Tag Archives: challenge

Frost Takes The #AveenoSkincareSecrets Challenge

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aveenoI was delighted to be asked to take part in the #AveenoSkincareSecrets blogger tag challenge. I love sharing my skincare secrets and reading up on how other people look so fabulous. I received some AVEENO Daily Moisturising Lotion to review and a beautiful, personalised bag. Here is how I got on.

First of all, the AVEENO Daily Moisturising Lotion is light and sinks in beautifully. It feels really nice. After I have applied my skin looks like it is glowing and is very soft. I use it daily and my dry skin clears up and my skin glows. I am completely converted and will be buying it in the future. AVEENO Daily Moisturising Lotion is a non-greasy lotion and is clinically proven to significantly improve the condition of dry skin from day one. It is fragrance free and will keep your skin feeling beautifully moisturised and nourished for 24 hours.

It is available in two sizes:

200ml RRP: £5.10

300ml RRP: £7.14

 

THE BENEFITS OF OATS IN SKINCARE

 

  • Increase skin hydration: helps to restore and protect the skin’s
  • natural barrier helping to prevent water loss and maintain moisture
  • Soothes: oatmeal is known for its soothing benefits on sensitive skin
  • Cleanses: the oat particles adhere to dirt and dead skin cells allowing
  • them to be washed away
  • Protects: creates a protective film on the surface of the skin
  • Buffers: helps return skin to normal pH levels

 

Now for my skincare secrets. I may have now crept into my thirties but people say I look younger. Here they are:

Always use SPF. Use sun lotion of at least SPF 15. Even in winter.

Stay hydrated. You don’t have to drink loads of water but make sure you stay hydrated.

Eat your five a day. Eat as healthily as possible.

Use good products. They don’t have to be super expensive.  AVEENO Daily Moisturising Lotion is reasonably priced and brilliant.

 

Right, there is my #AveenoSkincareSecrets. Share yours using the hashtag. I also tag the amazing Jess from http://www.lookwhatigot.co.uk to share her skincare secrets.

 

http://www.aveeno.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/AveenoUK

 

Sponsored Post. 

 

 

Month 2 Of My Reading Challenge by Frances Colville

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I began with a book I probably wouldn’t have picked up myself, but which was the book of choice for one of my two reading groups.The Girl Under The Olive Tree by Leah Fleming (published Simon and Schuster UK 2013). It should have been a good read (interesting storyline about an English nurse working for the resistance in Crete during WW2) but there were some irritating anomalies and frequent failures to capitalise on opportunities for dramatic tension. I was left feeling dissatisfied, though I did learn some fascinating facts about Crete and WW2.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville

My second book also failed to grab me fully. I recently went to a talk by author Natasha Solomons and thought she spoke well and interestingly. I picked up a copy of The Gallery of Vanished Husbands(published Sceptre 2013) and keenly anticipated reading it. But I wasn’t completely convinced by her portrayal of the main character and I found the plot unrealistic in places. However, it is well written; her use of language appealed to me, as did the pace of the book, and there are some excellent descriptive passages. I think I will try another of her books. One more to add to my list.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville 2
Next I moved on to another reading group choice: The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks(published Fourth Estate 2002). This was in fact a re-read for me, but I relished the opportunity to have a fresh look at a book which has long been on my Top Ten List. It’s based on the true story of a Derbyshire village coping with an outbreak of plague in the seventeenth century and is one of those books which is almost unbearable to read, and yet equally you can hardly bear to put it down.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville 3

As an aspiring short story and flash fiction writer, I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to read Hilary Mantel’s new short story collection The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher(published Fourth Estate 2014) and I wasn’t disappointed. Each individual story is a compelling read and all are powerful, harrowing, disturbing and haunting. In fact they made me question why I read. Is it for pleasure and relaxation? To learn? To be challenged? Or to appreciate the skill of the writer? In the case of this book, I think it is the latter two. And that is a tribute to Hilary Mantel who is a supremely good writer.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville 4

After that, I needed something less stressful and turned to Claire Sandy’s novel What Would Mary Berry Do?(published Pan Books 2014) Who doesn’t love Mary Berry and the Bake Off programmes? I’m a big fan, and this lighthearted tale of a harassed mother teaching herself with Mary Berry’s help to bake appealed to me. In fact I could have done with a bit more of the baking and a bit less of the rest of the story. It isn’t a book that will stick in my mind for years to come, but it is an enjoyable and relaxing read and I definitely recommend it if that’s the sort of book you’re looking for.

It’s a truism to say variety is the spice of life, but I’m learning that my choice of books reflects just that. So now I have a problem. What to pick up first for month 3?

 

 

The Stoptober Challenge: The Round Up

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So it is over. No more Stoptober. I am pretty pleased with myself. I think it went quite well. I haven’t been smoking and hope this will continue. It is still hard sometimes but I have come a long way. I wobbled many times. I don’t want the hard work to be for nothing

Along the way I have done a lot of challenges. The first one was preparing for success and Boots UK pharmacist Angela Chambers gave some great tips. I wrote about this in my first post.

The second challenge was taste. Smoking dulls your taste buds so when you quit everything tastes better. For this challenge I baked. It was fun. Boots UK sent an exclusive recipe box packed with a bespoke recipe and all the ingredients I needed. I loved the end result and the taste was amazing.

bakingcookiesstoptober

I took part in a Twitter party which was hosted by Beautyandthedirt, Sexinlondoncity and Angela Chalmers who is a Boots Expert. This was between 1-2pm on October 16th. The Twitter Party was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. A lot of people got involved and I think it was a success. 

 

Next up I took some time to stop and smell the roses.

roses

To celebrate reaching my third smoke free week, and the return of my sense of smell, Boots UK sent me these gorgeous flowers. Smoking alters the way you smell things. The reasons to stop smoking keep building up. The flowers are also very beautiful. If you are also trying to stop smoking head to Boots UK Stop Smoking.

 

Challenge Four was all about how quitting smoking is great for your appearance. Smoking can impact your appearance, affecting your complexion, reducing the nutrients in your hair and leading to staining of the teeth, though luckily giving up smoking can reverse these changes. To celebrate this Boots UK partnered with leading fashion photographer Claire Pepper to develop some top tips on taking the perfect selfie.

perfecrtselfie

Fashion photographer Claire Pepper shares tips on how to take the perfect selfie 

 

It’s all about the lighting!

Get the lighting right, and you are 90% of the way to achieving your perfect selfie.  Ideally you want natural daylight, but if it is really sunny then move away from direct sun into a shady area.  If you are inside, find a window or the biggest, softest light source around and stand nice and close to it.  Always have the light source in front of you – side lighting is unflattering and back lighting doesn’t capture very well on most mobile phones.

Attention to detail

Selfies should be spontaneous but try to take a few moments to check the background is free from clutter or strange reflections. Also check your hair and make-up, and take a moment to consider the composition of your shot, and whether it would work best in landscape or portrait.

 

Trial and Error

You might want to experiment to see if there is much difference in quality between the front and back cameras on your phone.  Some phones have a much better quality camera on the back so take two snaps and compare them to see if one looks grainier.  Also try taking the cover off your phone – some covers can cause a bit of softening around the periphery of the image or can affect focus so give it a go and you might be surprised what a difference it makes.

 

Find your angle

Different angles suit different faces so learn what works for you – take lots of pictures to see what works – you can always delete any you don’t like!  Generally keeping your chin down is quite flattering and turning your face to one side works for most people.  Don’t forget to keep your eyes on the camera lens not the screen as it’s much more engaging.

 

Post production

Finally, perfect your portrait with an image editing app.  A specialist app like Camera+ gives you control over every aspect of the image, as well as giving you the option to add borders and captions.  If you are bored of using the same filters all the time try the VSCO Cam app that gives you a really wide selection and the ability to customise your selfie – you can achieve results that would take some time in Photoshop within seconds.  If you want to zap a blemish try an app like Facetune, but take it easy editing your face – it’s easy to go too far and it can look quite obvious.

 

Overall I feel great and stopping smoking was the best thing I have ever done. Try it and you won’t look back. Promise.

 

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#bootsukstoptober 

 

 

Frost Writer Helen Takes The Stoptober Challenge

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As challenges go, stopping smoking is a pretty huge one. Not only is smoking addictive but it eases stress for those who do it. But the benefits of giving up are vast: smoking is terrible for your health and takes years off your life, giving up is one of the best things you can do for your health, it saves money: cigarettes are now over £9 per pack and it stops your clothes smelling bad. Smoking even makes the walls in your house yellow so giving up would be life-changing.

fitness-get healthy

I want to give up to improve my health and save money. I will be stopping by keeping my hands busy, distracting myself, thinking of the reasons why I will be quitting. I also knit and that really helps by keeping both my mind and my hands busy. I also have an occasional snack. I also think about all of the things I could buy with the money I will save. I am finding a lot of help from Boots, who can help you with their Smoke Less Plan and their NikAssist range is great too. 

 

This is no easy challenge however, I have been smoking for decades and have given up a few times. I think Stoptober is amazing. A sense of community always helps when trying something. Smoking is a huge burden on the NHS, never mind the personal damage to health and finances. Most people love a challenge and this 28-day national stop smoking challenge is a brilliant one. I will be taking part in a Twitter Party with Beautyandthedirt and Sexinlondoncity. I hope you can join in too. This is happening between 1-2pm on October 16th. We can all do this together.

Bootstwitterinvite 

This is just my first post and I will update you with how I get on later in the month. I have been set a number of challenges and challenge number one is preparation. So I am preparing myself with the top tips from Boots UK Stop Smoking.

 

Boots UK pharmacist Angela Chalmers knows that the key to any form of success is often preparation and has prepared these top tips to help you embark on the first week of your smoke free journey. I have found them really helpful. If you want to ask Angela a question you can do so via our comments section.

 

Tip 1: Quit your own way 

When you begin your smoke free journey, it is important that you know your smoking habits and chose a time to quit that is right for you. Many people find that starting their quit journey on a Wednesday is easier than starting on a Monday. Luckily the first day of Stoptober falls on a Wednesday this year!

 

If quitting on the first day of Stoptober is not right for you, then choose a time or day in the first week that best suits your lifestyle. If you tend to be a social smoker, then choose a time to quit that doesn’t clash with a social gathering – for example quitting a day before your best friend’s big birthday or a close family celebration might not be the best time for you! Remember that Boots pharmacists are available to provide advice and support at any time and stage of your smoke free journey.

 

 

Tip 2: Know your smoking triggers 

Breaking a smoking habit is difficult as it’s often a part of your daily routine and something you may tend to do without even thinking about it. However, more often than not there are factors that can trigger these habits or make you want to smoke. For some people it goes hand in hand with a night out, for others it may be part of their morning coffee routine. It is important to know what your triggers are so you can put a strong plan of action in place to help you avoid them while you are on your smoke free journey.

 

Replacing your triggers with a different healthy habit can also help. For example, if you usually smoke after meals then maybe think about replacing that cigarette with a brisk walk to the end of your road or drinking a glass of water.

 

Many people worry about weight gain as they often confuse their cravings for hunger and increase their food and snack intake. If you’re worried about weight gain talk to a stop smoking advisor who can give you tips on eating right and exercising so that weight gain is minimal. Things that could help:

 

  • Drink an extra glass of water after meals to keep you feeling full
  • Snack on as many fruits and veggies as you want – something crunchy like baby carrots or an apple, can sometimes be very satisfying
  • Keep your hands busy with something besides food!

 

 

Tip 3: Swap smoking for a new hobby  

It is normal to get a little irritable when you quit smoking. Why not distract yourself by taking up a new hobby such as learning a new language, trying a new recipe or playing sport? By keeping yourself busy you are more likely to reach your smoke free goal as well as learning something new. Or you could simply get round to doing something you’ve been meaning to do for a while – clearing out your wardrobe, putting up a new shelf, even cleaning the windows?! Creating a list of all the things you want to do and then ticking something off that list (even the smallest thing) can you give you a great sense of achievement!

 

It’s also important to think positively (it’s easier said than done, we know!). However, rather than seeing quitting smoking as giving up something you love, taking up a new hobby or activity can help you to associate it with a new fresh start and a much more positive way of thinking that will help you to stay motivated.

 

 

Tip 4: Don’t give up giving up 

Many smokers try on more than one occasion to give up cigarettes. If you have a smoking relapse, try not to be disheartened. Instead, examine what caused you to smoke again, so that you can look out for the signs and find a way to overcome this on your next attempt. Remember that giving up smoking is not easy and celebrate each day that you remain smoke free. Sometimes a visual tracker can help. Why not buy a wall planner or calendar on which you can cross off each smoke free day so you can see how well you are doing and increase your confidence in yourself?

 

 

Tip 5: Reward yourself

Don’t be too hard on yourself! Giving up smoking is a huge challenge and each day that you stay smoke free is an achievement – something many people strive to achieve. In fact, 61% of smokers say quitting smoking is one of their lifetime’s ambitions so make sure your celebrate, perhaps by setting yourself small targets and treating yourself when you reach them.

 

Remember – one of the best benefits of stopping smoking (aside of course from the health improvements) is all of the money you will save! Use this to reward yourself with a treat or something fun. This could be a pampering new make-over to show of how great you look now that you are smoke free, a new wardrobe or even a weekend trip away.

 

#bootsukstoptober 

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Taking on the RoboReflex Challenge

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On a cold day in May, at a hidden location in East London, I, Junior Smart, stepped up to the Roboflex challenge. A formidable task which involved entering into an arena armed with both machine gun and pistol and taking down ten targets as fast as possible and beating the time set by the latest iteration of the Robocop franchise.

In case you failed to see it whilst it was in the cinema, Robocop is a re-telling of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic in which father and skilled cop Alex Murphy (played here by Joel Kinnaman of Easy Money, TV’s The Killing) is critically injured in the line of duty and transformed by mega-company OmniCorp – headed by CEO Raymond Sellars (a role carried well by Michael Keaton – star of Batman and Need For Speed) into a part-man, part-robot police officer designed to rid Detroit of crime.

Fortunately for me I didn’t need to be critically injured in the line of duty to experience the delights of the warehouse challenge; a challenge where the newly ‘renovated’ Murphy has to ‘prove his worth’ to OmniCorp in a heart-racing shoot out against the clock. Nonetheless, even though I knew this event was for fun I have to admit my heart was pounding; it wasn’t just me who was taking part in the challenge, around me stood other reporters from different magazines and although we were all professionals and smiled nicely at each other, deep down we all knew that no one wanted to come last and go home to our editors with our tails between our legs. The stage was therefore set.

Robo_Reflexes_Experience_Day_008My first job was to be suited in the correct gear; an ominous police onesie followed by body armour and that was before the gun holster and machine gun were handed to me. Then followed a briefing on the safe and correct use of firearms delivered by Stirling Airsoft these guys knew how to put someone like me through their paces, I quickly learnt how to draw, how to move whilst firing a weapon and most challengingly, how to change weapons in the heat of a battle. I soon realised it is nothing like the movies; there is so much to think about and there is no way you can use the Americanised posturing you see in video games and movies as the recoil from the weapon at best destroys your aim and at worst can cause injury. Worse still, the body armour slows down your flexibility, the helmet destroys your field of vision. I have to be honest I had real sympathy for anyone who carries a weapon either to serve our country or protect our liberty.

Robo_Reflexes_Experience_Day_019Nonetheless the briefing had me sufficiently amped and ready. The target was set – three times through the course, first time machine gun, second time pistol and third time changing to weapon on instruction. I was off; the subdued lighting and smoke making it hard to see (well, that’s what I’m sticking to anyway). I managed to take down all targets in a respectable 33 seconds. The second time with the pistol I fared better; the smaller hand held weapon feeling more immediate and certain along with my familiarity with the landscape. I punched the air with my fist when he told me it was 15 seconds. The third time however was embarrassing. I had seen Robocop in the movie and witnessed the way he had changed weapons and he makes it look easy, however there is a good argument for why robots are needed in the film and one of them is because they make far less errors. I entered the arena, click, click my machine gun is on ‘safety’. O.k I think, I can make the time up, then after I take down a couple of targets the instructor from Stirling Airsoft shouts “change” meaning to change my weapon, then I not only struggle with getting the pistol out but to my horror realise it is on safety too. My time – 32 seconds only a second slower than when I had one gun. I would have buried my face in my hands – that is, if I wasn’t wearing a helmet.

When I got home I consoled myself by making sure I had pre-ordered a copy of ROBOCOP, which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 9th June 2014. I strongly recommend that you do the same or make sure you pick up a copy on the day of release; it is a fine retelling of a classic film and one which tries to builds upon the original’s legacy instead of merely repeating it and features some star turns by Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson. What’s more, the DVD has deleted scenes and a making of featurette. Check it out.

Robocop is available on digital platforms from 2 June 2014, and on DVD and Blu-ray from 9 June 2014, courtesy of Studio Canal.

 

How Well Do We Know Our Friends?

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I met Paloma at a Tweetup in Ealing. It was towards the end of the night and it was almost a fluke that we met, and a very happy one at that. At the time she worked for the Ealing Gazette and she interviewed me for it. This was a marker for our future friendship: she is generous, giving and always looks for opportunities to help people. She really is a true friend and is now my chief bridesmaid at my wedding in July. When I met her I thought she was beautiful, nice, sweet, smart, a decent person and great company. All things turned out to be true.

Paloma Kubiak

However, it was a little embarrassing doing the Flowers of Holland competition challenge which is hosted on their Facebook page, because I learned that, even though we know a lot about each other, there is quite a bit I don’t! Almost like a Mr and Mrs challenge where the guy does really badly. For the challenge, if you guess your best friend’s favourite flower correctly you are entered to win a bouquet of flowers. Which is pretty cool so take the challenge yourself.

I will find out soon if my answers were even slightly correct, but what I do know is that we have loads in common: we have the same anniversary with our fiancees’, got engaged at the same time, are the same age, are the youngest with two older siblings…the list goes on. You can take part in the competition yourself here.

Flowers flowers summery

What is my friend’s favourite cafe?

It will be somewhere amazing that no one else had heard of yet. She is good at finding the buzzing places before they are trendy.

What’s my friends’ favourite place to shop?

She has good style but is also not too frivolous. I reckon she might like Topshop and will also know lots of out-of-the-way boutiques and shops that no one else knows about.

What’s my friend’s favourite city?

London I reckon. It is an amazing city and she grew up in London.

What’s my friend’s favourite movie?

Oh, hard one. Maybe Dirty Dancing? It is pretty classic and most women like it.

What’s my friend’s favourite flower?

Roses I think. Paloma is elegant.

What’s my friend’s favourite fragrance?

Maybe something from Dior.

I hope I got some of these right! I now nominate two excellent bloggers, http://teatimeinwonderland.co.uk and http://www.lookwhatigot.co.uk/ to do the challenge. Good luck gals!

Take the challenge yourself and leave your link below, I would love to read it.

 

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Enter the Jeffrey Archer Short Story Challenge!

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Are you in the process of writing a novel? If so, the Jeffrey Archer Short Story Challenge sponsored by Kobo and Curtis Brown Creative is the contest for you! One lucky winner will be awarded the grand prize of free enrolment in an upcoming Curtis Brown online novel writing course.

How to Submit

Authors should submit a 100-word short. The short can consist of any genre of fiction, as long as it stays within the 100-word limit.

Submit Here< /strong>

Submission deadline: 15th February 2013.

What Happens Next

The Kobo Writing Life Team will select 20 semi-finalists whose submissions will be collected in a free anthology available on the Kobo site! (Author names and photos will be included here as well, so get ready for your close-up!)

Contest judge and bestselling author Jeffrey Archer will evaluate the 20 semi-finalist submissions and choose three finalists. The finalists will be announced by Jeffrey Archer himself at the Kobo booth at London Book Fair on 15th April 2013.

The three finalists will be requested to submit a 3,000-word excerpt of their novel-in-progress to be judged by Curtis Brown Creative and will receive written feedback.

The lucky grand prize winner will be awarded free enrolment in an upcoming Curtis Brown online novel writing course! The winner will be announced on April 29th, 2013.

Tutors and guest speakers of past Curtis Brown creative writing courses include Jojo Moyes, Tracy Chevalier, Tony Parsons, Harriet Evans and Anna Davis. Find out more about Curtis Brown Creative here.

Full Terms and Conditions

The Contest is open only to legal residents of the forty eight (48) contiguous United States, District of Columbia, the United Kingdom and Canada (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their respective jurisdiction at the time of entry (each entrant, an “Entrant”). Void in Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and where prohibited by law. The Prize consists of free enrolment in one (1) Curtis Brown writing course. The voucher is valid until December 31, 2013.

Sure Maximum Protection statue blogger challenge

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Sure Maximum Protection has revealed that out of 640 official statues in the UK, only a measly 15 per cent of them represent women!

So they invited me to take part in a bloggers challenge. They asked me to put creative skills to the test to customise the ultimate female statue.

Years ago I won a number of art competitions and have always loved drawing. I have been too busy to keep this up and also never really did paint. I have always been creative though so I took the kit that was sent to me and got to work.

I immediately made a few mistakes but managed to recover well. I am annoyed at myself for allowing my creative skills to get rusty but I just decide to paint away and go where the artistic mood took me.

In the end I have a futuristic female statue. My statue has traits that I love in my fellow women: elegant, strong, caring, ambitious, smart, fashionable, individuality.

 

She’s different and cool.. She’s not perfect (blame her creator) but she carries it well and is all the better for it. She has kick-ass red lipstick and smile. What else could she possible need?