Happy Birthday to The Bloggers Hangout and a Very Merry Unbirthday to Me

             The Bloggers Hangout, which organizes events for bloggers to connect with one another and with brands, turned three years old this June. To celebrate, they threw a three-day long summery “birthday party” at The Strand Gallery. I attended on a scorching Friday and was gifted some gorgeous goodies.

The Perfume Shop

             I adore perfume. It’s like I’m spritzing myself with confidence and femininity every time I reach for one of my (many) bottles. It’s the ultimate luxury, yet for many women it has become a necessity – the finishing touch for any outfit.

             This luscious setup from The Perfume Shop (seen in the above two photos) was like the Garden of Eden spread out before me. Although I knew I shouldn’t touch, the temptation was all too much to resist, especially in the form of DKNY’s new neon green apple-shaped bottle for their Be Delicious fragrance. This is the modern-day fruit of good and evil and I gave in to the serpent (except in this case, the serpent was nothing more than my poor self-control). After being lured, there was no turning back. I went spray-happy, wafting all of the new testers under my nose.

             I have my favorite scents, but there’s always room for one more. When is it acceptable to start writing my Christmas list?

DinkiBelle

             After Nadia Theron suffered severe nail damage and found that she was allergic to certain chemicals in nail polish, she set out to find a solution, and DinkiBelle was born. The brand’s nail wraps operate on the “five free” philosophy, which means all of the wraps are free from the nasty chemicals formaldehyde, diabutyl phthalate, toluene, camphor and formaldehyde resin.

             I am notoriously impatient, in life generally, but especially when it comes to my nails. It’s frustrating to paint them and have them chip off the very same day, or smudge them when I just need to turn the television channel (I'd probably already seen that episode of Dinner Date). That’s why I tend to opt for my beloved fake nails (claws, if you will) or gel manicures. Although, I’m currently giving my nails a breather, because every time I get them done, I’m met with the comment, “Your nails are so weak.” DinkiBelle could be just the thing I need to be kind to my nails, and they last up to 14 days, which is just as good as any gel polish!

             I chose the Sea Foam Sparkle nail wraps, as the glitzy teals and turquoises with splashes of purple and sky blue reminded me of rippling waves. It really was as simple as prepping my nails, sticking on the nail wraps, and then shaping them! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on more of the unique designs, as the number of outfits and occasions they would suit is endless. Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, especially when it looks as pretty (and sparkly) as this.

Nailed it (and even color coordinated)!

Sass & Belle

             Sass & Belle was first established in 2009 in Covent Garden, named after the founder Richard Stone’s two daughters. It’s a perfect fit for the gift and homeware brand, because it reminds us of our childhood happiness, silliness, and colorfulness, which might have become dulled with the responsibilities of adulthood. Sass & Belle self-proclaims, “We endeavor to create beautiful products you may have never known you wanted.” Now that we do know they exist, we want them – desperately.

            How cute are these tropical trinkets? Sipping a cold beverage (juice, lemonade, a cocktail, you name it!) from the palm tree glass means that summer has well and truly arrived. Or, at least I can trick myself into thinking it has. I hope that the only umbrella I'll be needing soon is a mini paper one that garnishes my cocktail! Filing my nails with a parrot, of all things, means answering the question, "Who's a pretty girl?" has never been easier. 

             With the 5p plastic bag charge, as silly as it sounds, I have thought of ridiculous ways to avoid it ever since the law was introduced. Whether that means stacking everything I’ve bought into a teetering tower as I waddle my way home, or loading up my handbag, it would probably just be easier to give in and buy a bag or two. That’s where Sass & Belle comes in. I’m all for recycling and limiting the amount of waste we use, which is why this bumblebee reusable tote is a sweet (and smart) shopping companion. When you open up the bag, the bee becomes the focal point of the bag’s design, with flowers sprinkled along the bottom, and the words “BUSY BEE” spelled out from the bee’s trail. Fellow shoppers, feel free to be envious.  

T-tox

             Before we had matcha donuts, ice cream, cheesecakes, cakes, brownies, and marshmallows in a food trend that has only gone from strength to strength, it was known humbly as powdered green tea. Matcha is a superfood, although I’m not sure the same can be said for all of those tasty treats I just mentioned. The tea boosts the body’s metabolism, burns calories, increases energy levels, and lessens fatigue, along with a whole host of other added health benefits.

             Managing Director of T-tox, Johnny Harris, has been working as a personal trainer and sports therapist for the past 15 years. He was on site, serving up “shots” of matcha – chilled. Typically, the powder is whisked with hot water in a bowl to create a frothy tea. Harris mixed his with cold water and suggested adding coconut water as another alternative. In warm weather, you don’t necessarily want your drink to also be warm, so this minor alteration makes perfect sense and tastes great!

             It means you can trade in your usual water bottle at the gym for one of T-tox’s glass shakers. You can create your tea on the go, while the neoprene sleeve keeps the drink cold, or protects your hands from the heat if you want to go down the purist route.

             T-tox offers three matcha powders, but I took home the Recovery one. As well as the matcha powder, peppermint, milk thistle, spirulina, nettle, and lavender powders make this the perfect blend to drink after a workout. The flavor is earthy and natural with ginger undertones. With its anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties, it also acts as an analgesic and a stress reliever – all of the things you could possibly ask for after a productive session. Now pass me one of those matcha donuts…

Pink Parcel

             Every girl dreads “that time of the month,” but Pink Parcel’s mission is to make it a time to look forward to. All you have to do is pay £10.50 a month (the first box is £6.99 when you subscribe) and choose one of three delivery dates. They’ll then send you a little box of comforts, with chocolate, tea, makeup, and beauty items, and your preferred products. The packaging is discreet, so whether you receive your box at home or at work is completely up to you. I spend way more than £10.50 on one makeup product alone, so I’d say Pink Parcel is on to a good thing! They don’t lock you into a fixed contract, so you can discontinue your subscription at any time, but with what you get each month, why would you want to?

             It’s usually the birthday girl or boy who receives the presents, but as a guest, it turns out that I went home with an overflowing bag of party favors! 

Ralph Fiennes Next in Line as Richard III and No One Can Take His Crown

Ralph Fiennes takes on the psychopathology of Shakespeare's most notorious villain, Richard III, photo courtesy of Miles Aldridge

             Shakespeare’s Richard III at the Almeida Theatre, under the masterful vision of Artistic Director Rupert Goold, is the hottest ticket in town at the moment. If you can get your hands on one, that is. The Almeida, with its capacity to seat 325 people, makes this reworking of Shakespeare a particular rarity in its intimate access to stars of such high caliber. It's been 16 years since Ralph Fiennes stepped foot on the Almeida's stage. He's back and better than ever to take on Shakespeare’s most notorious villain and lead antagonist, who will do whatever it takes, and kill whomever it takes, in his pursuit of the British throne. With Vanessa Redgrave making her Almeida debut playing Queen Margaret, it’s a match made in theatre royalty.

 Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, photo courtesy of Marc Brenner

             The play begins on an excavation site, where a curved spine is unearthed – a reference to the 2012 discovery of Richard III’s bones in a Leicester car park. The spine soon is reanimated and reattached to its rightful owner, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Fiennes is given a protruding “S”-shaped spine, which pokes through his clothes and even his armor. He has also adopted a limp and a disfigured, unusable, right hand. These new adjustments haven’t come without taking their toll on the actor, who confessed to Radio 4’s Front Row, “I’ve got a lot of tension in my left side. I’m monitoring it day by day, because it’s three hours where you’re putting your spine out of true…I’m not in pain, but I’m aware.”

Ralph Fiennes tries his new spine on for size, photo courtesy of Miles Aldridge

             Hildegard Bechtler’s set design illuminates the driving force of the play, the king’s crown, at the back of the stage, where it sits cloaked in a distinct sense of foreboding. From the same wall, skulls emerge one by one as physical trophies of the lives lost to Richard’s hit list. With even the tiniest of touches, the chainmail curtain clinks and sways, rising and falling to reveal silhouettes in a shadowy kingdom where no one is safe.    

             What Fiennes delivers with razor-sharp precision throughout his performance is the ability to turn on the audience at a moment’s notice. Fiennes brings charm and humor to the role, so much so that we almost forget about Richard’s murderous intent. Well, until he snaps. He has us laughing one minute and recoiling in horror the next. One of the most chilling moments occurs when he fixates his frosty gaze on the audience and his insincere smile morphs into a scowl. Holding a rosary in his hand, Richard raises a clenched fist, the cross dangling helplessly in his crushing grip.

 Richard is triumphant in gaining the crown, but the skulls symbolize at what cost, photo courtesy of Marc Brenner

             In his Radio 4 interview, Fiennes warned, “I don’t want the audience to escape into a relaxation of humor.” With Fiennes’ calculated portrayal of Richard, and because we can read his every micro expression and often meet his steely stare, he needn’t worry. He is terrifying enough to make me shrink in my seat when he passes by in the aisle. I’m reminded of scary films, where most people’s coping mechanism is to laugh, especially when viewing them in the public setting of a movie theatre. Why then, are their hands clammy or their faces pale?

             It is this same unease, this false sense of security, that Fiennes lulls us into when he addresses the audience, cajoling us to laugh, but then condemning us for doing so. Richard’s threats are not empty; they are in fact so bold that they are delivered to his rivals’ faces. He licks William, Lord Hastings’ (James Garnon) blood from the chopping block. His lascivious advances on Lady Anne (Joanna Vanderham) and his rape of Queen Elizabeth (Aislín McGuckin) are nothing short of uncomfortable. No, this is certainly not a man in whose company we can relax, even with humor. It’s Fiennes doing what he does best: playing a good baddie.

The cast of Richard III mostly wore modern dress, photo courtesy of Marc Brenner

             I spoke with Thomas Weaver, Associate Artistic Director of Gamut Theatre Group in Pennsylvania in the United States, who was visiting London for the very first time. He waited from 4pm at the Almeida Theatre to get a ticket for the 7pm showing. As someone who often puts on Shakespeare plays and has seen his fair share of them, including various productions of Richard III, I asked him what he thought about Fiennes taking on the role: “He wasn’t playing a villain; he just was a villain. There was an honesty to it. It just felt natural. He was saying, 'You may be watching me seduce this woman, but don’t forget who I am.’”

             Redgrave forces you to sit up and listen when she makes her infrequent but powerful appearances as Queen Margaret. She seems to stealthily creep up out of nowhere, issuing her curses, before she shrinks away again into the darkness. The self-proclaimed “prophetess” clutches and coos at a baby doll and wears a boiler suit, giving the impression of someone who’s not “all there.” When Richard deflates the doll’s head in his hand in an attempt to stop her truthful warnings, Queen Margaret might be the sanest person in the room.

Richard loses his temper with Queen Margaret (Vanessa Redgrave), photo courtesy of Alastair Muir

             Richard III is set in a time period of which we are not certain. It seemingly unfolds in a contemporary age, with the cast in modern dress. The sharp suits make them look like members of the mafia – stylishly nefarious. Richard’s henchmen (Daniel Cerqueira as Catesby and Mark Hadfield as Ratcliffe), with their blood red gloves, have distinctly East End London accents. Richard pops a Berocca into a glass, which effervesces into a familiar fit of orange. Phones are cleverly used as a means to communicate and distribute information, much as we would show a friend photos from last night on ours. Then, the final scene introduces armor and swords, and we are transported to a far more distant time.

When the gloves come out, you know Catesby (Daniel Cerqueira) and Ratcliffe (Mark Hadfield) are up to no good, photo courtesy of Marc Brenner

             As Richard dies and plunges back into the grave where he came from, the excavation team returns. There he will lie, until he is rediscovered (with the same amount of enthusiasm) time and time again by audiences the world over.

We end where we began: Richard's final resting place, photo courtesy of Marc Brenner

             Richard III is playing at the Almeida Theatre until August 6^th, but due to high demand, you might have to get a little creative and be a little tenacious when it comes to securing a ticket. Find out what your options are here.

             The company will be taking the production to Crotia for the Kazaliste Ulysses Festival from August 11^th – 13^th. Almeida Theatre Live is being launched in partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment. Cinemas around the world will have the opportunity to see Richard III broadcast on July 21^st. For your nearest screening and to book tickets, visit the website here.

This gives me goosebumps...