The scene was set like something out of a James Bond Movie; sumptuous chandeliers hung from high beamed ceilings while the gluttonous gleam of embellished staircases led us into a world of pure decadence. Tiptoeing through the glamorous maze of crystal vases, off-the-wall art installations and Parisian decor the lead up to PG’s Beauty Event was far from anti-climatic. Set in a luxurious 1865 building, Piccadilly Circus’s Cafe Royal oozes architectural intelligence with a supreme mix of contemporary design and classical architecture. Halfway between ‘old school’ opulence and modern tech, the high-tech spa and the gilded Louis XIV restaurant and cocktail bar met in perfect harmony. But I digress, the sumptuous backdrop to PG’s Beauty Event for journalists and press was like walking into a forbidden dream. As I stepped out of my dream-like haze and snapped into reality, I realized that my fantasy was real.
Walking into the dimly lit room our hostess greeted us warmly and gave us a quick rundown of the brands who were represented by PG Beauty . Short for Proctor and Gamble the multinational consumer goods company did not fail to deliver the goods. Hosting brands including Wella Hair, Braun, Venus, Aussie Hair, Nice & Easy, Max Factor it was a beauty lovers dream come true. Our first stop led us to Wella Professional’s stall fronted by Session Stylist and award winning creative hairdresser Josh Golds and fellow hairdresser ‘Stoney Rose’. Promoting the new ‘Precious Oils’ collection Josh and ‘Rose’ were warm, friendly and passionate about haircare, advising me to use the ‘Precious Oils’ collection to restore the moisture into the ends but balance out the oil levels of my roots.
Over the years my hair has been damaged because of sun exposure, not using products to tackle direct issues -such as split ends- and not using protector spray when styling my hair and it was in need of some serious TLC. Unlike most hair products the Precious Oils Collection believes that ‘natural’ and ‘pure, lightweight’ oils are less dense than traditional oil bases meaning that it adds shine, softens hair and creates ‘real wow-factor’ results rather than weighing the hair down with ‘grease’. I was dubious at first but the more I thought about the theory the clearer it became; scales balance out weight so combining oil to beat oil actually makes logical sense. With a new sense of purpose me, Christy ( Xtine Loves) and Urika (U For Urika) left feeling more knowledgeable about our hair and that was not the only thing. Braun’s stall oozed knowledge, charisma and did not shy away from exploring intimate female issues. As women we are often told to ‘cover up our bodies’ , remove body hair but ‘not let men know about it’ which was something Braun’s team was keen to dispel. We shouldn’t be afraid to be so public about our beauty and health care routines nor should we feel the need to shave, wax or pluck if we do not want too. Braun’s attitude to female self-care was somewhat refreshing and allowed us to be comfortable talking about intimate issues with the team.With a new sense of purpose me, Christy ( Xtine Loves) and Urika () left feeling more knowledgeable about our hair and that was not the only thing. Braun’s stall oozed knowledge, charisma and did not shy away from exploring intimate female issues. As women we are often told to ‘cover up our bodies’ , remove body hair but ‘not let men know about it’ which was something Braun’s team was keen to dispel. We shouldn’t be afraid to be so public about our beauty and health care routines nor should we feel the need to shave, wax or pluck if we do not want too. Braun’s attitude to female self-care was somewhat refreshing and allowed us to be comfortable talking about intimate issues with the team.
Coming from a Mediterranean background I have naturally dark, curly coarse hair which naturally makes my hair removal upkeep intense and far too often for my liking. I get my eyebrows and lip threaded every two weeks and shave every four days because my hair grows back so quickly and am seriously considering laser hair removal for my legs. However since I do not have the budget to blow out on laser hair removal the next best thing was presented in the form of two spectacular gifts from Braun: The Face Spa(£69.99) and Braun’s Silk Epil 9 (£99.98. Innovative and a world first the Face Spa acts as a facial epilator and a cleansing brush while the Epil 9 uses microgrip technology to extract wet or dry hair.
Braun’s team also worked closely with Venus whose razors I have been using since I began shaving. Venus’s hair removal products have been a huge part of my hair removal team and Venus’s ambassador Emma Willis clearly shares the same ethos, demonstrating how soft her legs feel after using Venus technology. With the image of having softer legs me and my girls made way to the bar where Christy was presented with a mango daiquiri and I with a raspberry, lime and passionfruit mocktail which blew my mind and I was even presented with a full recipe to recreate the staff’s delicious drinks. Tangy yet sweet the mocktail was the perfect accompaniment to a pleasant late afternoon rendeevoo and was paired with delicious, mouthwatering canapes. The drinks may have blown my mind but the addition of excellent vegetarian canapes was enough to send me into a full meltdown.
Exquisite goats cheese and beetroot tipped crackers melted in my mouth with tantalizing satisfaction while the fresh flavor of crudites with mint and parsley hummus soothed my sore threat and accentuated the tart but pleasant tang of my personalized mocktail. Carrot, celery, cucumber crudites were happily dunked in a bed of light yet substantial hummus but it was the canape deserts that made me stop and stare. Like presents on Christmas Eve, the deserts were the cherry on the already promising cake; raspberry marscapone macaroons oozed delicate raspberry coulis and were scattered with gold dust while raspberry and rose gold foil tarlets had the right mix of crunch and smooth velvet textures. I could not thank the staff enough, while we were happily browsing the brands dedicated members plied us with numerous plates of canapes and even catered to our nutritional needs. While the girls enjoyed their hot chicken canapes I feasted on natures finest and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the canapes.
I had stuffed myself to the brim and had the selfies to prove it but it was time to put my thinking cap back on. Making our way over to Max Factor’s stand renowned make up artist Caroline gave us a sneak preview of three new eyeshadow shades [two of which are shown below] featuring violets, bronzes and grey/neutrals all three shades which work well with most eye colours and will be out later this month. Taking us under Max Factor’s wing Caroline recreated a classic ‘cat eye’ flick which helped widen and accentuate my lash line and gave me the appearance of looking more ‘awake’. It worked beautifully with my rose gold inspired lids and is a trick that I am desperate to master. Sadly while my eyeliner skills are lacking it is never too late to teach an old dog to learn new tricks and Nice & Easy understand this manifesto.
I have never dyed my hair and while Nice & Easy’s representative was visibly shocked they were keen to address my hair woes. With my sun damaged split ends and uncontrollable frizz the thought of dying my hair does not fill me with pleasure. Yet they spoke to me like an old friend and explained that dying your hair has become a mass popular culture phenomenon but that is not always a good thing. Nice & Easy recommend going either two or three shades below or above your natural hair colour because to them dying your hair is about making it as natural as possible. I mean you can’t get any more natural than my hair and although I wont be dying my hair anytime soon it is important to keep in mind for the future.
Last but not least was Aussie Hair whose dry shampoo range had been specifically developed for the festival/ party season and featured voluminous, cleansing and scented extracts of goodness that were designed to treat your hair well and not leave white residue favored by hair brands like Batiste . It was a refreshing change and once you get past the sharp scent you can relax knowing your hair looks and feels clean. Aussie Hair were kind enough to add to our gift bags and I will be reviewing their products in a separate post. Among the goodies, food and drink was a florist stall whose representative allowed us to choose six separate blooms that we could have in a personalized bouquet and the variety was beautiful. From large blush pink rose to white hydrangeas the bouquet arrangements were simple yet sophisticated and put a welcome end to a wonderful day.
For the most part the event radiated warmth and vitality but one particular representative mired our experience slightly. From questioning our jobs with a sneer to telling us ‘the bloggers event’ was next week as though we were not real journalists I could not help but be offended. I wont go into much detail as the rest of the event was a pleasure but their condescending tone because we were young did rile me. Age has no connection to your professionalism and they should be the first to realize that.The rest of the staff were kind, helpful and above all accommodating to our needs and I want to thank them for making our experience so magical.
The Goodie Bag-Olay Total Effects Featherweight Moisturizer SPF 15 £14.99– Olay Regenerist 3 Point Day Cream SPF 30 ( Available July 2016) £29.99– Max Factor Voluptuous False Lash Effect Mascara £11.99
– Max Factor Masterpiece Collection: Masterpiece Rose Nudes & Cappuccino nudes £14.99 x 2 – Braun Silk-epil 9 Skin Spa ( Available now exclusively at Boots) £179.99 – Braun Face Spa ( Available now exclusively at Boots) £89.99– Venus Swirl £11.99– Aussie Beach Matte Collection (Available at Boots May 2016) From 3.99 x 3 – Aussie Limited Edition Dry Shampoo ( Available at Boots May 2016) From £3.99 x 3– Pantone Pro V Anti Oxidant Conditioner Technology £3.99 x 2 -Head & Shoulders Limited Edition Collection Smooth & Silky Shampoo & Conditioner £2.99 x 2– Nioxin Night Density £39.99– Wella Oil Reflections £18-90.00 Goody Bag Total:536.81
The Mocktail Recipe
Ingredients :100 ML Passionfruit20 ML Lime 10 ML Sugar 2 RaspberriesTo Make 1.Crush 2 raspberries and blend 100 ML’s of passionfruit using either a blender or with the back of a spoon depending on how you like your consistency and texture to be.2. Sprinkle the rim of the glass with sugar and mix it into the passionfruit and raspberry mix 3. Shake the drink using a shaker before turning it upside down and placing 10 ml’s of lime cordial to add some tart flavour to the mocktail. 4. To finish add fresh lime and latch it onto the top of the glass and voila one tropical mocktail is served.
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