A few nights ago my husband Gary & I were invited along to the House of Dior exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria by our friends at Strateas Carlucci. The exhibition celebrated seventy years of Haute Couture (1947 - 2017), in absolute elegance. 

In Parisian styled rooms, under the light of glowing crystal chandeliers stood 140 works; extravagant creations by Christian Dior himself and the seven designers that followed Dior after his passing - Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri -  the best of the best, who all stepped in to one of the most important roles in the fashion world in continuing to shape and re-invent the iconic Dior silhouette and bringing it to where it stands in magnificence today. 

What was unique about this exhibition was being able to talk to the ateliers from Paris who were demonstrating the techniques they use in their work. From the beginnings of a garment to it's completion, the attention to detail employed by these incredible seamstresses is more than impressive. Patience, skill and dedication to the art form are evident in every stitch and buttonhole.

Any form of art on display is always inspiring. I have an immense appreciation of the hundreds of hours involved in creating each piece and also the importance of collaboration in the making of a masterpiece. I drew parallels from this with the creation of music - from working with songwriters, fellow musicians, producers, mixers and masterers to create a record. All of these creatives, incredible in their own right, come together in the light of one name, in this case, the iconic name of Dior.

NP 😘 

Anyone who has travelled in my car, beside me on a plane or come over to my place would probably say that I am like a walking #Aesop campaign. You'd think I was endorsed. It's in my bathroom, kitchen, car door, handbag. I don't often swear, but I can't get enough of this 💩. 

Recently, I experienced my first Aesop facial - quite upscale from my regular cleansing routine at my bathroom basin, where I practice religiously; a twice daily cleanse, tone, moisturise and every few days doing the most basic circular motions of exfoliation to the count of thirty, hoping for even a glimpse of radiance! And I'm sure I'm not the only one on this, but that familar clay mask left on for twenty minutes more than necessary during an episode of whatever Netflix series you're binge watching. Far from what an end of day relaxing cleansing ritual should be, especially when you're watching a series like Ray Donovan. That, is definitely not taking you to a parallel universe.

My very kind husband Gary, who has sat many a day in Aesop whilst I try every face and body cream possible in store and knows of my fondness, (maybe I should just say obsession), with Aesop, decided to gift me with an Aesop Facial for my birthday. Happy wife! So I booked in to redeem my 75 minutes of escapism from my 'tough life'?! (n.b. In honesty I wasn't really escaping much because life is pretty great, but lets just pretend I was escaping because it sounds more adventurous or like I've earned it). 

My nose is so inquisitive so breathing in all the herby and floral Aesop aromas I just couldn't find myself relaxing. I wanted to keep asking questions like, "ooh what's this that you are lathering on my face?", but I stopped myself and decided to breathe it all in and just enjoy it instead.

Note to self: Focus on #currentmood.

My facialist moved in fluid symmetry, (and might I add Thank God it was all feeling symmetrical, I hate when things aren't... It makes me feel uneasy), deep cleansing in super-pro circular motions over my entire face, followed by an exfoliation - literally wearing off every useless dead skin cell...guaranteeing a glowing complexion. A few minutes later, a very generous layer of a cooling gel mask was literally painted on, making me forget about the harshness of the exfoliation that preceded. My favourite part whilst the mask soaked into the deeper layers of my skin was the head, neck and shoulder massage. So relaxing. I couldn't think of a worry in the world. Well actually just the fact that at any minute soon the 75 minutes were coming to an end. The treasured final minutes of the facial involved an application of eye cream, lip balm, face serums, Fabulous Face oils and creams being patted and pressed into my face. I felt like a million dollars.

I floated off on cloud nine until I got to my car. Parking fine. And just like that, back to reality. Until my next...

NP xx

I went to my Soundcloud earlier today to pass on a link to my friend and saw that 'Beyond All Else' has been played almost 120K times. I'm feeling shocked, grateful and pretty happy! Please continue to keep listening and sharing #BeyondAllElse around!

Thank you to everyone for your support so far! 

NP x

Just one of them days...

🐌 Pre-order for my song has been pushed back until the 17th September, but I promise you will be able to get it on iTunes and everywhere else in the digital world then 😆! The official release date is the 23rd of September so stay tuned! 

For now you can catch my song 'Beyond All Else' on Mi-Soul, Oz Urban Radio, Soul d'lite, Neo2Soul, Urban Movement Radio & Indie Music Network (UK, Philadelphia and Australia) - or you can tune in digitally from anywhere.

I trust that God has set the perfect date for my 'Beyond All Else's' official release.

NP xx

#BeyondAllElse #BAE #newmusic #beyondallelseyouremine #futuresoul

Today I received the mastered version of my song Beyond All Else from the legendary Tom Coyne from Sterling Sound NYC 🙌🏾. I have been reading his name in the credits of all my favourite records for years. I am so honoured.

I have been working on a brand new, 'future soul', project and Beyond All Else (B.A.E), is the first single coming from this. It was produced by one of my favourite musicians ever - Grant Windsor - no exaggeration, the guy is a genius! 

Beyond All Else (B.A.E) is coming soon, so keep your ears out! 

NP xx

Oh the pressure of the first post!

Well firstly, I’d like to say ‘Welcome' to my blog that I am calling my 'New Renaissance Life’. 

The world is dependent on the beauty that we create in whatever art form that may be. It is dependent on what fills our air, our minds and our eyes; both negative and positive. My hope is that we dwell on all that is true and which draws us closer to a fuller, purer life.

I would like to share with you my #newrenaissancelife; the ordinary life (and lives) that we live, that if we stop to think about it, is extraordinary. I want to be able to share the things that I am grateful for - the wonderful everyday things that light up my life; whether it be through family & friends, music, fashion, beauty, art, lifestyle or food, (sorry in advance if I post too much about food…I do love eating). I want to share with you the moments that we all enjoy, the simple things that brighten up a sometimes cloudy day, to write about all the things that renew me, the things that I hope can inspire and renew you too! 

I look forward to hearing from you about your experiences and I invite you to hashtag #newrenaissancelife for the things that inspire, that uplift and keep us looking upward!

NP xx