Red Wine and Kit Kats

That's what I had for my dinner tonight and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Only me and Special Boy were at home and he was more than happy to be served one of his favourites, toasted cheese with a poached egg on top plus a bowl of tomato soup on the side and all washed down with a cup of tea and a chocolate milkshake.  Bliss for both of us as it meant minimal cooking for me. 

What no one tells you when you embark on motherhood is that you are signing-up to make the dinner for probably the next twenty years.  Every night.  For twenty years. 

Oh! the tyranny of it!  One won't eat red meat, one doesn't like fish that's too fishy, or rice that's gone into clumps, or soup that's been pureed, or sweetcorn, or the pointy ends of sausages, or peas, or brocolli... If I hit upon something that everyone likes I'm so delighted that I make it again and again until they unreasonably go mental at the sight of it.  I can tell you that the joy of cooking, if there was any there in the first place, has well and truly boiled dry and if I could serve food in tablet-form I would. 

I've eaten the same breakfast (porridge) and the same lunch (banana sandwich or toast and marmalade) for donkey's years.  If I ever live alone I will extend this to teatime as well, perhaps not always Kit Kats and red wine, but definitely - most definitely - the occasional tin of condensed milk.  Yummy.

 

Teeth Whitening with Crest Whitestrips

Mentioning teeth whitening has just reminded me.  A student dentist friend of Gorgeous Girl uses these Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects Premium Plus, available from this website:
http://www.discounthealthproducts.co.uk/

Really works.

Sharon Stone at 51 in The Telegraph

It seems that "Timeless Beauties" don't age if Sharon Stone is anything to go by.  There she was in a special luxury magazine inside The Telegraph on Saturday, looking not a day over 37, and posing in a strapless dress.  Where were the saggy jowls?  Or the pasty-coloured loose skin?  Any age spots?  Grey hair?  No, there was none of any of these things and for the first time ever I heard myself shouting at a magazine.  Can she really be this gorgeous at 51?  Is it possible she may have had cosmetic surgery of some sort?  HRT? Teeth whitening?  Air-brushing?   Probably all of the above but I still can't help measuring myself against her and coming off really, really badly.  No wonder plump teenage girls feel inadequate.  I feel their pain.

The Olay Total Effects is going surprisingly well!   Every morning and evening I massage it into my face but instead of only doing it once I do it about three or four times.   Although my skin is the softest I've ever felt it, it's not the result I was hoping for - not yet anyway.

Here's someone else with a soft face.

Scotland In Bloom

I am reeling.  I have just seen a photograph of myself in the local paper.  God Almighty!   I really think I'm going to have to destroy every copy (conveniently it is Guy Fawkes night).  I was at the Scotland In Bloom Awards to pick up a certificate for the efforts we are making in the village.  We had to go up on stage to get the certificate and then pose with it while a photographer clicked...then clicked again... just one more... I knew it would be hideous but this! - this is just cruel! What the hell has happened to my neck?  And I'll NEVER wear that cardigan again.   Even though they got my name wrong it is, tragically, unmistakably me.  The worst aspect of it all is (sob) I thought I looked fine at the time!!!   I told you - it's hell over 50.  Now where are those fireworks?

Trial No.2 - Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti Ageing

Family life and this, that and the next thing meant I was once again shopping for what I consider to be a luxurious, life-enhancing product in the mundane setting of Asda.   Shoved along the conveyor belt among the cat crunchies and Maris Pipers, the Olay Total Effects lost a bit of its glamour but I feel a renewed excitement when I read this:

"Total Effects provides 7 powerful anti-ageing benefits in 1 essential product that is fragrance free:
 1  Line Minimisation - visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,
  2  Nourishing Moisturisation - For a Radiant Healthy Glow,
  3  Tone Enhancement: Balances colour and visibly reduces appearance of age spots,
  4  Gentle Exfoliation: Smoothes and evens skin texture,
  5  Pore Refinement: Minimises the appearance of pores,
  6  With Anti Oxidants:  Helps prevent the radical damage to the skin's surface layers,
  7  Subtle Firming: Hydrates for firmer skin appearance (yes! that's the part I'm interested in)
The result?  Visibly younger looking skin every day."

The night cream's blurb was just the same, except for reminding us that all the above would happen "while you sleep".

So, off I go again with hope in my heart.  The pots look the same as the last ones and there's not much difference in the packaging.  Perhaps the contents could be interchangeable too.  But no, I won't be negative. I'm really quite optimistic about number 7 on that list, although "subtle firming" is a bit weak for my liking. 

Tonight I'll apply the night cream extra-copiously.  Maybe that's where I went wrong with the L'Oreal - let's give it the benefit of the doubt. 

(£13.96 per pot)



























































































            

Trial No.1- L'Oreal Revitalift - The Results

Well, the four weeks are up and here are my findings - but first let me remind you of their claims:

"Elastin, similar to that found in the skin...: skin feels firmer and more toned." ..."Day after day the skin's elasticity is improved: wrinkles appear reduced and skin looks visibly smoother," and " Skin feels firmer: 96% agree"

The results:
1  My skin doesn't feel firmer and more toned, in fact, it feels no different at all,
2  My skin's elasticity hasn't improved one bit,
3  Can't really comment on whether wrinkles appear reduced because I'm not bothered with them - yet.        (Thank you God),
4  My skin does not feel firmer - who were those 96%?

If anything, I think I look... (I'm filling up here) slightly worse!   But I'm not blaming L'Oreal.  Four weeks is a long time in elastin depletion terms, and, although they hint at it, they're not miracle-workers.  However, I will not be boycotting their products because without our money they won't be able to continue their research and then where will we be?   Scary.  So keep trying, L'Oreal.  Revitalift may not be your best effort but with all that money rolling in I think you've got potential.  You may be worth it yet.