Sunday 9 September 2012

The real legacy.

We've become quite familiar with the word 'Legacy' over the summer, It seemed to be the hot Olympic word. I like many got totally swept along In Olympic fever, and I thought long and hard about what the Olympic legacy might be. Might we all start watching local hockey matches, take up cycling, develop a passion for athletics, the list was endless. Once the Olympics ended I think it didn't take people long to return to a normal sportless life. There was a sense of pride to be British, proud of team GB, but personally I don't think the whole 'Sporting Legacy' really got off the ground.


I'll be honest, I wasn't sure at all about the Paralympics. I've never watched it before, and it's never been something I've wanted to engage in. I myself have a disability, since the age of five I've had severe Arthritis. My joints are quite severally 'deformed', I struggle to walk, I need help to dress, to put shoes on, the list goes on! Honestly, I've never ever wanted to engage with my disability, I've hated it quite frankly. I despised to use the word 'disabled' when talking about myself, I'd say I had a condition or an illness, anything to not have to use the dreaded D word. Sometimes I use a wheelchair and I hated being in it. I would never make eye contact with people and if anyone did happen to look at me I would be imagining what they are thinking "Aww look at her, poor girl. She'll never have a life" When out in public and I needed help, whether that was to take my coat off or to help me try some shoes on during a shopping trip I'd shut my eyes and blank everything out.

I've been stared at countless times, I've had people ask me out right "What's wrong with you?!" I've loathed myself, I never ever thought someone would find me attractive, I've gone into bars on nights out and held my head down in shame. I've gone out of my way to cover my joints up, to ensure no one could see my swollen wrists or knees. I've been too scared to wear a dress and let people see my legs.

The Paralympics made me feel uncomfortable. I know that says a lot about me! I wasn't sure how it was going to make me feel. One day I was home alone and I settled down with a nice cuppa and started to watch..... I soon found myself swept along! Gradually I noticed people's perceptions were changing, I noticed I was starting to find myself thinking wow! Paralympic fever swept over us all, we stopped noticing the disability and started to see the person, the ability. I genuinely think these games have succeeded to do something that Governments, disability organisations, the press, Tv program's, have been trying to do for years. They've changed public perception to disability. We now don't just see the disability we see what that person can do, disability is something to be proud of. I never ever thought I'd say that! I myself have found myself thinking what can I do?!

For me the Paralympics have left us with the biggest legacy. For the first time in 24 years I want to hold my head up high and say yes, I have a disability and I'm proud.

Thanks for reading!

S xxx


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Thursday 6 September 2012

Ribbons in our hair and our eyes gleamed mean

Ever since I was a little girl I remember loving nail polish. Once School broke up for summer holidays my mum would paint my nails for me, I loved it! I'd feel so grown up and glam. As I got older my love for the polish continued. My collection grew and grew and I started discovering different brands of polish and finding my way in the vast colourful polish world!

These days I seem unable to enter a supermarket or shop and not find my self standing In the beauty isle searching through nail polishes. Always on a mission to find that different shade of pink or that extra sparkly glitter polish. It might sound silly but I get so excited by all the different colours laid out before my eyes! Kid in a candy store springs to mind.

I realised today that I have a significant amount of nail polishes but I always seem to use the same ones over and over. So, on a little mission to correct this I've gone about trying to arrange my collection in an attempt to use all of my various colours!




Quite a lot huh?!





These are the polishes I use the most, can you spot a theme?!




This Ciate polish came in my 'Caviar' set. I love the colour and it's a long lasting polish, lasts a good few days with no chips.








The OH got this for me from work a few weeks ago (he works in the beauty industry!) and it's a really nice, light colour. It needs a few coats in order to get the full effect but you end up with a nice light pink with a slightly blue undertone to it.




I LOVE this shade! I've really got into OPI this year & so far I'm impressed!




I purchased my first Essie polish a few weeks ago, I've seen quite a few bloggers saying how good it is. So far I'm impressed, lasts a good time with no chips.



Big fan of the Rimmel 60 second polishes, as you can tell! Really good if you're like me and super impatient waiting for nails to dry. Nothing worse than spending a good half an hour painstakingly painting to then smudge it.




I grouped all of my glitter & nail effect polishes together in an old glossy box, they are really good for storing polishes and make up. If you're really creative you can make your own draws with your old boxes. I'm yet to try that however..!





One of my friends let me have the use of her hairdressers card at the local beauty supply warehouse. Keeerr-Ching, everything was so much cheaper than on the high street. I picked up this set of glitter polishes by 'Sinfull' I'm like a magpie, drawn to anything that sparkles.







Models own juicy jules. Fab glitter polish. You really do get a good range of sparkly-glitterness, if that makes sense?! I really like applying this over a hot pink colour.









OPI rainbow connection..I stumbled across this polish on amazon, it may as well have had my name written all over it! You get some big chunks of glitter in this polish so it can take a few coats to get an even covering.




I'd had my eye on the Ciate 'Caviar' collection after I read quite a few blogs about it. I couldn't find anywhere online that still had it in stock, everyone went crazy for it! However, on a little trip out to the Trafford Centre with the Mr man I spotted that selfridges had a pop up Ciate caviar shop... So over I trotted (once again like a child at a candy store) I had a little demonstrate of it on my finger, spent half an hour deciding whether or not I needed it in my life (I knew all along I did!) and hey presto here it is!




I think this box is perfect for polish storage... Cute and very spacious.




My polishes are now all grouped together in colour order. Fingers crossed I might stop sticking to my trusted colours.

I'll let you know how I get on!



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