Burt's Bees gets #wildforbees in London

Last night Burt's Bees presented 3 short films directed by and starring Isabelle Rossellini in a pop-up cinema at The Calthorpe Project in the heart of London. This might sound random but it was all in the name of raising awareness of the importance of bees in the UK and around the world.
Hosted by Lucy Siegle (who looked very Kate Middleton-esque it was just fabulous) "Burt Talks To The Bees" was shown under a canopy while we lounged on bean bags, sipped on Honey Dripper cocktails and nibbled on canapes that were super yummy (and there were veggie options!) and all based around bees. They either contained pollen itself like the Chicken Parfait Macaroons or consisted of flowers and vegetables that had to be pollinated by bees in order to grow. It was such a wonderful evening and the short films were a very funny and tongue-in-cheek way of getting the message across of what bees need in order to continue to thrive in the environments we have created.

 Chicken Parfait Macaron with Bee Pollen (Pollen is gathered by the honey bee) & Cucumber, Borage Flower & Minted Goat's Curd & Broad Bean Cups (Cucumber, Borage Flower, Mint and Broad Beans are bee pollinated)

Table display and products lined up along the bridge and hanging from the trees, cute!

The films were followed by talks from Margaret McHugh - Burt's Bees Marketing manager, Tim Lovett - The British Bee Keepers' Association's Director Of Public Affairs and Richard Reynolds - founder of The Guerilla Gardener. We were also spoken to by a spokesperson for The Calthorpe Project. Each of these speakers was able to bring a different perspective on the importance of the survival of bees. We weren't just told from the perspective of someone who was passionate about beekeeping but also from the perspective of a huge company who not only benefit from bees themselves but who provide us with products to improve our skin and health.
Before showing the feature film of "The Secret Lives of Bees" we had a Q&A session with the speakers to clear up any questions that we may have pondered over the course of the talks.

Me and Pip outside the pop-up cinema with our yum drinks

I can't recreate those talks at all but you can find out more by visiting www.burtsbees.co.uk (click!).
If this sounds like something you might be interested in you might also like to visit the following websites to learn more about the tiny changes you can make to allow the bees that are so vital to our lifestyles to continue :
British Bee Keepers' Association / Adopt A Beehive
The Guerrilla Gardener
The Calthorpe Project

It really is a brilliant cause to get involved with - once you've seen the films and read more about this Wild For Bees campaign I hope it makes you feel the same way I do now... I won't be squealing and swatting at bees while I try enjoy some Pimms in the sun. I'd rather plant some flowers like lavender or clematis (a little further away than me and my Pimms!) and let the bees go about their buzziness (ha! bee banter or WHAT!!) and let them continue to make honey and wax and lay 16,000 baby bee eggs a day so we can all live happily ever after.

Lauren's Way Lash Launch 8/5/2013

Last week I hopped on a train to Piccadilly and met one of my best friends for a quick drink before going on to Jewel bar for the Lauren's Way Eyelash Launch. 

We were greeted by a lush red carpet, bouncers and the beautiful PR ladies with the guestlist. After a quick name check we teetered to the bar and picked up some berry mojitos and had a mooch around the venue. 

There were 3 tables with stands flaunting Lauren Goodger's tan range, giant hair donuts and of course the newly released eyelashes and there were some decorated booths where people were sitting, chatting and learning a little bit about the product range.
The Essex Angels were on hand to apply the eyelashes, hair rollers or giant hair donuts to those who wanted to try them out. Naisha and I both opted for the Fabulous Flutter falsies and they were trimmed and applied perfectly. We both felt they were really comfortable with no scratching or heaviness which was brilliant.

The lighting was a little dim which set the mood perfectly but my photos in the venue are a little scratchy looking so I apologise for that!

 Me and my berry mojito, yum!

Me and my friend Naisha after having our eyelashes applied by the Essex Angels.

While we were there as well as seeing Lauren whose hair was looking b-e-a-utiful we saw the X Factor's Rylan Clark (who is seriously super tall in real life..super tall.) and Phil Turner, also tall. But then I am short so....

After a couple of hours of mingling, talking to some other bloggers and magazine writers and having a couple of cocktails we headed off home feeling very happy and keen to try our own set of eyelashes..although without the aid of the Essex Angels it might be a little trickier!

Big thanks to Fluorescent PR for the invitation and to Lauren and the Essex Angels for the lovely evening. Although I left this event with a gift bag I'd like to make it clear that I paid for my train travel. Any reviews for products received at this event will be marked with a * and will of course be my honest opinions.