London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Aperitif time at Camber Sands. Sunshine on bare shoulders, a straw hat, sunglasses, feeling alive. Walking through the dunes, finding the perfect spot, beautiful palette of pastel colours. And to celebrate this moment of freedom, a glass of Balblair. A highland single whisky with a difference. It prefers the alchemy of a perfect vintage year than a 15, 20… years statement. Waiting for the perfect balance, an exquisite art. The 89 is amber coloured with dried fruit notes, honey, caramel, spices, a long finish. 2002 is more golden, vanilla, citrus peels, zesty, such a presence, such a strength. Silence all around. All is said in a smile and twinkling eyes.

Balblair whisky – vintages timed to perfection

It all began with a cheerful bubble note on Oh Happy Days. Made me want to throw a party. And dance and sing and jump. Possibly all three at once. And match French and British colours, like a confetti rain. It all takes just a little craziness of course.

And so you arrive to the phonebooth, cheeks all pink with happiness. You step in and start blowing balloons. You can see people’s gaze, not understanding, frowning. But as the pile goes up, above your knees, they start to smile and laugh and stop and take pictures. You escape, ask curious passers-by to help, join in, go on, add one. You see them turning into kis for a few minutes.

80. There are 80 in there. Yeah, really. Blue, white, red. Children don’t resist -  they want to open the door, of course you let them. That beautiful laugh. The amazement in their yes.

Your turn to play!

Thanks to Bianca for being part of this fantastic adventure.

An immensity. 8 km of beach to be exact, framed by dunes, sand marbles by the wind. Soft waves. A tide retreated extraodinarily far. Thousands of shells, playing a kind of music when washed away by the sea. Such peace, a beautiful silence. Kites doing complex figures. The urge to stay there, buy a house nearby, take your morning coffee on the beach. Losing yourself in the contemplation of the horizon.

Camber Sands, Sussex

The years go by. In my case, 35. The quality of the skin changes, small lines appear. Friens will tell you they tell your story. The idea is nice but could that wait until I feel old?

Transformulas, a British brand founded on the fear of needles (join my world), developped a range of anti-ageing products. Beautiful alliance of cosmetics and pharmaceutical technology with biological active ingredients. One of their signature creations is this Face Contour Tightening crème – smoothing, redefining, resculpting.

Behind that promise is eyeseryl, a miracle in the beauty world. How does it work? By improving the drainage of fluids in the eye contour area. Quite slow at night, it often creates puffiness when you wake up. The little plus? It also, softly, reduces small lines. It is paired with Acmella Oleracea (relaxing muscle contractions therefore softening the appearance of wrinkles and expression lines), Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin E (anti-inflammatory and healing properties), Allantoin (cell-proliferating healing agent for healthy tissue and softer skin) and Prunas Perscia (preventing the skins natural tendency to dehydrate), it is quite an impressive cocktail!

In reality? Yes, it works! Nice creamy colour, slight citry perfume, very refreshing, in a punp bottle allowing to have just the quantity you want. After using it for 3 weeks, the skin has clearly gained in elasticity, the neck and chin contour much tighter, the eye contour softened, small wrinkles softened. Relief sign – a few years knocked out in our favour!

Transformulas – Face Contour Tightening crème

If you love refined coffee, try a cold drip one. Filtered at room temperature, even iced, drop by drop. The process takes a minimum of 06 hours, a whole night, up to 12. Hypnotising.  Less acidity, no contact with heat so no loss of flavour. An exceptional purity. Velvet…

Ozone
11 Leonard Street
London 
EC2A 4AQ

I discovered the Foodies Festival in Brighton, It will be travelling around England all summer. So many treats to try, so many mouthwatering aromas that all senses all awakened. And so you walk around with always a plate in your hand. Or a glass. with a formidable appetite.

On May 25, 26 and 27, it will stop at Hampton Court Palace, for an extraordinary feast. Cake and bake theatre… BBQ arena… Restaurant pop-ups Jamie’s Italian, Randall & Aubin, Patcharee, Masala Zone… So many discoveries to make! And we have 3 pairs of tickets for you to win.

Leave us a message below and follow us on Facebook or Twitter. The lucky winners will be selected at random on Monday May 20. Click and take a chance!

Pond’s is one of these name goign from a generation to another – did you know it actually celebrates mores than a 100 years of sucess? Can you think of a better proof of quality and trust? Modern touch -  they are rebranding to Pond’s Institute. In the cocoon atmosphere of the Spatisserie, hidden in The Dorchester, we indulged in rose flavoured champagne reminding of the cream famous floral perfume, so soothing, so refreshing. Did you know the Cold Cream Cleanser, traditionally used to remove make-up in seconds, is fantastic as a mask or even for hand massages? And that the Hydro-Nourishing cream, rich in Elastine and vitamin E to protect and smoothe the skin, also proves a formidable highlighter when applied on cheekbones? Wow. When you compare the price of highmarket brands and how multitasking and affordable the Pond’s range is, your choice is immediate. My favourite is the Dry Skin Nourishing Anti-Wrinkle, which fight the airconditioning in my office admirably. No tightness, no dryness. Pond’s, c’est la vie en rose!

Pond’s Institute

Brighton, until June 02, is even livelier than usual: the Fringe Festival is on. Art, theatre, concerts, family workshops, the streets are so very festive! Alpro is sponsoring the event this year and invited me to have a look around as well as sip on delicious #alproccinos et #alprolattes (by the way, tweet your #mugshotmoments for a chance to win a trip to Rome!). Walking form one neighbourhood to another, I was fascinated by the incredible number of cafés around. You feel like stopping every 5 meters. Here are a few we loved:

Bill‘s

We love the large industrial space revamped with colours from floor to ceiling, shelves meticously organised, filled withdelicious jams, chutneys, limonades… There is so much to look at you probably will completely forget you have a plate and a hot drink.

Bill’s
The Depot
100 North Road
Brighton BN1 1YE
Nest

A minimalist café, in small touches of design, small splashes of colours. The cakes are divine, the atmosphere very homey,a great place to spend a rainy day with a good book.

Nest
35 Kensington Gardens,
North Laines,
Brighton,
BN1 4AL
Tic Toc Café

Cute clocks here and there, childhood memories, a great sense of humour, mismatched chairs, a mouthwatering collection of cakes. Locals love, love, love this address!

Tic Toc Café
53 Meeting House Ln
The Lanes
Brighton BN1 1HB
Small Batch Company

My favourite. For coffee lovers who appreciate a good roast, a fruitiness, care about the origin of the beans. Such a treat to ask for a syphon coffee or a cold drip…

Small Batch Company
17 Jubilee Street
Brighton, BN1 1GE

Museums at night is a fantastic opportunity to discover galleries with a twist. Such a different atmosphere after dusk. On Friday, you could, for example, dig into the archeology archives of the Museum of London. ou sleep over at Hampton Court. On Saturday, you could learn about British seafood (pop-up restaurant included) or walk through Apsley House with Georgian music on… Lots more ideas this way!
1. Take some height and try those rooftop bars.

2. Art becomes edible with Kitchen Party Pop Up.

3. Street art gets baroque in Dulwich with a fascinating festival.

4. Jump into the 1920ies at Whiteleys: beauty boudoir, make-up and swing lessons, catwalk…

5. Take the kids on a new adventure: an architecture festival for children with lots of workshops around London.

6. Yes, it is that time of the year again. Eurovision is back, this Saturday. Make it double fun and watch it in one of those bars rather than at home.

7. Have a look at Eine’s latest mural in Shoreditch. Perfect for photoshoots!

8. Between barbershop and speakeasy, the pop-up Pankhurst shop on Carnaby really is fantastically stylish.

9. Sip gorgeous natural wines at the RAW fair.

10. It’s all about poems at The Book Club this Sunday.

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The first visit to Brighton usually is for the seaside -  waves, pier, fisn’n'chips on the beach… It is only later you will fall in love with the North Laines, those narrow streets vibramt with life, colours, independant boutiques, cafés, vintage finds, design treasures. Keep your eyes open for the fantastic murals in that neighnourhood!