Mariella Frostrup
I spend so much time campaigning for women to get a better lot that I sometimes forget to celebrate how glad I am that I was born one. Not to gloat, and of course men have muscled in on our act in recent years, with their fashions and beauty routines, but they’ve yet to reach the sublime heights centuries of femtasticness have taught us. So, perhaps inspired by a book about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Erotic Vagrancy that I’m reading, (Cleopatra was mad for a potion) and just in time for International Women's Day, I’m going to share some of my beauty secrets which as women we know are never actually secret, just information we’re selective about who we impart to!
I’m a face cream addict. One of my earliest memories as a child was my mother’s excitement when the family budget ant she could restock up on Orlane, her favoured French beauty brand. She was never into cosmetics, but she swore by having a diligent beauty regime and I learned at her knee that you never go to bed without thoroughly cleansing and applying a good moisturizer. There have been big nights out en I could barely stand by the time I got home, but I’ve never evne to bed without removing my make-up.
I’ve not been as faithful as my mum to ny particular brand until I hit menopause, and now along with my HRT t,here are certain items that will have to be prised from my cold dead hand! They include Elixseri’s amazing serums, my favorite being Deep Diver and Smooth Operator, Skin Design London’s Retinol crème and Vitamin C serum, and a facial with founder Fatma Shaheen is one of life’s great luxuries. Not to rget Dr Barbara Sturm’s Super Nourishing Night Cream I slather on liberally morning noon and night.
Of course, your face isn’t the only place you lose collagen when your hormones start to run amok. Naomi Watts-inspired Stripes brand has turned lubrication into an aspirational extravagance with their two wonderful (and cheekily named) concoctions for below the waist. Vag of Honour and Oh My Glide come in beautiful sculpted bottles which sit proudly on my bedside table. A friend once taught me that mixing a couple of drops of oil into your body lotion is a great way to add extra moisture, but not have to deal with slimy skin, so Jason Vitamin E Oil gets mixed with my Cowshed Body Lotion to stop dry skin on the rest of my body once my more delicate areas are taken care of.
Post menopause sleep can be a struggle, so a mug full of magnesium flakes and a capful of Herbs on the Hill Lavender Oil go into my pre-bed bath and definitely ease me off to slumber. The Egyptian queens go to, asses milk not being in plentiful supply in West London!
Most recently I was gifted a Lyma laser, which women in the know swear by as a long-term stimulator of collagen, so I’m on a four-week challenge to use it every day and report back. If you spot someone browsing in Daunts my favourite bookshop, looking like me but twenty years younger, you’ll know it worked!
Mariella Frostrup, Broadcaster, Journalist and Campaigner
Restaurant: Francatelli
Charles Elmé Francatelli is a legendary French Chef who wrote his masterpiece cookbook ‘The Modern Cook’ back in 1846. Over 170 years later and those recipes are as popular now as they were back then. So it’s no surprise there’s a restaurant opening in town who pays homage to the food and the man together. Francatelli’s opens this month at the St James Hotel in Park Place, Mayfair with William Drabble, winner of Michelin Stars and AA Rosettes to name a few, at the helm. Back in the day Francatelli was also head chef at the St, James’s Club, before he then went on to become Queen Victoria’s Head Chef no less. Drabble will be partnering with local suppliers to echo the culinary legacy of Francatelli and unveil modern interpretations of 19th-century dishes. These include Fillets of plaice in crisp crumb with Francatelli’s tartare sauce, Rib Eye Steak Dorest of Bowl and Luing beef ribeye with bordelaise sauce and Risotto of cep with 36 month aged parmesan. The decor is as sophisticated as you’d imagine with marble topped tables and banquette seating and space for 35 covers. Elegant heritage at its finest.
Drinks: BAM Karaoke Box
Karaoke can easily be thought of as the end point of a drunken night out or the wailing sound of a hen do belting out the classics. Well BAM Karaoke Box want to reinvent it for the masses. They bill themselves as a new, more sophisticated version of karaoke. The concept originated in Asia, where karaoke boxes give guests the chance to sing in privacy. At BAM, they offer their own take on the experience, with real private lounges and a range of refined designs. They want you to sing in complete freedom! With high-quality equipment, personalised cocktails and an incredible snack menu, they have transformed karaoke into a beautiful shared experience. No matter the size of your tribe, whether you are with your family, friends or colleagues, BAM welcomes you. They have made a real mark already on the nightlife scene in Paris and MAdrid and now they are opening in Victoria, London (exact venue still to be revealed!) Inside the venue you’ll find eclectic and carefully designed decors including a tropical universe, futuristic spaces, Art deco fantasia or eccentric boudoirs. With over 25,000 songs to choose from you will be hard pushed not to find a tune you love. The food & drinks menu is full of Signature Cocktails and other essentials that will delight your taste buds. A selection of tapas and small dishes to share is also available for small and big appetites. Set to be Europe’s largest karaoke joint, with 22 music rooms, BAM BAM bar, outdoor terrace, DJ and live music stage, gather your mates and head to its new home when it opens this spring. It’s time to rediscover a love for a good ol’ sing song!
Art: Zheng Bo, Bamboo as Method
Somerset House’s latest courtyard exhibition is brought to us by Hong-Kong based artist Zheng Bo who has transformed the courtyard into a bamboo garden. This site specific and participatory installation creates a place for contemplation and serves as a reminder of the restorative qualities of nature within the urban landscape of Somerset House and central London. Zheng’s commission will be the newest addition to the annual Somerset House Courtyard Commission Series which features international, contemporary artists who exemplify innovative thinking across sustainability and ecology. Responding to the neo-classical architecture surrounding the courtyard, Zheng Bo invites visitors to temporarily disconnect from their fast-paced, hyper-connected everyday lives by immersing themselves in the biosphere that surrounds us and by taking up the activity of drawing. Participants will select bamboo leaves from a variety of species chosen by the artist as the subjects of their illustrations, and once completed these are deposited for decomposition to fertilise the garden, completing a loop of creativity and ecology. Zheng Bo’s commission, as with their overall practice, is aimed at breaking down the boundaries between humans and nature, asking what we can learn from nature when we slow down and take the time to reflect. The artwork’s title Bamboo as Method 格竹 pays homage to the Ming Dynasty thinker and scholar, Wang Yangming. Wang’s pursuit of enlightenment through the practice of gewu zhizhi (the acquisition of knowledge through the investigation of the nature of things) is encapsulated in Zheng Bo’s profound reference. So zen, so not London, so worth visiting.
Theatre: The Players Kings
The Player’s Kings is Robert Icke’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Henry IV’ plays starring Ian McKellen at the Noel Coward Theatre. These two legends of the theatre have joined forces for this incredibly exciting new show with 84-year-old Sir Ian starring in the great role of dissolute knight John Falstaff: A divided country, leadership crumbling, corruption in the air. Welcome to England. Hal wasn't born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap, most notably the infamous John Falstaff. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good? Toheeb Jimoh plays the role of Hal and Richard Coyle is King Henry IV with a further incredible roster of supporting cast members. This theatrical treat will be on stage for a 12 week run only and is McKellen’s sixth play since turning 80. The man is force to be reckoned with! Tickets start at £20 and can be booked here.
Event: Love Lates @ The Science Museum
February may be the month of love with Valentine’s Day but over at the Science Museum, their month of love is March. From the 7th we are invited to join them at a series of Lates for a journey to unravel the essence of love. From the intimate bonds of friendship to the pursuit of passions and pleasure, they will navigate the landscape of human connection like never before. What does the latest neuroscience tell us about the strongest human emotion? Has increased digital interaction changed how we express affection? As more of us identify as LGBTQ+, how has the queer experience transformed our understanding of love? We’ll be able to explore the latest dating and sex tech, as well as the future of family units and the power of pheromones, Plus, enjoy regular Lates activities including their iconic silent disco and your chance to see the galleries after hours. These events are strictly 18+ only and is a FREE event. Highlights include: World-leading criminologist and author of The Science of Hate Matthew Williams is joined by comedian and writer Shazia Mirza to discuss his research and the findings in his book, which analyses human behaviour across the globe and throughout history, and examines the elusive ‘tipping point’ at the intersection of prejudice and hate. There is a discussion on Stembryo’s -As stem cell-based embryo models become increasingly more sophisticated, they also raise big questions: how do we define a human embryo and what should be the limit of such research? or what about if you have ever felt a romantic connection to a sex toys? Join Dr Trudy Barber to explore cybersex, virtual reality and the future of sex tech. Lastly, join Dragona Budget, one half of high-energy drag removals company Drag ’n' Drop!, in a drag-musical-comedy journey through gender, identity, climate change and quantum physics.
Exhibition: The Art of the Brick
After touring over 100 cities in 24 countries, Art of the Brick is coming to London. The exhibit immerses the visitor in a cheerful and colourful world of well loved and iconic Lego bricks, popular with children and adults alike. The artist used more than a million bricks, creating over 100+ works of art that includes many sculptures alongside re-imagined versions of some of the world’s most famous art masterpieces, such as Michelangelo’s David, Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Among the wonders, visitors will also find a 6-metre-long reproduction of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton and an innovative, multimedia collection of LEGO photography produced alongside award-winning photographer Dean West. The Art of Brick opens on the 6th March at The Boiler House, a stunning brick former warehouse dating back to the 1830s found at 152 Brick Lane. The experience lasts around 60 minutes with adult tickets starting at £15.90 and Child tickets starting at £11.90. Children under 4 enter for FREE.
App of the month: AccessAble
AccessAble is here to take the chance out of going out. For anyone with varying accessibility needs, this app will give you the detailed information you need to work out if a place is going to be accessible to you. With over 75,000 Detailed Access Guides that tell you all about a venue’s access, the information is 100% facts, figures and photographs. Everyone’s accessibility needs are different, which is why having detailed, accurate information is so important. It’s why the information AccessAble collects has all been decided by their user community with lived experiences and advice. The app is also linked in What3Words to help locate whatever you need with ease. Don’t take for granted how simple getting about the city can be for you if you don’t have accessibility issues. Apps like this are invaluable for those that need it.