Yes, I’m boiling. My blood is raising to an unholy degree and sometimess I almost think I can hear the capillaries sizzle, when I’m really, really quiet. My train smells of BO and morning sex and I find myself gasping in air like an alcoholic craves a drink But despite all this I LOVE IT. Love, love, love it.
And why is this? Well us Brits may love to complain so I’ll join in half heartedly but honestly- torrential downpour or blistering heat? I’ll take the heat every-time. I feel freer, more energized, more awake and more attractive. I love wearing sunglasses, licking ice lollies and eating salads for fun, rather than health reasons. I like coming home late and it still being light, I love the way a thin bed sheet is suddenly all I need and I like how I’m more adventurous because I’m not worried about turning blue.
I like not carrying a jacket/scarf/gloves/hat and I love how relaxed I feel when all I have on is just a T-shirt and skirt. I’m happy to go for ice cream over chocolate, and I like how chocolate seems less inviting when you envisage it as a sticky melted mess down your top. I like how much sexier I feel with a light tan, and how sexier other people look as well. I like the feeling of camaraderie when people share their suncream and water, and I’m planning to like how tubes will be closed due to serious overheating (think time off work folks).
I like the freedom, the fun and the capricious attitude that come from sunbeams, and this means I’m willing to put up with commuters underarms, dizzy spells, sunburn and dehydration. Long live summer!
Yes, he’s dead. Yes, it’s very, very tragic. Yes, he did make a major difference to the music scene and make people rethink what they viewed pop music as (and showed us all that money doesn’t always buy a good plastic surgeon).
But c’mon guys, let’s get some perspective on this. I’d like the radio/MTV to be playing something other than his top 50 greatest hits and I really don’t care that much what B-list celebs think about his death (‘tragic’ and ‘will be missed’ are seriously overused terms). Death comes to us all, and sure it’s a shock when a public figure pops his cork, (especially if you’ve shelled out for expensive tickets) but why this mass hysteria? Read more…
The amount of fragrance releases that pop into my inbox lead one to think Britain is enjoying a multitude of good weather and a sunny economic climate rather than the most depressing recessions we’ve had since the 50′s (though the current heat wave can’t be denied). Despite the rise of redundancies and doom and gloom the perfume gravy train rolls on, and a trend I’ve noticed is that there are more and more celebrity based scents launching, whilst the big perfumeries are keeping themselves content with one or two launches. So, the big houses are opting for quality rather than quantity (think ‘a scent by Issey Miyake’ and the new Dior fragrance) whilst cheap and cheerful rules the roost in the likes of Superdrug and Boots.
It may come a s a surprise to learn that the bestselling scent of 2008 was not one of the multitudes of scents that were created with a complex artistry of base notes blended with precision worthy to be dissected by Dexter’s scalpel ( my current fave show), but rather the unimpressive artificial candy coated scent that was Stunning by Katie Price (a.k.a Jordan). Yes, I was surprised too- but if that’s the market that has the spare cash (think saved up pocket money/guilt ridden gifts from divorced dads and mini-WAGS) then it’s no surprise that scents like these are being churned out. Read more…
Shopping channels, aren’t they soo not great? They waste valuable airspace trying to tell you how an ‘oxygen infused cream’ is going to melt fat from your thighs, and that using a cheap looking piece of exercise equipment for just five minutes day will change you life. Add to that a carpet fluffer you don’t want, some cheap nasty jewellery that supposedly uesd to cost a zillion and some American accents, and well-FLICK. Yup, you’d have to be really bored to spend anytime watching these channels, and buying something, um no- you realize they CHARGE like £1.80 a minute for you to call and order??
However amongst the huge, HUGE pile of dross do exist some gadgets that look like they might be worth the P&P cost, and here are five I think would come in very handy (or maybe they’ve just suckered me in).
Genius! This solves the whole ‘is the back of my hair straight’ issue, and it’s also detachable so you can pop it in your purse and travel with it. Read more…
Life provides a never ending cycle of new experiences; and the time has come for me to plunge into its heady current once more, and make the move from my much loved role as editor of Shiny Shiny and Kiss and Makeup at Shiny Media. Yes, no longer will I be known for awkward video reviews in front of that flocked wallpaper, or be seen on the sites, testing everything from mobile handsets to laser guns. Moving forward is a natural state of affairs, but there are many things I will miss about working at Shiny Towers.
1. The People
I can’t stress enough what a great team I work with, and despite the recent departures of Lucy, Duncan, Gemma, Stuart and Susi, there remain a core group of staff members that I feel honoured to call my friends. It’s not often you find a working situation so congenial that the people actually play a major part in your life- such as on weekends!- but the delightful Dan, Abi, Isabelle and Kelly really make the morning a pleasure, rather than a grumpy sleep deprived experience (and it does help they make me coffee regularly). Many years ago Katie, Chris and Ashley hired me into the fold, and I’ll always owe them a debt of gratitude for embracing me into the shiny family, and will find it odd going somewhere where the names ‘Zazzles’ , ‘Zsa Zsa’ and ‘Sugar coated streamtrain’ won’t automatically be my nom de plume.
2. The Variety
I’ve been fortunate to have worked over a wide variety of sites in my time here, and have experienced a wide range of topics, from fashion to accessories, celebrity, beauty and technology. This has allowed me to hone my skills and learn what areas I’m really suited for, and which I’m not (my D-list celebrity radar is notoriously awful). Read more…
The last couple of months have seen me whittle down my Booker Novels list even further and resort to reading lowbrow kiddie books when I’ve run out of novels. My office bookshelf has been firmly raided (we’re on a Penguin Kids and chick-lit mailing list) and I’ve been working my way through a variety of novels featuring boarding school, magic and vampires- and often all three. Who said children books were predictable? Read the short summaries here!
We need to talk about Kevin, Lionel Shriver
Dark, depressing and delicious, a book that you can’t help but adore despite yourself.
How the Light gets in by M.J Hyland
Gifted but troubled Australian sixteen year old heads to the USA on an exchange programme. Her disaffection and alienation slowly blight her relationship with her host family, and we get so see the prejudices of both nations exposed under a harsh light, with a side helping of alcoholism.
Yes, I’m boiling. My blood is raising to an unholy degree and sometimess I almost think I can hear the capillaries sizzle, when I’m really, really quiet. My train smells of BO and morning sex and I find myself gasping in air like an alcoholic craves a drink But despite all this I LOVE IT. Love, love, love it.
Life provides a never ending cycle of new experiences; and the time has come for me to plunge into its heady current once more, and make the move from my much loved role as editor of Shiny Shiny and Kiss and Makeup at Shiny Media. Yes, no longer will I be known for awkward video reviews in front of that flocked wallpaper, or be seen on the sites, testing everything from mobile handsets to laser guns. Moving forward is a natural state of affairs, but there are many things I will miss about working at Shiny Towers.
