Tag: London

Getting ready for the Vogue Festival Event 2016

2 Comments

I was asked to attend the Vogue Festival UK event on Sunday 22/05/2016.

As it was one the biggest fashion and beauty events of this year I prepared my outfit in advance and established that I wanted to add a bit of glamour to my usual red-carpet make-up look.

Make-up

Face:

I applied my Laura Mercier make-up base followed by my favorite Dior foundation (Diorskin Forever) and some loose powder. I defined my cheekbones by some bronzing highlighter from Guerlain.

IMG_5518

Eyes:

I prepared a smoky-eyes look using my PUPA Cosmetics palette. A few days before the event I was thinking about my eye-make up and I was certain that I wanted to add some extra volume to my eyelashes and was thinking what the best solution would be. I came up with 2 options:

Short-term solution -FAKE Eyelashes

I wanted to try some fake eye-lashes that will add some extra volume and definition to my eyes. I chose the ‘Glamourise’ eyelashes by Invogue for an intense effect and thick, fuller voluptuous lashes. They were perfect for creating must-have full look for eyes.From what I read on the package: ‘eyelashes by Invogue are hand made, hand tied, quality lashes.’ They were easy to apply and easy to remove. Perfect for a big event like the Vogue Festival. the box contained one pair of lashes, along with lash adhesive and care instructions. If you’ve not tried lashes from the Invogue range yet, now’s the time to do so.

You can see with and without pictures listed below:

Long-term solution was to buy an eyelash serum that would help me to achieve a dream of flirty, long and thick lashes before my wedding in August. I ordered the Invogue Eyelash and brows serum with fibre lashes on my friend’s recommendation.Not only does the product work as a daily serum that strengthens and stimulates growth, it also contains fibres which create instant impact, giving the appearance of fuller, longer and healthier lashes and brows.

IMG_5519

You can purchase both of these products from:

Homepage

Lips:

As I went for the smoky-eyes look and I didn’t want to look like a drag queen I only applied some Clarins Lip oil to finish this look.

Outfit:

I wanted to wear something from a well-established British brand for this occasion thus I prepared my simple Burberry dress and paired it up with Burberry trench coat as it was quite a cold morning. I complimented the outfit with a pair of black Manolo Blahnik flats that added an ooze of glamour and elegance to my ensemble.

I was ready to leave house around 10 a.m. to start my adventure at the Vogue Festival. I will post my festival review in a few days time!

IMG_5524

X

Marie Claire @Work Live event

Leave a comment

I recently attended a great Marie Claire @ Work Live event which took place on Saturday 23rd April 2016. Marie Claire @Work Live event was a day of game-changing talks, practical advice, invaluable mentoring and hands-on workshops. The event took place at the ultra-modern Altitude London-one of Marie Claire @ Work Live sponsors this year. Altitude 360 boast breath-taking views of the London skyline and is one of the most fashionable venues in central London. Other sponsors included Cointreau who provided us with delicious cocktails during the day and NEXT who set up a Style Lounge on the 28th floor and run a lunchtime talk: ‘Buy it once, buy it right’. Throughout the day there were multiple workshops and all attendees were able to join the treatment area offering a fabulous range of express treatments in between the workshops. Murad, Elemis and Face Gym were some of the brands offering their signature mini treatments during the day.

I decided to attend quite a few workshops and seminars during the day.

First up was the ‘Opening keynote panel: Game changers: how can we direct our professional destiny?’ chaired by Marie Claire’s very own Editor In Chief Trish Halpin. Panellists included presenter and journalist Anita Rani, Google’s, Nishma Robb, psychologist, Laverne Antrobus and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, Laura Bates.

Secondly, I decided to attend a workshop about Personal Branding conducted by Linzi Boyd. I previously finished a Diploma in Image Consulting so it was great to hear what she had to say. Linzi demonstrated how important it is to have a strong personal brand you can start to take a strategic approach to achieving that goal.

IMG_1217

Thirdly, I joined the ‘Inspirations’ seminar where I heard from three exceptional women who have made it to the top of their game. Mediacom Chair, Karen Blackett OBE, Stella Creasy MP and bestselling author Sophie Kinsella engaged in inspiring talks about how to succeed.

During the afternoon, I decided to attend: ‘How to change your job prospects’ workshop run by Kathleen Saxton, Founder and CEO of Lighthouse Company. Kathleen started by providing us with some information on her background and during the session she showed the attendees how it’s possible to affect change within our industries or move into an entirely new career altogether. I found her workshop most beneficial and loved her sparkling personality.

Lastly, there was a ‘Closing keynote’ where I joined comedian, actress and writer Isy Suttie for some live-comedy on growing up and getting on with life. Isy was a fabulous closing act and made all the attendees laugh. What a great end to our day!

After all day of pampering and seminars and workshops I joined aMarie Claire’s team and other attendees for a drinks reception. We ended our day with some delicious cocktails provided to us by one of the event sponsors-Cointreau. The day was intense but at the same time I learned a lot from it so I am looking forward to attending it next year.

IMG_1249

Thank you Marie Claire for inviting me to join you during your second @ Work Live event!

X

 

Banquet at the Mansion House, London

2 Comments

I recently attended a super-exclusive event at the Mansion House. My fiancée’s father-Malcolm, invited us to join him and his wife-Karen, at The Worshipful Company of Insurers banquet.

11173335_10206350732877920_738292877815353843_n

It was my first opportunity to visit the home and office of the Lord Mayor. Mansion House is a magnificent building located opposite the Bank of England at Bank Junction in the middle of central London. A number of high profile events are held at the Mansion House each year to provide a platform for cabinet ministers, visiting Heads of Government, and other prominent public figures.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of fine food and wines, live music and interesting speeches. The event provided a great networking opportunity for all attendees who work in the insurance industry.

I hope to attend more events at the Mansion House soon!

X

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

Leave a comment

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.

IMG_5093

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.

IMG_5095

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/