How to Survive the Beach.

Images of Miss Addict @ the Beach

I love the beach. I do but being the pasty pale geek that I am me + long term exposure to the elements have some fundamental issues. For a start the sun hates me. I burn in about 5 minute, I really don't like sand all that much and cold water.. eck! But I like swimming! Yes I know weird!

Here how to survive the beach Geek Style!

Prepare Well & Plan Ahead!

I take a beach kit with me. It contains essentials:

Towel:

For Lying Drying and other assorted towel related activities. Good for staying out of the sand! When shaking out sand take careful note of wind direction and where other people are!

Sun Screen:

This is a must for any pasty geeks stepping foot near the beach!

Apply before getting anywhere near sand!!! 20 minutes before any sun exposure is ideal. Reapply between swimming sessions. WARNING: Sunscreen will not keep providing you with infinite protection, it only EXTENDS your natural protection. When you start burning put on a t-shirt and stay out of the sun! Also rinse yourself clean of sand before reapplying or impromptu exfoliation session of your WHOLE body will ensue! Not pleasant!

Shade umbrella or tent:
To extend your time in the sun and prevent burning bring along an umbrella or shade tent. Practice putting up before you get the beach! Seriously! Put it up in your backyard or your lounge room if its big enough. Repeat until your can do it with ease. Doing it for the first time on sand is a BAD I repeat BAD idea! You will struggle and people will laugh and point.. then hopefully take pity and help... but first laughing and pointing!

Image from Kilkoy

Sarong:
Toss over swimmers for a casual look to wander up to the fish and chip shop or throw over toasty shoulders, legs etc while not in the water. Also good for hiding pasty legs and arms and... in my case well my whole body... seriously I blind people in a bikini! But it doesn't stop me wearing one! I am proud of the pale. When they have wrinkles and skin cancer I will look young and be skin cancer free! HA

Lip balm:
To prevent lips drying out in the surf, apply liberally before and after swimming! Salt water sucks the moisture out of my lips like nothing else so this is an essential for me!

Water:
Bring water with you to drink. The sun and heat are going to take a toll quickly!! If so inclined bring a water cooler or esky and pack tasty snacks as well. But drinks loads of water!

Sunnies:
Preferably a cheap pair (unlike the pair of Pradas pictured which I am currently drooling over on a daily basis at work! ) that you don't mind getting scratched in the sand or salt water spotted. To keep out the glare and provide sneaky perving opportunities ;)

Comb + elastics:
To control long hair and avoid looking like a see monster. I braid my hair back and comb it before I go home. Letting it dry tangled makes it 100 times harder to get the knots out. If you have really hard to control hair take a leave on conditioner spray to assist.

Change of clothes:
Traveling home in cold wet swimmer is always an uncomfortable experience! Throw in underwear, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts or a skirt and your good to travel home in comfort. Also brave the cold shower to rinse off the sand and salt for added comfort!
Iphone:
Yes I took my iPhone to the beach! I tweeted from the beach! I read blog posts at the beach when I wasn't swimming. If you can't stand to be unplugged from the internet (like me) for longer than a couple of hours then a tech device like an iPhone is perfect Hey I don't call myself Miss Addict for no reason!. Make sure you take precautions against theft. I made sure I could see our tent from the water and kept a pretty close eye on it at all times.

I know it sounds like a lot of stuff but baring the tent/umbrella and the water cooler all of this stuff will fit in one bag with a towel thrown around your shoulders.

I Still Got Burnt!

So you Slip slopped and slapped, reapplied, stayed out if the sun as much as you could and you still got burnt? Ouch!!! Now to help it get better ASAP!

1. Cool shower: to help soothe the skin and reduce the discomfort. Avoid hot or warm showers as this will dry out your skin more! That old wives tale about hot showers is terrible! DON'T DO IT! You wouldn't burn your hand on a stove and put it under hot water so don't do it with sunburn!
2. Take an Anti inflammatory like Ibuprofen: to ease the pain and aid in the healing. Take in the first 12 hours after being burnt, will help with pain and any associated swelling.
3. Moisturiser - personally I use Aloe Vera straight from the plant before I go to bed. It works better than the store bought burn gels because it's 100% pure. Its goopey and kinda gross but it works really really well. This puts moisture that you lost back into the skin and helps ease that tight feeling!
4. Drinks lots of water as dehydration can slow your healing time and your meant to drink 2 liters of water a day anyways!
5. Rest! Your body needs rest to heal so let it do its job!

So lovelies any hints tips or tricks for the beach?

Love and Obsessions
Miss Addict

How to Endure Dress Shopping

Photo By: mostaque

I recently had to go shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding. The first time I went was a study in frustration. Not only could i not find a dress but trying on dresses was time consuming because I hadn’t planned ahead. So for my next trip I sat down and worked out how to make my shopping trip less of a hassle and here is what I came up with.

• Figure out what you want. Sounds simple A Dress! Then you consider things like length, colour and warmth factors. It’s considered inappropriate to wear black or white to a wedding. Floor length was to formal and any short than just above the knee and I wouldn’t be comfortable. I also wanted to make sure it was wearable with a cardigan preferably something I could wear again.

Trying on dresses means you are going to need to get practically naked. Make sure you are wearing a strapless bra as I discovered most dresses have really thin straps or are strapless.

Wear as few layers as possible. Having to try and 10 on dresses means having to get undressed 10 times so Wear a shirt you can pull over your head, An easy to take off skirt or Jeans (no belt) and slip on and off shoes (no boots or shoes with laces)

If you are going to wearing a cardigan with your dress take that with you (or wear it) so you can try it on with varies dresses. Going to be wearing tights under the dress? Wear those so you can get an accurate idea about whether the dress will look decent or stupid.

Try on as many dresses as you need to til you find one you like. If you find one that is perfect you love omg YOU MUST HAVE IT! BUY IT! Dont try on another 100 dresses trying to find one just as good.

Stick to your price range. Dont try on dresses out of it unless you are prepared to pay that price. Why? If you find a dress you love but its out of your price range you shall break your own heart AVOID this!

Take a Friend with you to do up zippers and make sure they are honest enough to tell you if you look terrible in it.

If you like a dress but arent sure, Take a photo (you may have to be sneaky) and sleep on it.

Not sure its appropriate for the occasion? Ask the sales lady in the store they are great at this. If the dress your wearing isnt appropriate (to short/long/wrong colour etc) they can usually point you in the right direction.

What do you wear dress shopping lovelys?

Love and Obsessions

Miss Addict

How to Survive a Cold

Sorry for the lack of Blog Posts people. I managed to catch a cold from my partner and it has developed into a chest infection! Lots of money on medication later and I'm the road to recovery! So I thought I would compile my list of ways to survive a cold!

1. Hire/buy/rewatch some DVDs such as a TV series you love and curl up on the lounge or in bed. Day time television is not something you want to inflict upon your sick self. Alternatively curl up with a book.

2. Keeping yourself hydrated will help your body fight off the icky germs. Water is best and Tea with Honey will also help ease a sore throat.

3. Being sick is the ultimate excuse to sleep in and take Nana naps. Curl up all warm and cosy and let your body duke it out with the sickness while you are in dream land.

4. When you nose ends up feeling like your using sandpaper instead of tissues (remember that stupid TV ad...) and it will no matter how expensive the tissue, use some unscented lip balm to ease the soreness. Also use the lip balm on your lips to keep them from drying out as well.

5. Invest in some of those exorbitantly expensive tissues that are 3 ply and soft. When you are blowing your nose every other minute your nose will thank you and it will keep the soreness at bay for longer than cheap stuff.

6. Buy some Cold and Flu Tablets from the chemist (be care to check your not on any medication that reacts though!) It won’t cure you but it will make things more bearable and is worth it just to feel slightly better.

7. Don’t stay in your PJ’s all day. It’s tempting but make sure you have a shower or bath and get dressed. Dress in your most comfy house clothes (that pair of track pants at the back of your wardrobe, slippers and an over sized t-shirt work great) Even dressed in comfy clothes you’ll feel more human.

8. Take Vitamin C and Echinacea. Both are recommended to help fight of colds.

9. Have a bath. The steam will help with the clogged up feeling in your head and the warmth will help ease the ache of your muscles.

10. Lastly If you are still feeling sick after 2 days and aren’t improving see a doctor pretty please! It could be something more serious like a chest infection and you might need antibiotics to get over it. This goes double if you have asthma!

So my loves, how are you surviving the Cold and Flu season. Any tried and true ticks on how to avoid the dreaded cold or how to survive it if your not crafty enough to avoid it?

Love and Obsessions

Miss Addict

Finding Joy

Image: Miss Addict

If you watch the news you know the world is kinda gloomy at the moment. With the GFC happening, environmental issues, disasters every other week not to mention swine flu panic its hard to go about your day feeling chipper. So after giving it some thought I came up with some ways to find Joy in your life that work for me :)

1. Stop watching the News. Seriously its depressing! If you want to keep up with whats happening in the world Log on the a newspaper online or set up a news feed in your RSS. This means you get less sensationalist news and allows you to pick and choose what you read about.

2. Find a website that unfailingly makes you smile. Visit it whenever you are feeling down. I personally suggest either Lolcats or Loldogs depending on your preference. Giggle away at the cootness!

3. Interact with people. Twitter is a great way to interact with people and I personally get endless enjoyment out of watching tweets float past updating me on how peoples days are going. Sometimes the most random Tweets will make my day.

4. Sleep in once in a while. Curl up under the covers either by yourself or with a partner and snuggle in. Make plans, day dream, plot world domination and enjoy the feeling of being lazy once in a while.

5. Stay up late and star gaze, Grab a friend, a picnic blanket and lie back and try and find all those constellations. Personally I can only find the Southern Cross but its still fun to lie there and look up.

6. Cuddle Someone. Whether you cuddle your boyfriend/girlfriend, your cat/dog or just hugs your mum goodbye cuddles are one of the best ways to show affection and to feel loved.

7. Take the time to see the Joy in your life. Whether it be in the form of your family, friends, music, exercise or art. Take time out and realise that there are good things in the world.

8. Plan a get together with people you dont see very often but still love to pieces. Some of the people I love the most are people I rarely see or would rather see more often. A prime example is my best friend who I used to work with and see every day, now since I lost my job I see him less than once a week but the time I do get to spend with him is so much more special now.

9. Look after yourself. Winter is the prime time for getting sick with things like the flu (Swine or normal) so rug up warm and eat lots of fruit and vegies! I cheat by buying a Boost Juice Smootheie with Vitamin boost in it.

10. Smile at random people on the street. It gives a warm fuzzy feeling when people smile back

Well my lovelys what do you do to find joy in your every day ? Let loose in the comments and tell me what im missing :)

Love and Obsessions

Miss Addict

Kissable Lips

Photo By: snowkei

Kissing is one of the most fun things you can do with another person. Kisses can be intimate, fun, sweet and sexy. The first kiss can make or break a date. Have you ever kissed someone who was sloopy, who drooled or tried to lick your tonsils or mauled your tongue? Not Fun!

Kissing starts with the lips. Soft smooth lips on that certain someone beg you to plant a kiss on them. One of the things I tend to find attractive in people is soft supple lips. Dry Flakey or chapped lips do not a good kiss make. You can have impecable kissing technique but if your lips are grossing them out they are never going to find out!

Many girls wear lip gloss. I love me some high shine gloss however Gloss can be both an asset or a potential liability when it comes to smooching. Smooth tasty lip gloss can make a kiss yummy but when it ends up smeared all over your partner they might not be appriecative . If you gloss is sticky or tacky then the iss can go from yum to gross pretty quick not to mention the danger of your hair sticking to your mouth.. not cool!

I have alot of lip gloss. My Favourite currently is Plump Lip Colour By Bloom in Lottie Le Brock (Rasberry Pink) Its the one lying down in the piccie above.

Lip stick add a deeper colour than gloss and have alot more staying power if applied correctly however it does carry the chance of smearing making you look like a clown and those permanent lip sticks that dont move scare the bejeezuz out of me! I mean honestly whats in those! Not to mention the old lip stick on the teeth debarcle...

I dont wear alot of lip stick and currently own not a single one (must fix this) I really like the look of the Mineral Powerlip colour by Maybelline NY pictured above. Not to heavy and mineral powder means its less likely to have horrid things in it like lead!

Lip Stains are a great way to add some colour that wont smear or transfer but if you are like me and tend to lick your lips it disappears fast and doesnt protect against wind burn or chapping. I like wearing the Body Shops Lip and Cheek Stain.

Which brings us to balms. I love Balms especially those that add some gloss colour and yummy flavour. My favourite at the moment is Nivea Star Fruits in Pink Grape Fruit. It smells yummy, adds a little gloss AND keeps my poor lips from chapping and drying out. Also always in my bag is NIVEA Lip Care ESSENTIAL for when my mouth feels like I've drank sand! I also like that balms are more boyfriendly than the above options. The male members of our species gets chapped flaky lips to and its just as unattractive on boys.. Blistex has devloped a Blistex Advance which is a clear non glossy lip balm that tastes pretty darn good. Pictured Below :)

Other ways to keep your lips kissable and gorgeous include Exfoliating regulary (once a week is plenty) using a Lip Scrub like the ones available here: [Link] Make your own at home such as these: [Link] or using an old tooth brush and some moisturiser and gently brush away the dead skin and then follow up with a good dose of lip balm.Also make sure you are drinking enough water. Your lips and under your eyes are two of the places dehydration shows the most!

So lovelys what do you do to keep yourself kissable? Anything products you cant live without? Spill!

Love and Obsessions

Miss Addict

Ideas for Autumn

Photos By Miss Addict

The southern hemisphere is currently in the grip of Autumn. Autumn is a great season filled with colour, crisp clean smelling air and cooling weather. So I thought I would put together some ideas on how to enjoy Autumn and prepare for Winter!

• Go for walks and appreciate the foliage of the Season. Take photos of the particularly
  gorgeous leaves. Print a selection out and make impromptu wall art or set as the wall paper for your computer.
• Dig out your winter wardrobe and find all the awesome things you bought last year and can now look forward to wearing.. Alternatively work out what you need and start shopping for it now so that first killer cold day doesn't catch you by surprise.
  
• Wear Red/Orange/Gold clothing to match your surrounds. Or go all out and put red/gold/copper/gold streaks in your hair.
  
• Enjoy the first smells of wood fire smoke drifting through the air.
  
• Dry Press Leaves between heavy books and Glue to card stock and use as birthday cards.
  
• Wear Extra Lip Balm and up your moisturising or exchange your evening Moisturiser for Rose Hip Oil to help combat winter dryness.
  
• Make piles of leaves and jump in them like you did when you were a kid. Word of warning: You need a lot more leaves these days!
  
• Lay off the bronzer and embrace a pink cheeked paler you.
  
• Document Autumn. Embrace a mini photo challenge. Pick a Tree that hasn't started to turn and take a photo a day. Put together a mini slide show at the end showing the slow transformation.
  
• Prepare for Winter. Lay in a stock of canned soup. Invest in thick socks, warm PJs, and warm fuzzy slippers for cold mornings.
• Decide to combat the winter weight early and start a new exercise routine. By the time winter gets here it'll be habit and easier to start than when the wind is howling and your couch is calling your name!
  
• Make yourself a hot chocolate/milo/tea/coffee and sit outside in the warm sunshine and enjoy it!
• Be careful how hot you have your shower really hot water can damage the delicate capillariesBlane's like me start regularly taking Vitamin E now! in your face making your more than pink from the cold! If you get chill
• Buy that TV series you love and plan to watch that when only crap things are on TV.
  

How are you enjoying Autumn. Are you looking forward to Winter or Dreading it?


Love and Obsessions

Miss Net Addict

More Photos from that set can be found on my Flickr Here: [Link]

How to be a good commenter!

Also known as: How to not look like a dumbarse on the Internet.

Photo By: Miss Addict

I comment on blogs I like fairly often. One thing I have noticed is a lot of people don't seem to have any kind of manners on the Internet when it comes to comments. So I have to put together a a simple Dos and Donts of commenting. The same rules can be applied to forums as well.

Do:

• Format your reply so its easy to read. Perfect spelling, grammar etc are nice but no one is perfect. However Wall'o'text, ALL CAPS, and unreadable spelling is extremely irritating to readers! Many browsers have spell check in built and make life a little easier for everyone!

• Make sure your post Relevant. Add a personal story that relates to the post, link to something that relates, empathise with the post author on the subject. Constructive criticism is also acceptable (emphasis on constructive)

• Read the other comments in the thread if possible. If there are 100s of comments this is obviously a lot harder but If there are10 other comments don't just scroll down to the bottom, read the other comments to see if your point has been made. If it has expand on their comment or reference their comment in yours. Ignoring other commenters shows a lack of respect for their presence.

• Come back to see if the Post Author or other commenter's have replied to your comment. If you are especially interested some blogs/forums have the ability to have new responses to your comment emailed to you or have a separate RSS thread for the Comments section. Comments sections are great ways to form Internet friendships with people who have common interests and blog authors often enjoy responding to people who comment on their blogs.

• Check if the website has a commenting policy. Some bloggers have taken the time to explicitly spell out what is and isn't allowed in their comments sections. Respect their policy or expect to get your comment deleted and possibly be banned from commenting again.

Dont:

• Be rude hateful or nasty. Its like the old rule: "If you don't have something nice to say don't say anything" Bloggers are putting themselves out there and not everything they write is going to appeal to you. If you don't like it move on to another page of the infinite Internets

• Post links to your blog/website and nothing else. Most blogs (including mine) include a Website Section. That is where your blog link goes. By all means put it there since the Author might want to check out what you do (links to nasty material is not cooland is considered a dick move.. don't do it)

• Swear without purpose. Like in real life dropping the F-word into everyday conversation is considered a fairly impolite. Rule of thumb. Ifou wouldn't say it on Public transport don't say it in the comments.

• Attack other commentors or blog author on a personal level. Debates in comments sections are common and as long as everyone is civil and sticks to the point they can be a productive exercise but the second you start insulting their looks/gender/sexual orientation/intelligence/religion or refer to Hitler in any way you have made yourself look like an arse and made sure that no one will take you seriously.

• Post pointless comments."First post/comment" comments are pointless and simply take up space on the page.

The golden rule of commenting is this: If you wouldn't walk into someones home and say it to their face then you shouldn't say it in their blogs comments.

What do you think lovelys? Anything you would add or subtract from the rules? Any experiences with horrid commenter's you want to get off your chests?

Love and Obsessions

• Miss Addict

p.s The Kitteh in the picture is Arabelle. She lets me feed and pat her.