Preparation for a conference

This time next week I will be in Queen Mary's University, Mile End Road at the RNA conference. Hopefully learning something. I've been to a few conferences and retreats now, so know what I need to pack. So, if you are a newbie to a conference or retreat, here is what I have either already packed or will be packing:

I will be taking casual clothes to wear, with a spare top, trousers, underwear and socks. As well as spare shoes/sandals, and comfy ones. I do like to wear different shoes alternately, as they say it is best for your feet not to wear shoes more than one day at a time.

I have already packed emergency supplies eg paracetamol, plasters etc. This includes my medications.

I have already packed most of my toiletries, some of which were from when I went to the retreat in May. I am taking with me tubes and bottles of things that don't have much in, so if they empty there, I can just throw them away instead of carrying them home again, esp if they're not recycleable.

As a writer I will be taking with me: notepad and pens (be sure to take a few just in case), biz cards, postcards promoting my 1-2-1 author service, my programme and instructions, a small notepad to take notes of anyone interested in my service. A magazine to read in the evening. Oh yes, and a camera, to take photos of the place, people and the food, esp the food. This will be for my blog about eating out with food intolerances.

I will start packing next week with the last minute stuff on Friday morning. I can't wait. I have already worked out how I am going to get there, and it doesn't include having to walk up 46 steps at Mile End station.

I know I will have more with me coming home than going there, as I am aware there will be a goody bag with lots of promo stuff in inc books, and I will be buying a few books, too.

Me and sensitve skin - an update

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I could possibly have rosacea due to either the v cold weather, toiletries with a form of alcohol in and/or eating citrus. I don't know if it's cos the weather has got warmer, stopped eating clementines and lemon marmalade and stopped using facial creams with forms of alcohol in but my face is now a lot calmer and less red. The only time it did go bright red again was when I had had a bath and got warm.

I shall know soon when it gets colder again if it was the cold weather that made my face go that red. I have now got rid of all toiletries for the face that had any form of alcohol in, and ones that I didn't want and were out of date. The kitchen was enfused with lots of different smells earlier as I poured oils and creams down the sink so I could recycle the containers.

So, that is how the experiment went. If the weather does turn a lot colder again, then I shall see how my face goes and let you know.

Sensitive skin, citrus and alchohol (drink and in toiletries)

What do the above have in common? Rosacea. I have had sensitive skin for many years now being fair-skinned, but it only recently in this v cold weather we have been having that I have noticed a dramatic difference in my facial colour. Years ago my cheeks used to go bright red, but after starting to use natural and organic products it calmed down. Now this last month I have noticed that it has got a lot worse, and it's not only the cheeks that go bright red but my forehead and rest of the face too. When I was out in the cold yesterday I felt my face tingling, going red with the cold, and this is one of the symptoms of rosacea. Extreme change of temperatures. So, what does citrus and alcohol have to do with it? Well, both can make rosacea worse. I had been eating clementines up until yesterday but have now cut those out. I also had been eating lemon marmalade now and then, and will cut out that and have a jam instead. As to alcohol. I don't drink due to medication I am on, but I have read that you should avoid using toiletries with it in. Using natural and organic products I thought I might be all right, but no. I have found different sorts of alcohol in hand creams and facial creams and washed. There are several different types of alcohol to watch out for, and not just alcohol. There is alcohol denat, cetyal alcohol, benzyl alcohol and a few others that I can't pronouce. I have read that most of these are skin irritants. So, this coming weekend I am going to go through all my toiletries I have been using and empty them if they have any of those in.  If I do have rosacea then I shall have to read labels v carefully from now on. I did start to use natural soap on my face but thought that was too drying for my skin. We shall see what happens.