Category: Lifestyle

Bel Âge Anti-Ageing Health & Beauty Show

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Date:

The Bel Âge Anti-Ageing Health & Beauty Show at Olympia in London run over 2 days from Saturday 14th until Sunday 15th of May 2016. I attended it on Saturday 14.05.2016.

Venue:

The Bel Âge Anti-Ageing Health & Beauty show took place in London Olympia exhibition centre located in West Kensington in London. The venue was firstly opened in 1886 and serves as a home for international trade shows, conferences and consumer events. It is easily accessible-I went there using London Underground train from West Kensington and walked for around 3 min to get to the venue. During the weekend trains run every 15 to 20minutes which is convenient. Another option was to take one of the Overground trains traveling directly to Kensington Olympia.

My day at the Bel Âge Anti-Ageing Health & Beauty Show:

I arrived at London Olympia around 11:20. I love trying new products and experiment with treatments so I was looking forward to attending this event for a while.

My facial with the Organic Pharmacy was booked for 12:00 so I wanted to pick up my ticket as soon as possible and make my way to the exhibition area. Exhibitors included companies covering skincare, hair-care, nail care, advanced beauty treatments and nutrition. There were also a few clothing brands showcasing their new designs, a juice bar to restore the energy levels and some fashion brands exhibiting their newest collections.

Facial with the Organic Pharmacy:

After my quick walk around the hall, I went to check in for my facial. The receptionist in the VIP beauty area-Patrick was extremely friendly and after a quick chat he asked me to follow his colleague into one of many treatment rooms. I sat down while my therapist explained the treatment to me. My 30 minutes facial was truly relaxing. It started with some deep cleansing and was followed by a facial massage. In the interim my beauty therapist applied a mask to brighten and lift my skin. Subsequently, my mini-treatment continued with more relaxing massage using the Organic Pharmacy products.

After a relaxing 30min at the hands of the Organic Pharmacy beautician, I walked with her to the Organic Pharmacy stand where Paul, a make-up artist working exclusively for the Organic Pharmacy applied a bit of foundation on my skin. He was very professional and I would love to try more Organic Pharmacy products in the near future as my make-up looked fresh and radiant.

Presentations & Live-demos:

Following on from my great experience with the Organic Pharmacy’s team, I decided to make the most of my day by going to see some remarkable demonstrations of the latest cutting edge developments. Throughout the day all attendees were able to participate in live-demos. I was present at a couple of them. I was fascinating to watch ‘The Cinderella Lift Live on stage’ presented by doctor Aamer Khan from Harley Street Clinic. The treatment is superb for anyone who wishes to achieve a face-lift effect by using this non-surgical alternative. I was amazed by the results achieved during the live demonstration by Dr Khan. The procedure gave some instant results by using a combination of Botox, dermal fillers and PDO threads. The model’s facial contour improved drastically in less than 60 minutes. I am against cosmetic surgery so it was an incredible showpiece of what results you could achieve with less invasive treatments.

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Brands exhibiting during the day:

There were lots of brands that I use on a regular basis such as: Elemis, Benefit, Lancôme and Proto-col. Other beauty and skincare brands that I visited included: Aria Beauty, Bionix, Premier selling products from the Dead Sea, Jouve, Urban Veda, Zuzka and Clarena.

There were lots of beauty clinics and doctors providing a valuable advice i.e. Dr David Jack, Dr Jane Leonard, TLC Group, Linia Skin Clinics and Prof. George Nadh. Some of them were even performing some live-demonstrations. They all provided some useful suggestions when I approached them to check what new treatments they could recommend.

In addition, there were a few brands offering their pampering day experiences and photo-shoots. I am afraid that I need to say that the sales reps from ‘The Face London’ and ‘Vanity’ studios were extremely pushy and didn’t take ‘no’ as an answer…  I used to work in fashion and beauty so I didn’t like their approach-giving a quick introduction to your company and services you offer is fine but if you see that your client is not interested you should just leave it… On the other hand, advisors from Donna Bella Ltd, were friendly and welcoming. They were on hand to demonstrate their collection of beauty and hair care products and willing to show how their straighteners and curlers are different from my GHDs.

Moving on, all visitors to the show were able to participate in 30min yoga classes on the fitness stage with the ‘Body and Brain’ who also run a ‘Longevity Walking’ presentation during the day. I also watched therapists from Qi Wellness performing some of their signature energy treatments.

Competitions and special offers:

There were lots of competitions and special offers running during the day. From the moment I entered the venue, I was certain that I wanted to take advantage of some great offers that were available to all participants. Most of the exhibitors had exclusive offers and I ended up spending tons of money but as I always say: you only have one skin so make sure that you look after it! 😉 The offers that I took advantage during the show were:

  • REVIDOX 2 months’ supply (60 tablets) for the price of 1. I bought this supplement to determine if it really works and discover the full beneficial results from REVIDOX+ over the recommended time period. It is a new ‘beauty from within’ supplement backed by clinical studies to fight the signs of ageing on a cellular level. I will aim to provide you with some more information soon.
  • CLARENA Polska offered some discounted prices on their skincare. I spoke with one of their consultants-Ms Ania and bought some Oxygen Infusion Mask as well as a face roller system and hyaluronic roller cocktail serum. I cannot wait to try these products.
  • AURORA light therapy face mask from the Wellness Tree Group was available for £349 instead of RRP of £399. Light therapy is medically recognised and clinically proven to treat a wide range of skin imperfections and signs of ageing. The Aurora mask uses a number of different lights to treat a range of conditions. As I am getting married in a few months’ time, I thought that it will be a great investment as I would love to improve my skin condition before my big day. I hope that the results will be as good as promised.
  • TLC Group offered a discounted price (£59) on their Radio Frequency Skin Tightening Facial. This treatment was great for me as it is a non-surgical alternative that provides tightening and reduces the early signs of ageing and loss of firmness.

Ticket prices:

There were a few options of tickets to choose from:

  • Standard day pass  (£18)
  • Standard weekend pass (£29)
  • VIP day package (£95). The VIP day package included: the official show guide, fast-track entry, a luxurious mini treatment, a glass of bubbly, access to the VIP Lounge and a fabulous goody bag full of beauty products to enjoy at home.

Overall experience:

The Bel Âge Anti-Ageing Show was a fantastic day full of discovering what’s new in skincare and beauty industries, getting some practical advice from the experts and pampering. The event was perfect for anyone who is concerned with ageing and wants (like me) to stop (or at least delay) the inevitable! There was a great variety of exhibitors involved, ranging from one of my favorite British skincare brands – Elemis to less established brands such as Zuzka. It was a great opportunity for beauty and skincare lovers to talk to the representatives from both famous and less prominent brands. I was immensely glad to see a stand from Polish brand ‘Clarena’ which I was looking forward to trying for a long time!

I am extremely glad to have participated in this event and I will definitely visit again next year! Thank you for an incredible day!

For more details visit:

http://london.anti-ageingshow.com/

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Our 4th year anniversary at Shaka Zulu in Camden, London

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We celebrated our 4th year anniversary with my fiancée-James yesterday.

As Duncan Hines once said: “Nearly everyone wants as least one outstanding meal a day.” We decided to have our ‘outstanding’ meal at Shaka Zulu as we visited this restaurant before and were really impressed with it.

Entrance to the restaurant looks intriguing:

From the moment you enter the restaurant, you feel like you come into a magical world of Africa. The décor is exceptional with wooden engravings and figures of African warriors. It would not be an overstatement to say that it feels like being somewhere far, far away from buzzy London.

Our table was booked for 6:15 and when we arrived a friendly receptionist asked us to sit down in a waiting area for a couple of minutes. We were picked up in no time by our waitress who took us to a table close to the bar opposite of their Champagne bar. We were seated and started looking at the menus and the cocktail lists. We decided to go for a set ‘Taste of Africa’ menu which included a champagne cocktail each.

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Starter

We both had prawns which were presented with a side of salad. They were really juicy and tasty. I would probably add a little bit of salad dressing to the side salad as it was quite unexciting.

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Main

Again we decided to have the same main! We went for 35 Day Aged Rare Breed Beef Sirloin 10oz with Béarnaise Sauce. I had mine cooked medium to well done and my fiancée went for medium-rare. We ordered a couple of extra sides: some sugar Snaps with red onion and some sweet potato mash. Our steaks were presented with a side of some skinny fries and were cooked perfectly. Both sides went really well with our mains.

Dessert

Lastly, we ordered some desserts. I went for a vanilla panna cotta with champagne poached strawberries. This classic Italian dessert was a great end to my meal and I loved it. I am a massive fan of Italian cuisine and Shaka Zulu’s chef prepared it faultlessly.

My fiancée decided to have some home-made ice-creams which were really nice. You could taste a small bits of chocolate melting in your mouth… What can I say? They were divine.

Overall experience:

Once again, I really enjoyed my meal at Shaka Zulu. I would definitely recommend it as a venue for any special occasions where you want to have a great experience for the duration of your celebrations. Without doubt, I will visit again soon!

For more information visit: http://www.shaka-zulu.com/

 

Venue showcase at The Abbey Bar, London

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I attended a venue showcase at the Abbey Bar yesterday (Wednesday the 11th May 2016). It is a pleasant place to visit if you wish to relax around Brick Lane / Tower Hill area.

I arrived at the venue around 5:45p.m. and I was welcomed with the champagne and canapes reception. From end to end of my evening at the Abbey Bar I was able to try some of their buffet food which was served continuously. The venue has a happy hour every day from 5-8 p.m. so it is also great for after work drinks or catching up with friends.

I had a relaxing evening and the showcase event was a great opportunity to discuss what The Abbey Bar could offer for any future events-both personal and corporate. The highlights of the evening were:

  • Photo booth.

Once I finished sipping my prosecco it was time to try their Photo Booth. I tried some funny hats and took a couple of photos with my fiancée-James. We were given our photos to take home as a momento from the evening.

  • Wine tasting.

After trying our silly poses at their photo booth we decided to join their wine tasting and sample some of the premium wines that you can enjoy at the Abbey Bar. I loved a sweet rose wine from California, USA. It was called ‘Wicked Lady’ and I will definitely order it next time I am at The Abbey Bar.

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I will unquestionably be going back and I have already shortlisted The Abbey Bar as one of the potential venues for my Christmas party this year.

For more information please visit their website:

http://www.abbey-bar.co.uk

Abbey Bar

St. Clare House,

30-33 Minories,

London EC3N 1DD

T:020 7488 1918

Clarion Congress Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

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I recently stayed at the Clarion Congress Hotel with my mum for 4 days. The hotel is located 10 min by metro (20min by bus) from the historical centre of Prague in the area of Vysocany. It has great transport links as it is connected to the shopping centre which has a metro station (‘Vysokanska’ – B line) underneath. The shopping mall – ‘Galerie Fenix’ has everything you need if you wish to visit Prague for some retail therapy. The mall has a range of shops selling clothing, pharmacy, supermarket, jewellery shops and restaurants etc.

Reception area

I traveled to the hotel by taxi from the airport which took around 40 min. The reception area was large, looked chic and had a nice lounge with some lovely large leather sofas. From one side of the corridor, the lobby leads to the restaurant and there are lifts leading to the rooms are on the other side. I was welcomed by an amicable receptionists who checked me in and welcomed me to Prague. He also gave me some suggestions of what I should do and where I should visit whilst in Prague with my mum. As my mum was arriving day after, I was also advised about the easiest way to pick her up in the morning. The reception also as a money exchange desk which was convenient as I only had pounds on me so I converted them to the local currency CZK-Czech Koruna .

Room

When I checked in, I decided to quickly go to my room as it was almost midnight and I was sleepy and tired after my flight. My room was located on the 7th floor (executive floor) so I enjoyed some amazing views of Prague from it. Let me tell you about my room… My first impression was that I was staying at the fashionable and spacious room. It had a double bed, chest of drawers at the each side of the table, a nice coffee table and armchairs. Opposite of my bed was a large LCD satellite TV, a work table as well as some coffee and tea making facilities. The Room also had a massive wardrobe and ironing set. Clarion hotel management team left a fruit basket, a welcome drink and mineral water in the room-a lovely gesture. I always appreciate these little touches that make your stay just a little more special. The room was cleaned daily thorough my stay.

Bathroom

Bathroom was modern and stylish. There were also a couple of bathrobes, spa slippers, towels and lots of mini toiletries that smelt divine.

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Overall experience:

I genuinely enjoyed my stay at Clarion Congress Hotel. My room was specious, modern, chic and clean. Staff were, beyond doubt, very friendly and professional. The Hotel has all the facilities you need – restaurant, bar, spa, great transport links with metro underneath and buses leaving from outside. You should check it out if you are planning a trip to Prague anytime soon. I will definitely visit again.


I hope that you find this review beneficial.

If you wish to book a stay at the Clarion then visit their website:

http://www.clarioncongresshotelprague.com/en/conference-hotel-prague

 

Mastro Ciccia, Rome (close to piazza Navona)

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I recently traveled to Rome, Italy to celebrate my fiancée’s birthday. We had a great time and tried some traditional Italian cuisine whilst in there. The highlight of our culinary adventures was a visit to Mastro Ciccia restaurant that was recommended to us by one of the locals. We decided to go there after a full day of sightseeing and seeing some of most remarkable monuments ever.
So, how was it?
Mastro Ciccia is located just a stone’s throw from Piazza Navona. If you are in Rome for holidays or work and have some time you should definitely go there for a meal after having some drinks at one of the bars in Piazza.   Mastro Ciccia is a historic and chic Italian / European restaurant with extremely friendly and professional staff.
I wanted to have a traditional Italian meal so we decided to order some nice wine (bottle of Merlot Offizi) to have with our 4-course meal: antipasto, primo, secondo and dessert:
restaurant rome 5
Antipasto
For my antipasto I decided to have some fried eggs with truffle. It was honestly the best eggs I have ever eaten!  My fiancée was more adventurous and ordered some beef tartar on a bed of rocket served with a side of thinly sliced mushrooms. He didn’t really liked but that was mainly because he isn’t a big fan of any raw meat. I tried a bit of it and it was nicely seasoned so I enjoyed it and as a result I finished it! 
Primi
For the first course I decided to have some creamy spaghetti with truffles and my fiancée also had some fresh spaghetti but his was with rabbit ragout. Both of them were nice but I left some of mine as I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to have any of my second course and dessert. I do not normally have 4-course meal everyday for dinner!
Secondi
For the second course I chose to have a filet mignon with grilled potato wedges with herbs while my fiancée had a rack of lamb Roman with vegetables. Both of our mains were delicious.
Dessert
For our desserts we decided to have some traditional tiramisu and some profiteroles. I love all kinds of desserts and they were great.
Overall experience:
I loved it! All dishes were not elaborately presented but were extremely pleasant on the palette.Service was great, the restaurant served us some delicious, traditional food and it was located next to one of my favorite piazzas in Rome. You should definitely check it out!
Price:
The whole meal was € 178,50 including a service and wine.
Hope you find this review beneficial.
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