Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Find haute couture from the finest French wardrobes

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UK SHOPPERS FLOCK TO vestiaire collective TO FIND haute couture from the finest French wardrobes

 

Vestiaire Collective, the pre-owned, luxury, fashion website today celebrates its first six months in the UK by announcing quadruple digit growth in UK members and record sales to UK consumers. The cult French fashion site has grown its base of users in the UK by 1200% since adding English and sterling to the site in March 2012. The site now boasts over 1.2million members and 12.2 million monthly visits globally.

 

The attraction of previously owned designer labels from the finest French wardrobes has attracted British label hunters who are now spending an average of £300 per shop as they rush to snap up the latest from French luxury brands.  Some of the treasures grabbed by UK shoppers in the past six months include a Yves Saint Laurent bag for £1,000, a Shamballa jewels item for £1500 and a men’s IWC watch for £1,100.

 

Across the channel, the fashionable French are clearing out the designer items at a rate of 25,000 items per month. In fact initial statistics for October reveal a 20% increase in items submitted for sale since the UK came online in March. It’s not only the fashionable woman on the street clearing her wardrobe, Vestiaire Collective is also home to French and British celebrities who are actively using the site to empty their wardrobes for the upcoming season.

 

Some of the French ‘bargains’ available today include a Valentino python and sable bag for £4876, about half the original price for the sought after bag. The sale list also includes more than 720 Isabelle Marant shoes, handbags, coats and dresses for up to 70% off. Unlike other pre—owned and vintage fashion sites, Vestiaire Collective checks every item for authenticity, so British shoppers know that what they are buying is absolutely genuine.

 

“We are seeing a wave of interest and excitement about the contents of French wardrobes from our British community,” says Vestiaire Collective’s UK MD Shannon Edwards. “On average British women are spending 30% more than their French counterparts and whilst we are shopping, the French are selling. We have seen more than 400 brands added to the site which are being snapped up here by women who are used to buying vintage and love that classic French style.”

 

Vestiaire Collective was founded by French internet entrepreneur, Sébastien Fabre who alongside five co-founders has developed the business by integrating a strong social community with ecommerce. The site gives consumers a platform to share, discuss and review fashion trends, labels, brands and items, yet closely monitors the buying and selling of goods to ensure that each piece is authentic, in excellent condition and is beautifully presented and delivered to the end consumer. The site manages all financial transactions to ensure that the seller has absolute peace of mind with items that often have a very high ticket value.

 

58th London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, in association with Burberry

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Cate Blanchett, Anne-Marie Duff, Rupert Everett, Adrian Lester, Eddie Redmayne, Joely Richardson, Michael Sheen, Sheridan Smith and David Suchet are among the stage stars tipped

 

 

The London Evening Standard today unveils the longlist for its 2012 Theatre Awards, presented for the first time this year in association with Burberry.

 

·       In a remarkable year for Nicholas Hytner’s National Theatre, it leads the longlist with 22 entries; followed by the Royal Court with 13.

 

·       With four nods, the most longlistedplay this year is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel about a boy with Asperger’s.

 

·       Olympic Closing Ceremony set designer Es Devlin is longlisted in the Design category for The Master and the Margarita, at the Complicite at the Barbican.

 

·       Eddie Redmayne, Simon Paisley Day and Michael Sheen battle it out for Best Actor with their leading Shakespeare roles in Richard II, Taming of the Shrew and Hamlet.

 

·       It is a good year for women, with inaugural productions from new female artistic directors recognised and a host of stellar performances in strong female roles.

 

·       This year a new award has been announced with the Burberry Award for Emerging Director. The award celebrates a young director who is set to be a star of tomorrow’s London stage.

From Hollywood A-listers to Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, the longlist for the 2012 London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, in association with Burberry, puts an array of big names – and rising stars – in the running for a statuette. All are recognised for contributing to a stellar year in the capital’s theatres.

This year’s winners will be revealed at an evening dinner and Awards ceremony, presented by One Man, Two Guvnors star James Corden at the Savoy Hotel on Sunday 25th November 2012.

The event is co-hosted by London Evening Standard Owner Evgeny Lebedev, Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey and American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.

 

The longlist reflects a heavy-weight year for women, with the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress category featuring some of the biggest female roles for the stage. Three Ibsen plays provided meaty roles for: Sheridan Smith, thrilling as the capricious Hedda in Hedda Gabler; Hattie Morahan, moving as the trapped housewife Nora in A Doll’s House; and Joely Richardson, luminous as Ellida in Lady from the Sea. In this role, Richardson follows her mother Vanessa Redgrave’s 1979 portrayal and the 2009 performance of her late sister, Natasha, in whose memory this award is given.

 

Cate Blanchett’s sellout performance as Lotte in the translation of German play Big and Small is also recognised, along with Imelda Staunton’s Mrs Lovett in the hit West End production of Sweeney Todd.

 

It is a good year for women behind the scenes too, with two new artistic directors hitting the mark with their inaugural productions. New Donmar chief Josie Rourke is up for Best Director for her exciting staging of The Recruiting Officer. At the Tricycle, Indhu Rubasingham’s opening production, new play Red Velvet, wins a longlist place for its first-time author, Lolita Chakrabarti, in The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright category. Red Velvet also offers Adrian Lesterthe chance to pick up the award for Best Actor, as real-life 19th century black actor Ira Aldridge, who was hounded off the London stage.

 

Also featuring on the longlist is Es Devlin, the Olympic Closing Ceremony set designer whose work for Master and the Margarita puts her in the Best Design category.

 

Battling it out with Lester and others for Best Actor are Eddie Redmayne, Simon Paisley Day and Michael Sheen – all for their leading roles in Shakespeare productions, with Redmayne playing Richard II at the Donmar Warehouse, Paisley Day playing Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew and Sheen in the Young Vic’s production of Hamlet.

 

The most longlisted play this year is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel about a boy with Asperger’s. The National Theatre production, in the Cottesloe space, is mentioned in four categories:  Best Director, Best Play, Best Actor and Best Design.

 

Two musical productions that originated at the Chichester Theatre and transferred to the West End are rivals for the Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical: Sweeney Todd and Singin’ in the Rain. The consistently strong fringe venue Southwark Playhouse also fields two shows in this category: Floyd Collins (directed by Derek Bond) and Mack & Mabel (directed by Thom Southerland).  Swallows and Amazons, which features the music and lyrics from Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, is also in the running.

 

The National Theatre leads the longlist, with 22 entries across its three stages. Next, the Royal Court, home of new writing, has 13.

 

This year’s awards has eight categories: with Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Design, Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress, Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical, Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Charles Wintour Award for Most PromisingPlaywright – an award named in memory of the former Editor of the Evening Standard and Anna Wintour’s father.

 

In addition to eight longlisted awards, which are decided by a panel of theatre critics and London Evening Standard’s editor, Sarah Sands, five other special awards will be presented on the night. These are the Burberry Award for Emerging Director (new for this year), the Lebedev Special Award, the Editor’s Award, Beyond Theatre and the Moscow Art Theatre’s Golden Seagull.

 

The shortlist will be announced in the London Evening Standard on 12 November.

 

The London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2012 in association with Burberry.

 

BEST PLAY

 

Choir Boy  by Tarell Alvin McCraney,  (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Constellations by Nick Payne (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Jumpy by April De Angelis (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

The Last of the Duchess by Nicholas Wright (Hampstead)

 

Love and Information by Caryl Churchill  (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

Love Love Love by Mike Bartlett (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute (Almeida)

 

South Downs by David Hare (Chichester Minerva)

 

This House by James Graham (National’s Cottesloe)

 

The Witness  by Vivienne Franzmann (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

 

BEST DIRECTOR

 

Benedict Andrews for Three Sisters (Young Vic)

 

Lucy Bailey for Uncle Vanya (The Print Room)

 

Tom Cairns for Scenes from an Execution (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Carrie Cracknell for A Doll’s House (Young Vic)

 

Marianne Elliott for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Polly Findlay for Antigone (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Sean Foley for The Ladykillers (Gielgud)

 

Jeremy Herrin for This House (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Nicholas Hytner for Timon of Athens (National’s Olivier)

 

Jonathan Kent for Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival and Adelphi)

 

James Macdonald for Love and Information (Royal Court Downstairs)

 

Roger Michell for Farewell to the Theatre (Hampstead)

 

Lindsay Posner for Noises Off  (Old Vic)

 

Ian Rickson for Hamlet (Young Vic)

 

Josie Rourke for The Recruiting Officer (DonmarWarehouse)

 

Lyndsey Turner for Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Donmar Warehouse)

 

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Simon Russell Beale, Collaborators (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Charles Edwards, The King’s Speech (Wyndham’s) and This House  (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Rupert Everett, The Judas Kiss (Hampstead)

 

Laurence Fox, Our Boys (Duchess)

 

David Haig, The Madness of George III (Theatre Royal Bath and Apollo)

 

Douglas Hodge, Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Alex Jennings, Collaborators (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Rory Kinnear, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Adrian Lester, Red Velvet (Tricycle Theatre)

 

Simon Paisley Day,  The Taming of  the Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe)

 

Eddie Redmayne, Richard II (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Adrian Scarborough, Hedda Gabler (Old Vic)

 

Michael Sheen, Hamlet (Young Vic)

 

Scott Shepherd, Gatz (Elevator Repair Service at Noel Coward)

 

David Suchet, Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Apollo)

 

Luke Treadaway, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, (National Theatre’s Cottesloe)

 

 

NATASHA RICHARDSON AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS

 

Eileen Atkins, All That Fall (Jermyn Street)

 

Pippa Bennett Warner, The Witness (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Eve Best, The Duchess of Malfi (Old Vic)

 

Cate Blanchett, Big and Small (Sydney Theatre Company for Barbican)

 

Anna Chancellor, The Last of the Duchess (Hampstead)

 

Anne-Marie Duff, Berenice (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Mariah Gale, Three Sisters (Young Vic)

 

Tamsin Greig, Jumpy (Royal Court Downstairs andDuke of York’s)

 

Sally Hawkins, Constellations (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Martina Laird, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (National’sCottesloe)

 

Helen McCrory, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Laurie Metcalf, Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Apollo)

 

Hattie Morahan, A Doll’s House (Young Vic)

 

Joely Richardson, The Lady from the Sea (Kingston’s Rose Theatre)

 

Sheridan Smith, Hedda Gabler (Old Vic)

 

Imelda Staunton, Sweeney Todd (Chichester and Adelphi)

 


NED SHERRIN AWARD FOR BEST MUSICAL

 

Floyd Collins (Southwark Playhouse)

Directed by Derek Bond

 

Mack & Mabel (Southwark Playhouse)

Directed by Thom Southerland

 

Singin’ In the Rain (Chichester Festival and Palace Theatre)

Directed by Jonathan Church

 

Swallows and Amazons (presented by the National Theatre in association with The Children’s Touring Partnership at the Vaudeville Theatre)

Music and lyrics by Neil Hannon

Script by Helen Edmundson

Directed by Tom Morris

 

Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival and Adelphi)

Directed by Jonathan Kent

 

Top Hat (Aldwych)

Directed by Matthew White

Adaptation for Stage: Howard Jacques and Matthew White

 

 

BEST DESIGN

 

Hildegard Bechtler, Top Hat ( Aldwych)

 

Miriam Buether, Wild Swans (A Young Vic/American Repertory Theatre/Actors Touring Company co-production)

 

Bunny Christie, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Kevin Depinet, Detroit (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Es Devlin, The Master and Margarita (Complicite at Barbican)

 

Soutra Gilmour, Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse ) and Antigone (National’s Olivier)

 

Richard Kent, Richard II (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Ian MacNeil, A Doll’s House (Young Vic)

 

Peter McKintosh, Noises Off (Old Vic)

 

Vicki Mortimer, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Lucy Osborne, The Recruiting Officer (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Michael Taylor, The Ladykillers (Gielgud)

 

Jamie Vartan, Misterman (National’s Lyttelton)

 

 

 

CHARLES WINTOUR AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT

 

Stephen Beresford, The Last of the Haussmans (National’s Lyttelton)

 

Lolita Chakrabarti, Red Velvet (Tricycle)

 

Ishy Din, Snookered (Bush)

 

Vickie Donoghue, Mudlarks (Bush)

 

Nancy Harris, Our New Girl (Bush)

 

John Hodge, Collaborators (National’s Cottesloe)

 

Luke Norris, Goodbye to All That (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Nicholas Pierpan, You Can Still Make a Killing (Southwark Playhouse)

 

Tim Price, Salt, Root and Roe (Trafalgar Studios)

 

Hayley Squires, Vera Vera Vera (Royal Court Upstairs andTheatre Local Peckham)

 

Tom Wells, The Kitchen Sink (Bush)

 

 

THE MILTON SHULMAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER

 

Jonathan Bailey, South Downs (Chichester Minerva and Harold Pinter)

 

Denise Gough, Our New Girl (Bush) and Desire Under the Elms (Lyric Hammersmith)

 

David Fynn, She Stoops to Conquer (National’s Olivier)

 

Cush Jumbo, She Stoops to Conquer (National’s Olivier)

 

Abby Rakic-Platt, Vera Vera Vera (Royal Court Upstairs and Theatre Local Peckham)

 

Matthew Tennyson, Making Noise Quietly (Donmar Warehouse)

 

Joshua Williams, Shivered (Southwark Playhouse)and  Love and Information (Royal Court Upstairs)

 

Emi Wokoma, Soul Sister (Hackney Empire and Savoy)

 

Montezuma’s Christmas Chocolate

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Montezuma’s Christmas chocolate range just tastes like heaven. The little chocolate balls are amazing. Montezuma Orange & Geranium Christmas Chocolate Balls are as original and delicious as I have come to expect Montezuma’s chocolate to be.

Montezuma’s advent calender has organic milk and white chocolate for every day in the run up to Christmas. I was sadly lacking the willpower to keep it for that long and I have ate all mine. It is possible that you will love someone enough to give them some of this chocolate for Christmas – I have a few family members in mind-  but the willpower to hand it over may be lacking.

Full marks. Chocolate heaven.

Montezuma’s Christmas Mini me Bars

The Mayfair Hotel Spa | Spa Review

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Did you know that The Mayfair Hotel is the official hotel partner of the BFI Film Festival in London? In association with it, Frost Magazine got invited down to enjoy a massage and some cocktails in the bar.

I had a Traditional Swedish Massage. It was a 90 minute massage. My full body massage was a calming experience. You are given a locker key and change into a dressing gown. You have an option of wearing disposable underwear – which I took- and then you are taken to the room and lie face down. My masseuse, Meera, made sure I was completely relaxed. This was my first full body massage, and it was quite weird. It marks the first time I have disrobed in front of a women! I am not that comfortable with nudity, other people’s or my own, so the fact that Meera made me relax was quite an achievement. My entire body, from my toes to my head was massaged. After the massage I was taken to the relaxation room and given some water. I really enjoyed the massage. Meera even gave me some advice about my back, which has a habit of playing up some time. Definitely worth it.

The experience helped my back. I think I may be converted.

Traditional Swedish Massage – 60 mins £99 or 90 mins £135

Afterward I had a drink in the bar with a colleague. I had a good Margarita.

I love the Mayfair Hotel. It even smells great.

Swedish massage combines a universal collection of techniques designed primarily to relax specific muscles and help relieve tension. This technique is ideal for reducing both physical and emotional stress, and is suggested as a regular program for stress management. The pressure can be varied to suit your taste.

Located at London’s iconic May Fair Hotel, in the heart of Mayfair, the May Fair Spa epitomises pure indulgence and tranquillity. Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and discover a hidden retreat of relaxation and wellbeing.

Exclusive yet friendly, laid-back and sumptuous the May Fair Spa lists an impressive menu of treatments for men and women, including a range of facials, micro-dermabrasions, scrubs, massages using Booster guns, body wraps and mud-baths inspired by beauty rituals from all over the world.

Using the most exclusive treatments, the May Fair ensures guests experience maximum relaxation and
invigoration with the best results from every visit. Specialist treatments include the Crystal Clear Oxygen

Therapy and a number of signature treatments including the Algotherm Soap Massage, designed to leave skin moisturised and glowing, and the Jetlag Reviver package, which combines an energising facial, a full body aroma massage with a May Fair mud bath and a remineralising wrap.

The spa also features the luxurious May Fair mud bath – an unparalleled indulgence – which involves applying toning muds and natural salts to the body in a private steam chamber as cleansing steam is jetted out of a crystal ball.

The ceiling of the steam chamber, lit by tiny optic fibre lights, has been designed to give the feeling of a warm summer night – a perfect escape for those fed up with the hubbub of the capital. Guests can choose to treat themselves to a Cleopatra mud bath alone or better still, with a partner to have fun covering each other in mud.

The stylish spa has been carefully designed for optimum indulgence and features the best of understated luxury in its seven treatment rooms, traditional sauna and herbal steam room. To help cleanse the body and mind, the herbal steam room has a gentle aroma of essential oils and the sauna is filled with the sweet smell of fruits and fresh herbs roasting on a cast iron plate.

Therapists at the May Fair Spa also place strong emphasis on the pre and post treatment stages. Guests are encouraged to arrive an hour before their treatments to allow enough time to unwind in the steam room and sauna.

Once treatments have taken place, it is recommended that guests chill-out in the Spa’s tranquil relaxation room, which features scented candles, gently warmed marble loungers and heated floors. In the relaxation room, guests are served herbal teas, freshly squeezed juices and fruit sorbets, to reflect their treatments. A jasmine tea for instance is recommended to complement jasmine oil based treatments.

The May Fair Spa also features an exclusive members’ Health Club, with the very latest exercise equipment.

May Fair Spa offers members a complimentary laundry service – just leave the workout kit behind and it will be fresh and ready to wear again on return for the next gym session.

For bookings and further details on the May Fair Spa and Health Club, please contact 020 7915 2826 or log onto www.mayfairspa.com

* The May Fair Hotel is one of the best 5 star hotels in London, and it the official hotel partner of the 56th BFI London Film Festival.

Strictly Come Dancing Hits Our Screens, Keep Your Feet In Tip Top Shape

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 Frost has reviewed some foot products to get your feet in tip top condition as Brucey has dusted off his dancing shoes, fake tan and false eyelashes have been ordered by the truckload and dance classes up and down the country are bursting at their sequinned seams with a new influx of dancing fans. With the show’s rehearsal’s now in full swing, the nation is primed and ready for Strictly fever to hit once again.  
Stars Denise Van Outen and Kimberley Walsh are loving their new roles as dancing diva’s in training, but it seems their string of foot woes has been holding them back in rehersals.
Denise Van Outen has been forced to rehearse barefoot due to extreme blister pain.  Denise says on her blog: “I feel that I’m at a disadvantage this week as my feet are so badly blistered due to dancing in heels, that I can’t even get my shoes on and I’m having to practice barefoot until they heal.” Denise had to don extra high heels in order to dance with her partner, the lovely but very tall James Jordan.  Kimberly Walsh tweeted of her painful feet woes earlier in the week, declaring ”OK so now my feet are really sore #scd.”  And it seems Olympic gold medalist, Victoria Pendelton’s feet aren’t safe either.  Victoria Tweeted from rehearsals yesterday with her professional dance partner Brendan Cole, Victoria admitted: ‘Day 2 feet are so sore!’
With so many tootsie troubles this early on in the competition, Carnation Footcare feel it’s their duty to protect the nation’s feet.  Get bunion to beautiful with these top feet treats….
A luxurious Exfoliating Foot Scrub with apricot seed and walnut shell, perfect for keeping toes in tip top condition ready for their ballroom debut.
This great smelling foot scrub really does the trick, leaving your feet nice and smooth.
 
A Cool Foot spray for on the go refreshment.  A sneaky spray will help keep feet dry and comfortable throughout the sweatiest of swing and jive sessions. 
This cooling spray sorts out embarrassing problems like smelly, sweaty feet. A must for dancers on their feet all day. This is a good spray. It does the job.
 
Tip Toes invisible gel cushions, helping to keep your perfectly polished toes looking dance-tastic at all times.
I love these. They are brilliant at helping the burning pain you get in the soles of your feet. It is a lot easier to wear heels with these handy gel cushions.
 
An Anti-Blister Stick, whip this in your training bag and ensure blisters don’t ruin your salsa night or dance class. This clever little device creates a light non-greasy layer on the skin, which eliminates the friction that causes blisters.
This handy stick stops blisters. Which might make it one of the best inventions ever, as nothing is more painful and annoying than blisters on your feet. A must buy if you are on the go all the time.
 
Pedi Roller, use at the end of any dance-off to help banish the achey feet blues.  5 minutes using the Pedi Roller will help ease heel and arch pain associated with prolonged standing and walking.  The ridged design massages tired feet, reducing tension and stimulating circulation. Pedi- Roller can also be used as a cold massage therapy by chilling or freezing before using.
I love this roller. It is easy to use and It really helps your feet after a long day. It is good for cramp too. It eases arch and heel pain.
Carnation’s Hydro Blisters are small dressings which offer rapid blister pain relief and protect from dirt and bacteria.  So there’s no reason to miss a dance class now!
These really helps with blisters. Pop one on and it will stop any painful rubbing and prevent against dirt and bacteria. They make a huge difference.
All these Carnation Footcare products are available from www.carnationfootcare.co.uk 

The First Horseman by Clem Chambers | Book Review

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Clem Chambers book touches on news-worthy and relevant subjects as ageing, the possibility of living forever and the financial markets. A riveting and thrilling read, I got through this book quite fast. The way the book has been written flows beautifully. The First Horseman is fresh and interesting.

This book touches on the subject of what people would do to live forever. This is the fourth book in the Jim Evans series but you can still know what is happening and not get lost.

Jim Evans is a brilliant character and so is his butler, Stafford. Together they make a great team. Professor Christopher Cardini is a good character too. He has a sick and twisted mind, but is obviously a genius. Like all good books, The First Horseman has wonderful observations. I found myself turning the corners of the page to go back to certain parts.

I thought The First Horseman was great and I will now be catching up on the rest of the series, and the rest of Clem Chambers books. Clem Chambers is the CEO of ADVFN, so goodness knows when he finds the time to write books, but I for one am glad that he does.

The First Horseman by Clem Chambers

Some would give everything just to live one more year. To live another
hundred, some would destroy everything.

Jim Evans, retired super-rich trader, only wants to do good. He wants to
fund research that will save lives.

Professor Christopher Cardini has developed medical technology he says
will change the world. Through cell therapy, he can even rejuvenate the
dying.

Yet there’s something Jim will find even all his money can’t buy:
protection from a brilliant, but twisted, mind.

The First Horseman is the fourth book in the acclaimed ‘Jim Evans’
thriller series, by Clem Chambers. It focuses on what might happen if we
had the ability to turn the human body clock back?

If we were able to repair telomeres, the tiny proteins found at the end
of every strand of human DNA – we could live much longer, perhaps even
become immortal, like Hydra.

Yet when such a medicine would result in many more billions of people
fighting to live amongst ruins of an ecologically exhausted planet, what
would be the point?

Professor Cardini sees no point. He plans to deal with seething humanity
in a way that will both shock and horrify. Will he succeed in releasing
his tiny, but deadly ‘First Horseman’ and wreak bloody havoc on the world?

Not if Jim Evans can help it.

Ampersand Hotel Review

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The Ampersand Hotel is in a very convenient location, a few minutes walk away from South Kensington tube station. It is also near the Victoria & Albert Museum, Harrods, Hyde Park, The British Museum and Harvey Nichols. So if location is your thing, the Ampersand Hotel should already be at the top of your list. The hotel itself is beautiful, brilliantly designed, classy and elegant. The staff are friendly and helpful.

The room is beautiful. It has everything you could possibly need. You do expect a hotel of this caliber to have everything and it does not disappoint. It has free wifi, a hairdryer, air-conditioning, TV, a desk, cable, tea, toiletries by Miller Harris and even ice. The bed is comfortable and the curtains are good and heavy, blocking out the light and some of the London noise.

The bathroom is great, with a bath and a shower. It also has lots of handy kits for sewing or vanity. The towels are lovely and fluffy. A dressing gown and a pair of slippers also comes with the room. The only thing I can complain about is the lack of bubble bath.

The lighting is good, the soft drinks in the minibar are free. One of the things that I really liked about this hotel is that you do not feel like a customer, constantly being fleeced of your money, but instead like a guest.

There is also a Business centre, a library, a wine room, a games room and a gym.

The Apero restaurant in the hotel is good. With an emphasis on sharing. We had serrano ham mikado ,(delicious and different) ,Plaice goujons with avocado mayonaise , Grilled neck of lamb with harissa & onion salad and Gnocchi with chard & smoked scamorza and an amazing cocktail called Elixir of Love.

In the morning we had a delicious full English breakfast and read the papers. Our stay in the hotel was relaxing and luxurious. This hotel is highly recommended. One of the best hotels to stay at in London.


Frankie and Benny’s Launch New Cocktail Range | Review

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Frost popped along to Frankie and Benny’s to check out their new cocktail range and have some food. I had a delicious crab  cake followed by a calamari caesar salad. For desert I had a chocolate milkshake. The calamari was fried and delicious and the crab cake came with a good sauce. The milkshake was also very good. The food is very filling and the portions are generous. We tried the cocktails below. Find out what your cocktail says about you.

My colleague also had crab cake for a started and had spaghetti carbonara, Which they said was very good. finishing off with a Vanilla milkshakes. The atmosphere was also good.

What does your cocktail say about you?

 

We all know how stressful being a mum can be, taking care of the whole family often leaves very little ‘me time’.   Between cooking family meals, getting kids ready for school and running the house, plus often working a full time job, it’s easy to see how many mums end up frazzled!  With that in mind, Frankie & Benny’s has launched its new cocktail menu to encourage mums to take time out and sip on a delicious cocktail.  So what does your cocktail of choice say about you?

 

Mojito

Ladies who can’t resist a bit of spice will love this cool Cuban cocktail.  Made with fresh lime, mint and sugar, plus a generous splash of Bacardi rum, a mojito drinker is sure to be the first on the dance floor, ready to spice up any night.

 

Appletini

This fun and flirty drink is perfect for ladies who just want to have fun.  Packed with Eristoff vodka, pressed apple juice and gingerbread syrup, this delightful drink is sure to get the party started. 

 

Cosmopolitan

A sexy and sassy Cosmopolitan is a great choice for those who like to keep it classic.  This zingy and zesty drink comprises vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice creating a cool and crisp taste.  Cosmo ladies love a bit of city glamour and always paint the town pink.

 

Classic Sour

For ladies who like to be adventurous, this quirky cocktail is available with Jack Daniels, Amaretto or Midori and finished with fresh lemon juice, egg whites for added smooth and is topped off with sugar.  It’s the ideal choice for someone who likes to stand out from the crowd.

 

Espresso Martini

This rich and sumptuous drink is ideal for ladies looking for a classic cocktail with a twist.  Fresh espresso teamed with vodka and a coffee liqueur offers an instant caffeine hit, a brilliant blend for any modern mum who is in need of a pick-me-up!

 

 

 

Gentle Breeze

A delicious non-alcoholic cocktail for those who like to behave rather than rave!  This drink combines a delicious blend of apple juice, cranberry and citrus juices and is served over ice, offering the designated driver something delightful to sip on.

 

Bramble

For ladies with a mysterious edge, this deliciously dark cocktail is a tasty mix of Bombay Sapphire gin and black raspberry liqueur.  An added kick of fresh lemon means this drink really packs a punch.