2014 Blogger Challenge | Book: Remember me (Lesley Pearse)

Hello Community,

I come today with the 3rd topic under the 2014 Blogger Challenge. Today I chose to talk about this specific book I read some years ago. It is still in my mind as one of the greatest international books I have read.

Remember me, from Lesley Pearse, reveals the story of a strong women who survives to a life path that not all could go through. The book is full of emotions and, even stronger, it is based on a true story. The details described by Lesley make you actually feel in your body and mind what Mary - the character - is going through.

For a better taste of what the book is about, I am quoting below the book preface (taken from GoodReads).

The Queen of Storytellers is back - with a triumphant tale of one woman's struggle over adversity. In 1786 a fisherman's daughter from Cornwall called Mary Broad was sentenced to be hung for theft. But her sentence was commuted, and she was transported to Australia, one of the first convicts to arrive there. How Mary escaped the harsh existence of the colony and found true love, and how she was captured and taken back to London in chains, only to be released after a trial where she was defended by no less than James Boswell, is one of the most gripping and moving stories of human endeavour (based on an amazing true story) you will ever read.

While reading this book, I did something that I never do with books: I cried, I cried and I cried. The more I would read, the more I would cry, and the more I would cry the more I wanted to read. The story totally sucks you in, in an indescribable way.

I have also read some reviews, to see whether the book was indeed good, or I was just going through a sensitive moment, feeling the story much deeper. I have not found opposite opiniões. Most of the reviews explained exactly what I just said above: strong story, very well written, emotional and highly attractive to our attention. 

I have not yet bought the book, as I borrowed it, but I still intend to buy it and read the story again. I have bought other book of Lesley Pearse though, and all of them are amazing. I keep loving the way she writes and the way she can catch my attention.

I think this book is totally worth reading - at least once in life ;)

I found a nice promotion on Amazon.co.uk, where you can buy the book (in english) for 3,50 pounds. Even if you do not want to buy it here, you can have a look inside the book to see whether you enjoy the writing style of Lesley.

In the portuguese translation, the book is called: "Nunca me Esqueças" and you can find it in any library for around 16 euros.

Have you read it already? What did you thought of it? Haven't you yet? I totally advice ;)

Hope you enjoyed! 

Xoxo,

LifeLover

2014 Blogger Challenge | Skincare...what about it?

Hello my Dears,

Here I am with the second post under the 2014 Blogger Challenge. This second topic is supposed to be about skincare...wide open like that! I have been thinking on what to write about and I decided to start from the beginning...why the hell do we care so much about it? And why does it seem so complicated?

And...by the way...what is skin?

Skin is the organ responsible for giving our body a homogeneous face to the outside world. Besides that, skin has a huge role in our health. Its 2 parts, which are the dermis and the epidermis, work together in protecting the organism against diseases (parasites)/radiation/heat, in balancing levels of water and temperature, in producing vitamins D and detecting external danger by reacting with body signs such as heating up/cooling down/feeling of thirst and pain.

Although the dermis and the epidermis work together, they have different characteristics. Dermis is the outer skin layer that supports the epidermis, and it is comprised of collagen, elastin, proteins and water. We are normally more concern about this part, as it is the dermis that we see in the mirror. Not less relevant, we have the epidermis, which  is the inner and deeper layer of skin, composed of keratin, melanocytes and immune cells.

What is hydration?

A hydrated skin is more elastic and soft. In this condition, it is capable of playing its role of protecting our body. When well hydrated, the skin does produce – in average – 1250 cells per body cm², each cell living around 311 hours. If we do not keep our skin in a good condition via hydration, it is not capable of producing so many cells for its own renewal.

Hydration is supposed to happen naturally, when the sweat goes through the epidermis and the dermis giving to it the needed quantities of water and minerals. Given the strong outside conditions, such as sun, wind, cold, pollution…we need to appeal to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. 

This is the reason why a good skin requires good products but also good diet. It does not matter using the best products on your skin, when you eat stuff that will make you breakout or you do not drink enough water to hydrate your skin.

How can we manage these elements together?

To avoid the premature aging of our skin, there are some simple things we can do by just changing our lifestyle. If you are like me and you work several hours a day outside your house, and you have no time or energy to take deeply care of your skin on an everyday basis…then I guess you will like these tips.

Tan is healthy but brownies is just for cookies!

Sun is one of the most relevant elements when talking about skin aging. Long exposure to the sun can dry your skin, cause wrinkles, age spots, and can also contribute to other serious health problems such as skin cancer. To help you on this, you can use hydrating products with SPF, avoid direct sun, use protective clothes and remove death cells when washing your skin.

Is smoking sexy? No, not really! And sure it isn’t good for your skin!

Apart of what we already know about tobacco, smoking narrows the small blood vessels in the outer layer of skin, which, by decreasing the blood flow, will deprive the skin of oxygen and nutrients. On the other side, smoking is also responsible for damaging collagen and elastin, which are the elements responsible for giving to your skin strength and elasticity. What the point of buying expense creams with collagen if you are just killing it yourself?

Let’s go on the age of healthy food!

Eating fresh and nutritive food will give you more energy, and will also give your skin a more flawless look. Fresh vegetables and fruits will give you water, nutrients, natural sugar and fibers. Whole grains will give you the essential oils your body needs, while proteins will play their role in the production of keratin. Drinking a lot of water will just complement what I have said before.

Love your skin

Of course that all the elements referred above would already make a huge improvement on how your skin looks. However, we need to take care of it and understand that skin is something very sensitive. Using appropriate products to the different skin areas will give your skin that special touch. On the other hand, limiting the negative impact of hot water, shaving and showering everyday (which removes the natural oils from skin) are simple cares that can make the difference.

Relax and give your skin a chance to glow!

I do not know about you, but you can tell when I am stressed just looking at me. I loose weight, the dark cycles under my eyes get more and more difficult to cover with concealer and my skin...well my skin looks sad. Actually I did not know this skin sadness was related to my stress until I found out that uncontrolled stress is indeed related to making our skin more sensitive and lead to acne breakouts. So, just control yourself, put it together and have a perfect skin ;)

Sources used for this article: Brasil Escola, Mayo Clinic and About.com.

Because this article is getting so long I decided to stop here. But I have other ideas. So let me know if you want a second part talking about types of skin, special care and general daily routine for skin care.

I had a lot of fun writing this post, as I learned a lot by reading so much before. I hope you are still awake on that side and that you enjoyed it as well as I did - or even more ;) eheh

Xoxo,LifeLover

2014 Blogger Challenge | New Years Inspiration

Hi Lovers,

This is the first post under the #2014 Blogger Challenge. I am really glad to make part of this ;)

For those who do not know me yet, I would like to introduce myself to this blogging network. I am a 25 years old girl, working in management and seeking to leave my life. While enjoying life I also want to build something...something for tomorrow. The balance between the 2 seems a simple thing, but it can be more difficult than that!

Last year was challenging, different and hard to pass through. It might have been the hardest period I can even remember. This was time to think, reflect and change my mind regarding standards and the idea of success...it was time to change my focus. On the other hand, and because it was a hard time, my real me came through and was shown on the top of all the rest. 

Airless with so much noise, there was something that I was not strong enough to remember: my life standards, my goals, my light. This can be translated into 3 sentences:

1) Be the change you want to be see in the world

a sentence from Mahatma Ghandi

Should you be a lover of life and the world, you will love others...if you are so, you can achieve what you want and be the difference you want to see in the world. On the other hand, should you be a hater, the Universe will make his part in refusing your legacy. You are powerful but Universe is even more...so be friendly ;)

2) Believe in what you believe

this sentence comes from my heart,

When I say "believe" I do not refer believe in your dreams, although this is also included in the concept. This sentence means to me that sometimes people tell you that what you believe is a dream rather than reality. It might be so, and you might need to run after it to achieve it. Other times, maybe that thing already exists but only you can see it...just keep believing in it. 

Some people actually calls it "faith"...I do not give it a word. I just trust that we must believe in something! This mainly means: believe in yourself. 

3) Trust that success is where you know it is

this is also something I truly believe

When I started writing my thesis, I choose a subject that no one would support. Even those who love me and care for me, even those would tell me to change it. I believed I could do that. I passed through a year of hurdle after hurdle. At the end I managed it. I did not think it was worth the efforts. Now, 2 years later, and after some working experience, I have been supporting my thesis by experiencing what I tried to prove. Now I know that the effort was worth it. 

These 3 quotes are deeply important for who I am and who I became. And after the experience of 2013, I decided to bring them back to my mind - and that's why this is my choice for 2014!

What are yours? Don't forget to share it with the world ;)

Xoxo,

LifeLover