Tuesday 2 June 2015

What a difference a year makes: Felicity Kendal goes au natural after scrapping Botox



SHE revealed she'd 'given up' having Botox last year and Felicity Kendal stepped out looking fresh-faced and natural yesterday.

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Trek America Day 1 - 3

trek america tour review zion
trek america tour review

Believe it or not Im struggling to remember what the first few nights in America were like. It genuinely feels like so long ago but it was only two weeks ago I left for the states. It's kinda crazy. If you didn't know a couple of weeks ago I headed off on a Trek America Trip to visit some of the national parks in the states and soak of some American Culture. I'd never been to the US before until late last year and that was only New York so heading to the opposite coast was always going to be a bit different!

So I ended up staying out all night on the Saturday before I flew. I was hungover and a huge mess by the time I reached the airport on the Sunday morning but I was determined to make the best of my experience. No hangovers are going to be ruining this trip!

The flight over there was easy as anything. Me, Evan and Steve sat together and chatted our way through a 10 hour flight which included Evan getting tipsy within the first two hours and then spilling food everywhere. It’s nice to go away with people that just get what you do. I’ve been on a Contiki before with “regular” people (I know I sound like an asshole, but you know what I mean!) as well as on a Contiki with a bunch of other bloggers and to be honest both have their pros and cons. Having common ground makes it so much easier to make friends with people though. Luckily I knew a few people going on the trip already but it was awesome meeting a bunch of new people who did the same kinda stuff as you.

Vegas was a stereotypical blur. We stayed in the old strip near Fremont Street which was fun. Me, Hannah and Steve ended up staying out way too late and drinking way too much which was the cause of sore heads in the morning. Little did we know it was going to be nothing like our last night in Vegas… That was something else.

trek america tour review zion
trek america tour review zion

From Vegas we headed over to Zion National Park where we would be thrown in the deep end and be camping for two nights solid. Now if you’ve seen my packing video then you’d be safe to assume we thought it was going to be warm. The agency had told us it’d be warm so we took their word for it. Boy did we goof here! It was absolutely freezing in the evenings and drizzled most days!

trek america tour review zion
trek america tour review zion
trek america tour review zion
trek america tour review

Our first Trek was to be the Emerald Pools Trail. This is one of Zion's most popular trails and certainly set us up for the trek's we'd be under taking over the rest of the trip. I found that this hike was pretty easy but found the whole trail itself a little underwhelming. It was pretty but there was no big pay off at the end like some of the other hike's we did during our time Stateside. It was a pretty short hike though but got our blood pumping and ready to go!

trek america tour review
trek america tour review
trek america tour review

The above photo is my favourite photo I think I took on the whole trip. I wish the sky wasnt so blown out but the only way I could have got it back was to Photoshop it in but then I felt like it would have lost some of it's authenticity.

After the hike we were tired, hot and a bit sweaty so headed back to our campsite to set up. Me and Corrie did a boss job of putting up our tent. For two "beauty guru's" we sure did good when it came to camp set ups! Our first Campsite was really nice and it even had two heated pools and a slide which we all joyfully played in like children. Camp life is fun but basic, the food was absolutely fine - we cooked ourselves and then had beers around the campfire. It was nice. But like I said this first night was SO cold. Unbelievably cold, none of us were really prepared for how cold it was going to get and we all awoke grumpy and craving sugary American Cereal.

trek america tour review
trek america tour review
trek america tour review
trek america tour review
trek america tour review

However within hours it started to warm up and we set ourselves up to hike Angels Landing. Now this was a bit of an epic Trek for us n00bs. A 5 mile steep climb including a 1/4 of a mile which was ropeways and chains attached to rocks with sheer drops either side. When you see my vlog from the trip you will totally get where Im coming from and see what I mean a little better. There was no chance I was trying to take photos with my SLR some of these tiny walkways! They were unbelievably hard to get across.

trek america tour review
trek america tour review

It was pretty terrifying actually but when I reached the top with Hannah and Emma we were all so proud of how far we'd come. We sat on what felt like the top of the world and reflected on life. It was really awesome. Pictures really don't do any of the places I visited here in America justice. I really hope I captured them the best I could! I have loads more to share over the next few days so keep checking back for more updates (:





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Tower Bridge wedding photo: Photographer seeks newlywed couple after snapping romantic pic



AN amateur photographer who snapped a picture of a newly married couple in London over the weekend is seeking the pair.

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FFG Eats: The Yauatcha City Experience

Yauatcha in Soho has long been one of my favourite restaurants in London. There is a charm to this jam packed little culinary delight that has seen me return more times, since its opening ten years ago, than I can mention. But truly, it was the food that kept me walking through the doors, credit card at the ready, every time. Yauatcha is by no means a London cheap eat, but it has always been worth every penny I've had to spend there and never have I left disappointed by what was on offer. When it comes to Dim Sum, Yauatacha has always been "the place". 

At the moment, however, "the place", geographically speaking, in London seems to the The City. Everything we know and love about Soho is shifting East, or are at least opening second homes in the square mile. Yauatcha is the latest to jump on the banker bandwagon. Opening in the heart of The City, Yauatcha has officially become a chain with the addition of the Broadgate Circle restaurant to the group. And what a restaurant it is. It is truly an architectural moment, as you can see from the photo above. It also happens to be one of the hottest new locations in the city, situated quite literally at the heart of several financial offices. Men and women in suits are literally staring out their windows salivating as they shift billions of dollars around the world. That's just smart thinking on Yauatcha's part.

Yauatcha Broadgate Circle does feel different. It's bigger, has a lot of twists and turns, is brighter and definitely has a lot more suits sitting from table to table. The suits don't bother me. My own Mr. FFG is a suit and joined me at the table for dinner. He's one of those I mentioned overlooking the restaurant by day and seems to know just about everyone in the restaurant as we sit down. As he says- "A lot of guys from work on Tinder dates here tonight." I find this incredibly interesting and as I look around I realize he is right. This isn't so much suits after work, this is a place that has drawn people from all over London, whether on dates or just after work catchups. We greet couples there with their wives, work colleagues that have invited their friends from West London to join them in celebrating this new opening of Yauatcha, and more. It seems to be a sort of London melting pot and that does indeed add charm to a new sort of Yauatcha for me.

Of course the reason people go to Yauatcha is for the food, and the restaurant was true to its Soho roots with many of the same favourite dishes on offer. The Baked Venison Puff (which sadly never made it me on the night), Char Sui Bun and all the delicious dumplings are all still available to be rediscovered in a new place. There are even some new dishes added to the menu to celebrate the new opening, and they certainly don't disappoint - like the Wagyu Beef Bun, yummy! 

Sure there are still a few teething problems being worked out at Yauatcha City, but this is more on the service side of things and not at all from the perspective of the delicious food. This is, after all, a large machine catering to quite the captive audience at the moment. And if reservations are anything to go by (it's nearly impossible to get a table), Yauatcha is already claiming success. Get in there early, folks, if you're hoping to score a table! And just to get you a little more excited about what lies ahead... some teasers... FOOD! 

Broadgate Circle 
London EC2M 2QS






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Your Daily Shop: Golden Cactus Earrings

Have you noticed that Cacti are everywhere? Ok, yes I know as a plant they are, and have been for a while - everywhere. However, when it comes to fashion they've recently taken up a bit of a permanent residence in people's minds in everything from prints in dresses to home decor. 

A cactus doesn't have to rule your wardrobe, it's more about subtle touches. Take these Cactus Earrings (£25.30 / $35), for example. They are a little accessory that pack a big trendy punch for an everyday wardrobe. Just saying! 




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Monday 1 June 2015

Meet the men (and women) who are paid to take a bullet for their bosses



CLAD in dark suits and with eyes constantly darting around they are like shadows.

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Does exercise have to be a race against time? No, says Sam Murphy



THE comment I hear most often in women who have started running in their 40s, 50s and 60s is: “I wish I’d done this years ago.”

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Sarah-Jane Crawford: "My breast cancer scare was a real wake up call"



AS SHE waited for the call to find out whether she had landed her first high-profile TV role Sarah-Jane Crawford should have been on top of the world.

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Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff danced her way out of poverty in Russia



BEHIND THE hyperglamorous veneer of the dancer known as the Siberian Siren, is a sensitive, self-made woman who knew real poverty while growing up in a remote region of Russia.

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EXCLUSIVE: Vanessa White talks Tough Mudder, diets and The Saturdays



SHE'S one fifth of the biggest girl band in the UK but that doesn't mean Vanessa White is all glittery high heels and no substance - as she's about to prove.

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Becoming a mother at 30 may not be possible, says Vanessa Feltz



I AM all for telling it like it is. I don’t hold with white-wash or fudging facts.

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Own an Apple iPhone? Some MAJOR changes could be coming next week



APPLE'S annual developer conference – WWDC – is one week today. And there could be some MAJOR changes for the iPhone on the way.

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