Valentine Alexander - Face Focus

My recent consultation with Valentine Alexander in London proved to be an extraordinarily eye-opening experience in more ways than one. Valentine has spent the past 20 years as a makeup artist for photographers including Peter Beard and Helmut Newton. She now offers one-to-one consultations, based on her own method, Face Focus, a make-up technique based on light-reflection... and I walked away enlightened by her mastery.

Valentine tests every new product on the market, and her mission is to show women and men how to actually 'see' their facial structure and to 'focus' on it in a simple, graphic and refined way, using the same techniques as Renaissance portrait painters, adapted for modern times. You will walk away with a 'face map' so it is easy to re-create the looks at home.

Devotees include Nicky Haslam, who says of Valentine: 'She kind of paints a perfect portrait on your face, and can make any pit bull into a Brad Pitt.'

Valentine is based in Paris and comes to London every month to see her clients. To book an appointment with her, call +44 7956 846 909 or +33 69 963 3410.

Virginia Grey Photography

Meet Virginia Grey, the fabulous photographer who will capture you and your family, or those special occasions, for all time...

I first came across Virginia's work in Holmes Place where she had photographed 22 of the Club's staff in ways that changed my perception of each person. The result was thought provoking and I immediately understood that she had discovered more to these individuals in one photo-shoot than most.

"I came to photography, a little later, by a need to fulfill a passion. It combines everything my heart desires... contact and communication; vision and the "eye", and a chance to create an image that will truly be something special. My background is colourful and this inspires me every day".

Virginia operates from her studio in Kensington, London or on location. She specialises in portraiture and flowers, and also undertakes commercial work.


To Contact Virginia, call +44 7976 949896, e-mail info@virginiagrey.co.uk, or click on this link.

Interview with David Savile, CEO, AirPartner

For a man who has 28 years experience in the Aircraft Charter markets, David Savile interestingly takes a keen interest in all things image and design. He has spent the last 25 of those years with Air Partner plc. With 20 offices spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, and listed on the London Stock Exchange, Air Partner has been in operation for 45 years and is the only aviation company with a Royal Warrant granted by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

And as I trundle down to Gatwick to meet with him, I wonder to what extent David is employing the Power of Image within the business. The signs are there... Air Partner is investing in Image Consulting for their JetCard executives and for the first time in their history, used an external agency to create a new brand identity and personality for this, their 18 month-young Jet Membership product.

Today, Air Partner looks after Governments & Royal Families across the world, along with world statesmen, and stars of stage, TV, film and the music world. Underneath the glitz, the bulk of its business comes from the everyday corporations who use ad hoc aircraft charter on a regular basis to help them do business globally.

"40% Of our business traditionally comes from the government sector, 55% from the corporate sector and we identified that our growth market was in the private jet arena... Our company ethos is one of transparency and that's where we started in creating JetCard."

"We recognised that along with a considerable investment, we needed to create a fresh approach... to employ the best in this field, concentrate on building high-level relationships and for the first time, we retained an external agency to build the brand... We are now investing in Image Consultancy for our key executives - ensuring that our brand and our people are congruent."

The results speak for themselves with JetCard already profitable and the recent acquisition of Gold Air. And going forward, what's on the cards?
"Air Partner is re-branding this Summer and is creating Air Partner Private Jets (together with our airline division becoming Air Partner Commercial Jets). The driver for creating the 2 sub brands is to link together our 6 separate private jet products under one private jet identity. As a company with a diverse product range and diverse client base, our unique capabilities are already well known; the downside of this is that we are sometimes perceived as generalists not specialists... The creation of APPJ allows us to focus on one strand of our business, and use the Power of Image to convey a total focus and commitment to one specific luxury market."

"In creating APPJ we are investing in our brand to raise the perception of what is already a fine product, in being perceived as a stand-alone luxury private jet company, under the umbrella of a powerful and financially strong parent. Investing in our brand requires investment in creativity, design, and Image Consultancy to ensure we are fully consistent in all our various communications and media."

Vermont Natural Flowers

Vermont Natural Flowers is the ultimate in floral finds. Established over 20 years ago, their compelling passion for flowers and plants has taken them on a worldwide search for the best climatic conditions and environments for growing and preserving flowers.

Vermont have perfected and patented a process that preserves flowers and foliages in their most natural state of full glorious bloom. Renowned florists such as Parisian Christian Tortu and Belgian Jos van Dyck have collaborated with Vermont to create a wild array of floral designs, wall hangings, lamp shades, table runners, giant topiaries and so much more.

Vermont also offer a bespoke service which has resulted in some unusual productions. These include a Louis Vuitton product launch in Tokyo, the embellishment of new Air France passenger lounges in Paris and the decoration of the entire facade of the Piaget shop in Geneva.

And the best news is that they now have a store at 10 Thackery Street, London W8.

The Big Art Company

This has to be one of the best personalised gifts that one can give. The Big Art Company will translate your favourite photograph into a unique Pop art canvas in the style of Warhol, Lichtenstein or Opie.

The Lichtenstein-esque comic book canvases can be produced with personalised commentary or speech bubbles; the Warhol inspired multi-panel canvases are instantly recognisable and the modern pop art approach creates fun, graphic interpretations of traditional portraits.

Choose your preferred style, canvas size and panel configuration then send the team at The Big Art Company a clear photograph. If you act before the 31st January, they will have your canvas ready for Valentine's Day.

To find out more, click on this link...

Zebra Hides

In our search for the downright impactful, we have now secured a reliable source for genuine Zebra hides, direct from South Africa.

Zebra come in two groups... Hartman and Birchell (which has wider stripes that continue under the animal). The zebra's distinguishing marks are the unique black or brown stripes, which are akin to the fingerprints on humans... making each skin unique. They are graded according to naturally occurring blemishes from Super A Grade through A, B and C.

And in-case you were wondering... the Zebra hides are sourced from government-sponsored culls, with the purpose of maintaining herds to prevent over population. They are professionally tanned and come with the necessary documentation.

If you are interested in adding the 'wow' factor to your interiors, give me a call on +44 776 800 2840 or email louise@mowbraybydesign.com.