lifeofyablon.com

A couple of days before my operation, I dashed around W1 like a crazy woman with back-to-back meetings as I knew that I’d be sofa-bound during my recovery period.   One of my meetings was with Liz McCarthy.   Back in 2011 running a massively successful advertising agency, Liz was listed in Management Today’s 35 under 35.  But this was not enough for Liz.  She sold her agency last year and, in May of this year,  she realised her dream of launching a high end, effective, natural skin and haircare site – it’s called A Beautiful World and it has FAST become one of my favourite places to beauty-shop.  I promptly asked her to elaborate on one of her days last week so that you can have a peak into this very exciting new venture….

A day in the life of Liz McCarthy

20^th September

Hi, I’m Liz McCarthy, CEO of abeautifulworld.co.uk, the eco-luxe beauty website. After fifteen years in International Beauty Marketing I saw a gap in the market so set up abeautifulworld.co.uk. Our mission to bring the latest natural beauty innovations from around the world to the UK.  The site launched in May.  I’ve got a team of about 12 people working with me now, and I’m very lucky to be doing my dream job.  Here’s a rough outline of my day today…but it’s pretty hard to say it’s an average day as every day is different.

Liz McCarthy – CEO of A Beautiful World.com

6.30am – up and a cup of green tea. Check what meetings I’ve got to see how high I can go on the heels (love a good heel).  Out and about today so plump for a midi heel from the fabulous Lucy Choi. teamed up with Carven skirt and Hermionie de Paula top – all My Wardrobe purchases….with my lifestyle, online shopping is an essential.  Style my hair with our exclusive NYC haircare brand Yarok (see pic below – as I reviewed in Ibiza), and put on just a bit make-up.  I try to keep everything looking as natural as possible, if you use the right products I don’t think you need a foundation as your skin glows naturally.

Feed Your Sunshine hair oil (£22) from A Beautiful World

8am – Checking emails, and a bowl of porridge with some blueberries.

9am – Calls with Annie Bartley our Art Editor, and Leonie Eastwood our lead writer to discuss November content.

10am – International Skype call with Indie Lee from Indie Lee Skincare. We’re launching her range exclusively on abeautifulworld.co.uk on the 1^st Oct. So, we have a quick catch up on the PR plans, and she tells me details of new products she has coming out later this year (keep your eye out for the Squalane Face Cream….you heard it here first, it sounds amazing!)

Skype chatting to Indie Lee in NYC

11.30am – Review our videos from LFW, with the soon to be famous, Olivia Cox. Our products were used to create catwalk looks backstage at the Hemyca show. The films look fantastic so send approvals to our social media manager who’ll get them online this afternoon.

reviewing the #LFW footage

1pm – Grab a quick salad and a green juice. Our nutritionist Gee from Glow designs abeautifulworld smoothies and juices each month. They’re delicious, and keep us all looking really radiant. For skincare it’s as important what you put in your body as what you put on it.

green juice and Gee

2pm – Meeting with our PR agency – Emanate. We’ve been working together since the launch in May and we’ve had amazing coverage in British Vogue, Sunday Times Style, Tatler, Grazia, Neverunderdressed.com….the list goes on.  We’ve got big plans for 2014.

with our PR agency, Emanate

4pm – Review of Christmas gift boxes with my Head of Sales….don’t the Yarok Christmas boxes look cute!

Yarok gift boxes

6pm – I’ll grab an evening class at Yoga Haven – hot yoga is amazing for the skin!

7.30pm – Off to Balthazar for dinner with my lovely husband Enda, and my best friend who’s over from NYC. We have fun discussing plans for a new film my husband is producing, looks like a research trip to LA is on the cards. It will be great opportunity for me to catch up on the latest trends coming out of the organic haven that is Santa Monica.

10.00pm –Early to bed. Pop on my Dahliana Overnight Fruit Lift and I’m all set. Another exciting day tomorrow…. 001 skincare samples arrive. It’s a totally new brand, so we’re planning the whole launch with them. Exciting times!

 Liz has VERY generously offered all of you 20%OFF at abeautifulworld.co.uk.  Just use the code YABLON20 at the checkout. (Valid until 31st Oct & can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer code)

I was delighted to answer the door, even though it meant dragging my poor wounded self out of bed and downstairs.  I mean, who wouldn’t want a parcel sent from Harrods Food Hall?

my Harrods Food Hall parcel – vintage style

Inside I found some perfectly charming goodies from their recently-launched vintage collection:  English Berry Flavour Drops (3.95), chocolate bars (£9.95 for 3 bars) and their Finest Coffee Blend (£14.95).

proper chocolate bars

served with tea on Grandma’s vintage Wedgewood

tins of boiled sweets remind me of my Grandfather (and I have SO many uses for the tin afterwards!)

look at the berry drops inside…

The items are part of a special-edition archive collection and, by downloading the free Harrods app, customers can discover more about the ‘good old days’ through the iconic store’s digital footage.

time to make some coffee – with Harrods Finest Blend

Well done Harrods Food Hall – a great mix of old with new.

a glimpse of Harrods Food Halls in days of old