London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Well if it is going to get all chilly and wet, I might as well go winter cocktails hunting. You’ll find a few celebration ideas here. Mulled ciders, toddies, buttered rums, here I come!

That’s art, baby:
* Go and see Leo. Not the one from Titanic, the other one.
* Hogarth’s house (the famous painter) is opening again to the public. Even better, entrance is free.
* Discover little secrets of your daily household objects…
* You will be in awe of this photo exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall.
* Do you have a lucky charm? There is a whole collection here.

The music touch:
* Dance, sing, play along the Thames with the Merger festival.
* Jazz it up!

A little fresh air:
* Street lights are pretty much the same from one year to another these days. Yet Carnaby street‘s always are particularly colourful. They’re switched on Nov 10. Oh, and Covent Garden has digitalised the Nativity scene. Not to be missed!
* Keep fighting and garden.

Kids-friendly:
* See (real) reindeers at Covent Garden.

Yummy time:
* Falling for cupcakes? Meet Lola’s founders Thursday at Selfridge’s.
* The Make Lounge offers lovely workshops – this week-end it is all about chutneys and jams.
* To decorate your cakes as if they were works of art, have a look here.
* Oh, a new supperclub, Spanish style…

Out of the ordinary:
* Fancy being  foxy? I mean, really?
* Express yourself and get a free haircut.
* Less known but still worth a detour: the mayor’s parade.

Psst, try your luck, we have two competitions on the blog at the moment:
*5 Time Out Eating and drinking guides for foodies.
* You live in the UK? Great – you might win £400 worth of flights to Europe.

I have tried, again and again, to use the electronic agenda on my Iphone or Outlook. I just do not like them – too cold an interphase. Paper agendas – there is a warm touch. I stick restaurant cards in there, postcards received from friends, scribble quotes, drawings from my daughter. I can revisit the past – even years later. No geek application gives me that much.

There was a time where organizers were to be sober for work. Which meant – black and purely boring. But these days are gone. I completely fell for Filofax Apex collection, which combines elegance and realy cheerful colours. Not only are they a fashion accessory – same nice glossy finish as a beautiful nail varnish – they can be personnalised at will: calendars (One day oer page? One week per page? etc…), maps, extra index/notebook pages, post-it notes… It just adapts to you way of living and working.

It puts a little sunshine in my day. I even use the cover as background for pictures – as much for the texture than for the colours. Wonderful effect on a rainy day!

Guess what? We have two for you to win -  the blue Apex and the black Apex.
For this – follow us on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment here on what you think of Filofax agendas. Two winners will be randomly selected on August 17.

Filofax – web site, Facebook, and Twitter page

Stuck at the office this Monday, with no air con, when the weather forecasts 36 degrees? Mind elsewhere, gaze lost in the wilderness although you have a long list of meetings and files to go through?

Monday blues. Maybe you should have called in sick and slept in a hammock in the nicest spot of your garden. Then again, your tan on Tuesday would have given you away. Or just taken the day of, jumped in the car, escaped.

At least it is not too late to add softer hues to the day, blue ones like this cloudless sky. Look here – I have a few products for you to win:

Don’t you love this lagoon nail varnish? This one is by Organic Glam – fluid texture, pretty resistant to shocks, perfect gloss effect. Match it with the eye liner from 2 True. I have fallen in love with their twist option- I do not have the patience for pens to be sharpened or too liquid liners. I indulged in a pannel of colours -  at £2 each, why resist?

The jewel brand Tous recently launched a perfume whose profits go to Oxfam. The idea? Support a project bringing drinkable water. Far from being a basic fragrance, it reminds me of a very chic French one, Eau de Rochas which was a hit in my childhood and still is a must-by in my country. Tonic notes of jasmine, tangerine, lemon based on organic essential oils bring it a perfect elegance. Gives you a dose of energy in seconds. What a wonderful design too: a drop of water with a diamond effect. Beauty serving charitable causes.

A little sparkle – a Swarowski cristal charm. I can spend hours in their boutique looking at the different shapes and rainbow of colours…

Want to be the lucky winner? Just leave us a comment with your favourite view of London. A name will be drawn on Thursday June 30. Good luck!

Two years of London addresses and tips. Get on board, we’re going for another ride!
Fancy having a cup of tea with us? You could win this one:

Just leave us a message. let us know what kind of articles you like on Teatime in Wonderland and which kind you would like covered in the future (more foodie ones? pubs? fashion?). We’ll draw a lucky winner on May 08th.

Tea strainer from Caravan (£12.50), ring by Louise Buchan (£20)

Paper napkin and plate by Talking Tables (£4 and £4.50)

Trio found at Drink, Shop & Do, 1950ies glass at Vintage Heaven

When I first arrived in England, 13 years ago, I could spend hours in Boots, amazed at the quantity of beauty products.

Years passed, my salary increased, I decided to go for less products but more on the luxury side. I stopped little by little going to the shop unless it was to visit the chemist side of it. The Boots brand reminded me of the supermarkets’ own range: without testing them, I thought they probably were downmarket.

Last Wednesday, Handpicked  Media and Boots proposed an event to discover their Spring make-up trends. A beautiful occasion to play with the Number 7 and 17 products…
My techniques are pretty basic so I was grateful to be professionally made-up as well as getting tips on best to apply it (like placing the eyeshadow on bare skin and not put any foundation: it will keep it from slipping). I was totally surprised by the Triple protection inted moisturiser (£12): a soft, fluid texture, very refreshing that illuminates the skin instantly while still giving it a natural look.  I also tried the copper colours of the 17 vintage love metallic nudes (£5.49, a bargain) which never faulted through the evening. But my favourite definitely was Number 7 exquisite curl masca (£13). It really opens up your gaze, curls the lashes perfectly, adds a wonderful glamour and there is no need to add any eyeshadow… I went back the following day to buy it and it has since replaced my Shisheido mascara…

Another discovery: 17 Supreme Nail Polish (£3.99, 15 colours). Always in a rush, I apply my varnish in the train. Obviously a recipe for disaster: each nail needs three brushes strikes, more if the coach is shaking a little and the possibilities to get it wrong are endless. 17 has created a shorter but wider brush: one move only! Magic and quite resistant: it has held on almost three days now without a chip when my Chanel usually let me down after a day only.

Well why don’t you give it a try? We have three products to win: the Photo Fabulous James Brown serum (£7.19) which adds shimmer and texture to the hair… A Searne silver eye shadow (£5)… and a lasting 17 Fix lipstick in Pink Power. How? Easy! follow us on Facebook or Twitter, then leave us a comment: which is you favourite product at Boots? The name of the winner will be drawn on March 25, noon.

Do you love your Oystercard? (or your Navigo, your Octopus or even your credit card…?)

Dutch Uncle is a creative agency representing fabulous talents for any  illustration, design,  moving image… Do have a look at the wonderful art on their site! (Don’t miss Noma Bar – I’m such a fan)

We are so lucky as they have teamed with us. We have 11 limited edition card holders for you to win – they will make your friends sooooo jealous…

How? Easy question: where does  Teatime in wonderlandadvises you to do your gym? (just use the search function!)

The first 11 correct answers will receive one of these trendy holders.

Do tell us in your comment what your favourite place in London is!