Amy Winehouse and the galloping 'high horse'

I am not attempting to write a piece on 'poor Amy Winehouse' but I am sad for the death of a talented and tormented young 27 year old and find the rise in patronising, moralistic opinion pieces on how we should not feel sorry for someone who brought such a demise on herself quite sickening. An article I was today sent by the Australian Mail journalist Amanda Platell made me feel quite lucky I do not share the views of a Conservative right-wing person who gets a sense of superiority and empowerment by mocking and judging the actions of another in circumstances so unimaginable to most they are hard to even believe. Her reckless and insulting journalist-style that saw her take the feelings of a personal friend of Amy’s who quoted ‘she never did anyone any harm’ to produce an article that lays blame to the rise in female alcohol consumption and public disorder simply highlights the lack of intelligence this woman has in being able to understand the excruciating frustration of drug addiction and fatal consequences. Her complete inability to see the irony of fans leaving behind bottles of vodka with flowers outside Amy’s London flat instead saw snobby comments on the legacy of alcoholics and future drug-addicts Amy had created and was leaving behind. The moral high-ground can be a nice place for some and very comforting.

However, let’s not forget that Amy Winehouse did not choose to become a drug addict and lose her life at 27, even if the addiction helped see her produce one of the best albums of the last two decades which is likely to see sales match those it previously enjoyed when it was first released.

I learnt of the death of Amy Winehouse whilst on a hen do last weekend and was still getting to grips with the horror unfolding in Norway and the monster Anders Breivik shooting dead nearly 70 people in a bid to make a stand against Islamic culture spreading in Europe. However, in a strange way I was more shocked about Amy. When disastrous world events occur you feel a sense of disbelief but, unless directly or inadvertently affected it is inevitable that you feel desensitised by the event. In a way, you can't put yourself in a situation where , for example, a gunman appears out of the blue dressed as a policeman and lures you into a false sense of security before shooting you dead, and therefore cannot comprehend it. It is something you may see in a film or on a television programme as the concept is so sinister and shocking it simply could not happen in real life.

However, in the case of Amy Whitehouse, the surprise was more on how unsurprising it was. She died from what is most probably a drug overdose and we have witnessed her tragic demise and destructive relationship with drugs for years now. For a time, Amy dominated the newspapers and magazines with stories focused on her weight loss, her social life, her drug habits, her friends, her love affairs, etc, and she became a celebrity known for her erratic and anti-social behaviour rather than her music- which to be fair was more interesting to journalists and the public as we were witnessing directly a drug-addict living their life in full view doing things that were always shocking. The photo of her blood-stained ballet pumps where she injected herself with heroin was so visually horrifying it captured the media worldwide. Not many of us will know a real drug-addict like Amy and her lifestyle had a real star-quality about it because most of us could not imagine living such a life. Does that make it desirable? Not at all. We loved to revel in our own superiority led by the newspapers. But once again, we became desensitised to it- you could have had pictures of Amy on the front cover of the Metro weighing 6 stone and stumbling out of a pub and it would not have phased most readers commuting to work as they had seen it so many times before. #

But now the reality has hit- she has died from this drug addiction and alcohol abuse and no-one could do anything about it.  No longer can we pity her as she's dead. She had all the money and resources in the world and could not beat an addiction so powerful it robbed her of a life for nearly a decade before taking her away altogether. Russell Brand wrote a widely publicised blog on his friendship with Amy and his sympathies after suffering with a public addiction to drink and drugs. However, as someone who can write with authority, unlike Amanda Platell, he is able to put into context the truth about what we have seen. "Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today," Brand writes. "We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy's incredible talent ... All we can do is adapt the way we view [addiction], not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill."

Amanda Platell concludes her article with the statement “When her friend said Amy never hurt anyone, it was far from true. She not only hurt herself, but every young woman who believes you can have a life of reckless indulgence without consequences.” I wonder if she knows the consequences of such an article.

Troublesome skin

Like many, I suffer from dry skin on my face and body if I don't moisturise pretty immediately after washing. However, recently I started suffering from hardened dry, tight skin on my face underneath my eyes, the edges of my nose leading down to the edges of my cheeks and at the bottom of my forehead. I did what most people would and exfoliated it and layered on the moisturiser however it wasn't getting any better. And so I examined what I was using. I am a bit of a cosmetic and skin care freak in that I LOVE getting new products but I too can not afford the nicest of brands and often, with make-up, with revert back to the cheap foundation that gives amazing thick coverage for a night out but perhaps is not the best for my skin. Even though I have MAC and Bobbi Brown foundations, I tend to go back to Rimmel Lasting Foundation which is cheap and doesn't fade. BUT I've seen the downside. Combined with a recent sun holiday and exfoliating too much, this has made my skin lifeless and sore.

So I went back to a brand I simply adore and wish I could afford to spend more on: Origins. From the smells to the packaging, I just love the way these products are branded and the way they really suit my skin. The customer service is always excellent too (OK I know they want to sell products) but you can sometimes find places are snooty and Origins is always very personable. I was listened to for a good 5-10 minutes and my skin was examined. I was given a thorough facial and various products were tried to see how my skin reacted. They listened to my skincare routine and pointed out where I was going wrong, and the salesman even recommended other brands for specific areas of dryness that he thought I could benefit from- he knew his stuff.

But I did what I often do- I succumbed to the charms but I have not looked back. In less than a week my skin is radiantly glowing! The dryness and stinging have disappeared and texture is smooth and clear.

 Twice a week now I exfoliate with Modern Friction 'Nature's gentle dermabrasion' but be careful- although this is excellent it STINGS YOUR EYES if you accidentally get any in which is normal.£29.

I then use Dr. Weil Mega Mushroom Skin Relief serum which is excellent at calming redness and any sensitive areas. It literally took the stinging sensation that I had been feeling away within seconds. The salesman described this as a skin primer. Two squirsts is enough. £46.

I then layer on a thin layer of Perfect World moisuriser which feels gorgeous on your skin and moisturises in really nicely. It smells really nice too which is a plus. £31. This can be used day or night although a night cream is probably more suitable (but pricey). They did give me some samples of their brand new night cream coming out though which was great.

However, each day to simply clean my face I use Tesco's Senstive Face Wash which is really light on my skin and doesn't irritate at all. And for 75p, who's complaining?

I Cake You

Girls, who fancies a Chanel handbag that smells and tastes like cake? I have the answer and I am so flipping impressed.

This is one of the cake creations from 'I Cake You' , the brainchild of Helene Turner. And if you think this is good- log on to Facebook to see more- literally a cake for ANY occasion. http://on.fb.me/rv35OF

Ralphy

Make-Up by Sophie

Being a Bedford girl, I love to check out new local services, especially in the beauty industry! And so I was delighted to come across 'Make-Up by Sophie' the newest make-up service by full qualified practitioner Sophie Rance. She is Bedford's newest expert on the hottest looks, best brands and she gives a great service. She is able to offer personalised make-up sessions for weddings, parties, proms or simply for you to learn more on how to achieve a good look. I caught up with Sophie to learn more:

Wow, Make-Up by Sophie looks great! What made you want to start up this business?

I decided to start the business after doing a make-up course at my local college. It is so rewarding getting paid for something I absolutely love doing!

I bet! Did you always want to do this or was it something that you stumbled across and found you enjoyed?

I've always had a strong interest in Beauty Therapy but after college I decided to go to University and study Business Studies. I enjoyed completing my degree but since then I have given in to my real passion and am really loving the new direction my career has taken.

What is it about doing other people's make-up that you enjoy?

There are no two faces the same and I love to experiment with different looks on different people. I love doing weddings; it's very rewarding helping a bride feel relaxed and beautiful on her special day. It's also great to see clients enjoying the luxury of having their make-up done, who doesn't need a good pampering every now and then?

What is your favourite 'look'?

I'm currently loving 1950s eyeliner flicks! It really depends on the occasion but I love experimenting with all kinds of looks. It's all about enhancing and celebrating natural beauty.

What are your plans for 'Make-Up by Sophie'?

I've recently been asked to join a local high-end hotel and spa in Bedford to provide my services to guests for weddings and special occasions but I am still offering my services privately too. I would love to be able to eventually have my own team of make-up artists working with me.


What make-up brands do you recommend and why?

I have recently discovered Bare Minerals. It is so lightweight and pure and yet it gives amazing coverage! For eye shadows MAC is a must and I swear by Clinique 3-step for skincare- the secret to flawless make-up application is a good canvas.


Thanks Sophie! To contact Sophie Rance of 'Make-Up by Sophie' call her on 07729340130 or email her at make-upbysophie@live.co.uk

Ralph...he's back.

Book review: The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

I don't know about you, but I was an avid reader growing up. However, you reach your later teens and you start going out and drinking and socialising more and more every night and reading kind of takes a back seat. I fell out of the habit and then went to Uni, went travelling and started working in a stressful job and I just read the off book here and there. However, I am really enjoying being back in the swing of reading one book after the other and one of my oldest and closest friends recently bought be a great one.

The Tea Rose is by Jennifer Donnelly, an author I was not aware of and was shocked when I read she was from the US as the book is based in the underworld of East London where Jack the Ripper is looming and the divide in social classes is worse than ever. It follows the life of Fiona Finnegan, the daughter of Irish immigrants, struggling to make ends meet. Most people are slaves to the tea industry and the large tea merchant that is controlling them is Burton Tea, run by a ruthless dictator with no sense of compassion for his workers. The book follows the social and economic struggle of Fiona and those around her but then the struggle to adapt to a new life she finds that is rich in luxuries... but not love.

The book is gripping and although slightly on the fairy-tale side, takes you on an emotional journey with visual description throughout. There is also two sequels to read: The Winter Rose and the newly released The Wild Rose.

Ralph

Ralph will make regular appearances.

Stansted Airport

My nearest airport is Luton however I planned to attend a wedding of a close friend from University and the flights to the City of Derry airport were from Stansted. Yesterday I drove there at half past 2 and got there at quarter to 4, my flight being at 4.50pm with Ryanair. Stansted airport is one of the BAA group, along with Heathrow, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Southampton.

Ryanair makes you check in BEFORE you get to the airport, which is great if you have no baggage to put in, and so I proceeded straight to the security doors. HOWEVER... as I approached I saw a queue. Typical, I thought, a busy London airport and everything is going slowly. I didn't expect to turn a corner and see the queue continue down the length of the airport where I proceeded to join in disbelief. 'What's going on?' I asked the people around me. The response was a series of shrugs and a common shaking of heads amongst the fellow passengers, which turned into anticipation every time an annoucement began only to say that all flights have been suspended until further notice. No screens around and no information. I proceeded to go on to Twitter where I read that there had been a security breach and that all flights were suspended and the departure lounge had been evacuated. At least someone knew something and I informed those around me. 1 hour later and, after numerous updates from people on Twitter, we were told that the security area was now clear and 're-processing' would start. Almost immediately, airport staff shouted about priority boarding on 2 Ryanair flights to Germany and somewhere else. This gave me, and others, the indication that flights that would be boarding would be called and so people would have some idea of what was going on. I was wrong. For the next 2 hours the queue, which became most of the front of the airport, turned into what I would describe as like the front of a concert with barely any breathing space, incredible heat and no way in or out. It stretched for metres to both my right and left and there was no way of seeing the back or front. And this crowd had parents with young children, there were elderly people and those with disabilities yet NOTHING was done to help them whatsoever. We moved a couple of foot every 10 or 15 minutes which meant simply passing the front of an Accessorize store front took nearly an hour. No announcements apart from the irregular 'thank you for your cooperation' and still a reliance on simply people talking on Twitter- I even managed to befriend a couple of people who had 'Tweeted' me about their similar frustration who ended up standing very near to me. They had beers which was a small slice of luxury for them. I was stood in the middle of a large Spanish group of whom proceeded to shout every sentence they said- perhaps the fact I was on my own with no-one to really talk to made this all the more infuriating. Slowly as you reached the front of the crowd, it filtered into a single-file line where our boarding passes were checked by only TWO MEN!!!! (Think this crowd was around 1000 people). My boarding pass showed the 'green light' - which you would think meant everything was fine- and I joined the next queue to walk through security. I had already pre-packed my toilletries in clear plastic bags and all were under 100ml. I carefully placed my bag (which I had measured owing the the extreme emails you receive from Ryanair outlining that should these be more than 50cm in width you will get charged £40) and my jacket which I had removed and my two small sandwich bags of cosmetics. 'Are you travelling on your own?' I was asked. 'Yes' I replied. 'You can only have one bag of cosmetics then.' Anger bubbled up inside me and I felt my face get hot. I proceeded to argue/ whine so much about how it weighed less than a letter, I had queued for 3 hours, I had packaged them myself, etc...that the security man simply said 'OK go on through.' I breathed a sigh of relief and walked through the scanner which did not beep which was nice. I saw my new Twitter friend as she walked through and we both laughed weakly about our experience so far. As she picked up her bag I realised mine was not there. I could see it, though, sat in a different section. It had been moved to the area to be checked again. Great. What was the problem? I had two clear bags of toilletries. A kind young guy helped me distribute them into an 'airport bag' (I couldn't see a difference) and stuffed into one bag which didn't even shut. Fine.



I was through! I could see the bar glistening- I was going to treat myself to a gin and tonic as I knew my flight would probably have been delayed for a couple of hours and so I thought I'd buy myself Look magazine and chill out. Perhaps I'd meet back up with my Twitter friend and her pals for a drink and a venting session over the trauma we had been through. I walked up to the screens, where countless faces were peering up to, and frowned. Where was my flight? It wasn't even listed. The 16.50 Ryanair flight wasn't listed....something was up. I looked around and, of course, there is no information desk or any sign of someone working at the airport. I spot two policemen who tell me there is no-one really to ask but to keep an eye on the screens as soon it would come up. The time is now 7pm. I sat there for 10 minutes feeling very confused and proceeded to try and find someone to help. I walked around aimlessly for a few minutes and found a woman in a high-vis jacket trying to help a group of people. I walked over and waited patiently for her to become free to which she proceeded to try and walk off but I quickly ran in front of her. I asked her politely why my flight was not listed. 'If it's not listed it's gone' she answered. I started to panic and asked her how could it have gone? We've all been stuck in a crowd that didn't move, there were no announcements?? 'We're a no-announcement policy airport I'm afraid.' Where you may have read in books about how you can literally feel 'blood boil' is exactly how I then began to feel. It took all the energy in the world to not grab this lady by the head and shake her. Instead, I did the typical thing. I burst into tears.

As the woman walked off I walked aimlessly over to a chair and collapsed down on it. People looked over at me with odd expressions as I smeared my mascara further and further over my face with tears streaming down. When calmer I walked over to another airport worker where I tried to beg for help but simply sobbed again. He pointed to a desk and told me to go over there. I walked over and was told to wait where a lady would take me, and others, back through to the main part of the airport where we could speak to the Ryanair helpdesk. In disbelief, we followed her on a long walk around the departure lounge, through some security doors and then found ourselves at baggage reclaim where we walked through 'Nothing to declare' (although I wanted to declare that I was ready to hurt everyone at the airport) and I was back at the start. A friendly Irishman bantered with me about how ridiculous it was and I followed him silently to the desk. But....the queue for the helpdesk was 2 hours long. Because they do not do announcements.

I couldn't do it. I walked to the bar, bought two bottles of Peroni and downed them. I looked on the internet to find flights to Belfast from Stansted and all showed a price of over £200. I sighed, called the bride and explained then called my boyfriend and he picked me up. While I should have been drinking champagne and listening to comical speeches at this moment of time, I am sat writing this blog.