Grab a cuppa and settle down for five very quick and fun stories. This week – the ladies who saw red and did something about it, the photofit of Christian Grey and a free face cream trial which is perfect for your holidays!…

Seeing red… and doing something about it

When redhead mother and daughter duo Jen and Jessica Shailes discovered that their favourite colour-enhancing shampoo had been discontinued they literally saw red. However, instead of sulking they decided to do something about it and set up Everything For Redheads a one-stop shop for those with titian-hair. The popularity of the site has meant that the Shailes team now not only stock haircare products but also cosmetics for pale skin. They are also present on Facebook and Twitter where they have created a like-haired and like-minded community who discuss such things as diverse as bullying to sun care. Go girls!

From red to Shades of Grey… 

It’s the book that has got everybody talking – ok, well not exactly everyone but pretty much everyone I know. E. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is a bit like Marmite with some damning the erotica for its lack of plot, characterisation and poor vocabulary whilst others are nose-stuck-in-the-pages (or fingers flicking the page-turner button on their Kindles). I’m in the latter camp and am onto the second instalment. After getting locked in the toilets last month you’ll understand that embarrassing things happen to me. I went to the local library to get Fifty Shades Darker but couldn’t find it on the shelves, despite the computer showing it was available. Eventually, after a very good search, I asked at the enquiry desk. What then ensued was a mass hunt, all the staff repeating ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ as they fingered books, shifted piles and examined various displays. Finally there was a celebratory eureka moment when one of the librarians found it in her tray where a colleague had left it so she could put a ‘For Adult Reading only’ sticker on it. I think just about everyone in the library knew what I was going out with. No sooner am I home, red cheeks back to normal than I see that some clever boffins at the University of Central Lancashire have created a photofit of what Christian Grey would look like. My red cheeks return again. What do you think about the book and the photofit?…

Thumbs up for Happy Hands
No matter how many times you tell your kids not to put their fingers in the crack of the door they always do it… at least once. In fact, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), 30,000 children trap and seriously crush their fingers in doors at home, school, nursery or shops with more than 1,500 of these children needing surgery. That’s why Happy Hands are such good news. These nifty, little, hand-shaped
door stoppers are simply fixed on to a door with an adhesive pad and can simply be rotated to prevent the door closing on a child’s fingers. Happy Hands come in five vivid colours; red, pink, yellow, blue and green, plus white and are available from www.simplesafetysolutions.com at a discounted £3.95 (£7.50 for a pair).

Take part in the Ultralift challenge
Before you start panicking – no, it’s not a 10km race – it’s a face cream trial! The other week I sent off for a free 14-day Ultralift anti-wrinkle cream pack and it arrived yesterday. You get 14 sachets and a measuring-guide so you can see how much your lines improve over the 14 days. I thought not only is it something to do inbetween reading high-brow literature (ha ha!) but also it makes a great little travelling pack for summer hols. Those who share their results of the trial also get entered into a competition to win spa breaks. You can apply for pack here.

Back to School offer (I know, I know…)

It’s a bit like when you see Christmas cards on sale in October but in this instance it’s Back to School stuff. The Great Little Trading company has a 15% offer on all school stock. So before you start the holidays how about being organised and getting all that stuff out of the way? They have a great selection of name labels, personalised pencils, pencil cases, bags, lunch bags and my all-time best school buy – the thermos food pot. I’ve got two of these and they are great for cold days and using left-overs. What do I put in my kids’ pots? Pasta, baked-beans, sausages, mash potato – you name it. To get 15% off you need to enter the code SUMMER in your basket and buy by midnight on 16th July (that’s Monday).