The End

I always maintained that I would continue this project so long as it had no health or financial impact on my family or myself. Up until now this has been the case. I’ve experimented with some great and some god awful outfits, my nails have finally grown, I’ve cut 5 inches off my hair and my weight has gone down, then up, then down, then up again. I’ve given away my wedding dress to a worthy cause, chased random people down the street and met some interesting people along the journey. It has by all accounts made the last 6 months of my life very interesting.

There have been days when I have felt like a million dollars, and days when I’ve felt like a twat. As far as looking after myself and fashion is concerned it gave me a well needed kick.. As far as dieting is concerned, it was confusing and as for exercise – I never really found that revelation I was looking for. That one activity I could stick to and love…. Though I did like the retro videos!

But a few months ago Marie Claire ran an article about fertility; it urged women to get checked out and various methods of increasing fertility. This opened a great big can of health worms when I went to get checked out. I’ve had rounds and rounds of blood tests to determine if I was ovulating or not, and suddenly when I was faced with the possibility I couldn’t have children (Something I stupidly always took for granted) my priorities took a massive shift.

It no longer really care if slink into my 30’s as the image of magazine perfection, what I care about is looking after myself and giving myself the best shot possible of having a baby. Unfortunately bright pink hooker lipsticks and colonics don’t really fall into this.

So Marie Claire has managed to be the reason why I’m ending my Marie Clair project. I absolutely love the irony of it – I don’t think it could have ended a better way actually, it’s the ultimate contradiction (And there have been many along the way).

What I have learned more than anything Is not to be afraid to experiment and that Kinesiologists are at large very strange people. But most importantly just look after yourself, mind body and spirit.

Thanks for reading xx Mrs T

Metalic eyes

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Originally uploaded by mariecandme

On Christmas day I thought I would go all festive with metallic eyes. Only the instructions in the December issue state that with silver you don't wear mascara. This has it's pros and it's cons. The cons were that I just looked a bit odd. I love mascara, in my head its that little touch that makes me look feminine. The pro however, is that at 2:30 am, when husband was still awake playing Wii after drinking countless beers and 1/3 of a bottle of limoncello - I hadn't rubbed my mascara all over my face as usual when I'm tired.

Banoffee Pie

I made the Carnation cheat's banoffee pie last Saturday to take round to Blondie's for the X-factor semi final. The only problem was, Blondie had laid on such a great savoury spread with hot apple brandies. The thought of desert filled us up, so I left it there... and have on good authority from Blondie that it was very nice. Not bad, especially as it was the sort of pudding my mum could make, and she's not cooked since 1995.

Getting a head(band)

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Originally uploaded by mariecandme

Today I have decided to dress up as Madonna for work, Net headband.. check (as per this month's fashion pages), blue mascara - check.. now where did I leave that Toblerone bra?

5 point plan to survive the party season

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Originally uploaded by mariecandme

I tried to follow the advice on how not to get too drunk at a work party on Wednesday. Clad in my little black dress, with my bag on a chain in metalic shoes (So far, so Marie Claire), I had every intention of having a glass of water between drinks, sticking to long drinks and not letting anyone fill up my glass. I also started to keep a tally (as advised) of all the booze I was drinking.

As you can see, the first drink was between the hours of 12 - 1 (Vodka and coke), then a beer between 3pm - 4pm. I picked up the pace a little with a vodka and a wine between 4pm and 5pm, then really built up speed between 5-6 when the table ran out of water.

After 6 it all went a bit wrong, it was taking the bar so long to serve people I decided to bulk buy 6 Vodka and cokes so I didn't have to go back an queue.

The next thing I know, husband had come to pick me up armed with half a chicken split and I insisted we go to Kendals and buy each other perfume??!! What the hell??

Hence the question mark from 7pm - 8pm onwards. Maybe this is something I need to get the hang of?!

Clothes Show

Last Saturday was my maiden trip to the Clothes show live. My friend Mrs Z is a clothes show veteran, so I contacted her a while ago to see if I could meet her down there and we could go round together.

I wasn't sure what to expect, I though that the Clothes Show was all high end designers showing off their new collections and as a result be crawling with fashionistas in outfits that look like they beaten half to death with a rolled up copy of Dazed and Confused magazine. So what better place I thought, to don my tartan jumpsuit. Surely this of all places is where such a an outfit would be accepted... embraced even?!

My day started at 6:30, dragging myself out of bed to get ready and be out of the door for 8am. I was supposed to be at the Clothes Show for 10 in order to catch the fashion show, but a nice little traffic jam on the M6 put a stop to that.

As I got off teh bus and walked into the NEC, it dawned on my that the Clothes Show is less of a fashion event and more of a trolley dash. The majority of girls were wearing clothes built for speed. Footwear that can get you from one discount brand store to the next, buying up bags and bags of stuff you didn't know you needed.

I felt, like a big tartan twat.


Mrs Z and 3 of her friends met me after the show and we quickly formulated a plan to get to Irregular Choice in a methodical fashion. This was Mrs Z's 6th year, so she was armed with cash, had booked our table for lunch and knew exactly what to do and where to go to get the best out of the gazillions of stores.

After promising myself I wouldn't buy anything, I was caught up in consumption vacuum! There was no walking away from the stalls and counting to 10, there was no forming a 5 point plan on how to get out of debt.... only me, squealing that I'd managed to negotiate my Sister's and my cousins Christmas pressies for over 50% less that they should have been.... then trotting off to another store to buy essential items such as the "Hair Boustier"... yes that's right a plastic thingie that helps you create a beehive. At the time of purchase, I faintly remember mouthing to the the sales woman "Wow, what an amazing piece of product design". For fuck's sake - someone punch me now!

After a morning of shopping, and a heroic amount of time spent by Mrs Z in the irregular choice store, we went for lunch (Thanks for my treat Mrs Z!!) in the prefab restaurant. After lunch I needed to get back on the road as I was off down to Devon, but managed to get lost for a further half an hour in the maze of clothes and inappropriately dressed teens.

Next year I'll be taking 2 essentials - money and comfy shoes.

Christmas List

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Originally uploaded by mariecandme

Husband has been having trouble knowing what to get me for Christmas, even with massive hints such as "I like this, in this colour, from x website" etc etc. The December list urged me to put a black bag from next on my Christmas list - so I have, along with some other ideas for Husband. (most outside of our £50 budget!). I'll send him the link to this page and see what appears on Christmas day!