in:  Competitions,London Picks   |   April 14, 2017 - 9:31 am   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

VIP Treat: WIN Elizabeth Shaw Chocs

 

Chocolate isn’t just for Easter, you know. Chocolate is for life. Chocolate is for serving to guests after dinner parties, chocolate is for helping us cope with messy break-ups and heartbreak and chocolate is to get us through that 3pm slump. A day without chocolate for the Live Like a VIP team is a bad day. Thankfully, we’ve never had one yet!

As we consume so much chocolate, we know that some is better than others and one of the brands we can trust is Elizabeth Shaw. It brings back memories of our own parents having it around the house for ‘special occasions’ and so tucking into a mint or a chocolate straw feels like a treat. The brand’s been making chocolate since 1881 – it’s clearly doing something right. And to share that special something with you, we have a competition so five lucky winners can experience (or relive) the taste for themselves.

 

To tickle your tastebuds, these are the prizes that we are giving away to ensure all spring celebrations are completed with an appropriate chocolate and even the most fussy foodie finds something they’ll love:

The Elizabeth Shaw crisp collection – these chocolates combine distinctive flavours with their original honeycomb recipe to create a truly moreish taste. With an offering of the original dark chocolate mint, milk chocolate mint, milk chocolate orange and milk chocolate salted caramel, there is a box to suit all tastes.

 The Elizabeth Shaw flutes – these are just as tempting, filled with a selection of tasty flavours within a smooth chocolate baton. Each flute encases a rich infusion flavour which is complimented by the irresistible fondant centre which come in a choice of mint, amaretto, orange or cappuccino.

The Elizabeth Shaw mint collection – this is  is a sophisticated selection of delicious dark and milk chocolates infused with their specially selected mint oil. The arrangement includes the original mint crisp and tantalising flutes, presented in a stylish gift box.

To win two of these boxes (chosen at random by us) simply answer this question and email competitions@livelikeavip.com along with your name and email address before 2359 on Tuesday 18 April.

Q: What year did Elizabeth Shaw first start making chocolates?

Usual LLAVIP competition T&Cs apply and make sure you get your entries in before the closing date. Good luck!

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in:  Competitions,Get The Look   |   March 15, 2017 - 10:22 am   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

Competition: Win 7 RNA Award-Winning Books

The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s RNA Awards are one of the highlights of the publishing world and a fantastic opportunity to meet the celebrities of the writing world. If, like us, you love to relax by the pool on holiday with a romantic read or two, or read a book to escape the drudgery of your daily commute, there’s a good chance you will have heard of some of the names on the RNA shortlist.

If you’re looking for inspiration about what to read next then you need to pay careful attention to the list of winning books as these have been chosen by a panel of judges as the best of the best. You could also enter our competition as we are very excited that the Romantic Novelists Association has given us the set of winning books to give away to LLAVIP readers. These are the fabulous winning titles:

 

The books are:

Penny Parkes, Out of Practice, Simon & Schuster

Winner Romantic Comedy Romantic Novel of the Year

 

Kate Kerrigan, It Was Only Ever You, Head of Zeus

Winner Historical Romantic Novel of the Year

 

Scarlet Wilson, Christmas in the Boss’s Castle, Mills & Boon Cherish

Winner RoNA Rose Award

 

Kate Johnson, Max Seventeen, independently published

Winner Paranormal or Speculative Romantic Novel

Janet Gover, Little Girl Lost, Choc Lit

Winner Epic Romantic Novel of the Year

 

Debbie Johnson, Summer at the Comfort Food Café, HarperImpulse

Winner Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year

Sophia Bennett, Love Song, Chicken House

Winner Young Adult Romantic Novel of the Year

Winner Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year

 

To enter, email info@livelikeavip.com with your name, address and  the answer to this question – who was the host of the 2017 RNA Awards? [Hint: the answer can be found below] The closing date is 2359 on 30 March 2017 so please enter before then – usual LLAVIP competition T&C’s apply.

The night itself was the ideal opportunity to meet the authors – look at how fantastic they look in real-life, along with outstanding achievement award winners Adele Parks and Barbara Erskine.  Writing isn’t all about being isolated in the study / home office (although that is a big part of it). When these authors aren’t scribbling away, they know how to let their hair down.

 

The host of the evening was novelist and food writer / cooking school founder, Prue Leith.

 

She said that she was waiting for the call to be a judge on Channel 4’s version of the Great British Bake Off. After talking to her, I know she’d do a great job. She’s had 11 years of experience on BBC’s The Great British Menu and she doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She’d be feistier than Mary Berry and make the amateur bakers up their game. Would you like to see her as a judge?

Good luck in our competition and don’t forget to enter by 30 March!

 

 

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in:  Competitions,Get The Look   |   January 3, 2017 - 7:21 am   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

WIN David Bowie Walking Tour Tickets

For many, January will always be remembered as both the anniversary of David Bowie’s birth and death.  When the musician died after an 18 month battle with liver cancer on 10 January  2016 (two days after his 69th birthday), there was a huge outpouring of grief around the world. Thousands and thousands made a pilgrimage to Brixton to visit a mural of his face, which became a huge shrine with flowers piling the streets and spilling onto the road. Bowie changed the world culturally!

That’s why I’m excited to report that on what would have been his 70th birthday (8th January 2017), Nick Stephenson is launching the David Bowie Musical Walking Tour in London. This isn’t your average walking tour where you visit key points in Bowie’s life to a factual commentary. You do get the facts, but you get Bowie’s music too, expertly played by Stephenson. This makes it more suitable for those who don’t speak much English and also for those of us who get bored easily. Facts are good, but we all love Bowie’s music more than facts about his life.

The tour, which will run regularly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays will be a 2-hour guided experience through David Bowie’s early life in Brixton, encompassing many rarely celebrated landmarks in one of the most vibrant, independent and striving areas of London.

For just £10 a ticket, you will be treated to various sites that relate to the legendary singer’s life and death with funny, moving and often surprising anecdotes enthusiastically told throughout the tour by the friendly, charismatic and super knowledgeable Nick Stephenson.

The songs performed en route include:

Space Oddity, Suffragette City, Ashes to ashes, The man who sold the world, Rebel Rebel, Life on Mars? Starman, Drive in Saturday, Heroes

Landmark areas of the tour include:

David Bowie Mural – Discover the story behind the mural

Bowie’s Birthplace and Primary School – School days and family life for the young David Robert Jones

Pop Brixton – Exciting Community project in the heart of Brixton

The Ritzy Cinema – Where hundreds of fans gathered to pay their respects on the 11^th of Jan 2016

The Brixton Academy – discover what happened when David Bowie returned to Brixton for a homecoming show!

Photofusion Gallery – The very best in social photography from around Britain including a recent David Bowie exhibition.

 

Nick (above) is a very talented and experienced musician. I would attempt to describe what he’s done, but you can find all the info on his website.

Want to join a tour? Win a pair of tickets to an 11am or 2pm show on the date of your choice by answering this question. The answer can be found above:

What date (day and month) is David Bowie’s birthday?

Email your answer to livelikeavip@gmail.com before 2359 on Saturday 7 January. Usual LLAVIP competition T&Cs apply. Good luck!

TO BOOK TICKETS (IF YOU DON’T WIN)

Call +44 (0)7894 550 184 or book via the website https://bowietourlondon.co.uk/tickets/

Tickets are £10.00 and tours commence outside Brixton tube station. We recommend guests arrive at least 10 minutes early. Tour guide will be by the tourist information map holding a guitar.

 

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in:  Competitions   |   July 5, 2016 - 8:22 pm   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

WIN: VIP Manchester Trip & £100 Bar Tab

We’re big fans of The Trading House (photographed above) in London – the cocktails are to die for and the decor is gorgeous – so we are very excited about this competition. How do you fancy winning £100 to spend on delicious cocktails / Champagne / the tipple of your choice? And how about living like a VIP in Manchester? You’ll be  living the life of top footballers / Coronation St stars if you win this prize.

So what does the competition involve? We’re actually surprised by how easy it is to enter. To mark the 10,000th gig at the Trading House, they’ve made a special plactrum. All you have to do is visit the Trading House in London before 2300 on Wednesday 6 picky and ick up a special 10,000 gigs plectrum. Simply take your best image featuring the plectrum – like their gorgeous host, Pea, is doing in the photo below.

 

Then upload your photo to one of the Trading House London’s social channels – eithers: Twitter @TradingHouse
Instagram @TradingHouseLondon or via Facebook.

Remember that entries close at 2300 on Weds 6 July so be quick.

PS The trip to Manchester is the weekend of 31 July so make sure you are free then before you enter. There will be live music as The Trading House is celebrating its 10,000th gig as a company.

PPS Head down to The Trading House on Thursday 7 July for a FREE gig! Everyone’s welcome.

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in:  Competitions,Get The Look   |   October 22, 2015 - 12:55 pm   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

Competition: Joules Wellies Design Contest

Have you ever tried to buy a pair of wellies and felt you wanted a pair that’s just a little bit more fun? Well now you have the ideal opportunity to show off your design skills as Joules is running a competition to encourage us all to show off our creative skills and design the perfect pair of wellington boots.

If your design is the judges favourite you will win a luxury break worth £5000, 3 nights in a Golden Oak treehouse cabin and lots more. Plus you will  see your boot on sales in Joules stores and Joules.com – you’ll officially be a fashion designer!

If you need any more encouragement, then 10 runners-up will each receive a £250 Joules gift card.

What are you waiting for? Simply visit http://getcreative.joules.com/ and click through to the user friendly design studio to see your design on a boot within minutes.

All proceeds from the sale of the limited edition winning wellies will be donated to charity partners via the Joules charity, Charitably Joules. Good luck!

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in:  Competitions   |   June 11, 2015 - 3:16 pm   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

WIN: 7 Top Kids DVDs

Whether you’re a parent, a godparent or an aunt or uncle, we all face the question of how to entertain young children when it’s raining. You can’t always rely on the British summer to provide garden-friendly weather and I find DVDs are essential when kids are around.

One of my personal favourites is Bing, the CBeebies show, which is fun and educational. It’s so popular among kids that Studio Canal is now launching it’s second Bing DVD – Bing Storytime…And Other Episodes.

To celebrate it’s release (on 15 June) I’m pleased to announce we have teamed up with studio canal to give away a bundle of these fabulous DVDs. We have two to give away!

 

The lucky winners will each get: Paddington, Shaun the Sheep The Movie, Dinosaur Train, Doozer, Pajaminals, Bing Swing…And Other Episodes, Bing Storytime…And Other Episodes.

To enter, answer this QS: When is Bing Storytime…And Other Episodes released on DVD? (Hint: The answer can be found above)

Email your answer to competitions@livelikeavip.com along with your name and address.

Competition closes at 2359 on Friday 19 June. Usual Live Like a VIP t&c’s apply. Good luck!

 

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in:  Competitions,Get The Look   |   June 2, 2015 - 4:53 pm   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

Competition: Win Hair Products

 

 

Fed up with waiting ages for your hair to curl? You need to multi-task with Sleep In rollers. 

It’s the ultimate way to wake up with effortlessly bouncy hair. You’ll save money on blow dries and you’ll save time in the morning.

The Live Like a VIP team love them and we have a set to give away in this week’s competition. To enter, answer this question:

QS: What is the name of the mattress on the home page of the mattress retailer Sleeping Duck? Is it (a) Titan (b) Terror (c) Tremendous

HINT: The answer can be found by looking at the Sleeping Duck homepage here.

Send your answer with your name and address to competitions@livelikeavip.com  Good Luck!

 

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in:  Competitions,Get The Look   |   May 28, 2015 - 2:13 pm   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

WIN: Liquid Gold Prosecco

Hi VIPs! Have you heard that there could be a global prosecco shortage? Due to bad weather in Italy, where the grapes are grown, and an increased appetite for the fizz that is cheaper than Champagne, prosecco makers may not be able to make enough to fulfil demands.

What’s a girl (or guy) to do? Stock up! But don’t panic buy. If you want to find a Prosecco that is more glam than the rest, check out Liquid Gold who are our partners in this week’s competition.

I’ve just got back from Cannes and Monaco, where Liquid Gold had a presence at the coolest parties, It’s one of the most popular drinks in European nightclubs, but still relatively new in the UK. I don’t know why as have you ever seen such beautiful Prosecco bottles?

 

Liquid Gold are offering two bottles for the lucky winner and you can choose what colour bottles you want us to send you. To enter, answer this question:

QS: In which country are the grapes grown to make Prosecco?

Email your answer with your name, address and age to competitions@livelikeavip.com. Entrants must be over 18

Good luck!

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in:  Competitions   |   December 3, 2014 - 9:48 am   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

VIP Competition: Drive a Bentley

Have you heard of Power on Ice? It’s a four day adventure in the Arctic Circle, in the north of Finland. where participants push a range of Bentleys to their limits. And you could be involved as Bentley has donated two free places (including flights and accommodation) as competition prizes!

When the driving has finished there’s snowmobile rides, ice-karting and night-time Huskey-sled safari adventures and even reindeer farm visits to ensure a truly unique experience, with each place normally costing €11,340.

So how do you enter? And not only enter but help charity at the same time. It’s all through the charity Care2Save, which was created by the fundraising team at St Luke’s Hospice, Cheshire, near to Bentley’s HQ in Crewe. Each entry costs £1 and all money raised goes towards hospices and palliative care for St Luke’s and hospices around the world. You can enter as many times as you want – just pay £1 for each entry.

Enter now on the Care2Save website. (Closing date: 8 Jan 2015)

GOOD LUCK!

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in:  Competitions   |   October 1, 2014 - 2:41 pm   |  by:  Zoe Griffin

WIN: Cattier Chamapagne And Champagne Tasting Tickets

Regular readers of Live Like a VIP will know that we LOVE Champagne. The sound of the cork popping adds a new buzz to a social occasion, the fizzes on the tongue that are like little stars and the light taste which lifts your mood and energy levels rather than making you want to sit down and sleep.

We’re also very fussy about Champagne. If it’s not from the Champagne region then don’t try to pretend to us that it’s of the same standard. We’re purists and that’s why we like Cattier, a French Champagne house founded in 1763. If you win today’s competition you will get to try it too.

The Prize: First Prize A bottle of Cattier Champagne AND an invitation to a spectacular Champagne and cheese tasting at the St James Court Hotel, near Buckingham Palace on 16 October.

Second / Third Prize: A bottle of Cattier Champagne

How To Enter: QS – Which village is the Cattier vineyard located in (Hint: The Answer can be found on the Cattier Champagne website)

Email your answer to competitions@livelikeavip.com by 2359 on Friday 10 October. The winner must be free to attend the Cattier Champagne and British Cheese Board cheese tasting on 16 October at 11am. Winners will be notified on Monday 13 October.

Good luck!

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