There I was, looking to file away a whole load of shots and trying to pick out a really nice few for you, when this photo of a shirt stopped me dead in my tracks. And then I thought, well it’s Friday afternoon and who wants to read an essay on a shirt G before the weekend (and you all know how I tend to write essays if you’ll let me). So instead here are some pictures and a few words about a beautifully styled shirt cuff on the French model Suzie Bird.

Yes, I know, she’s a model, yes I know it’s not fair, yes I know her shirt is turned up in that clever fashion way that only seems to work in fashion shoots, I know, I KNOW…

But for one brief moment this shirt looked as uncooperative backstage at the Paul Smith Spring Summer 2012 show as my shirt sleeves do normally and then just a few moments later…

…and look with just a few simple twists and turns and it came alive. Paul Smith has made several of his shirts this season with a double (button) cuff and turn-uppable cuffs which can be turned into what I like to expertly call “the French way” (as in you see it on the streets of Paris a lot – a simple shirt sleeve turned up in this way). This Paul Smith shirt here is the one with the double cuff for turning up.

I’ve been practicing the effortless sleeve turn up myself recently and find that adding a little starch when ironing the cuffs helps the turn up stay a little longer (did I just hear a groan?) OK.. I’ve got so much more to say about these photos I feel like I’m going to explode but don’t worry I promised I’d keep it short and I think if I say one more word I’ll somehow ruin these pictures.

The results of tons of writing and typing will inevitably make its way onto the blog as posts but in the meantime I’ve been sluggishly slow as I seem to have disappeared down a writing rabbit hole. I ambitiously thought I was going to be able to crank out words on three different writing projects simultaneously and keep myself in check until my fingers said NOPE NO MORE G! SORT IT OUT!

As several people ask me about beauty related things via emails here or via tweets I can finally offer up a beauty fix suitable for everyone. A little while ago a (very patient) nail artist turned me onto some new nail rescue things and always a sucker for a beautiful natural buff (no shine) nude nail, I went straight out and renewed my nail kit. I’m excited telling you about this because after weeks of typing my nails are shot and I really did rescue them by following her tips (and just in time too as I’ve still bags more typing ahead). I’ve gone crazy over my new cuticle pusher with its rubber hoof to gently push back cuticles and buff and clean my nails. I know at this point you’re probably thinking “Well…erm…G…it’s only a little cuticle pusher!” I know but somehow this tiny little thing costing a few pounds has worked wonders on buffing my overworked nails and pushing peeping cuticles back.

Next I added a set of steel pliers to my kit to tackle unsightly cuticles (there’s always the odd thing to neaten up after a few day’s scribbling).

My aim of having sheeny shiny in-yer-face spotless nails with more of a natural buff then a synthetic shine is courtesy of this little block of white magic. It shall forever be a part of every fashion-nut’s kit because a few strokes and it has such an impact on the surface of the nail. I can’t say for years that I wasn’t the tiniest bit jealous when I’d go to Paris and every girl I crushed on seemed to have that magically buffed nail. I’m calmer now though when I have to share space with perfect types and don’t have to conceal my overworked fingers (paint, ink, the odd naughty cuticle…). Nope a few strokes with this crystal file and then a buff with this buffer across the nail makes me think that I could actually fit in in Paris….

… and a careful buff across the tips make me think that maybe I could actually fit in enough to live there.

I’ll refrain myself now from gushing any further except to say that here are the tools (minus the metal pliers which somehow look a little barbaric up close) which have given me sheeny shiny buffed nails which I don’t mind looking at when I type (yes I sometimes do look down). That said, is there any beauty feeling as good as having sorted out a cuticle (or ten) when busy little fingers get mushed up handwriting and typing? I’ll leave that as a question, as maybe you’ve way better ones than my simple nails above.