Your Fantasy Dinner Party

We have all played this game.  If you could host a dinner party and invite absolutely anyone, who would it be?

I have always found this game interesting as the people who you choose says a lot about you as a person.  You can choose anyone whom you wish, alive or dead so there is a plethora of people to choose from.  But which ones?

I imagine a large dining room.  Nothing too formal, a round table which means that everyone can talk to each other.  Quite a few different, small, courses so that you are not eating one big meal.  Alcohol flowing.  The meal reaches the dessert course and the wine has been flowing all night.  People lose their inhibitions and speak freely.  Who would you want to talk to?

My first invitation would be:      God.

Now.  The people who know me, know that I am not a believer.  So my invite would answer the question if he/she existed at all.  Hey God, do you RSVP?  Secondly, can you imagine the questions that you could ask?  

My second invitation would be:       Eddie Izzard

I am not a big fan of comedians but I love Eddie.  I love his thought process, his passion and very strong sense of self (although not a great fan of how he chooses to promote his political opinion.  I agree with many of his stances, I just think he goes around it the wrong way). 

Eddie came out as a transsexual in 1985.  The way he speaks about his gender identity is so simple, that it makes you wonder how anyone could misunderstand:

“If you look at a tiger, you go ‘ooh, tiger!’, we don’t go ‘girl tiger’ or ‘boy tiger’. We are obsessed by the genders because we grow up in one gender or another. No other animal is obsessed by our gender – they don’t give a monkeys about our gender.

“No matter what sex or sexuality, how you self-identity, or who you fancy, matters not one whit – what do you do in life? What do you make? What do you add to the human existence? That’s what’s matters."

My third choice would be:        J K Rowling

Her first Harry Potter book was published in 1997, although I do not remember coming across the books until probably the early 2000s.  She created a world so complete and so intricate that it drew in both children and adults alike.  Although I love to write, I could never create a world of fiction as completely as she did.  Plus, she absolutely rocks on Twitter.

My fourth choice?          Marilyn Monroe

 Ah Norma Jeane.  She was famous for playing the dumb blonde characters in films, but she was so much more complex than that.  She was a wonderful comedic actress with perfect timing, coupled with suffering depression and anxiety.  The circumstances behind her death will always be a mystery, but she has always fascinated me and always will.

My fifth choice?       Stephen Fry

The man is a British institution.  No fantasy dinner party would be complete without him.

My sixth and final choice?    Millicent Fawcett

Elected president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies in 1890, she complained all her adult life for not only equal rights for women but also abolition of the slave trade.   She died one year after women gained the equal rights to vote as men did.  I can only imagine how extraordinary she was.

That would conclude my dinner invitations, although they could be endless, as I would like my dinner table to hold seven, my lucky number.

Other people who would have made the list (in no particular order)?  Samuel L Jackson.  Caitlin Moran.  Cleopatra.  Russell Brand.  Roald Dahl.  Maya Angelou.  Anna Kendrick.  Winston Churchill.  Abraham Lincoln.  Will.i.Am. Eleanor Roosevelt.  Robin Williams.

Who would you invite?

What Ingredients Does Your Skincare Regime Need?

Anyone else feel completely confused about what skin care to buy these days? Especially when it comes to products specifically designed for anti aging.

Most advertisements for skincare products don’t tend to include a lot of detail. They’re often focused on the tactile benefits: how soft your skin will feel, how fine lines and wrinkles will be diminished. They rarely go into much detail about why these things are going to occur. On the rare occasion it does happen, the ad will tend to fling out the name of a chemical as if any potential consumers will have advanced degrees and know exactly how it’s going to make a difference to them.

Some of the chemical compounds you hear mentioned, flashing across the screen without any attribution as to why they are successful, are created solely by the manufacturers. It’s like you choosing two random ingredients from your kitchen, mixing them, then dubbing it “Ageicine” and claiming it can reduce the signs of aging.

Nevertheless, we buy the products because of the promises they make. Who doesn’t want smoother skin? To hold back the aging process for as long as possible? Improved skin texture glowing with good health on the back of these products? So we throw our money at them, not truly understanding what’s at the heart of their claims and - if we’re lucky - the success we achieve with them.

It’s not something we do often with other things. Most of the time, we’re discerning. We want to know what goes into our food, the calorific value, the number of fats, protein and carbohydrates that it contains. We’re careful to check the labels of the clothes we buy for washing instructions, too. We don’t just assume something, throw money at it, and hope for the best.

It’s natural to want to trust in the claims of the ad, the beaming face of the celebrity (who may or may not have achieved their look not through the blessings of the product, but kind lighting, the help of those such as Dr Jordan Rihani, and flattering makeup!). So we let ourselves believe based on literal but the claims themselves - and really, we shouldn’t.

What you actually need are recognized solutions and chemicals that have years of research behind them. So the next time you fancy splurging on a skincare purchase, go by your needs from the product and the subsequent compound you’re going to want to see is included.

I have been given some research with regard to what to specifically look for in a product dependent on what you are looking for and I have shared this below.

For Skin Brightening: Alpha Arbutin

If you have dark spots, acne scars, or just an uneven color across your skin, then look for products containing the synthetic bleaching agent Alpha Arbutin.

The term “skin bleaching” might sound problematic and worrying, so let’s allay some of those fears. Alpha Arbutin is not a skin bleach in the forms found in cosmetics. It’s not going to alter the pigment of your skin itself, but it will help to lighten any areas that are darker or more uneven than you would like.

I have a small patch of skin on my neck which is uneven in colour so I may try this out.

Look for it in concentrations of around 2% of the total product and use sparingly, only targeting the dark spots you want to lighten. It’s generally well-accepted and shouldn’t pose an issue to sensitive skin, but do a patch test first just in case.

For Skin Hydration: Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid acts as both a lubricant and a humectant, meaning it helps the skin to retain moisture. It’s present in many products from the budget to the luxury end of the scale, at strengths of up to 10% of the mix.

If you’re looking for a deep moisturizing boost, then there’s little better than this clever little acid. For the best results, use at night applied to a clean face. It will feel slightly sticky on the surface, so be prepared for that - and make sure you wash your pillowcase frequently! However, the next morning you should wake up looking plumped and suitably refreshed

For Fine Lines/Wrinkles: Retinol A

Finally one I have heard of! There is no doubt that anti-aging is at the top of the tree when it comes to claims about the efficacy of a skin product. We all know that prevention is better than cure, so it’s no surprise most of us are willing to throw money at the problem to stave off the lines a little bit longer.

Retinol A is the product to look out for above all others. It tends to be more expensive than the standard drug store choices, but then again, isn’t it better to spend on items that are actually going to work?

One word of caution: if you are using retinols, then it is imperative that you use SPF protection during the day (even if it’s cloudy out) and wear a hat too if possible. Without that, your skin could be more susceptible to burning, so look for makeup or day cream that can get you covered.

( Image Links: 1 / 2 / 3 )

*Collaborative Piece

The Grand National

Today is my annual post about the Grand National.  Some of you will read it, some won’t.  Some will look at the blog title and turn away, not wanting my post to spoil your once a year bet on the Grand National.  I am hoping that at least one of you reads this post and changes your mind about betting, forever.

I want to give you some names.  

Comeonginger.  Here All Along.  Cadoudoff.  Al Reesha.  Athletic.  Sensible Simpson.  

Sound familiar?  Probably not.  But these are the names of six horses who have died in the past week in UK horse racing.  Two died from a broken neck.  Three destroyed due to leg breaks.   One died from a heart attack.

Animal Aid began a record of the death of horses 10 years ago at the Cheltenham Festival.  Since then, 1523 horses have died.  That is 3 horses, every single week.

This weekend is the Grand National.  Families and co-workers get together at this time of year and choose their horses from sweepstakes or by finding the name of the horse they like best.  Jokes are made about who will pick the one who ends up falling.  After the race, you will not even remember the horse’s name, except if it won you some money.

Did somebody bet on Comeonginger yesterday because of the funny name?  He died of a broken neck on the course.  Did someone choose Athletic because he sounded like a good bet?  His broken hind leg rendered him useless to the world of horse racing and he was “destroyed”. 

Was your £5.00 bet worth the life of a horse?  Will it be on Saturday?

They say every year that the course is made safer.  But they cannot deny that in a race which is entered by the best race horses in the country, less than half have managed to complete the course in the past 3 years.  

Last year, out of the 41 horses that started the race, only 16 finished it.   The successful ones make it to the end and are whipped to the finish line.  Riders in the Grand National are actually required to carry a whip in order to race.

I was talking about horse racing last week and someone said to me “If we don’t use them for horse racing, what are horses for?”   Horses do not exist for our entertainment.  They do not need a reason to exist, just like us.

You will either place a bet tomorrow or you won't.  My words will either affect you, or they won't.  But my mission, as it has been every year on this blog, is to give you the facts, and let you make up your own mind.  

I ask you a question, as a national of so called animal lovers, are we not better than this?