ghd aura: Launch Night

Earlier this week, ghd launched their brand new aura dryer/ styling tool to press, offering demonstrations over glasses of champagne and music by the gorgeous DJ & model Daisy Lowe.

Having a personal hair regime of a shocking 10 minutes or less a day (consisting of washing/wetting and a strong dose of serum to refine my curly hair),  I was looking forward to witnessing the results. The Aura is quiet and precise, producing fantastic shine and volume. 20 minutes with the ghd team transformed my naturally curly hair into voluptuous bouncy waves- really quite impressive from dry.

The other key feature of the event was an exhibition of photographs encapsulating 'moments that changed the beauty world forever', in collaboration with fashion historian Amber Butchart. 

Highlights include a photograph of one of the first hair styling tools (with an aesthetic reflective of a torture instrument!) and photographs of celebrity icons including Veronica Lake and David Bowie, annotated with a short paragraph of their groundbreaking effect on contemporary culture.

The exhibition was fun and inspirational yet equally educational, reminding us of fundamental social history shaping the beauty industry into the thriving enterprise it is today.

From the infamous Avon lady visiting local residents during the war to Elizabeth Arden's participation to the suffragette moment, each photograph captures a compelling moment in British history.

The ghd Aura is available from 27th June at Selfridges stores and Selfridges.com

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Over the past couple of years I have been increasingly inspired by film. Film is such a powerful, emotive tool, enriched with ambiguity via vast mechanically reproduced concepts of reality. From Marvel superheroes to less conspicuous protagonists, the spectrum of ideas and thematic sequences appear almost infinate.

Cinema also illustrates a fine example of how relative and thought-provoking the creative industry can be, stimulating both visual palette and conceptual thought.

Earlier this week I watched 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' (directed by Wes Anderson; known previously for Moonrise Kingdom, The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr Fox) at the Odeon in Marble Arch. I found the cinematography and set beautiful, complimented by a quirky script and satirically camp characters.

Wes Anderson's vision is alluring and unique; set within a parallel yet culturally stimulating universe to our own. Overall, I found 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' perfectly stylised and a visual treat to absorb as a photographic artist- 4/5 stars!

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk