It's no secret that the beauty industry takes inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, but somehow a story about the ultimate red of an icon or the chosen skincare regime of a princess seems a little tired. It's overdone and under appreciated. I love it when brands look to rather unexpected places for influence, especially when that influence has a historical significance but is also still relatively close in time to our own experiences. Not one to usually talk about a launch four months before you can actually get your hands on it, there's a collection coming from Jo Malone London in 2017 that I couldn't wait to share with you; it's beautiful in both its construction and the story behind the fragrance, meaning it's well worth pulling up a chair and immersing yourself in a little history. Let's chat about The Bloomsbury Set.
The Bloomsbury Set was an influential group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who lived, worked or studied together near Bloomsbury in London during the first half of the 20th Century. The best known members included Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster and Lytton Strachey, all whom were united by an abiding belief in the importance of the arts. Their works and outlook deeply influenced the modern attitudes towards literature, aesthetics, feminism and sexuality; at the time they were undoubtedly seen as rather scandalous, but upon reflection they were simply ahead of their time. Not only did they mee...