Month: Feb 2015

beauty, make up, nail polish

Nail polish – my beauty addiction

ramblingmads

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So, pretty much every time I go to somewhere like Boots or Superdrug, regardless of what I actually need to buy, I come home with at least two more nail polishes. There is a large box of them in my wardrobe/dressing room/beautifying corner. Most are Barry M or Nails Inc, with a few random ones (usually freebies from magazines or gift sets, sometimes beauty boxes) thrown in for good measure.  I had a clear out recently off all tge manky, dried out ones.

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The thing is, I don’t paint my fingernails, it chips too quickly and my nails are pretty brittle to start with. So all these lovely colours only get used on my toenails and only get seen in the summer flip flop months.

I have to have painted toenails at all times and redo them every fortnight, changing colour each time. I don’t like feet and one of my toes is bent from being broken and reset badly when I was 19. Even wrapped up in thick socks and my knitted Ugg boots (which I love for their warmth and don’t care that they’re rather ugly) my toes need that pop of colour, they look sad and naked without it. And I know it’s there!

I don’t really like pastel colours, I prefer bright jewel tones, they contrast quite nicely against my really pale skin. I’m the same with clothes, I will pick the emerald, sapphire or royal purple every time.

Which means I get really fed up when new colours come out and they’re weedy pastels. Like Barry M’s new speedy dry colours, all pastels – boring.

I’ve also got quite into matte finish polishes too, sometimes it’s more interesting than a gloss finish.

Just whatever you do, make sure it’s completely dry before you put socks on, take it from me, fluffy toes are not a good look!

ramblingmads

exercise, healthy, lifestyle, yoga

Yoga – good for the soul

ramblingmads

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So recently I’ve been getting back into yoga and boy am I stiff! Feel about 900 years old. Yoda would probably do a better job than me!

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My joints creak like they need oil, my knees especially hate me and the other day I felt physically sick getting up and into the warrior pose.

I’ve started following some yogis on instagram in hopes of inspiration from people who stretch and headstand regularly. I’ve got a mat, and a dvd to guide me through. I just need to find the get up and go to do it every day.

I don’t like exercise, so thank goodness getting healthier is only 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. I’ve got the healthy eating down (lost half a stone in a month) but need to do more with my body. Walking I do regularly, cycling and swimming I used to love.

Motivation is what I lack. What do you do to get motivated?

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ramblingmads

ethics, lifestyle, lush, questions

Lush and the problem of ethical beauty

ramblingmads

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On a facebook group recently a member asked whether anyone could recommend a beauty brand like Lush but not Lush as she was a member of Countryside Alliance and Lush support hunt saboteurs.

Now, fox hunting is illegal in the UK, even though our current (vile) PM is a member of a hunt, and fox hunting has been repeatedly proven to be not only inhumane but costly and pointless as a means of keeping numbers of foxes low.

It is in fact much cheaper and more practical to shoot foxes or poison them if they are causing a nuisance, eating your chickens or spooking your sheep.

The cost of raising hounds, horses, the outfits and damage done to farmland far outways the benefits of chasing one animal to the point of exhaustion and then ordering dogs to tear it apart.

I’m not saying that hunt saboteurs are a good thing either – in fact they are known to cause harm to animals as well. Spooking a horse, causing it to fall, maybe break a leg and have to be shot does not mean you took a stand for animal rights.

Foxes are a nuisance, and not just in the countryside. More and more of them are living in urban areas, raiding bins, attacking pets (and apparently babies, despite being very wary of humans) and having all night mating sessions involving screaming in people’s gardens.

I use Lush because I admire their ethical policy (not testing on animals – meaning until last year they didn’t add SPFs because they were predominantly tested on animals and they needed to find one that wasn’t) and the lack of chemicals in their products means that my sensitive skin doesn’t react to them.

Testing cosmetics on animals was banned in the EU last year (but check where your products are manufactured, as outside the EU no such restrictions are guaranteed by law). So theoretically all products are cruelty free. Lush led the charge and is very happy with this change in legislation.

Fox hunting is a touchy subject even in my extended family, my Yorkshire rellies own farmland and came to London a few years ago for a CA march. I held my tongue, I don’t agree with their ethics (or lack thereof) although they are family and I care about them.

Where do you stand on the question of beauty and cruelty? Do you check the provenance and ethics of your products or is it something you choose not to worry about when buying your cosmetics?

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Images from Lush Ltd’s facebook page

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blogging, lifestyle, tumblr

What’s in a name

ramblingmads

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So I saw this on Tumblr earlier (apologies for the tiny image – cannot seem to make it bigger), the comment at the bottom is mine.

I am Madeleine. I share my name with a cake that had Proust in rhapsodies, a district in Paris (I sat in Place de la Madeleine eating madeleines once, it was hilarious), author Madeleine L’Engle, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (she’s @madeleine on Twitter).

If mispronounced (frequently happens) I get called ‘Madeline’ and become a redhead who lives in two straight lines under the watchful eye of a nun.

My mum named me after Mary Magdalen in the Bible – she was Jesus’ friend (some say wife) and as far as my parents were concerned I was their miracle baby. Madeleine is the French version of Magdalen.

I hated my name growing up, it was nine letters no one could spell or pronounce correctly. Even teachers.

I’ve grown into it. But I’ll never be a Maddy, Maddie or Maddi. Mads I can tolerate but not Maddy.

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ramblingmads

books, challenges, reviews

#5books7days – round up

ramblingmads

So over on Instagram and Twitter this week I’ve been taking part in a readathon #5books7days which has been really enjoyable.
My five books were:
A real variety of books. Fantasy, autobiography, classic crime, and finally a book written by a friend of mine.

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I haven’t read with purpose since uni, when I read for class or essay writing. Nowadays I read whatever takes my fancy, and sometimes I pick the wrong book. Life’s too short to read books that don’t hold my attention.

This was a really fun reading challenge, and I managed to make a tiny dent in the mountain of unread books, unfortunately it seems to grow while I sleep.

ramblingmads

beauty, lifestyle, make up

Beauty confessions – eyeliner

ramblingmads

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I am 28 years old and I don’t have they eyeliner knack.

Every time I try to line my eyes, something goes wrong. They end up a complete mess, I’ve tried pencils, brushes, ones like crayons or felt tips, tried different tips and techniques, always a bit squiffy.
Sometimes just plain smeared or like a very drunk spider dipped in ink drew them.

A former colleague of mine, who always had the most incredible winged kohl, told me the trick was to start on the outside corners, draw an outline, then fill it in, making it even as you go. Tried that, didn’t work.

So I’ve basically stopped bothering, I have so many eyeliners lining around. But at the moment, even though it would make my eyes look less droopy (I have a muscle weakness in one eyelid) and more pronounced behind my glasses, I give up.

Any suggestions out there? I need an utterly foolproof method.

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ramblingmads

beauty, lush, reviews, skincare

Lush goodies

ramblingmads

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Got back from meeting my sister to find a box of treasure waiting for me. Lush treasure at that.

Ordered myself some treats and essentials.

Celestial – this is my favourite moisturiser and thank goodness this came today as I ran out this morning.

Prince Charming – a favourite shower gel, smells delicious.

Happy Happy Joy Joy –  this conditioner is scented with neroli, rose,  grapefruit, rosewood and orange flower, smells gorgeous and should leave my hair soft, shiny and smelling delicious.

Whitewash – a Lush Kitchen exclusive, a shower smoothie packed full of skin loving aloe vera and coconut oil. Smells scrummy, as will I.

After Tango – another Lush Kitchen exclusive, a fresh foot mask for tired feet, contains natural pumice, avacado, asparagus and other good things. My worn out feet need a treat, and this is the one.

Can’t wait to pamper myself.

ramblingmads

books, reviews

Book Review – Hope in a Ballet Shoe

ramblingmads

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Michaela DePrince is currently a dancer with the Dutch National Ballet, before that she was a ballet student in America, and before that she was an orphan in war-torn Sierra Leone.

As a little girl I wanted to be a ballerina, and although that never worked out, I still do the positions on Underground platforms and try to see as much ballet as I can afford.

Michaela wanted to be a ballerina too, but her journey would be long, hard and at times painful.

If you’ve seen the documentary First Position, you’ll recognise the teenage Michaela, one of the few black ballerinas around. She’s got a beautiful smile and dances wonderfully.

Her book takes you from the tragedy of her early years, orphaned by age 4, sold to an orphanage by her uncle, she witnessed the murder of her pregnant teacher and had to flee along with the other children to neighbouring Guinea. Throughout it all she clung to the dream of looking like the ballerina on the front of a magazine she found in the street.

She and her best friend were adopted by a white couple from America, became sisters and began to dance.

Her story is inspiring, heartbreaking and ultimately full of hope and joy.
I stayed up late reading it, not wanting to put it down, desperate to know whether she achieved her dream.

Written with her adoptive mother’s help, Michaela’s story is brilliant for reminding you that thinks can be achieved and if you work hard dreams happen.

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ramblingmads

books, reviews

#5books7days

ramblingmads

Over on instagram and twitter @lotte_le (@lottelovesbooks) is hosting a reading challenge. #5books7days is the perfect reading challenge for me.
Some weeks I can read a dozen books, others I struggle to read one.
As a kid I read everything I could get my hands on, and if there wasn’t anything to hand, cereal boxes or the sports page of my dad’s paper (while he was reading the inside) would do.
As I’ve got older I’ve slowed down a little, I no longer have multiple books on the go at one time. Perhaps my uni days of juggling dozens of books, essays, articles and trying to read for pleasure (I was a lit student, under and post grad) wore me down.
Anyway, my first pick for #5books7days is:

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So far, really enjoying this. It’s a bit weird and full of mystery, but I think that’s what makes it so interesting.

Are any of you readers? Take part in any reading challenges?

ramblingmads

life, relationships

Valentine, be mine

ramblingmads

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For the first 24 years of my life I was permanently single and it didn’t bother me. I had more interesting things to think about than boys. It probably didn’t help that most of my friends were boys, I was ‘one of the guys’ and it was clear that the word ‘boyfriend’ was one I didn’t have in my extensive vocabulary.

Four years ago (almost five) I met The Boy. I wasn’t looking, and I thought he was flirting with another girl at the training session we were in.

We don’t celebrate our anniversary and Valentine’s we buy silly, cheap presents and he makes me dinner.

I don’t think if you really love someone you need a special day to tell them. If you do, maybe you need to rethink a few things.

So, single, coupled up, whatever. How about you love yourself. Happy Palentine’s friends.

ramblingmads