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May 12, 2005

Beauty essentials

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Question:

What are the best beauty investments I can make? Is it buying the best skincare? Having regular facials? Going to the hairdresser? Please streamline my beauty budget.

Irene, via e-mail.

Answer:

There are lots of good beauty investments, but I have a few must-have suggestions for you.

A compact mirror with a normal mirror and a magnifying mirror so you can see if your make-up is correctly applied.

A manicure once a fortnight, whether you do it yourself or have it done professionally. The best nail shapes are either oval or a softened square.

A facial every six to eight weeks for a deep clean or a nourishing treatment, depending on your skin type. If you have all the products, do this at home more regularly.

An all-in-one styling brush and blow dryer. You can create a smooth, slick style or give hair lots of body.

A facial mist to rehydrate skin and set make-up.

A heavy, all-purpose cream for softening lips, cuticles, hands and heels.

A classic make-up brush collection: blush brush; a few eyeshadow brushes, including one that’s rounded and fluffy; an angled brush for liners and eyebrows; a comb and bristle brush for eyebrows and lashes and a lip brush.

And lastly, a great pair of tweezers.

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May 12, 2005

Dog years

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Question:

My dog (my first) turns three soon. What’s the difference between dog and human years? Carolyn

Answer:

The old saying is that there are about seven dog years to one human year – which means she’d be celebrating her 21st! This is simplistic, but is roughly correct.

Dogs grow and change more rapidly than humans because their lifespan is much shorter. Dogs reach puberty and can breed from as early as five months of age – so what we can’t do until our teenage years, dogs can manage while their human equivalents are still in nappies! Dogs also age faster after they reach the 10-year mark.

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May 5, 2005

He hates his kennel!

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Question:

My dog Ted will not go into his kennel. I have bought a wooden one and a plastic one and he doesn’t like either. He has his special pillow/blanket in both, but this doesn’t help as he keeps pulling them out. He has no shelter outside except for these kennels, so when it rains he gets soaked. Do you have any suggestions?

Susie

Answer:

Susie,

This is a common problem with dogs, I remember my dog growing up did the same. We built this luxurious kennel and my dad lined it with carpet and put a fabric flap on the front to keep her warm and she ripped everything out and then sat in the cold! Kennels are obviously good shelter for dogs, but being social animals they would certainly prefer being close to us to protect us and to feel safe themselves. This is why they often sleep at the back door — as close to us as they can get.

Dogs that have slept in kennels since they were pups often love them and it’s something they can get used to and have as their own territory, but it needs to be just so! Try moving it around — maybe closer to the house. For a dog not used to it, a kennel may feel a bit claustrophobic or scary and it may just not smell right! Putting blankets in that smell of him is a good idea and you might try feeding him in there or regularly leaving treats in there so he associates it with positive experiences. Slowly does it though — if you try to forcibly stuff him into it, you will make him hate it even more and be taking a big step backwards.

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May 5, 2005

E-mail ruined my friendship

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When I innocently swapped e-mail addresses with my best friend’s boyfriend to plan a surprise birthday party for her, I never dreamt things could turn out so wrong.

Tom soon contacted me to discuss Trish’s birthday, which was fine. However, as e-mails flowed back and forth, we found ourselves generally chit-chatting about anything and everything. Neither of us told Trish we were in contact — I guess we both thought it was innocent. Plus, I knew that Trish had got up to a trick or two of her own behind Tom’s back so I didn’t really think twice.

Then came the day Tom brought up the subject of sex. As I was the single one, he asked me when was the last time I had had sex and if I had anyone special in my life. When I sent him my response, he told me it was pretty much the same for him. He went on to tell me of his fairly boring and non-existent sex life with Trish, how there were many things he’d fantasise about, knowing she would never consider trying them. He was thrilled he could chat to me about them. One thing led to another and we found ourselves discussing what we liked and would like to try, our secret fantasies that we couldn’t tell anyone else.

This went on for around 12 months. It was like Tom was a different person — not my best friend’s boyfriend, but my secret pen pal who I could tell anything and he wouldn’t judge me. It was the male contact that I was lacking. It got to the point that when I spoke to Trish, I’d have to try hard not to say “I already know” or comment on things she was telling me that Tom already had.

Unfortunately, one day I slipped up. She had told me she was going on a bushwalk; I knew it had been cancelled from Tom’s e-mails. She was starting to get suspicious. I guess Tom may have let a few minor things slip as well. I got one last e-mail from Tom telling me that we’d been caught; he was on the computer chatting to me when she unexpectedly arrived home early from work. Tom had stupidly saved some of our raunchy e-mails and Trish read them.

In the last e-mail I received, he told me not to contact Trish again; our friendship was over. She never wanted to speak to me again. Then I received an e-mail from Trish herself, thanking me for my friendship over the years and for showing her the true person her boyfriend really was. I guessed that meant it showed her the true person her best friend was as well. I was devastated. We’d been best friends for so long and now with one last e-mail it was gone forever.

I will never forgive myself or Tom for what we have done. I will be punished forever by my beautiful best friend not wanting anything to do with me. I’m so sorry.

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May 5, 2005

Weak nails

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Question:

My nails are really weak and brittle. They split before they even have the chance to grow and they grow really slowly. Is there anything I can do or any products I can use to strengthen them? I have been told this is due to lack of water intake but I drink about two litres a day, which is the required amount.

Sibel

Answer:

Start by having a professional manicure once a fortnight, then apply a nail strengthener like Sally Hansen Age Correct Strength Dry and Brittle Care. It is available from department stores nationally.

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May 1, 2005

Starlight Children’s Foundation

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By Annette Campbell

Donna George is a 39-year-old mother of two and legal secretary from East Maitland, near Newcastle, NSW.

And this humble, unassuming mum is also nothing less than an absolute hero to kids doing battle with life-threatening illnesses.

Donna is an enthusiastic volunteer for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, the national organisation whose mission is to brighten the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children and their families.

Donna’s been a volunteer “wish granter” for the past eight years and says she’s probably granted at least 50 or 60 wishes by now.

“It feels just wonderful,” she says. “I get so much from the families; they are so courageous and so grateful.”

Donna juggles her wish-granting with full-time work and being a mum to her boys, Ben, 13, and Ethan, 12.

“So if someone in this area is granted a wish, Starlight will contact me with their details and I’ll contact the family, visit them and ask, ‘If you could have anything, what would it be?'”

Donna explains there are four main categories for wishes: travel, celebrity, experience (parachuting etc) and tangible (computers / home entertainment systems).

“The wish is co-ordinated through Starlight and I make lots of phone calls and whatever else is necessary to make it happen,” she says.

Donna says she can’t single out a highlight of her volunteering efforts because every case is different and just as special. But she’s keen to encourage us all to help Starlight make a difference.

“You can volunteer for one hour a day or one day a month,” she explains. “Basically, you can make your own time; there’s no pressure and the Starlight office is there to help. And every little bit helps.

“So give it a go. Even though parts are sad, we’re doing nice things by saying, ‘You can have your wish’. What I get back is far more than what I put in. I’ve made lifelong friendships … and the buzz is so warm.

“Sometimes though, I do walk in my door at the end of the day and hug my boys so tightly. I’m so lucky to have two healthy boys and it really makes me appreciate what I’ve been given.”

Be a star

To find out more about volunteering for Starlight, visit their website: www.starlight.org.au or phone them on 1300 727 827.

And for information about Starlight’s major national fundraising event, Star Day, Friday, May 6, visit www.starday.org.au or phone 1300 727 827 to make a donation.

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April 27, 2005

Stretch marks

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Question:

For a general all-over body moisturising cream, is Sorbolene better than Vitamin E? Please note there are stretch marks here to eliminate also.

Deb

Answer:

Sorbelene cream will not eliminate stretch marks. There are, however, a number of over the counter products available, such as Skin Doctors Stretch Away Stretch Mark Reduction Cream, which is available from pharmacies nationally.

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April 27, 2005

My mistake almost killed him

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Everyone has a thrill seeker inside. There are many extreme sports, but my favourite is rock-climbing. I love introducing people to this fun activity, which is why I became an instructor. Some might say I’m a stickler for the rules, but I always have more fun when I know that nothing will go wrong.

What my colleagues don’t know is that one day it did go wrong and it was all my fault.

It was the first day I’d climbed outside of a gym. An older climber named Matt had offered to take my partner Tom and I up the mountains to teach us a style called lead climbing. At the end of winter it was sunny on the rock face, but there were still unmelted patches of snow under some of the trees. I took off my gloves but kept on my warm, oversized jacket and my woollen hat. Matt showed us how the person on the ground (the belayer) needed to keep the rope loose. The climber would put the rope through a clip, then the belayer would let out more rope for him to climb up to the next clip. If he fell, the device on our belts would catch the rope, as long as you held it at the bottom of the device.

We were getting the hang of things and Tom decided to try a harder route. When he got to the first clip, I hadn’t let out enough rope for him. He had to hang on while I pushed it through the device. He was getting tired. As he climbed up to each new clip, he got frustrated waiting for me to let out more rope. He was 20 metres up, at the top of the climb and just about to put the rope into the last clip. I couldn’t push it through my device fast enough, so I grabbed it with both hands on top of the device and started pulling it through.

First I heard a scream from another climber over to our right. I looked up and Tom was already falling. I tried to grab the rope whizzing through the bottom of the device but my jacket was in the way so my hands couldn’t find it. In desperation I grabbed the rope in front of my face. Now the device was doing nothing to help me. Tom’s falling weight pulled the rope, and me with it, until my feet were half a metre off the ground. My hands were clenched vice-like around the rope and my arms were stretched over my head. I had closed my eyes but I peeled them open now to look over at Tom. He was hanging, crouched into the foetal position, with his tail bone just half a metre from the ground.

I still don’t think Tom knows how many mistakes I made that day. After that, I wanted to know every rule and every technique for avoiding danger. Now I enjoy climbing because I’ve assured myself that I will never make those mistakes again.

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April 27, 2005

Michelle Pfeiffer

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She has played a murderous mum, a witch, a mobster’s wife, a French aristocrat and a steamy chanteuse, but perhaps Michelle Pfeiffer’s most enduring and favourite role – aside from being a mother – is as muse and glamorous clotheshorse for fashion icon Giorgio Armani.

Theirs is a mutually rewarding relationship: he makes her look good and she makes his clothes look sensational. Yet, more than that, they share a close friendship that began more than 20 years when the Italian designer first noticed Michelle’s slink and scornful sass in the 1983 movie, Scarface, when she was only 23, and offered to dress her.

“I didn’t know people in the movie industry did such things,” says Michelle, one of Hollywood’s most reclusive stars. “I remember thinking, ‘Why do I want someone to dress me? I can dress myself. And who is Giorgio Armani?’ I was totally clueless when it came to fashion and have pretty much remained that way. But, thanks to him, it has gone pretty much undetected all these years.”

Although she hasn’t made a movie since 2002, when she gave a chilling portrayal of a manipulative mother and murderer in White Oleander, Michelle Pfeiffer is still regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation. And she remains one of the most beautiful women in America.

All this glamour and haute couture is a far cry from Michelle’s early, decidedly no-frills upbringing.

Michelle remembers thinking, “This is my life and I hate it – what am I going to do?”

Find out what Michelle did to go from supermarket check-out girl to Giorgio Armani’s muse.

Only in the May 2005 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

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April 27, 2005

2005 short story competition

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The Australian Women’s Weekly is delighted to announce that publishing giant, Penguin Australia, have become our partners in what has become one of the biggest and most popular writing contests in Australia.

The 2005 short story competition will be launched in August at the Byron Bay Writers Festival by the Editorial Director of The Australian Women’s Weekly, Deborah Thomas.

The Australian Women’s Weekly/Penguin Short Story Contest will offer fantastic cash prizes along with some excellent publishing opportunities. It will close early in 2006. The all important entry coupon, dates, conditions of entry and all other information about the contest will appear in the August 2005 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

From all your emails, phone calls and letters we have been receiving, we know a lot of people have been waiting for the contest to re-commence. We thank you for your patience, look forward to reading your stories and wish you the best of luck.

Happy writing!

Carol George

Literary Editor

The Australian Women’s Weekly

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