We are almost 2 weeks in to 2014 and they have gone by so quick.
I was back to work on Monday, the first day back after the Christmas break is always inset and in my place we use it as a review day of what went well and even better if......
I guess schools are no different to individuals in wanting to reflect back over the past year so see what did work and what could have been improved.
As I was driving into work one morning I suddenly realised how different I was now compared to this time last year. I was ill in January 2013 and I was struggling to cope with all sorts of issues, anxiety being one of them. Anxiety came about as I was ill and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong and it took until mid March to get to a point of knowing what was wrong with me and starting to put it right. I spent the first part of 2013 very unhappy, highly anxious, ill and upset. Now I feel contentment, I am better with regard to my anxiety and I am on the right track once again. I don't often want to think about those dark days let alone discuss in the public domain. However I feel that I wanted to share the message of hope to those who need it, it is the truth when you hear the saying it is always darkest before dawn. If you are in a bad place there is always hope, the first step on the road to recovery is always the hardest but once you make that first step things do get easier. I am enjoying life once again, singing in the car and looking forward to all the little things in life. I think the one thing I have taken from the last year is that we cannot change our past as it has happened and we cannot wait for the future but to concentrate on the here and now. I once wanted a tattoo saying "That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger" quoted from Fredrich Nietzsche, who knows I may still go for it to add to my 6 others but for now I am happy enough to just reflect on that.
I know some people keep a happiness journal, others a normal journal but I wanted to start something else off for 2014. I purchased a book from Amazon called Q & A a day - 365 questions, 5 years, 1825 answers. It has a fabulous quote in the front by Andy Warhol "they always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself" and I thought this quote summed up perfectly the last year. This book is great, its not a huge commitment just a few lines each day answering the question of the day and this journal gives you the opportunity to answer that question again over the next 4 years. It is then a record of how you felt or whatever and you should be able to see the changes over the years.
The question I had to answer yesterday was "write down something that inspired you today." Working in a school I would have thought that would be an easy question to answer, after all I read fantastic blogs each day, work with brilliant people, I am learning all the time and the students never cease to amaze me I am lucky enough to feel inspiration each and every day, but....this question was tough it was asking for one thing that inspired me, not a list. I sat and thought about it, reflected and decided that there was a moment in the day that inspired me above all else and that was listening to John Lennon's Imagine during a year 8 Humanities class. It has always been a lovely song to listen to but hearing with a group of 12/13 year olds it was like hearing it for the first time I could see the message was clear to them as it was to me, live life in peace. Music plays a big part in my life at work and at home, we are a musical school the students get 2 hours of music lessons a week, music is used in other lessons and I always think a song can change the mood of a lesson or the mood of an individual.
Wow deep I didn't mean for this to be so deep.
So....moving on.
I decided that along with the new year, new term I was going to try out a new routine with regard to beauty. First off I decided that I will double clean my skin of a night, especially when I have been wearing make up. I use Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleaner first
click here for details and wipe clean with a muslin cloth and then I go over with with my clarisonic and Oil of Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Cream Wash
click here. After cleansing I am now using products from the Medik8 range, including the facial roller. I will not lie, the roller was painful to start with but it took 2 or 3 days to get used to the sensation and the skin is very red for a while after (which is why the procedure is conducted at night). Since starting that I have felt my skin really freshen up, and I am am not getting as many dry patches and break outs as I normally do this time of year. My dental hygiene has also changed, I hate the thought of having bad teeth (or seeing people with bad teeth) I hate the dentist visits too. So I looked around to what could help on op of the normal brushing twice daily and flossing, a new toothbrush was ordered, as my last one was on its last legs, an Oral B 5000 Trizone and with that I also ordered a Phillips Airflosser. Since using both my teeth have become whiter, they feel smoother than before and I hope it will keep the dentist visits to the minimum.
I also changed up my work make up. I moved back to MAC Studio Fix in NW30, I had been using Benefit's Hello Flawless in Ivory but I felt it was too pale for me and the coverage was so so, not sure I would agree with the brightening tag, but you can see I have given it a good try.
I had forgotten how much I love the feel of a MAC foundation on my skin, light, creamy with just the right amount of coverage. I thought I would give a cream blusher a go, so I moved from Dior to MAC Blush Creme in Brit Wit.
I have a decent amount of make up and I like to change things around to keep things fresh. With all these changes I wanted to start to keep a log of my make up, what brands, finishes, colours etc I like and what doesn't work well for me and I wondered how other people keep a log of their make up, what they have and what works etc. I sort of what to keep a note of all my products and also what I want to buy, so I dont buy duplicates when I have no need to, so I know when I go shopping what I do want to purchase and also what works for me what doesn't. So I am going to end this by asking what do you do to keep track of your make up, do you note your products or just rely of remembering? It would be good to hear from you.
In the mornings before putting on my make up I use a lip balm from MAC and I always carry a balm with me to use before applying lipstick or if I am not wearing a gloss. My current favorite balms are the Sleek Pout Polish received in my Glossybox a few weeks ago and Crème de la Mer The Lip Balm. The Crème de la Mer Lip Balm is very expensive admittedly at £42 a pot available here but lasts absolutely ages, is very softening and has a minty taste, lipstick sits nicely on the top.
