Tag: Lifestyle

Our lunch at La Régalade Restaurant at  Hôtel de NELL in Paris

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Two weeks ago, on our arrival to Paris we decided to have some lunch at La Régalade Restaurant at  Hôtel de NELL in Paris.

I wore one of my Karen Millen dresses with some Jones hills and accessorized it with some silver white gold jewellery and Furla handbag.

Location:

La Régalade Restaurant is located at  Hôtel de NELL in Paris. The Hôtel de Nell has designed a variety of spaces to meet the needs of every guest with luxury, discretion and quality. It is located just 15 miutes walk from Gare de North station. It is also 5 minutes away from the Poissonniere station in the center of Paris.

Address:

9 Rue du Conservatoire, 75009 Paris, France

Atmosphere:

We booked our table for 12:30 p.m. and arrived just a couple of minutes before. Some would say that it was a perfect timing as I was able to take some photos before the arrival of all other dinners. As we went there straight after arriving to Paris, a friendly concierge took our suitcases and escorted us to the restaurant that is located opposite of the main reception area at the hotel. In order to get through it you need to walk through modern and spacious lobby and game room which I loved.

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What a perfect place to unwind at after a day of sightseeing!

When we entered the restaurant, we were welcomed by a friendly waiter. He offered us to choose our own table as we were the first dinners that arrived. We choose a table next to the bar area as it provided a romantic setting. Within minutes of sitting down the restaurant was full.

Service:

We were served by a few different staff members who were all professional and attentive. One of the staff members- a French waiter of Turkish origin was very friendly and had great customer service skills. He explained our menu in detail and provided his recommendations. Throughout our visit he was attentive and looked after us well.

The menu:

La Régalade Restaurant at  Hôtel de NELL serves a great traditional French cuisine with a twist. All ingredients are locally sourced and purchased on a daily basis from the local market.We choose a 3 course lunch from the special menu (37 euros per person). We had a glass of champagne to start with to celebrate our mini-moon trip to Paris.

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Starters:

Before our starters arrived, we got some traditional french pattee served with some pickles.

To start with I decided to go for some ‘half cooked’ tuna, eggplant caviar and baby roquette salad.

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My husband had a cold tomato soup, served with some fresh goat cheese, olive oil, pine nuts and Espelette chilli pepper. Both of these dishes were extremely tasty.

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Mains:

There was a great choice of mains I decided to have some Cod from Brittany, roasted eggplant and candied vegetables.

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My husband had some pork belly with a selection of seasonal vegetables.

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Both of our mains were cooked to perfection and I think that my cod was one of the best cods that I have ever tasted. I loved it.

Desserts:

Desserts are often my favorite part of any meal. I decided to go for some red fruits, verbena infusion and white cheese sorbet-it was yummy!

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My husband had some blanc-manger – a peach, peach sorbet in Bellini emulsion. It was heavenly.

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Overall experience:

We both had a lovely time at La Régalade Restaurant at  Hôtel de NELL. All food was delicious, beautifully presented and reasonably priced (only 37 Euros for 3 course meal which is very reasonable for Paris!). Service was great, location is perfect so if you are traveling to Paris anytime soon then you should definitely check it out!

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For more information and to book visit:

http://www.hoteldenell.com/index.php?cat=14&ID=14&nom=La+R&lang=eng

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Our stay at Hotel Balmoral in Paris

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As our honeymoon is planned for December, we decided to go for a couple of mini-moons before the trip of our lifetime to Asia.

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To start with, we decided to travel to the most romantic city in the world – Paris. We both love staying in centrally located, boutique hotels so the Balmoral Hotel seemed like a perfect choice for our luxurious mini-moon break.

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Location:

Hotel Balmoral is located just one minute away from the Arc De Triomphe and just around a corner Champs Elysées on a quiet street – Rue du Général Lanrezac between the renowned Avenue Carnot and Avenue MacMahon. We couldn’t have dreamt of more ideal location. It is situated in a characteristic Haussman-style street with blocks that were designed as homogeneous architectural wholes dating back to the 19th century.

A couple of years ago, in 2014 Hotel Balmoral was completely renovated by Michel Jouannet who is internationally recognised for his work on revamping the design of hotels, spas, restaurants as well as some work on residences of his VIP clients. I really enjoyed the chic and beautiful décor created by this interior designer that reflected the Parisian elegance.

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Service:

As soon as we entered the hotel, we were welcomed by extremely helpful and smiley Anne-Claire. I have stayed in many hotels but she was definitely one of the friendliest receptionists I’ve ever met and she made us feel at ease – almost like at our own home throughout our stay. Her customer service skills were exceptional. Once we checked in, we walked through a stunning lounge and were taken to our room by a friendly porter who dropped our luggage a couple of minutes later.

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Rooms:

Hotel Balmoral has 50 elegant Bedrooms and Suites as well as 2 Prestige Apartments. We stayed at the Prestige room no. 35 on the 3rd floor.

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Our room was spacious, bright and stylish. It was perfectly equipped with Air-Con, flat-screen TV with 50 satellite channels, minibar, hospitality tray with coffee and tea as well as Nespresso coffee machine and safe.

Above our bed, there was a huge, modern painting by a French artist-Arnaud Franc.

The Room had a lot of storage space and we both had a separate wardrobe to store our clothes in.

Our room featured a typical Parisian French window leading to a mini balcony with drapes and sheers to help us to create a romantic atmosphere at the end of the day and reduce any noise from the street. Our king-size bed was extremely comfortable and after a day of sightseeing we felt asleep almost immediately.

Bathroom:

Our bathroom had a modern décor with a grey and white colour scheme. It had a bath and a double washbasin, which I prised as we didn’t need to fight for sink space. I definitely need to redesign my bathroom in London and get a double washbasin fit in. It also had a make-up mirror and heated towel rail. In addition to soft towels we were also provided with some slippers and bath gowns which were made from the Egyptian cotton-perfect for lounging in before and after our sightseeing.

Facilities:

The reception desk is open 24 hours.The hotel has a huge lobby area leading onto the street and to the garden where you can sit down and relax.

Breakfast is offered for a surcharge and provides a selection of cold and warm dishes to choose from.

During the afternoons and evenings, the breakfast room is transformed into a bar serving a selection of hot and cold drinks as well as some wines, champagne, spirits and beer.

Overall experience:

We both really enjoyed our stay at the beautiful, chic boutique Hotel Balmoral. From day one, we could see that the hotel not only had chic, designer interiors but the service was of great quality. Its original features dating back to 19th century worked perfectly with its  contemporary yet elegant décor. Our room had all that we could ask for and provided us with comfort away from our home. The location was perfect and service was faultless so I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who plans to travel to Paris.

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Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.balmoral-paris-hotel.com/en/

Address:

6 Rue du Général Lanrezac, 75017 Paris, France

Phone: +33 1 43 80 30 50

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Holiday destinations: Paris, France

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Last weekend we went for our mini-moon to the most romantic city in the world – Paris. It is a capital city of France and it has a population of 12 million (2014) which covers 18 percent of the residents of France. In 2015 Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making it one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

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Travel:

We travelled to Paris by Eurostar as it is the easiest way to travel to Paris from London. It takes under 2.5 hours and trains depart from King’s Cross Station in central London every hour. Prices vary from £29 for a standard single ticket booked in advance to £249 for a business premiere ticket including an access to the Executive Lounge and some complementary drinks and a meal on-board. Our meal was disappointing both during our morning and evening journeys and on our way back the service was extremely slow so I am not sure if it was worth paying £1000 for 2 return tickets…

Attractions:

The Central area of Paris along the Seine River is classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site, and includes many notable monuments. In addition, Paris is the home of many important museums and cultural institutions. There are many places worth seeing however if you are in Paris for a limited time (we were there for 3 days) then you should definitely visit:

  • The Eiffel Tower – an iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars that was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

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  • The Louvre – the most visited and the largest art museum in the world.
  • Arc de Triomphe – is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.
  • Notre Dame Cathedral – is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité built in the 12th century.
  • Pont Alexandre III Bridge – is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower.
  • Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre – is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that opened in 1914.

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Furthermore, I would definitely recommend that you either take a walk down the river or alternatively you can take one of many mini-cruises especially if the weather is nice. We were extremely lucky with the weather and we decided to have a romantic walk around the River Seine on our way from The Eiffel Tower back to our hotel which was located just a minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe. In addition, if you love live-shows and cabaret then you should definitely visit Moulin Rouge but be prepared-tickets for a show and dinner are quite expensive and start at 190 Euros per person.

Hope you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Disappointing Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson Hotel

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This week, I would like to tell you about my recent Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea experience. I was invited to attend it at the beginning of my hen night celebrations last month. I was accompanied by my 7 of my best friends.

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Venue and location:

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea takes place in the luxury, 5* Sanderson’s hotel. It is just situated between Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road stations.

Times:

Afternoon Tea is served from 12:30 pm until 4 pm.

Atmosphere:

We were seated in the corner of the restaurant. It was extremely busy, noisy and the service was extremely sluggish so my first impressions weren’t great… I love eating out and I’ve been to hundreds of restaurants before so I was quite surprised by that. We weren’t able to hear any music and to add to our misery their Air-con wasn’t working so it was absolutely boiling inside…

The menu:

Our Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea menu was hidden inside a vintage ‘Alice in Wonderland’ book.

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As it was a special occasion, we started our experience with a glass of pink Champagne which was lovely and then ordered a few pots of Sanderson-exclusive teas. I decided to have some iced-tea instead as it was boiling inside and unfortunately I had to wait for it to arrive for almost 45 min as our waiter simply forgot about it. When I reminded him about my order he cheekily asked me: ‘Did you order it?’ To which I answered: ‘Yes, from you…’

Moving on, a while after these initial dissatisfactions, we finally received our stand of sweet and savoury treats. They were definitely the highlight of our experience. They were all presented beautifully and they were all very tasty. I am sure that a lot of thought was put into creating these beautiful selection of luxuries.

Our savoury treats included:

  • Scottish smoked salmon, quail egg and caviar scotch egg;
  • Wiltshire ham and smoked Applewood croquet-monsieur;
  • Cornish crab and herb éclair;
  • Cucumber and cream cheese sandwich on fresh lime bread.

Our sweet treats included:

  • The blue caterpillar;
  • Wonderlands magic marshmallow mushrooms;
  • Curious carrot meringue;
  • The White Rabbit’s pocket watch macaroon;
  • Red velvet ladybird;
  • Banana bread-and-butterfly;
  • The Queen of Hearts Oreo cookie soldier;
  • Alice’s drink me potion;
  • Scones served with seasonal fruit preserves and Cornish clotted cream.

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Dress code:

The dress code at The Sanderson’s hotel is smart casual. I decided to wear my white Coast dress with some Dior sandals.

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Overall experience:

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea in Sanderson Hotel offers you a great alternative to a traditional Afternoon Tea. All sweet and savoury treats were amazing and the only let down was the service we received. I would be happy to visit The Sanderson hotel in the future however I hope that they will put their waiting staff through some customer-service training as the service we all received during our visit was simply unacceptable for this beautiful 5* hotel.

Address: The Sanderson, 50 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1

Website: www.sandersonlondon.com

Price: £65 per person excluding service.

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Pauline

 

Tried and Tested: LIQ C Serums and Eden Semilla’s essential oils

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To start with this week, I would love to tell you about the LIQ C Serums that I tried recently. LIQ C is a brand of LIQPHARM – a cosmetic company operating out of Poland. I am a fan of Eastern European beauty so when I found out about this brand and the fact that it collaborates with the prestigious Medical University of Gdansk laboratory I couldn’t resist trying its products. I decided to try LIQ CC Serum and The Vitamin E Night Serum-Mask.

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Firstly let me tell you about the LIQ CC Serum.  As I have combination skin, I decided to go for a light version of this serum. It provides deep skin revitalization due to the fact that it contains 15% of the active vitamin C. As part of my morning skincare routine, I applied two drops of these serum under my moisturiser and my skin looked fresh and radiant. As I got married recently, I have had a few breakouts due to stress.  After a week of using this serum they all faded and the serum improved the clarity of my skin. I really like what I achieved in such a short period of time- the texture of my skin has softened, the tone has improved and my skin has taken on a luminous glow.

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Secondly, I tried the Vitamin E Night Serum-Mask which is suitable for all skin types. It relaxes and soothes your skin while you sleep due to its Bi-Phase consisting of 15% Vitamin and Hyaluronic Acid. This luxurious night-time Serum-Mask transformed my skin overnight and left me with a brighter, refined complexion.

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Verdict:

If you wish to try a range of good quality, affordable cosmetics that will give visible results then you should definitely put LIQ C products on your shopping list.

Website:

All LIQ C products can be ordered directly from LIQ C official UK website:

https://www.liqc.co.uk/

and also from Amazon.co.uk:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LIQC/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_10354561031?ie=UTF8&node=10354561031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=LIQC

Price:

£17.90 for a 30ml bottle that should last at least a month. Very affordable.

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Secondly, I would love to tell you about the essential oils I recently ordered. As some of you know, I love all kinds of oils and I use them on my body, face and hair.

I recently came across the essential oils range from Eden Semilla and decided to try a selection of different oils to find my new favourites. So, how can you use them? The essential oils can be used in many ways and you can:

  • Add a few drops of oil to a warm bath.
  • Make a hot or cold compress by soaking a towel or cloth in water, adding essential oils, and then applying to the desired area.
  • Add oil to a lotion or moisturizer and then apply to skin.

Eden’s Semilla Essential Oils collection contains 12 of the most popular plant extracts used by aromatherapy professionals? I ordered 8 oils from the sets described below in addition to 4 separate oils. They were packed in a nice small box so you could easily store them. All Eden Semilla Essential Oils are 100% essential , pure and natural. They are sourced from A Grade plants and extracted using the most up to date manufacturing processes of steam distillation or suppression. These luxurious, reasonably priced oils all had a powerful aroma and were all of great quality.

SET 1 consisted of these oils:

  • TEA TREE – well-known for its powerful antiseptic properties and ability to treat wounds. It is great for treating any spots and I previously used it on my blemishes to reduce the redness.
  • LEMONGRASS – is used as aromatherapy to relieve muscle pain, externally to kill bacteria, ward off insects, and reduce body aches, and internally to help your digestive system. Great to add to your gym kit.
  • ROSEMARY – is part of the mint family. In recent research, it’s been shown to boost nerve growth factor and support the healing of neurological tissue and brain function.
  • FRANKINCENSE- is known to help relieve chronic stress and anxiety, reduce pain and inflammation and boost immunity.

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SET 2 consisted of these oils:

  • PINE TREE – known for its ability to reduce inflammation and associated redness, protect against sinus infections, clear mucus and phlegm, cure skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, boost the immune system, fight fungal and viral infections, stimulate the mind and body, and protecting your home and body from a wide variety of germs.
  • LAVENDER – most commonly known for its relaxing effects on the body.
  • BERGAMOT – is great to use while showering-inhale it deeply to experience its calming aroma while enjoying its purifying skin benefits.
  • CINNAMON – can be used as a tonic and digestive aid.

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I also received these 4 separate oils:

  • Sweet Orange – has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, and diuretic properties. The oil can also help heal wounds to prevent any fungal or septic infection while disinfecting the lesion.
  • Eucalyptus – well-known and wide ranging, and its properties include anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, decongestant, deodorant, antiseptic, antibacterial.
  • Sandalwood – The health benefits of Sandalwood essential oil can be attributed to its properties as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, disinfectant, emollient, expectorant, hypotensive, memory booster, sedative and tonic substance.
  • Peppermint – gives a cooling sensation and has a calming effect on the body, which can relieve sore muscles when used topically.

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Please note that these oils were given to me by the seller for an honest and unbiased review, in no way has this influenced what has been written.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.

Thanks,

Pauline

Tried and tested: Timeless Truth Travel Mask, JimJams chocolate spreads, Lilash serum

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This week I would like to start with a review of a great travel mask I tried on my flight to Warsaw recently. As some of you know, I am obsessed with trying new products that help me to make my skin look radiant and fresh. I do not like flying at the best of times and I normally have a glass of Prosecco (or two) before I get on the plane so as a result my skin normally looks dull and tired when I land due to loss of hydration and the cabin Air-condition that sucks out any hydration from my skin… When I saw this mask I was intrigued and as I normally sleep (after my Proseccos) I wanted to try it. We all know the rules: drink plenty of water and slather on the moisturiser in-flight. But now all you need is a Timeless Truth Sheet Travel Pack.

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This mask set is a 3-in-1 system designed with the busy traveller in mind and is split into 3 sections:

Section 1 – Make up remover – Oil based

Section 2 – Deep clean – Water based

Section 3 – Hydra fibre moisturiser mask

The Hydra Fibre sheet mask from section 3 acts as a barrier to the skin, penetrating and sealing the moisturising, nourishing ingredients deep into the skin, whilst adding that layer of protection from the dry air.

Results:

The mask should be applied for 20min but I ended up sleeping in it for almost an hour. When I landed my skin felt soft, hydrated and my complexion was glowing. I was impressed and will definitely get this masks for any future flights.

Website:

The Travel mask is currently on offer (£13 for a set of 2) and you can order it from:

https://ttmasks.co.uk/product/summer-madness-travel-packs/

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Secondly, I need to tell you about my latest food discovery. I love Nutella but I was concerned with the amount of calories I was consuming on my pre-wedding diet. I decided to try some JimJam chocolate spreads. JimJams are the award winning creators of a range of reduced sugar jams and chocolate spreads. Mother Kellie Bath wanted something healthier for her children so, with her husband Kevin, she launched a range of healthier spreads.

Their Chocolate spreads contain 83% less sugar than others, and their jams boast a high fruit content with 35% less sugar than competitors.

In addition, their Hazelnut Chocolate Spread and Blackcurrant Jam have already won Great Taste Awards.

I decided to try JimJams 83% Less Sugar Milk Chocolate Spread  and JimJams 83% Less Sugar Hazelnut Chocolate Spread. They were simply delicious and provided me with a healthier and less calorific alternative to Nutella.

Website:

You can read a bit more about these spreads on JimJams website:

http://jimjams-spreads.co.uk/

If you wish to purchase them and try them for yourself them they are available from the Tescos, Holland & Barret, Ocado amongst some other retailers.

Price:

JimJams chocolate spreads are very affordable and cost £2.59 for a 350g jars.

What’s more, today, I am starting my 90-days trial of the Lilash serum. I have read so many great reviews of this product so I decided to give it a go and commit myself to applying it every day for a period of 90 days. The results of this eyelash treatment that I saw on Lilash website were simply amazing. The before and after pictures as well as some testimonials convinced me to try it.

The 3 months eyelash treatment costs £60.79 so I will let you know if this eyelash serum works and share some before and after photos with you so that you can make an informed judgement and decide whether or not it is worth to invest your money in this product.

If you wish to read about the serum then you should visit Lilash website:

http://www.lilash.com/shop/

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I hope that you enjoyed reading this review.

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Pauline

Dinner date at Reform Social & Grill Restaurant at The Mandeville hotel

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Last Saturday, on our return to London, we went out for our first dinner date as a married couple. I recently visited the Mandeville Hotel so really wanted to check out its restaurant-‘ Reform Social & Grill Restaurant’. For this special occasion, I wore a classic white dress from Coast with some Jones hills and accessorised it with some silver white gold jewellery and my favourite Chanel handbag.

Location:

Reform Social & Grill Restaurant is located at The Mandeville Hotel, just behind the famous shopping street-Oxford Street. It is 5 minutes away from the Bond Street station and is conveniently situated in the center of Mayfair.

Atmosphere:

We booked our table for 8p.m. and arrived just a couple of minutes before. A concierge, took our umbrella (surprise, surprise-it was raining) and showed us where we needed to go. When we entered the restaurant, we were acknowledged straight away and welcomed by a friendly waiter. My new husband mentioned that we just got married a few days before and as a result we were given a great table in the corner of the restaurant that offered us a romantic setting.

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Service:

We were served by a few different staff members who were all professional and attentive. One of the staff members-Italian waiter made our experience extra special by being very friendly and his smiley face made us feel comfortable and welcomed straight away. As soon as we sat down, the chief barman-Maciej- brought us a complimentary glass of champagne to celebrate our first outing as a married couple, which was really kind touch and made our evening just a little bit extra special.

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The menu:

Reform Social & Grill Restaurant serves a great British cuisine with a twist.

Starters:

To start with I decided to go for some Crispy South Coast Squids that were served with some lemon and garlic mayonnaise and my husband-James chose some Hendricks Gin Salmon with tartare garnish. Both of these dishes were lip-smacking.

Mains:

There was a great choice of mains but we decided to try the selection from Reform Social’s ‘Josper Grill’ menu. I had a Rib-Eye Steak which cooked to perfection and my liking (medium). It was served with a side of some garlic mash and a mushroom. It was simply delectable.

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James had some minted lamb cutlets with mint yogurt and some coriander which were also very tasty. In addition, we ordered some green beans which pleasantly complimented our mains.

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Desserts:

Some of you might think that it was a weird choice however as soon as I looked at the menu, I decided to order Reform Social’s signature dessert – sweet Yorkshire Puddings selection. Who said that Yorkshire puddings are simply reserved for your Sunday roast? They were simply marvelous and I loved every single bite of these delicious puddings. The sweet selection of puddings was heavenly and included:

  • Chocolate and Carmel Yorkie;
  • Sugared Yorkie that was filled with clotted cream and jam ;
  • Banana and Custard Yorkie.

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My husband was less adventurous and chose some vanilla and chocolate ice-creams which were satisfying but boring if you compared them to my dessert.

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Overall experience:

We both had a lovely time and very really pleased with the food we chose. Reform Social serves some extraordinary, nicely presented food and is reasonably priced. Service was great, location is perfect so if you are around central London then you should definitely check it out! We finished our evening with some die-for cocktails that were prepared for us by Chief Barman-Maciej.

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Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.reformsocialgrill.co.uk/

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

I am getting married today!

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This day I will marry my best friend,

the one I laugh with,

live for,

dream with,

love.

~ Author Unknown ~

We got engaged last year and I’ve been counting down the days to our wedding for ages but for some reason I couldn’t really sleep yesterday. I decided to write this quick update for all of you as I simply cannot believe that I am getting married today! I’m sort of having little heart attacks over here-in a good way but also in a totally overwhelmed and stressed out sort of way. I’m not anxious at all about ‘being married’ but about how the wedding will go. After months of preparation I hope that all our guests will have fun and enjoy this most important event in our lives.

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Today is a day when I will say ‘I do’ to my soulmate and my Prince Charming-James. We have been together for over 4 years and have lived together for a while now so I am sure that he is the person I would like to spend the rest of my life with. I love him with all my heart and cannot wait to call myself ‘his wife’. He makes me complete and I simply unable to imagine my life without him.

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Pauline

Image Consultant Suggestions: Work wardrobe shirts from Hawes & Curtis

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“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

An impression can be formed in as little as 5 seconds. It’s all about your personal brand and style and how this impacts your professional image.

As some of you know, I am a certified image consultant and my objective is to guide, coach and empower my clients using the science of Image Management which in turn helps them progress towards their goals and eventually, succeed. I help to evaluate the style and offer advice and recommendations, tailoring a plan to enhance the confidence and personal power. Starting from this week, I will be sharing with you some styling suggestions.

Are you looking to revamp your work wardrobe? This week, I would like to tell you about the Hawes & Curtis offering.

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Hawes & Curtis is a British heritage brand founded by two tailors Ralph Hawes and George Frederic Curtis in 1913. It currently has 29 stores in the UK and you can also browse and order from their website.

Hawes & Curtis offer great quality shirts that and their ranges are suitable for various shapes and sizes. I am a fan of timeless fashion so I loved the look of their White Fitted Shirt with Frill Detail and decided to get it. This beautiful fitted shirt is designed with frill details on the front panel. It is really chic and elegant. It features single cuffs and is made from a high quality cotton.

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I really enjoy wearing it to work with a skirt or black trousers and heels as it is very stylish and it doesn’t look boring as most of the workwear shirts do. In addition, you can always wear any workwear shirt with more casual attire such as a pair of trousers. It looks wonderful with jeans so if your office, like mine, has a casual Friday’s culture then you could try to pair it with some jeans and either some flats for comfort or heels for some added glamour.

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Pauline

Tried and tested: Zuzka Beauty, CB12 White

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Are you a Natural Beauty? Are you looking for some pure, fresh, handmade cosmetics that look and feel great? Have you heard of Zuzka Beauty yet?

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I recently had an opportunity to try 2 products from Zuzka beauty range and would like to share some feedback on them with you. Firstly, they look very girly-I love pink so Zuzka’s beauty packaging was a big hit with me. I have normal to combination skin so I decided to try:

· Zuzka Beauty Deep Pore Exfoliating Mask (£24.99 for 50ml)

It is a nice exfoliating and deep-pore cleansing clay mask. Its formula is rich in minerals, micro algae particles as well as organic tea tree so it is great to re-balance combination skin. I applied it for 20 minutes and when it dried I washed it off with some warm water. My skin was baby-soft and looked very fresh and glowing. At the same time, the mask also tightened my pores which seemed slightly less visible. I would recommend it to anyone who has a problematic, combination skin.

· Zuzka Beauty Organic Precious Oil for Oily/Problematic Skin (£18 for 30ml)

Zuzka’s Beauty Oil is a best-selling organic oil specifically created for oily and problematic skin.  I used this oil as a part of my night-time skincare routine, instead of my regular Elemis serum. Its formula contains calendula, soya and jojoba oils that are blended with organic essential oils including lavender, tea tree & lemongrass so it is great for oily as well as combination skin.What I liked the most about it was that this oil doesn’t leave oily residue on my skin. It was absorbed quickly and left my skin looking glowing and soft. It costs only £18 and you only need to use 2-4 drops on your skin so it should last for at least one month.

You can purchase both products from Zuzka’s beauty website:

Zuzka Natural Beauty

Another product, that I came across recently is CB12 White Mouthwash. I’ve been using it twice daily (morning & evening) for slightly over 2 weeks now. The product already gave me, whiter and more confident smile. I like how fresh my mouth feels after using it.

The product has 3 aims:

·         To whiten the teeth – CB12 White helps whiten teeth in 2 weeks by dissolving stains and discolouration from the teeth.

·         To freshen the breath – CB12 White includes the patented formula of the CB12 mouth rinses and thereby gives pleasant breath for 12 hours.

·         To protect against the formation of new stains when used on a daily basis.

It is an easy to use, whitening mouth wash that is also non-abrasive and  it strengthens the enamel as it contains fluoride .

The only negative aspect is its price tag-it costs £15 for a 250 ml bottle which is considerably more than what I normally pay for a mouthwash. On the other hand, the results I achieved in only 2 weeks were better than with my regular mouthwash so it might be worth investing a bit more if you wish to achieve a noticeable result. It can be purchased from Boots.

For more information you could visit CB12 website:

http://www.cb12.co.uk/products/new-cb12-white-mouthwash-information/

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline