The Grand National

Hello all!

I am once again guest posting for the fabulous Leah today who has kindly allowed me to post me ramblings twice on her blog whilst she has been having a break away.

Can I take a quick moment to wish her a very happy birthday and also happy anniversary!

Today I am posting my yearly post on the Grand National.  You can find what I have to say on the subject on Leah's blog here

As with every year, many will not read this post and those who read it may not care/decide to bet anyway; but if I can change at least one person's mind about what is the most dangerous sport in the world, I will be a very happy camper.

Would love to hear your thoughts, either on Leah's post or here. xxx

Lazy Girl Face Mask

Hello all!  I am doing something different on the blog today, something that I do not regularly do but when I find an amazing product, I want to share it!  So today, I am talking face masks.

When it comes to my skincare routine, I have to admit, I am horribly lazy.  I use *whispers* skin wipes.  I know you shouldn't, I know that they are not great for your skin but they are just so damn easy!

I have combination skin.  My nose and chin can get oily, whilst my cheeks and forehead sometimes would not look out of place in the Sahara desert for how dry they get sometimes.  Especially in Winter.  Before I discovered the magic, wonderous thing that is the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel I actually used to get dry flaky patches on my cheeks and forehead.  Irritating and not fun.

I have tried face masks in the past to give my skin a little oomph and a treat, but they have been few and far between.  The reason?  They are a pain!  You buy the leave on version and you practically have to submerge your head underwater to remove them or you apply the peel off, which as anyone knows does not come off in one go, or even five (if you are me).   

What I wanted was a face mask that I could quickly apply, leave on and practically do nothing with.  Then I found the Vitamin E Moisture Mask from +Superdrug which costs a frankly amazing £2.49 for 75ml.  

You apply like you would a moisturiser, but you do not need a huge amount, less is definately more.  Comparing it to my two pump use of Clinique I would say that around a 5-6 pump equivalent is more than adequate.  Here is how it looks when applied. 

So basically not a huge amount.  Just a medium coverage that you leave on for 15-20 minutes.  The mask sinks into your skin, leaving a very, very light residue that you simply dab with a tissue.  Here is how it looks after around 15 minutes.

The mask is meant to be applied 2-3 times per week and I have found that my skin feels wonderfully hydrated afterwards.  It is simple, quick and above all, easy.  It takes no time at all, no fuss, no messing about; no sink fulls of water and it something that I can do first thing in the morning when I am running on auto pilot with only basic brain function.

So my top tip?  Buy it!  Buy it now!  It is the lazy girl's perfect skin mask and does the job.

Moonlighting

Hello all!

Today I am guest posting for the lovely Leah.  I am talking about the crazy laws in the world, current ones in America and how they are affecting women's rights.

You can read it here

Petty Little Liars

One thing that my mother has always said is that you have to have a good memory to be a liar. Whether it be a white liar, told for the good of another or a blatant lie with no regard for the truth; the lie that you tell takes on a life of it's own.  

Unlike the truth which speaks for itself, a lie requires a back story.  The bigger the lie, the bigger the back story.  Personally, I cannot stand a liar.  I would rather be cut to shreds with the truth than deceived with a lie.

One thing that I cannot understand is when a person tells a lie in order to impress another.  I recently read an article in the Independent about a recent survey that had been commissioned by Into The Blue about the most common lies that people tell in order to impress others.  The results were quite shocking to me and it made me wonder; just how shallow are we?

The survey spoke to nearly 2500 people asking questions about the lies that they have told in order to impress another, be it a work colleague, a friend or a potential love interest.

These are the top ten lies that people tell in order to make an impression on someone else:

1)      Skydiving – 45%

2)      Met a celebrity – 41%

3)      Attended a music event – 36%

4)      Bungee jump – 29%

5)      Being arrested/Spent time in jail – 25%

6)      School/University results – 23%

7)      Charity fundraising – 20%

8)      Attended a major sporting event – 19%

9)      Exotic travels – 17%

10)   Working in the forces – 15%

A further 8% of respondents confessed that they had lied about saving somebody’s life.  That goes beyond trying to impress, it is downright disgusting.  Apart from anything else, how do you support and maintain a lie like that?  

To quote Elvis Presley (I didn't expect this quote to be from him either):

The truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.

According to the survey, just under a third had told a lie in an attempt to attract a romantic partner, with a fifth lying to people who were already their friends.  The thing is, that lie may attract someone at first or impress them.  But the truth always prevails in the end and you wind up looking at best disingenuous and at worst, a truly horrible person who deceives in order to attain their goal.

For me, if you lie to me then you are out of my life.  If I cannot trust you, what is the point in a relationship, whether it a friend or a loved one.  The closer the connection to someone, the more the after effects of a lie can hurt.  

I will leave you with another quote.  I do not know who said this but for me, it cuts through the truth about lying:

The worst thing about being lied to is knowing that you weren't worth the truth.