How Much Has Dating Changed in 20 Years?*

Now, as a 30-year old I have had to ask around for other opinions on this subject, I can't very well give me advice on over 40 dating and the changes that have arisen compared to their childhood notions. Though I know from personal experience that it has certainly changed a vast amount since I was a kid, or even a teenager to now. So I can only imagine the major differences that have taken place over the years, even with a 10-year gap.

Older Dating can come with its own set of challenges, some of which I covered in a past post, such as being aware that there are scammers on the internet; so never under any circumstances divulge your personal information including your bank information. There should be no need for anyone you're talking too, to know that. Always meet in a crowded place and let someone know who and when you're meeting, it is better to be safe than sorry. One big online dating question I have been asked is regarding setting up the profile, get someone to help you out, perhaps a younger family member?

I suppose that is one big major difference, the internet, and smartphones! They weren't around, you had to actually seek out someone and speak to them face-to-face if you wanted to strike up a conversation; possibly ask them out for a date. I mean can you imagine that! For youngsters the obvious locations where schools, after-school clubs or parks. You may possibly meet someone from other schools if you attended a sports event or managed to go along to a weekend night at a bowling alley and so forth. Once driving became an option the net widened as it were, thus so did the opportunities to meet people.

For adults, there was college/ university, work, and the obvious nightclubs. The majority of people who went along to nightclubs were actually single or dating, it wasn't usually heard of for those in a monogamous relationship to attend these type of venues.

It was a time before smartphones, so people had to actually socialise with one another; usually, starting the night in friendship groups and slowly start to gather up enough courage to talk to someone. That in itself was no easy task and still isn't to this day; having to check around for any clues as to whether they are with anyone or have any competition. Looking to see what kind of personality they may have, by the way, they interact with their friends, trying to come up with some witty remark that will help you stand out from the rest. Once you had the courage to actually go over, it was awkward, you both knew why you were there. Usually, the women didn't make it easy for the guys, but then why should we.

Managing multiple relationships was fairly unheard of, as it was pretty much a no go. Once you actually got someone's number if you lost it, well, you would be pretty much screwed as that's the only form of contact you had for that person. No quick Facebook search to see if you can track them down.

Nothing compared to nowadays, where it's pretty much a free for all, speaking from personal experience and my own point of view, I hate the way things have gone. The way dating apps and technology has made it all too easy to pick and choose, swipe left - swipe right; have an open bar of people. It is no wonder that divorce rates have skyrocketed and relationships can't be held down, actually going out and seeking out someone to form a connection with has long gone.

The notion - If, it's broke, fix it. Has all but been forgotten. 

There is so much red-tape too, don't get me wrong, I am all for the #metoo movement and gender equality etc. But looking at it from a male point of view, I can see how it would be difficult for them to approach women these days. An innocent witty remark to try and get our attention could be taken completely out of context, which a few years ago, would have been resolved with a few words. Now has to be blown into a whole series of hashtags and woe is me posts.

Perhaps if we all took a step back from technology and took a leaf out of our elder's book, we may have a better life going forward. Though I do feel like that is something that applies to everything.

* This is a sponsored post. Please see my Disclaimer for more information.

Always be kind, you never know what personal battle people are fighting.

Blink | Communication in the Workplace*

Communication is key to every aspect of life, these days we forget that fact. You would think with the vast ways to communicate via, text, email, phone and even good old fashioned letters that we would find the time to actually get across what we want to say and mean. Yet too often we find ourselves getting frustrated with the lack of connection between people we have to deal with on a daily basis, simply because we can't muster the strength to find common ground. 

I used to have a work colleague that I had perfect communication skills with, we had the perfect balance of fun and professional banter as it were. Sharing our love of Marvel/ DC comics and incorporating that into our daily conversations, made our workload that much easier to deal with. 

Of course, having code names for one another and certain other people; is something that you can only do with like-minded people, however, I found it to be a much more relaxed environment to work in. Even when there was a deadline with little time to get the work done, we still managed to have a good laugh whilst achieving the clients' needs. 

We used to email one another with instructions from Jarvis (Iron-Man's AI), who would then go on to say how well his master was and whether I was doing well, me being Romanov (Black Widow). Hence, where Romanovs Views came from! IT was also pretty good for discussing unpleasant things where inevitably you have colleagues you do not necessarily get on with, so creating these code names allowed us to confidentially talk about our struggles in a confidential manner without hurting anyone's feelings or our own for that matter. 

New Employee Apps like Blink, that allow colleagues to connect in a light and fun manner; whilst also being involved in the organisations structure, fosters a friendlier environment which in turn brings productivity to the company as a whole. After all, happy employees = happy life = more willing to do better and more at work for the company. 

A bad leader can take good staff and destroy it, causing the best employees to jump ship, thus leaving the remainder to lose all motivation. A little communication can go such a long way, no matter how busy you are - say it. If you are upset or unsure - express it and ask. Running late.. let people know. Good communication is the most important aspect in life, it guides us to a more educated and thoughtful place. We are all different and come to conclusions from different angles, although we generally all want the same outcome and goals. We often forget that its the conversation that gets us there. 

* This is a brand collaboration. Please see my Disclaimer for more information.

Always be kind, you never know what personal battle people are fighting.

#Love Tropic

Since joining the #lovetropic band wagon and trying to go green with my skincare, I have to say that I have seen a major improvement. This review has been a long time coming, given that the Super Greens & Pure Lagoon bottles below are actually my second lot; you can be assured that I honestly am 100% telling the truth about how amazing this dynamic duo are. 

If you have an ambassador near you I would highly recommend getting your hands on the Deluxe Skincare Kit, it may seem like a hefty amount of money at first (£98.00), however, when you break down how much these two bottles are on their own.. well it's a deal not to be missed! Each of these is priced at £42.00, together you have already made back £84.00; that's not including everything else you get in the kit. (Skin Cleanser, Skin Feast, Bamboo Cloth and a choice of a face mask). 

The Pure Lagoon serum, works wonders at preventing and banishing blemishes; I have even recently recommended it to a friend who suffers from chronic acne, after she trialed this treatment for a weekend and saw instant results. If I get any breakouts or just feel a little extra oily, the pure lagoon sorts it out instantly. Giving me clear skin within a day or two. 

Followed by Super Greens oil, which boosts your skins natural defences and helps to calm sensitive irritated skin, alongside repairing essential moisture. You are left with a more youthful and glowing complexion.  I use this oil everyday, even before applying primer, and never have any issues with my make-up staying in place. As long as you allow it to soak in properly before applying any additional layers, you are good to go. 

After loving their initial skincare collection, the arrival of the Eye Bright collection had me in awe. Having always suffered from extreme dark circles and more often that not puffiness, mostly due to lack of sleep or stress. I had to give these a try, after reading a few reviews about how they had transformed older women's lives and made their under eyes tighter and brighter, I was a little sceptical. Usually these products don't actually work, they don't make your dark circles fade or the puffiness go away, but I have to eat my words, because low and behold these little wonders have done it! After using these for the past two weeks, religiously, my dark circles have all but gone away and the my under eye surface is pretty much flat!

If you want to know more about other Tropic goodies I have reviewed and LOVED!!!! Head over to my Tropic Skincare Haul Post, where you will find the Smoothing Cleanser and Face Smooth, along with a few other essentials. 

Always be kind, you never know what personal battle people are fighting.

April 2019 Lookback - With a Twist

So with these posts, I usually write about the things I have done and what I hope to do in the following month. The thing is April was amazing in some respects but overall for me due to the sheer lack of respect for humankind I have come away with this dark cloud hanging over me that I just cannot shake. 

It's funny how we review the way people have brought up kids these days and how we should bring back smacking and tougher parenting. That, these are the reasons for no respect, the way people are going around treating one another, the thing is how does it explain the behavior of the older generation? The ones with the views that the behaviour of the younger is acceptable, is justifiable and carry on treating people with such low moral standards that I wouldn't even trust them with my pet fly. (For the record no I do not have a pet fly, but if I DID you get the point). 

I suppose if you hadn't already guessed, I have had a month of horrible treatment, purely due to the fact that another's views and opinions are gospel. Continually shrouding me in darkness with their actions based on their interpretation of me. With not so much as an acknowledgment to the fact that a once bubbly, animated and driven person has now turned into this quiet, shy and subdued character; too scared to say anything that may provoke the red mist from entering her carefully crafted safety zone. 

People too often forget that the person they are too promptly judging is someone with feelings and emotions. That they have views and opinions too, that sure may not match your own, but hey why does that mean to say that you don't have to get along; that they are definitely a seriously bad person? 

Some of us do have walls as high as that at the Night's Watch, but did you ever wonder what it's there for? 

It's all too easy to pre-judge someone because they were too quiet or walk with their head tall, but they generally do their best to make every effort to engage in conversation and obsessively think about every word and sound that comes out of their mouth; because they know their not great with how they can come across. Then why not just take them at what they are trying to show you if someone does not trust that you are open to the idea of who they are; then how will they ever be able to show that? The more and more you suppress the more and more you miss out.

I find myself constantly repeating myself and wonder whether I should just record this, but, everyone has shit going on, we all have off days and don't want to share it all. That does not mean that we can go around treating one another with such disrespect that we lose it for ourselves too; so you can see how this notion that respect should be earnt straight off the bat is just redonkulous. 

I am not saying that respect never has to be earned, but that should only be in cases where it has been lost due to serious disrespect. This post represents everything I believe and have been trying to get across so well, Responsibility 

If there is one thing I would like for others to get from this and bring forward is to remember to respect each other, even the ones you DON'T like. We don't have to be friends, but if we have to be in one another's lives, why not make it amicable and pleasant. 

Always be kind, you never know what personal battle people are fighting.