Perfection: Does it Exist?

I often find myself telling people (or myself...yes, I do have conversations with the mirror) that I'm a 'perfectionist', ie. I strive for perfection.

But what is perfection?

Recently, I've been reading bits and bobs here and there (namely Glamour Magazine and Richard Holden's 'How to be Happy’ which we'll discuss more another time!) and have come to a conclusion; Perfection doesn't exist.

There are two main forms of perfection which I believe we as humans look for: 'The Perfect Life' and 'The Perfect Self'. But of course, these ideas of perfectionism mean different things to different people.

Let's start with the idea of 'The Perfect Life'. To some, falling in love with a member of the opposite sex and starting a family may be deemed 'perfect', but to a homosexual, this is probably their worst nightmare!

Similarly, the idea of 'The Perfect Self' differs from person to person, as what is important to one person may not be worthless to another. For example, to one person, perfection is reached by being successful, whilst to another, perfection is achieved through reaching their (ie. society's) ideal body image (I am guilty of this one!).

But what are the boundaries of perfection? When do we reach 'optimum perfection'? Alan Sugar may be one of the most successful business men in the country, but does he see himself as perfect? Probably not. It's human nature to always aspire for more than we have. And as well as this, we all have our flaws. Similarly, Cara Delevingne may be one of the most beautiful and successful models out there right now, and many girls (including me) wouldn't mind looking like her, but I'm sure she doesn't wake up in the morning and think, "oooh, I'm so perfect". Well, let's hope not! After all, there's more to a person than pure aesthetics.

Money is often seen as the answer to achieving perfection. Many take the view that money can buy 'The Perfect Life' or 'The Perfect Self'. And if we assume that these two things equal happiness, then it is understandable why the phrase 'money can buy happiness' is so popular. For example, money can buy a beautiful abode, the latest designer clothes, the Ferrari you've always dreamed of, a holiday home, endless trips abroad...the list is innumerable. And for parents wanting to give their kids 'The Perfect Life' and upbringing, money may seem like the answer; it can buy private school admissions as well as all things aesthetic to seemingly enhance their life. However, these superficial purchases, in my opinion, only bring short-lived happiness/ 'perfection' as we adapt to our surroundings, see them as normal (no longer 'perfect'), and dream of more. Also, what happens when these children grow up to be spoilt, ungrateful brats? How can one's life be perfect when they're the furthest thing from perfect themselves? I'll let ya into a little secret... it can't!

On browsing the Daily Mail yesterday and learning of Neil Trotter, a (probably former) car mechanic and the latest £108 million Euromillions lottery winner, my first thought was "wow, what a lucky guy. He's sorted for life!" Obviously, I immediately linked his new found wealth to a simultaneous inheritance of 'The Perfect Life'. But I can almost guarantee that his life isn't perfect. Money can't buy perfection.

Perfection is not attainable. The mere idea of it is absurd...who can be described as perfect? In the words of Jessie J, ‘nobody’. Wise words Jessie. Boys, that includes Cheryl Cole, and girls, I hate to break it to ya, but Ryan Gosling isn’t perfect either! Nor is the Queen of England. Or Leonard DiCaprio (although his performance in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' was the closest thing to perfect I've seen this year). And although it pains me to admit it...Niall Horan is not the perfect man (that took a lot to admit).

If we are continuously striving for something that doesn't exist, then how are we ever going to be happy? 

Personally, I find myself constantly striving to be thinner, more toned, healthier. And of course this means that when I slip up (everyone has their bad days), then I class myself a 'failure'. I’m slowly but surely realising that I need to give myself a break. I think everyone in society today is guilty of being beating themselves up in their search for perfection. We are our own worst enemy. It is no bad thing to have goals and ambitions...but if it's one thing I urge, it's that we need to stop being so harsh on ourselves!

Every single person has their flaws and imperfections. It's how we choose to deal with them that makes us grow/ helps us to be a better person.  

So take my advice. Stop striving for perfection and live and enjoy each day as it comes.

Salvador Dali had some pretty good advice too - "Have no fear of perfection- you'll never reach it".

Strive for progress, not perfection. 

Aaaaand finally, when life gives you lemons, squeeze the **** outta them and make pints of lemonade!

This post got deeper than I first expected but I hope a few of you can relate!

XOXO

A Review of Tinder: Is Romance Dead?

Helloooooo people!

So here we are. 2014. 

I have officially eaten enough food to feed the five thousand, drank enough booze to make George Best look teetotal, and am one step closer to a heart attack since my last post! Thanks a lot Christmas (although it was totally worth it). 

One of my New Years Resolutions was to blog once a week. Well that failed as we've already hit the third week of January and this is my first post of 2014...oh time fliiies. But now I'm back baby!

2014 has, as I'm sure it has many of you, led me to question things in my life / look at things in a new light. Job, living situation, appearance, friends...relationships. 

Particularly the dreaded r-word. 

In 2013, one by one my friends slowly started getting boyfriends. Now I've been single for approaching two and a half years now, and I've actually been really happy. Don't get me wrong, relationships are great too (I do not say this from personal experience...my ex and I created our very own World War III in the three and a half years we were together...oh young love). But as more and more of my friends began their very own love story, I began questioning... 

Why is it I'm being left behind when some friends have had more boyfriends than Taylor Swift?

How many frogs do I have to kiss before finding my Prince? 

Where and when will "the one" appear?

And I feel almost more guilty for not having a boyfriend with the emergence of apps like tinder. I remember a day when internet dating was solely associated with desperate, socially recluse weirdos searching for a chance of happiness with some other poor, equally strange / desperate being. It was also associated with the older generation. Young people and internet dating were rarely used in the same sentence. And here we are, in 2014, with this new dating app which has become so popular it makes Facebook look pedestrian.

 So how have we got here? What happened to the good old fashioned world of dating where a man wooed a woman face to face...where people actually met first and exchanged numbers after?

I felt even worse about my current relationship status when I heard stories of friends of friends and their experiences on Tinder. One described having the "best date of [her] life" while another has been wined and dined simultaneously by three guys she got talking to on it. So I thought I'd give the app a go...

...139 matches and two months later, I had some pretty odd proposals...

"I'll be Burger King and you be McDonalds, I'll be having it my way and you'll be loving it" 

"Ahhh so annoying, really wanna blowey. I'm so fed up with my five finger shuffle"

"My mate who I'm sitting next to told me to like you on his behalf"

"Sit on my face and I'll eat my way to your heart"

Charming! 

I also learnt that people aren't always who they say they are...(as much as I did love this one)! 

...and I made a few discoveries...

1) I only used it when I was bored as a form of entertainment,

2) I found myself thinking 'When the hell did I like you...I must've been either half asleep or drunk?!' over and over again,

3) I could never be bothered to actually talk to any 'matches', even if they were Ryan Gosling lookalikes. 

The fact of the matter is...I had no clue who these people were. And no desire to get to know them. 

The pure existence of the app itself also made me realise that life isn't a fairytale, but if it was, I certainly wouldn't be meeting my Prince Charming on Tinder....nor would I want to.

It's superficial. A persons appearance is the one and only definitive factor which determines the users choice of whether they swipe left or right. Surely there's more to a person than their looks...after all, Belle certainly didn't choose to be with The Beast for his dashing smile and muscular physique!

So after pondering all of this, I have decided that I am still happy as larry being single, and my search for the one has officially come to a halt this year. I have also decided that when he does eventually turn up at my door with his witty charm, Irish accent and a bunch of roses, it'll all be down to fate, not a million dollar dating app which, in my opinion, is more of a social platform for casual sex than anything else. 

Next week I'll be uploading another YouTube video on New Years Resolutions so stay tuned :) 

xoxo 

Pucker Up!

It's Winter time baby!

This can only mean one thing where makeup is concerned...

bold, bright, Christmassy.

 And I've discovered some new favourite lip colours so thought I'd share. 

I've fallen head over heels in love with these Rimmel London Colour Rush Balm's for two reasons: 

1) They are really easy to apply (I find they're easier than a lot of lipsticks which I sometimes find hard to keep to just my lips!) 

2) They keep your lips nice and moist! Great for winter time, the season of dry lips. 

These two are my favourites: 

Give Me A Cuddle:

The Redder The Better:

Another Favourite!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 107

I love love love this Kate Moss lipstick, especially for Autumn/Winter time! I haven't tried any of the other colours but after trying out this one, I'll definitely be buying more from her range. It's amaze!

Oh, one last thing. All of these three faves are really pigmented which is perfect as you don't need to re-apply 10 times a day :) 

Monday mornings are bleurgh 

XOXO