Introducing a new beauty link up party, #WowForWednesday

Welcome to a new weekly link up for bloggers of all ages, covering Beauty. I noticed there weren't many link up parties for beauty, and we all like reading about new and much loved products and beauty recommendations. So here goes!

Trends for Autumn and what I'm buying

As the leaves begin to fall, our attention turns to new arrivals for Autumn/Winter 18  (AW18) and the trends for the coming season.  I've been studying Vogue, Grazia and Pantone to bring you the lowdown, along with my own wish list.

Bring your face alive with Look Fabulous Forever

Have you heard of Look Fabulous Forever?  This is a brand of makeup created by a woman who wanted cosmetics that worked better on mature skin. Tricia Cusden created not just a makeup brand, but a whole movement that challenges perceptions and celebrates the beauty of ageing.

Dear BBC: why we care

It's now three months since the BBC changed the format of the much-loved and award winning BBC Radio 2 Drivetime programme, pairing Simon Mayo with Jo Whiley and ditching Simon's posse, above, and most of the best content.

This is "halfway day" for Lewis Carnie, the Radio 2 controller, who gave a couple of high handed interviews before the change happened but has been missing in action ever since.  He told us the show would need six months to "bed in."

In those three months, one of the petitions demanding for the return of the original show has grown to 15,000 signatures, and every day more people join the Facebook group.

Today the supporters of the original show have blitzed Twitter, Facebook and the BBC's complaints process. There seems to be a suspicious news blackout on the whole thing. Complaints about the deplorable Love Island TV show (2,600) was reported by BBC News, yet the petition (15,000 names) was not. To put this in perspective, the audience for Drivetime is (currently) far bigger than anything Love Island enjoyed.

Below, I have chosen a few of the letters and stories from the Facebook group, to show the suits why we care so much. You;ll find more in my posts here, here and here.

Email sent to Messrs Shennan (Bob, Director of BBC Radio) and Carnie

Mr Shennan, Mr Carnie

You must realise by now the error you made in radically changing the format of the Simon Mayo Drivetime Show.
You had then an award winning show that brought real pleasure, every day, to millions of people - young and old, male and female.
Now that has been destroyed, and its replacement is simply not working.
We all make mistakes in life. Captains of industry do it, politicians do it, even the finest football managers do it. No one is infallible.
The problem is in not acting to rectify the problem.
Winners accept that things haven’t worked, and change course instantly. Losers blindly plough on, and then are eventually forced to change, but not before inflicting unnecessary pain, suffering and (sometimes irreparable) damage to their organisations.
You have the chance to change - please grasp the opportunity now before it’s too late.

Gordon Young

Letter to the BBC on behalf of the 5,000 strong Facebook group Bring back Simon Mayo's Dreamteam on Drivetime

Dear Sirs,

You will by now be aware that a great number of BBC licence fee payers are disgruntled enough to have formed and joined a Facebook group about the way that the Simon Mayo Drivetime show has been unceremoniously dumped and replaced by a very poor substitute of a programme of which the two main members of the team, Simon Mayo and Jo Wiley, are now absent for holidays right in the middle of the “bedding in” season (your words in the numerous letters, not mine). How could this have even been thought about when planning the launch of a new show and with a controversial line up? The show which has been removed was a fun and all-inclusive – young children right through to the more senior of listeners, a group in which I now nearly find myself.

Such is the frustration experienced by people that many have emailed the BBC directly to express their concern. Your reply to each is basically a selection of standard phrases and sentences designed to make the reply look personal. Can you not understand that by the volume of email complaints and random commenting on any Radio 2 show that we, the listeners, communicate with each other? I am sure that the intention was not to be patronising to individuals, but by comparing replies it is clear this is what is happening. It is high handedness in the extreme and disrespectful to your listening public.

It is interesting that the letters now no longer have the reference to there being no right of appeal. This response was appalling and really did show what the hierarchy of BBC Radio really thinks about the public. This alone was almost enough to make me retune to other radio broadcasters. We do have a right of appeal and this is included within your own charter. Should we not be happy with a proper review our response to the decision could be to listen to shows on other stations. Your own marketing people cannot be blind to the comments made by other radio stations welcoming new listeners? We do know that the BBC has "moles" within the posting public, and some of these are really quite unpleasant, but this will be the subject of a separate formal complaint from me to you (unintentional reference there) and Facebook for allowing this to happen and continue.

We are all licence fee payers and, as the BBC so boldly states, the BBC is owned by the people. We have no choice about paying, that is enshrined in law but as a consequence you should regard what the listeners are saying. To just disregard a very large group of people who have all expressed the same view is just ignorant.

The egos who have made the decision to remove this show, and clearly other changes are being planned, should be stopped now before further damage is done not just to Radio 2 but to BBC Radio in general. There would be more sympathy from the listening public if the people in charge accepted that the new format just does not work. You have stated that Simon and Jo have known each other for 25 years. That makes them friends, or acquaintances, it does not make them a good team – they are just too different. I like cream and I like lemon juice, but mix the two and you will have a curdled mess which is unappetising. This is what has happened to the Drivetime Show.

You will be receiving a great deal of emails and other communications today and I really hope that you read and respond to each of them separately as, despite what you may think, people really do care and can vote on change by the use of the tuning dial on their radio.

Thank you,

Bill Cummings

For and on behalf of our 5055 members

Facebook posts by Paul Loughlin

I have read the letters received by some today. How patronising and condescending they are. They appear in their Text to be rather like a teacher humiliating a student. Well BBC let me tell you something. Good Radio is a very rare thing these days. Every man and his dog believe that they can do it. That in essence is what is wrong. I grew up fascinated by the radio. Kenny Everett. Terry Wogan. Ken Bruce. Jimmy Young. Even the likes of Henry Kelly. Sarah Kennedy. And Bob Harris. Later we had Steve Wright. Chris Evans and the utterly fantastic Alex Lester. Where I'm going with this is Simon Mayo belongs on that list. He is a brilliant broadcaster and the reason for change within drivetime was neither wanted or needed. An idea to fulfill a desire to have more female hosts has resulted in both a terrible annihilation of a great show and a backlash towards Jo Whiley. Well done BBC!!! Radio fans are loyal. But also are far from stupid. This new show is awkward and poor. So very very poor. In the end. Patronising the listeners wont do. As license payers we require more than that. Great radio is indeed rare. Thanks to you even rarer now. The way you are treating this wonderful medium it could soon be extinct. Thanks for that!!

And in reply to Lewis Carnie's assertion that there was a big protest when Chris Evans took over the Breakfast show from Terry Wogan

I remember it well. After many fun mornings listening Terry Wogan announced to us TOGs that he was leaving the breakfast show. After picking myself up off the floor it was also stated Chris Evans would be the new host. I approached that with an open mind and to be fair Chris is a natural. Having Moira Stewart on the show was a master stroke and along with Vassos Alexander the show is brilliant. Great chemistry and a fun show. The point I want to make is Sir Terry retired (sort of) and went to Sunday mornings. Chris was asked to be the new host and after a while he flourished. In the case of Simon Mayo. He has created a great show and for 8 years it was all you would want. Funny. Inventive and great music. A wonderful dynamic in the studio. Suddenly!! Jo Whiley is just dropped in there.(dropped in it if you ask me!!) Most of the team go and the show (sorry to say) really sucks the big one!!! The audience can't accept the new show. We all loved the real one. Whilst Chris replaced Terry due to the togmeister leaving the slot. Jo has just been sent in and the end result is a awful dynamic. Poor chemistry and the whole thing is dull!. Please Radio 2. It's not too late!!

Bob Shennan, Director of BBC Radio

Lewis Carnie, Controller of BBC Radio 2 

How about it guys?

So gentlemen, what do you say? Remember, we forgive very quickly when those who got it wrong apologize, and put it right. Coca Cola, Toblerone, legions of England football team managers. There would actually be huge kudos in restoring the original show in terms of PR spin.

I absolutely get why you parachuted a female presenter into a mainstream programme. You had to. After years of paying women peanuts and putting them into night time slots  (and Mr Carnie and Mr Shennan were among those responsible, having been senior managers for many years), the BBC suddenly finds it has no option.

But now we have the problem of what do we do with Jo, because you know as well as we do that she hasn't got the right personality for the Drivetime show.

Bob, I'm sure you could have a word with Tony (Lord Hall) and get her moved to TV.  Win win, because that would be seen as a promotion! She likes gardening  (and so do I, but I would be willing to tolerate her on Gardeners' World just to get her off Drivetime....) and there all those programmes where the BBC broadcasts "new music" like Florence and the Machine  (not really all that new) from various pop festivals. She could do those.

Or is this the start of the end of Radio 2?

Some of us have noticed that you seem determined to lower the age of the average Radio 2 listener, and you may possibly have some Machiavellian plot brewing to merge Radios 1 and 2.  In which case, millions more listeners for Magic, Absolute and Smooth. And with their increased revenues from ads and listeners, one of them will be bound to offer Simon and the original Dreamteam a berth.

Six Tips for Must-Have Accessories

When I revived Is This Mutton? two years ago, one thing I quickly noticed was my lack of accessories. I had just two handbags in black and brown, hardly any belts, one or two necklaces I wore all the time, and no hats at all.

Is This Mutton? featured in Blogger's Corner

Have you discovered the blog My Random Musings by UK author and blogger Deborah Stansil? She writes about motivation, inspiration and success, with plenty of material for writers and bloggers. I'm thrilled to be featured in Blogger's Corner.

Find out how I started blogging, my penchant for collecting random information, and which style blogger influences me the most.

Thanks Deborah!

FOR MORE MUTTON

Don't miss a post -  follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. You'll love "shoe of the day" on Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter.  

Josh Wood Hair reviewed

Celebrity hair stylist Josh Wood plans to overhaul the "aisle of death" - which is how professional  hairdressers refer to the hair colour aisle in supermarkets.

He has spent two years creating a range of products to reinvent do-it-yourself hair colour. There are hair colourants (ammonia and PPD free), special conditioning treatments, shampoos and conditioners, "Shade Shots," a colour touch-up tool and a tinted dry shampoo.

Josh became a Redken Global Colour Creative Director in 2017 and has a (very expensive!) hair "atelier" in London where he looks after the hair of Elle McPherson amongst others.

I am not the best blogger to try hair products, it must be said. I am too impatient to use products which take time. I dislike dry shampoos. I seldom use hair masks or conditioners.

I have my hair coloured in a salon, and it's in fairly good condition. I find, like a lot of you I expect, that most conditioning and styling products are too heavy for my fine hair.

Colour Shot

The first step to using the Josh Wood system is the online consultation which creates your "prescription."  My hair is predominantly blonde  (thanks to the bottle) and occasionally needs a violet reviver if I swim in chlorinated pools or spend too much time in the sun. Josh Wood Colour Shots come in four variants, two for brunettes and two for blonde hair.You mix the colour shot with the Everything Mask, which as its name suggests, is a conditioning treatment. I chose the "Cool me Down" colour shot.

I was expecting the Colour Shot to be one treatment - one shot - but it comes in a tube and there's no guidance on how much to use, except to mix it in equal quantities with the Everything Mask. I would prefer the instructions to indicate how many treatments you're supposed to get from the tube, because you don't know if you've used too much or too little.

You have to leave it on for a while, and it's a semi permanent gloss that in the case of Cool me Down, counteracts unwanted brassiness.

It worked perfectly well, leaving my hair colour a cleaner blonde, and shiny, and it lasted for several shampoos. I was too impatient to wait more than five minutes, but I seemed to get a good result at five so no need to wait for 10.

Everything Mask

I coloured my hair at home for many years when it was dark  (I mostly used reddish brown colourants) and I remember how "crispy" the hair became and how flat and monotone the colour would look. This was one of the reasons I chose to go lighter, because there's nothing worse than the unconvincing helmet of too-dark hair. As we get older our colouring changes: not just our hair but our skin and eyebrows as well, and dark hair is often unflattering.

I reckon the Everything Mask would be great for home coloured hair, anyone who's had too many highlights or bleaching, and those with thick, long hair.  I don't use a conditioner every time I wash my hair - it becomes too soft and floppy - and it was thus with the Everything Mask. Sorry Josh!

The packaging of the range is excellent, as is the quality of the products, and it's good to see a top colourist creating a range that addresses the needs of the millions of people who colour their hair at home and deserve brilliant results.

Find the range online at Josh Wood Colour  or at Boots.

Sharing this post with #WeekendLinkUp  Claire Justine #SaturdayShare at Not Dressed as Lamb, #Fakeituntilyoumakeit at Fake Fabulous and #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings.

I was gifted with two products from the Josh Wood Colour range. 

FOR MORE MUTTON

Don't miss a post -  follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies (handbags and shoes) on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter. 

Whitstable Wedding

This weekend was spent in glorious sunshine in the seaside town of Whitstable in Kent for the wedding of John's daughter Rachel to Sean.

Sentence a Day: July 2018

Sunday 1 August

Sunny, no rain now for 30 days! Went to a BBQ at Christopher and Katie's (John's son and wife). Just a small family gathering, good sausage selection from a farmers' market including a "Harry and Meghan" banger.  

Mon 2nd

Worked at home. Inspired by the summerhouse in Christopher's garden, John painted the shed. Looks very pretty (above).

Tues 3rd
In office. Lunch walk. World Cup: England eventually beat Colombia. Too wired to sleep

Weds 4th
Still sunny. Walk. Jubilation in office after England win.

Thurs 5th
Worked from home. Still sunny. Power Plate. Feel Unique delivery. Keen to road test the Fairydrops mascara. See my review here.

Fri 6th
In office, unusual for a Fri. Delayed on M11 for ages on the way home because of an accident. Grrr. This is why I try not to travel on Fridays - the motorways are very busy and there always seems to be an accident.

Sat 7th
The whole of England was up early bustling about to make sure we were all ready for 3pm: the England v Sweden match. We won 2 nil. Did yoga for 1st time in over a year. 

Sun 8th
Walked to gym for PowerPlate. Roast beef with Yorkshire puddings. Just J and me.  Did some gardening. Published lilac floral skirt blog post. 

Mon 9th
Another accident on M11, this time on the way to work.  Had a new tyre fitted (nothing to do with the accident!).  Office is buzzing with "communitas", the joy that humans find in collective experiences

Tues 10th
At home. Did new gym class body conditioning. J watched RAF flypast celebrating their 75th anniversary. 

Weds 11th
Felt bit stressed and apprehensive. Couldn't find purse. Home early for England v Croatia. Lost 2 - 1. I must have had a premonition.

Thurs 12th
Wrote piece about the football. Ate too much. Took a salad to work but it was abandoned for a sandwich and crisps instead, and later a shortbread someone had taken to a meeting. Then when I got home had one of my favourite meals, quiche with a Greek salad. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

Fri 13th
Went into London for the Monet & Architecture exhibition and had to battle our way through the Trump demo in Trafalgar Square. Then we had dinner at Langans Brasserie. It rained unexpectedly, first time since May 29. Quite prolonged and had no umbrella.

Sat 14th
Sun is back. Delivery of new cushions and a lamp for the sitting room.   Do this occasionally to freshen it up. Usual tasks:  yoga  (hopefully, now becoming a habit every Saturday);  shopping,  housework.

Sun 15th
Did PowerPlate; got home, did make-up and then a "shoot" for four different outfits for the Bias-Cut.com. Two of the outfits are for winter so did the shoot indoors, out of the blazing sun.  Results here and here. Had gammon and jacket potatoes for lunch.  Rachel (John's daughter) and fiance Sean came over.

Mon 16th
Sunny. Went for a pub lunch with my "buddy" at work, a fairly new colleague who I'm helping with informal support. Had a duck wrap. With chips. 

Tues 17th
At home. Finished book The Wives, Lauren Weisenbeger. Found it a bit predictable.  Re-reading Philippa Gregory's novel about Margaret Tudor, Katherine of Aragon and Mary Tudor:  Three Sisters, Three Queens. Did a stretch class.

Weds 18th
Quite an exciting day after Drivetime post went live and a lot of reaction on Twitter and Facebook  (this is a parochial UK thing concerning a much loved radio show), 

Thurs 19th
Quieter day. At work. Signed the agreement for a new car. Will take delivery hopefully at the end of November. 

Fri 20th
At home. Went to my first MeetUp for over a year, a piano recital.  It was in the basement of a record shop and not quite as enjoyable as the recitals they occasionally run in churches. 

Sat 21st
Rained a little in night, convenient. J went to Sean's stag night. Meant I could indulge in whatever TV I wanted. Started with an episode of Say yes to the dress UK followed by the film Lady Bird.

Sun 22nd
Cycled to PP - first time on my bike for probably two years !! Roast chicken for lunch. Hot and sultry. Played what I call the Instagram algorithm game, where I look up people whose posts I haven't seen for ages, and then leave comments on the posts Instagram made me miss). Listened as usual to  Johnnie Walker's Sounds of the 70s. I've found a fantastic Facebook group for his show and it's so enjoyable seeing all their comments for each song.

Mon 23rd
Busy day in the office. Had meetings late afternoon so left early to do those meetings at home. Makes life a whole lot easier.

Tues 24th
At home. Did an early PowerPlate class. Sweltering in my little office.

Weds 25th
In the office. Very hot outside, short walk at lunchtime. Cancelled gym class because we were going to watch the last episode of series 2 of Line of Duty. Have seen it before but it's very gripping. A bad excuse for not exercising!

Thurs 26th
Am really enjoying a podcast series called The Bright Sessions (found it at iTunes store). It's sci-fi, about a US psychologist who specialises in people with atypical abilities such as being able to read people's minds, and time travelling.

Fri 27th
27 degrees today and hot in my home office. Did two classes I haven't done for probably two years, Pilates and Body Pump, so pleased that I'm using more of the gym's facilities. Was looking forward to the "red moon" lunar eclipse, but unfortunately the weather took a change for the worse. We had a short shower and then it became cloudy. Too cloudy to see the eclipse. Boo hoo.

Sat 28th
Household chores today. Very tired after yesterday's exertions. The Body Pump squats have killed my knees, and the Pilates has tortured my obliques!

Sun 29th
Did a PowerPlate class. Rachel and Sean came for lunch - it's their last Sunday lunch with us as an engaged couple. This time next they will be married.

Mon 30th
Bad night, couldn't sleep - woke up at 5.30am feeling feverish with a sore throat. A cold, but decided not to go to the office as I don't believe you should knowingly spread germs.

Tues 31st
A bit better, coughing a lot. Getting hot again after a few days of cooler weather. Picked blackberries in some waste ground behind our house. At 5pm had hair cut and coloured, ready for the wedding.

FOR MORE MUTTON

Don't miss a post -  follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies (handbags and shoes) on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter.  

Sharing this post with #WelcometotheWeekend at Claire Justine, #SaturdayShare at Not Dressed as Lamb,  UK Blogger Club at My Random Musings and Continental Drift at Mutton Style.

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