New Year’s detox

Posted by jamiebarton on February 26, 2012 No comment

Christmas time often results in over-indulging on rich foods and a large binge on alcohol, because of this, the time after Christmas often leaves us feeling ‘stuffy’. The various Christmas antics and traditions often put a strain on the liver, as well as affecting the levels of bacteria within the gut. This is what then leads to the bloated and sluggish feeling that we experience around the same time every year.

During Christmas I tried not to over indulge to much and watched what I ate however there is no getting around the fact that your diet is different than normal. So after Christmas, what is the solution, then? Simple. Why not try a healthy and easy detox and put those vital organs at rest I have been and it has been great!

The body has its own systems for dealing with toxins, the liver and the kidneys. These two major organs perform a variety of roles and are essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Following the steps below, it is easy to give them a helping hand and to banish that well-known sluggish feeling, once and for all.

1. Drink plenty of water. Large amounts of water are needed within the diet anyway, to replace water that is lost on a day-to-day basis. However, drinking a little more can help flush away toxins and restore a health inside. You should aim to drink around 8-10 glasses of water per day, at least. This may be difficult and may become boring, therefore another successful alternative would be a detox tea. Nettle is thought to be a natural cleanser and is thought to help remove any impurities. This may be worth a try!

2. Eliminate Alcohol. Yes, you heard me right, eliminate alcohol. This may be a little harder for some of us, rather than others. But try and eliminate alcohol, or even keep it to a minimum whilst trying to flush away any toxins. If your Christmas has been anything like mine, your liver will be well in need of a break! Also it is worth trying to avoid sugar and caffeine and it is worth trying to replace these with items like fruit and veg! Simply replacing sugar with fruit and vegetables has been proven to help many people sleep better, given them more energy and even in some cases, help them lose some weight!

3. Why not consider using a probiotic multivitamin? Multivitamins help balance the bacteria within the gut and therefore helping to maintain a healthy digestive system.

With all these points considered, why not give it a go? Your sluggish feeling should be gone in no time!

Starting a new business

Posted by jamiebarton on February 24, 2012 No comment

A couple of years ago I was told that the best time to start a new business was during a recession, if you look back throughout history many big businesses were started during a recession. During the recession in 1923-24 Walt Disney Corporation started, during the Great Depression in the thirties, Hewlett-Packard Corporation started in 1938 and during the recession in 1975Microsoft Corporation began. Most importantly the latter began as a very small start-up in someone’s garage, the way many businesses tend to do in a recession to keep costs down.

One difference with this recession compared to theirs above is that now with the power of the internet your business scope is much wider. There is so much which is covered by the internet and it is a great platform if you are launching a new company. It’s also really easy to get started especially with website hosting, even if you are a novice because there are so many different options out there that give you the help you need.

Many people look to starting their own businesses when they have lost their jobs, which is common place during a recession. If you have being made redundant, then your redundancy payment may be a good place to start your new business. Also look at the field your business will be joining, you may find you can come in a lot cheaper than many established businesses because you will have less costs to cover.

Some of the most popular start up fields includes:

Catering
Childcare
Beauty services
Cleaning services
Design services
Private teaching
Private financial service

Setting up a website to advertise your services should be something you take into consideration first, it enables you to get your business out there, especially if you need to rely on word of mouth. Social Media is also a useful tool, you should aim to have a presence on Facebook and Twitter, plus keep an eye out on emerging social media sites such as Pintrest and Tumblr depending on what sort of service you provide. It all helps as free advertising which again can save you money.

Having your own blog as well as your own website can also be useful for some services, keeping your clients up to date with what you offer. WordPress hosting is easy to sort out and you can normally get t with your website hosting, however you do have to make sure you update your blog regularly for it to actually be of any use.

By starting your business during the recession and managing it well, you may find yourself ahead of the game when we start to come out of it. In turn this should make you more profitable in the future and may eventually help your business grow. Being careful and savvy also helps and having an idea in the first place that is viable. Some ideas no matter how good you think they are may not work out so you need to be careful about what you set up and make sure you have contingency plans in place just in case your business doesn’t make it.

Top 5 Make-Up Products

Posted by jamiebarton on February 22, 2012 No comment

I used to wear make-up every day, the full works: Concealer, Foundation, Blusher and Mascara. I wasn’t happy with my standard of makeup, not to mention that it was costing me a fortune. However, I recently decided to stop wearing makeup on a day to day basis and just wear it for special occasions, parties and going out. Below are my top 5 makeup products that I now use on a night out:

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer – Radiance

This is Laura Mercier’s new, breakthrough prima. If applied before applying foundation, this prima is guaranteed to give you skin a beautiful and radiant glowing look! It gives you a brilliant canvas on which you can apply your foundation to, whilst maintaining you with a ‘healthy glow’ look.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Concealer

This Clinique concealer is brilliant! When applying the concealer, there is no need to apply a large blob, even when used sparsely, this concealer gives you 100% coverage. Clinique is the best concealer that I have used so far, and believe me, I have tried many! It is definitely worth the couple of extra pounds.

CHANEL VITALUMIÈRE foundation

This foundation cost £33 per bottle. However, it is completely worth it. This foundation gives amazing coverage, whilst lying light on the skin and making the skin look soft and luminous. This foundation also captures brilliantly in photographs (unlike other SPF foundations) and looks beautiful and lively all day long.

Laura Mercier Crème Cheek Colour

Laura Mercier Crème Cheek Colour is a long-lasting, natural cheek colour blusher, with a warm and velvety finish. It is available in a variety of colours, but my personal favourite is ‘innocent peach’ as it is warm, but at the same time subtle. I was a bit put off from trying this blusher at first as I have tried many crème-blushers prior to this one and they have been rubbish! However, this one is brilliant a nice, subtle and natural look is provided when this blusher is used. It even helps to add radiance to the skin, too!

L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes
Again, I was reluctant to try this product as I was fairly satisfied with the mascara that I was already using. However, it wasn’t until I was going out one night and I had forgot my mascara, that I was introduced to it by a friend. I fell in love with it instantly! I was brilliant and making lashes look loads longer as well as keeping them feeling/ looking natural.

First Date Do’s and Don’ts

Posted by jamiebarton on February 18, 2012 No comment

One of my friends are going on a date, they haven’t been on one for a number of years and came to me for some advice, because I am such an expert at dating! Ha! Well because I successfully dated I think and found my wonderful partner!

So I gave a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to a first date:

DO’s

Punctuality. Being on time is a sign of respect for your date and shows that you respect your date’s time. Punctuality sets the impression and the mood for the date. If you are going to be delayed, you should call ahead and let your date know what’s happening. If you don’t, your date may not think that you are keen and bad punctuality suggests that you cannot be relied on.

Facebook him. Looking him up could be very beneficial if conversations seem to come to a close. Knowing his interests and any mutual friends could be a good conversation starter if things start to head downhill. However, it’s probably best if you don’t let him know that you have been Facebook stalking him, some guys may find that a little creepy!

Act interested. If the date doesn’t seem like its heading in the right direction, then you could always end it early, but it is always polite to act interested in what your date is saying. The best way to do this is by making eye contact with your date.

Break the rules. Ok, so it’s not tradition for the girl to call first/ make the first move. But if you want to, then just do it! I can guarantee that he will appreciate it. It also shows that your keen and that you want something serious…

DON’T

Don’t start an argument. An argument is the all-time no-no of a first date. It is absolutely fine to have different opinions, just make sure that you simply agree to disagree. It might also be worth sticking to safe conversation topics if you don’t know the person very well, then you might not know how they will react to something heavy.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Ok, it’s a first date so you definitely need to avoid stereotyping and assumptions at all costs. It’s not fair to assume what he/she is saying. If you need clarifications you should simply ask, subtly.

Leave your ex at home. The ex-boy/girlfriend stories may amusing or funny, but spare your date from these on a first date. Talking about an ex on your first date will suggest that your head is not in the right place.

Never criticise! This is the worst possible thing that you can do on your first date, it instantly kills the mood and instantly says that you are not interested.

Schooling

Posted by jamiebarton on February 16, 2012 No comment

I read on the news last week that thousands of vocational qualifications to be stripped out of GCSE league tables. It’s been a while since I was at school but I didn’t realise you could take vocational qualifications as GCSE I thought you had to take a set selection and only had choice of whether you took history or geography and a choice of languages. I didn’t realise that there were so many vocational courses been offered for GCSE.

One thing for sure I wouldn’t have minded doing nail technology GCSE homework, in fact most of my weekends were spent doing nail technology as I experimented with numerous nail colours! So schools should go back to basing their results on English, maths, science and languages and effectively league table results will drop. Although I doubt it because pass marks for these hard subjects are probably not that high considering how poorly kids spell these days!

Like many older people, just in my thirties by the way I cannot really believe results for exams improve year after year. I feel quite useless when kids leave school with higher marks than me with the attitude that they didn’t even need to try to get them especially when I remember all the effort I put into studying for my exams and how I needed some coursework assistance.

However there is a lot more help available now for kids, I mean just look at the whole world that has been opened up because of the internet!

Grammys/Whitney Houston

Posted by jamiebarton on February 14, 2012 No comment

Whitney Houston was an American recording artist who died at the age of 48 on the 11th February 2012. She was an astounding singer who won 415 career awards within her life time as well as producing a variety of hit songs, including “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (a personal favourite of mine!)

Unfortunately, Whitney was found dead in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton, just hours before the traditional pre-Grammys dinner, of which she was due to be attending.
Whitney was called “one of the world’s greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three decades” by Grammys organizing chief Neil Portnow at the ceremony.

“A light has been dimmed in our music community today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice.”
Many stars voiced their shock upon hearing the news on Whitney’s death via Twitter, on the evening of the annual Grammy awards show that she was due to attend.

On the evening of the Grammys award show, many celebrities and leaders within the music industry paid tribute to the star on Saturday. Fans also gathered outside the hotel where the superstar was found dead, holding candles and singing songs including “I Will Always Love You” shortly after the news had spread.

Many awards where won at the Grammys and one young lady who did exceptionally well was Adele, the singer-songwriter won numerous awards including: album of the year, record of the year, pop solo performance, pop vocal album and song of the year. The Foo Fighters also did exceptionally well winning 4 awards including: rock song of the year, rock album and hard rock and metal performance and rock performance. Kayne west also won 4 awards and Bon Iver, Skrillex and Cee Lo Green all won 2.

Sleepy? The dangers of not getting enough sleep

Posted by jamiebarton on February 8, 2012 No comment

Picture courtesy of tohoscope

I was feeling quite tired all day yesterday at work, it wasn’t like I had a busy day the day before nor had a late night so I couldn’t figure out why I was so tired. Anyway I was looking online about tiredness etc. and read about the dangers of not getting enough sleep.  Apparently third of people in the UK suffer from lack of sleep at some point in their lives, it’s not often I don’t sleep unless I am really anxious/nervous about something.

The side effects of not getting enough sleep are quite self-explanatory such as impaired concentration, memory and fatigue as well as constant tiredness and irritability. However there are other side effects caused by lack of sleep and these include increased weight and poorer glucose handling.

There are plenty of reasons why people are having poor sleep, these include stress and anxiety as well as a disturbed sleep pattern such as having later nights than normal and distractions before bed such as TV, laptops and mobile devices.

Luckily there are ways to get a good night’s sleep, like establishing fixed times for going to bed and waking up, making sure your bedroom is neither too hot or too cold and make sure it’s nice and quiet too. You should also avoid taking naps during the day, plus avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol six hours before you go to bed and the same goes for nicotine.

I’m am going to keep these things in mind tonight and hope that I can get a decent night’s sleep so I am not tired for work tomorrow!

New Year new blinds

Posted by jamiebarton on February 6, 2012 No comment

This year as part of my New Year’s resolutions I promised I would take care of my home. I haven’t given it much TLC for a while and it’s looking a bit shabby (but not in the chic way), so over the course of the year I will be under taking some DIY projects.

First on the list is my conservatory, I want it revamped for spring/summer which means some new flooring, furniture and blinds. The flooring and the conservatory blinds have been in since before I bought the house so are fairly dated and really looking tatty and old and my furniture in here is a hotchpotch of donations and pieces I bought on sale when I first moved in!

The look I am thinking about for my conservatory is airy and fresh but not stark and empty. I really want quite a few leafy green plants to give it a tropical edge and clean crisp furniture. Basically I want to feel a bit like I am on holiday when I sit in there on a sunny day!

Currently the blinds in my conservatory are vertical blinds in a retro shad of rose pink, I have been looking online at newer, modern styles and I really like the look of venetian blinds which I think will be more practical. You can get them in a wide range of colours from bright whites, to natural cream and beige colours as well as wood effects.

I think before I decide I will have to check out samples and see how they work with the furniture I have in mind oh and decide on what sort of flooring I want, I do quite fancy some under floor heating then I will feel like I am on holiday when I am in there!

Celebrity beauty

Posted by jamiebarton on February 4, 2012 No comment

In celeb beauty news, this week I saw that Beth Ditto is the latest celeb to team up with MAC Cosmetics to create a new range of products, Katy Perry is designing her own set of false lashes for Eylure and Kim Kardashian is set to release her fourth perfume.

Beth Ditto’s cosmetic range she has designed for MAC will be a limited edition line as normal with their celeb collaborations and will be out in the summer. In the past the Gossip singer has also dabbled in the fashion world with a range for high street store Evans to create a collection, which catered for plus-sized women.

Katy Perry has recently launched a fragrance and had a ghd campaign which was shot by David LaChapelle and now she is designing false eyelashes for Eylure. She has designed four sets of lashes for the range which will be released this month. Speaking about the collaboration, an Eylure rep, said: “We were keen to create a range of lashes that were a direct extension of her own personal style.”

TV reality star who found fame after her sex tape with the reality series Keeping up with the Kardashians and Kourtney and Kim take New York, Kim Kardashian is set to release her fourth Kardashian fragrance. It seems now that every celeb is releasing a fragrance Kim’s fourth is called True Reflection and will be out this spring.

The reality star has already shot the campaign for it, she recently wrote on her blog: “Here’s a pic from my new True Reflection fragrance ad campaign… ultra glam! I LOVE red lips! My new fragrance comes out this spring and it is so different than my other fragrances! Xo. (sic)”

One of her previous perfumes called Gold was created to bring back memories of her late father Robert Kardashian. She said: “When my dad would go away on trips he always came back with a special perfume for me. I hated when he bought perfume for his girlfriends, but loved it when he bought me a glamorous bottle of his favourite scent of gardenia. So when I was developing Gold, I thought of him and other happy times in my childhood.”

Her sisters have also help inspire one of her other fragrances, it reminds her of the success she has had with her sisters, Kourtney and Khloe. She said: “I collect fragrances so when I smell one that I haven’t worn in years it’ll bring me right back to that time. This will remind me of success, working really hard and also my sisters. We were all together so much when I was making the fragrance that it reminds me of my TV show.”

Looking for a new car?

Posted by jamiebarton on February 1, 2012 No comment

Europe’s best selling cars of 2011

I have been thinking about buying a new car however I am not too sure what to go for as I am no car expert. The first thing I need to do is find out how much is my worth so I know what my price range can be with a good trade-in value and how much deposit I will need.

There are a number of good deals offered by some of my local garages however I just don’t want to go for the car with the best deal I need to actually like the car! I thought I would have a look to see what the best selling cars were last year, so here is the list:

10. Peugeot 207
10. Peugeot 207
8. Renault Mégane
7. Ford Focus
6. Renault Clio
5. Vauxhall/Opel Astra
4. Vauxhall/Opel Corsa
3. Ford Fiesta
2. Volkswagen Polo
1. Volkswagen Golf

It does seem from the list that German cars continue to rule the roost as I did see that Audi have also topped other lists however they are out of my price range. Apparently car sales were up in Germany by 8.8% however in the UK sales were down by 4.4% which says quite a lot about our economy or the price of our cars!

I currently have a 2003 Fiesta so it’s not the new shape, however I feel I would like a slightly bigger car if I am upgrading! So I can probably count out the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Peugeot 206 and the Vauxhall Corsa. I do really like the new Ford Focus but then again Volkswagen Golfs have a really good reputation and it is Europe’s bestselling car, so there must be a reason for that!

I could however sell my car through somewhere which provides cash for cars then have a look on Autotrader or eBay for a mint second hand car however I don’t think I would be confident in doing so as I have said before I am no car expert.