Kat's New Years Resolutions

Hey everyone,

I hope that everyone has had a fantastic Christmas and is looking forward to the challenges and joys that 2012 has to offer us.

First of all, I just want to thank every single one of you for reading my blog over the past 12 months. You all mean so much to me, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wouldn't still be here without all of you and your support. You've all been incredible.

For the past few years, I've not really bothered with New Years Resolutions, because well, I'm gonna be honest - I am absolutely rubbish at actually sticking to them. But after a year in which I managed to do so many amazing things:

1. Grew my nails to quite a long length (a long-running resolution from my younger years)

2. I managed to read 14 and a half books (I haven't been a consistent reader since I graduated from Uni, so I've really enjoyed getting seriously back into books!).

3. I also managed to complete 50,000 words back in November, which was something that I never thought I would ever be able to achieve (huge thanks to everyone who sponsored me, and of course Allie for your support throughout November :D)

4. Perhaps my greatest achievement has been my Positive Beauty Pledge, which I am incredibly proud of, and I hope will continue to grow over the next 12 months.

So, after a year with immense highs (and of course a lot of lows too), I've decided that 2012, is going to be the year for big change in my life. And yes, that includes a lot of Challenges that I'm going to try really hard to stick to :)

1. Lose two stone in weight

2. Grow my nails again, so that I can do lots more NOTDs!!

3. Finish my novel that I started in November

4. Complete NaNoWriMo again in November 2012

5. Take up a new "creative" hobby

6. Set up a store to sell the things I make in my "creative" hobby ;)

7. Continue to promote my Positive Beauty Pledge

Good luck to all of you in making 2012 a great year, and I look forward to seeing what the next year holds for all of us :D

Merry Christmas Everyone

Image found here.

The Positive Beauty Pledge's Christmas Message

For me, a large portion of this year, on Kat's Beauty Reviews has been dedicated to my Positive Beauty Pledge. The support behind it has been fantastic, and I'm looking for a new collective of ladies (and gents) to take part throughout 2012, so please do get in touch if you are interested.

Christmas is a time when a lot of us feel quite positive, with the thought of presents, turkey, TV movies and spending time with the people that are important to us. However, in the midsts of drunken fun and chocolate-induced hangovers, it's easy to forget that Christmas is not a positive time for everyone.

For many people, Christmas is a very lonely time, when even spending time with family can feel empty. There could be any number of reasons, but the point is that you are not alone. It doesn't matter what the cause is, there is always someone out there who can help.

I honestly believe that the road to positivity is to talk about your problems, no matter how big or small you think they are. And I am a big advocate of the whole "a problem shared is a problem halved". Bottling things up has never helped anyone, and even if you think that no one cares about your problems, I promise you that there is.

I wish I could take credit for writing this list, but all credit must go to the fantastic Kellie who put together this list of contact details, should you find Christmas to be a tough time of year:

MIND

www.mind.org.uk

0300 123 3393

Samaritans

www.samaritans.org

08457 90 90 90

Alcoholics Anonymous

0845 769 7555

www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/newcomers

Stonewall

Info line 08000 50 20 20

www.stonewall.org.uk

London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard

0207 837 7324

SANELine

0845 767 8000

www.sane.org.uk

Preventing young suicide

www.papyrus-uk.org

For people in Northern Ireland

www.lifeline.info

0808 808 8000

Childline

www.childline.org.uk

0800 1111

Depressionalliance

www.depressionalliance.org

Refuge

www.refuge.org.uk

0808 2000 247

Eating Disorders Association

www.edauk.com

0845 634 1414

Shelter

www.shelter.org.uk

0808 800 4444

NHS Direct

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

0845 4647

No Panic

0808 808 0545

www.no-panic.co.uk

Christmas is the one time of year to put aside your differences. Forget about your enemies, and cherish the people who love you. At times, the beauty blogging circle can come across as bitchy, backstabbing and at times vicious, but together we can all spread the word and show people that we are listening, and we want to help.

If someone you know needs help this Christmas, pass on a useful number, lend them an ear to listen or extend a hand. Show them that they care, because you never know when you might need the favour returned.


Merry Christmas Everyone, and try to stay positive.

Salon Services Non Acetone Nail Varnish Remover

The title of this product might not sound very inspiring, and to be fair, the product (on the surface) probably doesn't come across very inspiring either.

So, my Mum and I have recently discovered Sallys and the fact that they sell OPI and China Glaze, which is enough to make me skint for the rest of my life. Well, I say "discovered", I've known of their existence for a really long time, but I've never actually been in one before. Expect a couple of reviews coming up, that are Sallys related.

But, this is the first of those reviews, and yes, I did warn you that it's not the most inspiring of all the products in the world:

It's a product that most of us ladies use, especially if we're fond of nail polish and nail art, which of course so many of us are. But, it's one that most of us don't put a lot of thought into until that moment when we just can not get our polish off. That is when the cursing comes on, and we moan about how rubbish nail varnish removers are. And of course, many of us take to our blogs to moan about them. Don't worry, I've done it too. But, it's true to say that when it comes to certain types of polish, very few polish removers are capables of getting them to budge.

The culprits are generally:

• Dark shades, such as blue or black
• Vivid shades, but predominantly red
• Glittery polishes

The front of the bottle, however reads:

"Ideal for the speedy removal of nail varnish on natural and artificial nails."

That sounds like a challenge to me! Yesterday I was wearing a dark blue Barry M polish, which was an excellent opportunity to really try out exactly how "speedy" this product is. Being a product that I imagine is aimed at the beauty trade industry, over the average-Joe's and Joanna's like myself, I wouldn't expect anything less than speedy, but I decided to find out.

The Result: With dark shades, I generally have to scrub for quite some time to get them off, but I was impressed that following one, firm sweep of the cotton wool (with product on it, of course), I'd say about 90% of the blue polish was gone. This isn't perfect, in which I'd love for it to be completely gone, but with other brands I've been known to barely take off a layer with a the first few wipes of the cotton wool. And with a second sweep, the polish was completely gone. Impressive, I have to say.

But, I wasn't happy just trying one test on the varnish remover. Oh no, I decided to try something else too. And that is of course the glitter test.

Glittery nail polish is the love and bane of so many of our lives, especially at this time of year, because it looks really festive, and a little bit like tinsel :) Unfortunately, glitter is a bee-otch to get off the wee nails. To make things even more difficult for the nail polish remover I started out with a coat of OPI's Wokka Wokka from the Muppet's Collection:

And finished off, with a top coat of OPI's uber glittery Excuse Moi polish:

From past experience, the Excuse Moi polish is particularly impossible, at times, to get off with most removers.So, it makes perfect sense to test out this one.

The Result: Admittedly, the results weren't as instantaneous as with the blue polish. After the first firm wipe, there was still a lot of colour and glitter left. However, I still managed to get it off using one piece of cotton wool, with one dose of remover, rather than half a gallon (only a slight exaggeration of course ;P) and it honestly didn't take as much scrubbing to get those last flecks of glitter.

Would I buy this Remover again? Definitely. At over £3, I think it's an absolute bargain considering the bottle is much larger (500ml) than most standard-sized removers, and I know that it will last a lot stronger.

I'm definitely very impressed with how quickly (or "speedily") it gets off even the most stubborn of polishes and colours. I really can not emphasise how great I found it. I'm also happy that it's an effective product that is acetone free, because my previous non acetone products have been a bit rubbish, in my personal experience.

Available from: Sallys Express
Price: £3.98
Size: 500ml
Also available: £1.99 for 125ml.

Hunger Games Nail Polish: It's Official!!

Just under a month ago, I wrote a post about the hoo-har revolving around a Hunger Games-inspired nail polish, that Lionsgate had threatened to pull the plug on. Just to remind you, they were alleged to look like this:

At the time, it was alleged that Lionsgate were suing the company behind China Glaze. However, thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I recently discovered that either Lionsgate have done a u-turn, or the lawsuit was a load of rubbish (I honestly haven't a clue which one it is), and the nail polish collection brought to us through a collaboration between Lionsgate and China Glaze, is very much heading in this direction.

And most importantly, I am excited about the new face that will be representing the range of polishes. Effie Trinket (eeee):

Image found on official Facebook page.

I know that she's only a fictional character, but you just know that this kind of role would be a dream come true for Effie. And she's the perfect character to use to promote the products. I've seen Effie in official film posters as well as the trailer, from which I was kind of "hmm" about Effie's overall look, but seeing it close-up in this ad, it looks amazing. I particularly love her eyelashes. You can just tell that there has been a lot of creativity with make up for this character.

She sort of reminds me of Tim Burton's Red Queen but in a much more subtle and much less severe kind of way.

Image found here.

The colours are ultimately the same, but the names are completely different, tot he idea portrayed in the original write-ups, which saw the colours being a symbol of specific things. Now, they appear to have a less obvious, and more general meaning for the film.

I'm really glad that they haven't changed the colours, because I honestly think that they all look fab. But, I preferred the original inspirations (spelling mistakes and all) for the colours, because I just felt that they better represented more specific factors and characters in the books/films.

Apparently, the polishes will be launched at the beginning of March 2012, presumably to coincide with the launch of the first film in the trilogy, and I can not wait to get my hands on these eeek!

Which colours are your favourites? I'm particularly drawn to Electrify as well as Luxe and Lush. And what do you think of using Effie Trinket to promote this line of nail polish? Corny or perfect?

Thoughtful Thursday: Christmas Special

This weeks thought is from an author, who despite the fact that I've never read a single one of his books (don't judge), I have a huge amount of respect for. That might sound a little bit weird, but even though I'm not a fan of his work, I am still able to see that he was the voice of his era, and he contributed more to the world than just a bunch of words on a few pages of a book. No, this man defined Christmas as most of us know it. That man is of course: Charles Dickens.


So, with Christmas only a couple of days away *excited dance*, here are some wise words from the Lord Mayor (not literally) of Christmas, himself:

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.

For me, Christmas is the one day of the year when "most" members of the family make a bigger effort to come together and spend time with each other. It's kind of sad, in a way, that we all live so far apart now, and that the most common meetings are Christenings, Weddings and Funerals, so for me Christmas is really important.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Review

For a long time, I've been a devout user of Urban Decay's Primer Potion to keep my eye shadow in place, as well as intensifying the colour. If anyone was to ask me to recommend a primer for eye shadow, this is always the one that I would recommend.

However, the original bottles, whilst being quite stylish, were a bit of a pain in the bum. And anyone who owns the UD Primer Potion has probably seen all the videos about cutting the bottle open to get the excess product that you can't reach due to the shape of the bottle. But, it's not entirely practical...or safe!!

As a result, I decided to give the Too Faced Shadow Insurance a try. Well, in actual fact, I decided to buy my mum the product, since she only had a trial-size Primer Potion. I decided to try it because a lot of bloggers and you tubers recommend it as a good alternative to UDPP, even though it never seems to get as much promotion as it's competitor.

That was over a year ago, and she still hasn't finished with her UD one, so I took it upon myself to finally use it.

Packaging: The packaging is a squeezy tube, which is much easier for getting the product out. That is of course a definite plus over the original UD packaging. However, I should just say that I am aware that Urban Decay have since released a similarly packaged Primer Potion.

Product: I'm not sure if the product just needed a good shake, but when I first squeezed it out onto my finger, I found it to be quite watery.

Colour-wise, it is a very similar colour to Urban Decay's original primer, which is of course close to skin colour.

Application: Instead of dabbing the product on with a wand, you apply this one using your fingers, which isn't too much of a big deal. I did notice, however, that whilst the UD Primer tends to dry quite quickly, this Too Faced Primer seemed "wetter" and took longer to dry.

But my biggest issue came following the drying process, when I discovered the product which was supposed to prevent creasing (as far as I was aware) had actually creased!! I'm not sure if this was because I'd applied too much, but I'd applied the same amount that I would have used of Urban Decay's Primer Potion, so I have to say that this was incredibly disappointing. And, as a result, my eye shadow didn't apply very well.

For a product that is meant to be on par with Urban Decay, I'm unimpressed with the creasing issue. Nevertheless, the colour still appeared to be just as vibrant as it's main competitor.

Would I buy this product for myself? No. I think that I'd rather deal with the problematic packaging of Urban Decay's Primer Potion than have the creased eye shadow created by the Too Faced Shadow Insurance. But since Urban Decay have changed their packaging anyway, I'd definitely choose it over this one, even if the Too Faced one hadn't creased.

Price: Too Faced is £16.50 for 10ml, whilst Urban Decay is £13.05 for 11ml.

Which is your favourite eye shadow product? Are you an Urban Decay Stalwart, or a Too Faced lover?

Ciate Paint Pot: Wait Until Dark Review

Some of you might recognise this polish, or even own it, because it came in Marie Claire magazine back in July/August (I think, I know I was definitely wearing it for the Leeds meet-up on August 13th!!) and I have to confess that some of these pictures are quite old, but for some reason I hadn't taken them off my Camera. However, I recently broke said camera and have been sorting out the photos on my Memory Card since I put it into my new one, hence the re-emergence of these photos...hell, my Memory Card still had photos on it from my trip to Scarborough in September, so the clear-out was long overdue!!

Anyway, to jog memories, or introduce you to the polish, this is what it looks like:

I actually received another Ciate polish not long before I got this one, in a beauty box (can't remember if it was a Glossybox or Boudoir Prive, so if anyone knows, let me know :P). Unfortunately that shade had been a bright yellow which hadn't really been my cup-of-tea.

The Bottle: I absolutely adore the bottle of this polish, it's a very different shape to typical polishes, which makes a nice change, and the addition of the bow makes it look really cute. Yeah, this excites me a little too much, but the bow on my yellow one fell off, so I'm quite proud of myself that this one is still attached :P And evidently, I am easily pleased!!

The photo of the actual product really is not a good representation of the overall colour of the polish. In the above picture, it has a lot of different colours in it from greens, to golds and pinks. However, applied it is in fact a really dark purple shade that fits perfectly in to it's name of "Wait Until Dark".

However, as you can see in this photo, the colour is different in the bottle to on the nails, which are a slightly better representation of the overall colour, but still not quite. I think the shade on my pinkie finger seems to show the darkness best, which I can only assume is down to the fact that it has the least shine or glare on it.

My problem is that when it comes to dark shades, no matter how much I love them (and I really am in love with this polish, it's a great Autumnal/Wintery colour I think), I always feel like I have to "jazz" them up a little bit, which of course usually involves nail art.

Nevertheless, I was really keen to not cover too much of the purple, because it's such a beautiful shade, so I decided to do something a lot more subtle to my normal nail art, and this is what I created:

I really like this look because despite it's simplicity, I think that it makes a statement because the white is so much brighter than the dark polish. And I think it worked really nicely.

What do you think?

Thoughtful Thursday: 15.12.2011

Hi Ladies,

I know I've been really MIA recently. I've been really busy with a new client, for which the work involves very little writing work, and I'm amazing myself about how much I'm enjoying stepping away from doing writing work all of the time. Don't get me wrong, I still love writing, in fact, I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed blogging over the past couple of weeks, but I'm really loving this new kind of work. I think it's just nice to have a variety of tasks taking up life :)

Anyway, with that, here is this week's Thought. It's again, a little bit different, because it's from someone who is a lot closer to me than the authors and celebrities that normally feature in my Thoughtful Thursday Feature. My Mum.

This isn't really a quote, but more a piece of advice that she's given me over the years whilst I've been growing up, and that was:

To make my own choices in life, to make my own mistakes, and to do what makes me happy.

I really do think that that is the best advice any parent can give their child, agreed?

Thoughtful Thursday: 08.12.2011

Hey guys, as I'm on a different PC today, this week's Thoughtful Thursday is going to be a little bit different. Basically, Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite all-time books.

I'm not a huge lover of poetry, but I find Lewis Carroll's use of poetry in Alice in Wonderland just beautifully written. So, I wanted to share a few of my favourite excerpts with you. Enjoy:

How doth the little crocodile

Improve his shining tale,

And pour the waters of the Nile

On every golden scale!

~ From Chapter Two: The Pool of Tears

 Twinkle twinkle little bat!

How I wonder what you're at...

Up above the world you fly

Like a tea tray in the sky.

~ From Chapter Seven: A Mad Tea Party, and I believe was said by The Dormouse.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes-and ships-and sealing-wax-

Of Cabbages-and kings-

And why the sea is boiling hot-

And whether pigs have wings."

~ From Sequel Through The Looking Glass, Chapter Four. Recited in a story by Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Are there any other Alice fans out there :) What are your favourite parts of the books?

50% Off at Body Shop for 24 hours

Did you know? Although why would you since I've probably never told you ;) But, the first ever lipstick I ever owned was from the Body Shop. Yup, random fact for you there. 

It was actually as the result of one of those Body Shop Parties, that were all the rage in the mid to late 1990s...do they still do Body Shop Parties? I know you get Ann Summers ones, but heh, that's beside the point. I had a make over when I was about thirteen, it looked really great, so my mum bought me all the products that they used. Unfortunately, when I attempted to apply them myself, I discovered my complete inability to apply make up. Therefore, I never really used them again, and I'm pretty certain that my mum still has the products in amongst her eye shadows the I'm convinced pre-date the dinosaurs (no joke! Okay, so it is a joke, but they were definitely around in the mid-1960s!!)

Anyway, that's not really the point to this post. Nope, I actually wanted to share with you this bloody amazing offer that Body Shop have going on right now.

Darn it, I appear to have cut the bottom off, which features the code. But, to get 50% off, all you need to do is enter the code JOY50. It's that simple. 

This is a fab offer, especially in the run up to Christmas, because my other half had been wanting to get the White Musk For Men fragrance, but I just felt that £16 was a lot of money. So, for £8 that is not bad at all!

Also, if you spend over £30 you will qualify for Free Delivery.

And the offer ends at 9am on Tuesday 6th December 2011.

So, what are you waiting for? Mush, mush, mush!!

Should you Store Nail Polish in the Fridge?

This is a question that I've been thinking about a lot recently, and it was something that I was told a really long time ago, by someone who I can't even remember. It could have been a friend, it could have been in a magazine, I honestly haven't got a clue.

As a result, I've sworn by keeping my polishes in the Fridge, in a vain attempt to encourage them to last a bit longer. But, what I really want to know is? Am I absolutely crazy, and wasting my time? Or is there some truth to the Old Wives Tale? My post-NaNoWriMo challenge, is to find out!

One thing is for sure, when I recently tested all of my nail polishes to see if any needed throwing away because they had gone hard (attempting to thin my collection down), I only ended up throwing two away because they'd gone hard. But is that evidence alone? No, probably not!

Looking around the internet, general opinion on this subject seems very, VERY divided. There are those that do it religiously and swear that it definitely does extend the life of the polish, whilst there are others who are adamant that storing them in the fridge actually makes them go harder quicker, rather than keeping them thin. In fact, many people recommend keeping bottles in a cool (note cool, not cold), dry place, and yeah fridges aren't particularly dry.

It seems to be a classic case of no one really appears to know for sure.

So what do the experts say? Finding an expert to ask about such matters is quite difficult, purely because it raises the question of who is qualified to give a solid response that is more than just an overall opinion. It's fine to have an opinion, of course, but I really wanted to find some solid fact-based evidence to say either way. So, is a Nail Technician qualified to know? How about a company that manufactures polishes? Or maybe it's a Scientist that I should be approaching, I really haven't a clue on this one.

The only real advice my internet search came up with was the following, from Oprah Winfrey's website, in which OPI Exectutive Vice President states the following:

storing polish in the fridge will slow down the discoloration that happens as polish gets older. She suggests keeping the bottles upright, because if a bottle falls on its side it's harder to shake the pigments back together. The cosmetic chemist Mort Westman explains that refrigeration reduces solvent evaporation and pigment caking and settling.
But Mort, who must like to think of everything, expressed a concern. If you keep a highly flammable mixture (the polish) in a sealed box (the refrigerator) with a motor that could spark, what might happen if the bottle breaks or opens?
Uh…kaboom?
Bottom line: Though your polish will last longer in the refrigerator, it's probably safer to keep it in a cool, dry place away from sunlight—and potential sparks.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/style/How-to-Store-Nail-Polish#ixzz1fQ5qNyjU

It's certainly an interesting viewpoint, which alongside other thoughts, that storing in the fridge may just be silly. However, if something appears to be working, should a person stop doing it just because others don't agree? Well, that's probably up to individuals, but it is most definitely something to think about.

I say, store your polishes where ever fits in with your lifestyle, and if any one else questions that choice, stuff them.

Where do you store your polishes? Do you think anything really slows polishes from becoming gloopy and thick, or do you think it's inevitable as the product ages?

Share your thoughts below.

Glade Candles Review

What's this? A candles review? Why yes, it is indeed. I know that it's not really very beauty-related, but I think that scented candles are great for relaxing and they are most definitely aimed at us ladies, so I thought that it felt appropriate.

Not gonna lie, I'm not really a candle type of gal. I've had a few in the past, but mainly only for decoration.

Why I'm not really a fan of scented candles: I don't know if I'm weird, or even if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a bit sensitive to certain smells, and I'm really not a fan of strong ones. I tend to find that strong smells make me feel sick and give me a head ache, and this is most definitely true when it comes to candles. I tried them in my student days, but I've never been back since.

What changed my mind: If you have ever smelt these Glade candles, then oh my god, you would really understand. Actually, that's only party true. I was inspired on their smell, however, I've been interested in trying out some scented candles after smelling a Charity Shop bought Yankee Candle that my Mum has been using recently, that genuinely smells like Christmas Trees.

I've always found that candles or products that attempt to create a faux smell of something that specific typically crash and burn with sickeningly overpowering scents. However, this one that my Mum has, is absolutely amazing, and smells like she really has a Christmas Tree in her hallway. Seriously.

But, okay, I'm not here to sell you my Mum's Yankee Candle. I'm here to tell you about these three candles:

As soon as I picked up each of these candles, I was amazed at how awesome they smell. They are quite strong smelling, but it wasn't that sickeningly artificial smell that warps a lot of candles.

Another thing that really appealed about these candles, is the really cute designs on the glasses, which I really love. A lot of candles just tend to be in plain clear or coloured glass pots, but these ones are much prettier :)

Winter Berries: This one is most definitely my favourite candle, and I was really impressed with how quickly the smell filled up the room after it had been lit, which is a plus because I think a lot of candles tend to take a while for me to actually be able to smell them once lit.

The Winter Berries candle is the strongest smelling candle out of all three (which makes me surprised that I find it the nicest smelling), and has taken up residence in my living room. I think it works nicely in the living room because it has quite a warm, spicy fruit smell that suits that particular room. And of course, it is a perfect scent for the time of year.

With Love: This is a very subtle smell, that is hard to detect at times, but still noticeable. It is very floral, which isn't hugely surprising from a candle with "love" in it's name,and it features Jasmine which is lovely.

The one has found a home on my nightstand, and I've been using it before I go to bed for relaxing. I think this candle is great for that purpose because it isn't very strong, like the Winter Berries one is.

Glistening Snow: I have to say that this one is my least favourite, and I don't really think that it smells like Glistening Snow. It's supposed to smell like "fresh-cut needle and spruce blended with...berries, cinnamon and orange peel", but I'm not entirely convinced that it quite smells like that.

In fact, this was the very first one that I picked up and I instantly went "mmmm" which inspired me to smell more of them, but since lighting it, I've found the scent much less...well....inspiring, I guess. I'm not entirely sure what it is, and I do still like the smell, it's just not as nice as the other two I think.

This one is currently living in my Office, because the Winter Berries one is just far too strong for the area that I spend most of my day, whilst the With Love one is perhaps a little too relaxing...and not recommended for my work area ;)

Details

Brand: Glade
Varieties: Glistening Snow, Winter Berries, With Love. There are so many different varieties available, so it's worth checking out in-store to see what there is.
Lasts: Up to 30 Hours Burning Time.
Caution: The products do state that people with perfume sensitivity should be careful when using these candles, so if like myself, you do find that you are sensitive to the small even a little, it's probably best not to use them for lengthy periods of time.
Price: I picked these three babies up from Tesco, who were selling them on offer: Buy One Get TWO Free, which is awesome. And one candle cost £4, so I picked all three up for just £4.

Would I buy them again? At full price? Probably not. They do all smell amazing, and I do genuinely like them. In fact, I genuinely think that they're worth the £4. However, like most nicer items, they're only really feasible as an occasional treat, which is probably where these will have to stay for me.

The Bane of Excess Packaging

Excess packaging. You know the stuff, cardboard boxes containing the smallest bottle or tube of product, or the absolute annoyance of plastic-wrapped stuff that you need a strong pair of scissors (or even better a Chain Saw) to even make a dent on! Oh yes, packaging has become a huge bane on the lives of most of us.

Why does Excess Packaging irritate me so much? I actually have a few issues with excess packaging, especially on beauty products:

One. The fact that it is usually about three times larger than the actual product, which is just ridiculous.

Two.  In the case of plastic packaging, it's not only a case of packaging being several times larger than the product, but also the fact that you can't get to said product. And, it's always a case of having to use a sharp knife or scissors to get into the product, which typically results in sharp edges, which is surely dangerous?

Three. It's just something that is barely looked at once you've got the product home, because if the product comes with instructions, they're generally included on the side of the product, or on an included leaflet. Therefore, I for one, just chuck the packaging straight out, without even thinking about it, once I've taken photos for the blog.

So, why do beauty companies do it? My first idea, was that perhaps it's because the company thinks that the product looks nicer, if it is "sugar coated" in all of this packaging? I mean, 99% of brands sell nail polish minus any packaging, other than the actual bottle. Therefore, why do online beauty company E.L.F feel the need to send us their polishes in all of THIS packaging:

One one go that is two offending items, of the cardboard box, which then needs the plastic inside in order to keep the polish in position. It just seems ridiculous, and I can not think of any plausible reason why this is at all necessary.

I was recently approached by the lovely people at Green People, who I am a big fan of but had to questions why this product:

Comes in this packaging:

As I blogged, in my previous review of this product, I had queries regarding why they used so much packaging, and why there was a need for the box at all? My issue, in this specific case, centred around the idea that Green People were supposed to be about taking care of the environment, so was using excess packaging like this, really that "green"?

And well, Green People wanted to clear that up.

Apparently, Green People, at least, need to use this kind of packaging, because they need to include information regarding EU Regulations. This actually makes a lot of sense, because that's not really the kind of information you could probably fit onto the product itself, and I'm assuming that it is actually a legal requirement to include this type of information.

However, E.L.F's nail polishes can't surely be using that same principal, because every other company seems to do fine without a box, so I don't really understand their need to do it.

But, what about the Environment? The problem with being forced (in a sense) to need excessive box packaging, is of course the damage that it may have on the environment, as the box is disposed of, by the customer.

Not to mention the fact that cardboard used to create the boxes must have come from somewhere, which means more trees being used to make the board.

Green People were keen to assert that 50% of the board used was recycled from previously-used cardboard.

What does using recycled cardboard mean? Basically, that means that no further trees were used in the creation of it. Instead, another product was broken down and mashed up a bit to create the box I had in my hand (although not anymore, since I sent it to be recycled ;P). And what about the other 50%? Well, that was created using sustainable soft-wood! Simples.

What is Sustainable wood? If wood has been sourced in a "sustainable" fashion, it has not been taken from a forest that would cause deforestation. Instead, it will have been taken from a forest with enough trees for the forest to re-spawn and continue to thrive.

So, in very basic maths and science, or whatever. Say you have fifty trees, and thirty are needed in order for it to continue growing, no more than twenty trees will ever be removed.

But isn't the ink harmful to the environment? Actually, no. Green People only use inks that are 100% non-solvent, so they won't cause any damage to the environment.

This might seem like a really long post, about an issue that so many of us have with excess packaging, but personally, I think that it's an important one to look at. Do you think that beauty companies are doing enough to tackle excessive packaging? do you think it's okay to have the excess packaging, as long as it has been created using only recycled and/or sustainable sources? 


And why on Earth do E.L.F box their nail polishes? I would really love to know.


Please feel free share your thoughts :)

Thoughtful Thursday: 01.12.2011

NaNoWriMo Winner

I know that you guys must be getting sick of me going on about NaNoWriMo, but you'll all be very happy to know that it's over now. My first NaNoWriMo which consisted of 30 days of long nights and minor panic, when at the 6 Days left mark, I still had 18,000 words to write.

A few people didn't think I was going to be able to do it (myself included), but here you have it. My winning Certificate to say that I completed my challenge, and I have to say that I am pretty damned proud of myself :)

To completely finalise my challenge, I wanted to show a few things that NaNoWriMo has taught me, because it really has been an experience that I am so glad that I chose to take part in, and I'm over the moon to have finished it.

One. 

I am capable of writing and following through, with a novel.

One of my biggest problems, when it comes to writing novels, is that I often have to force myself to continue to believe in myself and my work. So often, I've gotten to a certain point and just absolutely hated what I've done so much, that I just don't carry on.

NaNoWriMo has taught me not to give in, just because I stopped believing in it. Okay, so it might be hard at the time, but if it helps skip ahead to a more interesting part.

No one said that I have to write a novel in the right order did they ;)

Two.

No Editing Allowed

I have to be honest and say that I found the No Editing Allowed Ban easier than I was expecting. Okay, so I occassionally did a quick spell check, but I amazed myself but not once reading my story back.

And that has always been my second biggest problem: Reading and re-reading until the story is unrecognisable and I've just completely lost my way with the overall story.

Three.

Not to Be Afraid of Continuity

"No one ever got published from their first draft"

That was something I read in a Pep Talk during NaNoWriMo, and it is so true. 

A lot of writers, me included, become obsessed with writing this perfect first draft, but no one, not J.K. Rowling, or J.R.R. Tolkien, or even Charles Dickens will have sent their first draft to a Publisher. Well, not unless they were just setting themselves up for rejection.

So, I learnt to accept that the first draft does not need to be word-perfect, it doesn't need to flow like a dream, with wonderful descriptions, and it doesn't even need to have perfect continuity.

Why? Because that can all be added later.

It's better to have a draft you can edit and work with, than to have no draft at all.

I learnt a lot of other stuff, I'm sure, but for me, these were the most important ones.


To close this topic completely, I just want to say a quick and HUGE Thank You to everyone who supported me throughout (you know who you are!).


Roll on NaNoWriMo 2012 ;)


PS- The blog will be back to normal tomorrow, I promise :D

For anyone who is missing me...

Here is a picture of my NaNoWriMo Mascot Pupu...and yes, that really is his name, it's not one I chose, I promise ;)

Triple fairy points to anyone who knows who/what Pupu is ;P

PS - This is my taking a NaNoWriMo Sanity break....nearly there :D