Chi Chi London

When I was asked if I would like to try a Chi Chi London dress from their bridesmaid's collection, I jumped at the chance, I have purchased a couple of Chi-Chi London dresses in the past and always loved their design styles, they are high quality and the maxi length dresses are the perfect fit and length for my 5ft 7in height and size 12 frame. Choosing any Chi Chi dress is always easy, as they have so many beautiful styles available in a range of adorable colours sizes.

I opted for this Laced Bridesmaid Maxi Dress in Blue with open back detail.

 

The dress has long soft laced full-length sleeves and lace detailing which extends across the bodice of the dress, it has a  silk band on the waist followed by a finely pleated skirt which giving the dress an elegant flowing appearance, it's a maxi length which is perfect for me.

I felt like a princess in this gorgeous dress, the colour is an amazing light baby blue and the fit is true to size. I now own three Chi Chi dresses and have recently purchased another one for the summer. Chi Chi London has a gorgeous range of Cocktail, Prom, Evening and Maxi Dresses as well as accessories and shoes to help you complete your perfect outfit. check out www.chichiclothing.com to see this dress and more, along with their entire Bridesmaid Dresses range www.chichiclothing.com/wedding-hub.

Chocface - Edible Chocolate Images

We both adore Chocolate and taking selfies, so imagine our delight we learnt we could combine the two using ChocFACE. ChocFACE allows you to turn any image into a box of edible chocolate photos, the hard part is selecting the images you want to eat, but after some deliberation, we chose our photos and placed our online order and within a few days they arrived.

The Chocolates came in a cute red box, inside are six individual chocolate photos five small and one large, the images are made using edible food colouring, the images are clear and crisp just like a real photo, each image is printed onto a thin layer of white chocolate which then sits on a thick Belgian milk chocolate base. 

We loved that you can customise your chocolates with a name or message making them extra special and personal.

Our Verdict - Absolutely loved ChocFACE, this cute little box of edible images made our day, it's such a wonderful gift to give and receive, so much so, we certainly will be using Chocface in the near future, there is something always quite special of giving a personal gift like this. ChocFACE costs £14.95 for a personal unique gift we think it's worth every penny. 

Check out chocFACE.com to create your own personalised box of chocolates.

Hayward Gallery To Re-Open: New Events At The Southbank Centre

The Southbank Centre today announces that the Hayward Gallery will reopen on 19 May, with two much-anticipated, solo exhibitions by Matthew Barney and Igshaan Adams. The announcement comes as a new slate of events for Inside Out, an online season of music and literature are released. This next instalment of the popular digital series will see the Southbank Centre’s Resident Orchestras performing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, marking the first time the much-loved venue has been open since it closed last March due to Covid-19. 

The orchestras are joined by a roster of leading international artists, including conductors Ben Gernon, Enrique Mazzola, Fabien Gabel, Robin Ticciati, Rory MacDonald, Ryan Bancroft and Sir Mark Elder and soloists Alexandra Dariescu, Denis Kozhukhin, Paul Lewis, Pavel Kolesnikov and Steven Isserlis. A further series of Inside Out events will be announced in the coming weeks. The Southbank Centre’s reopening plans will then be announced in due course, subject to government guidance.  

 

Hayward Gallery - Matthew Barney: Redoubt 

19 May – 25 July 2021

From 19 May through 25 July 2021 the Hayward Gallery presents Matthew Barney: Redoubt, an exhibition of the renowned artist and filmmaker’s latest body of work. The exhibition, the artist’s first major museum show in the UK in over a decade, presents a group of monumental sculptures, and more than forty engravings and electroplated copper plates. Also included is the UK premiere of Barney’s new eponymous film, a ‘breathtakingly beautiful’ chronicle that explores the complex relationships between humans, and the natural world. Set in the sublime wintry landscape of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountain range, the feature-length film intertwines themes of artistic creation in a contemporary reworking of the classical myth of Diana and Actaeon. Redoubt presents a major new direction in Barney’s practice, and advances his notable shift in materials over the past decade, from the plastic and petroleum jelly of his earlier works to the cast metals that figured prominently in River of Fundament, 2014. With Redoubt, Barney combines traditional casting methods and new digital technologies in an unprecedented way to create artworks of formal and material complexity as well as narrative density. The four large-scale sculptures in the exhibition derive from trees harvested from a burned forest in the Sawtooth Mountains. Formed out of molten copper and brass, the unique casts incorporate enlarged militarised elements, giving the sculptures a hybridised aesthetic that is both imposing and intricate.

Matthew Barney: Redoubt was originally organised by the Yale University Art Gallery. 

Please find the full press release for Matthew Barney: Redoubt HERE.

 

Igshaan Adams - Kicking Dust

19 May – 25 July 2021

In May 2021, the Hayward Gallery presents the first solo exhibition in the UK of South African artist Igshaan Adams (b. 1982). The 2018 winner of the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award, Igshaan Adams lives and works in Cape Town. The artist’s cross-disciplinary practice combines aspects of weaving, sculpture and installation whilst exploring concerns related to race, religion and sexuality.

The exhibition consists largely of new work produced during an artist residency Adams undertook at the A4 Foundation in Cape Town and on the occasion of the show. Presented as a single immersive environment with suspended sculptures, large-scale floor based weavings and tapestries hung on the wall, the installation responds to Hayward’s iconic Brutalist gallery space. Each work, and the exhibition as a whole, is composed of multiple patterns that explore the potential of woven material to reflect not only the multiplicities of Adams’ own identity but of broader cultural interchange. 

Please find the full press release for Igshaan Adams: Kicking Dust HERE.

 

Resident Orchestra - London Philharmonic Orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and London Sinfonietta return to the Southbank Centre in March and April for streamed concerts featuring world-renowned conductors and soloists, as well as programming for young people. The events announced today will run to 28 April, with subsequent digital programming from 28 April onwards to be announced in due course. Tickets will be available to the general public from 2pm on Friday 5 March. The London Philharmonic Orchestra presents six concerts filmed by Intersection (formerly Silent Studios) which will be available for audiences to watch for free on Marquee.tv from 24 March. The concerts will be streamed every Wednesday at 8pm from 24 March and will feature conductors Enrique Mazzola, Robin Ticciati and Sir Mark Elder, as well as soloists Steven Isserlis, Denis Kozhukhin and Alexandra Dariescu. Programme details for later concerts will soon be revealed but will include two of the Orchestra’s titled conductors Karina Canellakis and Vladimir Jurowski, who conducts his final concerts at the Royal Festival Hall before stepping into the Conductor Emeritus role.

Tickets will be free for the first seven days after broadcast and concerts will be captured before their premiere date. Full details for the LPO’s upcoming events at the Southbank Centre are available here.

The Philharmonia Orchestra presents two global streams to be presented on the orchestra’s own dedicated channel. On Thursday 25 March, the Philharmonia will be joined by conductor Ryan Bancroft and pianist Paul Lewis for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. On Thursday 1 April, Rory MacDonald will then lead the orchestra for a programme of Tchaikovsky and Sibelius, with Pavel Kolesnikov performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Tickets start at £10 and concerts will be captured before their premiere date. Full details for the Philharmonia’s upcoming Inside Out events at the Southbank Centre are available here.

The London Sinfonietta’s ‘Sound Out Online’ is the orchestra’s annual concert for children and young people and goes online for the first time to bring pupils closer to iconic contemporary music from the past century (22 March). As part of the orchestra’s Composition Challenges scheme, the concert features new works submitted by young people, as the London Sinfonietta continues to inspire a new generation of composers to get creative with classical music. 

This event is free and will be streamed live on YouTube, exclusively for the Southbank Centre on Monday 22 March from 2 – 2.50pm. It is designed for Key Stage 2. Further details are available here.

 

Previously announced online music and literature events as part of Inside Out include Skin (4 Mar), Black Country, New Road (6 Mar), London Contemporary Orchestra (19 Mar), Bell Orchestre (13 Mar), Hanif Abdurraquib (25 Mar), Out-Spoken (28 Mar), Kazuo and Naomi Ishiguro (5 Apr), Olivia Laing (30 Apr) and Jhumpa Lahiri (6 May). Tickets are on sale. Further details are available here. 

Winter Light - Free Open - Air Exhibition 

Winter Light (extended until 28 March) is a free open-air exhibition that enlivens the site’s iconic buildings and the Riverside Walk with luminous, playful and thought-provoking artworks during the darkest months of the year. Featuring a range of leading international artists, Winter Light includes artworks, new commissions and a series of poems that make ingenious use of light, colour and animation whilst touching on diverse concerns. 
At a time when we view so much of the world through digital screens, the artists in this exhibition celebrate how the medium of light can transform our physical spaces. Their artworks also explore ideas about nature, politics and society, gender, aesthetics and the act of looking. Winter Light includes artworks by artists including: Simeon Barclay, David Batchelor, James Clar, Shezad Dawood, Kota Ezawa, Navine G. Khan-Dossos, Suzie Larke, Tala Madani, Tatsuo Miyajima, Louiza Ntourou, Katie Paterson, Jini Reddy, Tavares Strachan, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, Emma Talbot and Toby Ziegler.

Imagine A Story

Coinciding with World Book Day, the Southbank Centre is inviting 40 primary schools to take part in this year’s creative writing project Imagine a Story, giving young children the chance to become published authors. Children’s author Zanib Mian and illustrator Selom Sunu are collaborating on the project, which is open to classes of Key Stage 2 children (years 3 – 6), with online applications closing Sunday 14 March. In this project inspired by a ‘game of consequences’ each school group writes one segment of a creative story based on a framework devised by Zanib Mian (Planet Omar: Operation Kind – published for World Book Day 2021; Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission; Planet Omar: Unexpected Super Spy), the author of brilliant and diverse children’s fiction, who will inspire them to develop their collaborative work in classrooms to support their development and personal wellbeing. 
These chapters will then be combined into a collection of short stories and professionally published by the Southbank Centre, with illustrations by Selom Sunu (Ghost; Patina; Sunny; Lu; Look Both Ways) Zanib Mian and Selom Sunu will read the final stories which will be live-streamed to participating primary school classrooms in July and each child will receive a copy of the published book. In addition, the Southbank Centre’s nationwide participation programme, Art by Post has been shortlisted for "Award for the Best Larger Social Prescribing Project" as part of the Social Prescribing Network Awards. The ceremony is on 4 March with winners to be announced from 3.30 – 5pm.

 

FURTHER EVENT INFORMATION

Inside Out listings here. 

Matthew Barney: Redoubt

19 May – 25 July 2021

Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

Prices: from £12.00 (also includes entry to lower galleries Igshaan Adams: Kicking Dust).

Southbank Centre Members go free

Igshaan Adams: Kicking Dust

19 May – 25 July 2021

Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX,

Prices: from £12.00 (also includes entry to upper galleries Matthew Barney: Redoubt).

Southbank Centre Members go free

The Hayward Gallery new opening times:

11am – 7pm, Wednesday – Saturday

10am – 6pm, Sunday

Closed Monday and Tuesday

Further information:

www.southbankcentre.co.uk / customer@southbankcentre.co.uk

Online pre-booking is essential for everyone, including Southbank Centre Members and members of the press. ID may be requested on arrival for discounted tickets.

Tickets and further information: Tickets will go on sale soon (Southbank Centre Members free)

www.southbankcentre.co.uk / 020 3879 9555

Twitter: @haywardgallery

Instagram: @Hayward.Gallery

Facebook: www.facebook.com/haywardgallery/

Benefit They’re Real Magnet Mascara - My Thoughts

Benefit has launched a new mascara called they're real magnet mascara, as a Benefit fan I really wanted to give this a try as it claims to give up to 40% longer lashes, the mascara wand has a magnetic core built into the extender brush to help draw the product to the end of the lashes.

I started to apply the mascara, I was expecting to feel my lashes being slightly pulled and lifted by the magnetic core making my lashes appear slightly longer, I was slightly disappointed as it didn't give the effect I was expecting, it actually took a couple of coats to get any effect, which was similar to the other Benefit mascaras I have used, but I wouldn't say it gave me 40% longer lashes as it claims.

I found the brush to be a little bit on the larger side as I am used to using benefit Roller Lash or BADgal Bang, They both have thin wand heads with flexible soft bristles. I applied a couple of coats to build up the product, but the bristles felt harder compared to Benefits other mascaras, so I had to take my time to get close to the lash line. The colour has a nice pigment that did last all day, I also didn’t have any problems removing the product at the end of the day, and as always the Benefit packaging looked amazing.

Overall - I am glad that I tried the new mascara and I will carry on using it until its finished, but it defiantly didn't make my lashes feel or look any longer than my usual Benefit mascara BADgal Bang, also as I wasn't that keen on the size of the mascara wand I will stick with my two favourite Benefit mascaras Roller Lash and BADgal Bang.

Mothers Day Gifts With ASDA Photo

I love celebrating Mothers Day, it's a day when we can share just how grateful and special our dear Mothers are, also as Mother myself it nice to feel spoilt for the day. The lovely people from ASDA Photo allowed me to choose an item from their Mothers Day range to treat myself and after this crazy year, it was a very welcomed treat, after having a look on the ASDA Photo website I chose this cute personalised plush cushion.

As I'm currently working mainly from home this cute plush cushion was a must-have for me right now, soft supportive and ever so cosy, it's all mine and I love it.

ASDA Photo Pillow - £26

• 25″ × 14.5″ (64×37cm approx)
• Design printed on one side.
• Padded cushion insert included with zip fastening cover.
• Wash cover inside out at 30 degrees and air dry.

This extra-large rectangle cushion is so soft and plush, you can choose from a range of photo layouts or designs to create the perfect gift. The cushion comes with a beige coloured faux suede backing so it can match any home style or taste.

ASDA Photo has a wonderful range of personalised photographic gifts for every occasion, check out www.asda-photo.co.uk to find this cushion and other Mothers Day gifts.

Rio Pore Perfection - Did It Work For Me?

                       

                                 

I recently purchased the Rio Pore Perfection as it looked like a great at-home salon device that vacuums out congested pores,  I wanted to see if it worked and how my skin would look and feel.

To get started I downloaded the app called pore perfection then washed my face, I plugged the device into my iPad and opened the app, the device has a built-in camera and I could see my pores in real-time, they looked really big due to the 10x magnification I stated with the small head and treatment level one as recommended in the instruction booklet, I moved the device over my skin and I could see spots blackheads and sebum being vacuumed out of my pores, even on level one the vacuum seemed strong enough for me.

I do look after my skin by cleansing twice a daily so I was quite shocked to see that I had all that yucky stuff coming out, I used it for about five minutes I did want to do more as it’s quite addictive and you just want to keep going my face did have some redness after but I washed it again followed by my moisturiser.

I enjoyed using Rio pore perfection and I will continue every week at level one until my skin gets used to it, it has 3 levels of vacuum strength, you don’t have to you the app if you do not want to it also has a blue light built in this targets surface bacteria which cause redness and inflammation the light only works when it is not connected to the app.

I purchased the Mint green option, which is only available at QVC UK it also comes in other colour options grape which is a lovely purple and blush a pretty baby pink colour.

What’s in the box:

Treatment heads 

1x Large full face

1x Small nose area

1x Precision Blackhead extraction 

Protective pouch

USB charging cable

Instruction booklet

Just a quick note you will need to use your phone charging cable to connect to your chosen tablet or device.

RRP £129.99, Last seen on QVC for £115, Very sale offer £110, Studio £94.99.

Missing London Life

Like most, we are missing the normal life we once had, over the past few weeks, we have been taking long walks through London not only to stay active but also check in on each other and catch up, defiantly what we both have needed.

Walking through London now is a million miles away to what it once used to be, the streets are quiet and empty with very few people around, but it really gives you the chance to step back and take in what we have all been through refect and feel the gratitude of life and family.

We walked to Covent Garden the once vibrant market and busy streets were quite, we reminisced about the days we spent there and how much we missed the market the street entertainers and The Transport Museum (they do an awesome breakfast in their cafe).

Our hearts truly are humbled by what we have seen and felt over this past year, taking time to talk and reflect has been a medicine to our souls, we long for busy streets and happy faces, the joy of theatre and peaceful galleries filled with stunning art in all their glory. The smell of coffee and the hustle of the busy coffee shops. We miss London life and cannot wait to feel the joy that you will bring. For now, we will reflect and be patient on the return to life as we once knew it.