A few days ago, this blog reached 1,000 views. To some 1,000 may not seem like a big number but to someone like me who is writing posts almost everyday with only a few people I know aware of it, to have 1,000 views is so amazing to me.
This isn't going to be a very long post, but I would just like to say a massive thank you to whoever is reading this, whether you're viewing my blog for the first or the tenth time, whether you read every post or just one's that interest you, I never thought that I would get this many views since starting to blog again on the 5th August.
:)
Saturday, 31 August 2013
August Favourites!
I honestly cannot believe how quickly the month of August has gone. It is one of my favourite months, not only because my birthday falls within it, but also because it is the peak of Summer and it is meant to be hot and sunny.
Now that it is the end of the summer, we will be preparing for the Autumn; cooler weather, shorter days and warmer clothing.
However, these have been my favourite things throughout this month!
Summer Sun
I love the summer, and we've been quite lucky in the UK to have had a decent summer with a good amount of sun and I've enjoyed just being outside in the sunshine whether it be walking the dog or having a BBQ.
Food:
Strawberries/Raspberries
At the beginning of the month me and my sister went to a local farm shop and picked our own raspberries and strawberries. They are two of my favourite fruit and I find I've eaten a lot more of these throughout the summer. A simple favourite but one I probably won't be enjoying as much throughout the cooler months.
McDonald's Mocha Frappé
When McDonald's released some new drinks as part of a summer menu, I was excited to try them. My favourite is the Mocha Frappé because it tastes so delicious and is a nice alternative to normal coffee. These are so reasonably priced too at only £2.19. Bargain!
TV Shows:
Cake Boss (TLC)
This month my sister has introduced me to the channel TLC and the program Cake Boss. (Channel 125 on Sky.) Basically this program is about a man called Buddy who runs a family bakery in America and along with his team they made the most extraordinary cakes and pastries. In one episode they make a life-size car cake and in another they've made a space shuttle cake which takes off! Cake Boss is usually shown every weekday between 7pm and 8pm, but is also on at random times throughout the day as well.
Storage Hunters (Dave)
Another program that I've loved watching throughout July and August is Storage Hunters, shown on the channel Dave. (Sky 111, Freeview 12.) This show follows a group of bidders at storage auctions, where if the rent has not been paid on storage units for a certain period of time, they go up for auction. At the beginning of each auction, the auctioneer opens up the unit and bidders are able to look at the stuff inside, but are not allowed to touch anything or go inside the unit. Once everyone has had an initial look the unit is auctioned off right there and then. The highest bidder wins the unit and then is able to go inside and see what they've won. The aim is to pay low prices for units and make as much profit on them as possible. There is also rivalries between bidders which makes the program a bit more entertaining.
Fashion:
Sunglasses
In this lovely weather this month sunglasses have been absolutely essential and out of all the sunglasses I own, this pair from New Look have been the ones I've worn the most. A bargain at £4.99, this is my second pair after my first pair broke and I've worn them most days. I love the studs around the frames and I really love the shape of them as well.
Maxi Skirts
This summer I have been experimenting with a lot of different clothes. Looking back now I cannot believe that before this summer I did not own a single maxi skirt. Now I have 3! I brought a coral and pink one at the beginning of the summer and last week brought a black one which is a bit more versatile. I have been constantly wearing these throughout the summer and I will be trying to get them into my autumn wardrobe as well. They are so easy to wear, both for everyday wear and during the evening, whilst not being too hot either. Again from New Look, these have been a bargain at £14.99 and I even got the black one in the sale for £8!
Espadrilles
I've found espadrilles a very versatile and essential shoe to have in my collection. Although sandals are a good shoe to have during the summer, they are not always the most practical and so I've found these shoes to be a good alternative. I brought myself two pairs of these plimsol type shoes, one in navy and one in this lovely aztec pattern and found myself to be wearing them on a regular basis. They are so comfortable and can be worn with just about anything, leggings, maxi skirts, shorts etc and were so affordable at £7.99 or two pairs for £10 at New Look. I've worn this aztec pair the most as they've added a bit more to a simple outfit on a night out and they've been great for everyday use as well. I've worn these with leggings and peplum tops in the evening and I've paired them with my maxi skirts as well.
Makeup/Beauty:
Natural Hair
I've found that throughout the summer my hair has needed a break from heat-styling and so I've hardly used my straighteners this month. From this I've learnt how to love my natural slightly wavy hair and it has saved me 10 minutes when I'm getting ready. I've also had my hair up a lot because of the heat so it has seemed rather pointless straightening my hair. I've noticed that giving up the straighteners has dramatically improved my hair and its condition.
Coral Nail Polishes
I've had a slight obsession with everything coral this summer. I've brought a coral maxi AND skater skirt and numerous coral nail polishes. Yet I've loved all of these products and each one is a slightly different shade of coral or orange so that's been my excuse! I've loved wearing these colours on my nails as they've complimented the summer tan that I've had and cannot see myself packing them away for the winter.
Lip Tints
I've had a couple of lip tints for a while now but this month I've starting to use them a bit more. In particular I've used 'Timeless Tango' from the Rimmel 1000 Kisses range a lot more than when I first brought it and although I wasn't sure if I liked the colour when I first got it, I've really loved it this month. It is quite a bright colour, so I've kept the rest of my makeup quite simple when I've worn it, but it's great.
Now that it is the end of the summer, we will be preparing for the Autumn; cooler weather, shorter days and warmer clothing.
However, these have been my favourite things throughout this month!
Summer Sun
I love the summer, and we've been quite lucky in the UK to have had a decent summer with a good amount of sun and I've enjoyed just being outside in the sunshine whether it be walking the dog or having a BBQ.
Food:
Strawberries/Raspberries
At the beginning of the month me and my sister went to a local farm shop and picked our own raspberries and strawberries. They are two of my favourite fruit and I find I've eaten a lot more of these throughout the summer. A simple favourite but one I probably won't be enjoying as much throughout the cooler months.
McDonald's Mocha Frappé
When McDonald's released some new drinks as part of a summer menu, I was excited to try them. My favourite is the Mocha Frappé because it tastes so delicious and is a nice alternative to normal coffee. These are so reasonably priced too at only £2.19. Bargain!
TV Shows:
Cake Boss (TLC)
This month my sister has introduced me to the channel TLC and the program Cake Boss. (Channel 125 on Sky.) Basically this program is about a man called Buddy who runs a family bakery in America and along with his team they made the most extraordinary cakes and pastries. In one episode they make a life-size car cake and in another they've made a space shuttle cake which takes off! Cake Boss is usually shown every weekday between 7pm and 8pm, but is also on at random times throughout the day as well.
Storage Hunters (Dave)
Another program that I've loved watching throughout July and August is Storage Hunters, shown on the channel Dave. (Sky 111, Freeview 12.) This show follows a group of bidders at storage auctions, where if the rent has not been paid on storage units for a certain period of time, they go up for auction. At the beginning of each auction, the auctioneer opens up the unit and bidders are able to look at the stuff inside, but are not allowed to touch anything or go inside the unit. Once everyone has had an initial look the unit is auctioned off right there and then. The highest bidder wins the unit and then is able to go inside and see what they've won. The aim is to pay low prices for units and make as much profit on them as possible. There is also rivalries between bidders which makes the program a bit more entertaining.
Fashion:
Sunglasses
In this lovely weather this month sunglasses have been absolutely essential and out of all the sunglasses I own, this pair from New Look have been the ones I've worn the most. A bargain at £4.99, this is my second pair after my first pair broke and I've worn them most days. I love the studs around the frames and I really love the shape of them as well.
 |
| Sunglasses: New Look £4.99 |
Maxi Skirts
This summer I have been experimenting with a lot of different clothes. Looking back now I cannot believe that before this summer I did not own a single maxi skirt. Now I have 3! I brought a coral and pink one at the beginning of the summer and last week brought a black one which is a bit more versatile. I have been constantly wearing these throughout the summer and I will be trying to get them into my autumn wardrobe as well. They are so easy to wear, both for everyday wear and during the evening, whilst not being too hot either. Again from New Look, these have been a bargain at £14.99 and I even got the black one in the sale for £8!
 |
| Maxi Skirts L-R: Coral, Pink & Black. All New Look £14.99 |
I've found espadrilles a very versatile and essential shoe to have in my collection. Although sandals are a good shoe to have during the summer, they are not always the most practical and so I've found these shoes to be a good alternative. I brought myself two pairs of these plimsol type shoes, one in navy and one in this lovely aztec pattern and found myself to be wearing them on a regular basis. They are so comfortable and can be worn with just about anything, leggings, maxi skirts, shorts etc and were so affordable at £7.99 or two pairs for £10 at New Look. I've worn this aztec pair the most as they've added a bit more to a simple outfit on a night out and they've been great for everyday use as well. I've worn these with leggings and peplum tops in the evening and I've paired them with my maxi skirts as well.
 |
| Espadrilles, New Look £7.99 |
Makeup/Beauty:
Natural Hair
I've found that throughout the summer my hair has needed a break from heat-styling and so I've hardly used my straighteners this month. From this I've learnt how to love my natural slightly wavy hair and it has saved me 10 minutes when I'm getting ready. I've also had my hair up a lot because of the heat so it has seemed rather pointless straightening my hair. I've noticed that giving up the straighteners has dramatically improved my hair and its condition.
Coral Nail Polishes
I've had a slight obsession with everything coral this summer. I've brought a coral maxi AND skater skirt and numerous coral nail polishes. Yet I've loved all of these products and each one is a slightly different shade of coral or orange so that's been my excuse! I've loved wearing these colours on my nails as they've complimented the summer tan that I've had and cannot see myself packing them away for the winter.
 |
| Coral Nail Polishes: L-R. Barry M Hi-Shine in Passionfruit £3.99 Rimmel 60 Seconds in Coralicious £3.69 Both from Superdrug |
I've had a couple of lip tints for a while now but this month I've starting to use them a bit more. In particular I've used 'Timeless Tango' from the Rimmel 1000 Kisses range a lot more than when I first brought it and although I wasn't sure if I liked the colour when I first got it, I've really loved it this month. It is quite a bright colour, so I've kept the rest of my makeup quite simple when I've worn it, but it's great.
Friday, 30 August 2013
Review: Max Factor Colour Adapt Foundation
I have been using the same foundation for around 2 years now. The reason why I have been using it for so long is because I absolutely love it.
Before I started to use the Max Factor Colour Adapt foundation I was using the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in the shade 'Sand.' Although I really liked the coverage of this foundation, I noticed that the price had started to increase. It made me wonder whether it was worth paying £7.99 for a foundation which I had to regularly repurchase. In addition, I was getting a bit fed up with the mousse formula and wanted to try out a new foundation, which was preferably liquid based.
I'm not really sure how I ended up at Max Factor, but I was drawn in by their 'Colour Adapt' foundation. Although it was slightly more expensive than what I was paying at Maybelline, there seemed to be more of the product and I really wanted to give this a try to see if it was worth paying the extra money.
Before I started to use the Max Factor Colour Adapt foundation I was using the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in the shade 'Sand.' Although I really liked the coverage of this foundation, I noticed that the price had started to increase. It made me wonder whether it was worth paying £7.99 for a foundation which I had to regularly repurchase. In addition, I was getting a bit fed up with the mousse formula and wanted to try out a new foundation, which was preferably liquid based.
I'm not really sure how I ended up at Max Factor, but I was drawn in by their 'Colour Adapt' foundation. Although it was slightly more expensive than what I was paying at Maybelline, there seemed to be more of the product and I really wanted to give this a try to see if it was worth paying the extra money.
I originally brought this from Superdrug, and at the time it was priced at £9.99, which it still is now. At the time I also think this was part of a 'buy one get one half price' offer so I brought the Max Factor Creme Puff Powder as well. This foundation is available in a wide range of shades, suitable for all skin tones, and I picked up shade 70 called natural.
When I first started to apply this product, I quickly realised that a little of this goes a long way. The formulation is quite thick and I think it's a combination of both a liquid and a slightly mousy foundation which makes it really easy to apply.
Usually I find that with half a pump to a full pump I am able to get good coverage for the whole of my face, and it blends in well and doesn't appear cakey on the skin.
I find this product can be applied just as well with your fingers as well as with a foundation brush, and I definitely use my fingers when I'm feeling slightly lazy. This foundation also conceals spots and redness well too, which is a bonus although I always apply concealer anyway.
As for the claims that the product "adapts to your individual skin tones to provide a flawless look that's perfectly beautiful", I would say that I agree. When I am applying this foundation I notice that the product colour does subtly change and it pretty much looks the same as my natural skin tone. I also find that with this product I don't get the obvious line near the jawline where the foundation is a different colour to the neck because this product blends really well and almost perfectly matches my skin tone.
Another benefit to this foundation is that although it doesn't claim to be long lasting I find it stays on my face throughout the day. I never feel the need to reapply the product throughout the day unless I am getting ready for a night out, in which case I reapply all my makeup anyway. I do however, use this foundation alongside the Max Factor powder which sets my base and this may be why I find it lasts for so long. In terms of repurchasing the foundation, I find that it is always a good few months before I have to buy a replacement because it lasts for so long and you don't need to use much product!
Another benefit to this foundation is that although it doesn't claim to be long lasting I find it stays on my face throughout the day. I never feel the need to reapply the product throughout the day unless I am getting ready for a night out, in which case I reapply all my makeup anyway. I do however, use this foundation alongside the Max Factor powder which sets my base and this may be why I find it lasts for so long. In terms of repurchasing the foundation, I find that it is always a good few months before I have to buy a replacement because it lasts for so long and you don't need to use much product!
Overall, this is a seriously underrated foundation, which is definitely worth paying a few extra quid for. Now that I've fallen in love with this foundation I'm scared about trying others in case I don't like them as much, but this one will always have a place in my collection.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Sunset
Ever since I brought my first ever DSLR camera 3 years ago, I have loved taking my own photographs. I also studied photography for one of my A Levels and I've learnt all about composition and other techniques that you can use to create an interesting photograph.
I was encouraged during my photography course to take a lot of photos and this is something that I have continued ever since. I've also learnt a lot about the type of photographs that I enjoy taking, and by far my favourite are landscapes and nature.
Whilst I was house-sitting for my mum and step-dad whilst they were on holiday, one evening I looked out the window and saw this amazing sunset. I immediately had to grab my camera because of how amazing the sky looked.
Whilst I was house-sitting for my mum and step-dad whilst they were on holiday, one evening I looked out the window and saw this amazing sunset. I immediately had to grab my camera because of how amazing the sky looked.
In particular, I really love the contrast between the orange/yellow at the bottom and the blue/grey sky at the top. I think this makes the photo look really dramatic as well.
I also really like the silhouettes of the trees and the building across the bottom of the image. Some people say that the town which I live in is horrible, but I think this picture proves that you can really get some beautiful images if you think about what you are capturing and you are creative. Yes I know that it is the sky that makes this picture, but it was captured in the town I live in. Which I think still counts.
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Focus on F1: BBC VS SKY
For the second season in a row, both Sky and the BBC are providing coverage of Formula One. Each broadcaster and channel provide coverage of every F1 weekend, whether it be in the form of live action or highlights after the events have unfolded.
Debate has arisen about which channel provides the best coverage and opinions are divided between the two channels in the UK. Both providers have seen changes and new faces since they first starting broadcasting, the biggest of these between the 2012 and 2013 season.
Sky Sports are now into their second season of broadcasting, whereas the BBC are now in their 5th season of covering the sport since returning after a 12 year absence. Clearly, the BBC team have more experience in broadcasting live F1 and have been able to build up their audience over a longer period of time.
One aspect of the coverage I believe to be better on Sky is the fact that they are able to provide live coverage for all sessions during each weekend. This includes the three practise sessions, qualifying and the race. The BBC however, can only show half of the races live throughout the season, which does include qualifying and practise sessions as well. For the remaining races, the BBC provide a highlights program after the race has finished. Although these are highlights, they are quite extensive and you find that you get to see the majority of the race and all of the main talking points. Obviously one disadvantage of highlights is that you may find out the results of the race before you are able to watch the highlights and you don't get the satisfaction of watching it live, but you are able to avoid missing out altogether. The races that are covered live by the BBC however are spread across the season and so you get a good mixture of live and highlighted, and you know that you are always going to be able to watch the British and last race of the season live because of the contract agreement.
Sky Sports have dedicated one of their channels to F1, named Sky Sports F1 and this is the channel where all their broadcasting happens. A good idea for a race weekend, but I find that they struggle to find content to fill the gaps when there isn't live coverage. If I watch the channel 9 times of out 10 it is because they are showing live content. They regularly show repeats of previous races or random practise sessions throughout the season. Admittedly, I think the interviews they show with F1 greats is good, but there is only so many times you can watch the same interview. I enjoy watching the classic races they also show, but these are not exactly regular occurrences on the channel. More often than not, 'Your Home of Formula One' is shown on the channel and I avoid this at all costs.
In comparison, the BBC do not have a dedicated channel, but in all honesty I don't think that it is necessary as in the case of the live coverage, they have a forum on the red button for additional reaction after each race and this has a much more relaxed atmosphere and gives viewers an insight into the sport.
Another major disadvantage of the Sky coverage of F1 is the amount of adverts during the program. Luckily the race is uninterrupted coverage, but I find the adverts during pre-action or post-action unbearable. Adverts are not found on the BBC coverage and this is a major advantage of the coverage.
Apart from the cost of a TV license in the UK and buying the television, the BBC coverage of F1 is free to watch in the UK. For a free channel, the team put in a lot of effort to provide in depth and comprehensive coverage of each racing weekend and it really shows through the screen.
In comparison the cost of having the Sky coverage can be rather expensive. Firstly aside from the TV license and television needed to view, you also need to have a Sky box and subscription for a standard price per month and then you need to further subscribe to their sports channels. You cannot simply subscribe to one channel though, you have to have the whole package for a substantial fee per month added onto the standard subscription. Is it worth the extra money to be able to watch all the races live? If you can bear the adverts and the coverage team then yes, but to make sure I am getting the most out of my subscription I make sure I watch the other channels as well such as football matches and their sports news channel.
Moving onto the coverage team for both channels, both have seen changes in their line-ups. In 2012 the BBC lost Ted Kravitz, Anthony Davidson, Natalie Pinkham, David Croft and Martin Brundle to Sky. These were big losses to the BBC and they subsequently made up a broadcasting team of Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard, Lee Mckenzie, Ben Edwards and Gary Anderson who put their heart and soul into bringing the world of F1 to viewers. The on screen friendship between Humphrey, Coulthard and Jordan appealed to the audiences and so when Humphrey announced he would be leaving at the end of 2013, it was going to inevitably be another big loss. Humphrey's replacement Suzy Perry is currently halfway through her first season presenting F1 and honestly is nothing on Humphrey. He made the job look so easy and Perry's attempts at the almost on screen flirting with her co-workers make me as a viewer feel uncomfortable and I don't feel as though the program flows as well as it used to. I do think the BBC have a good range of technical and experienced expertise in their coverage team though by having a technical expert in Anderson, an ex team owner in Jordan and an ex driver in Coulthard.
In all honesty, the coverage team of Sky is not all that much better in my own opinion. Some people on the channel sometimes look as though they do not even want to be there, some are more concerned with criticising drivers at every given opportunity and I just feel as though there isn't the passion in some areas. However, the Sky coverage has improved so much from the first season and so they could improve more and more as the seasons go on.
The two pairings of commentators are good at both channels. I enjoy listening to the coverage of both Coulthard and Edwards and Croft and Brundle and do not think there is much to choose between them. Both are entertaining and give their honest opinions on the events happening during the races and qualifying.
A final advantage to the Sky coverage is that all the live action is available on Sky Go. This means that if you have the sports subscription you can watch the race or qualifying on a device which is connected to a wi-fi connection, so you don't have to be at home to watch it. However, this is only available on two devices.
Overall each channel has its advantages and disadvantages and it really comes down to personal choice as to which one you prefer. It may be the adverts or the live coverage or the coverage team which makes you prefer one over the other and I think this is why the opinions are so divided.
For me, I no longer prefer one coverage over the other. I make the most of the best parts of the coverage from both channels. If the BBC are showing a race live, I will watch their coverage and I will watch Sky for the remaining races. If I've particularly enjoyed a certain race I will also watch the BBC highlights. I much prefer the Sky coverage of practise sessions and will watch these whenever I can and I will watch podium and post race opinions on the channel that I've watched the race on. However, since the departure of Humphrey I no longer watch the pre-race/qualifying build up on either of the channels. Instead of turning my tv on one hour before the session starts to watch interviews and features, I now only turn on to watch the session which is a bit of a shame...
Debate has arisen about which channel provides the best coverage and opinions are divided between the two channels in the UK. Both providers have seen changes and new faces since they first starting broadcasting, the biggest of these between the 2012 and 2013 season.
Sky Sports are now into their second season of broadcasting, whereas the BBC are now in their 5th season of covering the sport since returning after a 12 year absence. Clearly, the BBC team have more experience in broadcasting live F1 and have been able to build up their audience over a longer period of time.
One aspect of the coverage I believe to be better on Sky is the fact that they are able to provide live coverage for all sessions during each weekend. This includes the three practise sessions, qualifying and the race. The BBC however, can only show half of the races live throughout the season, which does include qualifying and practise sessions as well. For the remaining races, the BBC provide a highlights program after the race has finished. Although these are highlights, they are quite extensive and you find that you get to see the majority of the race and all of the main talking points. Obviously one disadvantage of highlights is that you may find out the results of the race before you are able to watch the highlights and you don't get the satisfaction of watching it live, but you are able to avoid missing out altogether. The races that are covered live by the BBC however are spread across the season and so you get a good mixture of live and highlighted, and you know that you are always going to be able to watch the British and last race of the season live because of the contract agreement.
Sky Sports have dedicated one of their channels to F1, named Sky Sports F1 and this is the channel where all their broadcasting happens. A good idea for a race weekend, but I find that they struggle to find content to fill the gaps when there isn't live coverage. If I watch the channel 9 times of out 10 it is because they are showing live content. They regularly show repeats of previous races or random practise sessions throughout the season. Admittedly, I think the interviews they show with F1 greats is good, but there is only so many times you can watch the same interview. I enjoy watching the classic races they also show, but these are not exactly regular occurrences on the channel. More often than not, 'Your Home of Formula One' is shown on the channel and I avoid this at all costs.
In comparison, the BBC do not have a dedicated channel, but in all honesty I don't think that it is necessary as in the case of the live coverage, they have a forum on the red button for additional reaction after each race and this has a much more relaxed atmosphere and gives viewers an insight into the sport.
Another major disadvantage of the Sky coverage of F1 is the amount of adverts during the program. Luckily the race is uninterrupted coverage, but I find the adverts during pre-action or post-action unbearable. Adverts are not found on the BBC coverage and this is a major advantage of the coverage.
Apart from the cost of a TV license in the UK and buying the television, the BBC coverage of F1 is free to watch in the UK. For a free channel, the team put in a lot of effort to provide in depth and comprehensive coverage of each racing weekend and it really shows through the screen.
In comparison the cost of having the Sky coverage can be rather expensive. Firstly aside from the TV license and television needed to view, you also need to have a Sky box and subscription for a standard price per month and then you need to further subscribe to their sports channels. You cannot simply subscribe to one channel though, you have to have the whole package for a substantial fee per month added onto the standard subscription. Is it worth the extra money to be able to watch all the races live? If you can bear the adverts and the coverage team then yes, but to make sure I am getting the most out of my subscription I make sure I watch the other channels as well such as football matches and their sports news channel.
Moving onto the coverage team for both channels, both have seen changes in their line-ups. In 2012 the BBC lost Ted Kravitz, Anthony Davidson, Natalie Pinkham, David Croft and Martin Brundle to Sky. These were big losses to the BBC and they subsequently made up a broadcasting team of Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard, Lee Mckenzie, Ben Edwards and Gary Anderson who put their heart and soul into bringing the world of F1 to viewers. The on screen friendship between Humphrey, Coulthard and Jordan appealed to the audiences and so when Humphrey announced he would be leaving at the end of 2013, it was going to inevitably be another big loss. Humphrey's replacement Suzy Perry is currently halfway through her first season presenting F1 and honestly is nothing on Humphrey. He made the job look so easy and Perry's attempts at the almost on screen flirting with her co-workers make me as a viewer feel uncomfortable and I don't feel as though the program flows as well as it used to. I do think the BBC have a good range of technical and experienced expertise in their coverage team though by having a technical expert in Anderson, an ex team owner in Jordan and an ex driver in Coulthard.
In all honesty, the coverage team of Sky is not all that much better in my own opinion. Some people on the channel sometimes look as though they do not even want to be there, some are more concerned with criticising drivers at every given opportunity and I just feel as though there isn't the passion in some areas. However, the Sky coverage has improved so much from the first season and so they could improve more and more as the seasons go on.
The two pairings of commentators are good at both channels. I enjoy listening to the coverage of both Coulthard and Edwards and Croft and Brundle and do not think there is much to choose between them. Both are entertaining and give their honest opinions on the events happening during the races and qualifying.
A final advantage to the Sky coverage is that all the live action is available on Sky Go. This means that if you have the sports subscription you can watch the race or qualifying on a device which is connected to a wi-fi connection, so you don't have to be at home to watch it. However, this is only available on two devices.
Overall each channel has its advantages and disadvantages and it really comes down to personal choice as to which one you prefer. It may be the adverts or the live coverage or the coverage team which makes you prefer one over the other and I think this is why the opinions are so divided.
For me, I no longer prefer one coverage over the other. I make the most of the best parts of the coverage from both channels. If the BBC are showing a race live, I will watch their coverage and I will watch Sky for the remaining races. If I've particularly enjoyed a certain race I will also watch the BBC highlights. I much prefer the Sky coverage of practise sessions and will watch these whenever I can and I will watch podium and post race opinions on the channel that I've watched the race on. However, since the departure of Humphrey I no longer watch the pre-race/qualifying build up on either of the channels. Instead of turning my tv on one hour before the session starts to watch interviews and features, I now only turn on to watch the session which is a bit of a shame...
Monday, 26 August 2013
50 Facts About Me!
1. I'm left-handed
2. I broke my left wrist when I was 11 after falling over a drain
3. I passed my driving test first time with 0 minors
4. My love for Formula One comes from watching it during my childhood with my dad
5. My real name is Tamara but most people now call me Tammy and all my social networks use the name Tammy as well.
6. I love cooking, but I cannot bake to save my life
7. My parents spilt up 10 years ago, but they only live about 5 minutes away from each other
8. I've had pet cats my whole life
9. The only Harry Potter film that I've watched in full is The Half Blood Prince
10. My birthday is 18th August, which makes me one of the youngest in my year
11. I have a fear of lightning
12. I have never dyed my hair
13. I am very competitive
14. I actually like watching football (soccer)
15. I love flying in planes and travelling
16. I love decorating and interior design; I decorated and designed the layout of my bedroom myself with help from friends
17. I have an extensive nail polish collection consisting of nearly 60 different shades
18. I do all the cleaning in my house and have done since I was about 15
19. I learnt French during my time at high school, but would love to learn Spanish or Italian
20. I could eat mayonnaise with pretty much any food. Apart from roast dinner. ew.
21. I prefer summer to winter
22. I love the smell of coffee
23. I can be very bossy
24. I'd really love to go to America and Australia at some point in the near future
25. The first concert I went to was Blue
26. I'm a Leo!
27. The thought of growing old scares me
28. I once drove a quad bike into a thorn bush whilst on holiday in Tunisia and instead of waiting to be pulled out, I continued to accelerate and drove out the other side. Ouch.
29. I always seem to be writing lists
30. I love driving at night
31. I'm an organ donor
32. I always seem to impulse buy
33. I currently have 2 cats, 2 chinchillas, 2 guinea pigs, a dog and 5 fish
34. I had braces in 2010 for only 6 months
35. I find Ashton Kutcher really attractive and I've watched most of the films that he has been in
36. I have one sister, one brother, 2 stepbrothers and a stepsister.
37. I hate the taste of Diet Coke
38. The most that I've won on a scratch card is £2
39. Sometimes it only takes small things to make me annoyed
40. I hardly ever cry whilst watching sad films or films with sad parts in them
41. Watching programs like Traffic Cops has made me realise how dangerous driving a car can be
42. I hate it when people tailgate you whilst you're driving
43. I try to keep my life as simple as possible and try not to stress over small things
44. I have very few regrets
45. As far as I know, I'm not allergic to anything
46. I love shoes
47. I've swam with dolphins whilst on holiday in Tenerife
48. I take a lot of photos using my Sony A290
49. My GCSE results range from A*-B and I have 11 in total
50. Spending time with family & friends is one of the most important things to me
2. I broke my left wrist when I was 11 after falling over a drain
3. I passed my driving test first time with 0 minors
4. My love for Formula One comes from watching it during my childhood with my dad
5. My real name is Tamara but most people now call me Tammy and all my social networks use the name Tammy as well.
6. I love cooking, but I cannot bake to save my life
7. My parents spilt up 10 years ago, but they only live about 5 minutes away from each other
8. I've had pet cats my whole life
9. The only Harry Potter film that I've watched in full is The Half Blood Prince
10. My birthday is 18th August, which makes me one of the youngest in my year
11. I have a fear of lightning
12. I have never dyed my hair
13. I am very competitive
14. I actually like watching football (soccer)
15. I love flying in planes and travelling
16. I love decorating and interior design; I decorated and designed the layout of my bedroom myself with help from friends
17. I have an extensive nail polish collection consisting of nearly 60 different shades
18. I do all the cleaning in my house and have done since I was about 15
19. I learnt French during my time at high school, but would love to learn Spanish or Italian
20. I could eat mayonnaise with pretty much any food. Apart from roast dinner. ew.
21. I prefer summer to winter
22. I love the smell of coffee
23. I can be very bossy
24. I'd really love to go to America and Australia at some point in the near future
25. The first concert I went to was Blue
26. I'm a Leo!
27. The thought of growing old scares me
28. I once drove a quad bike into a thorn bush whilst on holiday in Tunisia and instead of waiting to be pulled out, I continued to accelerate and drove out the other side. Ouch.
29. I always seem to be writing lists
30. I love driving at night
31. I'm an organ donor
32. I always seem to impulse buy
33. I currently have 2 cats, 2 chinchillas, 2 guinea pigs, a dog and 5 fish
34. I had braces in 2010 for only 6 months
35. I find Ashton Kutcher really attractive and I've watched most of the films that he has been in
36. I have one sister, one brother, 2 stepbrothers and a stepsister.
37. I hate the taste of Diet Coke
38. The most that I've won on a scratch card is £2
39. Sometimes it only takes small things to make me annoyed
40. I hardly ever cry whilst watching sad films or films with sad parts in them
41. Watching programs like Traffic Cops has made me realise how dangerous driving a car can be
42. I hate it when people tailgate you whilst you're driving
43. I try to keep my life as simple as possible and try not to stress over small things
44. I have very few regrets
45. As far as I know, I'm not allergic to anything
46. I love shoes
47. I've swam with dolphins whilst on holiday in Tenerife
48. I take a lot of photos using my Sony A290
49. My GCSE results range from A*-B and I have 11 in total
50. Spending time with family & friends is one of the most important things to me
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Belgium GP 2013: Race Reaction
After the F1 summer break, both fans and teams were looking forward to starting the second half of the season and to close in on the title races. What better place to start the nine remaining races than in Belgium.
Lewis Hamilton had taken a surprise pole, which with 2 minutes remaining looked as though belonged to Di Resta after a wet qualifying brought surprises and shocks. Suddenly though, the track seemed to have dried considerably and this meant that Hamilton was able to take his fourth pole in a row.
All 22 drivers lined up on the grid and completed the formation lap without any problems with a dry track and a mixture of soft and hard tyres chosen for the drivers. 44 laps later the race was won, and although it wasn't a classic race at Spa and didn't provide as much action as we were expecting, it was still a fairly interesting race with a few incidents to provide discussion points.
Sebastian Vettel yet again proved to the world this afternoon how and why he is a triple world champion. Although he is not best known for his overtaking and sometimes comes under criticism regarding it, he vitally overtook Hamilton on the first lap of the race and then dominantly controlled and eventually won the race. Once Vettel had the lead, it didn't really look like it would change from there. Essentially the race was won in the first lap, because Vettel is so good at building and managing a gap, as well as making sure he isn't within the DRS range. As a result of his victory, he has also extended his championship lead, and with only 8 races left of the season, it is going to be difficult for his rivals to close this gap.
After a disappointing season and revealing that they don't expect to win races this season, McLaren had a solid race today. Button had a good qualifying session yesterday relative to where McLaren currently are, starting 6th on the grid. Button got an even better start, and by the middle of the first lap was in 3rd position. Although realistically we knew he would not finish in that position, he drove a decent race to finish 6th, beating the Lotus of Romain Grosjean and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa, which indicates some improvement from the team. I'm really looking forward to seeing what package they bring to the Italian GP in two weeks time.
Compared to Button, Perez had a rather eventful race. After a good start, where he made up places, he tried an overtake on Grosjean on lap 8, which resulted in a drive through penalty. The stewards believed he had forced Grosjean off the road once the move was complete and this rather ruined his race because it meant that he was out of the points. He managed to get back into 10th place, but that was then claimed by Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages of the grand prix.
There were three retirements in total today, all for different reasons. The first of these was for Caterham driver Charles Pic, after a leak forced him to retire. Secondly Kimi Raikkonen, who is known for his consistency, retired after his brakes failed on lap 26. Even on the grid we saw his brakes smoking and throughout the first few laps we saw brake dust coming from the front of his car so it wasn't a surprise to see that eventually they failed.
The final retirement of the afternoon was for Force India driver Paul Di Resta. He retired after suffering extreme damage to the rear of his car after Pastor Maldonado drove into the back of him. Maldonado was able to go to the pits and continue his race, but for Paul it was his afternoon over. This meant that with Button scoring more points that Sutil, McLaren had grabbed 5th in the constructors championship.
For me, the driver of the day was Fernando Alonso. After a bad qualifying session, by his standards and starting in 9th, he made an incredible start and found himself in fourth place in the first lap. He continued to have a good race in which he stayed out of trouble and maximised the performance of the Ferrari and picked up another podium position in 2nd. Ferrari have seemed to make some considerable progress through the summer break and this has shown here at Spa.
One thing I love about watching the races live on TV are that they show you the top three drivers as they prepare to go onto the podium. Today we saw how Hamilton and Vettel interacted after the race and it was rather entertaining to see them soak David Coulthard with champagne on the podium during the post race interview.
Looking forward to Italy, I think we will continue to witness the pace of the Red Bull, the strength of the Mercedes in qualifying and hopefully some more improvements from McLaren. Although today wasn't the most spectacular of races, Vettel has shown that is is moving ever closer to a fourth successive world championship.
Lewis Hamilton had taken a surprise pole, which with 2 minutes remaining looked as though belonged to Di Resta after a wet qualifying brought surprises and shocks. Suddenly though, the track seemed to have dried considerably and this meant that Hamilton was able to take his fourth pole in a row.
All 22 drivers lined up on the grid and completed the formation lap without any problems with a dry track and a mixture of soft and hard tyres chosen for the drivers. 44 laps later the race was won, and although it wasn't a classic race at Spa and didn't provide as much action as we were expecting, it was still a fairly interesting race with a few incidents to provide discussion points.
Sebastian Vettel yet again proved to the world this afternoon how and why he is a triple world champion. Although he is not best known for his overtaking and sometimes comes under criticism regarding it, he vitally overtook Hamilton on the first lap of the race and then dominantly controlled and eventually won the race. Once Vettel had the lead, it didn't really look like it would change from there. Essentially the race was won in the first lap, because Vettel is so good at building and managing a gap, as well as making sure he isn't within the DRS range. As a result of his victory, he has also extended his championship lead, and with only 8 races left of the season, it is going to be difficult for his rivals to close this gap.
After a disappointing season and revealing that they don't expect to win races this season, McLaren had a solid race today. Button had a good qualifying session yesterday relative to where McLaren currently are, starting 6th on the grid. Button got an even better start, and by the middle of the first lap was in 3rd position. Although realistically we knew he would not finish in that position, he drove a decent race to finish 6th, beating the Lotus of Romain Grosjean and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa, which indicates some improvement from the team. I'm really looking forward to seeing what package they bring to the Italian GP in two weeks time.
Compared to Button, Perez had a rather eventful race. After a good start, where he made up places, he tried an overtake on Grosjean on lap 8, which resulted in a drive through penalty. The stewards believed he had forced Grosjean off the road once the move was complete and this rather ruined his race because it meant that he was out of the points. He managed to get back into 10th place, but that was then claimed by Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages of the grand prix.
There were three retirements in total today, all for different reasons. The first of these was for Caterham driver Charles Pic, after a leak forced him to retire. Secondly Kimi Raikkonen, who is known for his consistency, retired after his brakes failed on lap 26. Even on the grid we saw his brakes smoking and throughout the first few laps we saw brake dust coming from the front of his car so it wasn't a surprise to see that eventually they failed.
The final retirement of the afternoon was for Force India driver Paul Di Resta. He retired after suffering extreme damage to the rear of his car after Pastor Maldonado drove into the back of him. Maldonado was able to go to the pits and continue his race, but for Paul it was his afternoon over. This meant that with Button scoring more points that Sutil, McLaren had grabbed 5th in the constructors championship.
For me, the driver of the day was Fernando Alonso. After a bad qualifying session, by his standards and starting in 9th, he made an incredible start and found himself in fourth place in the first lap. He continued to have a good race in which he stayed out of trouble and maximised the performance of the Ferrari and picked up another podium position in 2nd. Ferrari have seemed to make some considerable progress through the summer break and this has shown here at Spa.
One thing I love about watching the races live on TV are that they show you the top three drivers as they prepare to go onto the podium. Today we saw how Hamilton and Vettel interacted after the race and it was rather entertaining to see them soak David Coulthard with champagne on the podium during the post race interview.
Looking forward to Italy, I think we will continue to witness the pace of the Red Bull, the strength of the Mercedes in qualifying and hopefully some more improvements from McLaren. Although today wasn't the most spectacular of races, Vettel has shown that is is moving ever closer to a fourth successive world championship.
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Summer 2013!
It's hard to believe that it is nearly the end of August, and that summer is nearly over. Summer is by far my favourite season, as I love the hot weather and spending time in the sun (on the odd day that it isn't raining in the UK.)
Instead of writing a really long post on the things that have happened this summer, I've decided to put some of my favourite pictures into a montage which I can look at and reflect on the things that I've done this summer.
The weather is now going to turn cold and it will get darker earlier, but I've actually had a great summer and I'm looking forward to making the most of the next couple of weeks. Then I will be looking forward to next summer, where hopefully we will get some lovely weather like we experienced this year!
Friday, 23 August 2013
Belgium GP 2013: FP1 & FP2
This weekend, the world of Formula One visits one of the most iconic and oldest tracks in its history. Although it has been changed since motor racing first visited the circuit in 1925, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is still a favourite racing circuit for both drivers and fans.
I particularly love the high speed, flowing corners of the track and it is one of my favourite tracks to watch to watch Formula One drivers attack each corner and fly down the straights. Although I've never personally been to the track, it is one which I would love to visit in the future, especially to see Eau Rouge in its full glory.
Whilst I am watching coverage of the F1 weekend, I do not usually write posts relating to them specifically. Most of my previous posts have focused on drivers or rumours or the overall performance of a team so this weekend I thought that it was time to try something different. I've decided to write posts both regarding Free Practice 1 & 2, which took place today (Friday) and I will be writing another post on Sunday afternoon giving my race reaction. What better place than the Belgium GP to start my posts regarding a race weekend?!
I decided to watch the Sky Sports F1 coverage of Free Practice 1 and 2 and found immediately that there was a lot of focus on Mark Webber's replacement. As of yet Red Bull have not announced who has inherited the race seat and so even after the F1 summer break, this topic is still being constantly brought up. With no new developments in the story aside from a few rumours that Daniel Ricciardo has already signed the contract, it seems as though Sky have gone far enough with the story now. Granted, FP1 this morning was damp so there was not a lot of action on the track to discuss, but I think there should be less focus on this now. Apart from this and the annoying advertisement breaks throughout the programme, I enjoyed FP1 this morning.
It was good to see the cars back on the track for the 90 minute session albeit with the intermediate tyres on in the damp conditions. Damp conditions unsurprisingly caught some drivers out, as they explored the limits of the race track and we saw a lot of lock ups and run offs at the bus stop chicane, from Raikkonen to Bottas to Gutierrez to Vettel.
Alongside these excursions, teams were also testing new development parts for their cars. Most notably, Lotus and Sauber were testing their own versions of the 'double drs' system, which when operated dumps drag and can gain up to 3 tenths of a second per lap. Lotus had already trialled this system last season, but it has yet to feature in any of the races, either last season or during this one.
Red Bull had also made changes to their nose cone on the car, as it is slightly flatter than previous versions of the part and Ferrari had also made changes to their brake ducts alongside Lotus. Ferrari had also been running two rear wings, one with lower downforce on Massa's car and one with higher downforce on Alonso's car.
With around 45 minutes to go, Mark Webber was the first to put slick tyres onto his Red Bull, which was interesting to see as each driver had a dilemma. In some parts the track was dry and therefore needed the slick tyres, however around the pit lane the track was still clearly too damp for the slick tyres. In the dry section of the track, sector 2, Webber set a time of 50.8 seconds with 40 minutes to go, which was 4 seconds off Jenson Button's 46.6 he set in the same sector during qualifying in 2012 which gave him his first pole position for McLaren.
At 24 minutes to go, Alonso and Perez were swapping the quickest times at the top of the board, after most runners had also put on a set of slick tyres. Compared to a 2:00.500 set by Button at the beginning of the session, Perez' 1:55.518 illustrated that the track was drying out and drivers were finding their confidence.
However, with around 19 minutes left of the session, the rain started to fall again and so it was hard for drivers to get in any quicker times. At the end of the session the top ten looked like this:
1. Alonso 1:55.198
2. Di Resta +0.026
3. Sutil +0.175
2. Di Resta +0.026
3. Sutil +0.175
4. Perez
5. Rosberg
6. Vettel
7. Gutierrez
8. Hulkenberg
9. Ricciardo
10. Bottas
With the damp conditions and limited running during FP1 it is impossible to know if this data is representative of what the cars are actually capable of. It will depend on the weather during qualifying and the race, and at this early part of the weekend I wouldn't look too much into the times.
FP2 gave us totally different weather conditions. Instead of a damp track and the threat of rain, it was sunny and dry at the circuit and this meant that the teams and drivers were able to complete more running. This weekend the tyres available are the hard and medium compounds, and we saw both of these being run during the session.
There was a busy start to the session, with most cars getting out on track to make up for the limited running in the first session and with this we also saw some more development parts on the cars.
McLaren were running a new rear wing n plate on their car, Mercedes had a new rear wing and Lotus had taken off their 'double drs' system, which they ran earlier in FP1.
With 30 minutes gone of the session, Webber had set the fastest time of 1:49.390, considerably faster than in FP1. Red Bull were looking competitive during the session, and finished with Vettel topping the session with a 1:49.331 and Mark Webber close behind. The only downside of the session as far as they were concerned was that Vettel suffered from a right rear puncture near the end of the session, which signalled the end of his session.
Caterham driver Van Der Garde suffered from a setback at the end of the session after crashing into the barriers after turn 14 after losing the rear of the car which brought out yellow flags and the end of his session.
The top ten at the end of FP2 were:
1. Vettel
2. Webber
3. Grosjean
4. Massa
5. Vergne
6. Raikkonen
7. Alonso
8. Perez
9. Rosberg
10. Di Resta
With the Friday sessions now over, the drivers have one session left tomorrow before qualifying. As usual the Red Bulls seem competitive, in both racing and qualifying pace. Lewis Hamilton has had a few set up issues and has not been entirely happy within the car, but it would be foolish to write him off for pole position just yet. He always seems to get it right for Saturday.
I still think it is too early to see the improvements that Ferrari and McLaren have been trying to make and we will get a better idea of that tomorrow perhaps after FP3. My prediction however as it stands now is that it will be Red Bull and Mercedes going head to head for pole position.
Predictions:
Pole: Hamilton
Pole: Hamilton
Win: Hamilton
Thursday, 22 August 2013
F1 Team Review 2013: McLaren
At the beginning of the 2013 F1 season, we were all expecting to see the big teams fighting it out for both the World Driver's Championship and the World Constructor's Championship. These teams included reigning champions Red Bull and previous constructor champions Ferrari and McLaren, the two oldest outfits in the Formula One world.
However, with 10 races now gone and with nine remaining there have been some unexpected teams in the title hunt as well as teams under performing, which as surprised spectators and reporters alike. With Lotus winning the first race of the season and consistently performing well, it has left them fourth in the championship, only 11 points behind Ferrari.
Ferrari have had a similar season to one in which they had last. They've picked up race wins and podiums, had a less competitive car than some of their rivals, yet still find themselves third in the championship. Considering the fact that Felipe Massa has experienced some trouble in the last few races, to see them still third in the standings illustrates the impact the Spaniard Alonso has on the team.
Ferrari have had a similar season to one in which they had last. They've picked up race wins and podiums, had a less competitive car than some of their rivals, yet still find themselves third in the championship. Considering the fact that Felipe Massa has experienced some trouble in the last few races, to see them still third in the standings illustrates the impact the Spaniard Alonso has on the team.
One team which even by their standards has fallen way below expectation is McLaren. Since Lewis Hamilton's departure from the Woking based team they have failed to pick up a podium finish, let alone a race win. Admittedly, this may not be because Hamilton has left the team, it has more to do with the fact that they have not produced a competitive car this season.
As a McLaren fan myself, it is very difficult to criticise the performance of the team because obviously I want them to be winning races and challenging for the titles. However, it has been hard being a McLaren fan because we've witnessed them challenging for fifth place in the standings whereas this time last year they were challenging Red Bull and Ferrari for 2nd or 1st. So far this season, with 10 races done and dusted McLaren have scored 57 points, which is 6th in the standings. Compare this with last season, McLaren had already scored 55 points after the first two races of the season, and after ten races their total stood at 189 points.
It was claimed that McLaren had over-performed last season, but I do not believe this for one moment. How can a team which has won WCC's and WDC's in the past think that a 3rd place finish for the 2012 season is an over achievement? McLaren arguably had one of the fastest cars last season yet still suffered with technical and reliability problems so I don't believe they could claim to have 'over-achieved.' They were expected to be challenging and I don't believe this to be the right attitude for the team to have. Yes, it's true they don't have a competitive enough car this year and they took a big risk in changing the way the suspension works and other aspects of the car, but they have the resources and experience which should have allowed them to close the gap quicker than they have done. In some races they are over 1 second off the pace of the front-runners and this is a massive amount of time to be losing.
McLaren's best finish this season has been 5th place, and this isn't something us fans should be excited about. The rocket red race victory shirts should be on, and we should be celebrating perhaps Sergio Perez' first race win or Jenson Button's overtaking at a particular race, which brings him the race win.
The optimism and positivity seems to have gone from the outfit as well, as I've recently heard that they do not think they can win a race this season. Is this realistic? Perhaps, but it is still important to have some belief and as a fan it is disheartening to hear this. I really hope that this is just a dip in performance this season and McLaren are able to get back to winning ways in 2014 because it doesn't seem right to see them outside the podium positions. It's hard to watch races that the team have previously been successful at, such as in Hungary and with the Belgium GP this weekend, it will be tough again to potentially see a different team win a race that Jenson Button and McLaren brilliantly won last year.
This season for McLaren can hardly be called a success, but securing at least 5th in the constructor's will be vital for the team, considering the millions of pounds difference you receive between each place. The championships may be over for McLaren now, but I still believe they should be working towards at least one win this season, even if it is just for all the loyal fans who have stuck by them this season.
As a McLaren fan myself, it is very difficult to criticise the performance of the team because obviously I want them to be winning races and challenging for the titles. However, it has been hard being a McLaren fan because we've witnessed them challenging for fifth place in the standings whereas this time last year they were challenging Red Bull and Ferrari for 2nd or 1st. So far this season, with 10 races done and dusted McLaren have scored 57 points, which is 6th in the standings. Compare this with last season, McLaren had already scored 55 points after the first two races of the season, and after ten races their total stood at 189 points.
It was claimed that McLaren had over-performed last season, but I do not believe this for one moment. How can a team which has won WCC's and WDC's in the past think that a 3rd place finish for the 2012 season is an over achievement? McLaren arguably had one of the fastest cars last season yet still suffered with technical and reliability problems so I don't believe they could claim to have 'over-achieved.' They were expected to be challenging and I don't believe this to be the right attitude for the team to have. Yes, it's true they don't have a competitive enough car this year and they took a big risk in changing the way the suspension works and other aspects of the car, but they have the resources and experience which should have allowed them to close the gap quicker than they have done. In some races they are over 1 second off the pace of the front-runners and this is a massive amount of time to be losing.
McLaren's best finish this season has been 5th place, and this isn't something us fans should be excited about. The rocket red race victory shirts should be on, and we should be celebrating perhaps Sergio Perez' first race win or Jenson Button's overtaking at a particular race, which brings him the race win.
The optimism and positivity seems to have gone from the outfit as well, as I've recently heard that they do not think they can win a race this season. Is this realistic? Perhaps, but it is still important to have some belief and as a fan it is disheartening to hear this. I really hope that this is just a dip in performance this season and McLaren are able to get back to winning ways in 2014 because it doesn't seem right to see them outside the podium positions. It's hard to watch races that the team have previously been successful at, such as in Hungary and with the Belgium GP this weekend, it will be tough again to potentially see a different team win a race that Jenson Button and McLaren brilliantly won last year.
This season for McLaren can hardly be called a success, but securing at least 5th in the constructor's will be vital for the team, considering the millions of pounds difference you receive between each place. The championships may be over for McLaren now, but I still believe they should be working towards at least one win this season, even if it is just for all the loyal fans who have stuck by them this season.
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
The Naked Face Campaign
After recently starting to blog more regularly, I've realised that I love to read other people's blogs as much as writing my own. Last week, I came across a post called 'The Naked Face Campaign' written by a blogger called Lolli K. In this post she tagged anybody who wanted to write their own version of the post and thought that I would take up the challenge. You can find Lolli K's post here: http://lollikelly.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-naked-face-campaign.html
I wear makeup pretty much every single day and almost every time that I go out in public. It definitely makes me feel much more confident and for this reason you will hardly ever find a picture of me without any on. However, 'The Naked Face Campaign' has influenced me into exposing and embracing my natural face and it highlights just how different you can look. I wish I had the confidence to step out without any makeup on, but I know that I am a long way from achieving that, but I still wanted to be a part of the campaign. I don't think I've posted any photos of myself onto this blog so far and so this will be the first time you will properly see what I look like, which makes this post slightly more daunting. However, here we go!
Here is what is going to be included in this post:
1. 3 things that I like and don't like about myself and why
2. A picture of my 'naked face'
3. People that I tag in this post
3 Things that I don't like about myself
1. My moles! I have a lot of moles, both on my face and my arms and legs. Although they aren't a major problem, I've never liked them and I have way too many for my liking! Luckily most of them on my face are quite small so they are hardly ever picked up on camera, which is good for me
2. Spots. I know as a teenager I cannot necessarily expect to have flawless skin. However, spots are just one of those annoyances which never seem to go away. I try to be good and cleanse, tone and moisturise my face, but I still get pesky blemishes.
3. Under eye area. I always find concealer a must usually because I am quite prone to darkness underneath my eyes. I sometimes get circles here as well, which shows I probably need to get a bit more sleep than I do sometimes. It's not a major issue for me though, just something that I am aware of.
3 Things I like about myself
1. My eye colour. Most people will say that my eyes are brown. They most definitely are not. If anything they are hazel and I love my eye colour. When I was younger I wished I had blue eyes, but I have grown to love my eye colour and I find that on some days they appear to have more green in them than usual. I think they compliment my hair colour and skin tone as well and they look as though they 'belong' on my face.
2. My eyebrows. Ever since my auntie first plucked and shaped my eyebrows for me and then brought me my own set of tweezerman tweezers for christmas a few years now, I have regularly kept them in shape. I love the shape of my eyebrows at the moment and although I do fill them in slightly I don't think that I go overboard. I think it's really important to have natural looking eyebrows as they frame your face and it is so easy to over-pluck them so it is an important job! I've always been told eyebrows should be sisters, not twins and I've tried to follow this philosophy.
3. My hair. I really love the colour of my hair. I don't think that it is too dark or too light and think that it compliments my skin tone and eye colour so well that I've never found the need to dye it. During the summer it naturally lightens from the sun, but I think I prefer it in the winter months when it is slightly darker. I also love the length of my hair and my current side fringe, although I am always trying to grow it longer so I've cut down on how often I use my straighteners and curlers.
A picture of my naked face!
People I tag in this post:
Similarly to Lolli K, I don't want to pressurise people into thinking that they have to make their own 'The Naked Face Campaign' post. I know for some people it is a big deal to be pictured without makeup so I don't want people to think they have to do it. However, now that I've done it it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be! Therefore, I tag anybody who reads this post and wants to try it out :)
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Review: Maybelline Falsies Mascara
During my recent shopping trip, I purchased a new mascara as I thought that it was time for a change from using the Rimmel Scandal Eyes mascara. Although there is nothing wrong with the mascara itself, I like to change and experiment with new products and this is one which I have never previously used.
The first thing that attracted me towards this particular mascara was that my sister had recommended it to me. She has been using it for about a month now and she really likes using it. I also really liked the packaging for the product and I find the curved tube much easier to hold when applying the product.
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| Maybelline Falsies Mascara |
The first thing that attracted me towards this particular mascara was that my sister had recommended it to me. She has been using it for about a month now and she really likes using it. I also really liked the packaging for the product and I find the curved tube much easier to hold when applying the product.
The product is also considerably cheap for what it is. It cost me £7.99 from Boots and this is considerably cheaper than some of the other brands out there at the moment.
Whilst applying this product I found the consistency really lovely. The mascara was not clumpy and the wand had a considerable amount of product on it without having too much. I find that it evenly coats the lashes and makes them look much longer and more voluminous. I also found that I didn't need to apply multiple coats and it didn't smudge or go onto the top of the eyelids.
The brush is also slightly curved so it subtly curves your eyelashes as well, which adds to the 'falsies' effect of the mascara. I've found that I can even use this mascara to coat my bottom lashes as well, without getting excess product on my under-eye area.
All in all I am very impressed with this particular mascara and like my sister I would recommend this to anybody looking for a new mascara to try out.
Monday, 19 August 2013
18th Birthday!
I try to publish a new blog post everyday. However yesterday was my 18th Birthday so I didn't have time to sit down and write a new post. To make up for it, today I am publishing 2 brand new posts, this one, and one on my perfume collection which you can find here: http://tammypenton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/my-perfume-collection.html
As an August baby, I have always been one of the youngest in my year. One of my friends is exactly 11 months older than me, yet is still in the same year and this means that previously I couldn't do stuff that they were allowed to. This became more prominent last year when everyone turned 17 and could drive. By the time I had started to learn, many of my friends had already passed their test, which was frustrating because all I wanted to do was drive!
Again, this year everyone started turning 18. This meant that they are all legally allowed to drink and purchase alcohol here in the UK and go out clubbing and drinking. However yesterday I was officially 18 and considered an adult. This means that I too can now do these things.
I received some amazing things from my family and friends and was extremely lucky this year. Some things I had already received before my birthday, such as contributions to my holiday to Majorca and spending money for the trip so I wasn't expecting anything from my mum or my dad. So I thought I would share some of the lovely gifts I received and look back on the brilliant birthday I had yesterday!
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| 18 Glass from 3 of my friends |
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| 18th Birthday plate from 3 of my friends |
Another gift from my 3 friends was this 18th birthday plate. They actually painted this themselves and I think it's a lovely gift because of the amount of effort that they've put into it. I love the dots around the outside of the plate and the bright colours.
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| Selection of alcohol drinks from 3 of my friends |
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| 18 glass and keyring from my sister and dad |
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| 18 socks from my sister and dad |
Like the glass and keyring brought by my sister and dad, they also got me these lovely socks from the card shop. Again this was them buying everything they could find and I found this quite amusing.
As I said before, because I had already received money towards my holiday, I wasn't expecting anything from my dad or sister for my birthday. However when they gave me these next gifts I was so surprised. My sister had wrapped these up in normal wrapping paper so I had no idea what they would be and as soon as I opened them I couldn't believe what I was holding!
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| Pandora ring from my sister and dad |
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| Pandora bracelet from my sister and dad |
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| Pandora bracelet with 3 charms from my sister and dad |
During the evening, I went out to dinner at Chimichanga with my mum, step-dad and sister and while we were sitting at our table my mum gave me a gift. Again, I wasn't expecting anything so this was a big surprise. From them I got a beautiful heart pendant, which I will be able to wear both everyday and for special occasions and I really love it.
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| Heart Pendant from my mum and stepdad |
I had a lovely birthday this year and I am so happy that I got to spend the day with my friends and family. I am so thankful for all the gifts and cards I received and I am honestly so lucky to have the people around me. It's now time to enjoy being 18!
My Perfume Collection
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| My Perfume Collection |
Over the past few years I have been experimenting with a range of different perfumes, as well as repurchasing my favourite scents. This has resulted in a small collection forming, consisting of everything from designer perfumes, to cheaper brands which I also love.
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| 6 Perfumes from the collection |
This post is going to focus on six perfumes from my collection, and I have selected these six because they are some of my favourite scents or because they are new additions to my collection. They vary in price and smell and I love all of the bottles.
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| Britney Spears 'Midnight Fantasy' |
The first in my collection is a perfume by Britney Spears called 'Midnight Fantasy.' When I first started wearing perfume I loved the range of fragrances that she had brought out and I wasn't concerned that it wasn't a designer brand. It isn't even an expensive perfume and I absolutely love the smell of it. It is a very fruity and floral smelling perfume, with base notes of vanilla and top notes of floral tones such as iris. I also love the bottle, especially the colour and I find that the smell lasts for a long period of time. The perfume is available in a number of sizes such as 30ml, 50ml and 100ml and can be brought online from: http://www.theperfumeshop.com/fcp/product/womens-perfumes/britney-spears/midnight%20fantasy/1119 The price for 30ml is £19.99 and £24.99 for 100ml, which is a bargain for a beautiful perfume.
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| Britney Spears 'Fantasy' |
You can purchase this scent both in shops and online. From http://www.theperfumeshop.com/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=1117 30ml is available for £19.99 and 100ml is priced at £34.99. It is slightly more expensive than the previous perfume but it is worth the money you pay. The bottle is very similar as well, but it is a very bright pink which reflects the scent inside it.
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| Calvin Klein 'CK One Summer' |
One of the newest scents to my collection is called 'Summer' from the Calvin Klein 'Ck One' collection. This scent was given as a gift to me this summer and I've been wearing it as a daytime, everyday perfume. Although it doesn't look as though I've used much of this perfume, a little goes a long way because it is quite strong. It is also different from the other perfumes I own because it is a unisex scent. This means it is fresher and less floral than my others and you can clearly smell the citrus and musky notes in it.
I love the bottle for this perfume as it has bits of glass on the surface, which adds textures and makes the bottle look as if it has water droplets on it. The blue glass also reminds me of the sea and hence summer. This is available from http://www.theperfumeshop.com/fcp/product/fragrances/-/ck-one/2510?sku=1134246, however it is only available in 100ml so I would find a shop to smell it before you commit to buying it to ensure that you like the scent. Again, this is a very affordable perfume, priced at |£24.99 and is lovely for summer and is a nice change from my other perfumes.
I also love another fragrance by Calvin Klein. I first received the 'CK One Shock for her' as a birthday present last year and instantly loved the smell. You won't be surprised to know that this is another floral scent, but I've found that this isn't as sweet as the other perfumes that I own. It has some subtle musky notes within it which makes it a very wearable versatile perfume. I sometimes wear this as an everyday perfume, but I've also worn it during the evening or for special occasions. As it is quite a light perfume, I find that it doesn't last for ages, but because I have the 200ml size, it is impossible to carry it with me on in my bag. I like that the bottle is white because it is different from the other bottles that I own, but the problem with this is that you cannot tell easily how much is left in the bottle. I have repurchased this perfume twice and it is my go-to perfume when I don't know what to wear or if I'm in a hurry.
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| Calvin Klein 'CK One Shock for her' |
This perfume is available from http://www.theperfumeshop.com/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=2511 and can be brought as 50ml or 100ml. The 50ml costs £24.50 and the 100ml £36.50.
The newest addition to my collection is a perfume from Ralph Lauren. I have previously written a whole review on this perfume in a previous blog post which you can find here: http://tammypenton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/ralph-lauren-big-pony-collection-for.html
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| Ralph Lauren 'The Big Pong Collection for Women No 2' |
The newest addition to my collection is a perfume from Ralph Lauren. I have previously written a whole review on this perfume in a previous blog post which you can find here: http://tammypenton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/ralph-lauren-big-pony-collection-for.html
This is a very fruity and girly scent, perfect for summer and I particularly love the bottle. It is similar to 'Fantasy' and I find it is versatile so it can be worn both everyday and during special occasions or during the evening.
From http://www.theperfumeshop.com/fcp/product/fragrances/-/The-Big-Pony-Collection-For-Women/2981?sku=1123363 , 50ml will cost you £36.99 and there are four scents available within the collection which all smell different.
Finally, I have left my absolute favourite perfume until the end. This is 'Alien' by Thierry Mugler and was first released in 2005. The thing that immediately drew me towards this perfume was the amazing bottle. Purple has always been one of my favourite colours and combined with the gold and the shape it drew me in. Not only do I love the bottle but I also love the smell. Typically it is floral smelling, but it also smells a bit woody as well. it also contains Jasmine and is by far the most sophisticated of all the perfumes I own. For this reason I only really wear it for special occasions or evening events instead of everyday wear. It is also an expensive perfume, with 30ml costing around £31.50 and the biggest bottle from http://www.theperfumeshop.com/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=1581 is the 90ml refillable bottle costing £77.50. The collection also now sells body lotions as well.
The fragrance lasts an extremely long time, and I never find the need to reapply it whilst wearing it. I can even still smell the perfume on me the morning after and on my clothes. It is a truly amazing perfume and is worth the money. However, like with all expensive perfumes I would go to a shop to make sure you like the scent before committing to buying. I've repurchased this perfume and will continue to do so as it is now a must have in my collection. I've also recommended this to others and this has resulted in them buying and loving it as much as I do.
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| Thierry Mugler 'Alien' |
The fragrance lasts an extremely long time, and I never find the need to reapply it whilst wearing it. I can even still smell the perfume on me the morning after and on my clothes. It is a truly amazing perfume and is worth the money. However, like with all expensive perfumes I would go to a shop to make sure you like the scent before committing to buying. I've repurchased this perfume and will continue to do so as it is now a must have in my collection. I've also recommended this to others and this has resulted in them buying and loving it as much as I do.
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