Ibiza with Claire’s Accessories: Part II

Picking up where we left off earlier this week, having thrown in a totally unnecessary outfit change into Liberty London short shorts and a crisp cotton top picked up on my River Island shoot back in February it was time for team #ClairesxIbiza to hit the road. Our destination was Hotel Es Vive, a super cute art deco place where the Company Magazine crew were staying, to be primped and preened in preparation for the shoot. As I mentioned in my beauty post the other week, my makeup routine is usually very boring and very basic. As for my hair routine, it’s literally a wash n’ go situation so being coiffed and groomed up by a team of professionals never gets old. I have to say, Athena and Heath did a seriously fantastic job and I grilled them both on how I could recreate the smokey eyed, mussed haired look they gave me at home. Whether I ever successfully manage it is another matter.

Once satisfied that Kenza and I had been suitably glammed up, we all headed outside for a poolside lunch in the sun. Being the consummate professional I am, I decided a glass of rosé was in order. Not necessarily the wisest pre shoot tipple but come on, we were in Ibiza, and I wasn’t the only person who opted for something a little more exciting than diet coke. At this point I began to seriously consider changing my flights and refusing to go home for a few more days. There’s nothing like basking in the sun in a beautiful place to make the idea of returning to commuter tubes, sporadic downpours and the obscene email backlog that follows an “out of office” period feel like a fate worse than death. Thankfully I had a fair few more blissful hours to go before I had to start thinking about that so after the plates were cleared we headed back into the hotel to get our outfits styled.

Given my extreme pastiness, it’s not often I wear head to toe white but such shades feel wholly appropriate under the Ibizan sun so I was happy to be decked out in lace trimmed shorts and a beaded cami of the aforementioned hue. They were basically the exact same colour as my post Winter “glow” but I reckon it worked, or at least I hope so. After a drive through across the island we arrived at one of the most gorgeous beaches I’d seen in a long time. It took every ounce of self control I had not to launch myself into the insanely blue ocean but that would have gone down quite badly given the hair and makeup situation so with a will of  steel I managed to resist the temptation. Pretty soon it transpired that we were not in fact allowed to take any shots there, at least not without forking out an extortionate amount to do so… ah the joys of shooting on location in a foreign country. This actually kind of worked in our favour as while some of the team went off to find another spot, the rest of us hung out and got ice cream which only added to the ever growing dread I felt about having to go home.

One round of white chocolate magnum’s later we were on the road once again, heading for the most adorable, secluded beach tucked behind a sheltered cove. At last it was time for Kenza and I to get ready to pose, bedecked in enough jewellery to sink a sizeable boat.

Outdoor shooting can be something of a minefield given that the smallest gust of wind can totally eff up a look. When there’s a whole bunch of professionals on hand to each keep tabs on a different and highly specific detail (hair, makeup, accessories, clothes, post etc etc) it can also take absolutely bloody ages but this one ran pretty smoothly. Before I knew it we were wrapped, de-accessorized and celebrating with rosé while waiting for our Ushuaia bound taxis to arrive. The previous evening I’d crashed out in bed straight after dinner so I was determined to hit Pacha like a bat out of high heeled hell that night. I’m ashamed to admit that, in an uncharacteristic bout of sensibleness, I didn’t make it despite having thrown on a party ready dress and levels of smudgy black eyeliner that put Taylor Momsen’s to shame. What can I say, evidently my general exhaustion overcame my desire to dance until dawn. But we still had a delectable last night dinner at Ushuaia and the flake out that followed has only strengthened my resolve to return to Ibiza toute suite.

Thank you Claire’s Accessories for a fantastic trip. Can’t wait to see the results of our shoot in the August issue of Company Magazine!

Love Ella. X