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Please forgive me for being a little bit late to the party on this one but I have been otherwise engaged i.e., having a Roman holiday (travel post up soon!). Nevertheless, I couldn’t let an Oscars red carpet pass me by without doing a round-up of my favourite dresses – it just wouldn’t be right! This year’s red carpet showed that the biggest night in showbiz has definitely become one of the biggest nights in fashion. Plenty of beautiful designs were on show but I’ve narrowed it down to five ladies who I think combined classic elegance with modern glamour. Drum roll please… Ah Rita, you did good! Whilst she’s usually a little too far on the wild side for me, I absolutely loved her red carpet look by Marchesa. The new pixie hair cut suits her so well and combined with the structured navy dress it was a modern update on old Hollywood glamour for me. Like the perfect princess, I adored Felicity Jones’ champagne hued gown. The elegant embellished bodice and the satin full skirt is like some

If you live in London, when it comes to cooking meals I'm sure my fellow city dwellers would agree with me when I say you want something quick, easy and uncomplicated (generally having a kitchen that is 2 feet wide hinders complex dishes). My most recent answer and newest favourite dish? Fried rice. All the joys of serious flavour without too much bad stuff for you, thanks to my personal custom recipe. What you'll need 2 cups short grain rice 3 rashers bacon 200g cooked small prawns or shrimp 4 spring onions, chopped 1 cup peas 1 carrot, julienned or grated 1 teaspoon crushed garlic 1 teaspoon crushed chilli 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 eggs, beaten What to do Set your rice cooking on the stove ensuring the water is well salted. In a separate fry pan, cook your bacon until it's crispy and then cut into small pieces. Once it's brown leave it in the pan and add the spring onions and carrot. There should be enough residual oil left to do the trick. When there's 5 minutes

You know that old saying, fake it til you make it? It’s so applicable in fashion because I don’t know about you but I don’t always have 6K lying around to drop on a Celine tote bag. The one secret every fashionista worth her front-row ticket knows is you don’t always have to pay the big bucks to look stylish. With a savvy eye and the right persistence, there are plenty of pieces to be found that look luxe without the price tag. Check out my round up of stylish steals that look way more exxy than they actually are. You can thank me later… Styles from left to right, top to bottom: Earrings by Miss Selfridge £8.50, Shoes by Miss Guided £45, Trench Coat by Topshop £45, Shoes by Topshop £20, Jeans by New Look £35, Watch by New Look £25, Bag by Miss Guided £15, Skirt by River Island £30, Sunglasses by Topshop £16, Jacket by Miss Selfridge £30, Bag by Miss Guided £15, Cuff by Miss Selfridge £10, Bag by Topshop £38, Earrings by Boohoo £6, Bag by Miss Guided £25. Photo by Krissie

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a fascination with the circus [and fairies, but that’s another story]. The whimsical nature of a travelling performance with flying trapeze artists, girls who could bend themselves in half [backwards mind you!] and hilarious clowns just tickled my fancy. Funny thing is that it took me 24 years to actually go and see a Cirque de Soleil show. But hooray because last week I did it! And the bonus was that it was at the famous Royal Albert Hall – double hooray! I must say that for the 2 hour performance of Kooza I think I was holding my breath for at least 40 minutes of the show – which left in breathless [obvs], in raptures and a little bit giddy. To give you all the deets in short, it follows the story of a little boy who stumbles across another world full of intriguing and spectacular characters, before going on to get a treat of his own at the end… I’ll leave you to guess what that is. I was nervous, the performers made my heart race and I spent a

When I heard there was a recipe floating around for chocolate brownies with less than 100 calories per slice I was a little sceptical. No doubt they'd be dry, lacking flavour and not really a brownie at all. Like one of those non-fat, non-sugar, non-gluten cakes that people rave about when they actually taste pretty terrible. Wrong. These brownies are delicious considering they're made largely with oats and natural yoghurt. For a delightful sweet snack without the feeling of guilt I would highly recommend. They're delectably good. What you'll need 3/4 cup low fat natural yoghurt 1/4 cup skimmed milk 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup of natural sweetener like stevia 1 egg 1 teaspoon baking powder pinch of salt 150g nuts (your choice, I opted for walnuts) What to do It really is dead simple. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease a small baking tin. Mix all your ingredients together (except the nuts) either by hand or in a blender. Pour into th

Get ahead of the fashionista crowd this season by ensuring you’re wearing all the right tones. Pantone’s seasonal colour report is a much awaited round-up; after all, they are the true colour experts. This season we’re told to embrace khakis, neutrals, tangerine and greys, shades of blue, and a touch of [the very controversial] marsala. Here are my top picks for the shades of the season… Styles from left to right, top to bottom: Top by Sportsgirl $79.95, Skirt by Topshop £36, Dress by Karen Millen £215, Skirt by Topshop £50, Playsuit by Miss Selfridge £45, Knitted Top by Miss Selfridge £25, Blouse by River Island £30, Knit by H&M £14.99, Dress by River Island £50, Skirt by River Island £45, Coat by Forever New $199.99, Skirt by New Look £17.99, Coat by Forever New $169.99, Top by Forever New $59.99, Jeans by Miss Selfridge £34 Photo by Krissie via retailers.

Ask what the best place in London is for steak and the whisper on everyone’s lips is Hawksmoor. Visit the underground Seven Dials location and you’ll see [and taste] why; this place has an exclusive air and serves up some seriously good meat. I think my iron levels were running low, I hadn’t eaten a steak since I left Australia in July; one because I’ve found the red meat here in the UK to be of questionable taste, and two because it’s really expensive. Thankfully it was Dad to the rescue because during his visit last month he took me to Hawksmoor; best Christmas gift I could have got. We entered the wood panelled interior and traipsed down the stairs, upon entering the dining room Hawksmoor had the feel of a 1940s speakeasy where a high-end crowd would have indulged in illicit liqueur. It’s a high-class place with an air of mystery, and be sure to watch your head, the ceilings are super low. We indulged in a drink at the bar before heading to our table where we ordered Chateaubriand t

I've long been a peruser of celeb street style, call it my guilty pleasure. Usually there's a mixture of good and bad out there but I've got to say that of late it seems the fashion bible has struck the Hollywood elite because their street style has been totally on point. Check out my top three fav's from this month below and how to replicate the looks for yourself... Coat by Topshop  £ 85 || Top by River Island  £ 26 || Jeans by River Island  £ 40 || Boots by Topshop  £ 130 Ahh my girl crush Rosie Huntington-Whiteley , she always looks beautiful. Love the military-style coat paired with the creamy top and dark wash jean. The tan boot is a bolder alternative to more muted browns. Dress by alice + olivia £205 || Coat by Jaeger £249 || Boots by Dune £134 || Fedora by F&F £14 When I saw Katie Holmes rockin' this outfit on the red carpet I was so pleasantly surprised. Full points for bringin' stylish back. The longline coat, the over-the-knee boot and t