B-Soho: post-work eclectic-chic venue

Darlings, have you decided yet, how you are spending your Friday night? I was lucky enough the other day, to be invited to B-Soho just after they had opened and I must say it was fab!
You don’t usually hear of a venue that boasts both pizza and cocktails as specialities of theirs but that’s exactly what B-Soho has put out there for the Soho crowd to feast upon. Despite the midweek evening and its fledgling status on the Soho scene the place is packed full of young professionals fresh out of their 9-to-5s. The exposed brickwork and gentle lighting in the underground restaurant makes for an intimate and casual atmosphere with its facile-chic patrons emphasising the mashed-up style. After taking our seats and chatting with hands-on Primrose and Sam from Joriwhite PR over wine and an antipasto of cured meats, cheese and rustic flat bread, it was time to sample the culinary results of a team trained by Neopolitan pizza-pro Raffaele Medaglia. I went for the healthier option and chose the Vegetariana pizza topped with a medley of Mediterranean vegetables. Fresh toppings and a truly authentic tasting soft base made for a highly palatable and delightfully light dinner before I ventured upstairs to the bar to sample a cocktail from B-Soho’s extensive and quirky cocktail menu. I went for a flamboyant mix of “Herradura Blanco infused with Lady Grey tea, laced with apricot conserve, shaken up with white wine, pressed apple, lemon, a cheeky hint of absinthe and served on the rocks” - called the Prescott’s Punch. This truly was a whirlwind of sweetness that pleasantly nipped the back of my throat.  
To top off the evening we were treated to a live acoustic set to accompany our cocktails and seal B-Soho’s status as one of the new places on the scene to kick back and mentally file away the day’s work with authentic eats and grown-up thirst quenchers. Perfect for a Friday night dinner before embarking on a LadyChartwell Friday clubbing adventure.

By Guest Blogger: Maddie Saunders

La vita e bella with VitaBella

The way Italians and the French enjoy life - the latter call it 'joie de vivre' and the former 'la vita e bella'.  I do have to be completely honest with you, my Darlings, the socialite lifestyle might indeed symbolize the joy of life, but comes with consequences for the skin, thus I myself am very aware of how to take care of my skin in order to stay perky and young. VitaBella Anti Ageing Serum is one of my daily musts.

The VitaBella™ Anti Ageing Serum is packed full of a concentrated anti-ageing complex and ideal for daily use on more pronounced wrinkles around the forehead, eyes and décolleté. 

VitaBella™ skincare is produced in Italy and harnesses the unique properties of the local olive groves and aloe vera fields, handpicked for that added freshness. VitaBella™ Anti Ageing Serum harnesses the same combination of natural active ingredients that are found in the VitaBella™ Anti-Ageing Face Mask treatment, but at a far higher concentration, this serum can help to improve skin elasticity and reduce the visible signs of skin ageing.  

You will be thanking Lady Chartwell, when 'la vita e bella' and your skin looking younger than ever.

“A strong body makes the mind strong.” - Is there a link between exercise and success?

Lady Chartwell welcomes a fine guest blogger....

Although Thomas Jefferson – to whom the quotation in my title is attributed – touted shooting as the most effective sport to develop both mind and body, I will also quote another famous American politician who said “If you make a commitment to better your physical health, you’ll find the same self-discipline, focus, and drive for success carries through into the rest of your life’s activities” (Schwarzenegger, 1998). You can’t argue with Arnie, at least not to his face. Both men can certainly be regarded as “successful”, and both seem to agree on a link between being physically active and improved performance in other areas of life.

To contemporise things a little, Coulson et al. (2008) investigated the effects of exercise on self-reported work performance. The type of exercise undertaken was monitored but regardless of type, duration, or intensity the study showed significant improvements in mood and self-reported performance on days that the participants exercised compared with days that they didn’t. The participants had been selected from largely sedentary jobs, but importantly their employers provided facilities for exercise in the workplace. So how is this relevant? A happier, more motivated workforce is undeniably a more productive and successful one.

To digress into the field of exercise/health psychology, there is a clear link between exercise and wellbeing. Ogden (2007) discusses the positive effects of exercise on longevity, and how important physical activity is in relation to heart disease amongst other potentially fatal conditions (it’s hard to be successful when you’re dead...). She also delves into the many psychological effects of regular exercise, including improved responses to workplace stress, and improved self-confidence (a reoccurring theme).  Can exercise improve intelligence too? Renowned child psychologist Jean Piaget (1936) stated that physical activity and motor development was a key part of a child’s cognitive development, and believed this link may continue in adulthood. Whilst there has been no solid evidence in applying this to adult populations, a running theme across research has found improved cognitive function tends to be linked to regular, structured exercise programs (Weinberg & Gould, 2003).

Back to the real world, and one important question; how can the improvements in mood, perceived performance at work, self-confidence, motivation, physical and mental health, and cognitive ability gained through regular exercise contribute to success? I don’t need to spell it out.

Coulson, J.C., McKenna, J., & Field, M. (2008). Exercising at work and self-reported work performance. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 1: 176-197.

Ogden, J. (2007). Health Psychology: A Textbook. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Piaget, J. (1936). The moral judgment of the child. New York: Harcourt & Brace.

Schwarzenegger, A. (1998) The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.

Weinberg, R.S. & Gould, D. (2003). Foundations of Sport & Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Will Brooks

Chartwell Magazine is delighted to welcome Will as one of our regular sports, health and wellbeing writers. Will is degree educated in Sports Psychology, and aspiring to gain a Masters in Strength and Conditioning next year. Will has several years experience in the fitness industry and is a strong advocate of physical activity for all. 

Lady Chartwell meets Grey Goose - by appointment

If taste is a science, then flavour is an art form and Grey Goose has exquisitely mastered both for its Taste by Appointment event. Chartwell were cordially invited to just one of the events being held across London at Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, an understated venue that works a certain industrial chic. Greeted upon arrival by a Grey Goose Le Fizz concoction to cleanse the palette before the taste tests, also offered round were a selection of canapés to represent the five different areas of taste. Joe from Grey Goose, an enthused and passionate bartender spoke to the room in fantastic detail about the research that the brand have been doing with the Reading University Taste institute to really understand the experience of taste, aroma and flavour. Once the room had participated in a blind experiment to demonstrate taste, trolleys were brought out with Grey Goose Original, La Poire and L’Orange as well as a host of other popular and unusual mixers and guests were invited to experiment with different mixtures to find their taste. All these experiments culminated in the crown of the evening, the personal, bespoke Grey Goose cocktail. The dapper Joe who had spoken so passionately about the sensation of taste mixed each guest his or her own unique cocktail specifically taking into account their preferences and their usual drink of choice. The outcome for Chartwell was exquisite with Joe creating a Grey Goose and ginger ale cocktail with coriander, fresh ginger and ground black pepper muddled in as well as a dash of white grapefruit juice and a host of other finishing touches. A cocktail that suitably reflected the evening with Grey Goose: refreshing, unusual yet unsurprisingly refined.
Explore your own taste with GreyGoose Masterclasses here: http://www.greygoosetaste.com/

By Maddie Saunders - guest blogging for Chartwell Magazine.

Anti-radiation Face Mask by Jamela Skin Care

Darlings, I just heard some alarming news - domestic technology such as computers, mobile phones, televisions, microwaves etc. cause radiation which can accelerate the process of aging! Luckily enough there are such products like Jamela Skin Care's natural Lotus Crystal Anti-radiation Face Mask, which will help protect your skin from all the dangers of staying cosy inside during the winter.

Jamela Skin Care’s Lotus Crystal face and under eye sheet masks have been specially formulated to provide a natural remedy against radiation. Using the key active ingredients of an advanced proprietary hydro-glycolic extract blend, Jamela Skin Care’s Lotus masks combat the effects of electrical radiation emitted by the electromagnetic waves from indoor technology. As a result the skin’s cellular structure is regenerated and invigorated, as the oxygen supply to the skin cells is improved to fight the ageing process and dehydration.

So, for all those home parties during holiday celebrations, be sure to protect your skin as much as when roaming the cold windy streets to reach those party venues. 

Lovely Lanolin Winter Skin Rescue

As you know, darlings, I enjoy taking care of your skin and sharing my favourite beauty secrets with you and Lanolin is the most recent one.

Lips really suffer during seasonal changes as you adjust to harsher winds and often forget to drink as much water as you did in the summer. That is what Lanolips 101 Ointment is perfect for - it replenishes moisture, protects and repairs dry chapped lips. This luxuriously creamy unscented ointment contains nothing but 100% pure clean Ultra-Pure Medical Grade Lanolin, which literally melts between your fingers into a clear emulsion. 

A must to keep your lips presented for Christmas party pouting.

New Cartier for men Eau de Toilette

This Sunday, Harrods was the exclusive venue for Cartier to launch their new Declaration d'un Soir Eau de Toilette, which is a new rendition of the iconic Cartier Declaration from 1998. The new smell includes base notes of Pepper to ignite the spirit, Sandalwood for elegance and Rose for sensitivity. As Cartier says, a fragrance, which will spice up your life with panache. Treat Mr. Chartwell to something special this autumn.

Our Chartwell Estates in Luxe Magazine

Chartwell Estates was featured in Luxe Magazine - see page 93: Best Address!

PPQ After Party

Kensington Roof Garden was the venue for the fabulous PPQ after party, which celebrated a successful showcasing of the psychadelic-chic SS13 collection at LFW. Guests such as Grace Woodward, Jameela Jamil, Dionne Bromfield and Laura Whitmore were proudly seated in the show's front row, setting the tone of the evening to be contemporary cool.

Kensington Roof Garden

Upon arrival there was a palpable but mellow buzz and an eclectic mix of people from the effortlessly chic to lookbook stylistas to those who just wanted to enjoy a designer Tanqueray cocktail or two and talk about the start of LFW.

Pixie Lott

True to PPQ form attention to detail was key with waitresses sporting the signature kooky cat-ear headpieces from their AW11 collection and campaign images from their monochromatic-mistress style AW12 collection projected on to the walls of the club to tempt fashion-hungry onlookers.

Truly the most anticipated and sought after invitation of the week so far, if you didn’t make this year’s PPQ after party, do everything you possibly can to get yourself on the guest list for next year as no fun-loving fashionista or socialite can afford to miss another event quite like this!

Kaé Argatherapy for winter skin

Even though today was a sunny morning, my face almost froze due to the chilly breeze. Yes, autumn is officially arrived to town and winter is approaching. Luckily my resources keep me informed about the best solutions for cold weather and today I have come across Kae Argatherapy winter saviours:

Arganaissance Cream

This one protects skin from the ravages of winter, with its combination of natural and organic ingredients, it gives skin that essential defence and shelters skin from the damages of daily exposure. Rich in nourishing Argan Oil, the Arganaissance Cream ensures skin remains hydrated throughout the day and promotes cell regeneration making skin appear refreshed and revitalised. 

Argabaume Lip Balm

Pamper lips with this lip balm. Dry lips are always the first sign of dehydration, lips will become dry and chapped and no amount of gloss or lipstick is able to conceal it. This lip balm combines natural ingredients to nurture and protect lips, making them perfectly soft, even and infinitely more kissable. The lip balm combines the intensely hydrating properties of Argan Oil with moisturising and conditioning Shea Butter to repair, hydrate and soften lips.