Like it or not, we’re all in a relationship with money.

For some people, money runs through their fingers like water, while others grip it tightly in their fists. Some people fret about their finances, others bury their head in the sand and emerge only when they need to work out how to make a tin of beans last for the week before payday (hello).

The key to cash confidence, however, is feeling like you're the one in control. That feeling of control? It comes from knowing how to save, and knowing that your money's safe.

As for your money being safe, rest easy; any money you put in your current or savings account is automatically protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which was set up by the government and protects your money up to £85,000. So you can’t see it but you know it's got your back.

As for the saving, well, that requires a little more input from your side. But if you're clever, there are loads of easy ways to save money which don’t involve starving yourself or staying at home with the lights off.

Simple everyday changes are where it’s at, from switching your bank and rip-off energy supplier to making the most of holiday hacks. Here are the easiest ways to make big changes.

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It's easy to get stuck in a rut with jewellery. You wear your favourite pieces every day and over time they become a part of you, whether it's the ring your mum passed down or the necklace you treated yourself to after that promotion. Placing them on your hands or around your neck becomes habit and, all of a sudden, it feels strange to be without them.

The paradox, though, is that jewellery is one of the best ways to play with self-expression. Just like a lipstick, a statement earring can get you in the mood for an evening out, while a ring can make you feel as pulled together as a good manicure.

What we're having fun with right now? Layered necklaces. Sure, it sounds simple – and in terms of ease, it is – but whether you want to wear a statement (think logo and lettered pieces), standout charm (we're into coins) or experiment with texture and size (think pearl chokers and long chains), there are some smart ways to update your neckline.

Click through to see the styling tricks we're trying right now.

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Black Mirror season four received mixed reviews when it came out late last year, but one of the most talked-about episodes was "Hang the DJ". The thought-provoking instalment delves into the murky waters of online dating and centres around an app that can tell matched couples how long their relationships will last.

Now, in what could prove to be a serious dampener on your Valentine's Day, Netflix has launched a real-life version of the episode's dating system. You can try it out by visiting Coach.dating and clicking a button.

"Trying to find out if your partner is the ultimate match? Put your trust in the system," it urges. You'll then be given a link to send to your other half and once the process has begun, you'll both have to wait five seconds for the dreaded figure.

If only one of you decides to check, however, your initial prediction will "recalibrate" and you'll both be punished for that person wanting to know if they're wasting time in the relationship, just like in "Hang the DJ".

(In case you haven't seen the Black Mirror episode, beware spoilers ahead)

In the episode, which takes its name from the song “Panic” by The Smiths, Amy and Frank are trying to find their perfect partner using technology. They're matched and realise on their first date that they like each other more than the 12-hour shelf life, decided by the app, would suggest.

The couple, played by Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole, eventually rebel against the technology before realising that the whole thing was a simulation designed to test their bond. They passed – having rebelled against the system 99.8% of the time. When the real Frank and Amy meet IRL at the end of the episode, they're the perfect match.

It's no wonder "Hang the DJ" has been dubbed as this season's feel-good "San Junipero," one of most-loved episodes of season three.

Curious? Try it for yourself here.

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2018's one-stop shop for achieving your dream hair? John Frieda's Margaret Street Salon, recently revamped with the announcement of cult colourist Nicola Clarke at the helm. Frieda has a knack for nurturing talent, and supports his protégés' visions throughout his salons globally, so Nicola's appointment as the creative drive behind this London location was inevitable. "I've been working with John since 2001," Clarke explains. "He successfully collaborated with Serge Normant in New York so I knew that I could do the same here in London, with my own twist. We have a great working relationship and he trusts me.”

“Opening Nicola Clarke at John Frieda is a very exciting step for our brand," Frieda said of Clarke's appointment. "Having worked with her for over 15 years, I know that Nicola’s global renown makes her the perfect person to lead the business into the next stage, offering both new and existing John Frieda clients the exceptional standards we are known for, with Nicola’s own inimitable twist.”

If you're not familiar with Clarke's reputation, one scan through her clientele gives an indication of how much she's trusted with colour. She's been doing Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett's hair since 2000, flying worldwide to adjust the actresses' shades and tones for both work and the red carpet. Kate Moss has been a client since the '90s, Madonna regularly has her blonde maintained by Clarke, and Carey Mulligan, Margot Robbie and Sienna Miller are often in the chair, too. She has loyal customers spanning entertainment and finance, media and modelling, who all come back to Clarke time and again, thanks to her ability to style, protect and nourish a hairstyle.

"I'm best known as 'The Queen of Blondes' but that's just a small part of my work – I love colouring red, brunette, pink..." Clarke explains. "I do a lot of styling for red carpets and collaborate with actresses' stylists and makeup artists. I think it's important to be versatile."

A post shared by Nicola Clarke (@nicolaclarkecolour) on Jun 29, 2017 at 7:29am PDT

If that list isn't enough of a guarantee that the Margaret Street salon will be this year's coolest hair hangout, you can bet that Clarke's 'handpicked hair squad' is. "The team is really important to me and I’ve got colourists and stylists that I’ve worked with for a long time that have great skills in different fields," she tells Refinery29. "For instance, I have the amazing Jessie, who is the best in town for all the film work we work on, while Shannon is a cool girl if you want a pink, bleach or just complete change. John is my glam boy for our red carpet looks, and I trust Francesca and Carmel with any of my celebrity clients. Francesca even stepped in for me when Kate Winslet needed a red carpet hairdo – I trust all my team who I think are the best in town."

Bringing together some of the world's most sought-after stylists, Clarke has created a hub of creativity, where no style, colour or cut is too challenging for her superstar lineup. During opening week, Tracey Cunningham and her team of stylists brought their LA-influenced cool girl hair (usually reserved for the likes of Kim Kardashian, Jessica Biel and Drew Barrymore). Clarke has also secured the salon as a base for mega stylists Leanne Citrone, Renya Xydis and longtime friend Sam McKnight, who will all work from Margaret Street when they're in the UK.

City dwellers, rejoice, as there will be a focus on the pollution-tackling Detox Blowdry, which seriously fights product build-up and the effects of hard water and chlorine, while rebuilding hair to a super glossy finish. "But we have lots of big plans this year," Clarke teases, "so you'll have to wait and see."

In terms of which trends and movements we'll be seeing from Clarke in 2018, she's thrilled about the return of the haircut. "It's great because it's been all about growing hair out for too long! The blunt cut is still a big trend, but it will get more extreme this year, pairing it with a bob and blunt fringe," she says. Can such an extreme cut be for everyone? "It can feel like a scary one to have, and is definitely a strong look, but can be really flattering and interesting if done right."

For colour, she sees a move into warmer tones. "Golden sunsets or experimenting with copper – either through balayage or as a block, uniform tint, generally, warmer colours are making a comeback over traditional ashy shades. They're more flattering, too. I'll match with a gloss treatment for a super luxe look."

When Clarke predicts a trend, we listen. No doubt John Frieda's Margaret Street salon will draw celebrities and influencers alike, all after Clarke and her team's Midas touch. Time to book an appointment, stat.

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Lena Dunham has revealed that she recently had a hysterectomy in a bid to combat the chronic pain caused by endometriosis.

A hysterectomy involves the removal of the cervix and uterus, making it physically impossible to carry children.

In an essay for the March 2018 issue of US Vogue, the 31-year-old says she found out after the operation that her reproductive health troubles were even more serious than she thought.

“In addition to endometrial disease,” writes the controversial actor, writer, director and producer, “an odd hump-like protrusion and a septum running down the middle, I have retrograde bleeding, a.k.a. my period running in reverse so that my stomach is full of blood.

"My ovary has settled in on the muscles around the sacral nerves in my back that allow us to walk. Let’s please not even talk about my uterine lining. The only beautiful detail is that the organ—which is meant to be shaped like a light bulb—was shaped like a heart.”

Dunham says she still intends to have children, through alternative means. “I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now,” she writes. “Soon I’ll start exploring whether my ovaries, which remain someplace inside me in that vast cavern of organs and scar tissue, have eggs. Adoption is a thrilling truth I’ll pursue with all my might.”

Dunham has long documented her struggle with endometriosis, a common but painful condition in which endometrial tissue is found outside the womb. She was hospitalised at least three times in a year for the condition, being rushed to hospital with complications after last year's Met Gala.

The actress and writer was forced to cancel her US "Lenny IRL" tour in the following days, saying she was "in the greatest amount of physical pain that [she had] ever experienced." Nevertheless, she says it was a difficult decision to undergo the procedure, following “years of complex surgeries measuring in the double digits” and alternative treatments including “pelvic floor therapy, massage therapy, pain therapy, colour therapy, acupuncture,” and yoga.

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Have you always wanted to tick South America off your travel bucket list? Well, your dream just got one step closer to reality thanks to Norwegian Air, which has launched the UK's first low-cost route to the continent.

The budget airline is offering up one-way tickets from London Gatwick to Buenos Aires, the Argentinian capital, from £259.90, with the first non-stop 14-hour flight departing today. The new service, to Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport, includes four flights each week and will run all year round.

The "party capital of South America" – which has also been dubbed as the continent's answer to Paris – can be expensive for tourists, so Norwegian's offering will be welcome news to the students, young people and free spirits who flock there for its laid-back culture, slap-up steak lunches and pulsating nightlife.

You can't be flexible on dates if you want to bag the cheapest flights, however. The £259.90 outbound rate is only available on the 16th and 19th March, but the rest of the tickets are still good value, with most return flights costing £600-£700. (This is compared to the roughly £900-£1,000 with British Airways.)

Unlike British Airways, food and luggage aren't included in Norwegian's ticket price, so it's worth factoring those in if you're planning a trip. When making a purchase, customers can upgrade from the cheapest seats to LowFare+ for £50, which includes one 20 kg checked bag and two meals.

Norwegian's CEO, Bjorn Kjos, described the new budget route as just "the start" of the airline's expansion into South America. We look forward to seeing which other routes they've got planned.

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On an early Sunday morning last September, I was on my phone trying to navigate my way to a restaurant in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighbourhood. I wandered, lost, past industrial warehouses and faded walls where strips of peeled-off graffiti paint lay curled on the pavement. I was in search of 222 Bogart Street, but Google Maps and my real life street view seemed to be at an impasse.

At last, I ventured down a driveway with stacks of wooden crates piled at the back. As I rounded the corner, I knew that I had finally arrived at my destination: The brick and concrete building might have looked like any other empty warehouse in the area, save for the air vents, pipe, and door, which were all painted millennial pink. I had arrived at Carthage Must Be Destroyed, a restaurant with a quirky Virgilian name, and an even quirkier set of rules for its diners.

Everything about Carthage Must Be Destroyed screamed “photograph me for Instagram!” The aesthetic was irresistibly cute, colourful, and decadent. Inside the giant space, piles of millennial pink plates were stacked around the large open kitchen that jutted out into the middle of the room. Long, communal wooden tables were covered with all manner of odd, but adorable trinkets. Then there was the food itself: Glasses of “pimms-without-the-pimms” that came piled high with an abundance of strawberries and cucumbers, plates of bright, exotic fruit mixed with maple caramelised pecans, and scrambled eggs flecked with fresh chilli and herbs. In short, Carthage Must Not Be Named checked all the boxes for winning likes.

But here’s the great irony of it all: Carthage Must Be Destroyed wasn’t photo friendly — at least, not at the time of my first visit. Before walking through the perfect-for-Instagram door, I was met with a white sign showing a camera with a line through it and, as if it weren’t clear enough, the words “Photography Restricted.” Below was a second sign, this one listing the restaurant’s photo policies. It read like a TSA sign: “We allow a few personal photos at your table of friends, family & food; No cameras allowed — only phones; No photos of the restaurant; No photo shoots & no filming.” Each menu was accompanied with another set of the policies as reinforcement.

In one respect, it seemed almost cruel to restrict photos at a restaurant that is clearly a product of the Instagram era. The pink, the perfectly plated food, and the tiny trinkets all looked as if they were designed for a clientele that comes for their photos with a side of eggs, or vice versa. At the same time, it’s an example of the ways that restaurants today are reckoning with the challenges that have resulted from Instagram, which can be a must-have source of free PR, but, for some, a distraction from enjoying the food and communal dining experience.

Hannah Collins, a boutique restaurant designer, is aware of this frustration. Collins works primarily with first time restaurateurs who are just starting to create brands and grappling with the competitive industry. How a restaurant looks has always been a part of the game, but working with the next-wave of restaurateurs means that aesthetic matters just as much to a restaurant’s success as the food itself. Although Collins doesn’t design for Instagram, she’s particularly savvy at creating aesthetic elements that end up there: She’s the woman behind the popular mosaic tiles at San Francisco-based Mexican restaurant Flores, the popped champagne bottle mural outside the city’s Riddler champagne bar, and the leather banquettes and wood-framed mirrors at Italian restaurant Barzotto.

“If you can create something that people can snap really beautiful photos of that attract and are emotionally irresistible, then you have created a hook,” Collins told Refinery29. “That is really part of the journey of creating an instagrammable restaurant.”

The power of Instagram, of course, is that it allows diners to visually share their experience in a way that is much more tangible than word of mouth. At the same time, posting a shot of yourself at the hottest restaurant in town conveys status. And for most restaurants, this form of marketing can pay for itself: Build something extremely Instagrammable, and you can bet it’ll end up there. Plus, restaurants have measurable metrics of their social reach on Instagram in a way they never had previously.

There’s one problem with this formula though. As more and more restaurants join the Instagram game, it’s becoming increasingly hard to stand out. Despite the abundance of free social marketing, the National Restaurant Association cited a challenging business environment as one of five key trends shaping the restaurant industry in 2017. There’s just a lot of the same, and they’re crowding each other out. Restaurants with famous chefs sell themselves, but for the those trying to make their way through the crowded 'gram, it’s more challenging than it looks.

Restaurants with famous chefs sell themselves, but for the those trying to make their way through the crowded 'gram, it’s more challenging than it looks.

“We’re so inundated with visual content all the time with Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest that I think people are tending to copy other people more,” Collins says. “Oh, I saw a neon sign so I’m going to put a neon sign in my restaurant, or I saw mosaic tiles so I’m going to put in mosaic tiles. Coming up with more creative ways to integrate those things is the challenge for people and it’s not so obvious.”

Some restaurants have taken approaches that reach beyond the design, even going so far as to incorporate Instagram husbands as part of their service. Gone are the days when your grumpy waiter cuts two heads off in a group photo: restaurant chain Zizzi hired an influencer to train its staff to teach diners how to capture the perfect photo; Dirty Bones passes out Instagram kits with tripods and wide angle camera lenses.

“I’ve seen servers, chefs and hosts all go out of their way to accommodate our appetite for Instagramming what we eat, from helping create Boomerangs at service, to seating avid 'grammers at well-lit tables,” Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer, told Refinery29 over email. “Word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful ways to discover restaurants and Instagram has shortened the distance in a digital way.”

But Zizzi and Dirty Bones are extreme examples. On the other end of the spectrum, Collins says some clients have asked her if there’s a way to design their space that suggests people should put their phone away. She’s considered installing charging stations, where diners put their phone in a box that hides it from view and benefit from not using it, since, she explains plainly, “Without an incentive, people won’t do it.”

Damien Del Rio, the co-owner of Loosie’s Kitchen, a restaurant in Brooklyn with a greenery covered bathtub out front and bright mosaic-tiled walls inside, says he has heard a similarly frustrated sentiment from many restaurateurs. While he will never give out selfie sticks or photo kits (“it’s kind of nuts”), he doesn’t foresee setting restrictions about who can take photos in front of the bathtub:

“As a restaurateur, you’re designing a restaurant experience. Somebody could have a drink at home, but they decide to come to your place — they’re coming for a certain experience, whatever that is. It’s a new generation and I don’t want to restrict however they decide to consume the experience.”

Jeanette Dalrot, the creative director at conceptual design studio ByBlack, seconds this ethos, adding that most of her clientele these days are “up to speed” on the importance Instagram plays and appreciate that diners are willing to offer free PR. Still, when asked what kinds of Instagram moments her boutique restaurant clients request, Dalrot is hesitant: “It’s still this thing you don’t really want to admit.”

By the time I returned to Carthage Must Be Destroyed this winter, it appeared the restaurant had eased up on its earlier policies: The “Photography Restricted” signs were no longer at the front door, though the menus still include wording banning photo shoots. (The restaurant declined to comment on its photo policy for this article.)

Even Carthage, it seems, can’t resist the appeal of Instagram. The restaurant’s own account is full of millennial pink posts, many of which are reposts of the photos taken — and posted — by its diners. After all, if the restaurant isn’t on Instagram, does it even exist?

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Today, known as Ash Wednesday within Christianity, marks the start of the Lenten season, the 40-day long period between now and Easter Sunday. Those who choose to adhere to traditional guidelines will celebrate by fasting (eating one full meal plus two smaller ones each day) and abstaining from eating meat on Fridays. Meanwhile, others will choose not to fast but still give up or avoid a source of pleasure (like chocolate, alcohol, or social media) until Lent ends.

However a person celebrates Lent, the general goal is to remove distractions from their faith and to spend Lent recommitting themselves to God. Obviously, this isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavour, so how someone chooses to observe Lent is a very individual decision.

To get a better idea of how people are celebrating Lent this year, we asked R29 readers what their plans are, and why they choose to observe in Lent.

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H&M is continuing its mission to deliver higher-end, eco-minded items you’ll actually want to put on your body. Each season, with its Conscious Exclusive collection, the retailer strives to push the boundaries of what we expect from sustainable fabrics.

Last spring, the Swedish company fulfilled all of our party dressing needs via Bionic yarn, and recycled glass, plastic, and polyester. “Getting [the collection] fashionable, getting it beautiful, getting it precious, but still making it as sustainable as possible is still a challenge I think, especially with embellishment and decorations," H&M's creative advisor, Ann-Sofie Johansson, told Refinery29 earlier last year. "But, we’ve taken big steps also — if you look at the [Conscious Exclusive collection] we first did six years ago, you can see the difference if you look at this one... You can actually see the progress, which is really nice. We keep on pushing.”

This time around, H&M really wants you to look and feel like a piece of art. Its latest Conscious Exclusive collection is inspired by the creative home of 19th/20th century Swedish artists Karin and Carl Larsson, a cottage with beautiful tapestries and paintings that the retailer interpreted into sustainably-made womenswear, shoes, and accessories. The offering uses recycled silver, as well as Econyl, a 100% regenerated fibre from fishnets and other nylon excess.

“The innovation behind sustainable materials never ceases to amaze," Johansson said in a press release. "Recycled silver is made from scrap metal with minimal environmental impact and Econyl is a 100% regenerated nylon fibre from nylon waste that support clean oceans. The way the materials feature in our Conscious Exclusive collection shows how the latest technology can be incorporated with time-honoured techniques for spectacular results."

The Conscious Exclusive collection launches in selected H&M stores around the world, as well as online at hm.com, on April 19.

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Love may not be an exact science, but that doesn't mean there isn't some science involved, especially when it comes to algorithmically-enabled dating apps.

Jessica Carbino, or Dr. Jess, has become something of a figurehead in the "science of dating" community: For the past three and a half years, the 31-year-old served as Tinder's Sociologist, a post she was appointed to after finishing her dissertation, which explored "meeting and mating" in the swipe right era. Today, in a move reminiscent of Verizon's "Can You Hear Me Now" guy going to Sprint, Bumble has announced that Carbino is joining its ranks as the app's new sociologist.

As it turns out, there are a few different job requirements for a dating app sociologist. There's a media-facing component — in her time at Tinder, Carbino offered data-based tips on everything from scoring a date to perfecting your profile photo. Then there's the in-house, user component. Carbino says her primary responsibilities at Bumble will involve understanding users' experiences on the app and using that understanding to make effective product changes.

In the time of #MeToo, dating apps are in a particularly interesting and complicated position: On the one hand, they're poised to take action against users who violate standards of conduct. Bumble has already been vocal in this arena, releasing the much-publicised "Dear Connor" letter to a sexist male user in 2016. (More recently, the app banned alt-right member Jack Posobiec.) But the decision to ban users is actually a tricky one; it isn't always as clear-cut as the Connor case.

For her part, Carbino says it's too early to speculate on whether #MeToo has caused a shift in how users communicate on dating apps. "We've raised our consciousness collectively about issues related to harassment and appropriate behaviour," she told Refinery29. While an inappropriate interaction in the past "may have raised alarm bells for a variety of individuals," Carbino says the #MeToo movement's collective energy means "there is more of an impetus for people to act" when an unwanted message is sent.

Still, at Bumble, it isn't all about dating. The app's recent addition of the LinkedIn-like networking vertical Bizz, as well as the friendship-based BFF vertical, means that Carbino will have a much larger realm for studying how we connect via swipe.

"I know dating at this point like the back of my hand," she told Refinery29. "[I'm excited] to explore social relationships from another perspective."

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The fact that two members of the Sex and the City squad are not actually besties in real life is a bummer. Fans may never know what really happened between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, but SJP is here to offer her two cents. Unfortunately, it clears up... nothing.

The background of this alleged "feud" stems from talk of Sex and the City 3. Now, why someone would want to follow up Sex and the City 2, when you can just re-watch the far-superior series on HBO Go, I'll never understand. Alas, Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis were, apparently, very much onboard for the threequel.

Cattrall? Not so much — she publicly stated that she had no interest in reprising her role of Samantha Jones. She told Piers Morgan on his talk show back in October that she wished her co-stars stuck up for her when she received flak for not wanting to continue the franchise:

"It's quite extraordinary to get any kind of negative press about something that I've been saying for almost a year of 'no' that I'm demanding or a diva," she revealed to Morgan. "And this is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker in that I think she could have been nicer."

Now, Parker is responding to this interview in People. While she's ready to talk to the press about her feelings, she claimed she has not spoken to Cattrall directly.

"I never responded to the conversation Kim had with Piers Morgan, where she said things that were really hurtful about me," Parker told the outlet. "We had this experience and it was amazing, and nothing will ever be like it. We had a connection with an audience, and we had a connection with the city and with this crew, and we got to tell these crazy stories with each other. So I don’t want to mess with that. I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part. So there was no fight; it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded. And I won’t, because she needed to say what she needed to say, and that is her privilege."

The statement echoes an earlier one by Parker on Watch What Happens Live!, in which she said she was "heartbroken" over Cattrall's comments.

"I found it very upsetting because that’s not the way I recall our experience. It’s sad, but I always think that what ties us together is this singular experience. It was a professional experience but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives, so I hope that that sort of eclipses anything that’s been recently spoken. That many years spent doing something so special that people had a connection with it is such a privilege."

Late last week, Cattrall slammed Parker on Instagram for sharing her condolences following Cattrall's brother's death in order to restore her "nice girl" persona. If the Ice Princess actress saw Parker's interview with Cohen, well... it didn't mend any fences.

Sounds like these women need a round of Cosmopolitans and a long talk. As for Sex and the City fans, at least Carrie and Samantha were always ride-or-die.

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Welcome to The Upvote, where we reveal the best beauty finds, break down the hottest topics, and tackle the most burning questions from Reddit’s vast beauty community and bring it all straight to you. It’s just like talking beauty with your BFFs — all 575 million of them.

Even if you're a regular polyglot (looking at you, Natalie Portman), learning about skin care from people who already know a lot about skin care can sometimes feel like a study in foreign-language immersion. Factor in a lengthy list of acronyms and shortened forms like 'cones (that would be silicones) and Vit C (yes, for vitamin C), and it's basically the Tower of Babel up in Reddit's SkincareAddiction, where the routine advice is plentiful, the community is tight, and the ease of navigation is... not the best.

Ahead, we've decoded some of the forum's most commonly-used acronyms and phrases. Because once you know the right word for "dark spots" and how to determine whether it's PIH or PIE that's lingering post-breakout, you're that much more likely to find the right stuff to sort it out. Don't let a minor language barrier get in the way of your perfect skin goals.

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A brief recap of what we learned at Autumn/Winter 2018 New York Fashion Week: Western fringe can work on your manicure, millennial pink is officially out, and athleisure hair is the new tousled beach wave. But those are just the trends we spotted backstage or on the actual runway — and there's one crucial part of the scene, low-key packed with beauty inspiration, that hasn't been accounted for. Yet.

Now's the time to turn your attention to the front row, because with over 300 shows on the official fashion calendar and audiences so large even insiders find themselves in standing-room only, it'd be a mistake to ignore the budding beauty trends sitting inches away from the runway.

Fortunately, with the fashion circus moving on to London after today, we're finally able to take a moment to appreciate some of the best looks we almost missed this week, from Margot Robbie's moody eye makeup to Lupita Nyong'o's pink liner at Calvin Klein's popcorn world. Ahead, the 17 front-row looks you'll want to copy ASAP...

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Costume designer Ruth E. Carter didn’t sign on to Black Panther with much knowledge about Wakanda. But once she learned about the fictional world that the Black Panther was from, Carter says she was just as excited as the comic books' fans. And not just because Marvel was making history by bringing the story of the first Black superhero to the big screen. For Carter, this was a full circle moment.

As a veteran of Spike Lee's production company 40 Acres and a Mule, where Carter outfitted School Daze, Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, and Jungle Fever, Carter is no stranger to creating costumes with a deeper meaning.

“Our aesthetic was always to bring about positive visuals to the African diaspora in this country,” she says. “And to dispel stereotypes. To be about a forward-thinking community that empowered the Black community, women, and even natural hair.”

For Carter, the Ryan Coogler-directed Black Panther is a culmination of all the work she’s done up until this point. In addition to Lee’s films, she’s worked on Amistad, Rosewood, Love & Basketball, Baby Boy, and, yes, B*A*P*S.

“I’ve been dressing superheroes my entire career!” says the 57-year-old. “Malcolm X is a superhero. Martin Luther King, Tina Turner — they were each superheroes. My career has examined royalty and taken us from Africa to slavery in Amistad, to land ownership in Rosewood, to Malcolm X, and Selma, which had a narrative of leadership and empowerment. I feel like Black Panther makes the circle complete; it’s imagining what this area of Africa would look like if it wasn’t colonised. The fantasy version of my career.”

So where does one begin when they're outfitting such regality? If you’re Carter, you start with Etsy. She says she wanted to work with high-end designers, but because she needed several duplicates of each look, it was easier to shop online. Thanks to the help of well-placed assistants all over the world, costumes for Black Panther came from Africa, India, and South Korea. On set, she worked with Douriean Fletcher, who designed almost all of the African-inspired jewellery in the film.

As for T'Challa, aka the Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman), Carter relied on knits to remind the audience of the superhero’s elegant prowess. Most of his outfits — aside from the bulletproof suit made of the country's fictional precious metal, vibranium — were tailored to Boseman’s body in long, draping silhouettes, giving him what Carter refers to as “a royal stroll.” King T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is a rebellious spirit who resists traditions, so Carter reflected that in her wardrobe, dressing her in technologically-advanced fibres with a mesh quality to act as a modern day lab coat. Because Shuri is way too cool to wear anything that's standard issue version.

The king’s protectors shine especially bright on the big screen — and that was intentional. Carter tapped into the real Maasai Tribe of Kenya for inspiration, as they were known for beautiful beadwork and vibrant red-tones. “Danai Gurira’s character (Okoye) wore mainly red in all of the versions of the comics, so we kept the red, but I bumped it up so it would be in your face,” Carter says, adding that the female warriors’ armour needed to feel like jewellery.

In one next-level fight scene in particular, Okoye floats in a beautiful red gown (below). “That red dress was everything!” Carter says. Her team made several versions in their workshop in Atlanta so the gown could go through an intense process to guarantee she would be able to move. “I can’t even count how many costumes we were working with, because there were so many multiples of so many things.”

At Coogler’s directive, Lupita Nyong'o’s character, Nakia, wears mostly green, inspired by the Suri people of Africa, a river tribe. “That was really hard in one particular CIA scene,” Carter says, explaining that she had to dye a jean jacket green and pair it with an army green tank top. To finish off the look, she sprayed Nakia's boots green. “We were always doing some kind of green exploration with her and it turned out really nicely. It was a very wearable colour for her.”

It’s that sort of African influence sprinkled throughout the film that Carter hopes will leave an impression that lasts far beyond Wakanda and Black Panther. “I want people to have a new vision of the continent of Africa,” she says. “I want people to understand it's not just this dark place where everyone dresses the same with bones in their nose, living in a glass hunt. People need to see this is a modern continent. It has a voice and an aesthetic. We just put it on blast.”

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Do you know that scene in The Notebook where Ryan Gosling tells Rachel McAdams that he had actually written to her every day for a year, grabs her face and rain-kisses her with such ferocity that she nearly ricochets off the boat deck? I had a similar experience recently.

Except mine ended up with me prising my date’s hands from my face, muttering an excuse, and leaping onto the nearest bus. Don’t get me wrong, the date had gone well. But in the last month, a cluster of lovingly persistent spots had made my jawline their home, and while they’d been hidden under a curtain of hair for the duration of the date, they were now sitting in prime groping territory. I couldn’t shake the embarrassment. And this was only the beginning.

Now, this wasn’t my first rodeo. Since the age of about 15, my skin had always been unpredictable, launching fleets of spots at the most inconvenient times. After a visit to the GP, going on the pill temporarily blessed me with a couple of years of what I like to call the tinted-moisturiser-and-nothing-else era, but with it came the irrational mood swings, constant periods and grim migraines. So I came off the pill, walking away thinking it was possible I’d outgrown acne; one year later, the treacherous bastard turned around and shot me in the back.

After the night of my Great Date Escape, things got much worse. Day after day, the cute baby spots of my teen years were traded for huge painful cysts. Spots so big that they demanded their own sequel and prequel. An unrelenting Star Wars franchise on my skin. The Spot Strikes Back. And they weren’t short-stay visitors. They would hang around for weeks and left a smattering of angry red scarring in their wake.

Before I knew it, my skin began to permeate every membrane of my life. As an editor for a fashion company, I was constantly faced with models, shoots and crowded meetings, and it took every ounce of strength not to bury myself at home all day. I stopped wearing my hair up, earrings – anything that drew attention to the sides of my face.

I feared public transport with its harsh overhead lights, a magnifying glass finger pointed at my imperfections. It had changed even my day-to-day interactions with strangers. I was obsessed. Not in a casual-glance kind of way but in a Hitchcockian, Rear Window -obsessive type of way. I found myself staring at poreless waitresses in restaurants, unblemished teenagers munching on McDonald's on the bus, even babies. That’s right. I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve openly coveted the skin of a jam-smeared child.

I developed a hate-hate relationship with Instagram, which regularly taunted me with impossibly smooth selfies or experimental makeup tutorials that didn’t reflect my own repetitive routine of shellacking layers of foundation on my face. I cancelled plans with friends and became uneasy with dating. On days when I managed to feel less self-conscious and I’d force myself out, megawatt pub lighting was my nemesis and any post-date extracurricular activity would end with me escaping in a 5am Uber to avoid the guy seeing me sans makeup. Yes, it was that deep.

I launched myself into a healing saga of burning topical creams, trying every antibiotic under the sun: spironolactone (an off-label heart medication), probiotics, Chinese herbs, going dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, chugging spirulina (tastes like and resembles pond scum), eating chia seeds (shares the unfortunate consistency of congealed gravy), getting less sun, getting more sun (one daft SPF-free sunbathing session left me looking like I was wearing a painful red head-to-toe morph suit for four days). I felt exhausted. I put all my energy into my skin and it repeatedly rebuked my advances like a hostile nightclub bouncer. My breaking point came the day I turned 26, when I looked in the mirror and barely recognised myself. That was that. I had been battling acne for over a decade. I was going to need a bigger boat. I made an appointment at The London Skin and Hair Clinic to see Dr. Wade, a consultant dermatologist, and it was one of the best things I ever did.

Going into my first appointment, I was asked to remove my makeup and my face was put into a beastly scanner, which after a few clicks told me to what degree my skin was afflicted with things like redness (66%), wrinkles (2%, baby) and spots (20%). This would be monitored throughout the length of my treatment for improvements. After closely examining my face with magnifying goggles, Dr. Wade then asked me to relay in detail my skin history up to that point (which, trust me, to an acne-sufferer is something akin to therapy).

He then told me what I already knew – that my skin was on the severe side – but that there was something I hadn’t yet tried: Roaccutane. A last-resort drug and reserved for severe cases, he explained that it wasn’t for everyone and certainly not to be taken lightly. First off, you absolutely have to be on some form of birth control (it can cause birth defects), undergo monthly check-ups, blood tests, and limit any drinking as it’s hard on the liver (farewell chardonnay, my old friend). But used correctly it had a high cure rate. Yes, a cure. I signed up there and then.

The first month was hard. I experienced the phenomenon so dreadful and unutterable that it has its own acronym: IB. The Initial Breakout. Within two weeks of starting my first pill, every pore on my face expelled monstrosities worthy of a Guillermo del Toro film. And dry lips, peeling, red skin and tiredness came in the package deal. After a panicked email to my dermatologist, I was assured that this was completely normal and to ride it out. In the second month, things started showing the teensiest signs of improving, and from then on it’s been a slow crawl upwards.

Right now, I’m still partway through the course (which usually lasts five months), and while it’s not been easy and I’m nowhere near clear yet, I have no regrets. I know that your skin doesn’t define who you are, and at times I felt guilty that I was so inhibited by something that is, after all, literally only skin-deep, but I had spent the longest time feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. Seeing a sympathetic expert and learning that there was a light at the end of the tunnel has been the greatest relief of all.

And along the way, I realised some things I knew already: friends don’t actually give a shit about what you look like; my parents (aka my 0800-breakdown hotline) are an actual godsend; and self-love and how you feel about yourself is so important. I learned to go easy on myself and that it was okay to cancel plans on days I couldn’t face it. But every day that I did force myself to go out and face the world/board an almost comically crowded Overground carriage in Hackney, I felt a little more badass. Acne is alienating and exhausting, but clearing my skin aside, taking control of it has been the most empowering and life-changing experience of all.

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There is a new epidemic that is costing women thousands, if not millions, of pounds every year: chronic underinvestment in the stock market. Around 80% of women do not have an investment portfolio, compared to 66% of men, according to a recent study by investment platform TD Direct.

We all know the stats about the gender pay gap, but the gender investment and pension gaps are costing us far more over the course of our lives, according to Sallie Krawcheck, the American cofounder and CEO of Ellevest, the only women-focused investment platform.

“We can’t make the market go up but we can actively make the decision to invest,” she said. “If you want a pay raise, your boss has to decide if that should happen. Investing is an action you can take on your own.”

So why aren’t we getting more involved? Dame Helena Morrissey, head of personal investing at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) and former CEO of Newton Investment Management, said women are put off by “perceived barriers” such as sales jargon and the feeling they should do thorough research before investing.

“All the evidence suggests men feel more financially confident, but that doesn’t mean they are better at it or more knowledgeable, they just go for it even if they don’t particularly understand,” she said. “That’s not a recipe for success either.”

Nobody can guess the future of the market. But the FTSE 100, which is composed of the largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, has gone up more than 600% since 1984, and that includes the tech bubble of the early 2000s and the financial crisis of 2008.

In other words, keeping your money in your current account won’t make it grow. It will only reduce in value as inflation rises. As women live longer, millennials look wistfully at state pensions, and house prices wobble, managing your finances is becoming more important.

Amy, 33, a digital strategist, said she started investing a year ago after realising her workplace auto-enrolment scheme wouldn’t get her much for retirement, even on a salary of £60,000.

“I've heard a lot of horror stories and I want to be comfortable in old age,” she said. “I'd also managed, finally, to pay off my student debt and my overdraft, as well as build up a small buffer. It felt like it was the natural next step.”

Amy started investing £10 a week via the Moneybox app into a stocks and shares ISA, and she also invests £100 a month into a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

Dame Morrissey explained that the earlier we get into the habit of saving and investing – even small amounts – the better.

“We have to stop thinking that we have to save up thousands of pounds before we can invest,” she said. “Many companies have a very low minimum; you can invest £50 a month or even just your spare change after buying a coffee.”

An increasing number of companies, including LGIM, are racing to market with a combination of money apps and online portfolios. Companies like Nutmeg and ETFmatic ask new clients to fill in a questionnaire to find out your risk profile, and will allocate your money to a suitable portfolio. You can log on to your account at any time and check on how the portfolio is doing.

If you have more knowledge and time to research, you can also pick your own individual funds and create your own portfolio.

Ellie Sluys, 34, communications manager at Saracen Fund Managers, invested £20,000 in a stocks and shares ISA after deciding to delay buying a house as she was concerned about Brexit.

“My worry about putting it into funds is that the market has done so well in the last year – could it continue going up?” she said. “I looked for low-risk options, and I made sure to spread the money out across different funds and put a small amount into higher risk funds.”

She added: “Even for those who have no experience, it’s pretty straightforward and you might be surprised how much of a buzz you get from watching your funds slowly gain a tiny bit here and there.”

Fiona, 34, who works in crisis management and PR for a fund management company, bought a house in London before the referendum. She then put about £15,000 into quite risky funds that invest in more exotic frontier markets, and so-called specialist active managers.

“I’m only 34 so I want to get the upside from this end of the market while I can. I’ll go into more core areas as I age,” she explained.

Fiona also has about £5,000 in cash reserves and £13,000 in stocks from her former employer’s share schemes. She uses Hargreaves Lansdown as her platform and checks up on it every six months, and is now searching for a female financial adviser to work out her long-term goals.

Another option is to invest in stocks directly, rather than funds. It makes for exciting dinner party chat, but it’s a riskier game. Emma, 30, a journalist, invested a modest sum in a UK drinks company when the stock price was £4.50. Every share she purchased is now worth around £25.

“I will never replicate such success and annoyingly, I only put a few hundred quid in,” she said. “I then invested in three other stocks which haven't done as well. One is down versus my original investment.”

Despite the mixed bag of success, Emma said she would continue to pick out individual companies, but only if she had enough conviction in their future.

Emma also invests in a couple of passive funds, which simply track a market benchmark like the FTSE 100 or the US equivalent, the S&P 500. If the benchmark goes up, so will your money, and vice versa. These funds are called Exchange Traded Funds or index-tracking funds and are used by companies like Ellevest and Nutmeg to make up clients’ portfolios. Krawcheck argued that not only are passive funds cheaper than hiring an active fund manager, but also that less than 1% of active funds in the US – the world’s largest market – have consistently outperformed in the last 15 years.

Julia, a 28-year-old journalist, also chose to go down the passive fund route when she started investing as a hobby at the age of 24. She started with a stocks and shares ISA, investing £50 a month into passive funds that invest all over the world in European, Japanese, American, UK and emerging market – like Chinese, Brazilian and Indian – companies. She now has over £4,000 invested, almost £1,000 of which is profit.

“I have no idea whether that’s good compared to the market average but it’s a whole lot better than my return on cash savings,” she said. “I ultimately go by the principle that it's best to get broad exposure, and I do this by investing in different regions and paying a small amount regularly into the ISA. I also consider the stocks and shares ISA as part of a wider savings portfolio which includes a lot of cash, so I'm OK with taking some risks.”

Capital markets have had a tough time lately, with the FTSE 100 falling the most in one day since the EU referendum. (Investors appear nervous that the US may raise interest rates, which affect the rest of the world’s economy.) However, none of the women investors Refinery29 spoke to plan to yank their cash.

“I've learned to wait it out, rather than panic-sell and crystallise a loss,” said Emma.

There is, after all, one very good reason to stay invested.

“Because women can have more money and money is power,” said Krawcheck. “Men have more power. We will not be equal with men until we have as much money as they do.”

Read more money focused content (minus the boring bits) at On The Money.

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Byredo fans, brace yourselves. The cult Swedish fragrance and luxury bag brand is opening a three-storey flagship in London in June 2018. The townhouse, situated on Lexington Street in the heart of Soho, alongside fashion destinations Alex Eagle and A.P.C., will sell fragrances, leather goods (including the Byredo bag line, which launched last year), skincare and candles.

"London was one of our first markets and it's also one of our biggest markets," Byredo founder Ben Gorham told Business of Fashion. "As we expanded into multiple categories — our business is primarily wholesale through department stores — having our own retail extension has become a way for people to experience the Byredo universe in one place."

The London flagship store will also be home to collaborative projects, displayed in a gallery space. Last month, Sarah Andelman, the founder and creative director of Parisian concept store Colette teased a picture of "Elevator Music", a new fragrance created by Byredo in collaboration with Virgil Abloh and Off-White, launching soon.

As well as more collaborations, we can expect a number of new releases from the ever-growing Byredo empire. "Our vision will continue in the coming years with additional stores and retail exposure globally… Then within the categories you'll also see an evolution like in the beauty category where we're working on the idea of colour and skincare," Gorham told BoF. "I hope to be able to surprise people as we move forward."

Byredo was founded over a decade ago, in 2006, by Ben Gorham, a former basketball star with no direct experience in perfumery. Thanks to its aesthetically pleasing, clean packaging and unique scents (Gypsy Water is a personal favourite), the brand has swiftly risen to cult status. It also helps that Ben Gorham is the perfect ambassador for his own brand, with a circle of equally successful, cool friends including Frame cofounders Erik Torstensson and Jens Grede, and models Freja Beha and Erin Wasson.

Byredo already has stores in Stockholm and New York. Watch this space for more news on the London townhouse, opening soon.

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Affordable homeware is fast becoming a very competitive game. Not so good for brands, but very good for people like us who want our homes to look beautiful but are so broke from paying just to live there that we haven't got the money to spend on the inside.

Now, budget supermarket Aldi has thrown its hat in the ring and released a line of interiors products that look way more expensive than they really are.

In terms of style, Aldi's gone down the muted, minimalist, Scandinavian route, although the collection is rich with textures in the form of shag rugs and furry pillows. Our top picks are a very handsome set of nesting marble tables and a tripod floor lamp, which will add a touch of class to even the most lived-in of living rooms.

Click through to see the collection.

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I first got my hair chemically relaxed when I was 12 years old, after begging my mother to let me do so for at least two years. Surrounded by friends with long, swishy hair at school and constantly presented with images in cinema, TV, magazines and my favourite music videos that suggested straight hair was the pinnacle of prettiness, it was unsurprising that a pre-teen me stubbornly wanted to iron out every kink in my natural hair, trying desperately to conform to the perceived ideals of Western beauty.

Thankfully, some 15 years later, in 2018, the discourse around afro hair has moved on. Mainstream media has slowly begun to show a more varied, representative depiction of modern women, with more inclusive notions of beauty, and the natural hair movement has gone from strength to strength globally. Sadly, some popular titles are still reluctant to celebrate black women's hair in all its glory, choosing instead to photoshop it to make it seemingly more palatable for their audiences. Both Lupita Nyong'o and Solange Knowles recently fell victim to this, and a backlash ensued.

For that reason, we cannot underestimate the cultural significance of the release of Black Panther this week. In the pivotal Hollywood blockbuster, which offers an empowering new narrative, a majority black cast take centre stage as Marvel superheroes. Not only are we at last seeing black characters as we've seldom seen them before, but the film also celebrates afrofuturism fashion and textured hair, with the entire cast sporting beautiful natural styles.

In keeping with this momentous recognition of black power and beauty, Refinery29 UK has collaborated with afro hair supremo, Charlotte Mensah (you may recognise her genius work from Erykah Badu's hair at the Fashion Awards) and photographer Lily Bertrand-Webb on a series of stunning images that honours the art form of afro hair threading. Shining a spotlight on the traditional west African technique, which has been used for centuries as a protective style and alternative to heat styling, four beautiful women below demonstrate the countless, creative ways threading can be worn.

"Hair threading is a technique of wrapping extra strong cotton, wool, yarn or nylon around sections of hair," Charlotte Mensah explains. "All the styles are three-dimensional and are a combination of patterns etched on the scalp and threaded strands which are raised from the scalp. The hair becomes stiff but pliable and is easily coiled into bold geometric shapes. The length of the hair determines the simplicity or complexity of the style."

"I’ve seen a huge cultural shift towards natural afro hair. In 2005, I started a column with a hair magazine called Natural Fix – at that time people would say to me it's just a trend, that is all it will be, but that column lasted over a decade. It's wonderful to see that more and more women are embracing the wondrous textures of their hair and celebrating its versatility with bodacious 'fros, beautiful braids, hair threading, tempting twists and luxurious locs.

"Our hair, in all its diverse texture, from kinky to curly and straight, is truly one of the marvels of our race. Whether we celebrate the rhythm of our natural curls or opt for a straight look, our options are greater than ever. It is important to know your hair and the TLC it needs to stay healthy and luscious. By doing this, every day can be a great one."

See Charlotte's exquisite creations with makeup by Bea Sweet on Ayesha, Emilyne, Portia and Chanel below.

Ayesha McMahon

My hair is a part of me. Not only in the physical, literal sense but as an extension of myself. It's something I have to take care of, look after and love. I could talk all day about my hair as if it's another person, the love-hate relationship, when one of us doesn't cooperate and when at times we just want to part ways. I love when it can illustrate my mood and be as big or as bold as I want.

The intricacy and skill of hair styling (especially of afro hair) is heavily underrated, and there's so much creativity within it. Threading is an art form; it's something I wasn't very familiar with but having it threaded was so comfortable. It was a weird sensation of someone wrapping parts of my hair; it was similar to the feeling of cornrows but didn't tug the root of my hair. Having my hair threaded gave me the feeling of protection, my hair felt safe from everything – the air, the cold, dryness. It would be something I would rock to make an entrance; it's a very regal style to me so definitely a special occasion! The morning commute does not deserve the slay.

Don't Touch My Hair is a movement but in reality should just be common sense. DTMH to me is "please respect my space" – even if you've asked permission to touch my hair and I refuse, you have no right to feel offended. To reach out and touch something without consent is so uncomfortable. It's been an internal battle as to whether I'm being sensitive for allowing people to touch my hair versus addressing the situation; when I know I don't want to be touched and feeding into someone else's curiosity and perpetuating a behaviour I feel is wrong.

Natural hair is beautiful and it makes me happy that so many people decide to go on a new journey or embrace a new side of themselves. Quite simply, my hair is mine. Your hair is yours. And it's important that we celebrate and appreciate those who embrace the right to do what they wish to their hair. If you wish to chemically treat your hair, straighten it, wear wigs and protective styles, it's just as beautiful as someone else leaving themselves natural. I've noticed that there is a divide and we should be uplifting others rather than tearing them down for not meeting your standard of 'natural'. The beauty standard you set yourself (if any) should always be healthy and fuelled by the love of your OWN self.

Emilyne Mondo

Although I do not want to be defined by my hair (I know we are so much more), the historical and systematic experience of black women and our hair carries a lot of weight. My hair in its natural form is my Crowning Glory. (My friend Somalia wrote this play about our experiences.) It's a crown because not everyone can carry it, a crown because in its natural state it defies gravity and stands upright! A crown that I can feel proud of.

The natural hair movement has been rising strong and steadily for the past five or six years and serves as an empowering support system and force for women of colour. By choosing natural styles and saying no to chemical products we say yes to ourselves, our beauty and our history. The heart of this movement is about self-love and I'm here for it. This [threaded] hairstyle, more than any other, often feels emotional for me... It manages to be exposing but protective. In this style my hair is being naturally straightened but at the same time I'm extremely aware there is nothing to hide behind! I actually had my hair threaded by Charlotte about four years ago and I left the salon crying! It really surprised me how deep the scars were. My idea of beauty was so far away from my own version of it. It sounds extreme but prior to that the weaves and wigs I wore had covered my face and were mostly conforming to a European idea/standard of beauty, ie. a loose curl or straight weave. Threading is a bold style commonly found in west Africa but used all over the continent. It has served my ancestors for centuries, and to be honest it feels like it – it's unapologetic and strong. Would I wear this as an everyday style? Now, in 2018 – YES! I feel royal and regal. But it is important and interesting to note that just two or three years ago, absolutely not. It's been years of self-love, educating, learning and unlearning that has got me here, and I'm still going!

Portia Ferrari

I think my hair reflects my personality – big and bubbly, haha. Keeping it in good condition is important to me and I give it extra care because it's coloured. I don't depend on it to make me feel beautiful but I still treat it as an expression of who I am.

It was amazing having my hair threaded! I had never had it threaded before and I feel like it's something more interesting than braids; it feels futuristic! I would wear it as an everyday style, I like the flexibility of it and its hold that allows you to create new shapes.

I don't think there's anything wrong with choosing to wear your hair in all different styles and choosing to have a weave or extensions, but I do think it's important to consider your reasons for doing so and to be honest with yourself. When I was younger, I wanted my hair to be the opposite of how it is now – straight and sleek because that was what was seen as beautiful in the 97% white area I was in. Nowadays, I know better; I understand who I am, know more about my culture and what my natural beauty is and what it means to do me. Learning to love your natural self is a journey and I'm still on it but when it comes to my hair I know that letting it be and embracing it in its natural form is when it's happiest, and so it's when I'm the happiest.

There's nothing wrong with being creative with looks, wearing wigs, putting in extra hair, etc. but you shouldn't get attached to it and feel like you need it to be or be seen as beautiful because you do not. There is nothing more beautiful than something in its natural form. Everyone has their own preference with expressing themselves through their hair but looking after it is my number one priority. I feel like the more girls support and encourage each other through their hair journey, the more we will all feel more wholesome and good enough as we are.

Chanel Taylor

My hair is something I use to express myself. I often change my hair and try out different colours and styles. When I grew up I was surrounded by many of my aunties who knew how to braid hair. So naturally I learned how to do more cultural hairstyles. I think it’s nice to be able to show the versatility in my hair by wearing it straight or curly and also showing my culture too.

I really enjoyed having my hair threaded! My heritage is Ghanaian and my grandmother, who is from the Ashanti tribe, often threaded my hair when I was in primary school. It was also a very good protective style that grew my hair.

I think it’s important to educate people of colour on how to look after their hair. Before the natural hair movement there wasn’t much information on how to manage our hair and that made many people turn to relaxers. Being able to represent yourself in your natural state and also having versatility is very important for your personal self-esteem. I think the movement has helped many people, including me, feel more comfortable in their natural hair and also I enjoy how we as a community can share haircare tips and tricks. Whenever I have a hair dilemma I can always do a quick YouTube search and the natural hair community always has some helpful information. The natural hair movement inspired me to learn about hairstyling and since then I have been doing hair for clients through my Instagram DMs called #chanellygirlhair.

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Is it just us, or does fashion month seem to come around quicker each season? Whether it's our social media editor updating Instagram with live-from-the-catwalk coverage, our street style photographer capturing the best dressed outside the venues, or our fashion director running between shows before filing her reports, it takes a hardy team to create our fashion week content.

With London Fashion Week fast approaching, it's high time team Refinery29 got organised and planned our essentials for the five-day schedule. From the snacks and coffee that keep energy levels high to day-to-night makeup switch-ups via emergency-situation back-ups (think phone chargers and spare shoes), there are some trusty items we rely on to see us through.

Click on to see what gets our team through London Fashion Week. The show(s) must go on!

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