Finally! The photos from the Big Pink Pamper Party are ready and it all looks so pretty! From the cupcakes to the gorgeous bunch of girls who attended, the photos have really made me smile.

A special thanks to SFC Mobile Beautician Tiphaine who did some fantastic manicures on the night and Georgina Bolton-King, the official event photographer who captured some great moments from the evening. Heartfelt gratitude once again to everyone who donated and made the event possible. Enjoy the pics!

You may have read my review of Ping Pong Dim Sum this month, well if you were tempted to try the little steamed parcels but haven't had a chance, here's a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the traditional Chinese cuisine.

In collaboration with Pretty Stylish London and to celebrate the launch of our tantalising Autumn menu, Ping Pong are offering four lucky readers dinner for 2 plus cocktails at any of our twelve London restaurants.

This prize is available for Pretty Stylish London readers only. To be in with a chance of winning you must be following the blog. So if you haven't already, please click the follow button to the right, or subscribe via the mailing list on feed burner further down.

To be entered into this prize draw, all you have to do is:
Leave a comment below and answer the following question “how many Ping Pong restaurants are there in London?”

To keep up to date on the latest special offers and cuisine news, be sure to follow @pingpongdimsum on twitter or become a fan on their facebook page.

Web: www.pingpongdimsum.com

Good luck!

Terms and Conditions:
This free prize draw is open to UK residents only.
Entrants must be 18 years of age or over.
No purchase necessary.
The promoter reserves the right to re-draw the prize if the prize winner cannot be contacted within a reasonable period of time (to be established at the Promoter's sole discretion).
The competition is closed on 30th November 2009.
All entries received after this date will be excluded from the competition.
The winner of the competition will be chosen at random and contacted via Twitter.
Multiple entries are not allowed, only your first entry will be accepted.
The winners will then be chosen at random.

I've recently discovered a new online boutique Runway Route, hosting a range of independent fashion labels that you'd be hard pressed to find on the high street.

You'll find clothes by Jam, Liquorish, Miss Fisher, Ruby Rocks and Rosie Fox - all UK based labels as well as international brands such as Jesse New York from Hong Kong and Neta Livne Jewellery based in Israel.

Whilst the website is isn't as slick as some of the leading online fashion stores like Brittique and Bohemia, I love that collection of clothes available feature both on-trend designs and classic styles priced affordably between high street and designer.

I have my eye on the Jewelled Neck Detail Luxe Velvet Dress by Jesse New York (£105.00), it looks ideal for the festive parties ahead and its simplicity means that it can easily be dolled up or dressed down. With the antique metal finish detailing around the neckline, it works as a statement piece, so there's no need for added jewellery, except maybe the pretty Black Enamel Flower Ring (£19.00) which would compliment perfectly.

And for something a little more rock n' roll, their range of tops, particularly the 80s Vintage Style tank will help you channel your inner Gwen Stefani, at £18.00, I think that's quite bargain.

Runway Route is also a charitable company, they kindly donated towards my efforts in raising money for Cancer Research UK for Breast Cancer Awareness. Thank you Runway Route!

Web: www.runwayroute.com

On Tuesday 20th October, Pretty Stylish London hosted a fundraising event entitled The Big Pink Pamper Party, in aid of Cancer Research UK and to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness month.

We managed to raise a respectable £425 for charity and it was a fantastic night of cocktails and cupcakes held at the Glam Bar, On Anon. There were manicures and brilliant prizes, not to mention a rather indulgent goody bag of treats. Bloggers and Tweeters came out to support the cause and with the help of key sponsors and contributions, the night was a great success. Photos from the night will be posted shortly.

The event was jointly sponsored by Glam Media and Precious Magazine, whilst the pampering treatments were provided courtesy of The Simply Fab Company:

PRECIOUS is the leading magazine, network and resource for women of colour proudly online since 1999. Alongside a range of features on business, wellbeing, the arts, lifestyle and food & drink, we profile and celebrate the professional and entrepreneurial achievements of women of colour in the UK. www.preciousonline.co.uk

Glam Media is the pioneer and global leader of Vertical Media. Their revolutionary new media model connects premium brand advertisers with millions of consumers with like-minded passions online through large and growing vertical content networks. With more than 1400 publishers worldwide, they cover the topics people are passionate about. Their networks include Glam.com for women; Brash.com for men; and Tinker.com for those participating in real-time conversations on social media sites across the Web. www.glammedia.com

The Simply Fab Company is a leading mobile beauty spa currently supporting Cancer Research UK, in the fight for women’s survival with the launch of the Pink Pamper Party.

The Pink Pamper Party is a fun beauty session, where groups of friends can choose from a range of luxury treatments with which to pamper themselves. Each guest is given an indulgent 30 minute beauty treatment and presented a Breast Cancer Awareness pack and a goody bag containing gorgeous pink treats. 20% from the total sale of party will go to Cancer Research UK. Each Pink Pamper Party will raise a minimum £50 for Breast Cancer Awareness.

To host your own pink pamper party for charity visit www.pinkpampering.co.uk
For further information on The Simply Fab Company visit: www.thefabcompany.co.uk

The Giveaways on the night included an amazing £200 voucher thanks to Wahanda and every guest received a further £25 spa voucher in their goody bags:

Wahanda is a health, beauty and wellness ecosystem. In their ecosystem, you’ll find comprehensive listings of spas, salons and health centres all around the globe. You’ll also find a big pond of knowledge - everything you need to know about treatments, classes and therapies.
For more information visit: www.wahanda.com

Other prizes included:

• £100 Gift Voucher from cutting edge fashion house e.g...
• A Luxury Pedicure worth £65 Thanks to The Simply Fab Company
• The Big Stud Bag Pink courtesy of A Gift From The Gods
• An La Licorne Cameo Necklace by Elsie Belle
• Rock n'Rose Love Studs
• Divine Chocolates and Cookery Book
• Pink Moet Courtesy of Glam Media

Further appreciation goes to all the companies and brands who donated generously to the goody bags on the night:

• Chocoholics
• Durex
• e.g...
• MEMEME
• Sleek MakeUP
• The Simply Fab Company
• Wahanda

The support of these companies contributed greatly to what was a wonderful charity soirée
and for that I'd like to say a big thank you.

Finally, thanks to all the girls who came out in force to support Breast Cancer Awareness, it was incredibly encouraging and it's inspired me to keep going. I look forward to next year's event!

To visit the official Big Pink Pamper Party website, click here.

To celebrate Chocolate Week (12-18 Oct), Pretty Stylish London ran a giveaway for 10 lucky readers to win a sumptuous bar of Divine Chocolate.

Divine are leading fairtrade chocolatiers who produce creamy milk chocolate, rich dark chocolate and silky vanilla white chocolate matched with deliciously fruity, nutty flavours; all especially designed to bring out the very best of the quality cocoa sourced from Ghana in West Africa. www.divinechocolate.com

The rules were simple; readers had to leave a comment on the post stating which flavour they'd most like to taste. There were 10 bars to giveaway and the winners are:

Alexia of Decadence Design
Callie Carling of Holistic Feathers
Carolyn
Claire
Grace London of London Makeup Girl
Katy Wilko of Rottentter's Thoughts
Liz Randell of The Beauty and The Feast
Samantha Jordan
Tassy of Unetasse
Yinka of Vex in The City

Congratulations to the winners of Divine Chocolate! If you weren't luck enough to win this time, there are still more fantastic giveaways:

WIN! A Free Kérastase Hair Treatment and Blowdry at Rush London, there's 50 to giveaway!

50 lucky readers will win a fantastic blow dry with one of Rush’s experienced stylists – the perfect treat when you’re in need of pampering or looking to impress on a girls night out. In addition to the fabulous blow dry you will receive complimentary refreshments, a Personal Hair Consultation and a luxury Kérastase Treatment Ritual, which will be individually prescribed for you to ensure your hair glistens and shines. Visit www.rush.co.uk

<<Click here to enter >>

Fashion label Eyola has launched a new high-octane collection entitled Tarcotsira. Eyola is the brainchild of designer Aloye, a recent alumni of the prestigious Istituto Europeo di Design (IED Moda Lab). I recently received images from the new look book photographed at Beach Blanket Babylon restaurant in Notting Hill, London.

The venue with its lavish surroundings, was the ideal backdrop for Eyola's iconic designs; where fashion meets fairy tale. In this case, the new collection seemingly tells a story of modern vampish glamour and vintage charm.

Just in time for the party season, the series of power dresses featuring rich jewel hues and plenty of sparkle is truly about making a bold statement. Aloye stays true to the opulent style we've come to know and her inspirations still reference the femininity and grandeur of the Victorian era.

Since the last time I wrote about Aloye, she has been hard at work taking her luxury womenswear label to new heights and the work is clearly paying off. The Londoner showcased her pieces during Africa Fashion Week and won the 'Most Promising Designer of the Year' at the Arise Fashion Awards this Summer.

The new collection Tarcotsira is the 5th Octette in the Eyola family, and the label remains firmly on my style radar. Here's a peak at my favourite shots from the look book:




Web: www.eyola.com

Date: 15th October
Time: 4pm-Late
Participating Stores:
West One Shopping Centre (nearest station Bond Street tube)
189 Oxford Street (nearest station Oxford Circus tube)

Dorothy Perkins and Look Magazine are hosting a fashion soiree for late-night shoppers in Oxford Street. The event features a number of top beauty and well-being brands who will be providing products for the obligatory goodie bag and activities on the night.

There's an exclusive 20% discount across the Dorothy Perkins range and when you spend £40 or more and receive the bag full of goodies from Simple, Nails Inc, luxury chocolatiers Lindor among many others.

Free drinks will be flowing and there's also a chance to win a year's worth of shoes! (I'm sold!) Experts from Benefit and Toni & Guy will be on hand to offer beauty advice and provide complimentary makeovers.

If you're not in London, check the Dorothy Perkins website for participating stores throughout the UK.

Web: www.dorothyperkins.com

I never deny myself a little chocolate treat when I fancy it and with this week being the official time to indulge, I think it's time for a scrumptious giveaway:

In celebration of Chocolate Week, Pretty Stylish London has TEN bars of Divine Chocolate to giveaway - and you get to choose from amongst their mouth-watering flavours.

Whether it is the smooth, creamy milk chocolate, the rich, intense dark chocolate with 70% cocoa, or the silky vanilla white chocolate, combined with a variety of other delicious natural ingredients, you'll find the perfect combination to indulge. There are some unusual options too - Dark Chocolate with tangy Raspberries, or Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries. And there's zesty orange, cool mint, hazelnuts, currants and almonds….

Divine chocolate are the official sponsors of Chocolate Week. The company is co-owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana. Founded in 1998, Divine is the first ever Fairtrade chocolate bar and the company continues to fly the fag for equal opportunities by sharing its profits with Kuapa Kokoo , the co-operative of farmers. So while you are enjoying Divine treats, you can be sure the cocoa farmers are not only receiving the Fairtrade deal for their cocoa - but sharing Divine profits too.

This prize is available for 10 readers only. To be in with a chance of winning you must be following the blog. So if you haven't already, please click the follow button to the right, or subscribe via my mailing list on feed burner further down.

To enter, simply comment below visit the website and let me know the flavour bar you'd most love to try. Good Luck!

Web: www.divinechocolate.com
Winners will be picked at random. Closing date: Monday 19th October.

For more information on Chocolate Week visit: www.chocolate-week.co.uk

My latest food crush is dim sum, I absolutely love it. I've always been big on Chinese cuisine, but never really bothered with the little steamed parcels. That's until I tried them during the Summer, and I've been hooked ever since. Mmm, give me a spicy chicken or black prawn filled dim sum and I'm quite content. My passion for the dumplings is so much that when I was invited to try the new menu at Ping Pong Dim Sum, I couldn't refuse!

The restaurant chain takes its inspiration from an ancient Chinese tradition. Here's the story: Hundreds of years ago, merchants on the Silk Road would stop at tea houses en route to rest their weary feet, relax and drink tea with their fellow travellers and share Dim Sum – baskets and dishes of little sweet and savoury snacks, usually steamed, baked or fried.

Ping Pong restaurants have kept all the best bits of that ancient tradition, providing a relaxed communal place to meet and relax, whilst offering a delicious range of Dim Sum, and fragrant tea. (Only now Cocktails are also on the menu to bring the tradition into the 21st Century).


Friday night, I took my mum out for a girlie catch-up and to convert her from the standard special fried rice (which she always orders) and convince her to try some steamed goodness. We visited the south bank branch sitting opposite the Royal Festival Hall and we sipped delicious Cosmopolitan cocktails whilst sampling a yummy range of dishes.

The new menu features some great additions to traditional dim sum, including a rather tasty Crispy hoi sin duck spring roll. I was also impressed with the Crab spring roll; a mixture of crab meat and prawns, doused in chili and served with Thai fish sauce. Mum was pretty smitten with her starer of Seafood puff; mini puff pastries filled with scallop, prawn and ginger.

The moment came to convince mum that steamed parcels of meat and vegetables are not only healthy but so good to eat. She looked apprehensive but once she tasted Ping Pong's Spicy chicken dumplings, she gave her approval. And so the the Dim Sum marathon commenced; Pork Shu Mal, Har gau prawns, Coriander dumplings and finally the Crunchy golden; A turmeric dumpling filled with stir friend vegetable, shallots and garlic.

The atmosphere at the restaurant, was chilled yet lively; families were out for celebrations and friends were enjoying after work bites. The interior was distinctly modern with hints of Chinese calligraphy, achieving harmony between the old and the new.

There are 12 Ping Pong restaurants in London and each dish costs on average between £3.39 - 3.99. Visit the website for the restaurant most local to you.


Ping Pong Dim Sum
South Bank
Festival Terrace,
Southbank Centre,
Belvedere Road,
London
SE1 8XX

Tel: 020 7960 4160
Web: www.pingpongdimsum.com

Yesterday I blogged about a Kérastase hair treatment that I had at my local Rush Salon. Turns out, off the back of the review, the award-winning salon group would like to offer 50 Pretty Stylish London readers the chance to have a free treatment and blow dry, so now you can try it for yourself! How's that for a treat?

Rush London are at the forefront of hairdressing and now have 47 salons across London and the South East. Renowned for their passion, quality, creativity and professionalism, every Stylist is trained to the highest standards ensuring each client receives the ultimate salon experience and a luxury service.

50 lucky readers will win a fantastic blow dry with one of Rush’s experienced stylists – the perfect treat when you’re in need of pampering or looking to impress on a girls night out. In addition to the fabulous blow dry you will receive complimentary refreshments, a Personal Hair Consultation and a luxury Kérastase Treatment Ritual, which will be individually prescribed for you to ensure your hair glistens and shines. Visit www.rush.co.uk

This exclusive prize is only available for fifty readers only. To be in with a chance of winning you must be following the blog or a subscriber. So if you haven't already, please click the follow button to the right, or subscribe via my mailing list on feedburner further down.

Next you need to answer the following question:
How many salons to Rush have?
Submit your answers using the comment box below.

Good Luck! Competition ends on the 2nd November 09.

Terms and Conditions
UK residents only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Selected Stylists only. Appointment times and restrictions may apply. Prize must be redeemed within one month of being informed you have won.

At this time of year, the changing elements can take a toll on your hair. If like me you worry about frizz and split ends, I'd recommend trying a professional deep conditioning treatment.

Kérastase is a prescriptive range of hair care products used to prevent damage and give your hair a boost of nourishment. The Kérastase in-salon programme is ideal for getting an expert diagnosis best suited to your hair type and a personalised homecare programme.

There are several salons that use Kérastase, however Rush London salons are my pick of the bunch. You may remember that I've posted about Rush before, my local branch rescued me from a very bad hair day during the summer, and since then I've become a regular client at the award wining salon chain.


Last week I was prescribed the Oléo-Relax treatment from the Kérastase Ritual Collection, ideal for dry, frizzy hair. This taming treatment included an indulgent 15 minute mask complete with head massage.

The Oléo-Relax system works to smooth frizz and protect hair from heat styling and the cold weather. The formula's Patented active ingredients penetrates the core of the hair fibre and restores the natural balance of the scalp for optimal conditioning.

The whole process was uber relaxing and a week later, my hair still feels lovely. I also find that there is less breakage through combing, so it has definitely helped to strengthen the tresses.

Other systems available include Resistance Force; for weak/flyway hair, Reflection; suitable for highlighted/coloured hair and Specifique; used to help thinning and dandruff.

There are 47 Rush hair salons across London and the South, and with over 15 years experience, there's usually a stylist available to handle all hair types, including afro hair. Treatment prices range from £12.50-17.50.

Visit the website for further information on your local branch. www.rush.co.uk

Date: 9th October 09
Time: 7pm

London Restaurant Festival starts on the 8th of October and to celebrate, The May Fair hotel is offering an tempting way to start your weekend. The hotel will be hosting Eat Film; an event celebrating food on film and featuring the 1963 Albert Finney classic Tom Jones.

Showing in the exclusive private theatre that seats a cosy 201 viewers , Tom Jones is an Oscar winning adaptation of Henry Fielding's novel. You'll be able to watch the movie with all it's comedy and amazing display of cuisine, and afterwards sample the food that you saw on film in the gorgeous Crystal Room. Expect a hearty feast – including a variety of poultry and seafood. Tickets for this evening are priced at £48.50 per person.

You're also invited to visit the hotel's Amba Bar & Grill during London Restaurant Week for a taste of fine British cuisine in luxurious surroundings. The price of a two-course meal starts at £25.

For more information on Eat Film and the festival activities visit: www.visitlondon.cm/londonrestaurantfestival

The May Fair Bar
The May Fair Hotel
Stratton Street,
Mayfair,
London, W1J 8LT

Tel: 020 7629 7777
Email: mayfairbar@themayfairhotel.co.uk
Web: www.themayfairhotel.co.uk