InterContinental Westminster

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the brand new InterContinental Westminster before it opens its doors to the public this week. 

The new addition to IHG's London portfolio attempts to inject a new lease of life into an historic former government building, Queen Anne’s Chambers. In an area where politics, business and influencers come together, the hotel is situated right next to St James Park station and is within a few minutes' walk of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. The hotel offers 256 rooms, 7 meeting rooms and exceptional dining at the Blue Boar Smokehouse and Bar.

The dinner, drinks, overnight stay and brunch were all courtesy of my lovely friend Katie who works in the head office and when she asked if I would be her plus one, I jumped at the chance to experience abit of "understated luxury" as they call it. 


Regal revolving doors controlled by delightfully polite men dressed in grey suits and hats led us to the stunning lobby which was a vision in itself. A fabulous glass roof gave oodles of natural light with a splendid view of the lobby bar. 


We were given an Executive Room which was absolutely out of this world. Everything from the room size, furnishings and little touches (like the latest issue of Harpers Bizarre propped up on the pillow) went down an absolute treat with me! I am also rather impressed with techy gadgets and I can confirm that there were gadgets a-plenty. The rooms are decked out with a swanky TV/Mirror combo as well as Bose speakers throughout, with seperate controllers in dressing room, bathroom and bedroom. Whilst we were getting ready, we obviously tested these bad boys out by getting into our robes, standing infront of the mirror and doing our makeup and hair to the musical stylings of Rhi Rhi (and abit of Kanye West was thrown in for good mesaure).

It was at this point that we made our way down to dinner. We were promptly greeted by the Maitre d and shown to the bar which can only be described as a secret speak-easy that could have easily been a creation of Chuck Bass (ohhh yes, I said it!). Unfortunately, we were famished, so decided to skip the bar, save it for later and head for the meat. 

The Blue Boar Smokehouse takes its inspiration from the best American pit masters, with a menu evolving around authentic smoke house techniques, whilst maintaining its British influence. We were informed that the on site charcoal and smoking ovens aim to produce rustic and classic home comfort dishes but with a modern twist. I was pleasantly surprised at the menu which was quite heavily meat focused. 

I went for Duck Eggs and Wild Mushrooms to start which was simply devine. The Duck Egg was covered in breadcrumbs and laid over some marinated mushrooms on a slice of light toast. To follow, I went for the standard Fillet Steak option that I regularly go for, however this one was stuffed with Oysters. It was cooked to perfection (medium-well) and served with exquisite home cooked chunky chips. At this point, I could barely move but Katie and I decided to share the Poached Pear, which again, was just divine. With a steak that rivals Gaucho and service on par with my afternoon tea experience at The Ritz, the whole experience was nothing short of exceptional.

We then went onto Kings Road and mingled with some questionably named people and headed back to the plush King size bed that awaited us. After a delightful 9 hour sleep, we returned to the Blue Boar for a full english brunch which was exquisite! 


Overall, an AMAZING hotel in an awesome location. If you want a cheeky overnight stay and a spot of luxury, definitely give this new IHG addition a go! A solid 9/10.

Peace,
O x

Film Review: Rust and Bone

The Cast: Marion Cottilard, Matthias Schoenaerts

Director: Jacques Audiard

The Rating: 15

The Venue: The Curzon (Soho), London

After seeing the beauitful Marion Cottilard speaking about her new film Rust and Bone at the BFI as part of the London FIlm Festival, I was absolutely dying to see it. 

My sister and I met, Prosecco in hand, eager to see our favourite frenchy in action and I must say that it completed exceeding expectations and it was simply stunning. 

The Plot: 

Rust and Bone is french film that is a bizarre combination of being a melodrama that isn't melodramatic. In short, it is about an Orca trainer who loses her legs in an accident whilst performing with the killer Whales at Antibes Marineworld, who then begins a relationship with a broke and desperate bare-knuckle-boxing single father who makes ends meet by fighting and deceiving those closest to him. 

Best bits: 

The special effects used to make Cotillard a convincing amputee are extraordinary. This is a gorgeous, sometimes necessarily brutal film filled with tiny moments of power from Cotillard: Stéphanie sitting on her balcony, alone, proudly going through the movements of her killer-whale routine to an invisible audience with a soundtrack to Katy Perry in the background. 

Bad bits: 

I like a good romance in the film and I found the male lead annoying at times. There is no way that I would put up with the way he treats her at times but at the same time, I love how he learns about himself throughout the film and changes....this however, does not happen in real life!

The in-between bits:

In a typically french way, there are ludicrous amounts of sex scenes in this film- some long, some short, some subtle, some graphic! But the use of these intimate scenes make the film wildly raw and add a huge amount of tention between the audiences and their love/hate relationship with Schoenaerts' performance as Ali. 

The acting in this film is nothing short of phenomenal. Both Cottilard and Schoenaerts show astonishing depths of character, conveyed by simply a touch or a look at times. The love story is unconventional and thats what makes it so gripping. It is achingly romantic in a frustrating yet gripping way, so typical of a french film. 

Conclusion:

Brutal yet beautiful and loved every minute- a definite MUST SEE.  

Out of ten: 

A solid 9.5

Catch the trailer here:

Peace,
O x

Mt. Wolf EP Launch @ Corsica Studios

Last night I hopped over to Corsica Studios for the launch of Mt. Wolf's EP Life Size Ghosts. In all honestly, I wasn't overly sure what to expect! Two members of the band are from my native isle of Guernsey, lead singer Kate and guitarist Steve. My memories of Kate come down to her playing the main roles in numerous local productions and being somewhat of a music prodigy and Steve, well, for anyone that knows Steve you can only really describe him as one of the coolest people around. He is always doing something exciting, from working in the music industry to schmoozing with the x-factor finalists, Steves always been a cool kid. I had heard wonderful things about Mt. Wolf from my sister who has seen them live several times but I only started listening to the tracks about a week ago. I LOVED the tracks that were on their youtube channel and was really interested to see how they would play such songs live. 

Before I go on, lets talk a little bit about the band and their background. 

Even though the band members currently reside in London, all members are from the seaside. As I mentioned before, two of the members are from my native island Guernsey (lovely lead singer Kate Sproule and the incredibly cool guitarist Stevie McMinn), whereas producer and electric guitarist Sebastian ‘Bassy’  Fox is from Dorset and drummer Alex Mitchell from Brighton. They say that this shared experience of living near the coast has had a profound influence on how they make music, shaping the landscape for their dark and hypnotic but beautiful world.

They describe their sound as ‘Dreamfolk’, a cinematic fusion of both Folk and Electronica, the band mix a  unique hybrid of strings and instrumentation with heart-melting harmonies and contemporary 

electronic and bass influenced sounds, drawing on influences like The XX, Little Dragon, SBTRKT, Bon Iver and Youth Lagoon, whilst easily standing out from the current female-vocal-led alternative/ electronic scene. 

I would say that this description is very fitting and true. Their set started with a somewhat experimental track with minimal but seriously strong vocals from Kate, which I thought worked really well because it showcased how they were playing every element of the set themselves. It was intriguing and inspiring to see four seemingly different characters come together and be completely in tune with each on the stage. They didn't even need to make eye-contact with each other to bring a variety of sounds, instruments, beats and rhythms together with natural ease and musicality. 

I absolutely adored the way they subtly intertwined Kate's violin skills into a few of their songs. She has a somewhat awing presence on stage which makes you appreciate how stunning her vocals are, even when there are some seriously awesome bass beats to compete with. My personal favorite of the set was Cry Wolf. What an awesome song. I have been listening to it on repeat! I am actually obsessed. Vocals are haunting and melodies are beautiful, definitely my new song of the moment. 

(Photos by http://www.facebook.com/paulbencephotography)

There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that Mt. Wolf are meant for big things. They are SO unique and I really think there is a place for them out there. Out of all of the musical comparisons they have been given, they have an edge on all with such a rare and special offering. I will absolutely be keeping a close eye on them and urge everybody to stop what you are doing and visit the Youtube channel and also the Soundcloud set. 

As I said, watch this space!

Peace,

O x

Monday Morning Blues?

We all suffer from the Sunday Night Fear and the Monday Morning Blues, with most of us adopting the view that the four day week/three day weekend is something that is long overdue. It is all too easy to get in the mind set that Monday's are awful and dread them so much that it can consume you. I have found that this attitude has really affected my mood and most certainly my performance in a rather negative way. So, I have since decided to view Monday's as an AMAZEBALLS (yes thats a word, in the dictionary and everything!) day of the week!!!  Be positive, be happy- its the start of a BRAND NEW WEEK! 

If the attitude change is quite hard for you, why not try a few of these tips which I think can get rid of the "End of the weekend" blues. 

1) Make the most of your weekend. Make Saturday super duper full, get EVERYTHING done and chilllax on Sunday

2) Watch something on Sunday night to take your mind off the fear of Mondays- if you don't already, I would recommend Homeland as a serious Sunday treat! But make sure you get an early ish night, remember that every hour you sleep before midnight is worth two compared to that of after midnight

3) On Monday morning, get up 20 minutes earlier than usual, have a long shower and make a cooked breakfast. It is important to kick-start your week with an amazeballs (yes, I said it again!) breakfast. The shower will help wake you up too!

4) Work out on Monday night- get some endorphines going. Exercise not only clears my head, but gets me the perfect combination of energised and relaxed, ready for a good nights sleep. 

5) Lastly, I would highly recommend doing a good food shop on Monday night. A lot of my life revolves around food (sad but true) and I find it a very exciting prospect to come home to a full fridge, it makes the week ahead that bit easier

Peace,

O x

Benjamin Francis Leftwich- Live at KOKO, London

It is no surprise to any of my friends or blog readers that I am a MASSIVE Ben Leftwich fan so when I heard of his upcoming tour, I did not hesitate and bought a pair, faster than you can say Jack Robinson (shameless Kiss Kiss Bang Bang quote!). It goes without saying that it was the wisest £30 I have ever spent. There is something so unbelievably unique about his voice. Unlike many other artists, his music actually transports me. It takes me out of my own city life of PR, stress and socialising and takes me to a place where I feel like its only me in the room. 

I first discovered Benjamin Francis Leftwich through a song I heard on my favourite TV show, Grey's Anatomy. From there, I have avidly followed him and his music and tried to see him live at every possible opportunity. Although many people may have never heard of him, KOKO was literally jam-packed with avid fans. He played some of my favourites including ‘Pictures’, ‘Butterfly Culture’ and '1904' but I was a little disappointed because my favourite of all his songs was his encore, "Atlad Hands". It was beautifully sung and he experimented by playing it with no amplification at all. If you were fairly near the front, I can imagine it would have been phenomoneal but I was fairly near the back bar and all I could hear where the clinking of glasses, opening of ringpulls and annoying chatty bar staff!!!!



But all in all, his set list really showcased his talent beautifully and he worked his magic to transport each and every one of us. 

FACT FILE:

• Ben was boring in York in 1987 to South African and Australian parents!
• Ben had a fairly nomadic childhood, spending just as much time in Sydney as in his native U.K.
• Ben taught himself to play the guitar at age ten, inspired by Elliott Smith and Bruce Springsteen
• Ben once fronted an indie pop band called the Nicoles before embarking on a solo career
• Four of his tracks have been featured on ABC's hit show Grey's Anatomy

A few links for you!

Firstly, Benjamin Francis Leftwich- Pictures!

And lastly, my cover of Atlas Hand (complete with cheesy picture slideshow):

Atlas Hands by Olivia McMonagle

Great PR stunt: Coke Zero and Skyfall

Working on Coke is potentially one of the most exciting projects I have been involved with as it is a completely multi-facetted brand. I am particularly in love with the latest PR stunt created by Antwerp agency Duval Guillaume Mode where Coke Zero helps to promote the launch of the new Bond film, SkyFall.

At Antwerp Central station in Belgium, several unsuspecting Coke Zero customers had the chance to experience 70 seconds of James Bond-like adventure. After purchasing their Coke Zero from the touchscreen vending machine, customers were presented with the message “Want a Chance to Win Exclusive Tickets to Skyfall”. After entering their name, they received the instructions: “Go to Platform 6. You have 70 seconds to unlock the 007 in you.”

The violin-playing street musician standing next to the vending machine began playing the Bond theme, and the would-be Bond was on his way.

Getting to Platform 6 Antwerp Central station on a normal day is probably quite simple, but several obstacles were placed in the way including joggers, a dog walker, a collapsing fruit stand and of course a Bond girl. Once the person arrived at the platform they had to sing the Bond theme to receive their free Skyfall tickets.

Fabulous PR and LOTS of fun. I absolutely cannot wait to see SkyFall, its going to be a cracker. 

To watch the video scroll down below.

Peace,

O x

Budget, Bargain and Blow-out BB creams and such!

As I get older and my skin has less blemishes, I have really tried to wean myself off using foundations. During the day time, I typically prefer to let my skin breathe and not wear any type of coverage or very little, but as time passes I'm realising that a light tinted moistuirser or BB cream with SPF would really benefit my skin in the long run. Having searched high and low, I tried a fair few and I’ve decided to review my favourites, all of which I would highly recommend.

ON A BUDGET?
Witch BB Cream (approx. £6.99 from Boots/Superdrug)

This BB cream claims to cover existing blemishes whilst clearing up any possible new ones so I was quite intrigued to see how it would look. I tried a small patch on my hand which was considerably thicker that I had expected but I decided to give it a go.
After applying a small amount with a sponge, I could instantly tell that this was quite a lot heavier than I had hoped. Instead of a light consistency, it felt more like a giant tube of creamy concealer on my face, which actually ‘set’ on my face almost instantly.
Even though its consistency was not what I had expected, I will say that the coverage was pretty impressive. Its peachy tone matched perfectly with my skin and gave it a very glamorous look with great coverage. If you are looking for good coverage but without using a heavy and expensive foundation, this is definitely the way to go. It lasts practically all day and smells delightful.
It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for because I wanted something a little lighter and more natural looking for the day, but the thick texture would deliver on covering up problem skins so if this is what you are looking for...Go Go Go!

WANT TO GRAB A BARGAIN?
Garnier, Miracle Skin Perfector All-in-One BB cream (approx. £9.99 from Boots/Superdrug)

A staple in my daily make up bag now. The cream is of a thick consistency BUT a little goes a long way and it blends really well. It smells fresh and citrusy like all Garnier products, and is really pleasant to put on.  The coverage is just enough to even out skin-tone and not look like you're wearing something on your skin. It moisturises very well and has SPF which makes it great under make up for those that are put off by conventional greasy/ opaque white sunscreens on the face. I like to apply this product to freshly cleansed skin, with a bit of concealer under the eyes for a very natural and glowy look. It's a great way to "detox" from heavy foundations, and great for day time wear.

PAYDAY BLOWOUT?
Laura Mercier, Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser (approx. £32.99 from Space NK, House of Fraser, Selfridges)

This is BY FAR my favourite of them all. My ideal product would be light and natural looking, but with good coverage and to really make it amazing, I would love for it to give my skin a dewey glow. With this illuminating tinted moisturiser, I got ALL of the above.
It is so lightweight and really lets my skin breathe. People have actually complimented me on my skin when I wear it, which is something that has never really happened before!
The one thing I would say was that it the shade I was recommended by the lady behind the counter (Nude) was a little lighter than I expected and it made me look quite pale. If you are going for the English rose look then pair with a deep red lipstick but if you are looking for a “just got back from holiday” look, pair with a bronzer, like the one from St Tropez.
The great thing is that it can also be worn in the evening, with a little powder over the top to make it slight more matte. I would really go as far as to say that Laura Mercier owns the world of base coverage for perfect skin!

I hope that gives all of you a little food for thought if you are contemplating buying a new tinted moisturizer or BB cream.

Peace,

O x