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Chinese Whispers: Chinoiserie in Britain 1650-1930. A major exhibition at Brighton Museum, featuring the Royal Pavilion

The Long Gallery, The Royal Pavillion

Chinoiserie is an exotic style which has gone in and out of fashion for centuries. Is chinoiserie the new chic? This summer’s current focus on all things Chinese may herald a major resurgence in oriental influence in homes across the country. Chinese Whispers shows how it has been done before – by those with lavish amounts to spend, as well as people of more modest means – and inspires people who want to have a go at it today.

“You won’t see a prettier show this year than this visually sensuous survey of decorative art”
Richard Dorment, national art critic

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The luxurious and glamorous Pink Champagne Nail Bar has now been launched

Summer 08’s hottest beauty news is the launch of the fabulous effervescent new Pink Champagne Nail Bar at The Lanes Health and Beauty on Market Street.

The ground floor of Brighton’s favourite celebrity beauty salon has been transformed into a glittering and glamorous nail spa. The sleek quartz and granite interiors are complemented with mirrored accessories and bright pink towels to tie in with the salon’s signature pink champagne theme.

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Bespoke jewellers Ring design and make jewellery tailored to the individual, as well as ensuring that all their gemstones are ethically sourced

Nowadays the public are asking (and quite rightly so) about where precious stones are sourced. With the movie Blood Diamond and demonstrations by the stars at last year’s Oscars, consumers are now wondering if a girl’s best friend may be someone else’s worst enemy.

Ring is a bespoke jewellers in the heart of Brighton’s lanes that takes the issue of conflict gemstones very seriously. At Ring all the jewellery is new and is made either especially for the customer to their design, or for stock.

This means that as there is no second-hand jewellery, the origin of the stones can be traced, thus ensuring the stones are conflict-free. To make our customers feel even more secure, Ring has just launched a range of diamond engagement rings that have accompanying documentation to reassure clients that the diamond they have purchased is conflict-free.

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Planning a dinner, a party, a wedding or a feast? Then call Plum Catering and talk to Kim Ryan

Plum Catering is the brainchild of food lover and accomplished cook Kim Ryan. Kim started cooking 25 years ago with basic chef training but was disheartened by the discrimination she found back then against women in professional kitchens. That was in the late 70s and 80s. She followed that with a Cordon Bleu course where she honed her classic French cooking skills, skills that she sees as the basis of everything she now does. Since then she has worked in many kitchens, written about food and raised a family, her toughest critics.

Now Kim runs Plum Catering, a food business that is grounded in the three key factors that most discerning chefs apply today: quality produce, local produce and seasonal produce. It’s a passion with Kim and one that will find her scouring the local countryside in search of just-picked asparagus or freshly landed seafood and fish. In her search for perfect produce she has also built up many strong relationships with local food suppliers.

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