My Favorite Beauty Products

 I don't use many (in my opinion!) but here are my favorite beauty products!

 ST. IVE'S APRICOT SCRUB: This is the best facial scrub out there, nothing else compares to it. I use it a few times a week, it helps with dry skin patches and it's also good for just giving your skin a good scrub and getting rid of any dirt deep down. I use the Blemish Fighting variety, but there are other types including Sensitive and All Skin Types. A bottle can last you ages, I got a BOGOF offer last summer at Sainsbury's, and I'm still using the first bottle! 10/10

 JERGENS NATURALS: I only buy this if it's on special offer. I got the Extra Softening Shea Butter variety. I use it on the heels of my feet everyday, but it's important to exfoliate your feet too. Moisturising alone isn't enough to keep them soft. I use a Foot Smoother from the Body Shop whilst in the shower to keep my feet perfectly exfoliated. You can also get something that looks like a grater, it doesn't hurt though. It's for use after you have showered, and you can use them as part of a pedicure. 8/10

 SOAP AND GLORY: I just love so many of Soap and Glory's products, I can't pick just one! The above moisturising shower gel, Clean on Me, is what I have right now. I just love the scent, and the retro packaging really stands out. I've also used Clean Girls, which has the scent of Mist You Madly, of which I also own the body spray. The shampoo is not bad either, it's called Glad Hair Day, another product with a gorgeous scent! I have the shampoo for all hair types. There are so many products in this range, I even have the facial moisturiser, which I got in the ASOS sale. They also do amazing gift sets in Boots and ASOS at Christmas time. Once you try this, you will love it! They even have a small men's range. 10/10

 LAURA GELLER MATTE MAKER FACE POWDER: This is not actually make-up, but an oil blotter for your face. Only QVC sells it. It's quite pricey, but it's a great product for those of us with oily skin. It's translucent, so your face won't look all white after application, it will just look matte. Comes with a fan brush. 8/10

 A Word on Libya: Another light post regarding what is happening in Libya. My family is safe alhamdulilah and I just hope Tripoli is able to fight off Gaddafi's grip. Zawiyah is now controlled by anti-Gaddafi people, let's hope Tripoli goes the same way.

I have been reading KhadijaTeri's blog during this difficult time, I hope it gets better for everyone in Libya, and hang in there. KhadijaTeri's blog

Protests for Libya and a Bomb Scare

 So yesterday there a bit of drama in Middlesbrough. A protest planned by students for Libya went ahead in Centre Square, but at the same time a 'suspicious bag' was found outside the town hall. Police shut off the area and evacuated the Civic Centre. It was quite weird, we were all stood outside MIMA doing our chants, and right across from us was a bunch of council staff. Anyway it turned out the bag was just a bag, probably someone put it down and forgot to pick it up, but these days everything is treated as suspicious. You could argue that a bag left before 9/11 could be just as suspicious!

Bomb Scare in Middlesbrough

 I hated the fact that a guy on there called smoggy64 decided to bring Muslims into it with his misguided comment, even though the article made it clear that it wasn't even a bomb, let alone left there by Muslims! Yes we were having our protest, but it was nothing to do with bombs, it was about getting rid of a dictator. I wouldn't want to bomb Middlesbrough, no matter how awful it is, I live here too remember! As I recall, they didn't say any arrests were made, plus the police let us continue with our demonstration, so they knew it wasn't left by any protestors. Some people are just idiotic.......

Tracing Family *updated*

 I just got some amazing news during my search for my maternal grandfather. I put an ad up on Missing You and immediately the next day got a few replies from people who searched archives for me. One guy even searched 192.com and got me my grandfather's possible address, if it turns out to be right, it will mean he actually only lives a few miles away from us, which is where he was born anyway. It's kind of strange my mum ended up living here, as she lived all over the place, but Scotland was where she lived the longest. Then when she married my dad, they came here so he could study, and stayed ever since. Turns out we do have some roots here though! Today I got info on my grandfather's brothers and sister. They got married and had kids, apart from two brothers, from which no information could be found. Our next step is to write to my grandfather, I wouldn't go knocking at his door and shock him! But yesterday we did actually go and drive past where he might be living, I just felt really excited. I did kind of have a grandfather, my mum's step-dad, but he died when I was 15. I think after that it got me thinking about where my real grandfather could be. I know he ran away essentially, he left my mum and grandmother when my mum was only a baby. She never knew her dad at all. We have not even seen photographs. The curiosity is killing me!

  One thing I do know is that my grandfather served under the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. My great-grandfather was a navigator in the Royal Air Force. So there's a bit of military history there. The photo I put up is the sign outside the RNF museum in Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. I wanted to visit it, but it's a little too far away. I think if I found my grandfather though, I'd want to see the museum, it would be pretty cool. Museums are amazing! I shall keep updating as soon as I know more. Inshallah I hope this is my grandfather, I don't know what to expect, but I'm feeling excited and hopeful. I have one interesting tidbit about him, apparently he really loved Raspberry Ruffles, and I do too! At least I know what to get for him if we meet inshallah!
*UPDATE* We dropped a note through the letterbox of the house we believe to be my grandfather's. We left a number for him to call. All my mum wrote was that she may have information on a long-lost relative. Time will tell whether he wants to speak to us or not. My mum didn't even leave her name, in case it scared him off, she just did her initial and my dad's surname, which she doesn't use. Using her real surname would arouse too much suspicion I feel.

Oh, and I just wanted to add a little advertisement for my current favorite tea, Lancashire Tea. It's a really nice flavour-full tea! I like to let it brew for about five minutes, to get the fullest flavour. Tea is bland if you don't allow it to brew! Lancashire Tea is owned by an independant company, and they need all the advertising they can get. Where I live, you can buy it in Heron or Home Bargains. It doesn't cost too much, and you get 80 teabags! Plus you can collect the tokens for an old-fashioned map of Lancashire. I like it best with Scottish shortbread.

 A big thank you must go out to all the people who looked through archives for info on my grandfather. Thank you very much!

And no, I haven't forgotten about the situation in Libya, I just think I needed to do something a little different today. It's still bad over there, inshallah the people will overcome this.

Chaos in Libya

 So it's heating up in Libya. CNN managed to get a reporter in, but he only calls in, no footage from him yet. But at least they got someone in! Gaddafi says people from the outside are stirring things up in Libya, but the people in Libya know better than anyone what a tyrant he is, and they don't need other people to tell them that. I think it was definately a domino effect starting from Tunisia, it gave Libya the courage to start protesting. Only it's a lot worse in Libya. The military are bombing their own people, on orders from the 'leader'. I am currently listening to Gaddafi waffling on, he's saying things like he'll die as a martyr, and even having the nerve to mention Omar Al-Mukhtar! If he was alive today, he would be very upset at the state of Libya, and all these years that the people have suffered. He also keeps mentioning his grandfather, whatever!

 Omar Al-Mukhtar was a true hero of Libya, he died for Libya. Gaddafi will only die because of himself, because he is evil.

We actually had a protest in my town yesterday!! It was outside the university, my uncle is a student there so he joined the protestors. I say they should have told more people though, there wasn't a lot of people present! Perhaps if they had gotten women to join in? That's kind of annoying, because I know the men wouldn't want us there, but we want to show our support for Libya.

 One good thing that seems to have come from this, is the media is finally reporting on what really happens in Libya. People taken in as political prisoners and murdered, or relatives mysteriously disappearing. Also I notice more people around me taking an interest in politics and news for once!! People should always keep an eye out on the news, I'm not saying trust it 100%, but you shouldn't live under a rock either. I was always interested in politics, even from being a young teenager. I don't know why, but I reckon it's served me well, and helps me understand what is going on with our government, and also other governments around the world. But you should at least know what goes on in your own country from day to day.

Long live Libya! Please pray for our brothers and sisters.

Libya 'Day of Rage' *updated*

 Not a lot of information out there about the protests in Libya. Apparently the government is only releasing images of Gaddafi supporters protesting, although I don't see what they need to protest about, he's been around long enough! Some Libyan people are going down to London, to the Libyan Embassy, as apparently the government has promised to pay off their student debts. Worth it I guess, but don't be tricked into supporting him just because he's giving you some money!

 

I will update once I hear more, there's a real media block going on right now!

UPDATE: My dad called my uncle in Libya, he said he was still going to work as normal, but he saw many protestors on the way there. News channels say Green Square has a mixture of pro and anti government protestors. Lets hope the anti-government protestors flush them out! My dad also tried to call a friend in Benghazi, phone line was completely dead. Doesn't mean bad news though, they have shut down phone lines, might not be much more than that, so hopefully that means the guy is alright. I also heard they were evacuating British nationals, or maybe they have a safe place to go to, I'm not sure. Saif al-Islam also appeared on TV tonight spouting nonsense about how Libyans are just copying off Tunisia and Egypt (like the Libyans don't have a legit reason for protesting?? Seriously!!) He also blamed it on Libyans living abroad, calling news channels and pretending they are in Libya, giving false numbers of dead people. I don't doubt for one second that many people died, and Saif seems to be getting pretty mental! I urge the Libyan people to keep on going, inshallah we can make Libya a better place.

There was also apparently a protest outside the Libyan Embassy in London, and also outside the White House in Washington (USA of course, although there is a Washington not far from me!) If I didn't live so far from London, I would have joined in the protests myself! I told my mum that perhaps we need to get some proper Libyan flags and go to Centre Square here, we'd have to get out all the Libyans out though. I bet there's more here in this little town than I ever knew!

Attacked in Public

 Yesterday I was walking to the post office with my mum and sister, when we passed a chavvy couple pushing a pram. The man then remarked that my mother was white, yet wearing a scarf on her head. He looked like a totally clueless idiot. He was like "she's white and wearing THAT, huuuuuuuuuuuh?"
 What a twit! So my mum hit back at him with some comments, and I actually stuck my middle finger up at him! I just thought, what kind of example would I be setting if I just meekly walked past and accepted this stranger saying things about my mum? I had to show that I wasn't going to take it, otherwise this kind of behaviour just repeats itself wherever you go. I did think later on that perhaps I should have called the police. It was really a racist and anti-religion attack, but the police probably would have a took a year to get there, then probably it would end without a conviction! I have been attacked in public before, I reported the incident, and it ended with the two perpatrators just getting fined £50, none of which I received. I wonder what the police does with money they get stemming from an assault? It seems wrong to keep that money, when it could be given to the victim as a small gift of compensation. I would have been happy to get that, it was better than the nothing I actually got.

  ALWAYS report a crime, no matter how insignificant it seems. We need to get the police working for us, that is their job after all, protecting the public? Even if it's just a racist comment on the street, let it become part of the statistics,  even just so people can see how racist a particular area is. I can't wait until I get out of this disgusting town, it's my aim to leave this place someday inshallah. Failing that, I at least want a car so I don't have to walk the unsafe streets!Take a look at this article, it shows just how frightened some people are when it comes to reporting crime: Muslim Women Avoid Reporting Hate Crime