The Foamy Gnome is on the roam!

Here it is the second Rowntrees RANDOM video below, following the adventures of a ‘foamy gnome’, Random’s special pink sweet. As is the case with Random’s, most of the time you have no idea what is going on, which is half the appeal. Also, if anyone is following the Facebook group you may find this even more confusing than the video’s:  ‘Hi ice creams! I am a teapot flower feeling monkey bike! I like Randoms, they are very squidgy chess piece. Bye post boxes!’….um, ok?  
So the story starts with the Foamy Gnome who has left his flatmates, Jedward, behind and is off on a random adventure in his giant hot air balloon. Where will he go? What will he do? And will you get anything for free? Interested parties can follow the gnome on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter to find out! www.rowntrees-randoms.co.uk
In the second video The Foamy Gnome continues his random adventure. Included is a massive people washing machine. See how much Jedward are missing him. Follow the Foamy Gnome’s antics on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr! www.rowntrees-randoms.co.uk
Want to get involved? Want to know where Random’s little foamy friend roams? Visit the site, or the Facebook group. But we need your seahorse help keeping track of him! If you spot him take a picture and upload it onto our Facebook Fanpage for a chance to be added onto our Foamy Gnome Adventure map!

More than Just Thermal Clothing

No doubt you’ve heard of the Damart brand, and dismissed it as ‘thermal vests for old people’. But even thermal vests can be used to make a very valuable point. Since 2003, Damart has worked in conjunction with the Breast Cancer campaign to raise funds for this highly worthwhile campaign. Fronted by Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanoff, the partnership has thus far raised an impressive £98,000.

As you may be aware, the Breast Cancer Campaign uses a Pink Ribbon as its symbol, and this theme is carried through to the Damart fundraising range. The key item is a lovely pale pink vest retailing at £14, of which a substantial £3.40 is donated to the fund. Matching socks and shorts have also been available. Damart also supports other charitable causes, for example a ‘Love your heart’ slogan t-shirt for Heart Research UK.

If you thought, however, that Damart was all about thermal clothing and in particular vests, then check out their catalogue. It features a wide range of clothing and not just thermal clothing!  There are embroidered, plain and patterned t-shirts, knitwear, coats, trousers, swimwear, jewellry, belts, suits and more. You can also find a variety of lingerie, including bras, socks, tights, and shaping underwear. There’s also a range of menswear, so the chaps aren’t left out. Feet are catered for with classic styles of shoes, sandals and slippers.

In addition, your home can be dressed by Damart. As well as its own products, the catalogue features the well-known brands Silentnight and Christy. There is a wide choice of bedding, curtains, rugs and cushion covers. You can also order useful garden tools, small electrical items, mobility aids for elderly relatives, and towel bales. The website also features a sale section, with hundreds of items at bargain prices. So take a look – you might be surprised!

What to Wear to Summer Events

You’ve been invited to that important do; it might be a wedding reception, a work event, or perhaps your husband’s work event. You want to buy something new to wear, so you feel really special; you need an evening dress, but not just one that fits and looks good. This event is important; you want the perfect evening dress.

So what are the main considerations when choosing your all-important dress? First and foremost, you want to try, if possible, to avoid every woman’s worst nightmare: turning up in the same dress as someone else – or even worse, turning up in the same dress as SEVERAL other people! How embarrassing, but of course it does happen. If you’re worried about this it’s probably best to avoid the main high street stores.

Another consideration when it comes to evening dresses is budget; not everyone can afford a designer gown, so have you considered charity shops? If you’re lucky you might stumble upon a gorgeous vintage number in your own size for a bargain price, and you can be pretty confident nobody will have the same dress. If you are creative you could reinvent an existing or plain dress with accessories and finishing touches from a haberdashery store. Another option is asking a friend or relative of the same size if they have any evening dresses you could borrow. Particularly if it’s something from some years ago but well looked-after, you might find it’s now back in fashion but different enough that nobody is going to have the same dress.

A final option that not everyone considers is hiring a dress for the evening. Many independent shops offer evening dresses for hire at prices between around £50-£100 for dresses worth in the thousands, often unique and with handmade touches. This is a great way to look stunning in a dress you might never buy because of the cost, just for one special night.

Pale skin in fashion?

Once the tanned skin look was totally in-vogue.  Then as the orange brigade started to arrive looking ever more ridiculous, the trend is now for a paler look, exemplified by such celebrity icons as Nicole Kidman and Nicole Roberts from Girls Aloud.  The major fashion houses are also starting to feature paler models within their advertising, so the trend is well and truly taking off!  Looking sophisticated and beautiful, here are our top tips to achieve the stunning pale look.

Tip 1 – Get the basics right and invest in good beauty products and a good dressing table to get ready in front of.  If you like the pale look in your bedroom too, why not buy a white dressing table to reflect the beautiful pale look you’re trying to achieve.

Tip  2 – Foundation, the skin needs to look flawless to pull off this look, so an excellent pale foundation should be at the top of your shopping list.  Don’t go cheap but try to get the very best you can.  The results will show.

Tip 3 – Red lipstick rocks!  By having pale skin, when you put red lipstick on it totally stands out for an amazingly striking look which will stop guys in their tracks with gaping mouths!

Women’s Hosiery

I adore stockings, although I should say only the traditional sort – not hold-ups.  Hold-ups are one of the most irritating type of women’s hosiery ever to be foisted upon womankind in the name of fashion.  They either sink gracefully down to your ankles when you’re executing an intricate move on the dancefloor with the gorgeous Antonio Banderas lookalike from Human Resources, or they cut your circulation off halfway through the evening and you spend the rest of the night in the loo jumping up and down trying to get some feeling back in your legs.

I’ll wear tights in an emergency.  You know what I mean, you’re on the way out, ladder your last pair of stockings and the village shop only runs to American Tan tights in either xxxl or xxxs!  Cotton rich tights are cosy in winter and that, I thought, was the extent of my relationship with hosiery, until I went shopping recently with my teenage daughter.  She started looking for tights in one of her favourite shops and for a moment I was shocked by the sheer variety and colour of women’s hosiery that was on offer – neon colours, lacy ones, ones with motifs – just about everything you could ever hope to put your legs in.  Then it struck me that such delights had also been available for me at that age and that, like my daughter now, I would sometimes completely revamp an outfit at hardly any cost by buying some conversation starting stockings.

When we got home, I rummaged through a drawer and found, still in their packaging, a pair of black seamed stockings, the seam made out of tiny gold bricks, which my parents had given me as a stocking filler back in the ‘eighties!  I’d saved them because they were just too sumptuous to risk wearing!  I shall never underestimate the power of nylons again!

Hair Straightening

GHD straighteners are hair straightening irons produced by the GHD company. GHD straighteners are known for their quality, and are used in salons and homes around the world. GHD offers a number of different hair straighteners, for a variety of different styles and hair types.
The original GHD straightener is the GHD IV styler. It features advanced ceramic heating plates, which work to heat and style the hair with less damage and frizz than metal plates. Hair stylists recommend ceramic plates, especially for those who straighten or style their hair on a daily basis. This styler can do any heat applied style, from stick straight locks to thick, bouncy curls.

The GHD IV salon styler is a larger, heavier duty GHD straightener. The ceramic heating plates are twice as wide, offering more heat and completing larger sections of hair at once. It’s designed for use on long, thick, and wiry hair. Anyone with long sections of hair to style, or who have had trouble styling their hair with smaller straighteners, should consider using the salons styler from GHD.
The last GHD straightener is the GHD IV mini. It’s a smaller version of the original styler, and is perfect for working with thin and short hair. It’s much less cumbersome when trying to style hair below shoulder length, and is great for working in small sections. It’s also recommended for men who need a versatile straightening iron, and that have a shorter hair style.