Rain, make-up tips…and Yume in Cardiff
I said in my last post that this time I was going to dedicate an entry to Cardiff Bay , but I’ve changed my mind – I’m changeable like that. What has brought on this change? Why, the curse of the changeable weather. Urban legend has it that Cardiff is the second rainiest place in the whole of the UK (first is Manchester), and it’s incredible that after so many years of living here I’m chronically ill-prepared for our changeable weather, and frequently arrive at work looking like Ugly Betty straight out of the spin cycle.
Are you rain-proof?
It never changes. You wake up in the morning, and the sky is a dazzling, blinding azure blue. ‘Why, this is shorts and flip flop weather!’ you decide. However, you’re aware it might change later – so you grab a cardigan too. Mere hours later and you’re shivering at the side of the road waiting for the bus, soaked to the skin, and getting splashed with a tidal wave of dirty grey drain water by every HGV in the UK which has been diverted to drive past your bus stop. No matter how many times my mum tells me to keep a brolly and mac in my bag, I never listen.
And even if you’re relatively well prepared for the rain (waterproof trousers, brolly, fishing hat), there’s always the resultant hair and make-up fallout. I have a friend with fiendishly curly hair – he spends half an hour every morning punishing it with his straighteners. But the merest hint of moisture in the air and it shrinks back up into tiny tight curls on his head. Even those of us with straight hair end up looking bedraggled after rushing through the wet air to wherever we’re going (and you never end up looking sexy, no matter what films and adverts show you look like after being caught in a storm).
The rain never lasts that long in Cardiff!
Make-up tips for wet weather:
- avoid dark colours (eyeshadows/lipsticks) and go for sheer natural shades. If they do run or smudge, at least it won’t be quite as noticeable.
- consider swapping your blush and brush for an old-fashioned rouge trick (spread a little lipstick on your fingers and spread that on your cheeks)
- if you have to wear foundation, make sure you only use a thin layer (thick layers will only smudge)
- above all – make sure every product you use is waterproof (though these will be more difficult to get off, so make sure you have some nuclear strength make-up remover to hand. Baby oil works well, which makes me wonder exactly how good it can actually be for babies??)
The only good thing about the rain in Cardiff ? It never lasts terribly long. If it starts pummelling down when you’re out and about, seek shelter (find a bar and the time will go much quicker!). The rain will stop – usually within about 15 minutes – giving you a grace period of around 20 minutes to get to where you’re going.
To help you combat the rainy summer showers, why not seek shelter in the gorgeous Yume spa and indulge in some relaxation treatments. A massage, a facial and a quick nail tidy can only help you forget about the stormy weather outside. And if you leave and it’s still raining, you’ll be so relaxed you’ll be singing in the rain all the way home!
Today’s Side Deal for Cardiff | (Running till the end of Tuesday the 17th August, 2010) |
Photography: placeboe and rachel_titiriga
great blog – I’m going to check that place out
haha thats just what I always do as well! i could definitely do with a spa day to recover from bad weather