Year: 2011

BIC Soleil

BIC Soleil have launched a new campaign called 'Just Live', surrounding four new razors with Shaver grip technology all aimed at different styles of shaving.

I've often had people stare aghast at my hands when I grip pens (apparently 'normal people' use their index fingers whereas I use my trusty 'claw' grip), so happily BIC have created a range to suit more 'unique cases' like me as well as the more eloquent of shavers. I'm quite pleased to hear that the emphasis is on grip too, being that I was forever put off more flimsy disposables after slicing into the top of my thumbs during a routine leg shave one morning. Needless to say, it hurt.

Bella razor

BIC have teamed up with body language expert Dr Jane McCartney to tell you how the way you shave reflects your personality. Apparently my long-studied techique of resting the handle in the palm of my hand 'allows me to shave quickly and efficiently and reflects my direct, driven and pragmatic approach', with the razor most suiting me being the generously sized Bella (see above). To find out more about each product, including which shaver could suit you and the way you defuzz, head to the Just Live Facebook Page.

Of course, a promotion wouldn't be a promotion these days without the giveaways, and BIC are getting chatty with their customers over on their Twitter and Facebook accounts, giving away goodies for ten weeks (including Benefit vouchers) and a cash prize to top off their season of giveaways.  The Competition can be entered here using the simple entry form.

To enforce the idea that BIC Soleil can help you to 'just live' by getting you feeling glam in a few strokes of a razor (my Saturday morning routine is pretty much centred around my shower), BIC has recruited bloggers such as Lauren Loves and Blah Blah Becky to dispense their tips for getting ready for a stress-free Christmas. They've also teamed up with Dorothy Perkins, fashion stylist Hannah Hughes, hairdresser Andrew Barton and make up artist Alana Phillips to give you top style and beauty tips to accompany your silky holiday pins.

Oh yes, and before I forget, they've also asked me too! So keep your eyes peeled to the Facebook page where my tips on feeling confident in the kitchen on Christmas Day – and the traditions and recipes I employ to keep myself feeling festive.

This is a sponsored post, but don't worry – if I don't like it, I won't write about it.

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Turning 23

On December 27 I’ll be 23…

… It’s not considered a landmark year, but the last 12 months have been so erratic, it seems to feel a bit more significant. I’m in my third office in a year (Sky this time, after a great six months at Channel 4) and things are finally settling down a bit. I’m also enjoying being away from my Shoreditch shoebox of a bedroom – Willesden Green has been good to me so far!

However, the settling down bit is scary. Nothing, as ever, is set in stone. I’ve got ten months left of my fixed term contract at Sky so time will tell if I find anything more permanent. I do like experiencing different workplaces – the corporate operator Sky has about 17,500 employees compared to Channel 4’s Public Service Broadcasting 800 (again, approximate). It’s also a very different role to my previous ones.

I’ve not had the chance to podcast recently so I’m hoping to get back to the music in 2012, if there’s a demand for it. I need to get over the North West thing – in Shoreditch I’d go off to gigs and events most evenings but I’m more of a hermit in my new home, perhaps it’s the cold or maybe I’m risking getting too comfortable.

I had one of those epiphanies the other day, the kind that will seem irrelevant to everyone else, where I realised that podcasting and blogging are activites I can pursue independently. I don’t have to rely on anyone else to put my plans into action – but neither to I have to ask anyone. And that’s sometimes dispiriting.

The two things that I’ve loved doing in the past, presenting and music, have required me to find others to help me go further. I can write songs, but I’m scared to play guitar solo, plus I’m not a very advanced player. It’s great to be able to play with others as it makes the whole process more fun, but it’s also nerve wracking to reveal what you’ve written.

The last track I wrote was the first in several months. It’s short and it’s ‘demotastic’; long pauses, Garage band reverb and general poor quality. But it’s the idea that counts, I suppose!

I also would like to move from radio into onscreen presenting. I guess I could do this at home with vlogs but I’d love to film future music interviews and get out and about. Unfortunately this requires assistance so I guess I’ll need to pluck up the courage to start asking people to help out. I’ve always been quite embarrassed to admit how much I enjoy presenting for fear of it changing people’s opinions of me. I enjoy meeting new people, and I like the excuse to find out the hows and whys of music and more – interviewing is the tried and tested method of getting those answers.

Soon, I’ll be revealing my top musicians of the year, so if you’ve got a band you think I should listen to, leave me a comment below.

All I Want for Christmas…

… Ok so maybe not all I want, but as I’ve been shopping around for friends and family (honest!), I keep seeing things I wish I could treat myself to!

Anything by Tatty Devine

I’m a massive fan of innovative perspex jewellery designers Tatty Devine. I used to live around the corner from their Brick Lane store, which was lethal for my bank balance and I had to limit myself to window shopping most of the time. My sister loved the crazy glasses I bought for her birthday, and on special occasions I get out my massive mayor’s chain.

My favourite piece of theirs has always been their classic keyboard necklace. It’s as tinkly-looking as the real thing and, being monochrome, would go with anything. Recent designs I’m also lusting after include the ivy vines necklaces and the honesty seed pod stem necklace.

On another note, how cool are their models? Far from the ethereal editorial types, the girls on the website look like they wear the jewellery on a daily basis – I want to be them!

Original artwork

I’ve just moved to North West London and I’ve finally got a room I want to invest a bit more in – it’s large enough, for a start and it’s a lovely size (unlike my former ‘shoebox’ in Shoreditch). I’ve spent weeks buying things to make it into my own space, with a sofa, rug and coffee tables (inspired by the amazing makeover Dad’s wife, Deb, did on my old bedroom in Goudhurst, I’ve even got candles in the fireplace).  The one thing I haven’t done is successfully screwed my new mirror into the wall… there may have been, ahem, an issue with a drill…

What I’d really like to do now is get some amazing artwork to put up on the walls. Currently I’ve got a framed season three Skins poster that I got whilst I was at Channel 4, but there’s so much bare space it needs more! I’d love something by my friend Brendan Kearney (I gave this brilliant cat print to Deb when I moved back down South). I definitely need to retrieve my Get Frank artwork by Kate Hindley too – It’s one of the best presents I’ve ever received – I’ve never had the chance to hang it somewhere because I’ve moved so much in the last 18 months. Hopefully that will all change now! Anything from Girls Who Draw would make me ecstatic – ditto, Lizz Lunney.

Smelly stuff

As always, I’m craving bits and bobs from Lush – we don’t have a bath in my new flat but their hand creams, shower gels and hair products are still high in my estimation. Perfume-wise, I’m missing my lunchtime trips to House of Fraser with the Channel4.com Lifestyle girls (Abi, Annabel and Emma… oh and Tom as well, if he insists!). We used to casually stroll through the perfume section, spritzing ourselves in preparation for the afternoon – my scents of choice being Lola or Oh Lola! by Marc Jacobs. I do love good old fashioned nostalgia!

Xbox games

Now I’ve set up home with my beanbag and Xbox, I’m in dire need of new games to play on it. I’m keen to get my mits on the latest Tekken, Skyrim and LA Noire.

Drink!

Now, I don’t mean to sound like an alcoholic but… I really want a cocktail cabinet and things to go inside it! Stop judging me – it’ll be for your benefit when you pop round for a mojito or two.

Togs, clogs and face paint

I’m obsessing over Topshop and Zara. One can never go wrong with Mac.

In essence, I want something for my neck, something for my walls, something for occupying my brain and something for my face! What are you hoping for this year?

The Groupon Experience

Not too long before I changed jobs and moved house I was approached by bargain voucher website Groupon, who wondered if I’d be up for trying out one of their offers and writing about it.

I originally discovered Groupon from one of those site popups – which is usually enough to put me off investigating further. However, the popularity of the website is now growing and the number of people I know that use the service has greatly increased – my new manager at Sky is one of their biggest fans!

Alongside national deals, the site runs vouchers for local businesses all over Britain. You can browse the site for new daily deals based on your chosen location (such as West London) and also subscribe to daily updates so you can find out about deals as soon as they’re launched. Offers vary from cosmetic procedures (dental implants, laser lipo and high-end hair removal solutions) to dining deals and domestic bargains (beanbags, for example). All deals are heavily discounted, with some offering up to a whopping 90% off!

Unlike other voucher sites, you pay for the deal on the Groupon site and either register your code online at the relevant website (if it’s a product rather than service or experience), or print out the voucher and take it with you to whatever you’ve bought. You’ll also need to book if it’s restaurant/salon related.

Groupon also run incentives to get more users active on the site – by successfully recommending friends to the site, users can currently earn £6 credit for redeeming on vouchers on the site – so if you recommend ten friends, that’s £60 for you to spend.

Having finally settled into my new place in Willesden Green, I decided to finally take Groupon up on their offer and see how far the £20 credit would go. Having my friend Charlie‘s housewarming to attend I took a gamble on a £19 KMS conditioning treatment, cut and blow-dry at Gregory’s Hair and Beauty salon in Northfields. Payment with my code was swift and easy and I was instructed that my voucher would be available the next day (once the deal had closed). An email arrived in my inbox the next morning completed with the aforementioned voucher so I sent a message to the Gregory’s, who rang me back a mere hour or so later to book me in. Amazingly, I was able to get an appointment for the next day. Not-so-amazingly I forgot that the Picadilly Line would be closed and I’d need to get a bus replacement service to Northfields…

Pesky travel issues aside, everything else about the experience was entirely plain sailing. My stylist Paula washed my hair, put the conditioning treatment on and sat me under one of those retro heaters for several minutes with a cup of tea and a magazine – bliss!

The results of my blow dry

After a quick trim, Paula asked how I’d like my hair dried. I decided to go against poker straight, but also tend to get disastrous results when hairdressers attempt to dry my hair into its natural curly style (they usually use too little product and go big on the frizz), so I asked for something slightly wavy.

My hair is quite coarse when straightened so it never looks perfectly glossy (Cheryl Cole-like one might say), but overall I was genuinely happy with the results. I did have to overload on products once I got home to try and keep the frizz at bay, which wasn’t entirely successful, but the cut itself was fantastic and has gone smoothly back to curls once washed.

Back to my curly 'roots'

At the salon, Paula how the salon became involved with Groupon. It seems that there’s quite a lot of interest in being featured on the site and the company asks many questions of the businesses apply. This could be to maintain quality control, to make sure that the deals sell and are worth hosting or a combination of the two (and more reasons besides). Ultimately, Groupon has been brilliant for Gregory’s. They’ve been featured multiple times with different treatments and have gained plenty of satisfied new customers. They also offer all Groupon customers the same treatment, at the same cost, for life.

Needless to say, I’ll be going back to both the salon and to Groupon!

Have you tried Groupon? What are your experiences of the site? Let me know below or send me a Tweet.

Stories Beat Stuff UK

Even though I’ve not had a telly, it’s been hard for me to miss the recent vibrant campaigns from Tourism New Zealand.

Arguably, New Zealand is one of those dream destinations – a place that most would go to, but most would also see as beyond their reach or means. Tourism New Zealand often run competitions on their Facebook page – a recent one asking users to ‘match the emotion’ to a series of images from the country. Needless to say, I hit the ‘like’ button before you could say ‘Lord of the Rings’.

The latest campaign from Tourism New Zealand requires a bit more effort than the aforementioned example. Stories Beat Stuff is a competition that requires would-be adventurers to submit an image or video depicting what they’d trade for a trip of a lifetime in New Zealand. (See the rather enthusiastic example below for inspiration!) It’s all about the memories and the tales you’ll be able to tell into your old age.

Up for grabs are two experiences; Summer Rhythm will see a lucky winner and their friend/lover/relative (the choice is entirely theirs!) whisked over to NZ for two weeks. There, they’ll road trip it across the coast line and end things at the three-day Rhythm and Vines festival – and because it’s the other side of the world, it’ll be summer too – so you can camp without fear of chilling your toes off! The other experiences is being touted as ‘Beaches and Boats’, a luxury, sand and sun soaked January break packed with opportunities to sunbathe, swim with dolphins and party ’til dawn.

For more details about the competition, click here.

Having not had a holiday for over five years now, I’m intending on going all-out on the campaign trail to win the Summer Rhythm package. I had a big, long think about what I would trade – and what is most precious to me (shoes, guitar, computer and my recent discount IKEA sofa all came to mind!). Eventually I made the following video:

Basically one of the reasons I’ve not been on holiday is, aside from a financial issue, a big time thing. I’ve moved around the country, worked in three different offices in the last year and had more housemates than I can name (probably). I guess I’ve had work-related blinkers on, seeing it as a necessary route to survival and have hardly had time for anything – or anyone. The opportunity to spend two incredible weeks, packing more adventure than ever before, is hard to resist! The fact I’d get to spend it with a friend makes it even more special.

So that’s what I’d give… my time!

Ok, ok! I know what you’re thinking – you’d give your time for the holiday! You’d work… on the holiday? Well potentially, yes. I could be an ambassador for Britain or Tourism New Zealand, representing the Tourism New Zealand website  (which is a-may-zing by the way… check out the flickbook-style podcards as you scroll down the page). I’d also give up my time over here, working for charity or doing as requested – I’ll even put it in the hands of people who comment on my video entry, or Twitter or even this blog post.

The competition is open now and closes on the 31st – but don’t worry, the campaign will be running for the next 12 months and they’ll be plenty more opportunities to win over on the Tourism New Zealand Facebook page.

So will you be entering? Or have you got an idea for what I should give up my time to do? Let me know, as always, below…

This is a Sponsored Post – but don’t worry, if I don’t like it, I won’t write about it!

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All Quiet on the South West Front

It’s my last day at Channel 4… Again!

I really hope to be back one day, but for now I’m heading off to Sky to work as an Online Editor. I’m not going to lie – I haven’t got much of an idea what I’ll be doing there, but I imagine it’s similar to being an Online Producer!

I’ve been running around london with my friend Tash for the past couple of weeks attempting to find a well-located flat (without damp or peeling wallpaper) where I can commute to West London from but it’s been an absolute nightmare. Properties go so fast – and for so much money – that we’re getting quite desperate. In one week I will technically we homeless. However, I’m lucky that I have a friend who said he’ll put me up for a while (thanks, Tom!).

Another issue I’ve found is that all of the agencies aren’t limited in what they can charge tenants – and what for. With such a limited market at this current time they can do whatever they like and there’s no regulation. One agency told us they charged admin fees of £175 per person (Dexter’s), another a week and a half’s rent (so that’s £450 if you’re looking at £300pw – I’m looking at you Ludlow Thompson) and others charge multiple fees – Haart charges £242 per property, plus £70-something in ‘referencing fees’ per person and then £130 for an inventory charge at the end of your tenancy.

And here’s the thing; agents are under a legal obligation to protect the deposit, they’ll give you a pretty standard contract with a few details changed (such as the landlord’s name) for the contract and they technically have to do an inventory too. How that’s worth so much is beyond me – I understand that they have a business to run but it prices new professionals out of the market.

I was going to put an offer in for a place with Tash that we found with Haart. This was a great little two bed in the Clapham area priced at £285pw between us.

Then we had to factor in the charges per person:

£121 property admin

£72 referencing fees

£926.25 (half of the deposit, which was six weeks’ rent)

£617.50 in rent upfront (for one month)

Grand total per person = £1,736.75

Ultimate total = £3,473.50

(I think it’s safe to say that that’s nigh on impossible for a recent graduate.) I have been housesharing for a long time and it would be nice to live with a friend I’ve known prior to moving in – but perhaps it won’t work out this time.

Back to the houseshare websites I go…

Get Frank Podcast: The One with Tom Williams

The other day I finally got my act together and hot-footed it over to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire to see Slow Club play their biggest ever headline gig.

Not only was it a massive deal for the Sheffield two-piece, but it was also a dream come true for my podcast interviewee this month, Tom of Tom Williams and the Boat.

I first met Tom whilst working as a BBC Blast reporter in Kent, and have seen them perform in tiny local venues and bigger platforms such as the Avalon stage at Glastonbury. In the podcast, Tom chats to me about what the gig means to him and the band, the success of their debut album Too Slow and what to expect from the imminent follow-up.

Also featured on this month’s podcast are haunting new duo The Kindling, Bird, one of Liverpool’s most exciting songwriters, experimental acoustic artist Daughter, Get Frank favourite Oaken Lee and former Amazing Folk Roots act Urusen. There’s also a spot for vibrant ska-band By the Rivers, who are soon to embark on a UK tour in support of The Specials.

Listen to the podcast here – and check out the contact page for details of how to get involved with the next one!

Nichole de Carle: Undercover Luxury

A couple of weeks ago I became very popular with a number of my male friends.

The reason for this sudden interest was not, as you’d expect, due to my general fabulousness (shock, horror!), but because I’d been invited to the press launch for the new collection from top lingerie designer Nichole de Carle.

'Westminster' bra, brief and braces

Nichole’s high-concept, beautifully constructed designs caught my attention when I first saw them featured by Queen Michelle on the Kingdom of Style blog. Featuring braces, curves and bold cuts, the underwear seemed to achieve something in lingerie that I’d not come across before; stunning, daring underwear that felt feminine in its complexity rather than fetishist.

The past twelve months have been incredibly exciting for the label and the future is looking even brighter. The designs have appeared on many a famous figure, including Nicole Scherzinger and the girls from The Saturdays, and on the day I visited the pop up store at The Lingerie Collective, one basque was being borrowed for a shoot for an international superstar – I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say who, but rack your brains and you might be able to guess, the label is a perfect match for her.

Emily of Nichole de Carle teams her Westminster braces with simple daywear for a quirky edge

Nichole’s also become a familiar face on British television, having had her work featured on the E4 shows Great British Hairdresser and the recent Dirty Sexy Things. Her sister, the lovely Charlotte de Carle (and arguably the breakout female star of the latter show), serves of the face of the brand. Nichole is now  venturing overseas and will soon be featured on the Dutch version of Great British Hairdresser and Russia’s Next Top Model.

Charlotte wears the Chateau Villette

The label gained favourable press attention earlier this year after it was featured in a list of Selfridges’ must-have Christmas gifts for 2011. The product that hit the headlines back in July is  The Diamond Brief Collection; several different shapes of knickers featuring a Coster-produced ‘Brilliant Cut’ diamond set in sold sterling silver by Salima Hughes Jewellery.

The Diamond Brief

The party invite I received to celebrate the launch of the latest luxury Nichole de Carle pieces took place on the eve of London Fashion Week at The Lingerie Collective in central London. Feeling I should embrace my feminine side in celebration of the brand, I donned a pencil skirt and abandoned my usual massive choice of bag for a vintage market find, my lucky housemate Simen in tow.

Going Underground: Skirt by Zara, top by Forever 21

The party itself was packed full of fashiony types (that I always feel slightly hopeless around!) Lucky there Jude’s Icecream and amazing Iceberg Vodka to keep my confidence crisis underwraps and my focus elsewhere! It was also brilliant to catch up with Charlotte, having produced the E4 site for Dirty Sexy Things and to meet brilliant bloggers and photographers such as the stunning Emily of Fashion Politics and the very talented Poppie Ellis Clinch (whose portfolio is truly stunning).

It’s enough to make me want to compete on The Apprentice and get a high powered job… be still my empty underwear drawer!

The Show: Redefinition

Birmingham's Bullring Centre has always sought to be at the forefront of technological developments.

When I worked at the lovely Created in Birmingham shop at the Bullring over a year ago, I remember Chris Unitt telling me how he'd been working with the centre to help them establish a reputation as the most tech-savvy mall in Europe. As the Bullring is also a hotspot for roadshow events such as Britain's Next Top Model, Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance and Gok's Fashion Fix, it appears apt that it should look to blend large scale events with their technological ambition.

The Show: Redefinition has been described in the mysterious video below as a 'breathtaking collaboration between fashion and technology'. In a nutshell, the idea is to showcase eight hot looks for the new fashion season using a combination of real and 3D 'volumetric' models and holographics, including 2010 BNTM winner Tiffany Pisani (and anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I'm a Next Top Model obsessive!) There're rumours of another special guest in the works, but the Bullring are keeping it zipped for the time being.

The show itself will be part of Style Birmingham Live, an event that once led to my friend being hauled onstage by Trinny and Susannah, being stripped of her things behind a makeshift quilt – held up by fellow 'victims' no less – and made over into a party girl (she's an Oxford scholar).
 

Despite the show not turning its audience into virtual catwalkers, it will be showing you where you can shop to recreate the looks and will include garments from Reiss, COS, French Connection and my current favourite Forever 21. You'll also be able to create the hair and make-up by paying a visit to Regis (in Debenhams) and The Body Shop.

Being a fashion telly show junkie, I'm most excited by the prospect of behind-the-scenes videos, which may even give away a few hints about how the effects used in the show were produced. If you can't make the show itself they'll also be style guides based around the looks in the show, revealing exactly how you can reinvent yourself as a Hollywood siren or a gothic beauty.

The run of shows kicks off on Friday and, if you missed the chance to enter the Bullring's VIP ticket competition, you'll still be able to catch a glimpse of the action by watching from the balconies overlooking the Lower West Mall at the following times:

Friday 23rd September: 10.30am, 1pm, 3pm, 5.30pm

Saturday 24th September: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm

Sunday 25th September:  11.30am, 1pm, 3pm

Also, despite the competition being closed, I was having a cheeky browse of the Bullring Birmingham website when I discovered the Rewards page which is amazing – there's currently a Dune discount offer going on (shoe heaven)!

So will you be going? Have you got a coveted VIP seat? I expect your updates via Twitter please!

For more information, take a look here: http://www.browsebullring.co.uk/fasion-news/the-show-redefinition/

 

This is a sponsored post but don't worry – if I don't like it, it wouldn't appear on here!

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