Articles

Daily beauty rituals: tips from Contance Bennett (film)

by Prunella de Pedant "To be beautiful and natural is the birthright of every woman." Wise words from Constance Bennett, a stunning starlet who wooed the gentlmen (she was married five times) and captured audiences for more than five decades. In this sweet little moving picture, Constance Benneett shares her beauty tips - from exfoliation to insight on makeup basics. What a treat to observe true old fashioned glamour...
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Applying makeup in public: not so genteel

by Prunella de Pedant Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that there are some things we do for ourselves that should remain behind closed doors. Applying makeup is one such activity. Perhaps, it's because I believe that lipstick, blush and mascara belong in one's handbag or boudoir - not brought out to be shared with strangers in a moving carriage.
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Vintage Trudy: the story of Twinkle Troughton's Nanna

Over here at MIEN Magazine, we adore the written word. Of course, here we are communicating with you via the internet cannon...but nothing replaces a lovely card received in the post. You can only imagine our delight when the divine Twinkle Troughton sent us a sample of her Nanna Trudy's work. You see, Twinkle just found some of the works from the early 50s tucked away in her family home, and is now reviving the work with a new collection of cards and home goodies. These will surely appeal to all illustration and stationery enthusiasts - we can't wait to get our hands on these cards (and send one to all of our friends!). Here is Vintage Trudy's story and a sprinkling of her work:
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Tipping etiquette during poor economic times

By Dana Gornitzki Just because tough times call for leaner spending, there is no excuse to cut back on tips when you do consume. Basic etiquette must kick in, and your judgement only calls for common sense.
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Compliments of the season to you and yours

The Mistress of Manners wishes you and yours a joyous holiday. Enjoy your family time, a spot of relaxation, and try not to over-indulge in all the goodies - everything in moderation (wise words that have been passed on for generations). Looking forward to 2012 - here's to health and happiness, and the rest will follow. Oh, and of course please don't forget to mind your Ps and Qs. Cin cin!
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The White Stuff: a festive gift guide for stationery fans

by Katie Antoniou I don't know whether it's just that I'm getting old or the novelty factor of paper goods in a digital age, but I'm becoming more and more obsessed with stationery. Nothing gets my ink running quite like some old school erasers, beautifully covered notebooks, customised stamps or, best of all-real mail in the post. Lucky for me and anyone else suffering from a similar fetish, there's now a plethora of retail experts and artists catering to our craving for the white stuff.
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Priority seating on public transport

by Prunella de Pedant Call me old-fashioned, but I rather enjoy when a gentleman gives up his seat for me on public transport. Not because I appear to be too old or with child, but because it's a courteous gesture. This happens from time to time, and I really do appreciate it. Sadly, more often than not, I find myself standing during busy times and observing the most outrageous behaviour on public transport. I often see the seats labeled as "priority" with derrières in them that don't look very "priority" to me; instead, these culprits who are very comfortably seated have their heads down or they are staring aimlessly with zero regard of persons who they should be offering their seats to.
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Charm and good manners are so much fun...and we're back!

by Dana Gornitzki, Mistress of Manners Did you think we'd forgotten about you? No such thing, we just needed a little recuperation time from our modern day Charm School. But we're back...and with the such vengeance (all politely, naturellement).
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We're at the Charm School, returning very soon

Hello, sweet gentlereaders. Don't fret, we'll be back on the internet cannon very soon. Right now, we're busy at the Charm School. Don't be shy, come join us - we would love to enjoy a tea with you and meet you face-to-face. Then, we'll need a bit of a rest before we return in a most graceful manner. See you soon x
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Hello, how do you do? Charmed to meet you.

As we promised, here is our news about our newest venture to delight, to educate, and to remind us all that we still need to mind our Ps and Qs. Here are the full details we've been sending in the form of a digital missive. Please spread the word and come join us for a tea and lesson, it would please us greatly. --- On September 14th, The Charm School is popping up in a space on Exmouth Market in London.
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Diary Dates

Join Hendrick's Library of Delightfully Peculiar Writings for Unusual Book-worming shenaningans at the Brighton Fringe from May 17 - 27. As part of this literary residence, taxidermist Lee Paton will be hosting 'Stuffing Peter Rabbit', renowned gastronomic architects Bompas & Parr's will be creating a 'Literary Feast' and Damian Barr's now legendary Literary Salon returns.

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Charm School

Thank you for welcoming MIEN Magazine's Charm School with such warmth and enthusiasm. We have enjoyed meeting so many charming ladies and gentlemen, and look forward to many more delightful sessions with you in summer/autumn 2012. We shall be hosting a lovely selection of classes and events, and would love to keep in close contact with you so we can update you with our news. Please do watch this space and sign up to our newsletter for more updates.

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