Want to save money on make-up? There is a 100% foolproof way of managing this – buy less. I know it’s been said time and time again, but less really is more. And judging by the gaggle of high-heeled, mini-dressed girls you see falling out of Gallery every night, it seems that the message still hasn’t got through to a lot of women.
So, here’s a quick and easy guide to the mighty ‘less is more’ philosophy.
Firstly, skin is meant to look like skin, not the outside of an orange. I’m not saying that concealer or a light foundation are definitely no-go areas, but it should at least be the same colour as your face. The whole point is that it is meant to be unnoticeable – if you get complimented on your foundation, then you need to change it, pronto. As someone with extremely pale skin, I do understand the difficulty in finding the perfect colour; if you, like me, also look like an extra from a Tim Burton film, I would recommend Gosh foundation, in Porcelain. It’s practically white; brilliant.
Secondly, we arrive at the eyebrows, which are sadly often overlooked. Beware she who over-plucks; they may never grow back. And that isn’t a little horror story mothers tell their teenage daughters to stop them from growing up – it really is true. But the future aside, drawn-on eyebrows just aren’t attractive. And what happens when it rains?! Take a look at high fashion. Eyebrows are big, and look all the better for it. Although don’t get me wrong; monobrows will never, ever be sexy. As long as there are two of them, they’re (relatively) symmetrical, and they don’t look like two giant caterpillars taking over your face, then they’re probably okay. And remember, if you do take it a little too far, there’s always the option of a fringe. Phew.
So, moving down, we get to the eyes. The best thing about eye make-up is that you can easily achieve a natural look whilst actually using quite a few products. The most obvious of these is one that frequently tops ‘handbag essentials’ polls – mascara. Amazing. It’s like your eyelashes, but better! I don’t think I’ll ever get over the genius of that. But the beauty of mascara is that it can look natural if you use it well; clumps are really not a good look – people are scared of spiders. Even fake eyelashes can be used to achieve a subtle look; as long as they’re not four inches long and/or made of glittery feathers. Just remember to make it look believable. Secondly, a good liquid eyeliner drawn along the top of your lash-line; it shouldn’t be overly noticeable, but just make your eyelashes look darker and thicker. As my male housemate, who frequently dresses up in drag, likes to say, ‘I want some eyeliner, it just really makes my eyes pop’. If you are leaving your lips nude, then a subtle eye-shadow wouldn’t go amiss, but I’d beware of electric blue or canary yellow, unless it’s fancy dress.
Another item that is often considered a handbag essential; lipstick, or lip-gloss. I have to admit, this is the area where I tend to rebel against the ‘less is more’, and go for a bright red; Ruby Woo, to be specific. But everything in moderation – it’s okay to go a little bit over-the-top with one element of the makeup, I’m sure almost every woman knows to emphasise her best feature. As long as she doesn’t try to do this using lip-liner – something that only Italian porn stars should wear – then it’s all fair game.
And that’s it. Simple. I think the one thing to remember is that make-up was made to improve you, not as something to hide behind. Embrace your face – even your imperfections – and you’ll certainly look all the better for it, as well as saving a few pennies.
Saturday 27 February 2010
Sunday 14 February 2010
Do e-books mark the beginning of the end for paper and ink?
“A room without books is like a body without a soul” - Do e-books mark the beginning of the end for paper and ink?
At the end of January this year, Apple unveiled their latest creation; the 'iPad'. The release of this planned tablet computer (or giant iPod touch, as most people have responded to it) coincided with a new Apple iBookstore, with the large screen of the portable iPad perfect for reading e-books. This is being hailed as the start of the ‘e-book revolution’, leading the way for generations to come. However, does this mark the beginning of the end for physical, paper and ink books?
In order to consider this concept, it seems important to compare the production of electronic books to the recent revolution of electronic music players; most obviously, the iPod. When the iPod was first released, I was one of those people who refused to buy in, arguing that nothing could compare to having a physical CD collection, which you could proudly display, and look at lovingly. Then I got an adorable, baby-blue iPod mini for Christmas, and I never looked back. There are just so many benefits to storing music electronically: you don't have to fiddle around making mix CDs, you can just have a playlist; it's compact enough to take to the gym, and won't skip when you run; and, the most obvious benefit, you can carry around hundreds of albums in a little, tiny piece of technology! I've got to admit, even as a bit of a technophobe, I was extremely impressed. And I wasn't the only one; as of January this year, over 240,000,000 units have been sold worldwide. I'm no sales expert, but I'm pretty sure that, in technical terms, that's 'a helluva lot'. So, the question is, will e-books manage to match this success?
On the one hand, e-books do have their plus points. In terms of using them for work, it makes finding references infinitely easier. Gone are the days of actually having to read through texts over and over to find that five word quote you desperately need; simply ctrl + f and bingo, it finds it for you. Definitely an advantage for essay writing students, but would this really be relevant to those who read books simply for pleasure? Perhaps one of the benefits of e-books for these types of readers is the ability to carry around hundreds of pieces of literature simply within one book-sized article - and yet, this logic seems flawed. Although it is true that this technology makes it easy to bring multiple books outside the house, it must be questioned whether this ability is actually necessary; how often does one person read through ten or twenty books in one day? With the iPod, the means to store hundreds of musical tracks is clearly beneficial, as an album is (on average) around 45 minutes long, and one may wish to pick and choose from a large range. In comparison, I’m sure even the speediest reader would struggle to read more than two books per day. Similarly, the size of the iPad is an important factor. It measures 9.6” by 7.5” - the same size as your average book, if not a fair bit larger. One of the benefits of the iPod was the ability to cut down on space in your bag; no need for CDs or CD walkman, simply pop in the iPod and there we go. However, in terms of e-books, a reader would save no space at all by replacing their book with the iPad (unless it was War and Peace of course, and, let’s be honest, how many commuters have you seen reading that?).
Another consideration to be taken into account is not only what won’t be gained by investing in an iPad, but also what will actually be lost. This may sound a little shallow, but every time I spend a ridiculous amount of money on a book, I feel safe in the knowledge than one day I will have a wonderful collection of literary classics (as well as the odd untouched reference textbook!) adorning my shelves, for every guest to see. There is a certain element of joy in a good book collection; one that may be lost if reduced to simply scrolling down a list of titles on a large screen. I also dreamily look to the future, where I can pass on all of these books to my children, and they may pass it on to theirs, and a family library will be made. These books may be the heirloom of times to come. With the iPad, however, this passing on of books becomes null and void. Although it may be beneficial for the manufacturer, who would now have a monopoly on selling their particular book, the inability to sell or pass on books is clearly unfortunate for the consumer. This would not only affect the dreamy romantics planning to keep the texts for generations, such as myself, but would also be financially devastating for students who plan to sell on their used textbooks at the end of each year, as well as the students who will no longer be able to buy these used books at second hand prices.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the emotional connection found with books in a physical form is not merely associated with the sheer pride of having a grand book collection, but also with particular books themselves. Personally, I think this is the true reason why e-books will never completely replace physical books, and for me, they could never even compete. Every time I settle down to my old, battered copy of Frankenstein, I find myself reminded of every other time I settled down to my old, battered copy of Frankenstein. I love the little notes written at the side, certain pages folded over, tea spillage stains and slight rips and tears all over. In my opinion, that is the sign of a well-loved book, and I can’t imagine the effect on literature if this aspect of reading were to be lost. When it comes to my books, the worse the condition, the more times it’s been read and, therefore, the better it must be. And I don’t think the iPad would be able to take that much damage.
At the end of January this year, Apple unveiled their latest creation; the 'iPad'. The release of this planned tablet computer (or giant iPod touch, as most people have responded to it) coincided with a new Apple iBookstore, with the large screen of the portable iPad perfect for reading e-books. This is being hailed as the start of the ‘e-book revolution’, leading the way for generations to come. However, does this mark the beginning of the end for physical, paper and ink books?
In order to consider this concept, it seems important to compare the production of electronic books to the recent revolution of electronic music players; most obviously, the iPod. When the iPod was first released, I was one of those people who refused to buy in, arguing that nothing could compare to having a physical CD collection, which you could proudly display, and look at lovingly. Then I got an adorable, baby-blue iPod mini for Christmas, and I never looked back. There are just so many benefits to storing music electronically: you don't have to fiddle around making mix CDs, you can just have a playlist; it's compact enough to take to the gym, and won't skip when you run; and, the most obvious benefit, you can carry around hundreds of albums in a little, tiny piece of technology! I've got to admit, even as a bit of a technophobe, I was extremely impressed. And I wasn't the only one; as of January this year, over 240,000,000 units have been sold worldwide. I'm no sales expert, but I'm pretty sure that, in technical terms, that's 'a helluva lot'. So, the question is, will e-books manage to match this success?
On the one hand, e-books do have their plus points. In terms of using them for work, it makes finding references infinitely easier. Gone are the days of actually having to read through texts over and over to find that five word quote you desperately need; simply ctrl + f and bingo, it finds it for you. Definitely an advantage for essay writing students, but would this really be relevant to those who read books simply for pleasure? Perhaps one of the benefits of e-books for these types of readers is the ability to carry around hundreds of pieces of literature simply within one book-sized article - and yet, this logic seems flawed. Although it is true that this technology makes it easy to bring multiple books outside the house, it must be questioned whether this ability is actually necessary; how often does one person read through ten or twenty books in one day? With the iPod, the means to store hundreds of musical tracks is clearly beneficial, as an album is (on average) around 45 minutes long, and one may wish to pick and choose from a large range. In comparison, I’m sure even the speediest reader would struggle to read more than two books per day. Similarly, the size of the iPad is an important factor. It measures 9.6” by 7.5” - the same size as your average book, if not a fair bit larger. One of the benefits of the iPod was the ability to cut down on space in your bag; no need for CDs or CD walkman, simply pop in the iPod and there we go. However, in terms of e-books, a reader would save no space at all by replacing their book with the iPad (unless it was War and Peace of course, and, let’s be honest, how many commuters have you seen reading that?).
Another consideration to be taken into account is not only what won’t be gained by investing in an iPad, but also what will actually be lost. This may sound a little shallow, but every time I spend a ridiculous amount of money on a book, I feel safe in the knowledge than one day I will have a wonderful collection of literary classics (as well as the odd untouched reference textbook!) adorning my shelves, for every guest to see. There is a certain element of joy in a good book collection; one that may be lost if reduced to simply scrolling down a list of titles on a large screen. I also dreamily look to the future, where I can pass on all of these books to my children, and they may pass it on to theirs, and a family library will be made. These books may be the heirloom of times to come. With the iPad, however, this passing on of books becomes null and void. Although it may be beneficial for the manufacturer, who would now have a monopoly on selling their particular book, the inability to sell or pass on books is clearly unfortunate for the consumer. This would not only affect the dreamy romantics planning to keep the texts for generations, such as myself, but would also be financially devastating for students who plan to sell on their used textbooks at the end of each year, as well as the students who will no longer be able to buy these used books at second hand prices.
Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the emotional connection found with books in a physical form is not merely associated with the sheer pride of having a grand book collection, but also with particular books themselves. Personally, I think this is the true reason why e-books will never completely replace physical books, and for me, they could never even compete. Every time I settle down to my old, battered copy of Frankenstein, I find myself reminded of every other time I settled down to my old, battered copy of Frankenstein. I love the little notes written at the side, certain pages folded over, tea spillage stains and slight rips and tears all over. In my opinion, that is the sign of a well-loved book, and I can’t imagine the effect on literature if this aspect of reading were to be lost. When it comes to my books, the worse the condition, the more times it’s been read and, therefore, the better it must be. And I don’t think the iPad would be able to take that much damage.
Saturday 13 February 2010
Enjoy the housing panic...
Apparently, everyone still seems to be in a supreme panic about finding a house for next year - according to my Facebook newsfeed, anyway. Even once you’ve sorted out who your new housemates will be, you’re then faced with the hours looking online for acceptable houses, leading to excessive and often pointless viewings, and finally resulting in the ultimate worry, that ‘Oh my God, next year I will actually have to live in a cardboard box’. However, I’m here to say – chill out. Everything will sort itself out in the end. And, personally, I think that’s the easiest part when it comes to moving home. The worst bit is having people round to view your current house – I literally shudder every time I hear a knock on the door.
I don’t even know where to start. Trying to tidy-up an entire house in five minutes is possibly the most depressing thing I’ve ever done. First step is to shove as many clothes as possible into the wardrobe, reminding yourself of what colour your bedroom carpet is; even though you know that the second the landlord leaves it will somehow, magically, end up right back on the floor. Then you move downstairs to try and handle the living-room, wondering how to deal with the tea-stained army of free mugs you took from Freshers’ Fair. You decide to place them in the cupboard; no point cleaning mugs that are just going to have tea in again, right?
Next there’s the frantic rush for the air freshener to try and rid the living room of the stale smell of alcohol and cigarettes. This is soon followed by great panic, when you realise that Tesco’s basic air freshener actually makes the room smell even worse than it did before; somehow it still doesn’t cover up the original smell. You stop to ponder this mystery, and then realise you still have a very smelly room. Solution: You just have to hope your landlord’s sense of smell is as bad as his ability to make conversation. Small talk he can manage and that’s fine; it’s when there’s an hour between viewings and he decides to have a little hangout time in the house in between. You just want to watch Deal or No Deal in peace, and yet you find yourself discussing the relative merits of upstairs versus downstairs bathrooms. For an hour. An hour of your life that you will never get back.
See? This side of the house-move is clearly more stressful; so if you’re still worrying about finding the perfect house, then just relax. It will happen. And if it doesn’t, then you’re only there for a year – easy! Just remember: Once you’re there enjoy the freedom while you can; before you know it, you’ll be the one faced with hoards of panicky house-hunters and a horrifically messy house and the whole cycle will begin again. Yet, that almost seems romantic, in a way. The annoyers become the annoyed, and we all have our own role to play, as horrible as it may be.
Perhaps we all just need to get over it, and stop complaining. I think the best thing to do, for both those moving in and those moving out, is to simply embrace the hassles of student moving – the chances are we’ll never be able to live this way again. So, I’m just trying to be glad that we don’t have to worry about taxes and mortgages (for now…), and reckon we should just pick a house, relax, and enjoy the student lifestyle while we still can. If missing Noel Edmund’s brilliance once in a while is the price to pay, then so be it. It’s totally worth it.
I don’t even know where to start. Trying to tidy-up an entire house in five minutes is possibly the most depressing thing I’ve ever done. First step is to shove as many clothes as possible into the wardrobe, reminding yourself of what colour your bedroom carpet is; even though you know that the second the landlord leaves it will somehow, magically, end up right back on the floor. Then you move downstairs to try and handle the living-room, wondering how to deal with the tea-stained army of free mugs you took from Freshers’ Fair. You decide to place them in the cupboard; no point cleaning mugs that are just going to have tea in again, right?
Next there’s the frantic rush for the air freshener to try and rid the living room of the stale smell of alcohol and cigarettes. This is soon followed by great panic, when you realise that Tesco’s basic air freshener actually makes the room smell even worse than it did before; somehow it still doesn’t cover up the original smell. You stop to ponder this mystery, and then realise you still have a very smelly room. Solution: You just have to hope your landlord’s sense of smell is as bad as his ability to make conversation. Small talk he can manage and that’s fine; it’s when there’s an hour between viewings and he decides to have a little hangout time in the house in between. You just want to watch Deal or No Deal in peace, and yet you find yourself discussing the relative merits of upstairs versus downstairs bathrooms. For an hour. An hour of your life that you will never get back.
See? This side of the house-move is clearly more stressful; so if you’re still worrying about finding the perfect house, then just relax. It will happen. And if it doesn’t, then you’re only there for a year – easy! Just remember: Once you’re there enjoy the freedom while you can; before you know it, you’ll be the one faced with hoards of panicky house-hunters and a horrifically messy house and the whole cycle will begin again. Yet, that almost seems romantic, in a way. The annoyers become the annoyed, and we all have our own role to play, as horrible as it may be.
Perhaps we all just need to get over it, and stop complaining. I think the best thing to do, for both those moving in and those moving out, is to simply embrace the hassles of student moving – the chances are we’ll never be able to live this way again. So, I’m just trying to be glad that we don’t have to worry about taxes and mortgages (for now…), and reckon we should just pick a house, relax, and enjoy the student lifestyle while we still can. If missing Noel Edmund’s brilliance once in a while is the price to pay, then so be it. It’s totally worth it.
Monday 8 February 2010
I love rugby.
That's right. I am now a huge rugby fan, and plan on going to see all the six.. uh.. nation.. thingies.. matches.
Okay. I might not be able to get away with claiming to like a sport, of any kind, but I did have an exceedingly enjoyable day watching the rugby on Saturday.
In Warwick, me and my friends went to the pub to watch the Ireland vs. Someone Else match, and around 2 minutes in, when I realised the game consisted of jumping on people, and only throwing backwards (Why?! Just why?!), I decided something had to be done.
And then I noticed the pile of board games piled up on the side of the bar. Absolute genius. I've seen board games in pubs before, obviously, but I genuinely think that in order to get a licence, pubs must be forced, by law, to supply a minimum of five board games.
We chose 'Game of Life' - Not the most mainstream of choices, and definitely underated. There was a tense moment when my female friend ended up with no children at the end of the game, and we were all worried for a moment, but we struggled through. I got two boys, which was rather unfortunate, but I traded one of them and an onion ring for a girl from another player, so it all worked out.
I didn't win, but that's only because everyone else cheated. Ahem.
The point is, there is actually another use for a pub, other than alcohol and cheap Sunday lunches. It can also be used as a warm alternative to a student house, with free board games, and this needs to be exploited! FREE BOARD GAMES, PEOPLE. Definitely better than rugby.
Although, it has to be said, there is one thing people must remember when playing board games with me. If I am losing (which clearly never happens), I will throw Scrabble tiles. In your eyes.
:)
Okay. I might not be able to get away with claiming to like a sport, of any kind, but I did have an exceedingly enjoyable day watching the rugby on Saturday.
In Warwick, me and my friends went to the pub to watch the Ireland vs. Someone Else match, and around 2 minutes in, when I realised the game consisted of jumping on people, and only throwing backwards (Why?! Just why?!), I decided something had to be done.
And then I noticed the pile of board games piled up on the side of the bar. Absolute genius. I've seen board games in pubs before, obviously, but I genuinely think that in order to get a licence, pubs must be forced, by law, to supply a minimum of five board games.
We chose 'Game of Life' - Not the most mainstream of choices, and definitely underated. There was a tense moment when my female friend ended up with no children at the end of the game, and we were all worried for a moment, but we struggled through. I got two boys, which was rather unfortunate, but I traded one of them and an onion ring for a girl from another player, so it all worked out.
I didn't win, but that's only because everyone else cheated. Ahem.
The point is, there is actually another use for a pub, other than alcohol and cheap Sunday lunches. It can also be used as a warm alternative to a student house, with free board games, and this needs to be exploited! FREE BOARD GAMES, PEOPLE. Definitely better than rugby.
Although, it has to be said, there is one thing people must remember when playing board games with me. If I am losing (which clearly never happens), I will throw Scrabble tiles. In your eyes.
:)
Tuesday 2 February 2010
La pensée du jour
This is brilliant.
The link above leads to what I would describe as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world. It describes how a ticket dispensing machine in a Birmingham car park gives instructions in English until the car park becomes full - then it switches to German.
Genius.
Imagine the impact this could have on everyday life. Every time a kid spends too long glued to the box after school, the programmes would change to Italian documentaries. If someone tried to make more than 3 microwave meals a week instead of a decent home-cooked dinner, the microwave would start shouting at you in German. Students who wasted time on Facebook instead of doing work would be faced with something like:
нарусскомрезультатовзакрыть
That's Russian for.. I don't actually know. But, see, that's the point.
We would be forced to learn another language, which is clearly a valuable life skill, or else just stop spending so much time on pointless things.
Although, I suppose this blog could count as a pointless thing. Maybe at some point it'll start making me parlez le Francais.
Oh, merde!
The link above leads to what I would describe as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world. It describes how a ticket dispensing machine in a Birmingham car park gives instructions in English until the car park becomes full - then it switches to German.
Genius.
Imagine the impact this could have on everyday life. Every time a kid spends too long glued to the box after school, the programmes would change to Italian documentaries. If someone tried to make more than 3 microwave meals a week instead of a decent home-cooked dinner, the microwave would start shouting at you in German. Students who wasted time on Facebook instead of doing work would be faced with something like:
нарусскомрезультатовзакрыть
That's Russian for.. I don't actually know. But, see, that's the point.
We would be forced to learn another language, which is clearly a valuable life skill, or else just stop spending so much time on pointless things.
Although, I suppose this blog could count as a pointless thing. Maybe at some point it'll start making me parlez le Francais.
Oh, merde!
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