The summer has finally decided to arrive in the British Isles, making us emerge blinking into the scorching sunlight. It is practically tropical in my neck of the woods which means one thing.....time to get the summer clothes on. It has been a struggle for us Brits this year, the weather has not been kind to us and we longed for our favourite summer past times; sitting in a pub garden and burning. For all the readers not from the U.K there are a few things you should know about us:
1. We spend all year looking forward to the inevitable week of warm weather we get every year.
2. From June-August we WILL wear our summer clothes no matter what temperature it is and we WILL enjoy it. Sandals are an appropriate foot wear choice even if it is raining, as long as it is summer; we aren't idiots!
3. Even if it is blooming freezing we will still sit outside and as our lips turn blue we will rejoice in the glimpses of sunshine.
4. As soon as the sun hints at coming out there is a secret race to see who can have a BBQ first. If you win you can gloat knowing that you beat all the neighbours that you never talk to.
5. No matter what temperature it is, the sea will always be freezing but it won't stop us. Convulsions and chattering teeth are the sign of a great time.
6. We will always burn because we don't believe in using sun cream in our own country, that is for abroad. We can handle our own sun thank you very much.
Well I have done 3 out of the 6 since the sun started shining (2 days ago) so I better crack on with the other 3.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Saturday, 21 July 2012
How to get an internship at Glamour Magazine
I apologise if you think that the title is quite misleading seen as I didn't manage to secure an elusive internship at Glamour; the UK's No.1 women's magazine. However, this post is my guide on what not to do when going for an interview at one of your favourite magazines. How do I know this? Well because this is what I did that morning in June when I arrived in London.
I felt it was important to show you my awkward tendencies in the previous post ('Is awkward the new cool?') so you would better understand the type of person that I am before relaying this cringe worthy tale into the blogger-sphere. So here it goes; my rules on What NOT to do at a Glamour Magazine internship interview.
DO NOT wander up and down Old Bond Street continuously for half an hour trying to find the offices. There are a lot of expensive shops there, like Alexander McQueen and Prada, they may think you are casing the joint.
DO NOT forget to read the door numbers. It is not meant to be a challenge to find the front door, it isn't Platform 9 and three quarters. If it is number 3 it will probably be the doorway between 2 and 4.
DO NOT decide to put the finishing touches to your outfit and make up in the park opposite, you will probably end up with dirt or twigs on your person and it will earn you some rather worrying glances.
DO NOT perspire excessively. This can result it what I call the 'reverse mustache' (patent pending) where you sweat the fake tan off above your top lip resulting in it being deathly pale compared to the rest of your skin. Not a good look.
DO NOT make up words because you are nervous. Wroted is not a word, you know that. So try and use English when speaking, this will probably work in your favour.
DO NOT forget to show off the fashion magazine that you produced. It is quite important and unless your interviewer possesses the power of X ray vision, they will not be able to see it if it is in your bag.
DO NOT get stuck in the lift doors in front of your interviewer. Your clumsiness is on a need to know basis and if by any chance this does happen to you definitely...
DO NOT shout 'BALLS!'
DO tell your best friends about the interview afterwards. Life is tough they could probably do with a laugh!
I felt it was important to show you my awkward tendencies in the previous post ('Is awkward the new cool?') so you would better understand the type of person that I am before relaying this cringe worthy tale into the blogger-sphere. So here it goes; my rules on What NOT to do at a Glamour Magazine internship interview.
DO NOT wander up and down Old Bond Street continuously for half an hour trying to find the offices. There are a lot of expensive shops there, like Alexander McQueen and Prada, they may think you are casing the joint.
DO NOT forget to read the door numbers. It is not meant to be a challenge to find the front door, it isn't Platform 9 and three quarters. If it is number 3 it will probably be the doorway between 2 and 4.
DO NOT decide to put the finishing touches to your outfit and make up in the park opposite, you will probably end up with dirt or twigs on your person and it will earn you some rather worrying glances.
DO NOT perspire excessively. This can result it what I call the 'reverse mustache' (patent pending) where you sweat the fake tan off above your top lip resulting in it being deathly pale compared to the rest of your skin. Not a good look.
DO NOT make up words because you are nervous. Wroted is not a word, you know that. So try and use English when speaking, this will probably work in your favour.
DO NOT forget to show off the fashion magazine that you produced. It is quite important and unless your interviewer possesses the power of X ray vision, they will not be able to see it if it is in your bag.
DO NOT get stuck in the lift doors in front of your interviewer. Your clumsiness is on a need to know basis and if by any chance this does happen to you definitely...
DO NOT shout 'BALLS!'
DO tell your best friends about the interview afterwards. Life is tough they could probably do with a laugh!
Friday, 20 July 2012
Is awkward the new cool?
Awkward. Even the word sounds....well awkward. I definitely fall into this category both physically and socially and there has never been a better time to proclaim your awkwardness to the world. The pin up girl for the movement; Zooey Deschanel has put it firmly on the map with 'New Girl' featuring the socially challenged; Jess Day. It means we no longer have to hide away for fear of people stumbling across our well hidden awkwardness, we can show it off with pride.
So how am I awkward? I am 5 foot 11 and have incredibly long arms and legs that I can not control effectively. A flick through my facebook photos will provide you with all the evidence you need. As a tall girl I have mastered the knee bend, 'gravity is stronger' on my body than everyone else to stop me looming over my perfectly petite friends. Many a time I have stood there (awkwardly of course) as my friends get chatted up in nightclubs and bars whilst guys pretend that I am not there, like I am a tall shrub in the background, what gentlemen! Oh and the guys that do approach me are are usually 5 foot nothing (why is this?)
Now you may think I am complaining about nothing which admittedly is true but with my tall stature comes clumsiness. Routinely I walk into things, fall over, trip over my own feet and knock things over. I even managed to knock myself out on a sink whilst flicking my hair once.
When you mix this with my social awkwardness then that really is a winning combination. I count this as saying inappropriate things, perhaps breaking into song when you REALLY shouldn't or just generally making a laughing stock of yourself.
For example, once I had a lovely new top that said 'Salut' (hi in French) across the front of it. On my way to work I threw on my cross the body bag and walked through town ignoring the strange looks I was receiving. Can you see where I am going with this? As I walked into work it was pointed out to me that the 'a' on my top was covered by the strap of my bag.....embarrassing yes but not the end of the world.
Personally I think we should embrace our inner awkwardness because it makes us all different, unique and quirky. I used to long to be like those girls with an unflappable exterior, dressed impeccably and gliding around the room enchanting everyone in their path. Being that perfect sounds like a lot of effort to be honest so instead I say let your freak flag fly and make fun of yourself often!
Well if it works for Zooey.....being cool is over rated anyway!
To prove my point, here are some snaps from my most recent family holiday.......awkward!
So how am I awkward? I am 5 foot 11 and have incredibly long arms and legs that I can not control effectively. A flick through my facebook photos will provide you with all the evidence you need. As a tall girl I have mastered the knee bend, 'gravity is stronger' on my body than everyone else to stop me looming over my perfectly petite friends. Many a time I have stood there (awkwardly of course) as my friends get chatted up in nightclubs and bars whilst guys pretend that I am not there, like I am a tall shrub in the background, what gentlemen! Oh and the guys that do approach me are are usually 5 foot nothing (why is this?)
Now you may think I am complaining about nothing which admittedly is true but with my tall stature comes clumsiness. Routinely I walk into things, fall over, trip over my own feet and knock things over. I even managed to knock myself out on a sink whilst flicking my hair once.
When you mix this with my social awkwardness then that really is a winning combination. I count this as saying inappropriate things, perhaps breaking into song when you REALLY shouldn't or just generally making a laughing stock of yourself.
For example, once I had a lovely new top that said 'Salut' (hi in French) across the front of it. On my way to work I threw on my cross the body bag and walked through town ignoring the strange looks I was receiving. Can you see where I am going with this? As I walked into work it was pointed out to me that the 'a' on my top was covered by the strap of my bag.....embarrassing yes but not the end of the world.
Personally I think we should embrace our inner awkwardness because it makes us all different, unique and quirky. I used to long to be like those girls with an unflappable exterior, dressed impeccably and gliding around the room enchanting everyone in their path. Being that perfect sounds like a lot of effort to be honest so instead I say let your freak flag fly and make fun of yourself often!
Well if it works for Zooey.....being cool is over rated anyway!
To prove my point, here are some snaps from my most recent family holiday.......awkward!
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Hello World!!
Finishing university is a bizarre time in your life isn't it? I liken time at university to toddlers who have just learnt to walk but have reigns on to stop them wandering too far. A strange analogy but stay with me, when you are at university you play the role of an adult but you aren't quite there yet. You pretend to be an adult but your parents are always there in the background to pick you up when you inevitably fall over, whether it be financially, academically or emotionally.
When you finish and move back home because a student loan doesn't really stretch that far it is a weird transitional time. If like me you have chosen a career that is extremely difficult to get your foot in the door, then moving back home is your only choice. Interning is far from cheap but it is one of the only ways to enter the journalism industry (post on that to come).
I have to admit that part of me did think that I would just walk into my perfect career as soon as I left university, naive I know. Although some of my friends have which is fantastic, for the rest of us we have to work that little bit harder and readjust the life plan a little.
So the phone still isn't ringing off the hook with the editors of my favourite magazines begging me to join their team but it has allowed me to realise a few things. To all the recent university graduates; we are still young, why settle? Take this chance whilst you are still responsibility free to try everything, travel around the world and see everything you have ever wanted to because when you get that dream 9-5 (which you will) you may not have the opportunity to. There will still be jobs when you decide to fully enter the world of work and that time in Peru or Australia could actually help land that job in the long run.
Well that time you got smashed at a full moon party in Thailand will probably not scream management material to potential employers so maybe keep that on a need to know basis, but the experiences we go through make us who we are.
What I am trying to say in my usual long winded way is that perhaps not getting that dream job straight away isn't a bad thing. Don't lose too many sleepless nights over it because worrying won't make it better, now you have the time to do all the things you ever wanted to or gave up on in the past.
Every cloud has a silver lining and if you are lying on the beach in Cuba then that lining starts to look a whole lot shinier.
First stop for me: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Oh and joining an acting class! Actually the list is endless but that is a start.
When you finish and move back home because a student loan doesn't really stretch that far it is a weird transitional time. If like me you have chosen a career that is extremely difficult to get your foot in the door, then moving back home is your only choice. Interning is far from cheap but it is one of the only ways to enter the journalism industry (post on that to come).
I have to admit that part of me did think that I would just walk into my perfect career as soon as I left university, naive I know. Although some of my friends have which is fantastic, for the rest of us we have to work that little bit harder and readjust the life plan a little.
So the phone still isn't ringing off the hook with the editors of my favourite magazines begging me to join their team but it has allowed me to realise a few things. To all the recent university graduates; we are still young, why settle? Take this chance whilst you are still responsibility free to try everything, travel around the world and see everything you have ever wanted to because when you get that dream 9-5 (which you will) you may not have the opportunity to. There will still be jobs when you decide to fully enter the world of work and that time in Peru or Australia could actually help land that job in the long run.
Well that time you got smashed at a full moon party in Thailand will probably not scream management material to potential employers so maybe keep that on a need to know basis, but the experiences we go through make us who we are.
What I am trying to say in my usual long winded way is that perhaps not getting that dream job straight away isn't a bad thing. Don't lose too many sleepless nights over it because worrying won't make it better, now you have the time to do all the things you ever wanted to or gave up on in the past.
Every cloud has a silver lining and if you are lying on the beach in Cuba then that lining starts to look a whole lot shinier.
First stop for me: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Oh and joining an acting class! Actually the list is endless but that is a start.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Pretty Perfect
Programmes such as 'Snog, Marry Avoid' have brought natural beauty to the forefront and for that I salute them. I mean there must be something in this fresh faced approach to make up, after all it is meant to accentuate your assets not hide them which is something we should be doing more of in my opinion.
Our very own English rose; Emma Watson says that she often leaves the house having applied only moisturiser. Well that's all very well and good if you have flawless skin and beautifully sculpted cheekbones but what about the rest of us? We have to work a bit harder to achieve that 'I just woke up looking this beautiful' look.
As a make up junkie I am guilty of having perhaps piled it on in the past. When you look back at photos and realise that your face is a completely different colour to your neck, that is when you know you should put down the bronzer.
Now I'm not saying that we should relinquish the fake tan and throw out the fake lashes but perhaps just tone it down a bit. There is nothing wrong with a bit of fakery now and then, having just dyed my mousey brown hair to crimson red I can vouch that it is not a bad thing to fake it sometimes.
So here is my take on natural beauty, again with the beautiful Albana.
Lets start with skin, a great complexion is the key to this look. If like me you struggle with your skin I have two tips for you. The first is drink your eight glasses of water a day, it really does work and you will notice the difference, guaranteed! The second is Sudocrem; yes it is primarily for nappy rash but if you read the small print it is for acne as well, it is my secret weapon for fighting spots.
Also I have swapped a heavy foundation for Maybelline's BB cream which has helped my skin dramatically. After applying, set with a translucent powder to keep it in place all day. Next use a highlighter dabbed underneath the arch of your eyebrow and on your cheekbones to give a beautiful glow.
A pinky blush on the apples of your cheeks, a natural beige eyeshadow and lengthening mascara keep the look polished. Finish off with a topknot so as not to distract from your stunning natural beauty.
Our very own English rose; Emma Watson says that she often leaves the house having applied only moisturiser. Well that's all very well and good if you have flawless skin and beautifully sculpted cheekbones but what about the rest of us? We have to work a bit harder to achieve that 'I just woke up looking this beautiful' look.
As a make up junkie I am guilty of having perhaps piled it on in the past. When you look back at photos and realise that your face is a completely different colour to your neck, that is when you know you should put down the bronzer.
Now I'm not saying that we should relinquish the fake tan and throw out the fake lashes but perhaps just tone it down a bit. There is nothing wrong with a bit of fakery now and then, having just dyed my mousey brown hair to crimson red I can vouch that it is not a bad thing to fake it sometimes.
So here is my take on natural beauty, again with the beautiful Albana.
Lets start with skin, a great complexion is the key to this look. If like me you struggle with your skin I have two tips for you. The first is drink your eight glasses of water a day, it really does work and you will notice the difference, guaranteed! The second is Sudocrem; yes it is primarily for nappy rash but if you read the small print it is for acne as well, it is my secret weapon for fighting spots.
Also I have swapped a heavy foundation for Maybelline's BB cream which has helped my skin dramatically. After applying, set with a translucent powder to keep it in place all day. Next use a highlighter dabbed underneath the arch of your eyebrow and on your cheekbones to give a beautiful glow.
A pinky blush on the apples of your cheeks, a natural beige eyeshadow and lengthening mascara keep the look polished. Finish off with a topknot so as not to distract from your stunning natural beauty.
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