Friday 28 June 2019

Let's Talk About Some LGBTQIAP+ Topics | A Ramble About Being Myself

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! This post may be controversial for some, it may be relevant to others, but, as it's Pride Month, I thought that it was best if I had a little discussion with you all about some stuff. Without sounding self centred, most of this post will be about me, and it will be rambly, but I hope that you don't mind that.

It's probably going to be best to sort this rambling thread out into sections. I felt that it was mainly important to create this post, because not only is it Pride Month, but the LGBTQIAP+ community as a whole, are still very marginalised and as I'm a part of the community, I thought that I needed to speak up about some stuff. Some stuff is positive, some is negative, and some is in-between.

A picture of a grey t-shirt with love is love in white bold chunky font with rainbow colours behind the words like a shadow on a bright background

Non-binary

If anyone didn't know, I identify as non-binary. This is defined as, a term that is used for people that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍. ‌Identities that are outside the gender binary and cisnormativity. I did a post a while ago about being non-binary (click here if you want to read that.) Being non-binary is sometimes a weird concept to explain to anyone that is cisgendered (someone whose gender identity matches their anatomical gender at birth), because being both masculine and feminine can come across as a new subject to them, even though it has been around in many cultures for many years. Being 'enby' is still something that I am trying to express in a way that I want to and is still something that I am working on. I think that celebrities coming out as enby has definitely helped. It's showed me that the representation is slowly getting better therefore more people are learning to understand and accept enby, but also that no one fully has it together which helps my state of mind a lot with my gender. When I came out as non-binary, I got a fair few people asking me, can you be non-binary with a beard? Doesn't facial hair instantly make you conform to the attributes of one gender? Well no, why should something that grows on my face instantly define who I am? Society has told you to think that beards are ultra masculine, and well in my opinion, they are not. Clothing, again. shouldn't be categorised into gender specific sections. Yes, I know that many within society and media have had this debate, but for me, having gender specific sections, scared me when starting to understand my gender and who I am. I felt awkward going through female clothing sections in stores in case someone stopped me. I know that sounds stupid, but that's because society has told us that if someone that isn't a cis woman is looking at women's clothing is dodgy and weird, which is not completely true. We need to realise that most just want to look at female clothing, because, well there's sometimes better designs for certain aesthetics in the 'women' section. That was about a year ago, and I can't thank my female presenting friends such as Abbey and Michelle, who would help me look through such sections in stores so I didn't feel anxious. This year alone, I've dabbled more in makeup (an expensive and tricky hobby), worn crop tops and dresses outside and had genuine fun presenting as feminine when I've felt it in front of random strangers. All things that I was scared to do on my own this time last year. Dysphoria still and will happen,

Being Polyamorous

Polyamory is defined as, engaging in multiple sexual relationships with the consent of all the people involved. (I have also done a post on this before so click here to read it). When writing my previous post about being poly, I didn't really know how to explain any of it I just knew that it was something that I knew that was for me? I've slowly figured that it's more to do with mental health and that it helps my anxiety as I have a tendency to push some away when feeling 'bleh'. I also think that polyamory has a sort of stigma around it. I know that sounds slightly silly seeing as we live in an inclusive society, but stay with me. Polyamory has kind of being perceived as this thing that only a small minority do, that may be true, but its also been shown to be portrayed via hippies or America. By that I mean, polyamory being the centre of a communal lifestyle where many people come and live together and they share everything, or, something hidden in the corners of America in places such as Utah for it to be gawked at by the mainstream media, due to it being niche. The first one sounds kinda interesting, and, like a Marxists dream, but also sounds problematic. Also why was the stereotype with hippies? I guess that media didn't;t know what to do with it due to it not being mainstream and therefore decided to seek the first sighting of polyamory and just lump it altogether? That was wrong to do then, and, it's wrong to do today. When others ask me about polyamory, they get confused and anxious. I get that, being confused and anxious about something that you're not used to is expected. However, when I try to educate someone on it, they either just don't want to grasp it, slut shame, or, instantly come back with, 'oh well, I'd get jealous'. First of all, Karen, if you're confused about something and I educate you, the nice thing to do is to at least listen and nod. If you don't get it, that's fine, but ask questions, that's what questions are for. If you're not going to listen then why should I bother? Second of all,  you shouldn't slut shame anyone, no matter what. If I don't judge you, then why should you judge me? Third of all, everyone gets jealous, we compare and contrast within life. We shouldn't but its an innate thing to do, so of course polyam's get jealous, but communication is key. For me, polyamory is something that is still new in my life, but the way that I view polyamory, is something that improves my life. I'm not sure where I am with it, just like my gender, but I love love and I love people, so shouldn't that be enough for right now?

Holding Peoples Hands In Public

Most of you may think that holding hands in public is nothing, but for anyone in the LGBTQIAP+ community, it's not just a simple mundane thing. Homophobic/anti-queer attacks still happen. They happen in the UK, they happen around the world, and they probably happen in the town that you live in. Holding hands shows that you're being intimate within public grounds. Sometimes, this might be within safe spaces, sometimes this might just be shopping, but this still shows bravery. It shows that you know that someone might come up to you and shout slurs at you, they might punch you in the face but it shows that you're being your true authentic self. I'm still getting used to this for many reasons. Not only am I holding hands with people to show that I'm being myself, but I do it with my closest friends, due to needing help with seeing sometimes. I have an eye condition that means that I can't see that great within dimly lit places or well dark lighting/no lighting. Frankly, this isn't going to stop me going out at night, nor is it going to stop me going on nights out and adventures. This means that I let friends help me by holding my hand and guiding me, and that's fine, but to strangers they may not realise. By this, I mean that, invisible illnesses or even eye conditions, aren't recognised unless there's a visual cue to go along with it. No one gets that someone has a disability unless there's a wheelchair or a cane to show the disability. This means that I have still gotten scared that my face might get punched, or I'll get slurs shouted at me. I know what you're thinking. 'Jamie, it's rare that it will happen.' That's true, but it has multiple times. That's the only problem, most want to say that we've come a long way within queer rights, but have we? Should anyone be scared to hold hands? Hell no. Should someone be scared to show their loved ones affection in public? No. Yes, the LGBTQIAP+ community have some rights under the Equality Act, but that doesn't solve everything. We are slowly getting there though. This is why I've started to not care. Why should I be scared in case one thing happens, when I know that even if someone did punch me for being myself, that won't stop me being myself. I've started to hold hands with anyone and everyone that I know (after consent of course) because well, why should we care what others think?

Finding A Tribe

A lot of the LGBTQIAP+/queer community, decide to create their own family, as sometimes we're not lucky to have a family that accepts us as our true authentic selves. I have a family that does. I love them a lot, but I think that having a tribe/second sort of family was the best decision that I could have ever made. Not everyone in what ever tribe you find are the same, and that's fine, because its the best thing about being in a part of a smaller tight knit sort of community. You learn new things, you get educated on things that you would never know about otherwise, but, you get to do the same back. You can also rely and trust the people around you. and honestly, its fabulous. Finding people that share the same ideas and values has opened my mind up. It's also boosted my confidence, showed me that I can be open and not get hurt for doing so, and so much more. I don't talk about my mental health on here much anymore, but, its calmed my anxiety down so much. Honestly, if I hadn't had found people that I could trust, I wouldn't be able to write the above. Hell, I wouldn't really be able to write this post at all.

Thank you to, Alex L, Richard and Alex, Jim, Shaun, Mike, Vince, Johann, Kevin and Richard, Ben, Jos, Toby, Kris, Axel, Abbey, Michelle, Dan and anyone else that I've forgotten. (I'm writing this in the early depths of the morning.) Not to be cheesy, but to quote a misfit character that I relate on a spiritual level to, 'this is my family, I found it all on my own. It's little, and, broke, but still good. Yeah still good.' (Comment down below if you know the quote.)

Businesses With Rainbows/Commercialisation Of Pride

I read an article whilst planning this post that talked about how sticking rainbows onto brands logos isn't enough by one of the members of Years and Years. They said that they were sick of businesses just changing their logo to rainbow and thinking that it's enough to show their pride. I think that this is true. A brand can't just change its logo for a month and think that this is enough. If a brand is truly wanting to show their pride, then why not give a percentage of your profits to an LGBTQIAP+ charity? Why not make sure that your LGBTQIAP+ staff are being treated equally? Why not have a Pride range all year round? Pride can't just be a gimmick for a month to increase sales. LGBTQIAP+ can't be reduced down to a BLT with some added Guacamole to make it inclusive. It's pandering and it cheapens your brand as a whole. I'm glad that some brands have ensured that their Pride ranges do donate to a charity, but the ranges are only out for June which is problematic, because well Pride isn't just in June. Rainbows can happen at any time, and so can Pride and celebrating equality around the world. If you're going be loud, be so loud that they can hear from you the other side of the world and keep with it.

I hope that you've enjoyed this post and that you've had a good Pride Month. If you're going to any Pride events this year, be inclusive and be accepting. If you know any LGBTQIAP+ people, talk them, ask questions, let them educate you and accept and love them.

Thank you for reading this rambly post. 
Jamie x

Friday 21 June 2019

Getting Spicy For The Summer | The Body Shop Summer Range 2019

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! The Body Shop released two new ranges, and I thought that today I would talk to you about them.

The Body Shop have decided to focus their Summer ranges on food waste. By this, I mean using wonky and unwanted vegetables and fresh ingredients within their products within the Summer Range. The main two ranges that The Body Shop have released for the Summer, are, Banana and Ginger, which both use wonky or wasted pieces of Fresh Banana and Ginger.

Ginger:

Enriched with beautifully gnarly, knobbly and totally twisted ginger root extract from India. This Ginger range ensures that any Ginger Root from India that doesn't get used within beauty products, would be used within The Body Shop's range. The range contains, a Shower Gel, a Body Scrub, Body Yoghurt, Body Butter, and a Hand Wash. If you like the Ginger Anti Dandruff, then imagine the smell of that being the main scent of this range, but more Fresh. Whereas the Anti Dandruff range has more of a dark warming scent that may remind you of Christmas/Gingerbread, this range will give you more of a fresh zingy Ginger Juice sort of scent. The Showr Gel is my favourite product from the range, as it lathers up instantly which intensifies the Ginger flavour slightly. The Body Butter is enriching and keeps your body moisturised for at least 12 hours (I tried it out for the day whilst shopping and I could smell it when I was going to bed). My least favourite Ginger product was the Body Yoghurt. I do love a Body Yoghurt, but mixing a Body Yoghurt with any warm weather isn't the best of ideas, as I found that the warm weather doesn't help the Yoghurt to set.

A small white hand holding a cylindrical plastic bottle which says the body shop ginger shower gel  in black font filled with pale orange shower gel on a bright background

Banana: 

Enriched with Community Trade organic banana puree made from bananas that won’t sell to the food industry. This means that any of the Banana's that don't make it into your smoothies or Banana Bread, get to go into a beautiful Banana product at The Body Shop. This range includes, a Shower Cream, Body Polish, Body Yoghurt, and, Body Butter. If you love sort of sweet scents then you will love this one, as the scent has a sort of Foam Banana scent to it. This range would go perfectly with a Banana Daiquiri in the sun after pampering yourself with beauty products.

A tall plastic clear cylindrical shower gel bottle with bananas all over it filled with pale yellow liquid on a bright background

Prices: 

Shower Gel - £5
Hand Wash - £5
Body Scrub - £15
Body Polish - £10
Body Yoghurt - £8.50
Body Butter - £15

Have you tried any of the above products? What's your favourite scent from The Body Shop? Let me know down below! (Check out The body Shop.)

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Tuesday 18 June 2019

Everyone Come & Join The ManCave | ManCave Grooming

Hey everyone!

How is your day going?

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I bought some stuff from ManCave a while ago, and thought that I would try them for a while and then review them, so that's what I'm going to talk about today. (I've also heard good things about the Hair Styling products, let me know down below if you've tried them.)


Lemon & Oak Shower Gel

As this says, this shower gel is scented with Lemon and Oak Oils. Lemon helps to naturally cleanse skin, whereas Oak helps to uplift. This Shower Gel is amazing for using in the morning or for when you feel a bit groggy. I loved that the Lemon part of the Gel was a deep Lemon scent, compared to the general instantly sharp Lemon Curd-esque scent that most companies try to imitate in Shower products. This shower gel created such a creamy lather and moisturised my skin slightly. It's also priced at £4 which is pretty good for a mid market shower product.

A triangular shaped black bottle with ManCave in white font with lemon and oak shower gel in cursive yellow font on a bright background

Samdalwood Shower Gel

Mentioned above, I say that I thought that the Lemon and Oak was the best for the morning, I think that this is better for the mid-afternoon/evening. Tea Tree Oil helps to cleanse and soothe the body, whereas Sandalwood helps to relax the mind. I think that this product goes amazing with the Mancave Scrub that I'll be talking about later within this post. This shower gel reminds me of Autumn just from the spice and musk of the scent. The lather again is creamy and slightly moisturising. Priced at £4.

A triangular shaped black bottle with ManCave in white font with sandalwood shower gel in cursive yellow font on a bright background

Sensitive Shower Gel

I do get sensitive sometimes, so I was glad that Mancave had a product to cover my needs for when my skin gets like that. This Shower Gel has a clean but subtle scent which is great for sensitive skin as it won't irritate the skin as much. This Shower Gel also contains Cucumber which soothes and slightly moisturises due to the water content. The lather is slightly more creamy with the Sensitive Shower Gel, but, I kind of like it due to having slightly dry skin. Priced at £4.

A triangular shaped black bottle with ManCave in white font with sensitive shower gel in cursive yellow font on a bright background

Blackspice Body Scrub

This was hands down my favourite product from the Mancave order I made! This Scrub contains Pumice and Charcoal Powder helps to scrub away at dead skin to reveal a new you. Black Pepper Oil and Cardamom Oil helps to soothe the muscles and give anti-oxidants to the skin. I love anything Spicy so this Scrub is the one! This would be fab first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Ah, I love this product! Priced at £5.

A triangular shaped black bottle with ManCave in white font with Blackspice Body Scrub  in cursive light brown font on a bright background

Caffeine Shampoo

Caffeine is the saviour of my life! Caffeine helps to stimulate and strengthen hair. I loved this Shampoo. It did exactly what it said, strengthen and stimulate. This is perfect to use first thing in the morning. Priced at £5.50.

A triangular shaped black bottle with ManCave in white font with caffeine shampoo in cursive yellow font on a bright background

Have you tried any of the ManCave products? Let me know down below! Check out ManCave.

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Tuesday 11 June 2019

Dear John, I See It All Now That You're Gone | Dear John Shower Gel

Hey everyone!

How are you doing? Good? Bad? Let me know down below!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I've been enjoying the Dear John Shower Gel from the Lush Fathers Day range for a while now, and I thought that today, I would talk to you about my thoughts on it. (If you want to find out what the Lush Fathers Day range consists of then click here to read my post about it.) (Click here to check out Lush.)

A tall cylindrical plastic bottle filled with dark blue liquid with a black rectangular label with Dear John in bright white font on a rectangular light brown wooden shelf on a bright background

List Of Ingredients:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate Glycerine Sodium Cocoamphoacetate Fresh Coriander Infusion Fair Trade Organic Clove Infusion Perfume Lauryl Betaine Cedarwood Oil Vetivert Oil Coriander Seed Oil Clove Bud Oil Lactic Acid Water (Aqua) *Citral *Coumarin *Eugenol *Limonene *Linalool Colour 42090 Colour 17200

The Scent

As you can tell from the list above, this shower gel contains Coriander, Clove, and, Vetivert. The best way to sum up Dear John, is Tobacco mixed with a slight touch of Coffee and Herbs. I know that this sounds weird but stick with me. The clove kind of creates the darkness of the coffee, the Vetivert gives the smokiness of Tobacco and the Coriander gives the sort of a fresh herbal hit. I love it as there isn't really a product out there that smells like this. Yes, there is wood based scents, yes there are some herbal scents, and there is a couple of smoky based scents, but, there's nothing out there that merges all three into one. I love this scent for more of a dull day, which lets be real, happens a lot within England.

The Texture

Most of Lush's Shower Gels are slightly thick, and this is no different, but sometimes Lush's shower gels can take a good squeezing to get out. This one does not. It's thick but still quite runny. It's a bit of an enigma because its runny but doesn't run as soon as you tip your hand. Lush also do a Naked version of this product and the texture is very different. The Naked (which ensures that you save on plastic due to no bottle) has more of a tackier texture as soon as you touch it. This foams up slowly to ensure a rich lather. I kind of prefer the texture of the liquid, but, I love the Naked products and think that they have a place and time for myself.

Cost

With Lush Shower Gels, there are different prices for different sizes, so I thought that it would be best to put all down just to see the different.

Liquid:
100g - £6.95
250g - £13.95
500g - £22.95

Naked - £11.50

Would I Buy It Again?

Yes, I definitely would. I think that it would be amazing for those colder nights in Autumn time. I personally prefer the Liquid over the Naked but I also think that the Naked version would be great to purchase for travelling. I will definitely be buying more to ensure that I've got enough to cover me, due to this being a limited edition product.

Do I Think It Should Be A Permanent Product?

Yes, it definitely should! Lush please read this and make it a permanent.

Have you tried or enjoyed any of the Fathers Day range from Lush? Have you tried Dear John? Have you read my Fathers Day Range post? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Wednesday 5 June 2019

Having A Punk Pizza Party | Adore Delano A Pizza Me Manchester

Hey everyone!

How's everything going?

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to see Adore Delano a while ago in Manchester, and, I thought that today I would talk to you all about it.

If you don't know who Adore Delano is? Then where have you been for the past few years?! Adore Delano (Danny Noriega) is a drag entertainer, who first got caught the people's eye via the American talent show, American Idol as Danny. Some years later, Danny grabbed the worlds attention, via, participating in Season Six of RuPauls Drag Race, as Adore Delano. Adore Delano is a drag performer who bases their aesthetic on the punk and grunge movements, and from other aspects of pop culture.

A white rectangular screen with a picture of a blue haired person wearing a black dress with adore delano in white font in a black rectangular strip with a pizza me in red font with a dark square dark brown stage with a woman wearing blonde hair and black jeans with a white jacket on a dark background

Myself and my friend Alex, decided to go to the A Pizza Me tour, as I relate to a lot of Danny and Adore's views on the world and I love Adore's aesthetic and the grunge/punk movement. I was already in Manchester that weekend, to see Panic! At The Disco (read that post here), so it made sense to make the weekend even better by going to see Adore the day after.

We got to the venue and made our way to the balcony to watch the show. The venue increased the excitement for the show via playing songs from other Drag Race alumni and adverts for shows that were coming up from other drag entertainers.

The show started off with a pre show by Victoria Secret, a drag entertainer from Dublin. They started off the night via telling stories and antics and even included a mix of songs based off the story of Nadine Coyle, from lying via her age to get onto an Irish talent show to being a part of one of the UK's biggest airl groups.

After this, Victoria encouraged four of Adore's fans to get onto the stage for a lip sync to win some Adore merchandise. Even though the lip sync became a dance off, it was still amazing to see people get into the groove of things.

When Adore came to the stage, they started off the show with a rendition of, Britney Spears' top hit 'Piece Of Me'. This mixed with the fact that Adore loves Pizza creates the title of the tour. The rendition was amazing and raw. A perfect way to describe the full show. Adore carried on with more songs, played via just two instruments, their voice and a guitar. After some conversations about her life and past, and a couple of songs, a Q&A session happened. Adore answered questions in relation to, Drag Race, All Stars, the punk movement, favourite songs and artists and much more. Adore even makes references to such TV shows via, adlibing during one of the songs they perform within the set to, 'I don't belong here anymore, All Stars.' They also talk about that its their first tour since sobriety and talks frankly about it during the set.

One of the best highlights throughout the show, was when Adore sang, Cher's infamous track, 'Believe'. Not only did Adore perform it with poise and class, but she explained that it was one of her late Dads favourite song, which meant that you could tell that Adore was pouring all of their feelings into the song and everyone in the room could tell this. I loved the slow acoustic version of it compared to the electronic anthem that we all know and love. All in all, I adored the A Pizza Me show at Manchester, and wish that I could have about five pieces more of Adore, because, I'm greedy like that.

Did you attend the A Pizza Me tour? Let me know down below! Do you have a favourite song from Adore? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Saturday 1 June 2019

Making The Scent Of Dada That Little Bit Better | Lush Fathers Day Range 2019

Hey everyone!

How are you?

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Lush have released their Fathers Day range, and, I thought that today I would talk to you all about it.


Bath Bombs:

Dear John

New for this year. Lush have released a Bath Bomb scented with Coriander Seed, Vetivert Oil and many more good smelling ingredients. This product has a blue spots on the top and is white everywhere else. This means, that the white creates a thick foam on the top of your bath, and, then the blue slowly comes exploding out like ink out of an exploding pen. £4.95.

A selection of spherical white bath bombs with blue dots on the top next to a black rectangular card that sats Dear John bath bomb in white casual font on a rectangular brown shelf on a bright background

Crazy Train

Choo Choo, climb aboard onto the Crazy Train! This bath bomb is what exactly it says it is. This is a great one for those who loves trains. It definitely makes a fun and interesting product to use in the water! This product contains Red Sicilian Grapefruit, Orange Flower Absolute and many other zesty oils! If you love your bath products to be more on the citrus side, then, you will definitely love this one! £5.50.

A pink and light blue train shaped bath bomb with circular wheels at the bottom and a rectangular spout at the top on a white background

Bubble Bars

Pop

Pop goes the weasel in the bath! Inspired by pop art that was made famous via Andy Warhol, this bubble bar looks like pop art, but also, pops and creates art in the bath! Popping Candy ensures that the bubbles pop when foaming up under the water. Buchu and Sicilian Lemon Oils ensure that this product is uplifting and zesty. If you like the Snowman/Carrots range, then you will love this! £4.95.

A yellow spiky bath bomb with red font saying Pop in bubble writing on a large light brown wooden shelf with a rectangular portrait black card saying pop bubble bar in white casual font on a bright background

Shower Gels

Dear John

Some people love baths, and, others love Showers and that's absolutely fine! Lush have released a Shower Gel with the beloved Dear John fragrance for Fathers Day. You can either get it in liquid or solid form. Solid means that you help to reduce the amount of plastic that is wasted and destroyed within the world. This product also contains Coriander Seed and Vetivert Oils. (I'm actually in the midst of writing a review of this product, so keep your eyes out for that.) Liquid: starts from £6.50 for a §00g bottle. Naked: £11.50.

A circular puddle of purple shower gel with specks of light blue on a bright white background

Hair

Dear John Coffee Shampoo

Do you need a pick me up when it comes to washing your hair? Well, Lush have got your sorted! This new Coffee inspired Dear John Solid Seampoo helps to awaken your mind and your head. It actually contains Ground Coffee and Clove Infusion which help to scrub at the scalp to ensure it's clean and Aloe Vera to help soothe. Solid shampoo's are great for travelling too! £7.50.

A solid circular purple and brown puck of shampoo with dark brown coffee beans embedded into it on a white bright background

Perfume

Dear John

I absolutely adore this fragrance. Dear John was the fragrance, that myself and Michelle, bonded over. This fragrance is the epitome of Dear John. In my opinion, I think that the scent is stronger in this than any other Dear John product. I do kind of think that this should be out in many other forms, than, the 30ml fragrance. I do miss this scent in a Body Spray. £25 for 30ml.


A rectangular glass clear bottle containing dark yellow liquid with a rectangular black label saying Dear John in white font in a pale hand on a bright background

There are also a selection of gifts including a Dear John Gift Set. This contains a Fragrance, a Bath Bomb, a bottle of Shower Gel and a Shampoo Bar. £40.


A big blue rectangular box with a circular blue purple label with Dear John in blue with a circular purple shampoo bar with brown circular coffee beans embedded, a cylindrical bottle with purple liquid with a black label saying Dear John shower gel in white font, a spherical white bath bomb with blue spot on the top and a rectangular glass bottle of the perfume on a bright background

Have you tried any of the new Fathers Day products at Lush? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x