After what seems like years, but is probably only a few weeks days researching mineral foundation, I think I have finally found the brand for me.
Afterglow.
According to everything I have read, Afterglow mineral cosmetics are not full of a lot of crappy cheap chemical ingredients that are often used in traditional cosmetics.
Afterglow is free from many of the synthetics, preservatives, petro-chemical, dyes, and fillers.
Afterglow Cosmetics are Paraben free, Bismuth Oxychloride free, fragrance free, and gluten free.
Afterglow cosmetics are Leaping Bunny Approved, which means they don’t test their products on animals, or use suppliers who test products on animals.
Even the brushes that Afterglow sell are Cruelty Free Vegan Cosmetic Brushes made from taklon.
Last but not least Afterglow are PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) certified.

All I have to do now is figure out what colour foundation to order.
I am very pale, my skin has a yellow tinge to it, and there is no rosey colour in my cheeks.

I emailed Afterglow yesterday asking for help in choosing the correct shade.
I received a reply today, which said that from what I had told them about my skin, I would need one of the 6 lightest shades.
They also told me that if I tell them the colour of the foundation that I currently use they will colour match it for me, or if I prefer I can send them a sample of my makeup and they will correctly match it as near as possible.
I thought that was excellent service.
Unfortunately it doesn’t really help me, as all of my makeup is older than the universe, which means that none of the colours match my current skin tone anyway!
Oh well, I guess I’ll have to make a decision by myself ……. I feel stressed just thinking about it I am incredibly indecisive.
I think I will ask Richard to take a close-up photo of my face, hopefully the camera won’t break, and then I’ll try to compare my skin colour with the samples on the Afterglow website.
Not perfect, but it’s a start. Hopefully then I will be able to decide which colour I need from the lightest 6 which include, Pearl, Cameo, Ivory, Porcelain, Bisque, and Beige.
It’s not easy being a woman - and it’s definitely not easy being me.

INDIA

Kimberley Swann, 16, was reportedly fired from her job in an office because she posted that her job was “boring” on social networking website Facebook.
Kimberley also posted, “It’s s***. All I do is shred, hole-punch and scan paper.”

Apparently Kimberley did not name firm Ivell Marketing & Logistics on Facebook, but bosses found out and sacked her with immediate effect because of the comments she posted. Kimberley was then reportedly marched her off the premises in Clacton, Essex, England.

Kimberley, who had worked at Ivell Marketing & Logistics for just three weeks, said, “You shouldn’t be hassled outside work.
“It was only a throw-away comment.
“I came home from work one day, sat on the computer and said something about my job being boring.
“They were just being nosey.
“I think it is really sad. It makes them look stupid that they are going to be so petty.”

Kimberley’s mother, Janette, 41, also expressed her opinion about her daughter being sacked, she said,”I think she’s been treated totally unfairly. She didn’t mention the company’s name.
“This is a 16-year-old child we’re talking about. She says Clacton is boring but we’re not going to throw her out of the house for it.”

But Kimberley’s boss Steve Ivell said other staff could access her webpage and view her “status” comments.
He added, “Ivell Marketing is a small, close-knit family company and it is very important that all the staff work together in harmony.
“Had she put up a poster on the notice board making the same comments and invited other staff to read it, there would have been the same result.
“Her display of disrespect and dissatisfaction undermined the relationship and made it untenable.”

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said employers should grow “a thicker skin”, adding, “Just because snooping on personal conversations is possible these days, it doesn’t make it healthy.”
He added, “Most employers wouldn’t dream of following their staff down the pub to see if they were sounding off about work to their friends.”

Well as the saying goes there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
I guess it’s all good advertising for Facebook which has been in the news a lot recently. Last month, Marks & Spencer staff were caught branding customers ‘idiots’ and ‘cheap little b******s’ in a Facebook forum.
And In November, British Airways staff hit the headlines after it emerged they had called passengers ’smelly and annoying’, and Virgin Atlantic sacked 13 crew for describing passengers as ‘chavs’.

This isn’t the first time someone has lost their job because of the content they posted on Facebook, maybe Facebook should be referred to as a Social ‘Not’ Working website from now on?

Facebook, or any other website for that matter, is NOT private.
Nothing on the internet is private.
It always surprise me that people don’t seem to realise that fact.
Facebook strikes again!

GIBRALTAR

Poor Richard, I don’t know how he lives with me!
When we first decided that we didn’t want to live in England anymore, Richard said he was interested in living in Italy or more specifically Sicily.
I said, “No”!
So we moved here to France, and that was the end of that ……. until now.

This morning I was messing about online and I must have read something about Italy and Sicily, although I can’t remember what I read or where now? But whatever it was that I read, I have since been fantasising all day about living in Sicily.
My daydreaming; daydreaming is probably my all time favourite activity about Sicily has meant that I have just wasted nearly two hours online looking at property for sale in Sicily ……. damn my OCD.

I don’t know why I feel like moving again?
I’ve always quite liked moving - despite the fact that moving is said to be one of the most stressful things in life. I’ve never found it particularly stressful, probably because ever since the day I was born I have moved quite frequently so it feels perfectly ‘normal’, and the reason I didn’t want to live any further away from the UK than France, is no longer relevant.
So if we do happen to find a big bundle of money under our pillows courtesy of the tooth fairy ……. we’ll be off to pastures new faster than you can say, “We’d like to move to Sicily, but is it a good idea, or should we just stay here because we absolutely love living here and as the saying goes, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ ” - so not that fast at all really - well these things take time you know!

Vines growing locally in and around our village

So as I said at the beginning of this post, “Poor Richard, I don’t know how he lives with me!”
When he wanted to move to Sicily I didn’t, and now it isn’t possible for us to move to Sicily I quite like the idea, (although I’m not completely sure I want to live on an island). Maybe that’s why I feel like moving to Sicily? I think I want to move to Sicily, because I know it isn’t really a possibility?
Crikey, I figured that out all on my own!
Who needs Freud?

GERMANY

I like this basic cotton dress by Charley Gamper, it’s fun.

Hand-made and hand-dyed, with appliqued, hand-stitched and embroidered illustration detail, it’s 100% cotton, bright turqouise green, £85

FRANCE

I quite like this messenger style bag. It’s a laptop bag, although I wouldn’t use it as such as I rarely take the laptop out. This bag looks pretty cool so it could be used as a regular bag, I love the bright cheerful ornage colour, although I’d like it much more if it were leather.

Here’s what Zaum say about this product ~
Handmade laptop bag is approximately 15.25″ x 3″x11″. Outer fabric- red, and dark gray vinyl. Interior fabric is black retro flowers cotton canvas, and dark red cotton broadcloth inside laptop sleeve, and pockets. Foam padded for extra security. Zipped pocket on exterior front. One interior flat pocket, sectioned for CD’s, phone, pens, etc., and three gusseted pockets for battery, cables, ipod, etc. Fitted laptop sleeve included (14.25″x1.25″x9.75″). Fits all 15″ model Apple laptops. Adjustable shoulder strap. Magnetic snap closure.
$170

ENGLAND

Kate Winslet won an Oscar for Best Actress in her new film, The Reader.
Danny Boyle won Best Director for his film Slumdog Millionaire which won a total of 8 awards at the 2009 Oscars.
During her acceptance speech Kate said, “I’d be lying if I haven’t made a version of this speech before.
“I think I was probably 8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror and this (Oscar) would be a shampoo bottle. But it’s not a shampoo bottle now.”

Here is the full list of Oscar Winners 2009 ~

BEST PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire -
Christian Colson

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST ACTRESS: Kate Winslet (The Reader)

BEST ACTOR: Sean Penn (Milk)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Dustin Lance Black (Milk)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST ANIMATION: Wall-E - Andrew Stanton

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: La Maison En Petits Cubes - Kunio Kato

BEST ART DIRECTION: Donald Graham Burt & Victor J. Zolfo (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Michael O’Connor (The Duchess)

BEST MAKEUP: Greg Cannom (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM : Jochen Alexander Freydank (Spielzeugland)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Man On Wire - James Marsh and Simon Chinn

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Smile Pinki - Megan Mylan

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton & Craig Barron (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)

OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING: Richard King (The Dark Knight)

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke & Resul Pookutty (Slumdog Millionaire)

OUTSTANDING FILM EDITING: Chris Dickens (Slumdog Millionaire)

JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Jerry Lewis

BEST MUSIC (SCORE): A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST MUSIC (SONG): “Jai Ho” - Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyric by Gulzar (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Departures: Japan (directed by Yojiro Takita)

I am so pleased that kate Winslet won an Oscar, she definitely deserved it.
Kate has been nominated for an award on 5 previous occasions.
She has already won a BAFTA award, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild award this season.
Needless to say Kate Winset’s acceptance speech was a rather breathless and emotional affair, but it was clear to see how unbelievable happy and proud Kate felt as she clutched her Oscar.

I was hoping Kate Winslet would win an Oscar she is one of my favourite actresses, and along with Danny Boyle it was a refreshing change to see truly talented people being rewarded for all of their hard work.
Very often in the film industry, awards are given not to those people who have genuine talent, but to those who tick certain boxes; fit a certain criteria.
Last year whilst watching a chat show I remember a very famous actress saying that the people who decide who will receive an Oscar don’t even bother to watch any of the films that they are supposed to judge. Apparently they have several means of choosing a winner, including picking a name at random, picking a name of someone they know or know of, or picking a name that the media have been tipping for an award.
It’s all a bit of a sham, but this year for a change a truly talented actress has taken home an Oscar.
Congratulations to Kate Winslet and Danny Boyle - I imagine they are both over the moon.

EGYPT

Erica Norman paints beautiful pictures on the expanding bumps of mums to be, because she wants them to feel special for the day.

Erica said, “First I ventured into body art and then I took my hand to pregnant tummies.
“I got the opportunity when a friend who was expecting asked me to paint her bump, my business has gone from strength to strength since.”

The non-permanent images are easily removed when the pregnant mums bathe.

Speaking about her art Erica said, “I have had four children myself, so I know that expecting mums can feel washed out and tired.
“This gives them a bit of time off to get pampered.
“They also get to celebrate their new baby, which is a great thing.
“I started the art after I had my kids, so sadly I didn’t get a chance to experience it myself!”

Cool idea, I’d like a painting on my belly - but I’m not pregnant, I’m just cuddly.

DUBAI

Solveig Barlow, a 10 year old girl, is being dubbed the new Banksy.

Solveig usually sprays graffiti legally on wasteland near her home in Brighton, but she recently agreed to show off her talents for the tabloid newspaper The Sun.
She created a 7ft by 7ft design in just an hour, using 17 cans of spray paint.
The reader’s head is part of the world ‘Sol’ — the first part of Solveig’s name, which she uses as her tag, and also Spanish for ‘Sun’.
Above that is the logo ‘The Sun — We Love It’.
She said, “It is so exciting to be in The Sun.
“I can tell all my mates I’m famous now.’

Solveig has legally created 20 large works on graffiti sites near her home in Brighton since she first started painting two years ago.
She has also painted on part of the Berlin Wall, in Stockwell, South London, and at Portsmouth FC’s Fratton Park stadium.

Experts are calling Solveig Barlow “a major talent” and a potential successor to Banksy, 34, whose graffiti murals have been know to sell for huge sums.

Solveig, which means sunray in Norwegian, was named in tribute to her Scandinavian grandmother.
She says, “I love painting and I hope I can be really good in the future.
“I’m not sure where I get my inspiration. I must just have a good imagination.
“My favourite graffiti artist right now is called Roid, who is brilliant.”

Solveig’s parents, Heidi, 36, and Paul, 38, are understandable proud of their daughters graffiti, as long as she sticks to spraying in designated areas.
Paul, a magazine writer, said, “I wasn’t sure about getting her cans of paint at first but she kept saying she wanted to have a go.
“So we let her do her thing and the results were amazing. She was a natural.
“She’s just a normal ten year old who enjoys riding her bike. She’s not particularly loud or extroverted. But she’s caught a lot of people’s attention with her paintings.”

Speaking about her piece for The Sun, Solveig said, “I hope my Sun picture will brighten one or two of your readers’ days. That would be cool.”

I love the work of Banksy, and if Solveig Barlow is half as popular as Banksy she will no doubt be very successful.

Belgium

The ‘last’ bag of Woolworths pick’n’mix is for sale on auction website Ebay.
The sweets are obviously popular as they have attracted bids of more than £360.

Ed Adams, an ex Woolworths store manager, purchased the pic’n’mix just before his shop closed for the final time.
The 800g pic’n’mix bag contains various favourites including, fizzy cola bottles, rhubarb & custards, strawberry bon bons, Turkish delight, white mice, and pineapple cubes.

Mr Adams said he is auctioning the sweets to help raise funds for Retail Trust, a charity for retail industry workers.
So far the sale has attracted 70 bids with the price currently standing at £360.50.

Mr Adams, who managed the Petts Wood branch in Kent, said, “I spotted at least a bag’s worth of pic’n’mix was left in the counter just before I closed the shop for the last time.
“I then decided to bag it up before contacting Retail Trust to see if it could be auctioned on their behalf.
“I hope the auction raises funds to go towards the Retail Trust Helpline, which is a lifeline for retail workers and their families during these difficult times.”

The bag of pick’n'mix has been officially certified by Woolworths’ administrators, Deloitte, as the last one.
A spokesman said, “The administrators of Woolworths PLC have consented to the sale of this item for the benefit of Retail Trust.
“They are pleased to be supporting this worthwhile cause and hope the proceeds will make a difference to those workers helped by the charity.”

The auction ends at midday tomorrow.

I love fizzy cola bottles, but no so much that I’d pay £360 for them though!

Austria

Karolj Pasanski was castrated by muggers after he refused to give them £50 to buy drugs.
Karolj Pasanski was pinned to the ground by two of the muggers while a third sliced off his testicles with a sharp blade.
Karolj Pasanski, 43, managed to stagger a mile to the nearest hospital in Subotica, Serbia, holding his severed genitals in his hand.

Surgeons were successful in saving Karolj Pasanski’s life, but they were unable to replace his testicles.
One of the surgeons who operated on Karolj Pasanski said, “It was a very neat job with two small cuts.
“The attacker clearly has some sort of experience and training, possibly from castrating animals.”

ANDORRA