Helenwrites posterous

Dirty, pretty things that caught my attention for a minute or two.

 

I might make a comeback...

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Just reminding myself how to do this.

Oh, and this is a photo of my two favourite über-confident little Essex girls with Katy Perry.

Posted March 22, 2012
 

Star-spangled from Steam Cream

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This just came in the post. 

I'm going to look well cool with my ream themed cream. God bless America!

Steam Cream, £9.99

Posted June 24, 2011
 

Make up pick - Miami Pop! From 17

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The perfect bronzer for my Florida adventure! And it fits into the flamingo theme... I love the packaging, but I'm really impressed with the product too. A brilliant summer buy.


New Limited Edition 17 from Boots, available now! 

Posted June 24, 2011
 

Best memory stick ever.

Check out this amazing Twister memory stick from Walls. It's almost ice-cream season. Yay!

Sent from my iPhone


(download)

Posted June 2, 2011
 

Go directly to SALE, do not pass go item of the week.

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Would I wear these? No way José. Would you?

Miss L Fire Women's Sombrero Open Toe Flat, £42.54, javari.co.uk

Filed under  //   Shoes   javari   mexico   ugly  
Posted May 28, 2011
 

Hello Gorgeous!

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For my final submission to the Virgin Atlantic #RedHotReporter competition I decided to take a trip down memory lane. It would be impossible to remember all the times I've flown on Virgin Atlantic, but there are definitely a few that stick in my mind. 
 

A long journey from Sydney, Australia in 2000, when a kindly stewardess gave me her copy of Memoirs of a Geisha - now one of my favourite books. Tipsy and befriending attendants on a flight from LAX. Excitably jetting to Trinidad (via Tobago) to attend a West Indian wedding (this is a country that really knows how to party). And the bittersweet memory of taking my beloved nan on the trip of her lifetime to see the Golden Gate Bridge, California in 2008. She squeezed my hand while cable-cars navigated the lofty hills of San Francisco and told me it was her 'best holiday' ever. As it turned out, it was also her final, as she died of Cancer in March 2009.
Back in 2007, I went to St Lucia for the Jazz Festival. After a week, partied out and sunburnt, I was ready to face the nine-hour trip home.  But due to a mix up with the holiday company, I found myself, along with a few others, without a seat on the sold-out flight. We were assured that after a short domestic flight to Barbados we would have confirmed seats on a plane from there. 
The other passengers were extremely perturbed to be faced with the 8-seater propeller plane we were to travel to the neighbouring island on, but I couldn't be more excited! I sat up front with the pilot chatting incessantly and admiring the amazing view. 
Then in Barbados *disaster* struck - no more room in economy... 
Before I could say 'peach bellini' a shiny new ticket was placed in my hand, with the seat number 3 A. THREE A. That's airline-insider speak for UPPER CLASS. 
The cabin of dreams was everything I expetected and more. As well as fulfilling a long-time ambition to fly Virgin Upper Class, the best in the World, I got some free Pyjamas! Anyone who follows me on twitter will know how much I love my PJs. 
I stayed up all night wide-eyed and borderline hysteric. If I could use my phone on board, I would have called everyone I know. And everyone I've ever met, ever.  No one does it better. As the slogan says 'your airline's either got it, or it hasn't...' And VA has it in abundance. Of course, it was a fantastic (fishtank) experience and I really hope one day I'll be lucky enough do it again. 

By far my best Virgin Atlantic memory was of a trip to New York with my dad in 1998. (Incidentally, that was the year Virgin won the World Travel Award for World's Leading Economy Class for the first time). 
Stuck on the runway in gloomy London, we had to wait for an engine problem to be rectified. As we sat leafing through the in-flight magazine, a staff member was meandering the cabin apologising to every row individually for the delay. The man tapped me on the shoulder, but as I turned to face the wide grin that greeted me, I couldn't believe my eyes. It wasn't just any man - it was THE man. Richard Branson himself. 
To me, receiving a personal apology from the Top Dog demonstrated customer service of astronomic proportions, which most companies, even if they had a [Virgin Galactic] space rocket, could never hope to achieve. 
Of course, my dad couldn't resist taking a photo, and the boss was happy to oblige. It's a shame I look embarrassingly like all awkward-teenagers looked in the 90s - signature slouch and greasy Kurt Cobain hair - but what a brilliant moment captured. 

Virgin Atlantic is still hot after 27 years and the now SIR, Richard Branson will be there hosting the 25th Anniversary celebration of their sizzling route to Miami. Whoever is named #redhotreporter will get to go too, to mingle with the stars, soak up the sun and tweet all the excitement. 
And If that person is me, you can tell Mr B that he doesn't have to be afraid - 14 years on, I've now discovered hair serum and shampoo...

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Filed under  //   #RedHotReporter   Airline   Richard Branson   Upper Class   Virgin Atlantic  
Posted May 22, 2011
 

A silly video...

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I went ALL the way to Miami to make this video just for the #RedHotReporter gig...

Filed under  //   #RedHotReporter   Miami   Virgin Atlantic  
Posted May 20, 2011
 

The Sky's the limit!

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I hope I win the Virgin Atlantic #RedHotReporter competition. Apart from getting a look inside the Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow (I have heard amazing things!), flying to Miami to report on a star-studded party and the chance to blog about it like some jet-setting VIP is right up my street! Well, let's face it, whose street *wouldn't* it be up? It's definitely an experience I'd place in, what I like to call my 'fishtank' life. That is, the bit of my day-to-day which isn't normal. So much so, it's like watching it through the glass of a large aquarium. 

I started referring to the fishtank at one of my early jobs in journalism (at Love It Magazine) where my main role was to travel around the country and interview extremely hot men (rugby players, boxers, swimmers...) while they were photographed with their tops off. At the time, I thought, 'I've MADE IT'. 

It didn't really get better than that until one day, at my current job, I received a random telephone call. 
'Hello, this is the press office at 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister would like to invite you to breakfast'.
'FNUUMMUMPMMM,' was my exact reaction.
It was all to promote a new NHS initiative for women's health (my area of 'expertise'). Of course, I accepted and immediately got on the phone to my dad to tell him. His response was to say that he couldn't believe anyone would let me within 500 yards of the PM and has taken to calling me Bridget Jones ever since (for her questionable knowledge of Politics). 
Well, lucky for me I managed to survive the morning without dribbling tea on myself, spilling jam or inadvertently kissing anyone (I do that). The then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was charming and friendly, and didn't seem at all concerned his security detail had let a complete nutter into his house. And so, waving goodbye to the enormous black door (it really is bigger than normal doors) I was ready to confine the bizarre memory to the fish tank. Until I got half way down Whitehall and realised I'd left my Blackberry in his living room... Back on Downing Street I found myself alone with the towering door firmly closed and just the security policeman standing to attention outside. 
'How do I get back in?' I asked, worried he might wave his truncheon at me if I did anything untoward. 'Just knock on the door,' he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'I can't just knock on 10 downing street!' I exclaimed. But Mr Plod just laughed, so I had no choice but to reach up and heave the enormous silver knocker.
Once reunited with phone I couldn't resist asking the friendly officer to take my photo, apologising for being a total tourist. 'Not just your average tourist,' he winked. I suppose he had a point.
Since then I frequently find myself tottering about doing some other crackpot activity, most of which end up in the fish tank. From interviewing one celeb, thinking it was someone completely different, (This happened. I styled it out) to making Paul Walker give me surfing tips while wearing a mini skirt (me, not him). It's getting a bit crowded in there! Most of the photographic evidence makes it seem like I'm taking nothing seriously but that isn't true. I thoroughly enjoy every silly thing I get to do. I know I'm lucky and it's not going to last forever. If you can't have fun when you're young, when can you? That's why I had to enter this competition. If I didn't, I'd just be cross with myself. 

If you see me reporting from Virgin's 25th Birthday Party, trust me, I'll be having fun. As the #RedHotReporter I'll make sure you get to hear all about it. And hopefully get lots more snaps for the fishtank album! Sometimes you have to make your own luck, and after that the sky's the limit!

 

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Posted May 19, 2011
 

Retro-tastic

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Loving this cute 80s Tee. If I am declared @virginatlantic's #redhotreporter I might have to buy it to celebrate 25 years of Virgin flying to Miami. 

T Shirt,  £9.99, New Look

Filed under  //   Fashion   Miami   New Look   T Shirt  
Posted May 18, 2011
 

Swing by for a laugh

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I love America. It's the land of opportunity. Not because of its varied climate, beautiful landscape and 'go get 'em' attitude, but mainly because it invented Chilli dogs. And Glee.

I get really cross when people slag off Americans. 'They're loud and brash,' so what? Who's interested in a nation of people who go so unobtrusively about their business you forget they're there. Yes, Luxembourg, I mean you. 


"They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing..."
- Jack Kerouac, On the Road


Whenever I visit the States, I like to get as involved as possible with the locals. This can be as simple as shopping for twinkies at the General Store in Round Hill, Nevada or joining in with a high school open-day just because I wanted to see if the lockers were the same as in Saved By The Bell. 

So imagine my delight to happen across the Mid City Bowling Lanes in New Orleans, the home of the Rock and Bowl. It's off the beaten track (so far off, the cabbies didn't know where it was) but curious Brits looking for a glimpse of Americana will be literally bowed over. The old fashioned score-sheet-and-pencil bowling alley plays second place to the shiny wooden dance floor where Yanks of all ages dance to Cajun two-step, Swing and Rockabilly tunes played by a live band. Its fabulously camp owner, John Blancher, can often be seen dancing joyfully on the bar. As soon as the party veteren spotted me (an obvious out-of-towner) bopping on the sidelines, he dragged me onto the floor for a Jive lesson. Later, hula hoops were rolled out for people to play with and no-one was having a bad time.

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I loved New Orleans; The culture, the history, the music and food (not just the chilli dogs). But the things I most remember after any trip are the moments that made me smile. The best bits of any destination you'll find in yourself, not in the guide book. 

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I'm entering the competition to be Virgin Atlantic's Vblog #RedHotReporter in Miami 

Tweet them at @virginatlantic and tell them to pick me! 

 

 

Filed under  //   #RedHotReporter   America   Americana   Bowling   Glee   Holiday   New Orleans   Swing Dance   USA   Virgin Atlantic  
Posted May 18, 2011