clung onto the man next to me the entire way around, not a care in the world from either party. This is one of my favourite things about going to a festival, you somehow just potter about and make friends in a way that doesn’t happen as much in the real world.

Fresh from my spin around the house of horrors, I saw Susannah of Trinny and Susannah fame and she was lovely! It’s a difficult one isn’t it, seeing a famous person? Do you risk being the millionth person to disturb them that day, or do you just chance your arm and say hello? I really wanted to talk to her and I was glad I did because she was so kind. She stood and chatted to me for a little while and then gave me a big hug when we were parting ways. (How much did we all love that programme? I remember that Jo Brand and Sophie Raworth episode like it was yesterday.)

Back at the music stage, I got a prime spot for Friendly Fires. I don’t know their music well but I enjoyed watching them. As they worked their magic, a pit of Arsenal fans assembled towards stage left to watch the match around an iPhone.

After some chips and pulled pork, it was time for the main event. I’ve always wanted to see the Scissor Sisters and they were absolutely wicked. Everyhing about them was so much fun; big costumes, loads of energy, infectious dancing. There is a palpable sense of freedom that runs through a crowd when you’re in an LGBT space. It’s a space where no one will come to any harm. Everyone just danced, made friends, had a ball. It was truly fantastic. The Lovebox space is so intimate that no matter where you are you have a great view. If one of your favourite artists were to play here, it would be a great way to see them up close.

Thinking about the festival as a whole, it felt really well considered. I am always mindful of accessibility options because of care needs within my family. I don’t want to speak on something that isn’t my own experience, but from what I could see, Lovebox seemed more mindful of accessibility than any other festival I’ve been to. The space is largely formed of brick paths so wheels would move around with ease.

On different occasions, people were right by the barricade on mobility devices. Often at festivals the barricade or front sections can be quite jam-packed and intense. There was no such atmosphere here, just a pattern of everyone working together to make sure it was a comfortable experience for all. It was a hot day and security at the front made sure to hand out water at regular intervals. I know this isn’t new behaviour, but I noticed this more than I have at other festivals.

Clothes wise, most people were in simple outfits like jeans and a t-shirt. I say that not because I’m suggesting you need to dress a certain way, but I think with festivals it’s helpful to know what you’re actually walking into. Before going to Coachella, all I’d seen were photos of people attending in bikini tops and shorts. On night one in my little dress, I learned the hard way that it is *absolutely freezing* when the sun sets. (People had actual tin foil blankets around them, and yet we never see those on a bloody Instagram story, do we?)

My visit to this festival was quite a last-minute opportunity. I bought tickets to Mighty Hoopla this weekend which I have always wanted to go to, but I sold them at the last minute. I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment and have felt quite overwhelmed, so the thought of a high energy environment felt too much for right now. I also know I’m going to love it when the time comes, and I didn’t want to spoil my first trip by going when I was running on empty. But when the chance came to explore a new festival with CeraVe, I wanted to take it.

CeraVe are one of a careful curation of brands I can safely use alongside my rosacea, and they have some of the most affordable options for sensitive skin. I really wanted to learn about their new launches and spend time with Dr. Kemi, and being able to enjoy a new festival along the way was a huge bonus! Given the circumstances, that I essentially came along at a time when I was feeling run down, this was a relaxing, slower pace of a day. If you want a day to unwind without walking for miles, lugging a backpack or ruining your favourite trainers, this could be it.

If you like the idea of a very chilled out, simple day listening to music, I think you’d like Lovebox a lot. It’s not quite the kind of thing you’d be bursting with excitement for, but it would be a mellow place to have a few drinks, sit in the sun and generally unwind with some live music.

If you’re wondering which festival would be right for you, there are lots more reviews here on my Substack page. Elsewhere online, I’ve created endless videos to show you what to expect when you visit them.

Rooted in the most nuanced of observational humour, we can all see ourselves in one of or a mixture of these characters. To me, they’ve come to be real home comforts; a group of people I can have on in the background when I want to laugh, cry, or just get through my jobs with a bit of companionship.

To learn a bit more about what happens behind the scenes, I reached out to Nicola Coleman, the makeup designer for the Christmas special and season two of Amandaland. Some of her stories were to be expected, like the fact that everyone loved JJ and he brought them all Cadbury’s chocolate all the time. Others you could have knocked me over with a feather, like the brummy makeup artist from the season finale not actually being a brummy. (TV shows rarely seem to care about getting our accent right, so that one meant a lot to me.)

Here’s what Nicola had to say about her time in So-Ha with the mismatched friendship group we’ve all grown to love so much…

What were your first impressions of the show?

When I first watched Amandaland I thought it was so funny. I’ve been through the teenage years with my two daughters and my son is 15 now, so lots of it rang true. Much like Amanda, I feel my kids cringing when I say things to them! It’s such a feel-good programme.

The first time I met the team was for the read-through of the season one Christmas special. I’d already worked with Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders on Absolutely Fabulous so I knew them already. It was so much fun to have the girls back together.

How do you go about designing a makeup bag for each character?

It’s a whole group effort really. It comes from reading the script, talking to the director, talking to the actor, and then of course liaising with the costume designer.

Sometimes the reference will be something quite specific. For Jennifer Saunders to play Aunt Joan in the Christmas special, they asked me to keep in mind the styling of the Two Fat Ladies, remember, the chefs? From a makeup point of view, that was our reference. I come from a real sketch background. I worked on things like Little Britain, Come Fly With Me and Vic and Bob, so I love developing a character in that way.

What does an average day on Amandaland look like for you?

There are lots of different things I do day to day as the makeup designer. I manage our budgets, organise our set times, book any extra artists we might need (for example we had lots of extras for the days we filmed the prom scenes). I might be ordering new stock, contacting suppliers, dressing wigs for stunt doubles. But day to day, it was my job to transform Lucy Punch into Amanda.

When you were creating a world for Amanda, what sorts of things were you keeping in mind?

We kept Lucy’s hair quite bubbly and used a roller set so that she always looked like she’d done it to film for Instagram. We broke the curls up a little bit for continuity, because on an average filming day we were outside a lot and her hair would end up quite windswept. From the football pitch scenes to the shots outside the house it was always raining, so it was a constant case of rollers in, rollers out! But it was so much fun and we achieved it all.

What were some of the things that you liked to use on her?

She loved the Chanel cream bronzer. We also used some of the Dr. Hauschka bronzing tint mixed into her foundation sometimes. Then her foundation was the Koh Gen Do Aqua foundation, and we used the Dr. Brandt Luminizer Primer underneath to give it extra lasting power for a long filming day.

(If you’ve seen my previous Substack interviews, you’ll remember that this was one of the foundations Jenny Lin used on the set of Tell Me Lies. Nicola said she’d have to tell her daughters because they love that show too!)

We loved using the By Terry concealers or the Beauty Pie brightener around her eyes. For her lips, we used Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lip liner which comes up quite deep on Lucy because she’s so fair. On her eyes we’d use some cluster eyelashes, some Makeup by Mario eyeshadow and a brown Charlotte Tilbury eyeliner.

Then there was Lucy’s magic dust, aka the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. At the end of her makeup she’d always say, “can I put my magic dust on now?”

On our first day together, we spent two and a half hours getting her ready. We blow dried her hair, put the rollers in, did her makeup nicely. But that was just while we were getting to know what she liked. By the end of filming, we had her entire morning routine down to 45 minutes.

And what about transforming Joanna Lumley into Felicity?

Joanna loves doing her own eyes, so sometimes she’d have already done some of her makeup in the car on the way in. We’d add the finishing touches, do her hair and everything and we’d do her lips for her. But she’d always say, “Darling. I don’t want anything. I buy my makeup in Sainsbury’s.”

Incredible! What are some of the things you liked to use on her?

I bought her the same foundation that I use on myself, it’s the Chanel No.1 foundation. It’s quite matte but it isn’t heavy at all. We used a couple of Makeup Forever eyeshadow palettes on her, some Gucci powder blusher, a Delilah cream blusher, and some Danessa Myricks products.

She loves this one particular Max Factor lipstick that you can only get on Amazon. It’s got a top-coat on one end, so you put that over the colour and then nothing comes off. She was always up for using anything, and sometimes we used the same Pillow Talk shade on her. Even though we had all of these things, a lot of the time she used her own Sainsbury’s foundation that she loved, and her Max Factor lips. For her skincare, she loved using Astral.

What’s it like in the makeup trailer?

When they’re all together it can be quite lively. Some of them want it to be quieter when they’re doing their lines, but all in all it’s a calm and happy place. But then there are days like when we were getting them excited for the prom, and that was a lively one!

They don’t all finish at the same time, but when they do we’ll invite them back to the trailer and remove their makeup. We’ll give them a little cleanse, use a hot flannel and some moisturiser, and brush out their hair and any extensions ready for the next day.

I’ve asked you lots about Lucy and Joanna, what about everyone else?

Philippa Dunne is probably one of the nicest people ever, and she’s not at all like Anne. She’s a gentle, kind, loving lady, and she gets to play this amazing character that is sort of downtrodden by Amanda all the time. But she and Lucy are amazing friends. Rochenda Sandall isn’t like Fi, either. Fi is really laid back, but Rochenda is really lively and jolly. Siobhan (McSweeney who plays Della) and Rochenda are just brilliant together. We did have such a laugh. We all loved Ekow Quartey who plays JJ. He brought us Cadbury’s chocolate all the time because he was in their advert.

Philippa’s a mom, Harriet Webb has just become a mom, Lucy’s a mom, Rochenda has her puppies. Everybody was really understanding about kids and about life; it just felt like a good place to be. It was great to be among all of those lovely women. Everyone is a big family.

In general it was just so great to feel part of Amandaland. I was so, so happy they won their BAFTA Award. The ladies were up for awards, as well, and I was really hoping one of them would win. And the PR notes from Amanda that they sent out for launch day were incredible!

I got one of those! I have never been more excited.

It was just me, Lucy and one of the writers that filmed all of that footage. It was so clever and we did it all quite secretly. The BBC press team were so clever to come up with that.

What has been your favourite memory from working on the show?

For me I think it was getting to know Lucy. She’s really lovely, so professional and such a brilliant actress. I don’t tend to make up the leading ladies any more, because when you’re the designer you don’t have time. But on this occasion I did, and I really enjoyed it. I also loved the scene in the Christmas special with Felicity and Aunt Joan sitting in the hay.

Nicola and I chatted for such a long while, and truly I felt the warmth from her about everyone. It was so great to hear that these people we feel connected to are just as close behind closed doors as the characters we see them play.

Though it was lovely to hear all of these stories, I got a particular kick out of hearing that Joanna Lumley got her favourite makeup things from Sainsbury’s. I think it really goes to show that money isn’t everything. Here’s the most regal woman I can think of, unbelievably beautiful and well put together, and she is picking up her favourites along with her weekly shop like the rest of us. I love that one of the takeaways we have from this chat is that style and beauty don’t need to cost a fortune; they’re ultimately an inside job. It’s Joanna herself bringing the allure, not whatever she’s wearing on her face.

Amandaland is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, and you can also catch season one on Netflix. Amanda, you will forever be my favourite anti-hero <3

Images courtesy of Nicola Coleman and BBC

Aimee is hosting Saturday Night Live UK tonight and it’s a well-deserved home coming for someone who has put the north on the map in such a special way. Here are some of my favourite shows of hers if you’re looking for something to get cosy in front of this weekend…

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Toxic Town

A true story told tenderly by a brilliant cast, Toxic Town is one of the most moving things I’ve seen in a long time. The show centres around a group of mothers who all have children born with limb differences. They discover that this was due to toxic waste in their hometown of Corby and set about holding those responsible to account.

It’s worth mentioning that this entire ensemble is incredible. We have Aimee as Tracey Taylor, Jodie Whittaker as Susan McIntyre, Karla Crome as Pattie Walker and Claudia Jessie as Maggie Mahon. After you’ve watched this, I would really recommend watching the bonus video wherein the ladies meet the real-life women that they portrayed. You really feel the power of the story when you get to see the people who inspired it.

(If you care for someone and sometimes need to advocate a little further for them, this will strike a different chord with you. I’m in the middle of needing to do this for a family member and it is a deeply upsetting process that can really take the wind out of your sails. Watching stories of people that have found this strength, dug deep and not given up helps to remind me that I can also use my voice to create change.)

Available to stream on Netflix

The White Lotus

This was the show that first introduced me to Aimee and I binged everything else soon thereafter. The White Lotus is essentially a drama that allows you to people-watch the rich and affluent. Each series centres on a different luxury holiday resort, and you simply watch the comings and goings of the guests.

Part of the fun of The White Lotus is that most people are wildly out of touch, but Aimee plays Chelsea, a happy-go-lucky optimist in a sea full of affected people. You might also enjoy reading this interview I did with Bex Hickey who designed the makeup for this season.

Available to stream on HBO Max, Sky and Now

Film Club

I could gush about Film Club all day, and I already have, so I will kindly invite you to read my earlier review here. But to summarise, Film Club was Aimee’s writing debut. It tells the story of a girl in her 20’s, recovering from a mental health episode and finding comfort in her weekly film club. She and her best friend go to great lengths to animate their favourite stories, and this ritual brings huge healing power.

There’s another gorgeous cast to enjoy here, and Suranne Jones as her well-meaning mom is one of the highlights. Her mom wakes up panicking one of the mornings, and Aimee gently giggles and says it’s all fine, and maybe it’s just the day after a bit too much prosecco? It’s one of my favourite moments in the whole thing, it’s so small and silly but we’ve all been there and needed to hear it.

Available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Daddy Issues

Daddy Issues is quite a bizarre comedy and it’s such a good one for a binge. Aimee stars as Gemma, a young girl who finds herself pregnant and seeks comfort and community in her dysfunctional family. It takes a while for you to meet her mom, and I don’t want to spoil it but she pops up and she’s played by British TV royalty. This is a little off the wall, and I loved that it depicted real relationships with total candour.

Available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Sex Education

Given that Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa are our next two SNL UK hosts, this would be the perfect wholesome watch to get you in the mood for the weekends to come. I was late to Sex Education, and when I found it I watched the whole thing in all it’s glory. This is a coming-of-age story with so much heart, and the ‘will-they, won’t they’ at the helm of it will make you yearn like no other.

The premise will unlock memories of your deepest teenage worries. We meet Otis, the son of a sex therapist, who decides to pass on his mother’s wisdom to clueless kids at school. More than anything he’s a non-judgemental ear for anyone having relationship problems, and they pay for the privilege of his time. Aimee plays Aimee, one of many lovable teenagers at Moordale Secondary School that you will grow deeply attached to as they navigate life and love.

There’s three meaty seasons of Sex Education so this one will see you well into the summer. If you love behind the scenes stories as much as I do, I spoke to the lovely Emily Bilverstone some time ago. She designed the makeup for parts of the show and gave a bit more insight into how they built this cluster of love stories. You can read it on my Substack here.

Available to stream on Netflix

I think the reason I love watching Aimee is that she feels like one of us. I know she’s a Hollywood star, but I know in my heart if I saw her in the loo she’d lend me a tampon without batting an eyelid. The world is so heavy right now, and we hear so many stories where bad people see no consequences. I love that we can look at her and know we made the right one famous.

For me, it started last winter when Zara welcomed a young fan called Julia to dance on stage to Lush Life. I believe in the law of attraction but I fall in and out of love with it, and sometimes I need a tangible reminder that it works.

(Before I continue, one thing I will say about manifesting is that we have to be honest about our starting points. Your ability to manifest will vary depending on the privilege of your starting position. That said, I have no doubt in my mind that everyone can do it to some extent.)

Anyway, teenage Julia uploaded videos at the concert before Zara had found her, strong in her faith that she’d be chosen. Lo and behold she was, and she gave a sassy rendition of the Lush Life dance that read like a masterclass in believing in yourself. While TikTok relished in watching every moment of their dance together, we then got on board with this segment of the tour, and looked forward to seeing who would join her to do it each night.

Alongside this ritual grew the interest in Zara and her makeup collaborator, Sophia Sinot. Every day, Sophia gave Zara the most colourful, whimsical makeup looks. Bright colour, graphic shapes, coloured gems; it was all going on. We loved seeing what our real-life Barbie was wearing for her show and loved the behind the scenes footage even more. They even recreated fan makeup looks that they saw on TikTok and credited the artist (@_SummerMartin_) to hype her up.

Zara had created a new, more playful world for herself, and though she’d always been that girl, we now found ourselves completely hypnotised by her.

Last night at the Women In Music awards, Zara showed us that there is always time for a second act.

“I’m not new, and there are so many years of hard work behind an overnight success or breakthrough,” she began, accepting her Breakthrough Award.

“I’ve been an artist for 10 years but lately things have really started to change, and I’ve been trying to figure out, what was it that happened? I become the most me around amazing women. So, I didn’t suddenly become a better performer. I just changed who I was around, and that was my breakthrough.”

I loved the idea that she didn’t have to change herself to find this renewed success. This speech found me the morning after I’d been left out of something I really felt I deserved to be included in. I found out about it and gave myself a hard time in the moment. “What’s wrong with me? Why wasn’t I thought of? What can I do differently?” But hearing this speech was just what I needed after spiralling myself to sleep. It wasn’t about me. If I think about whether I’m happy in myself, I am, and I know in my heart that I don’t need to do anything differently. It’s just that that person didn’t see the value in me, but that’s on them.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be the best so bad. And the annoying part of being the best in any art is that it’s subjective, and what I learned is that you have to be the most you, because only you could be the best of that.”

Again, I needed this in the moment! If I’m happy with this version of me, why am I bothered that someone else sees no value in it?

Reflecting on what it took to get to this point, Zara told us that “in rooms full of women, I feel safe and adventurous. I feel understood and I feel seen.” And this was the part that stuck with me.

A sense of adventure is what I really love about Zara. She’s in her embellished outfits every day. She’s turning up for her ‘what’s in my bag’ interview with British Vogue and actually showing us what’s in her bag, which is a broken hairbrush that she’s used to death. Unlike any pop star we know, she is right there in the comments if anyone tags her on TikTok, and in on the running joke that she’s chronically online. For once, we have tangible access to a superstar, and she’s simply having fun with the girls.

Whether she’s advocating for female reproductive rights or simply curling her hair and having chats, one thing is for sure: this girl is our new TikTok safe space. Learn the Midnight Sun dance, recreate her makeup looks and get your All Points East tickets, because it’s Zara Larsson summer and we’re all invited to join her.

Soon after season one aired, the internet responded loudly, posting homages to their favourite makeup looks. A24, the team behind the show, decided that it was only right for Donni to create her own makeup brand, so they helped her to do it. Together, they created Half Magic Beauty in 2022, and their innovative formulas have been at the heart of my makeup bag (and my face) ever since.

You might remember last month I told you I’d spent the week with Donni and Michelle Liu, general manager for the brand, when they came to launch the brand here in the UK. On our last afternoon together, they gave me a first look at something incredibly special: their limited-edition Euphoria makeup collection.

“It’s really a love letter to the fans,” explained Michelle. “The packaging is inspired by the most-loved episodes, and everything is inscribed with Donni’s original script notes.”

What struck me the most was how nostalgic the packaging was. Some pieces are tried and tested classics with a Euphoria makeover, like the waterproof Magic Flik eyeliner in a new violet casing. But others are brand new and will mean the world to the fans. The eyeshadow palette, for example, has six glittery shades, each named after a beloved character. I was really touched to see that Kat had her own shade. This clearly wasn’t created to convert the season three looks into a quick sale; this was about celebrating people they had loved past and present, and treasuring years of memories in the Euphoria universe.

When the secret was out yesterday, I asked Sam Sachs from the Half Magic Beauty team to tell me all about it. She’s their VP of Product Development and Packaging so she made these otherworldly pieces with Donni, not to mention that these three women are the original founding members of the brand. Who better to share the magic with us than the person who brought it to life?

We always have two main goals in mind when we’re formulating. One is solving a consumer pain point, creating something entirely new or making a cult classic easier and more intuitive to use. The other is just bringing a sense of magic to everyday makeup through emotional connection. We want to give people a dopamine hit that makes them feel like they can take on the world.

Everything at Half Magic looks luxurious and offers high-performance, but we always want to remove those barriers to entry. We want to make it fun! We remove the need for tools, create inclusive shade ranges, give everything playful names and make sure the formulas are easy to work with.

How long have you been working on the Euphoria collection for?

We kicked off development almost 3 years ago and so much heart and soul has been poured into every detail. We went through so many iterations of the formulas and colours, making sure that they embodied the essence of each character. Above all, we wanted to capture the feeling that comes from Euphoria makeup.

Each product was designed to be treasured, evoking the most iconic beauty moments from the show. The packaging is decorated with a deep and moody metallic indigo. Then we adorned everything with film stills lifted straight from the most memorable Euphoria scenes and finished them with Donni’s handwritten BTS makeup notes.

For this collection specifically, each product really transcends beyond makeup into collectible memorabilia. We hope it inspires fans and even makeup newbies to have their own Euphoria experience.

What was your favourite piece to create?

This is a toughie, but I actually loved working on our new limited-edition Wing Magician (eyeliner guide). We custom-injected the silicone in a rich indigo hue and infused it with holographic glitter particles, so it catches the light with the most beautiful, prismatic sparkle.

Wing Magician is already such a holy grail tool. Bringing this new colourway to life felt really exciting and Half Magic-coded. It adds a touch of magic to your daily routine, you can use it to perfect your eyeliner or use it as a guide when you do your mascara. Tools don’t have to be boring. This one twinkles in the light and is super fun!

Which piece have you personally worn the most?

I have been wearing our new B*tch Ur My Soulmate Extra Plush Lip Gloss every day and truly I’m obsessed with it. It’s really moisturising with this gorgeous, juicy wet shine, and comes in a flattering your-lips-but-better colour.

You know how much I love Glitterpuck so I’m so excited to try the new shade! How would you describe this formula to someone who hasn’t used it before?

There truly is no product like Glitterpuck on the market. We call it a water-infused pressed powder, because unlike most powders that lead with talc or silica as the first ingredient, Glitterpuck leads with water. This makes it feel cooling on skin and glide effortlessly (like a gel) while actually staying put. There’s absolutely zero fall-out or mess. It really is the most euphoric way to wear sparkle.

I agree, you do glitters so differently. If I’m not in a Glitterpuck I’m always in a Glitterpill!

Glitterpill was our first true expression of that iconic Euphoria-inspired sparkle. We set out to create a liner-topper hybrid that delivers sparkle without being intimidating. Glitter can be really difficult! People think of fallout and mess, and the need for primers or adhesives puts them off. At Half Magic we try to deliver that instant dopamine hit through makeup, which only works if the product is effortless and fun to use. Glitterpill achieves that with a long-wearing, transfer and smudge-proof formula.

For Euphoria “Glitter Tears,” we developed a lavender holographic glitter with our raw material supplier to achieve our dream purple. As well as wanting it to be visually striking, we also managed to make this one vegan and eye-safe, which didn’t previously exist.

What do you like most about working with Donni?

OMG, the list is long! I love how authentically Donni shows up. She’s never afraid to go against the grain and it’s genuinely refreshing. It’s inspiring on a personal level but also creatively. From a Product Development standpoint, it gives us the freedom to push boundaries and rethink what beauty can look like. No idea feels too out there which is exciting for me because I love a challenge. She’s a trailblazer, not just in her artistry, but in her spirit. That energy really comes through in everything we do at Half Magic.

The Euphoria collection includes two new products, four new limited-edition shades and three existing bestsellers in collectible packaging.

NEWNESS

The Euphoria Eyeshadow Palette – a limited-edition palette featuring six new duochrome shades inspired by the show’s female characters - £58

Rue - Violet with blue sparkle

Cassie - Baby pink with silver sparkle

Lexi - Crystalline white with pink and mint sparkle

Maddy - Taupe with champagne sparkle

Kat - Grape purple with teal sparkle

Jules - Chartreuse with gold sparkle

B*tch Ur My Soulmate Extra Plush Lip Gloss - £23

LIMITED-EDITION SHADES

Glitterpuck Pressed Fairy Dust for Eyes, Face + Body - Iridescent periwinkle - £31

Glitterpill Eye Paint + Liner - Lavender holographic - £27

Self-Adhesive Face Gems - Iridescent silver and gunmetal - £15

Beam Trap Complexion Illuminator - Iridescent sheer pink and rosy pink - £26

COLLECTIBLE PACKAGING

Magic Flik Eyeliner - £26

Flik Eraser Makeup Correcting Pen - £26

Wing Magician Reusable Silicone Guide - £13

The Euphoria collection from Half Magic Beauty launches on April 29^th. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” warns Michelle, so if I were you, I’d start making your wish list.

For various reasons, fate took me to The Rep three times in close succession. If it’s been a while for you too, here are the plays I saw with some thoughts on why I liked them. (If you’re reading this nowhere near my hometown of Birmingham in the UK, I hope you’ll take some film and TV recommendations from this Substack post at the least.)

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Prima Facie

One of my best friends loves the theatre, and he managed to get these gold-dust tickets the minute they went on sale. I was familiar with the story because I’d seen Prima Facie at the cinema when the National Theatre did a run of showings. Having initially gone in blind, I found it all very moving and understood why Jodie Comer was the perfect person to bring the story to life.

Comer plays Tessa, a criminal defence barrister who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault. In the beginning she takes great pride in showing us everything she’s learned, boasting of how easily she can take down her opponents. But as she navigates her upper-class peers as a working-class girl, she finds herself the victim of a heinous crime, surrounded by people waiting to use her knowledge against her.

Having first found her in Doctor Foster and later been mesmerised by Killing Eve, Comer has become one of my favourite actresses. I love the deep expressions she carries in her face; she makes me happy to have a face full of just as many movements. As Tessa, the nuance of slight gestures (like becoming ever so slightly more scouse when she’s home with her mom) capture so much of how it feels to be a once big fish in a now enormous pond.

Given the subject matter, I appreciated that The Rep had details for support networks and resources posted all over the theatre. They went above and beyond to cultivate a safe space for such a tender story.

Small Island

Both of my parents immigrated to England from Ireland, so when I saw that Small Island captured the journey of the Windrush generation I was excited to hear their stories. I’m such a home body and my favourite place to be is my sofa, so the thought of making a home in a whole new place – let alone in such a conflicted climate – is just the bravest gesture in the world to me.

At three and a half hours long, I was a little nervous going in. It was a school night, and I go to bed so early! I wasn’t sure I’d have it in me. But the way I fell in love with all of the characters in this story, the time went by like an hour might.

In act one we met a handful of characters, all very different and lovable in their own ways. We learned in great detail about their lives, from the men seeking a better life in England to the women worrying for husbands deployed in the war. By the time we’d grown deeply attached to them, act two showed us how all of their stories interlocked.

As much as I love the theatre, I can’t remember the last time something made me cry, but the end of Small Island was upsetting and stayed with me for days. It’s on until the end of the week in Birmingham and I’d really recommend seeing it if you haven’t already. Unfortunately, given the world we’re living in today, these stories felt more poignant and moving than ever. Seeing friends in the foyer that I hadn’t seen in years, it reminded me how many people I have met and loved in Birmingham that didn’t come from here at all, much like my own family.

The Battle

To leave you with a little light relief, I can’t tell you just how much I enjoyed The Battle. I wrote a full story about it which you can find here, but essentially this play captured the fight between Blur and Oasis for a number one in 1995.

Having never met the team at The Rep before, I was kindly added to their press list after a number of recent visits. How exciting, and I wonder what might have brought this on? It turned out, after I wrote this Substack post, they clocked that my surname was Gallagher and thought I might be part of the wider Liam and Noel family. Wondering what in God’s name I made of the play that poked fun of them, they opened it from behind a metaphorical pillow, only to find little old me explaining that I’d had a lovely time.

Whether or not you’re in my proximity, please let this be a reminder to visit your local theatre. I feel super lucky to have The Rep as mine!

It’s been four long years, but today we finally returned to our Euphoria Sundays (or, here in the UK, crack of dawn Mondays). Though we’d already seen lots of detail in the trailer, episode one has given us answers to some of the most worrisome questions.

It feels as though this season of the show will be the most soul-searching yet. Maybe we’re all meant to be on a path to enlightenment with Rue? And why haven’t we seen Jules yet? Here are the questions I was left with after watching the season three premiere…

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Is this going to be the most philosophical season yet?

I was just explaining Euphoria to my mom who’s never seen it before. In words I never thought I would use for this show, I described episode one as almost like a big debate about whether having a religion is a good thing or a bad thing.

In that sense, it’s not the season opening I was expecting. We appear to have Rue finding God, and Lexie saying she won’t be friends with her if she becomes Christian because “they’re too judgemental”. Has Sam Levinson chosen for life to imitate art, putting in these religious conflicts at a time when the world is more divided than ever?

There’s also a lot of religious under tone on the Euphoria Instagram page. Two days ago, they posted a season teaser with the caption ‘join us for Sunday service.’ At the premiere, a photo of Zendaya was captioned ‘Amen’, and another of Alexa Demie with ‘let there be light.’ Then there was Rue’s diner catch up with Ali, pondering the teachings at the heart of the bible. It seems as though Levinson wants us to be uncomfortable with these questions. My wish is that all of this mirrors Rue’s twelve-step programme, and that she connects to the higher power that forges her path to sobriety once and for all.

Have they listened to concerns that season one potentially glorified drug use?

Makeup has always been a storytelling medium in Euphoria, and it is connected intrinsically to Rue’s wavering sobriety. (Speaking of makeup and storytelling, Donni Davy and Kirbie Johnson have joined forces to share a season three makeup tour in Allure today which is so worth reading.) In season one, when Rue is struggling with her addiction, twinkly glitter and carefree scores from Labrinth help to set the scene. This in mind, Euphoria was sometimes accused of making drug use seem glamorous.

Fast forward to this season premiere, and if Rue in Laurie’s bathtub wasn’t enough to scar you for a lifetime, this episode will do it. Let’s just say there is a moment with a strainer that put things wildly into perspective, and despite Chloe Cherry’s signature frosty blue makeup looking perky as ever, there is nothing remotely appealing about the thought of time spent with these girls.

Is Cassie the unlikely feminist of the season?

In a plot twist I really didn’t see coming, Cassie has somehow got Nate wrapped around her little finger and evolved into an empowered, confident partner. Of course there was jest in the scriptwriting, but as she advocates for those using OnlyFans as a career platform, her main request is that Nate listens to her research in full before commenting. However you feel about the subject matter, can’t we all learn a thing or two from that approach?

Is Rue ever going to escape the demons of her past?

I hoped that by now she’d be further into her recovery, but in real life, addiction is just not that simple. I respect the accuracy of Rue picking up her story still into the throws of her journey, because anyone who has experienced addiction first hand (like I did watching my aunty) will know that the path is simply not linear. If anyone can bring humanity and grace to a topic so shrouded in stigma, it’s Zendaya.

(Just in case you haven’t seen it, I can’t watch her Emmy acceptance speech without welling up. If you’ve loved or lost someone with an addiction, this one is for you.)

Is Maddy’s career the ultimate ode to her and how she’s so innately powerful that she doesn’t need the spotlight?

As we well remember, Maddy knew who she was from a very early age. Having her right at the heart of the Hollywood action in a behind-the-scenes role seems like such a coup.

In contrast to Cassie who is doing everything she can to seek fame, Maddy casually strolls alongside it, completely nonplussed by the stars around her. Her aura is too strong to seek the validation. I love that our main character is too confident to even care less if people are looking at her. And I loved that when Cassie scrolled Maddy’s Instagram photos, those were real photos of Alexa with Donatella Versace and Hailey Bieber!

Will Faye find her voice this season?

Faye has always been our bumbling, quiet girl, going along with the flow regardless of danger and cost. She seems decidedly more assertive now, from slamming those bagged pills on the table to happily telling the security guard she had a terrible time in Mexico. Maybe she’s going to find her strength and overcome her demons, too.

I have more questions about this season, like when are we meeting Rosalia? And which Half Magic Beauty products do I need to recreate everything that Anna Van Patten will be wearing? But we’ll cross those bridges when we come to them.

For now, you can watch Euphoria season three on HBO Max. Above all, I just want a happy ending for Rue!

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In case you missed it, a famous footballer shared that Chappell’s security guard had been incredibly rude to his young daughter. As a result, endless commentary appeared in the media, largely to say how unlikeable Chappell was. But as the week went on, more emerged about the story.

Chappell addressed this herself, explaining that she was sorry this had happened but that she had no recollection of having ever seen this family. The security guard himself chimed in. He confirmed that he was in no way affiliated with Chappell, nor was he acting on her orders. So why is she the villain in this story?

I think the reason Chappell jars people in this way is because she’s actively setting boundaries. So many of us don’t do this enough, and it can be hard to watch someone else do so with conviction. We’ve seen so many examples of her courage. A photographer yells aggressively at her? She’s yelling back. The paparazzi swarm her in Paris? She’s not afraid to tell them that she wishes to be left alone. None of these requests are made in spite, so why is the internet angry at her?

The reaction to Chappell asking for a bit of privacy from time to time is fascinating to me. Commentary recently has been scathing, insisting that she ‘hates her fans’ and is ungrateful for her fame. But this is a girl who has openly discussed her bipolar disorder and shared her struggles with depression. She’s gone from growing up in a small town to becoming mind-blowingly famous. All she’s asking is not to be available to everybody, every minute of the day. Why is this such a problem? Would you or I not be thrown by groups of people following us, or shouting at us? It’s worrying how little compassion people are showing in the face of her very reasonable expectations.

It really bothers me to see horrible things about Chappell online, not just because I love her, but because I met her. She was gorgeous and lovely, and so were her entire team. On the night of this gig, she had flown from the VMAs straight to Manchester. Good Luck, Babe! was a worldwide hit, and she was travelling constantly. But she honoured this tiny gig for a venue of a few thousand people, booked long before her profile grew, and did this intimate show in the eye of the storm. Here was a girl likely jet lagged, exhausted and totally overwhelmed, and yet she chatted to us for ages.

Waking up this morning, the first thing on my feed was Abbey from Love on the Spectrum running excitedly towards Chappell. They had met on the set of the Hannah Montana documentary and had sweet, warm interaction. I was moved by how openly she welcomed Abbey. She knew this moment meant a lot and got excited with her, even saying that she loves watching her on the show. These aren’t the actions of a purposefully cruel or nasty person, and setting a boundary from time to time doesn’t make her a villain. I guess these genuine, heartfelt moments just don’t get the same traction as negative clickbait headlines, so we don’t get to hear about them as much.

How often have you seen a motivational quote on Instagram, encouraging you to set boundaries? They’re painted to be these powerful, important things, and they are! Believe me, I’m not great at setting them myself, and unlearning a lifetime of people pleasing is an ongoing challenge for me. But the thing about setting boundaries, in particular if you never used to, is that people won’t always respect them, and there’s rarely a quote on how to manage that.

When people see the backlash attached to Chappell making very reasonable requests, it sends a message. You’re difficult if you set a boundary. You’re a bad person. But none of this is true. We’ve seen time and time again that Chappell gives her time and energy to causes that mean a lot to her. She used her Grammy Award acceptance speech to advocate for all artists, and ask that they be paid fairly. She’s now a global ambassador for MAC Cosmetics, a brand that have embraced people of all ages, all races and all genders, long before inclusivity was a buzzword. But, sure, paint her out to be the bad guy. Whatever works for you.

Chappell is a normal girl, like you or me, managing an unthinkable life change as best she can. Why is that so hard for us to handle? Why can’t someone set a boundary? And how crazy is it that this simple act of self-preservation is so alien to us?

I am so pleased that we have Chappell Roan in the mainstream. She role models the importance of setting boundaries, and reminds us that it’s more important to prioritise your self-care than to be liked. This is what girls need to be taught in this day and age, and I think we’re lucky to have her showing us how it’s done.

Donni is my favourite artist, and I first found her when I watched Euphoria. As the makeup designer and department head on the show, she created colourful, tender makeup moments that cultivated a global fandom. During seasons one and two, TikTok would be awash with makeup recreations after each episode aired. You can’t track the reach of a hashtag anymore, but back in the days that you could, videos using #euphoriamakeup had already generated over 3 billion views.

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Having watched and loved Euphoria, I have been using Half Magic Beauty since they launched. This is the brand that she co-created with A24, the creative team behind the show. Their goal was to create glitters and colours that are easy to use. Not everyone is a makeup artist, and Donni wanted to remove any barriers that people perceived when it came to being able to wear bold makeup. By making formulas that can be smooshed on with your ring finger, she made sure that everyone felt capable of joining in the fun.

This week, I joined Donni and Michelle Liu, the general manager of Half Magic Beauty, as they visited London, Liverpool and Manchester to celebrate launching in Sephora UK. From training makeup artists to meeting customers and hosting press events, these ladies did not stop for a minute.

Here are 5 things I took from my daily immersion into their world of glitter and self-expression…

The best makeup looks are often the quickest

Watching Donni do her eyes this week, I was amazed at how quickly she works. She’d be sat with a hand mirror and a couple of colours, and then I’d turn my back, go to chat to her again and her makeup would be finished.

This is an art she says she really crafted on film and TV sets. “You’ll have someone knocking on the door to see if the actor is ready, and I’ll say ‘I just need to do glitter’ and do it in ten seconds.” When training the makeup artists in each city, she was keen to reinforce that you don’t need layer upon layer of makeup, and that sometimes the simplest looks are the most impactful.

“Your eyeliner game is only as strong as your cleanup game”

I first started doing makeup back in 2010, and eyeliner flicks still fill me with fear. Even when I was doing clients day to day (which I’m not anymore), the pressure to make them symmetrical always made me panic.

Something I find really refreshing about Donni’s approach to makeup is that she completely owns this fear. Eyeliner is an intricate thing to do, so of course it’s going to take a little tidying from time to time!

To make it easy, she created a pen infused with micellar water called Flik Eraser Makeup Correcting Pen. The idea is that you create your eyeliner wing as best you can, then use the eraser pen to sharpen it. You don’t need to put pressure on yourself for it to be perfect the first time around, because even Emmy award winning artists like her need to tweak things here and there. (And in the long run, it’s much more sustainable than using endless cotton buds.)

You don’t need to wear it all; just one small thing is enough

It’s easy to see Donni’s colourful makeup looks and glittery brand and feel a little overwhelmed. But wearing glitter doesn’t have to mean wearing a full glam. Sometimes, her favourite makeup looks have almost nothing everywhere else, but a tiny trim of glitter or colour somewhere.

Wearing colours in this way is her suggestion if you are new to this world. “You don’t have to wear bright blue right up to the eyebrow like you are today” we laughed, looking at me with a full face of shimmer in the back of our taxi. “Even a simple glitter eyeliner can be really impactful.”

Rules are antiquated, and we shouldn’t be following them

“We are a brand for non-conformists,” explains Michelle, keen to explain that everyone should take Half Magic Beauty as a burst of fun. “Donni didn’t start out with traditional makeup training. She’s from an artistic family, she studied art and got a degree in photography from the Pratt institute. She doesn’t believe in following set rules when it comes to makeup.”

Instead of using a step-by-step approach to makeup, Michelle suggests a more intuitive approach to choosing your colours. “It’s just about a feeling of being able to have fun.”

Though they never set out to be a ‘Euphoria makeup brand’, the heart of the story is there in the makeup

“I was creating these products at the same time as making the show. I would imagine the things I wanted to use on the characters, and quite literally make them” she told our artists in training.

The nuance of her film and TV experience means that the products stand apart in their form. Glitterpuck, for example, is a large glass jar of glitter, pressed in a water-infused formula. Oils can create a film on glitter which dulls their sparkle, so using water helps to retain the high shine finish that we’re used to seeing on the show.

All of the shades have whimsical and sometimes sentimental names, like Cloud Kid, named in honour of the late Angus Cloud who plays Fezco.

Learning from a makeup visionary like Donni was such a special experience. But what I will really remember about this week was the genuine joy that both ladies took in sharing their knowledge.

If you happen to be reading this and you work in beauty, you’ll probably have been trained by a beauty brand in your time. How often has this training been given by the general manager of the brand and the makeup artist co-founder? Imagine being based on the other side of the world, and flying over personally to make sure that everyone felt the love for your brand that you have? It makes total sense to me now why so many people are just like me and have a special connection to Half Magic Beauty. How could you not, when the team cares as deeply about the brand as these ladies do?

Half Magic Beauty is available now at Sephora. In the meantime, Euphoria season three airs on April 12^th, so it’s time to start practising those glittery makeup looks…

Over her decades-long career, makeup designer Sian Richards has become a trusted authority in black skin. It sounds like such a simple concept; surely every makeup artist can work with every skin tone? But even in 2026, it isn’t always the case.

Today, Sian tells me why Sinners was such a special project for her, and how preserving the integrity of such a powerful story meant so much.

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Creating a vision for Sinners

I love exploring history and doing the research before a big project. But some of the stuff I saw when I was preparing for Sinners I cannot unsee.

In every photograph, the skin was radiant. No matter what colour of skin tone, whether they were Irish, Chinese or African American, the skin tones were stunning. The quality of skin, the honesty of it, the pureness of it, it just radiated.

The food of the time was very simple. They weren’t eating much, and they weren’t eating a lavish amount of variety, either. But what they were eating was pure. Workers would have been out in the sun and drinking lots of water. They couldn’t afford to drink a lot of alcohol, so the sugar content was super low, and it all came through in the skin.

Another thing that came across in each photo was a huge sense of pride. When you look at sharecropper shacks, they are these wooden, cobbled-together huts. They’re absolutely raw and there’s nothing to seal them, so the rain would pour in and dust would blow in. This in mind, when you see photos of people wearing their Sunday best, patched and washed and clean, the sense of pride is powerful. I had to find a way to tell this in the story.

Sian’s signature trademark, “the honesty of skin”

Sian uses specific techniques to create radiant skin on screen, and it begins with a less is more approach. A lot of the makeup in Sinners doesn’t look like makeup at all, but it tells a story of sweaty skin, hot conditions and a community working hard to rally together.

The way I do face makeup is like doing an oil painting. I use tiny brushes and they’re very narrow. Some of them are as wide as my finger, others smaller than my little finger.

To create the glowing skin that you see in the film, we used custom mixtures and dewy finishing sprays. One of my products is a silicone cream foundation that we would sheer down, and then for deeper melanin we’d mix gold shimmers into it. You need a warmer gold for deeper melanin because pale gold would read ashy, and then we’d add a bit of red into that mixture. I often mixed oils into things, and I tended to use rose oil on Michael B Jordan because his skin just came to life in it.

Creating continuity for Michael as Smoke and Stack

In a video shared to her IMDB page, Sian explained how she used colour correctors throughout the filming process. Things like natural greenery outdoors will interact with black skin in an entirely different way to an indoor scene using artificial light. To create a flattering skin look in every location, she would custom blend correctors into her skin bases.

Given that so much of the film was shot outdoors in beaming sunshine, Sian also knew that some of her actors were likely to see their skin tone deepen throughout filming, and she honoured this in her makeup design.

I made a conscious, concerted decision in Michael’s early film makeup to deepen him in anticipation of where his skin was going to go. He was pretty much in every scene, so I started him off with a deeper complexion. As we progressed, two months went by, and soon his skin tone got closer and closer to where I took him. At that point we laid off the colour correction, and now his skin tone is consistent throughout the film.

A moment for the Monkey King

At the heart of the community in Sinners, we meet Grace and Bo Chow who run the local grocery stores. Back in 1930’s Mississippi, there were around 750 Chinese American people, compared to 150,000 black people and 350,000 white people. Sian found a makeup moment to bring their history to life, and the response was warming.

I loved the Monkey King makeup. That was my idea, the whole thing, because it wasn’t scripted. Grace Chow had Watersleeves scripted in her ancestry, and I felt very much that we needed to take this opportunity to celebrate Chinese culture as much as possible. I suggested that Bo Chow should also have an ancestor, and I had Monkey King in mind because I’m a huge fan of Chinese mythology.

Ned Neidhardt was my assistant department head and he painted the Monkey King. Ned is a seasoned artist. He started his career in the theatre in Germany, and his use of line and how he paints was exactly the experience I needed.

To design the makeup looks for him, I went online and did enormous deep dives. I found beautiful videos of Chinese opera performers doing their makeup and doing the Monkey King makeup. The lines were so fluid, and I wanted him to find a way of replicating that movement so that we had that flow. Not only were we doing a Monkey King makeup, we were making the texture of the makeup be period appropriate, like that guy does it every day. It was the same for Water Sleeves; the texture of her makeup design and the pigments were all equally important.

I’ve had members of the Chinese community here in Los Angeles say “can I just say thank you? To see our culture represented, our ancestors, and it looked beautiful and it was accurate, thank you so much.” I know what we’ve done, and I’m so proud of it.

There’s so much hate in the world today, and we’re in a time of cinema now where everything we do matters to someone more than it’s ever mattered before.

Conversations ignite change, and we need to have more of them

As Sian and I talked, I told her how refreshing it was to have such a nuanced conversation about makeup and race.

We’ve got to listen more than talking. I’ve heard it now since the early 90’s, black people telling me ‘I love how you do my face like this. I’ve been told in the past that don’t need makeup.’ So we have a culture that feels unseen, unloved and underserved, and they have been all three. My role is to always amplify the skin. When you look at the different shades of melanin, they really are spectacular, and they behave on camera in a different way than any other skin tone. Every skin tone has its beauty, and I wanted to capture that.

Fast forward a few days, and I found myself having dinner with Pauline Briscoe (@PaulineBriscoe). Pauline, like Sian, is a makeup artist particularly trusted for her ability to work with black skin. She originally started out as a model, and transitioned into makeup when her black friends were coming to her more and more for makeup support. I told her about Sian’s perspective and she corroborated all of it. She explained that to this day, she still has clients who feel their makeup isn’t done well when it’s not done by her.

She also sent me a storyline from Waterloo Road this week that she had seen on an Instagram clip. It centred on a young black model having her makeup done by an artist that used a completely wrong shade on her skin. The comment section is full of women saying they were happy to see this experience in a show because they have unfortunately lived it themselves.

Hopes for the future

One quick scroll of Sian’s IMDB profile will tell you everything you need to know about the trust she has garnered. From films like Black Panther to Avengers: Endgame, I noticed that over the years the same artists have booked her time and time again. I wondered what her hope would be for the future generation of artists?

If I was given a wish, it would be that everyone who is given an opportunity to work on a person of colour would be able to do it properly. And if they can’t do it properly, learn how to. This is 2026.

When I was learning I went to art school first, and I learned how to paint. I learned about colour, texture, form, negative spaces, lines. That was our generation. We were all film fans and we’d go to the cinema.

But now we have short courses that are probably more concise and condensed, but they do not have any art focus in them. What’s happening is that people are not having an eye for colour, and colour is what changes everything. If you know how to paint, you can quite literally lift an entire face. You can make someone look younger in how you place your pigments, the type of pigments that you use, and they aren’t teaching as much of this in makeup schools today.

What’s also missing is the diversity factor. Doing every type of skin tone is not being taught. They need to teach people, more than ever, how to do multicultural skin tones and hair textures, and how to protect those hair textures and not burn them. My wish would be that education shifts in a big way.

It’s part period drama, part vampire comedy, and a huge love letter to so many cultures. You can still find Sinners at the cinema, and I am wishing Sian and her team every well wish at the BAFTA Awards this Sunday.

You can read more about Sian and her own makeup brand on her website, sianrichardslondon.com.

To go back a step, at Glastonbury last summer, I made friends with my friends’ friends like you do. I didn’t really ask many questions, and when chatty, Scottish John said he had written a play that was coming to Birmingham, I thought ‘oh great! That will be handy. I’ll go and see that.’ Case closed.

Fast forward to last night and I discovered that chatty, Scottish John is actually *reads the expressions of the room* a really big deal! His early career in music coincided with a huge chart battle between Oasis and Blur for number one. Given he was on the front lines at the time of this hugely publicised conflict, he was the perfect person to reimagine it in the form of this new play.

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All of this kicked off in 1995 and, like all other 6-year-old girls at the time, I was too engrossed in the Spice Girls to have noticed. My sister loved Oasis and had those gold and silver single cases that were shaped like cigarette boxes. We had their poster up in our bedroom. But, all in all, this whole thing went over my head.

This in mind, I didn’t realise how much I was going to love this play.

The Battle opens with a montage of footage from the time. We see The Big Breakfast, Geri Halliwell’s union jack dress and Jon Snow reading the news. It instantly took me back to being ltitle. It’s lovely to remember a time with no phones, waiting for your favourite video on The Box and applying a sheet of stick on earrings from the corner shop.

Throughout the play, we’re back and forth between Oasis and Blur, hearing their stories from both sides. I really like both bands but in all honesty I’ve never really known much about them beyond the music. It’s been interesting to Google everything this morning, learning how this chart battle was as much a class face-off as anything.

Speaking of which, I loved how the north and south divide was shown. Some of it was glaringly obvious but other moments were subtle and so, so funny. Little references to a newspaper or a favourite meal told us everything about who was posh and who wasn’t. It made me think of all the shorthand I found myself learning as a girl from Birmingham first doing my internships in London. Most girls had grown up very differently to me and I noticed it in the tiniest gestures like those.

The casting was wicked and their costumes made for easy reminiscing. Some of the t-shirts and looks were spot on; I remembered the photos from the papers. The whole thing just unlocked a load of happy memories.

It feels like we’re in an era of romanticising the 90’s right now. Just one scroll of my Vinted shows me people selling decades old Tammy Girl tops for a fortune because the demand is there. What I loved about The Battle is that it is nostalgic, for sure, but it isn’t a romantic nostalgia. They’re swearing, smoking, and capturing truthfully how much pressure everyone was under. I know if you were there at the time none of this will be new to you, but for me it was a whole new adventure. I was on the edge of my seat to see which one of them was going to get the number one, and they wove in an unexpected music moment to wrap everything up towards the end.

Living in Birmingham, I am so used to hearing about cool things happening in London or Manchester and wondering if it is worth the money and effort for the trip. It was so nice to have something this brilliant make its debut here, and to have a theatre packed with people that had travelled to us for the big night.

Regardless of whether you knew anything about this feud, The Battle is so worth going to see. If you love music or the 90’s or generally just fancy a laugh, it’s in Birmingham until March 7^th and Manchester from March 17^th.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must continue my Google searches of “Meg Matthews 90’s outfits” and “John Niven”.

You can get tickets to see The Battle here, and you can hear the battle story in John’s own words in this feature he wrote for The Times last summer.