If you've been with us for a while, you'll know that our team's mission is to help women flourish; specifically, it's the pursuit of eudaemonia. Eudaemonia is an ancient Greek concept which captures something like exercising our soul towards flourishing, joy, excellence. The philosopher Aristotle described this as the highest form of human good.
Where does this leave us today? Unlike the ancient Greeks, in our contemporary society January tends to be filled with promises, goals, resolutions - all before we’ve had a chance to breathe. So this year, we’re doing things differently.
Looking back to move forward 💚 Four years ago in January, one of my best friends, Debra, and I started planning the launch of a new brand that helps women flourish individually and in our communities. We wished to focus on practical and beautiful under-represented tools, especially the humble silk hair wrap. Amazingly, Paradisefold is already four years old, and it’s been a whirlwind! We launched a new range, launched a growing diffusion range with Boots, grew our retail partnerships, and sold out repeatedly of our most popular Folds. (Thank you for making this happen!) But by far the greatest privilege has been getting to know the many wonderful women in our community. You’re an inspirational, caring group of high-achieving, supportive and diverse women. Many...
This month, we sat down with Irish-Algerian comedian and writer Roanne - and she reminded us of something we all tend to forget when December chaos takes over: laughter is a lifeline. Roanne grew up in a home where comedy and chaos were part of the family. With a mother who could turn any moment into a story, her beautifully dramatic Algerian–Irish roots, and a father whose tantric-masseur past ended up becoming the title of her own comedy show, humour wasn’t an escape, it was routine. And she’s carried that instinct into her work today - lighting up rooms filled with people whose real lives hold heavy, complicated stories. She finds joy in the cracks. She builds connection in the...
In our last blog in the run-up to Christmas, we discussed the small things we can all do to keep sane this Christmas. Sanity and public holidays can feel at odds, and we've all experienced moments of regression to our childhood selves during the Christmas break! So here are 5 brands to help you stay sane and look after yourself. Two are very old favourites of mine (Completedworks and Beauty Edit), so apologies to any Insiders who've seen them before (at least I'm consistent)! Hope you love these as much as I do! Andrea xx I tend to start my mornings with a couple of minutes doing my makeup (less is more!). The one handy tool that I absolutely adore...
FEELING FESTIVE...
Or maybe not yet? I'm here to help!
To help get you into the mood, I've put together some of my favourite spots for a fun day out in London, starting with a rare good old fashioned English breakfast in the East End, and ending up in bougier parts of West London.
Hope this inspires and lifts your spirits! And to our cousins heading over from across the pond in the States, I hope this helps you configure a fun Christmas getaway.
Big hugs, and wishing you all a wonderful start to the Christmas and broader festive season! 🎄
Andrea xx 🤶
