Last Friday, a news story swept around the internet faster than…well, faster than it would have in print. It was about a woman named Julia. Julia had met a nice chap while on holiday in Ibiza (a destination known for romance, arts, culture and the finer things in life – by all that I of course mean foam parties and getting sloshed). They shared one kiss. Julia gave him her number, he never called. Months pass and Julia, now convinced that the fella is the love of her life, thinks she may have given him the wrong number – THAT’S why he never called. So, she did what any woman who’s never heard back from a guy would do: she launched a national PR campaign to find him. Cue intense cringing.

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The very first blog post I did on here back in 2007 was entitled 51 Things You Should Know About Me. I figured some time has passed and by now there are surely 51 more things I can share with you. Aside from anything else, I find this is always quite a good writing exercise – makes you take a good look at yourself and you often realise things about yourself when you write them down that you didn’t before. So, here goes…

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With a New Year comes all the lame resolutions everyone likes to make about stopping smoking, going on a diet or signing up to the gym. Yawn. Most people fail – mainly because to place such importance on the ‘New Year’ like it has some sort of magical powers that will automatically rid you of your slack ass ways is ridiculous. So, I have come up with 12 things that will be easy for everyone to do and will, I believe, make the world a better place (marginally) (if we’re not focusing on the big things) (at least all of them are cheaper than a gym membership).

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I met with a PR last week who regaled me with stories of how she gets bombarded with requests for free product from bloggers. Oh dear. I always feel a little embarrassed as a blogger when I hear that. I’ve written before about the sense of entitlement newer bloggers seem to have, but perhaps it’s time we examined in more detail how the PR/blogger relationship works specifically in relation to free product.

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Wu Tang said it best: Protect Ya Neck. As the temperature drops, it’s time to get cosy with knits and wool and snuggly things. I’ve recently been lucky enough to receive some very lovely things to pretty up my neck this season that I think are festive period essentials. Check out what you need to keep your neck looking super stylish this winter.

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Last week I ran a competition to win a limited edition ghd Scarlett Collection straighteners kit. One thing I learned: people really love GHDs! That is one seriously in demand piece of hair equipment. I had over 75 entries – my inbox overflowed with so much hair loveliness I could barely keep up.

So, I narrowed it down to my top 11 faves, as you see above. Everyone put a real effort into these styles and they all looked lovely. After careful deliberation with the guys at GHD HQ, we picked a very deserving winner. And that winner is….*drum roll please*

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You may have heard me raving on Twitter about Sexy in the City Bootcamp. I’ve been going for a few weeks now – I like to do different types of exercise to balance out my running and strengthen me in other areas. Sexy in the City make look pink and fluffy, but they train you hard. It’s a 30 minute circuit style class, starting at 8am, twice a week – perfect to squeeze in a quick, effective workout before work.

They’re having a special early bird offer for the New Year: £149 across all classes for 3 months (when paid up front) as opposed to the usual rate of £99 per month. That, my friends, is a pretty fantastic deal. So, if you want to get a head start on your fitness in the New Year, this is a great way to do it. You don’t have to spend hours in a gym five days a week – 30 minutes of concentrated exercise twice a week with this bootcamp will definitely get you on the right fitness track.

Myself and the Team Bangs on the Run girls will be doing these classes to vary our running training, so you may see some vids from us training there in the New Year. Head on over to the Sexy in the City website for more details and to sign up.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an article in The Evening Standard that had three female athletes done up to the nines (the go to fashion shoot for female sportswomen – ‘let’s make them ‘girly’ and ‘pretty’!). All three of them are 2012 hopefuls, at the top of their game. I look up to female athletes so I read on, only to see the inevitable question: is there anything you don’t like about your body? I had to hold myself back from going on a rampage on the train. Why was this a question in this interview and why must women always be encouraged to dislike something about their bodies?

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I’m not sure when it becomes such a benchmark, but it does and it seems to for all women: ‘By 30, I’ll have done X, Y and Z.’ The big 3-0 carries a lot of weight with womankind. It’s not like it’s explicitly said, but we’re expected to have ourselves ‘together’ by thirty. We should be married with kids and a good career. It’s around the mid-20s that the panic starts to set in if you’re not on track to achieve such perfection. Can we give ourselves a break? Exactly what are we in such a rush for?

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Hey, do you like hair? Do you like winning things? Then have I got a prize for you! ghd, the ultimate in sleeky hair straighening stylish goodness, has released this uber exclusive Scarlet Collection for the holiday season and one of you lucky lovelies can get your mitts on it. Read on to see how to enter.

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