Ten discoveries I'm loving right now:

1. Peplum tops.
2. Chihuahuas
3. Autograph eyeliners by M&S
4. Shiraz
5.Candles
6.Jumpsuits (still in search of the perfect one for a hen night)
7.The idea of dressing up as freddy K for haloween
8.Ankle boots
9.Having the fire on in the evenings
10.Homemade soups, stews and hotpots!

To-do list of the day:

Apply for a 9-5 job (yes I have one in mind)
Laundry
Ring Glee club reg.cousins hen do
Text cousin Lou about bridesmaid hair trial and free day next week for dress alterations
More laundry
Get dinner on the go
Go swimming tonight

Shift work versus Nine to five......

My mind is doing back-flips lately, as I lie awake at night (or during the day when I'm on nightshifts) trying to work out what the ideal work pattern is. I appreciate that many  people in general just hate work, don't exactly want to read a blog that is work-related, but the harsh reality is  that we spend so much of our lives trying to earn a crust doing hours we resent and tasks we dread that I think it's a pretty important factor in our happiness, to at least make a decision on the right hours for us. I've made a list for the pros and cons of both the 9-5 and shift rotating lifestyle, to try and help myself decide.

9-5:

Pros: Weekends off, generally bank holidays off including Christmas, being home in the evening to stay tuned with the soaps / go to the gym / have family dinners, always knowing when your going to be off and so able to plan ahead better, possibly a healthier lifestyle due to routine, Sunday roasts and Saturday nights out, the "Friday feeling", generally able to attend weddings and weekend events without too much fuss, Friday after-work drinks with work colleagues, just being free in the evenings to have an early night or catch up with friends, just generally being in touch with the rest of the population.

Cons: The Monday blues, the Tuesday slump, rush hour and road rage, not being able too watch This Morning, lack of flexibility for personal appointments durng the week, regular early mornings, a set routine which can get mundane, the dreaded feeling on Sunday evenings.



Shift work:

Pros: A mixture of lie-ins and flexible hours, able to make plans in the week-days, not having the Monday blues every week, holidays at cheaper times of the year, not being restricted to a set routine, option for extra pay when doing anit-social hours, more days off if doing longer shifts, more scope for overtime, being able to book off birthdays.

Cons: Often away from home when relatives off, working weekends, tiredness due to lack of sleep or having to sleep during daytime, no exact routine, feeling obliged to "cover" on days off, working on bank holidays, not being allowed to book holidays over christmas period (if applied to job), not knowing shifts more than a few weeks ahead, missing out on family events, going to work when everyone else going to sleep.


So I suppose everyone has to ask themselves what's important to them and what they would rather do. I think people should ask themselves (if having the choice) if they are morning people, if they value routine over flexibility, if they really value family time, if they have times of the day where they feel most motivated, if they respond to routine better when it comes to eating healthier and having more exercise. Personally, I think 9-5 sounds better, just because I'm a home and family centred person, and just lately am feeling that it's going to be another christmas either working, rcovering from or dreading a nightshift.....

My perfect list for an autumn night in!

I love Autumn, I think it's actually my favourite season. As much as people winge about the increasingly cold weather and darker nights, I have to say I it doesn't bother me at all. As you start to ponder the location of christmas dinner (and don't lie, you do have time to think about it) your starting to carve your pumpkin already and check out where the best firework displays are going to be. All the while your cwtched up (yes, I'm Welsh) in a chunky knit or three, just feeling generally all cosy and contented. The cosy nights in definately to wonders for my mind, so below I've listed what I think make up an all-round great autumn night in:

1.The cosiest pair of pjs / onesie you can find.
2. Soft and snuggley socks.
3. A roaring hearth (an electric flame effect one will do).
4. Some lovely autumn-scented candles (I love Yankee candles Pumpkin Pie and Autumn Fruit).
5. A good film or two (I'm inclined to say at least one horror, being halloween almost n all that).
6. Your favourite bevarage of choice, be it a hot chocolate or glass of wine.
7. Some yummy munchies.
8. A blanket to hide under if the horror film is getting super scary.
9. A friend / boyfriend (optional).
10. A cushion or pillow (also helps at scary horror film moments).

A nail varish that doesn't chip!

It's been like, 28777654 years since I painted my nails last. I think the last time I finally gave up because I'd lost faith in the pretty formulas that graced the shelves of make-up stalls everywhere. The chipping just became too disheartening, because let's face it, we just want our nails to stay perfect for at least a week after you grab a precious 3o minutes to re-vamp them.

  Anyway. one of my almost forgotten purchases a week ago came out of the bag three days back, this being Kate Moss Salon Pro Nail varnsih. I have to say, in comparison to tohers, this has not disappointed. It' still as glossy as ever, and the chipping - well, it hasn't happened yet, unlike others I had tried had begun to flake off within 24 hours.

So, I think my faith in nail varnish has been restored so far, since I'm pretty sure it's going to make the one week expectation. A few more colours now wouldn't go a miss.

Lipstick blues and hues

I'm sure it's a cliche by now, but honestly, these days I'm finding that shopping for the right lipstick more frustrating than rush hour traffic. I remember the good old days where I seemed to be able to slap on anything, including the iciest pink going (rebel school day phase I'm not sure I ever pulled off) which looked as though I may have been lacking in an ever so vital thing called oxygen. Yet somehow, when I looked in the mirror things actually seemed to be ok. Or maybe it was my very unwise outlook. I'm not sure.

  These days, take today for instance, I'm wandering aimlessly around Boots and M&S make-up sections, looking for the right shade of nude that I can wear everyday. Trouble is, deep down, I'm really looking for a pink, nothing like the arctic shade I wore in the invincible days, but something that makes me look, well -pretty-er. Something that actually does something for me. Yet all I seem to be finding is hues so illuminous that I find myself questioning how many more hen nights I might attend in my life and whether they will still require the tutu skirt that is shamelessly shoved somewhere in the back of my bag drawer. Then there's the reds. Oh the mean reds. They don't offer me much more dignity. All they do is echo the voice of a condescending old biddy, "wash that muck off your face immediately." I'm not even going to aproach the plums, they seem to descend me into a gothic, Satan-worshipping university student every time.


  Which always seems to leave the pinks and the nudes, and the coral colours that fall somewhere amongst the pinks. This is where I am stuck. I need a pink that is shimmery, girly, but not too bright, not too aging. Coral does ok for me on an evening out. But the perfect daytime lippy remains elusive to me.

Or maybe I'm just too fussy and should go sit myself down in a Clinique chair and let a very glamourous woman set things on the straight and narrow, before I go off the rails and give in to another "frosty rose" version. For now though, I remain undecided.

Losing the weight...again!

Two years ago around this time of I remember something happened to me. Something quite briliant. In fact, a few briiant things. Motivation, Determination. Willpower. Things I hadn't quite allowed myself such a firm grasp of for at least three years prior to that. The result? I lost two stone in weight, and yes - I actually did need to. I remember standing on the scales and seeing that brand new digit gleaming up at me, it was a euphoric kind of happiness, the kind you perhaps feel when you have won a substantial amount of money on the lottery. Not that I would know of course, but can only guess.

  Since then, it's been just another gradual slippery slope down into a world of yo-yo calorie awareness, and now I feel I am ready to shift what damage was done. I long to see that number again by christmas. This year, I actually want to deserve a mince pie.

So I'm thinking tthat this blog is going to be a great soure of support for myself, and I am going to be as honest as appropriately possible on here with regards to how unlazy I will be every day, and how not-unhealthy I've been. I was talking to a friend who is in a similar situation and believes she has now re-discovered her motivation as I did two years ago. We both agreed that losing weight should be about looking at foods and thinking about where we're getting our vitamins from aswell as doing regular exercise. So, putting all plans and fads aside I have just rules that I'm going to stick to. They're as follows:

1. Get 20-30 minutes of active exercise a day (out of usual daily schedule).
2. Get  5-10 pieces of fruit and veg a day.
3. Incorporate the above in three meals a day and 2-3 healthy snacks.
4. Have one day a week where rules are relaxed but not abused
5.Weigh weekly.


I'll let you know how I get on!

Daily De-stressor: Gok's liquid gold bath essence!

Now I'm not sure what it was that the notorious Eqyptian Queen Cleo liked to bathe in, something ridiculous like milk or cream or some dairy alternative, but I'm sure if she'd come accross Gok's liquid gold range in her time she would have never felt inclined to pick up that deadly snake so soon. After having this as a christmas present last year, I finally opened the packaging the other day and the first thing that made me forget planet Earth was the gorgeous scent. I swear it actually sends a rush of calm through your veins. Usually being so busy andon the go I'm generally more of a shower girl, but if bathing in gold feels as good as this then I'm sure I could convert a world of schedule-obsessed shower-dancers. It was literally like being in a haven of bubbly, beautifulness - with the extra feel-like-a-queen factor. And the cutesy bottles look ever so pretty in the bathroom too. A definate buy-again product for me.

Ankle-length cardigans and duster jackets!!

So lately I've been browsing on Asos, as every humanoid female probably does from time to time if not a little more, and I've been noticing a new wave of long-sleeved trip-hazards washing in on the fashion tide. Yep, the extra extra long cardigan. If you haven't noticed it already, you'll most likely recognise it by hearing you brain cry "yes, it can be used as a dressing gown" or "man, that could get messy on a rainy day." As much as the svelte and towering models can look cool, I'm a little uncertain about myself and / or the likes of. Firstly I'm going to feel like I want to add slippers to the equation, secondly I'm thinking about the extra deep puddles after a storm are going to react to such lengthy pieces. But who knows, maybe as the months grow colder I'll start to warm to this season's new trend.

  Another badboy is the "duster jacket". A little confused on reading aloud it's title, I had to make a conscious effort to block out images of a middle-aged aunt standing on a chair dusting her very high mantle piece in this overlay. Unsure of its name origin or story behind the idea (maybe I'll google it with cup of tea later) I have to make do with the notion that this is another casual throw-on out-the-door warmer which basically lets the world know that your a very busy girl who has very little time to find a proper jacket, so instead you had to grab the first very cool, old thing you see for the running or errands. Yes. I like that, a running of erands jacket! I must say I am a fan of this one, simply because there are days where you want to be smarter than a chunky knit but less serious than a blazer. The duster jacket is my answer.