PERSONAL SPACE: GETTING PARTY READY

Or another excuse to talk about the award we won

It’s so tempting to type this all in wingdings or like, yng ppl txt chat, ROFL to undermine the fact we won Best Written Blog at the Amara IBAs but that would make us dicks, so we won’t. We did win AND we had the most completely wonderful night out which was incidentally our work Christmas party cos, you know, freelancers don’t get no party, yo. So we thought we’d use this as our opportunity to give you a little lowdown on how two total opposites handle the awards, the getting ready and the emotional shit. Spoiler: we go about it very differently.

The Pampering

She’s said it before and she’ll say it again – Robyn Jade Donaldson LOVES getting ready to go out. Loves it. Loves the build up. Loves the countdown. Usually that just involves a few sheet masks (top tip: Nip and Fab’s Dragon Blood before a big event and The Body Shop’s Vitamin E mask for after) and a quarterly full body shave but this time we got serious. We got the heavies in. Urban App sent out someone to massage Emma til she was the zen-est woman ever and sent me a lady to deal with my thoroughly teenage face. It was bliss!

Our tip:

The ceremony of getting ready can be really therapeutic at the end of a long and pretty stressful year, with you know, Brexi… TRICKING – we won’t go there. Pick a couple of things that make you feel great, whether it’s a new nail polish or having someone come and tan you in your pants, and put the peace and preparation into party season. It’s guaranteed to give you a little extra sparkle.

The Bling

The first time we clapped eyes on Kastur Jewels was on the V&A’s stand at Christmas in July, and it was love at first twinkle. The brand takes inspiration from India and heritage designs, working in precious and semi-precious stones, to create a collection that is mind-bogglingly beautiful, and which we both love, despite our wildly different styles. Designer Rajvi said we could borrow some pieces for the awards, and after we’d apologised for biting off her hand, we chose the bits that made our hearts sing. For Emma that meant simple black, gold and white with a distinctly sculptural feel, and for Robyn it meant loads of diamonds and a ring full of precious stones, each stone representing one of the planets. The brand’s motto is ‘Humanity, Be Kind’, and Rajvi channels that ethos into everything she does, saying, ”My aim is to give back directly to good causes in a way that I can oversee funding to projects myself. On the one hand a person gets to own a beautiful heritage-inspired jewel, embedded in history and glamour, at the same time they are helping improve another less-privileged persons life!” How good? So very, very good.

Our tip:

Jewellery is a conversation-starter at a party – just ask Robyn and her hands full of rings. So choose pieces that you love the look of and that have a story to tell. Then flick your hair around or waggle your hands in front of somebody’s face until they ask about it. Dream party guest.

Update: Rajvi has very kindly said that we can keep some of the beautiful pieces we loved

The Togs

We both have many outfits. But you know what we don’t have? Many absolutely matching outfits. And nothing says Blog Wives and Best Buds like MATCHING FASHION PYJAMAS. So that’s what we went for. They fuse our philosophies on going out clothes, thus: Emma likes a comfortable and chic outfit that doesn’t make anything bleed and isn’t flammable. Robyn likes outrageous, embellished, usually wildly constrictive outfits that are prone to making you cry. We blended. Luxe French literary agent for Emma, clown lady at bedtime for Robyn.

Our tip:

The rules of partying for us are as follows: twin at all costs. Only kidding – it’s wear what you’re comfortable in, whether that’s physical comfort or psychological or both (or for Robyn, neither). If event dressing feels terrifying, pick a simple piece and add on accessories until you feel a little bit special, or until you can’t move – whichever comes first..

The Preamble

When you’re co-dependent and joined-at-the-hip, it’s important to not only arrive together, but to spend some quality time together before the event, trying to have normal conversations, but really only saying over and over again, ‘What if we actually won..?’. We chose to do this in Kettner’s, champagne bar, central meeting point and general comfortable snuggle-den where you might see the occasional Black Fish from Game of Thrones (yeah we did – he looked bemused by our pyjamas). Robyn’s drink of choice? Always a spritz of some sort in a large glass, ideally with umbrellas, and Emma’s, a simple glass of champs in a lovely glass. We really are total opposites.

Our tip:

If, like us, you get pre-event nerves that threaten to derail you entirely, finding a little spot to hole up in and and gather your thoughts first is a hot winner. And if that place has champagne and celebrities, all the better.

The Aftermath

Predictably, we have wildly different reactions to winning an award. Robyn feels excited and comfortable and vigorous about the future, while Emma needs to crawl into a hole and feel anxious for two weeks before she can acknowledge what’s happened.

Our tip:

Winning an award is an amazing thing, and something to be very proud of. But that doesn’t mean your brain is going to play ball, so if you start to feel a bit bleurgh afterwards, try not to give yourself a hard time and remember excitement is the same body chemicals as anxiety, so if you’re feeling the latter it could just be the former in disguise. Go for walks, take some time, eat a biscuit – sing into a hairbrush or go on a rollercoaster – whatever you need in that time is fully ok.

So, all that’s left for us to do is say a MASSIVE thank you to everybody who voted for us to make the shortlist, to the judges for loving what we do, to Amara for putting on such an amazing event, and to our category sponsor L’Objet for making our award possible. Here’s to all the other shortlistees – let’s start getting ready for next year!