Revlon Just Bitten Kissable: Lip stain

Cosmetic giant, Revlon, have launched a new product as part of their “Just Bitten” range. The 80 year-old make-up brand promotes a revolution in moisturising lip colour. Say goodbye to drying, short-wear lipstick and welcome into your make up bag Revlon’s "Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain."

This lip tint is a moisturising balm infused with a burst of vibrant colour, available in a select range of shades, from the coral-coloured “Rendezvous” to dark plum-coloured “Crush”. My favourite is the true-red colour “Romantic”, but from the 12 varieties available, you are sure to find one to suit any style.  Unlike the product preceding this in their “Just Bitten” range, the nature of the crayon means that the stain is non-drying and therefore lasts and lasts all day, no matter what you get up to. Eating, drinking or kissing, the lip-colour remains in its place for hours on end, with little need to re-apply.

The chubby crayon its self is easy to use and lasts forever. There’s no need for a sharper when the nib runs low, and that won’t be the end of your lip stain-love affair either, just twist the bottom and the retractable pen springs up revealing many more weeks worth of long-lasting, moisturising lip colour.

Worn alone or over lip-liner, Revlon’s new lip stain can be built up for a more intense colour or glided over the lips straight from the barrel just once for a gentle tint. The pampering balm leaves your lips feeling smooth and supple, ready for anything your day has to offer.

Thailand Fun!

One of my best friends Raquel Foster is going to Thailand for 6 months and will be blogging all of her experiences, 
check it out here:
http://raquelfos.wordpress.com/

Pass by University On The Way To Success- Written August 2013

Pass by University On The Way To Success

September 2012 marked the beginning of the first educational year in which University tuition fees rose to a maximum of £9,000.  Whilst the average annual fee was £8,507 for 2012/2013, the Office for Fair Access predicts that 2013/2014 applicants are more likely to be paying £9,000 as 3 in 4 universities are set to charge the top figure.

The increase in tuition fees undoubtedly changed the plans of some school leavers as the total number of students who applied to study at University during the first year of the higher fees was almost 10% less than in the previous year.

How can it be that we live in a society lacking skilled professionals, yet we hinder the process of anyone gaining the necessary qualifications? Students are encouraged to go to University to better their chances of getting employment in their dream job, so why should attaining our dreams come at the cost of well over £27,000? Well now, it doesn’t have to.

Although it seems alien to some eighteen year-olds, there are alternatives to University which can still pave the way to a dream career. Whilst professions such as dentistry or medicine will require a degree, there is a plethora of other careers which do not, including accountancy, retail management and some law positions.  Choosing training for a specific career instead of University is an option relieving young people of the prospect of debt from extortionate tuition fees and student loans and shows dedication to a certain field of work.

In response to the increasing number of young people who are choosing not to go to University, many employers have started to provide apprenticeship schemes offering on-the-job training in over 1000 professions, in everything from plumbing to sales; an opportunity some employers see as just as beneficial as an undergraduate degree.

Lewis Taylor, aged 19, said: “I've started my job now instead of going uni. I've found it amazing so far-much better than I expected. It's giving me qualifications so I’m training and getting paid, which is a massive bonus. And I'm getting work experience, so in my opinion not going to university is the best decision I have ever made!”

University has traditionally been used as a bridge to get to an ultimate goal. However, today a significant amount of students admit to going to University without even a final career in mind. In such a way, young people choosing work or an apprenticeship after school instead of University could be three years superior on the career ladder to those of the same age who continued into higher education, as employers stress the need of a strong foundation of work experience in a specific field in contrast with class-based learning on a general subject.

THE RISE AND FALL OF HIGHER EDUCATION-Written November 2011

THE RISE AND FALL OF HIGHER EDUCATION

September marked the beginning of the first educational year in which university tuition fees rose to a maximum of £9,000.  Whilst for the current year, the average fee is £8,507, the Office for Fair Access predicts that 2013/2014 applicants are more likely to be paying £9,000 as 3 in 4 universities are set to charge the maximum amount.

This year, there has been a significant fall in the number of students studying at universities, with an almost 10% drop in applicants for the 2012/2013 year.

Emily Hoang, a student from south-east London said “After news came out that uni fees had escalated to £9,000 maximum, I instantly thought: "Oh my god. Where am I going to get £9,000?" I thought again and contemplated whether university was the path for me. However, recently and very conveniently, uni students, lecturers and other university staff came to our school and educated us about financial student aid that we are and can be entitled to. They were really informative and actually changed my views on uni fees. I learnt about the uni loan and repayment system, the small portion I have to repay after graduating, and was eventually certain again that I wanted to go to uni”

Nicky Kalia, 18 from Greenwich commented that ”they [the fees] didn’t make me think twice because what I want to do needs a degree, but I do feel overwhelmed that I’m going to be in debt for a long time afterwards... It’s not good because a lot of people who would have gone to university have been put off because of the fees,”

Adam Bligh- Hasan, a 17 year-old student from Bexley said ”the fees made me angry because I believe in the right to free education but I also value a university education enough to pay regardless. A right that people are willing to make sacrifices for is an easy right for the government to turn into a business transaction.”

 “Whilst a lot of my friends weren’t discouraged by the fees, I definitely had to have a rethink about going to a university,” said 19 year-old receptionist Emma Langley. “I didn’t want to be in debt up until my 40s, with the added pressure of being at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a mortgage. For me, it was a much better option to leave college, get a job straight away and go to night school.”

Jacob Armitage, a 22 year old graduate commented that “What people often forget about the university experience is that the tuition fees aren’t the full extent of the debt, they don’t include the debt of maintenance loans and the interest placed on these loans. Of course numbers of applicants will drop, I feel terrible for those of you going to uni now; hopefully it won’t take long for the government to take note of this and do something about it.”

In my own mind, the new fees are ridiculous. How can it be that we live in a society which lacks skilled professionals, yet we hinder the process of anyone gaining the necessary qualifications? Students are encouraged to go to university to better their chances of getting employment in their dream job, so why should attaining our dreams come at the cost of well over £27,000? 

Another Successful Bonfire Night- Written November 2012

Another Successful Bonfire Night

I have complete confidence in saying that Bonfire Night is one of the greatest events of the year. What improves its credibility is it’s exclusivity to the British nation. If you don’t fancy staying at home eating sausages and jacket potatoes out of tinfoil, deciding the least flammable place to attach the Catherine wheel and nervously waiting for the moment when your Dad will receive a poorly planted rocket to the face, then the fireworks display at Danson Park is the place to be.

Saturday the 3^rd of November saw the event, hosted by the Welling Round Table, in its 39^th year of glory. Thousands of people gathered in the park to be entertained by not just the fireworks, but live music and the quintessentially British funfair. The gates opened at 6pm, however the night only came into full swing as the Mayor of Bexley gave a speech and the countdown to the fireworks commenced. At 8 o’clock, fireworks exploded into the sky, followed by choruses of “ooos”“and “wows!” which didn’t just emanate from the mouths of children but full grown adults as well. After 39 years it’s not difficult to see that the organisers of the event have learnt how to improve the quality of the firework display.

As with every Bonfire Night event, the cold weather nipped noses and cheeks encouraging families and friends to huddle together, but throughout the crowds of people, the atmosphere was thick with the unmistakeable sense of community.

Some may say that Bonfire night is being pushed off of our event calendars to make space for the more “exciting” and outrageous events given to us by our American cousins like Halloween. This year the members of the Welling Round Table definitely proved those people wrong.

Review of Blink 182- Written June 2012

Just about anyone who has grown up in the last twenty years knows at least one Blink-182 song. On the 9^th of June, London’s O2 arena filled with crowds to watch the American Punk-Rockers play their come-back tour after it being postponed for a year to allow the release of their album “Neighborhoods” last summer.

Opening the show, Scottish rockers, Twin Atlantic played tracks mainly from their latest album “Free” to fire up the crowd. They were on fine form with heavily scottish vocals (by the impressively named Sam McTrusty) covering catching guitar hooks. However, having previously seen them before I feel that they were never allowed to reach their best on the night; they would have benefitted from a chance to play a much longer set.

The All American Rejects followed and were disappointing. They opened with the well-known “Dirty Little Secret” which received a less than impressive response from the crowd- which was to be expected.  Tyson Ritter’s vocals were piercing and displeasing making their 40 minute set almost painful.  The alternative rock band finished with what they had probably hoped to be a crowd pleaser, their best hit “Gives You Hell”, yet this was not enough to win the audience over.

Blink 182 hit the ground running by opening with the upbeat “Feeling This” and continued in the same fashion playing hit after hit. In between songs, Tom and Mark kept the crowd amused with their tongue-in-cheek jokes.  The atmosphere in the O2 was electric as fans sang at the top of their lungs and mosh pits formed as the punk rock trio played classics from their first album “Cheshire Cat” to 2011’s “Neighborhoods”. While anxiously awaiting the trio’s encore, fans who were standing were sent into a frenzy when Mark and Tom travelled through the crowd to make their way to the sound booth to perform a simplistic version of “Reckless Abandon”, preceding Travis Barker’s heroic drum solo on the main stage, reminding the audience that he is one of, if not, the world’s best drummer.

Review of Hamlet at the Greenwich Playhouse Theatre- Written October 2011

Review of Hamlet at the Greenwich Playhouse Theatre

We all know the story of one of Shakespeare’s much loved classics- Hamlet. Set in a corrupt Denmark, the play tells the woeful story of a young prince who is set the task of avenging his father’s death. In doing so, intelligent Hamlet must battle his conscience and thus diminishes into an insane man who drags down almost everyone around him, in this tragic tale.

Having put on the play eleven years ago, the Galeon Theatre Company has the knowledge of creating an engaging production. The Greenwich Playhouse allows an audience of only 84, boasting an extremely intimate experience, compelling everyone present to connect with the character’s emotions.

Robin Holden who plays the miserable young scholar captures Hamlet well in all his intelligence, complexity and sarcasm. He demands a level of compassion in his soliloquies which you simply don’t get from just reading the play. At the other end of the scale, Polonius gives balance to the dark, dense atmosphere which embeds most of the story, giving us light-hearted and  bumbling speeches, all wrapped in warm, humours actor, Barry Clarke.

Whilst I anticipated the entrance of an especially frightening ghost, and instead was presented with a profound, old man dusted in ill placed make-up, the play is impeccably directed and contains a well balanced level of intensity and comedy.

Although it was written around 1601, and first performed in 1602, Hamlet remains a powerfully relevant, accessible story questioning loyalty, religion, love and morality.  The Galeon Theatre Company’s production of Hamlet is affordable at just £13.00 a ticket; it is cultural intelligent entertainment for everyone.