What's In My Purse?

I find that it's always really interesting to see what other people have in their makeup bags or purses or bags. I've had the purse I'm currently using for the past two years and over this time I've found it has got heavier and fuller so I thought that I would have a look and see what is really in there. 

The purse itself was a birthday present from a friend two years ago and is from River Island. Although they are quite expensive at £17 they are absolutely worth every penny. I love their purses because they are able to hold so much and have different compartments where you can organise all your cards and cash. I love the detailing on the front of the purse and the contrasting coral lining inside.

In the front section of the purse I store all of my cards and bank notes. Also, I can put coinage in the zipped section  in the middle, but I usually use this section to put receipts and other important pieces of paper.

In the back of the purse is another section designed to store more notes or coinage. I love the clasp for this section and it is here I store all my coins and occasionally notes and receipts if I am in a hurry.

Contents of my purse

Currently I have a £10 note, a £5 note, two pound coins, two 50p coins, two 20p coins, two 2p coins and one 5p and 1p coins. This amounts to £18.50.

After my holiday to Majorca in July, I found that I had a few cents left over. However, I cannot exchange these back into pounds sterling because I am only able to exchange notes so these coins are still in my purse and will probably stay there until I go abroad again. 

I'm not really sure why I have a Hollister receipt in my purse seeing as the last time I brought something in there was before Christmas last year. I think I've also stuffed other receipts into this to try and regain some sort of order in my purse.

From looking at the receipts in my purse you can tell which shops I go to the most. These are probably Superdrug, Costa Coffee and Morrisons as I have the most receipts for these shops. I don't actually have that many receipts at the moment because I try to shred them on a regular basis so they don't take over my purse.

My purse is absolutely overrun by cards. I think I counted about 27 of them and the reason why I have so many is because I don't throw them away even if I don't use them. Also, if a company offers me a free points card or something similar I always take one!

I have quite a few beauty and lifestyle points cards. From the top these are: 

Debenhams beauty club card

Superdrug beauty card

Matalan points card

The Body Shop points card
Boots Advantage Card
Holland & Barrett rewards card

Whenever I make a purchase in any of these shops, the cashier scans my card and depending on the scheme I then earn points. These points can then be used to pay for entire products or in some cases can be used to pay for part of a product and then I'll use cash or my debit card to pay for the rest.

I also have a few random cards in my purse, some of which I don't even use anymore. The top card is a W H Smiths giftcard, which has about £2 on it I think so I'm just waiting for something I want to buy to use it.
  The next card is a something called a coastal card which I use to get money off if I go to the local leisure centre or sports centre and the next one is an old library card from my high school, which I obviously do not use anymore.
 Finally, is my Morrisons Miles card which is used whenever I fill my car up with petrol at Morrisons. The card is scanned and I earn points which when I get to 5000 is converted into a £5 voucher which I can then use in store to spend. I've had the card about 6 months and fill up my car every week yet only have about 1,800 points I think, so it's going to take a while.

The next set of cards are all food related. At the bottom and in the middle I have a Subway and Nando's card, which is used to collect points similar to my other cards. However the top card is for Makro, a cash and carry shop which specialise in selling products in bulk to businesses. In order to have a makro card you need to have a business or work for a business that has a makro card.

For my final set of points collecting cards, these are all to do with drinks. At the top I have two Shakeaway points cards, which is for a shop which specialising in making a range of delicious milkshakes and drinks. Then I have a points card for a local coffee shop in my town called Crafty Coffee. These cards are similar because once you have 10 stamps (you get one stamp per visit) you get a free drink. 

  At the bottom, there is my Costa Coffee club card, in which you get 5 points for every pound you spend in store. Then once you get enough points, you can use them to pay for your purchase. Each point on the card is worth a penny so in order to pay for a hot chocolate you would need 250 points as the drink is £2.50.

These are the last of my cards and are the most important ones that I keep in my purse. The top three are all debit cards for the bank accounts I hold with Santander, Barclays and HSBC. Next is my national insurance card, to prove I am illegible to work in the UK and then it is my European Health Insurance Card. This is used when I am travelling in Europe and it means that I get healthcare for the same price as citizens in the country I'm in. 

 Then finally it is my UK full driving license, which proves that I can legally drive either a manual or automatic car in the UK.

Then I have a few random business cards and paper-type cards in my purse. These are business cards for my hairdressers and Santander. The other two are my organ donor card and a card to certify that I am immunised against cervical cancer. 

F1 Team Review 2013: Red Bull

It is a case of so far, so good for Red Bull this season. They are currently leading both of the championships by a considerable margin and getting ready to go into the final fly-away races to claim their fourth successive Constructor's and Driver's title.
   At the beginning of the season, it was just naturally assumed that Red Bull would be right up there and the team to beat this season. With all the focus on Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes, Red Bull were just able to get on with their business and start yet another season with number 1 and 2 on their cars.
   Everything appeared to be well in the Red Bull camp, like a well oiled machine. When they arrived at Malaysia for the second race of the season they had left Melbourne with a 3rd for Vettel and a 6th for Webber. The team were tested after the 'Multi-21' incident during the Malaysian Grand Prix, which saw Vettel ignore team orders and overtake Webber to win the race. The brilliant 1-2 achieved by the team was overlooked by the event and it confirmed the fragile relationship between the two drivers.
  However, the team and drivers moved on from the incident and once again we have experienced why the team have dominated the championships over the past three seasons. The car was once again very competitive, and after 12 races, Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel have won 6 of them. In addition, Webber and Vettel combined have achieved a further 7 podiums, excluding the race wins. As a result this has left Red Bull in first place in the Constructor's Championship with 352 points. This is 92 points better than after the same 12 races last season and their nearest contender Ferrari trails by a massive 104 points.
   Both drivers also have more points than at the same point last season. Vettel currently has 222 points as opposed to 140 after 12 races last season and Mark Webber is ten points better off than last season with 130 points so far. This leaves Sebastian Vettel leading the Driver's Championship and the favourite to go on and claim his fourth successive title. Webber is clearly out of the championship battle, sitting in 5th place 92 points off the lead, but he is still scoring a decent amount of points even though he is yet to win a race this season.
  I still strongly believe that Vettel had secured his fourth title in Hungary, with 8 races remaining, but whilst it is still mathematically possible, Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen will be pushing Vettel hard. The problem is trying to reduce Sebastian's points lead, which he appears to be extending after every race. Currently Vettel leads the championship from Alonso who is 53 points adrift. There is a huge task ahead to try and reduce and eliminate the lead, as even if Vettel didn't race for the next two, he would still lead the championship.
  Another problem with trying to reduce Vettel's lead is that we are now heading into the fly-away races, which are strong circuits for Vettel and Red Bull. Last season, Vettel went on to win the next four races in Singapore, Japan, Korea and India. Then he scored two more podiums with a 3rd and 2nd in Abu Dhabi and USA and finalised his campaign with a 6th place after seemingly being out on the first lap after incidents.
 Retirements are one way of reducing Vettel's lead, but the problem here is that the Red Bull is generally a reliable car. Each driver has only had one retirement each so far this season and even when it seems like Red Bull have a problem, they always manage to finish the race. Just look back to Italy, when Red Bull claimed they had a whole host of problems, yet they still managed to win the race by over 5 seconds.
  Red Bull have also shown that they are not a team to rest on their laurels. They are consistently bringing upgrades to their car and have a seemingly continuous development rate on the car. Even if they are small upgrades, they pay extreme attention to detail and this means that they are always improving, making beating them much harder.
  When Vettel qualifies on pole, he is an extremely difficult man to beat. He often goes on to dominate the race like in Italy and in other races this season. This is a combination of a great racing driver, but also the way Red Bull set up their car. They program it to run at the front and aim to build a gap so they are not in DRS range and then manage the race from there. They often give master classes on how to win races, with Italy being a prime example.
  Even when Vettel doesn't qualify on pole, if he starts on the front row you can put money on the fact that he is likely to lead the race after the first lap. This is shown by the fact that he has only been on pole 4 times this season, but has won 6 of the races.
  Red Bull are typically renowned for winning races that require high down-force and are not usually known for having the highest top speed. However this season, especially at the lower down-force tracks, we've seen that Red Bull have significantly improved in this area. In Monza especially they have a much higher top speed and this just illustrates how hard the team work in order to develop and improve the car. This improvement in speed means that they are now much closer to Mercedes in terms of qualifying pace and this now helps them to win more races. 
 The dominance of Red Bull is becoming the norm in the formula one world, and instead of being praised for their hard work and effort, I feel as though they are being criticised for running away with races and creating 'boring' races. Admittedly there were parts of this theory I subscribed to before, but now I'm starting to believe that it should be up to other teams to take the fight to Red Bull. Yes, Red Bull may have a bigger budget but I still don't think it is impossible to win a championship if you are another team. Red Bull shouldn't be criticised for what they are doing, they are simply illustrating the team-work and cutting edge knowledge to be currently, the pinnacle of the sport. This should be encouraged amongst the other teams and the blame should not fall with a team who, at the end of the day, are just doing their job. Admittedly, very well.
 
Red Bull may be on their way to their fourth successive titles, and with their strongest part of the season coming up in the fly-away races, is there any team or driver that could challenge and reduce the championship leads they have?

Focus on F1: A return to red and an angry McLaren fan

With 7 races left of the 2013 season, there are still many changes and confirmations regarding driver line-ups to be made.
 Red Bull have now officially confirmed that the young Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo will be replacing Mark Webber and this now means that Red Bull have finished their business regarding drivers and can now focus on the championship as well as their development of next season's car. This takes a lot of focus off them as there is no longer speculation as to who will be driving alongside Sebastian Vettel and now we can focus on looking forward to seeing Ricciardo stepping up.
  Another team which has recently confirmed their 2014 driver line-up is Ferrari. The confirmation of Ricciardo eliminated the chances of Raikkonen joining Red Bull and from there the rumours started to spread that Raikkonen was going to be re-joining the team he left in 2009.  At the time it was just speculation, but the strongest indication that Raikkonen would be re-joining Ferrari was last week was when current Ferrari driver Massa confirmed that he would no longer be racing for the team from 2014. Although Raikkonen was then favourite to take the Ferrari seat, after an impressive display at the recent Italian GP, Hulkenberg was another contender. However, as soon as the next day, it was confirmed that Raikkonen would be partnering Fernando Alonso from the 2014 season.
  Since the announcement last week, there have been mixed opinions on the effect Kimi Raikkonen's arrival will have on the team and Alonso. Some suggest that this is the strongest partnership on the grid, some think it will make Alonso raise his game and others think it will have a negative effect on Alonso as he will lose his status as  'number one driver' within Ferrari.
   Admittedly, I think the partnership could be an amazing choice from Ferrari. For one thing you have two incredibly quick drivers, who are both capable of qualifying and racing well. Also, you also have two extremely consistent drivers, essential for if Ferrari want to challenge for the Constructor's Championship, with both drivers regularly scoring points and rarely being involved in on track incidents. 
 The competitiveness of both drivers could either end up being a negative or positive for the team. I think next season Ferrari will need to be on top of their drivers and will need to be able to manage them effectively in order for the partnership to work. They definitely do not want to be in the same situation as Red Bull in Malaysia this season and I'm sure that they will work hard to keep both drivers happy.
  However the one thing that is casting a massive doubt over the team for next season has nothing to do with the drivers. There are huge regulation changes for the 2014 season, including the use of completely new engines. It may be that a particular supplier produces a better engine and this could see dominance from the teams which use that engine, and this may or may not include Ferrari.
  To get the most out of their exciting new driver line-up Ferrari will need to build a very competitive car. This season Alonso has shown his disappointment and the need for the team to develop the car, and it would be even worse next season if both drivers are still complaining of an uncompetitive car. If Ferrari have a competitive car from the start of the season, I can see them being strong title contenders for both the Driver's and Constructor's championships. Overall I can see the return of Kimi being a very good bit of business for Ferrari and this confirms their 2014 driver line-up.
  One team which has been put under extreme pressure this season is McLaren. They have not been able to score a podium finish this season let alone a win and it has been extremely disappointing for fans and the formula one world to see.
  To add to the pressure of not having a competitive car, there are now more distractions surrounding the team, with them not confirming that Jenson Button will be driving for them next season. At the Italian GP it emerged that Button has yet to be confirmed by the team for next season. In my own opinion, at some point during that weekend McLaren should have dealt with the issue, either confirming that Button would be staying or leaving. This is just another unnecessary distraction when they should be focusing on doing a better job than they are already.
  For me, I cannot see why they would want to replace Jenson Button for 2014. It isn't his fault that McLaren have produced a rubbish and uncompetitive car this season and he has given them their best finish of 5th this season too. It would be harsh and unfair to replace him and I think he deserves a chance to drive for them next season for the effort he has put in. He has also won more points than his team-mate this season and although this may be because Perez is still in his first season at McLaren, Jenson I believe still gets the best out of the car. He is often criticised for complaining about the car, but who wouldn't be if they had gone from winning races to battling for 8th or 9th place in the space of a season? I'm sure that even the best drivers such as Vettel, Alonso or Hamilton would struggle to get that car on the podium.
  Perez is almost certain to stay, as he could potentially bring a lot of money to the team. With Vodafone likely to abandon McLaren at the end of the season, it is rumoured the Mexican telecommunications company Telmex will be the replacement, thus cementing Perez' seat at McLaren. 
  The problem with McLaren is that because of their terrible form this season, sponsors are less likely to want to be on their car and this has really frustrated me because I believe that if they had actually made a good car then bigger sponsors would have come forward and they wouldn't have to rely on their Mexican driver to help bring money to the team.
  There has been speculation that Nico Hulkenberg would replace Jenson Button, which I would not be in favour of. As a strong supporter of Button, I just can't understand why he would be replaced. Fair enough if the car had been strong and he was complaining and not winning races but this is far from the truth. I think McLaren are forgetting that he is a World Champion, a master in changing conditions and an unbelievable racing driver. Just think back to Canada 2011.
  Maybe I am still bitter about the incident between Hulkenberg and Hamilton in Brazil last season, but I still do not rate Hulkenberg as a McLaren driver. Perhaps his move to Sauber was not the best decision he has ever made. At the time, it looked as though he had made a sideways move but even worse, now it has looked to be a backwards move. I still think he should have stayed at Force India, as they gave him the chance to revive his career and I think he would have been more impressive with Force India as opposed to Sauber this season.
  So what if this is Jenson Button's last season at McLaren? I really hope it isn't.

Online vs Instore Shopping

The internet has no doubt made aspects of our everyday lives much easier. You can have food and drink delivered to your front door, buy products from another country with a simple click of a button and even watch other people's videos even though you've never met them.
   Shopping is now so quick and simple to do on-line that we are experiencing first hand the effects this has on smaller retailers and stores along the highstreet. There are many advantages and disadvantages to shopping both on-line and instore, which brings up the question of which is better?
    Imagine this, you have a party to attend tomorrow and you are convinced that you have nothing to wear. About 10 years ago, you would be panicking and rushing to your nearest clothing retailer in hopes of finding something last minute. If you couldn't find something you would have to resort back to that dress you've worn to the past 20 events. However, in the modern day, you are able to lay in bed on your tablet and with a few clicks you are at your favourite clothing store. You can browse an entire collection in minutes and if nothing takes your fancy you can pop over to another website and repeat the whole process until something tickles your fancy. You can even have the perfect dress sent to you by the next day and viola, you are set for the party!
  One problem with on-line shopping though is you may think you've found the perfect dress, yet when it arrives it only fits around one of your legs or it completely drowns you, which could have been avoided if you had gotten out of the house and physically gone to the shop to try the thing on. That way you know that it fits you exactly and plus it gives you something to do with your day!  You are also less likely to buy stuff you don't like and are less likely to overspend because you can see exactly what you are buying.
  Admittedly, on-line shopping is much quicker than travelling to the shop in question, and it is a great way to procrastinate or fill time in your day, but shopping in-store can be a social experience, especially because I love having a shopping trip day with my friends.
  You also get to take the product home there and then and don't have to wait around for the late postman on his bike, who turns up to your door at 2pm, only for you to realise that he's got some junk mail and not your dress. In-store shopping eliminates the delivery cost, which you could use to buy a Barry M nail polish.
  All this aside, there tends to be a wider choice available on-line and there are a huge amount of stores that are only on-line nowadays and more importantly, for the first time we can buy something from anywhere in the world and have it shipped to us.
 There are so many opinions on which method of shopping is better, and honestly if asked I couldn't pick between them. I like both methods and each are useful in their own way. 

What about you? Yes, you reading this. What method of shopping do you prefer and why?

   
  

Bathroom Makeover

I've been living in my house for over 12 years now. In the time that we've been here I've grown up and started to influence the way in which the house is decorated. I live with my dad and sister, with all 3 of us being extremely busy people and so our house has been rather neglected in terms of its appearance. 

  A few years ago I redecorated my own bedroom with the help of my friends and I have also helped decorate my sister's as well. The next room I felt needed to be changed was our downstairs bathroom. It is quite a small room, with only a toilet and sink in it because we have the main bathroom upstairs. 

  So at the end of last year, one day I decided that it was time to remove all of the purple striped wallpaper that filled the room and make the place look a bit more natural and welcoming. I also wanted to incorporate a beach styled theme into the bathroom, but not make it too overpowering. 

Once I had removed all of the wallpaper from the room, which took a rather long time as it was so difficult trying to get it out from behind the toilet, life sort of took over. No matter how often I tried, I just didn't have the time to finish off the half started job. Fast forward 12 months and I've found some time to get the job done. 

Unlike when I removed the wall paper and just left the job, this time I wanted to finish the bathroom completely as soon as I started it. I didn't want this to be a start-stop project and really didn't want to be spending a long period of time doing it either. This meant that I had to be efficient and effective. As the wall paper had already been stripped off it was just the case of repainting the bathroom and then adding the finishing touches before cleaning the entire place from top to bottom. 

At the end of the day the project was finished. I started around 11am and finished around 4pm. In this time I had painted all of the walls in a lovely creamy colour which was not matt white yet not too yellow. Each wall needed around 2 coats and this made sure that the paint was applied evenly and covered each wall so the original paint could not be seen. 

  As the sink was still in good condition, I just rehung the mirror onto the wall and then cleaned the sink out. The small window also allows some natural light in and the colour of the walls make it look much brighter and bigger than before.

To make the bathroom a bit more personalised and welcoming, my sister decided to paint a canvas to be hung on the wall. We found the quote together online and loved it so she painted a beautiful background and then added the quote. It fits in well with the blue beached theme of the bathroom as well and it adds a bit of character to the room. 

Above is a picture showing the bathroom and the wall canvas in its place on the wall. I think it breaks up the wall really well, but doesn't make it look overpowering as it is essentially quite simple, yet effective. Again the features are the same, such as the sink, radiator and toilet roll holder, but they look much better with the new paint. 

This is another view of the bathroom, which just basically shows the furnishings and the paint, as well as the floor which had already been laid a few years ago. It has made the whole room look much brighter and fresher, which was the main aim for this redecoration. 

To add a bit of detail to the wall above the toilet, I added these photo frames which contain inside them photos of dolphins. Not only do they tie in with the theme, but they are also quite personal because we brought them whilst we were on holiday in Tenerife one year so we know that they cannot be brought in the UK. These black frames match the black frame of the mirror as well, so there is consistency throughout the room. 

Finally, on the window sill, to add to the theme of the room I added this small beach hut which brings some character and interest to the room. Again it adds a bit of colour to the room and it matches well with the rest of the features. 

I've really enjoyed decorating my bathroom and I'm really looking forward to my next decorating project, as I know that we want to decorate other rooms in our house.

Nail Tutorial: Ombre

It's always exciting when you find a new nail art technique to experiment and try out. The fashion world has gone crazy with everything ombre over the past two years and if your not sure whether or not to try ombre hair, ombre nails are a much quicker, reversible solution for all your ombre needs!

  This effect can take a while to perfect and I am still trying to perfect it myself, so my finished result may not look as amazing as it can do, but it shows that this can be a difficult technique to master. Anyhow, like with other nail effects, you can use pretty much any colour that you want and a contrast between the two colours can make it look really effective.

Items needed to create the ombre nail effect

For this tutorial you will need:

• A base colour
• A different colour to create the ombre effect with
• A small sponge, slightly larger than the size of your nail
• A plastic sheet or poly-pocket
• Something to mix the two colours together such as a toothpick or nail art tool
• Base/Top coat (optional)  

Barry M Nail Paint in Blueberry

Step 1

1. Firstly you need to apply a decent base coat, especially if you are using nail polishes which are likely to stain your nails. Once this is dry, you need to apply a base colour to your nails. For this tutorial I am using the Barry M nail paint in 'Blueberry.' 

Step 2

2. Next, on the sheet of plastic you need to paint a thick layer of the base nail polish onto one side of the sheet. Then next to it as close as possible without allowing the two nail polishes to touch, you need to apply a thick layer of nail polish which will be used to make the ombre effect, as shown above. The nail polish which I am using for the ombre effect is Barry M nail paint in 'Bright Pink.' You will need to make sure that the combined nail polish is the length of your nails to ensure that your nails will be covered effectively. 

Step 3

3. Before the nail polish has time to dry you then take your toothpick or nail art tool and gently mix the two colours together in the middle so you are left with one colour on the left, the mixture of colours in the middle and the other colour on the right. This creates the ombre effect on your nails.

Step 4

4. Next, you need to take the sponge and put it into the nail polish mixture. At this stage you should have the base colour at the bottom of the sponge, and the ombre colour at the top, with the mixture of the two colours in the middle. This is shown below. You will need to work quite quickly to ensure that the nail polish doesn't dry. 

Step 5

5. Once the sponge has been dipped into the mixture, you then press it onto the nail. You need to ensure the top of the sponge is applied to the top of the nail in order to create the ombre effect. You will find at this stage the nails will look rather messy because of the sponge but this will be cleared up later in the tutorial. Repeat this stage until all your nails have been painted, which may mean you might need to apply more nail polish to the plastic sheet.

Step 6

6. Once you have applied the sponge to all of your nails it is important to allow the nail polish to dry. When you are satisfied that it is dry, take a cotton bud and dip it into nail polish remover. Then use the cotton bud to clean up any nail polish which has got onto your cuticles or skin and you have successfully created the ombre nail effect. Using the sponge gives a textured finish, and you can alter the amount of ombre by the amount that you mix the two colours together. At this stage you can also apply a top coat if desired. 

Focus on F1: Favourite Tracks

The F1 world championship now sees teams, the media and fans travel all over the world. Whether it be at the historic track of Monza or the newest track on the calendar in the USA, we all have tracks that we look forward to seeing the cars racing on.
  With new tracks being developed and built, it seems as though the calendar is ever expanding and having a proposed 21 races on the calendar for next season increases the amount of miles everybody involved has to travel. The desire within F1 to stage races further away from Europe affects the sport in both negative and positive ways, but it also gives us fans the opportunity to discover some amazing race tracks and atmospheres.
  It can be tough to choose a favourite race track on the calendar and this is why I have decided to share my top 5. For some, it can be the memories or heritage of the track which makes it special for me or just because I love the design of the circuit. Either way, my favourite races consist of some classic, some street circuits and some of the oldest tracks on the F1 calendar.
 
Track Name: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
GP Held: Belgium GP
This racetrack is certainly a popular favourite amongst fans and drivers themselves. For me, it is my favourite track of the season because of the challenges it brings the teams and drivers because of it's twisty and hilly nature. I also love that the weather can be unpredictable and this usually shakes up qualifying and the race.
  My favourite part of the track is the legendary Eau Rouge, where drivers can exceed 300km/h and so I would really love to personally go to the circuit and see Grand Prix in the future held there.
  One of the stand out moments in recent F1 history whilst racing at Spa was in 2012 when Jenson Button took his first pole for McLaren and went to subsequently win the race. However this race also stood out because of the horrific crash at the beginning of the race, caused by the French driver Romain Grosjean.  

Track Name: Silverstone Circuit
GP Held: British GP
Being a British supporter, I always look forward to watching the British GP when the cars are in the same country as me. Even watching from the TV, you can see the brilliant atmosphere which fills the stands throughout the weekend and the support for the British drivers and teams is overwhelming. When I think of Silverstone, I always think of the dedicated fans, who often camp even in the pouring rain, just to catch a glimpse of their F1 heroes.
  The British GP was first hosted at Silverstone in 1948 and has since then undergone developments, whilst still maintaining the legendary corners such as Stowe, Club, Maggotts and Becketts Corner as well as the Wellington Straight.
  One memorable moment from Silverstone in recent history is the 2012 race. Mark Webber hunted down Fernando Alonso and took victory that afternoon, but I will always remember this race because I contributed towards it, like many other followers of the sport.
  A few months before the race, Red Bull gave thousands of people the chance to be on their car. For me, this was an amazing opportunity and soon sent in a photo of myself to be added to the car. Although in the end the photos were so small and I have no idea where I was on that car, it was great to know that I essentially won the British GP! 
  More importantly though, the campaign run by Red Bull raised so much money for the Wings For Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation, as each person involved with the scheme donated a mere 15 euros and it was a brilliant way to both raise awareness and money to continue their research. I don't think this actually received as much coverage as it deserved throughout the weekend of the GP, but from sitting at home both I and all the other people that donated to the cause knew that we had helped make a difference.  

Track Name: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
GP Held: Canadian GP
The circuit formally known as the Circuit Ile Notre Dame is another circuit that I look forward to seeing the world of F1 visit. The 4.361km circuit has claimed many victims at the famous final corner named the Wall Of Champions, but one of my favourite parts of the circuit is the L'Epingle hairpin because I love seeing the cars passing through this particular part of the circuit. Michael Schumacher still remains the most successful driver at this circuit, picking up 7 wins, but it was the 2011 race which will be my most memorable.
  The 2011 race currently holds the record for the longest race in F1 history, lasting an astounding 4 hours 4 minutes 39.537 seconds because of the delays caused by the rainstorms that day. It also holds the record for the most times the safety car was deployed during a race (6.) I even joked and tweeted at the time that the winner of the Canadian GP was the safety car.
  It was an amazing day for Jenson Button. Although by the time the race was red flagged at lap 41 he had collided with his then team mate Lewis Hamilton, been through the pits about 6 times I think and ended up at the back of the grid. When the race was finally restarted a few hours later we watched as Jenson amazingly made his way back through the field, overtaking car after car. When we reached the last lap of the race, he only had Sebastian Vettel in front of him. Half way through that lap Vettel made a mistake and Button grabbed a brilliant victory. It was really for me one of those moments we will look back on in the future and I can say I was watching all that unfold!

Track Name: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
GP Held: Italian GP
The fastest and oldest track on the F1 calendar is always a special race for drivers, especially those who are driving the Ferraris. The first race was held in 1922 and similarly to Silverstone and other iconic tracks it has undergone development in the years gone by. However, there are still iconic parts of the circuit such as Ascari and Parabolica which are some of the most popular and well known parts of the circuit. 
   Similarly to Silverstone, the passion and atmosphere at the Italian Grand Prix is amazing to see. After every race held there the Tifosi and other fans are seen flooding the start finish straight and there is just a sea of red to pay homage to Ferrari. In the past few years we've seen Ferrari driver Alonso on the podium and one highlight from this track was this year when he stood on the podium and took a photo of himself and the thousands of supporters below him. To me this just reiterated the passion and love of the sport in all aspects, from the driver to the fans to the history of the track and sport.  

Track Name: Marina Bay Street Circuit
GP Held: Singapore GP
Although F1 has been racing in Singapore since 1966, 2008 was the first year that we travelled to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. I am not typically a fan of street circuits and you can probably tell my heart is in the classic race circuits, but there is just something I like about the Marina Bay circuit. This may be because of the stark contrast between Monza and this circuit as F1 usually travels here immediately after the Italian GP. Unlike Monza which is fast and requires low downforce setups, Marina Bay requires higher downforce and is not as fast. 
  Another aspect about this track that I like is that it is held at night time, which makes the circuit different from the other races we experience throughout the season. It is something about the floodlights which reminds me of a karting track for some reason and it reminds me of when I went karting.

Whether you are a fan of F1, a driver, a race engineer, a journalist or even a marshal, there will be tracks which you will always look forward to visiting within the season. There may be tracks which you have grown to love or ones that hold special memories or even just tracks that you have always loved. It may be an old track or even a new track, but one thing that is for sure is that every track is special in some way.

Crafty Coffee

A few weeks ago, I went into one of the relatively new coffee shops in my town to visit my best friend who works in there. It was the day of the annual carnival and also the first birthday of the shop opening. 

  Prior to three of my friends working there, I had never been inside this shop and so didn't really know what to expect. However, I soon learnt that once you go in, the name of the shop 'Crafty Coffee' is fairly self-explanatory. Unlike other coffee shops, as well as having a drink you can also do a selection of craft activities for an additional cost. The main ones are decopatch, which is similar to paper mache, and painting figurines that are then glazed before you take them home.
   As it was the first birthday, the usual studio fee of £3 (to cover the cost of painting and glazing etc.) was reduced to free, and so you only had to pay for the cost of the thing you either wanted to paint or decorate. After some persuasion from my friend, I decided to give this a go, although I was considerably older than the other children doing the same thing.
    I decided that I was going to paint a cat for my sister. We already have two cats at home and so I wanted this to look as similar as possible to my sister's cat. Once I had selected the cat, it was then up to me to sit at a table, along with a hot chocolate and start bringing the cat to life. I think in the end I applied about 4 layers of paint to this cat, because I was told the more layers the better the colours will come out after it has been glazed. 

Mine and Rachel's creations

After I was happy with the way the cat looked, it was taken away in order to be glazed. I then paid £4 to cover the cost of the cat and then had to wait a week for it to be glazed and ready to take home.

 

The finished glazed cat

Above is the final product, after it had been glazed and returned to me. The colours have come out really vivid and bold, and my sister absolutely loved it. The free studio fees also meant that instead of paying £7 I only paid £4 and I had a lot of fun making this, especially because I found it quite relaxing and I got to drink a lush hot chocolate whilst doing it!  

My Haircare Routine

I love to keep my hair in a good condition and so my haircare routine is very important to me. Over the past few months I have been using a range of different products and tools and I thought that I would share these. 

I find that after a while, my hair adapts to the shampoo that I am using and I do not notice the amazing results compared to when I first start to use it. Therefore, I like to regularly change the brand of shampoo I use, although there are only a few brands which both I and my hair love to use. I'm a massive fan of the brand Aussie, but TRESemme is up there with the best as well. 

  Currently I am using the platinum strength shampoo, which claims to repair up to 2 years of damage and makes hair much stronger. It certainly does seem to improve the condition of my hair, but I'm not so sure if it's two years worth. It is also incredibly cheap to buy at the moment from Superdrug, with 500ml costing you just £2.47, which is a bargain. The shampoo also smells amazing, and the brand as a whole has a massive range of shampoos which are suitable for different hair types.

Alongside the shampoo I am currently using the TRESemme platinum strength conditioner. This is recommended to be used alongside the shampoo to 'strengthen' the hair and again this is also currently on offer at Superdrug for £2.47. It smells exactly the same as the shampoo so it leaves your hair smelling amazing, which you can still smell once your hair is dry. 

Before my current shampoo and conditioner I was using products from Aussie which I had brought from Boots. At the time they had a 3 for £10 deal which is an extremely good deal for this particular brand and so I got the shampoo, conditioner and decided to try out this leave-in conditioner.
   I think this product is usually priced at around £5 and the concept of it is that it protects your hair from everyday wear and tear as well as detangles the hair. It is in the form of a spray pump bottle and you spray it evenly through towel dried hair. Then you simply comb through your hair and leave it in to do its business and you don't have to wash it out at all. 

  Now this product smells absolutely amazing, even better than the TRESemme products and possibly the best smelling hair product I've brought. I think I use this product a bit too often just because I love the smell and can't get enough of it.
  The product doesn't leave the hair looking greasy either as it is extremely light, but I've also noticed that it does improve the condition of my hair. 

Another TRESemme product that I'm currently using is the Split Remedy Intense Recovery Masque. I think this is relatively new product brought out by the brand and is definitely not used as much as the other products in my routine. As this is a masque, it is not suitable for everyday use and so I only really use it once or twice a week. It can be brought in a 300ml tub and because it is not used everyday, it lasts months which makes it worth the money you for pay for it. Again I think the price for this product is around £5 which is a good price for the product that you are getting in return.
   Like the other products, this smells gorgeous and has a stronger scent than the shampoo and conditioner which makes it much more luxurious so is perfect to use when you need a pamper or want to give your hair a treat. It also smells slightly different to the other products and I much prefer this scent to the others. Even if you don't buy this product I recommend you try and get your hands on it just to smell it because it is lovely.

  The concept for this product is to use shampoo and conditioner first, before squeezing out any excess water from the hair and then to apply the product from the mid length of the hair downwards before leaving for 5 minutes and then washing out. 

After I've washed my hair I usually use this comb to remove any knots or tangles from my hair and to reduce the chance of hair breakage. I usually start by using the wider toothed end and then go over my hair with the narrower end after I've removed the majority of the tangles. You can pick up combs similar to these in most drug-stores and they are not very expensive at all.  

The final product in my haircare routine is my tangle teezer hairbrush. I received this as a Christmas present last year and I can honestly say that I've used it every single day since I got it. At first it was a little strange to use because there isn't a handle to hold but it is the best brush that I've used. It is so gentle and removes tangles so easily and it makes your hair really soft and smooth. Now that I have this brush I think I would be lost without it and when this one gets to the end of its usable life I will be repurchasing this product because quite simply I love it.

Italian GP 2013: Race Reaction

As the German National Anthem is played out from Monza, it is a great day for Red Bull fans. Sebastian Vettel has just won his 6th race of the season and Mark Webber has achieved his first and last podium finish at the Italian GP in his F1 career. Today pundits and commentators confirm the feeling I've had for the past couple of races, that Vettel has pretty much won his fourth World Driver's Championship, with a staggering lead of 53 points.
  After a poor qualifying session yesterday from Hamilton and Raikkonen, it left Alonso to challenge Vettel for victory. Not that it panned out that way at all. Alonso got a brilliant start from 5th on the grid and was quickly up to 2nd within the first few laps and drove a well measured race to hold off Webber in the closing stages and maintain his record of finishing within the podium places with Ferrari at the Italian grand prix. Looking back on the race, perhaps Ferrari should have pitted Alonso after Vettel made his first stop, but I don't think Alonso would have closed the gap to Vettel anyway, because after Vettel had got rid of the damaged tyres from locking up on the first corner of the first lap, he was able to manage the gap to Alonso and by a considerable margin. After both Vettel and Alonso had pitted, the gap from Sebastian to Fernando was 10.010 seconds, which was only reduced to 5.4 seconds by the end of the race.
   By Mercedes recent form, Hamilton had a pretty tough race today. After qualifying in 12th place it was always going to be a struggle, especially because you are more likely to be involved in first corner incidents in the middle of the pack. Fortunately, Hamilton avoided any incidents and as he was on the hard tyre as opposed to the medium at the start of the race in the early stages he was one to watch out for alongside Raikkonen. However, the race was effectively ruined for both drivers when they were both forced in a two pit stop strategy because Hamilton suffered from a slow puncture on lap 12 and Raikkonen suffered front wing damage on the first lap after running into the back of the McLaren of Sergio Perez.
  To add to Hamilton's woes, he suffered him radio problems throughout the race, making communication extremely difficult and almost impossible. At the end of the race he even is said that it was like 'driving blind', but even after the problems he had a brilliant ending to the race, managing to take 9th, with 8th or even 7th in sight before he went wide on the penultimate lap. 
  We lost Di Resta on the first lap of the 53 lap race, after he locked his own wheels and drove into the unsuspecting Romain Grosjean, which was the first time in his career that he has retired on the first lap of a race. However, I'm sure that he can bounce back from this in Singapore, and hopefully we will get back to seeing the Di Resta running in the top 10.
   After a surprising qualifying result of 3rd on the grid, Hulkenberg was expected to go backwards during the race in his Sauber. Indeed he did drop back, but not by the margains expected. He drove a clean and mature race and was rewarded with 5th place, making him in many people's eyes the driver of the day. One thing to consider though is if Raikkonen and Hamilton had qualified higher up the grid, would they have beaten the young German? The Sauber seems to really like this track, shown both this season and last season when Perez drove from 12th to finish 2nd when he was racing for the team.
  This weekend we've seen some new camera angles on the tv coverage and one which I have been particularly enjoying is the thermal imaging camera mounted onto Di Resta's car. Unfortunately because of his retirement we were not able to see it in full action across the entire race, but from what I've seen from qualifying and practise, it is a really interesting angle to see.
  I've also loved the camera view which looks down onto the pit box, and I noticed this at the Red Bull garage during the race. I just love the angle and it's amazing to see how quickly the car arrives and departs and how all the mechanics appear to work symmetrically together. Not necessarily a new camera angle, but one which I've loved to see this weekend.
   With new engines coming in for the 2014 season, I've also been making the most of listening to the sound of the engines. After hearing a prototype for the new V6 engines, I am going to appreciate the sound of the V8's before they disappear, as there is a significant difference between the two. 
   Personally, the driver of the day for me was Sebastian Vettel. He had a perfect weekend; qualified on pole, won the race and extended his race lead. He was able to look after a damaged tyre whilst leading the race and maintaining a gap and he drove a race without incident even when Red Bull had 'enough problems.' 
  Looking forward to the Singapore GP in two weeks time, I am looking forward to seeing how Hamilton will respond to a disappointing weekend, what McLaren can achieve in terms of improvement and whether or not Vettel can continue to dominate this track as he has done over the past few seasons. 
  

A-Z of Favourite Beauty Products

A:  Alien by Thierry Mugler (perfume)
B: Body Shop Coconut body butter
C: CK One Shock for Women by Calvin Klein (perfume)
D: Dry shampoo dark & deep brown by Batiste 
E: Elvive full restore 5 replenshing shampoo & conditioner 
F: Falsies Mascara by Maybelline
G: Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Liner by Rimmel
H: Happy by Clinque (perfume)
I: Imperial Leather shower gel soft touch
J: Jelly Pong Pong make up brushes 
K: Kleenex balsam pocket tissues
L: Lychee Barry M Hi-Shine nail polish
M: Miracle Hair Insurance Leave in conditioner by Aussie 
N: Night Flight by Rimmel (nail polish from the lycra pro range)
O: Original Source Pure Lime shower gel
P: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion
Q: Quickies nail varnish remover pads
R: Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip tint in 'Nothing but Nude'
S: Shockwaves Boost it volumising hairspray 
T: TreSemme Naturals Smooth shampoo & conditioner 
U: *
V: Vaseline Lip Therapy
W: Wisdom Regular fresh medium twin toothbrushes
X: *
Y: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in shade 50
Z: *

*As much as I racked my brain and collection, I honestly couldn't think of any products that I love beginning with U,X or Z, so if you're reading this and have a suggestion let me know!