Iona Coat | Poppy's Style

I am turning granola. Well I’m at least becoming more ‘green’ friendly and more aware of pollutants entering the temple that is my body. I suddenly realized this just the other day when Avril was telling me to stop using Bio Oil as it is a mineral oil full of rubbish stuff that will actually dry my skin out. Rosehip Oil apparently is the way to go – so I have just ordered some from Amazon to give it a whirl as a night treatment.

The other ‘treatment’ I started doing regularly just a few weeks ago may make you feel queasy – but I assure you it is fabulous and you will notice a difference too. Oral health is really important – not just to prevent tooth decay and bad breath – but gum disease has also been shown to raise the incidence of heart disease and premature birth/miscarriage. I am REALLY OCD about my teeth, especially after orthodontic treatments as a child and adult. I want to keep my teeth around forever thank you. In the past I have used a mouth wash for whitening, freshening and rinsing after brushing. Mouthwash can be really harsh and has brought tears to my eyes in the past – plus read the label – I dare you – so many chemicals! Anyway I was reading about juicing (see I am turning granola…) and stumbled across an article about oil pulling. Bear with me. Using an organic oil – I prefer coconut oil – you just swill it in your mouth, like with mouthwash, only for a bit longer, about 15mins. Coconut oil can be a bit intimidating as it is solid at room temperature – but trust me – take a tablespoon in your mouth and it will turn liquid at body temperature. It tastes fabulous – just like coconut – no surprise there really. Ok so what does swilling oil do? Well to a scientist, ah hem, like myself, it makes perfect sense. The oil ‘pulls’ toxins and bacteria from the teeth and gums. Remember hydrophilic and hydrophobic at school? Well all the rubbish stuff in your mouth is actually quite oil friendly (feel free to switch off here, but I used to use oil in my research to separate certain proteins – some liked oil and some didn’t). So the theory is that oil pulling every morning or every other day will remove all the rubbish from your mouth. Avoid swallowing it as it is now full of toxins, and spit it in the bin or down the loo as it will block your sink drains! I swear it has been beneficial – and much more pleasant than mouth wash. Others say it not only freshens breath, whitens teeth and helps oral hygiene but can also aid a more restful sleep and diminish arthritic pain – true detoxification. Give it a go and let me know what you think. It’s now part of my morning routine – and I actually ‘swill’ while showering every morning.

It’s Hugh’s birthday today so we’re both hanging out together. It’s the last time I’ll be able to take him out of school on his birthday. The new drum kit seems to have been a hit (groan – no pun intended) – at least with me and Poppy – one of us WILL tour with Jack White.

I had to nip into Zara to take a couple of things back – poor Hugh got dragged along too but he gave me 10 mins to try a couple of t-shirts that didn’t come home with me.

Boots – Rag & Bone charcoal suede Newburys // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Knitted tunic – H&M (old) // Coat – Boden Iona coat (only $97 in clearance!) // Scarf – Marks & Spencer bicycle scarf

I am on the other end of the spectrum from “Domestic Goddess”. I rarely cook – as in a home made meal from scratch – and never bake. All this is changing though and I’m actually finding some pleasure in it. Yesterday I found myself in heaven with a Saturday afternoon at home all by myself. A highly unusual situation. After being ill this week I have been craving some real comfort food – more specifically some good red meat. So I decided to make a beef and ale stew. It wasn’t until I actually put it all in the oven that I appreciated what a ridiculously easy, yet deliciously rewarding, meal this is to make. The house smelled incredible and yes the stew tasted pretty darn good too!

Next up is to bake my favorite cake that my Mum makes when I’m home. It’s delicious – and even better with custard when I can find it over here – Delia’s very sticky prune and date cake. Maybe we need the equivalent of The Great British Bake Off over here for some additional inspiration? If Dancing with the Stars can work here then surely a baking show can?

Looking for comfort again I decided to take advantage of Boden‘s diminishing discount offer and order some great basics for the coming winter months (WAFF is the best code I could find that is current and will give you 15% off). I love knitwear and I would wear it all year round if I could. Boden has the best quality and selection of classic shapes I have found. They’re not cheap but reasonable when bought with a discount.

My wardrobe right now seems to revolve around patterned or colored trousers – whether they be of the jeans, skinnies or harem variety – so I chose some lovely neutral sweaters that can be worn with all of them. My favorite is unfortunately delayed but, fingers crossed, it may turn up early. It is the black Off Duty Jumper – a lovely roll neck, boxy jumper that will look great with skinnies and will layer well. I normally order US 8 in their jumpers but went for a US 6 in this based on reviews.

Next up for a bit of sparkle I ordered the sparkle Skye jumper in parchment. I had ordered the regular Skye jumper early in the preview and returned it in the charcoal as 1) the 8 was huge and 2) the charcoal seemed a bit blah for the price. I do love the cut though and hope that this lovely nude in a 6 will be a good choice.

Finally for a splash of color I’ve ordered the washed red Fairisle jumper. I think this will look gorgeous with jeans and a white shirt underneath it, with my Pistols. I love this red and yes it may be verging on a Christmas jumper but what the heck – I’ll happily wear this on Xmas Day in NYC!

Ooops I did just say finally didn’t I? Not quite – I ordered the Iona coat too – in fact 2 of them. I couldn’t quite make my mind up – red for fun and color or black for versatility – so I’ve ordered both colors to compare and get MM’s opinion. Some of the UK reviews complained about this coat being too light – which here in Atlanta – could make this the perfect coat for me. I’m really hoping it works more like a heavy cardigan that I can throw on over a top or light sweater. I love the drape of it and think if styled right it could look really fun and stylish.

I’ll keep you posted as they arrive!

Today we headed to the Zoo – one of our favorite places to spend Sunday mornings – yep another way we differ from the majority of Atlanta. MM took great amusement in my camo gear – it really wasn’t intentional to look like I was heading out into the wild with the rhinos, but a bad choice of outfit in hindsight! The camo trousers are Zara – I can’t say enough about how comfy these are. The top and scarf are also Zara, worn with my JohnnieB leather jacket from last winter, and the Ash Gwen studded sneakers.

Oh and I have a budding hairdresser in the house – my daughter decided to cut Hugh’s hair today – he won’t need his fringe trimmed for a while that’s for sure…