Can you really take back the years?

Anti-ageing products are everywhere from the TV to the magazines and billboards that we see daily. There is a constant bombardment from the media to turn back the years and look younger. the easiest way to do this is to buy a superbly packaged, superbly expensive and superbly chemical pot of anti-ageing cream.
No longer are wrinkles considered to give a face character, they are now seen as a slippery slope to looking like your grandmother. According to a Boots survey, one in three women over 30 in the UK now use an anti-ageing product and the latest figures show that we spend more than £650 million on them each year.
There are hundreds of products on the market and the majority of them include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Alpha-hydroxy Acids and Retinoids. All are promoted to help reduce wrinkles. Some of the biggest names in anti-ageing products are L'Oreal, Olay, Roc and No7. However research goes to show that these products actually have little or no effect on the skin and all they are good for is good packaging and advertising with people like Andie Macdowell and Jane Fonda fronting campaigns for L'Oreal.No wonder the products are flying off the shelves with all the images of beautiful, AIRBRUSHED women.
There is little a cream can do to take back years of sun exposure, smoking, genetics, drinking and an unhealthy diet so the key ingredient to all these products in my opinion is not all these chemicals but to start looking after your skin at a young age-drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen and take it easy on the cigarettes and booze!

Looking for a job??

These days boob jobs are as common as buying a new designer handbag. The fact is now a days the operation can be performed in one-two hours done under a general anaesthetic. Usually the operation requires an overnight stay in hospital, but occasionally you can have the operation and go home the same day. However recovery time is a few weeks and it is common to still feel pain months after.
For an operation that costs between $4000-$10000 in the US and £3500-£5000 in the UK, women are not afraid to shell out big bucks to look better. In 2006 329,000 breast enlargement operations were performed in America. The most common size to go to 300cc which is the size of a C cup.
Boob jobs are now seen as an acceptable present to give someone maybe at Christmas or for their birthday. Both Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears gave their mothers a trip to the doctor as a present to preserve their 'assets' as they were getting older.In California it is quite common for doting mothers to give their daughters a boob job for their sweet sixteenth- why not it solves the problem of 'late bloomers'! One case in particular came from here in the UK when a girl, Jenna Franklin aged 15 offered implants for her birthday present from her parents, both of whom are in the business. She had been considering it since the age of 12! Some doctors will not operate on anyone under the age of 18 but there is always someone to perform it if you look hard enough and are willing to pay.
However deciding on getting a boob job isn't a simple thing to consider, they can more costly than just the initial operation fee. For a start they last for about 10 years so depending on what age you get them, you're more than likely to have to replace them. We have all seen the horror stories from those dodgy surgeons on TV but these are realistic dangers that every woman faces. Side effects can include breast feeding issues, infection, implant leakage and can also interfere with mammography, a low dose x-ray of the breast tissue used to detect cancer.
The way the western world works now is that if we don't like something about ourselves we can change it, it just comes with a hefty price-tag and a recovery period of a couple of months!

Media Analysis-The horror of horror movies...

I have been one of those people who have watched horror movies since i was about 8. I am not sure whether i enjoyed them or whether it was just the thrill of rebelling against my parents when i watched an 18+ movie. I have become more aware that the older i get, the harder i find it to watch these movies. Whether this is my own personal complex or the fact that movies have become ten times more gruesome in recent times is still something i am trying to work out, probably a little bit of both i guess. Last week i went to see Saw IV, admittedly i've seen the other three and when you buy tickets to the Saw movies you know that you're not going to see a Disney film, however from the opening credits i watched about half the film through my fingers and for the other half i had to cover my face with my scarf. I think the plot is very clever but i cannot help but wonder who comes up with these barbaric ideas of how to disfigure and destroy the human body. On another level im sure anyone who came out of the cinema was secretly looking over their shoulder hoping someone had not taken any ideas from the film and was hoping to test them out! Other films that have received a lot of speculation about the level of gore and violence is Hostel one and two. Creator Eli Roth who came up with the sick plot said he based the film on real life events such as what is going on today in Iraq, a scary comparison but probably true.
The genre of horror has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. There is no comparison to todays horror films with those of a few years ago. The old classics like The Exorcist and the Alfred Hitchcock films are childs play compared to films today. The studios have started to remake horror films such as Halloween and The Texas chainsaw massacre with noticably more blood and violence.
It has been scientifically proven that watching horror films do have an effect on children whether it be having defficulty sleeping after viewing a scary film or avoiding or dreading a dipicted situation in their own lives. However as much as i hate watching these movies, I do sometimes indulge and enjoy the anxiety while being surrounded by friends. The situation quickly turns when i have time to think or i am on my own driving home-my imagination goes into overdrive and before i know it i imagine there is someone hiding in my boot. The appeal of these horror movies is not something i can pinpoint personally; some people like the plot, others the gore, others the suspense. Whatever the attraction they are hard to resist and i find myself always going back for more.

Media Analysis- A bride at three

I was flicking through the pages of Grazia magazine the other day and i came came across an article that really struck a chord in me. There was a picture and article about a little girl called Sunam from Afghanistan. At the tender age of three, Sunam has already been betrothed to her seven-year-old cousin. Dressed up in a veil, white dress, with hair and make-up done, Sunam has been given as a gift from her father to his sister, who is desperate for a daughter of her own. When questioned about her engagement party this summer, she fiddled with her dress and looked blankly at her family,not out of shyness but out of the fact that she is unable to talk much. Sunam and her fiancee now live together as siblings but when they reach their mid-teens they will get married. This situation is a regular occurrence in Afghan where statistics from UNICEF show that 16 per cent of children are married by the age of 15, especially those from poorer families. The poverty of recent years has shown that the marriage age in some areas has lowered below 15. To read this is such a shock when we come from such a free nation with so many choices. The match is made by the children's parents and often results in a miserable union for the rest of their lives. Sunam will grow up and be considered the property of the groom's family.Her future looks set to be little more than a slave who will cook, clean and have children for her husband. Often the wives are subjected to violence, if she disobeys her own family in the union or her grooms family once she is married. The man can also take a second wife if he loves her, according to both Afghan and Islamic culture. The girls are trapped in these marriages and it is very common for them to run away or commit suicide. In the cases that they run away they often end up involved in drugs and prostitution as the only way to support themselves. The minimum legal age of marriage in Afghanistan is 16 for girls and 18 for boys, however this is often overlooked and child marriages account for 43% of all marriages. Often the brides family is happy to receive a larger some of money for her at a younger age rather than wait a year or two.
There are several organisations trying to improve the situation in Afghan and lobby for more rights for women. In March of this year, the woman's ministry and rights group Medica Mondiale started a campaign to encourage marriage registration before a judge in the hope that this will cut down the amount of forced and child marriages. The realisation that this is going on in our world is not something that we are exposed to every day, however with a little research it is a subject with much depth and an ongoing issue with which girls younger than ourselves must deal with everyday. For more information on this subject go to www.womenforafghanwomen.org and www.medicamondiale.org.

Hot Stone Therapy

Hot stone massage therapy has been around in many cultures for many years. Its popularity has grown and it has now become one of the most requested massage treatments in spas and practices all over the world. Healers use basalt stones and warm them on hot coals or in hot water. The stones are arranged along the energy centers of the body and are used as tools to deliver effective tissue and muscle massage at a pressure level comfortable to the client. The heat of the stones allows a deeper and more intense massage because the muscles are so relaxed. Hot stone therapy can help in the treatment of muscular aches, strains, arthritic conditions and insomnia. It also helps to improve circulation and reduce stress, anxiety, tension and depression.
During the treatment the client lies on a couch with strategically placed stones under them and on top of them,both separated by a towel or cloth. Oil is applied to the skin and the therapist glides the hot stones across the bodies meridian lines. Different sized stones are applied to different parts of the body, for example; large stones are placed in the palms of the hands while coin sized stones are lightly wedged between the toes.This massage is used to balance chief energy centers, benefiting the whole body and leaving the client feeling rejuvenated and relaxed. The hot stones expand the blood vessels, pushing blood and unwanted waste materials through the body. This has a sedative effect on the nervous system and ensures that every cell in the body receives more oxygen and nutrients while at the same time waste material is removed more effectively.
I am obsessed with massages and during my time in Thailand got one religiously every day. I always feel relaxed and much more positive after a treatment.I have not been for a hot stone massage yet but my mum has and loved it. However treatments are pricey at around £50 for an hours treatment so unfortunately it will not be a regular occurrence. It is a brilliant pamper present for yourself or someone special if you're feeling generous.

A breath of fresh air

Facials have been around for years but with new research and technology different treatments have been appearing on the market all the time. One of the most talked about treatments at the moment is an oxygen facial which is the latest in bio-technology and proving to be highly successful. This is a high-pressure blast of oxygen that delivers serums containing vitamins, minerals and collagen to the skin. It offers similar effects of a chemical peel and microdermabrasion without the injections and side effects. The purpose of the facial is to leave your skin feeling cleansed, revitalised and looking years younger. The skin is exfoliated and then blasted with oxygen. This results in an instant firming and lifting effect by using hyberbaric technology to saturate the skin with oxygen and infues a rejuvenating hyaluranic acid serum leaving a clearer, plumper and smoother face. The price of one treatment ranges from £65 upwards. Supposedly a one hour treatment feels the same as skiing in the Alps for 2 weeks, a very tempting proposition for working women looking to feel revitalised during their lunch hour. The facial is proving popular with celebrities as women like Madonna, Sienna Miller and Jennifer Aniston swear by it weekly. If I wasn’t on a student budget I would definatly book in for a treatment, meanwhile a brisk walk in the winter will have to do.

Could drinking tea really help you lose weight?

Wu-Long is a Chinese slimming tea new to the market. With a slogan of 'Melts away fat like magic' it grabs the attention of anyone trying to get rid of those stubborn inches around the waistline. By replacing your regular high calorie beverages each day with Wu-Long tea, 37 scientific studies published within the last several months show the nutrients in it may help 'melt way body fat; clarify skin, help fight signs of aging and strengthen your mind and immune system. The tea works on the basis of dissolving fat.The leaves contain poly phenol, this activates the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving triglyceride. Triglyceride is a type of fat contained in the body and an accumulation causes weight gain.
The cultivation of Wu-Long tea requires skill and outstanding craftsmanship. The leaves are harvested and then nourished by the sun. Then they are dried indoors to promote fermentation. The most crucial step in the production of Wu-Long tea is hen to stop fermentation. It takes great skill to determine when this time is, which is when the leaves are 30% red and 70% green. After this they are rubbed repeatedly to generate ideal flavour, aroma and texture. Then they are dried using charcoal and graded by a tea master. The easiest way to find Wu-Long tea is over the Internet. There are several websites of which it is hard to determine which are genuine, each are as convincing as the net but i preferred http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif. This gives the reader information about the tea and also numerous success stories of weight loss. The website is well designed and hard to resist. Jumping of the screen is what can only be described as pure propaganda- success stories,celerity followers such a Oprah Winfrey and being promoted in numerous best selling magazines. It offers special promotions when u buy online which include buy 6, get 6 free, encouraging you to buy in bulk because there is a limited supply of the product. A free tea infuser gift and a money back guarantee in writing is also part of the package. All this propaganda unfortunately lured me in and before i knew it i was entering my credit card details and checking the post daily. For £22 lets hope its my fat melting away and not just my bank balance.

The beauty of botox...

These days nipping out of the office to get a botox injection is getting as common as meeting the girls for lunch. Its chemical name is Botulimun toxin and it is one of the most poisonous naturally occuring sustances in the world. However, used in small doses it is used to treat painful muscle spasms and is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in the world. It was discovered in 1944 and developed as a cosmetic treatment in 2002. It is used to soften the appearance of lines on the face. This is done by a quick 10-minute, non medical process involving a few tiny injections. Results show within a few days but it is for a limited duration. It varies from person to person and some results can last as short as 6 weeks or as long as 8 months. It is approved to perform on people aged 18-65. Side effects are rare if the procedure is carried out properly, however the most common are paralysis of the wrong muscle group, bruising and allregic reactions. In some cases though a loss of expression can occur where we see people looking a bit startled! Prices vary from about £200 upwards. Celebrities go crazy over botox with women like Sharon Osbourne, Cindy Crawford and Kylie Minogue admitting to getting injections regularly. Botox is something I would consider when I am older. It is a relatively new procedure so I think it will be interesting in the next couple of years to see if there is actually any long term effects discovered and it is something that I would do a lot of research into before going ahead with the procedure. I think a few wrinkles gives the face character but if my face was going to look like a cracked pavement at 55 then book me in now!

Edamame Beans

The edamame bean is the latest superfood to attract the attention of the media. Edamame means ‘beans on branches’ and are infact just a type of green soyabean picked before they ripen. They look like a cross between a broad bean and a pea. In recent times they have been given a fashionable makeover with stars like Cheryl Cole, Victoria Beckham and Gwenyth Paltrow snacking on them during the day in order to maintain their tiny waists.
The beans orginated in China as a major source of protein since about 200 BC. The beans are highly nutritious and a great replacement for meat as they contain not only protein but fibre, omega 3 and iron. The attraction is that they are apparently packed with life-saving and health boosting qualities. Research shows that a regular intake of soya products have reduced the risk of several types of cancer. Research is currently being carried out on the edamame bean as a possible preventitive against heart disease, the menopause and cancer, aswell as lowering cholesterol.
They are best cooked in boiling water, popped out of the pods and then sprikled with salt. Since becoming a ‘trend’ they are now a very successful dish in both japenese and chinese restaurants. Most major supermarkets stock them; sold in frozen bags either shelled or in their pods. They are relatively cheap retailing at around £3/£4 a bag. I would definitely buy them and include them as part of my weekly diet and asking a couple of my housemates; they would also try them out.

Acai: Super-Berry

My first feature focuses on the Acai berry that has recently attracted a lot of media attention.
The Acai berry hails from Acai palm trees that grow in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. The berry is about the size of a blueberry and is dark purple in colour. The berry consists of mostly seed, covered by a small amount of pulp.
Its most common form of intake is as a drink. The berries are soaked in water to soften the thin outer shell and then strained to produce a dense purple liquid that can be added to preferred ingredients.




The berry has become popular because of its substantial health benefits. Hailed the ‘super-berry’, it is one of the most nutritious foods of the Amazon. Each berry contains unusually high levels of vitamins, healthy omega fats, amino acids, minerals, anthocyanins, antioxidants, fibre, plant sterols and protein. In comparison to some other fruits it has ten times the antioxidant level of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Regular intake of the berry has proven to reduce the risk or prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s to name a few. Such are the properties of the berries that they are used in Brazilian herbal medicine to treat diarrhea, skin ulcers and fever. Acai berries are also proven to boost brain activity, make the skin healthy and supple, and provide natural energy.
Despite the benefits for health, the berries are very hard to get hold of. They are available at juice and smoothie bars but to actually buy them is quite difficult. I checked with five major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and none of them stocked the berries. This puts them in a specialist range and appeals to a certain market because the easiest way that I found to purchase them was over the internet. An alternative is to grow them at home but in the UK this could be slightly difficult as they only grow in tropical rainforest conditions! The average price for one kilogram is about £4 but this changes depending on the form of the berries; whole berries, pulp, juice or powder.
The Acai berry has taken Hollywood by storm and has celebrities such as Owen Wilson, Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Slater as devout followers who swear by the berry however it has yet to do the same in the UK. I think this is due to its difficulty to access and also its availability to such a target upper class market. The fact that it is expensive and that the easiest way to buy it is over the internet means that it is not likely that many people will introduce it as a regular part of their diet.

Beauty Trends

Over the past couple of years there has been a constant media saturation of new beauty treatments and ‘essential’ diet requirements. There trends correspond to the ongoing weight obsession that has taken over the media today. Reinforced by celebrities these trends catch on quickly and are designed to target the young female looking to improve her body image. Nowadays it seems that women and young girls will spend huge money to try the latest ‘fad’ in an attempt to look better. In my blogs I will pick out ten current trends and products and examine them to see if they are just a faze, or whether they will be here to stay and become a regular part of our lives.

Oops, Britney's done it again.

In 1998 fresh faced and at the tender age of seventeen, Britney Spears appeared before us wearing a schoolgirl uniform and singing her number one debut single 'Baby one more time'. An instant success she was pop royalty with a huge following of both kids and adults.
Spears was a role model to every young girl. A sweet, southern Christian who advocated no sex before marriage beliefs she was, 'The American dream'. In 2002 she was named 'Most powerful celebrity' by Forbes magazine, had won a Grammy award and by 2003 was the only solo artist with three consecutive number one albums. Not only was her career on top form, as was her personal life enjoying a four year relationship with teen heart-throb Justin Timberlake.
Unfortunately their relationship ended in 2002 in a very high profile split which painted her in a bad picture after suspicions of her being unfaithful arose. More bad news was to follow when in 2004 Spears shocked the world by marrying childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander while she was in Las Vegas. The marriage was annulled fifty-five hours later. The world had begun to see a new side of Britney; however this was a shadow of what was to come.

Barely fresh from the scandal of her marriage, Spears started a relationship with one of her back up dancers. Three months into the relationship they announced their engagement. Eyebrows were raised as to how successful this latest relationship with bad boy Kevin Federline would be, however they married in September 2004 and shortly after Spears announced a career break to start a family. She gave birth to her first son in September 2005.
By this stage cracks in both Spears' professional and personal life had appeared. Rarely was she out of the tabloids accusing her of being a bad mother, white trash, letting her career slip away and that her marriage was already on the rocks. Pictures also surfaced of Spears looking scruffy and unkept, a world away from the pop princess of just a year before.
Just months after giving birth to her first son, Spears announced she was pregnant again. She gave birth to another baby boy in September 2006. Speculations on her marriage proved to be right when in November she filed for Divorce against Federline.
Things went from bad to worse; 2007 has proved to be quite the year for Britney Spears as fans around the world are silenced and shocked by her every move. Constantly in tabloids, it shows Spears looking a mess and displaying erratic behaviour. In February the world stood and watched as she reached an all time low, shaving her hair off. This resulted in several stints in rehab to try and gather her life together and prove she could take care of her kids. Last month she made an attempted 'comeback' performing her new single 'gimme more' at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Critics tore her apart for looking 'disorientated' and 'confused' on stage, which was plain for anyone to see. Long gone are the days of the pop princess who was performing in front of thousands during her multi-million dollar shows.
Most recently Spears could be facing a year in jail after being officially charged with misdemeanour hit and run and driving without a licence. She has also temporarily lost physical custody of her children to Federline.
Who knows what is in store for the future but I think that everyone hopes that one day she will regain her title and pull her life together.

Shocking news models on a new diet...diet coke.

It is an age old connection between models and drugs so why do we get so obsessed when stars such as Kate Moss or Jodie Kidd get caught in the act? Reality is these days that drugs are everywhere, especially among the young and rich in society.
It is a shocking realisation but we can't really expect the catwalk models to be the size they are and eat a healthy three meals a day like the rest of us. To be that skinny it takes a lot more work than just watching what you eat and for most models drugs are a simple solution. The size zero debate rages on to the point now that eyes roll when it is mentioned because it is so 'overdone'. However, the fact of the matter is that it is those girls jobs to be the size they are. Although it is fair to say that some of them are too skinny, it is hard to deny that clothes do look better on them. Take for example a Julien MacDonald dress do you really think it would look better on a size 12?
The models get booked for shows,make lots of money and are told how fabulous they look. The story would be completely different if they were to put weight to promote a healthier image. Although some would praise them, the sick realisation of it would be they would be dropped from the catwalk shows and more than likely end up on the front of some magazine for being a little 'curvy'.
To sum it up drugs, models and the fashion industry are stuck in a viscous circle.One that will be difficult to break free from. Until the media speculation on weight stops or the fashion industry makes a conscious decision to ban all girls below a certain weight and not just one or two shows, the battle will still rage on between models and drugs.

Hi im mayla,just started uni in epsom. Moved over here from ireland a week ago and absolutly loving.