Saturday 18 July 2015

Winter's tails: Get ready for a big night out



TWO BEADY eyes glistening in the gloom of a soggy, sodden morning stopped me dead in my squelchy tracks.

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Young Winston Churchill's Cuban adventure



MORE than 7,000 miles from home and with a volley of bullets ripping through the air just over his head, there were certainly more conventional ways to celebrate turning 21

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Spitting image: Meet the man who makes a living being David Beckham



ALONG the seafront in Eastbourne locals and tourists stumble to a standstill, their mouths ajar in disbelief at the celebrity in their midst.

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Tech News Recap: Britons' DISGUST over WhatsApp BAN, Apple Pay launches in UK



ALL THE biggest technology news from the past week, including – Apple debuts its Apple Pay tap-to-pay system in 250,000 stores in the UK, EU law threatens to quash Prime Minister David Cameron mandatory online PORN filters, Windows 10 final retail packaging is leaked online and MUCH MORE.

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Taste of London Food Festival

SHOP THE POST:


Im no stranger to a Food Festival. I grew up in Ludlow, the self proclaimed foodie capital of the UK which has a huge slow food culture and is known for it's iconinc yearly food festival. Zoe asked me if I wanted to head over to Taste of London with her which is pretty much the same deal. Some of London's best restaurants and food producers were there to show off their wares and impress a eagar (and hungry) public!
The currency of the day were paper 'crowns', which we were supposed to use to pay for all the items we ate that day. I felt the crowns were annoying and pointless and such a waste of paper when money could have easily crossed hands on the day. You could only buy crowns in packs of 10, with most plates being around the £4-£5 mark it was quite annoying. Plus those buying beers and wines would be handing over a considerably amount more of silly paper crowns! I think I spent about £20 that day on very little food and some over priced drinks. Then again Im a Londoner and spend at least £20 on a meal out whenever I go out!

The event cost £25 to get in for the day, but then you had to pay for all the food and drink on top of that. I'd imagined It'd be more like the Ludlow Food Festival where traders offer a lot of samples and try before you buy type things. It's worth noting that there was some free iced tea, which me and Zoe happily sampled and funnily enough ended up being the only things we bought on the day. She bought it there but I ended up waiting till I got home and ordering as I didn't want to carry the stuff around. I just think it was worth noting how the things we tried were things we ended up buying!

Being newly vegan there wasn't really much on offer that I could eat really which was a shame. Although Im well aware my eating habits are probably not the type that would attend this type of event anyway so Im not going to bash them on that. I ended up having some noodles, falafel and hummus, as well as some AMAZING grilled Aubergine and harissa with coconut cream. I need to try and recreate that at home!

Overall it was a lovely event but incredibly over priced for what it was. I guess the high price tag attracts a certain class of punter but I felt it was way too expensive for what it was. All in all it was a lovely day out and we had such a nice sunny afternoon in merry London!





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On demand beauty? There's an app for that...

So, let me set the scene. At 1pm on a Friday, two weeks ago, I dragged my 50 pound suitcase up two flights of stairs in Los Angeles, having just arrived after an 11 hour flight from London that was anything but glamourous. Alright, I'm just going to call it like I see it - I looked and felt like a dragon lady. It wasn't pretty, and no, not like the dragon lady from Game of Thrones - glamourous bitch. I'm describing a woman who is beaten and defeated. I needed a bed ASAP. Only it's a bad, very bad, idea to go to bed straight off the plane. You have to get yourself into the time zone as soon as possible. You MUST stay awake. In an attempt to stick to our guns at staying awake, my travelling buddy and I decided to try out a beauty and wellness app we had heard a lot about called Priv.

The week before our arrival we decided we would indulge in a three part spa adventure. We would have two Priv spa experts come and give us each massages and two additional women for manicures and pedicures. Yes, they were coming to our home - well, our Airbnb. One hour after our arrival in the house and we were in separate rooms (no, this wasn't a couples massage) getting the plane journey rubbed right off. Naturally, I fell asleep on the table, snored like an elephant and even left a pool of dribble on the floor. Here's hoping these ladies aren't avid FFG readers - how embarrassing. 

The massage therapist gently woke me from my super slumber, as she needed to pack up and leave, and I all but told her I wanted her to move in for the rest of the week. Hands down, this was one of the best massages I've ever had. If you're in LA and download the Priv app - see if you can score an appointment with Paola Micozzi. I've made her a favourite, so now anytime I'm in LA, and she becomes available, I'll get a notification. This is both handy and very dangerous, but just another great perk of the app. 

Paolo left me. I wept a bit into my kleenex and then the doorbell rang. Olina, my manicurist, was waiting downstairs. Now that is just some handy timing. Of course I knew she was coming as I had an alert on my phone that she was just a few minutes away. This is like uber for beauty. 

Manicure down, pedicure in progress and my entire body feeling relaxed as a marshmallow, I sat back and wrote a big note on my content calendar for July. It went a little something like this - TELL FFGers TO DOWNLOAD PRIV. And so here we are and here I'm writing. 

So, what is there left to say? Well, for starters, you can book all of the following in your house with Priv specialists: Blow-dry, haircut, nails, manicure, pedicure, massage, shave, spray tan, makeup and fitness. At the moment, the app is working in New York, Los Angeles, Austin and London. But, they are growing and expanding at a pretty exciting rate. So make sure to download the app and you'll get a notification when they are up and running in your local city. 

I'll leave you now and let you have a nose around the app. Let me know how it goes. I'm an addict. This could be bad news for all involved. If no further blog posts appear, it's because I'm in a spa daze that has no end in sight. 




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Corrie's Sarah Harding: On my first day of filming I had to give Kate Ford a good slap



GIRLS ALOUD star Sarah Harding creates havoc when she arrives in Coronation Street as wronged wife Joni Preston.

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Rock the boat: Nautical fashion for the summer



MAKE waves in summer’s cool nautical styles.

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Accessorise, Debenhams and Phase Eight: The best red and gold things we want this week



THERE'S something for every budget in this week's must-haves.

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Konnie Huq on new game show King Of The Nerds: I’m very much on the nerd spectrum



EX-BLUE PETER presenter Konnie Huq reveals why a new game show for geeks is right up her street.

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Celebrity MasterChef's Gregg Wallace: Winners learn fast



WHO'S going to be crowned Celebrity MasterChef? We ask Gregg Wallace.

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Dive into the blue: The 8 best ocean-inspired beauty products



MAKE A splash with marine ingredients and ocean-inspired beauty treats.

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Hollyoaks' Stephanie Waring: I'm on a plant-based diet and my skin’s glowing



FORMER Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring, 37, reveals her favourite beauty tricks...

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Party pieces: Fabulous fast food recipes



ENTERTAINING friends or family? Treat them to fabulous fast food.

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Spectacular blooms: Alan Titchmarsh's tips on growing hydrangeas in your garden



THEY CAN look spectacular with big, showy blooms, but hydrangeas need a lot of water and TLC in summer.

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Where are they now... ? The golden shot’s Anne Aston



ANNE ASTON became television’s Golden Girl when she appeared as a hostess on the game show The Golden Shot with Bob Monkhouse. She also did pantomimes, plays and worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment.

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Gabby Logan: My husband keeps telling me I should be on MasterChef



FLOCKSTARS presenter Gabby opens up about parenting, juggling career and family and future plans....

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Friday 17 July 2015

Historic Daily Express car up for auction



Car that drove to Australia as part of Daily Express-supported race in 1968 goes under the hammer

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Win a BBQ and a stash of Old Jamaica



UPGRADE your summer with Old Jamaica. For your chance to upgrade your summer courtesy of Old Jamaica enter below

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Wild flowers transform Everton Park in campaign backed by Grow Wild



GROW Wild has transformed Everton Park in Liverpool with stunning wild flowers and has invited the city to help them celebrate the transformation.

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A palace fit for a king (literally): King Constantine II's London £10.95m mansion for sale



IT'S one of London's finest pieces of architecture - and it could be yours, for a rather grand price.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 LEAKED in Amazon listing



THE Samsung Galaxy Note 5 appears to have been LEAKED on an Amazon product listing – months before its official release.

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