Magnitone The Full Monty Brazilian Bombshell Edition Review

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

2016 is the year I became obsessed with electronic facial devices. It was while using one on my face that I thought how amazing it would be if someone invented one you could use on the entire body. Well my dreams came true with Magnitone’s The Full Monty Brazilian Bombshell Edition. The Magnitone facial brush is amazing for cleansing and toning the face but The Full Monty does, well, the full monty.

I am now obsessed with this face and body brush. I have been using it for weeks now, and it has made a huge difference to my skin. My husband always mentions how soft my skin is after I use it on my body. It exfoliates so well. I don’t fake tan, but if you do this would be a good preparation for it. You use the pedi brush dry and it gets rid of all of the dry skin on your feet. It also leaves your face cleansed and toned. This Vibra-Sonic 3-in-1 Skincare Brush deep-cleanses, tones, exfoliates and buffs skin. With 3 modes; face, body and feet and 3 heads, skin is left beautifully conditioned, from head-to-toe.

This vibrant, illustrated brush is inspired by the carefree spirit of Brazil. It uses award winning Vibra-Sonic technology with 3 modes (Face + Body + Pedi) to deep cleanse, tone and smooth your skin all over – giving you ultimate summer skin confidence. You can get your body Olympic worthy.

Double-Award Winning combo of sonic oscillations + pulsed vibrations = an energising daily cleanse and skin workout.

Gently wobbles dirt out of pores (where hands can’t go) and boosts micro-circulation to tone up skin
Don’t let your face reap all the cleansing and skin smoothing benefits. Max your skin’s fitness and do The Full Monty skin workout

It comes with 4 brush heads.

PORE PERFECTION – Breakout Busting Facial Brush (for oily/congested skin)
ACTIVE CLEAN – Daily Cleansing Facial Brush
GET BEACHED – Tantastic Prep and Prolong Body Brush
WELL HEELED! – Perfect Pedicure Head

And 3 modes.

FACE (SENSITIVE / DEEP CLEANSE / PULSELIFT™ TONING)
BODY EXFOLIATION
PEDI-BUFF

It comes with a 12-month warranty, a MyMagnitone Membership Card, a USB lead and a magnetic USB charging cradle.

It is available from magnitone.co.uk, boots.com, feelunique.com, and MyShowcase and I highly recommend it. It will change your skin. You can buy a Magnitone Full Monty Vibra Sonic Face and Body Cleansing Brush here.

Should People Who Don’t Have Children Be Allowed To Tell You How To Raise Yours?

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Before I was married and had children I would always say that people who weren’t married should not give advice to people who are married, and that people who don’t have children, shouldn’t give advice to people who have children. Now that I am married and I have a child I can tell you that my belief has only hardened. I know that is controversial. I know some of you might want to slap me right now. I am worried that some of you may even thing I am coming across a bit Andrea Leadsom. But this is not a smug parenting thing. It is not an us versus them: it is simply the fact that parenting looks very different from the outside, and that unless you have been in the trenches, you have no idea what it is actually like.

There are some anomalies: live-in nannies, childcare professionals and the like. But if you don’t have extensive childcare experience, and you don’t have any children of your own, then don’t tell me how to raise my child. You would be surprised how much this happens. There is one specific person who criticises or makes a negative comment about my son, and how my husband and I are raising him, every time we see them. It takes everything I have to not point out to this person that they have never been around a child in their life and should therefore STFU. It is not even that this person has a point. Each criticism is something they have to seek and is nonsense: a comment on how our son is dressed etc.

General unsolicited advice is infuriating at the best of times, but when it is people telling you how to parent it is especially annoying. Being a parent is hard. There is no day off, no breaks, and certainly no sick days. I once worked on a film, a West End play and organised the launch party for Frost all in one month. It was brutal and relentless, but it was still nothing compared to parenting. To go back to my point about parenting looking different from the outside; before I had a child I would hear a baby crying, or be in a restaurant wondering why people were just letting their children run around. Now, there are still some days where I think what are you doing? (because I am human), but the thing is, that parent has probably done everything they can to stop the crying baby. The parents in the restaurant are just so tired they can’t move. You don’t know what lead up to that point or what that person is feeling. They are not doing nothing, they have already done what they can.

So don’t tell people what there child should be wearing or eating. Don’t tell them to shut their child up. The child has just as much right to be speaking as you do. Don’t be that person rolling your eyes because there is a baby crying on the bus (like I was!), because until you become a parent, you have no idea how hard it is and if you have one of your own you will feel very guilty indeed.

So should people who don’t have children be allowed to tell you how to raise yours? No. I am trying to swear less now I am a mother so I will use an acronym: that person should STFU.

Interview With casting director, coach, actress & founder of Sound Advice Kate McClanaghan

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a seasoned casting director, producer, coach, actress and founder of SOUND ADVICE, a unique, one-stop option for unparalleled voice over coaching, and exceptional demo production for all skill and experience levels.

I had been a freelance producer since I was 19 years old, producing commercials for Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Dodge, JC Penney, FORD, Sprint, SEARS, and Kraft, to name a few. I had always been freelance because I’m a union actress as well. I’ve studied with the Royal Shakespeare in London, and came up through Chicago’s Second City and ImprovOlympic (IO), and even brought 9 shows to the Edinburgh Fringe.

2. What made you start Big House Casting & Audio and Actors’ Sound Advice?

BIG HOUSE came about to service the various casting and production demands that consistently kept coming in the door after I had produced a number of freelance projects for NPR. I was already freelance, I just named it after the enormous, greystone building we worked and lived in, in Chicago.

I started SOUND ADVICE because I couldn’t find a single, reliable source that would take me through the entire process of voiceover training, demo production, branding and marketing the career I was after. There were random people who did pieces, but didn’t have the whole in mind. I wanted a single source that honestly had my best interests in mind, understood my greatest commercial assets (perhaps even better than I did), and could produce my demos well enough to truly advance my career, not just my voiceover!

I began assisting friends, and after coaching and producing more than 100 demos for them and seeing them achieve remarkable results rather quickly, I realized my casting and production skills had a greater purpose!

3. How important is training?

It’s imperative. Without it, regardless of how naturally talented, smart, and mellifluous the voice might be… you’re dealing with a loose cannon. You can’t rely on a talent who doesn’t know their job. Trusting a million-dollar campaign to a complete hack puts everyone’s reputation on the line. And your mettle will be tested. There are no beginner, intermediate and advanced talent in this industry. You’re either a professional… or you’re not. Training defines your professionalism and instills confidence. And commerce is confidence.

4. Any tips for acing an audition?

Instead of trying to second-guess what those auditioning you are thinking, give them something interesting to think about. That’s the job! Besides they honestly aren’t thinking a thing. It’s precisely why you’re there. How would YOU play it?

THINK for yourself! In fact, entertain yourself and you’ll find your audience!

5. How different is voice over acting from acting?

There is very little, if any difference at all. Acting is acting is acting.

Voice acting is closest to film acting than any other medium, because they both demand a very vivid imagination and the desire to tell a story, often in the most constricting conditions. Personality and the ability to self direct are key attributes as well.

Perhaps the greatest difference is the fact that in nearly all voiceover scenarios, you’re all by your lonesome in the booth with no one to play off but yourself.

6. Tell us about your books.

The SOUND ADVICE Encyclopedia of Voice-over & The Business of Being a Working Talent is currently in its third edition. (There will be a fourth sometime next year.) It’s more than 500 printed pages of well-vetted industry insider information as well as How To Get An Agent, the branding, marketing and promotion of your career, to more than 100 printed pages of terms and phrases commonly used in all manner of acting for recorded media.

7. How do you become a successful voice over actor?

Do your homework. Practice. If you were to honestly dedicate 25 to 30 hours a week, what would be considered part-time for any other business, for a year or more to creating a voiceover career for yourself, then the chances of becoming successful in this field is more likely—provided, of course, you have realistic expectations and you wisely allocate your time.

You need a proper Vocal Warm Up, and maintain it 4 to 5 times a week for a solid half hour to 45 minutes at a time. Granted it may take you a couple weeks to incorporate it into your weekly routine, but without it your vocal precision and stamina won’t be as reliable as it should be.

Check out our website www.voiceoverinfo.com. Study up. Listen to a lot of demos.

Listen to our podcasts then email us. We have talent all over the world. Provided you have a reliable computer and stable Internet service, we can generally work with just about anyone from anywhere—we just don’t invite everyone to do a demo. (Our name is on it too. We don’t produce a demo track in an hour. Nearly every other demo production house does.)

Everything we do as SOUND ADVICE, just like in nearly everything in voiceover, is one-on-one. We don’t cookie-cutter anything. And we offer the best insight because we continually survey the industry as to what’s needed and wanted from talent in every aspect of the industry.

MumsThread On Traveling In London With a Baby & Pram

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

I already wrote about traveling in London while pregnant so I thought I would follow up with what it is like to traveling in London when you have a child. If traveling in London while pregnant is awful, when you have a child it is hell. Most tube stations don’t have a lift or step-free access. When Boris Johnson was Mayor of London he promised half of London stations would have step-free access by 2018. I hope the current Mayor Sadiq Khan carries on this promise. It is important for disabled people and those with children. Traveling on buses is stressful and takes a long time. There is also limited space for prams. The bus can only take two prams and I have had to wait ages for a bus which is free. The place for prams is also the wheelchair space. Wheelchair users have priority and rightly so, but I had got abuse in the past for having the pram in there when it is empty. In fact I even saw a Facebook post once written by someone who has no children complaining that there was a pram in the wheelchair space on a bus she was on. Did they get in the way of the wheelchair user?, I asked. No, there was no wheelchair user. This woman just thought this mother should not be on public transport with her baby, taking up space with a pram. Other woman joined in and the split was obvious. The woman who did not have children were talking about how terrible this woman was for just wanting to get somewhere with her baby. I gave my opinion, as calmly as I could, but quite a few of them were abusive. Other woman, mothers and not, eventually joined in to support me, but the entire thing left me feeling sad. My own mother is in a wheelchair and she was angry at those woman. It is easy to say a mother with a pram should not be using a wheelchair space, but that is the only place on the bus they can go! Folding a pram up is not easy (we have the iCandy Strawberry 2, it is a good pram but can be too big for London living and the back wheels take up too much room). You have to hold the child and this is not safe. The pram also usually has something under it. It is incredibly isolating being a mother and they have appointments just like everyone else. I very rarely see a wheelchair user on a bus so it doesn’t make sense that mothers just stay at home. What is the alternatives? Walking? Not always possible. Taxis? Too expensive. It makes me angry that people can be so callous.

Then there is the dirty looks you get and the sighs for your baby not being a robot. If your baby has the nerve to cry on public transport people tend to take it personally. Like your baby is crying just to annoy them. Well, get over yourself. When babies cry it means they are talking. They have as much right as you. And if you are finding it hard for that short burst, imagine how the parents feel. Babies talk to their parent a lot. Sometimes all night.

I live in Southfields and the only place I can get to on the tube to central London is Green Park. I have only been into Central London without my husband once. It was hell. Usually I would go to Earl’s Court and change. This time I had to go to Earlsfield (where the lift was not working!) rely on the kindness of strangers to go up and down stairs and on and off trains. I even had to push a pram up an escalator. You are not meant to do this but if TFL have a problem with it they can build more bloody lifts. By the time I got to my destination my nerves were frazzled. The entire experience was horrendous. We have never bought a car because you don’t need one when you live in London. It would be silly as we would probably only use it once a year, but I hope that London gets the transport system it deserves soon. An inclusive one for all Londoners.

For more information on traveling in London for pregnant women and buggy users go here.

MumsThread On The Motherhood Penalty: Can Only Men Have it All?

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

There has been a lot in the media about the Motherhood Penalty so I felt I had to give my opinion on it. The truth is, it exists. As for the next question in the title: can only men have it all? Mostly. Yes, I know. It isn’t fair and it certainly is sexist, but having a child affects a women’s career much more than a man’s. Now there are exceptions to the rule, and the number of stay-at-home dads is growing, but childcare is still widely seen as a women’s issue. And that’s wrong. Women get the motherhood penalty but men get the daddy bonus.

It is not that women can’t have it all. You can, but it’s really hard. Mostly it is just that they can’t have it all at the same time. Parenthood requires sacrifice. The sacrifice comes from both genders, but weighs heavier on the female. Since my husband and I had our son his career has gone from strength-to-strength, he gets to go out occasionally and even gets invited to award ceremonies because he has a permanent unpaid babysitter at home. In contrast, my life now resembles almost nothing of its predecessor because I don’t. I have given up numerous opportunities because I could not juggle them with my child. Somedays I get no work done at all. Other days I just stare at my son while he plays thinking about how the hell I can be a good mother to him, run a business and be an author and freelance writer. Because, and it pains me to say this, sometimes I can’t. Something has got to give, and usually it is my hobbies, social life, and career. My husband still has the bones of his old life. Only his evenings and weekends are different, my old life on the other hand was obliterated. My son is worth it of course, but that doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes miss the person I used to be and the life I used to have. I wrote about this subject before I had my son and while I still think women can do whatever they want with their lives, it is harder for them.

I could put my child into a nursery of course. But let’s not kid ourselves, that is not having it all either. There is nothing wrong with it. I have female friends who ended their maternity leave early because they said they could not take being at home with a baby all day. Being at home with a baby all day is hard and I don’t judge. Good for her, not for me. There is also the cost of childcare, which is extortionate. The nursery next to us cost £93 a day. A DAY! Who can afford that?

I read in the Metro that 2 out of every 3 women with pre-school children are locked out of work. I was fired twice when I was pregnant, and many other promises amounted to nothing when my pregnancy became public knowledge. It upset me then and it upsets me now. There are generations of women who had so much to offer the world, but maternity discrimination put paid to that. It is no surprise that the “mumpreneur” industry is so huge. And you only have to look at what mumpreneurs are doing to know that there are not the ones missing out, the people who forced them out of work are. I recently saw the amazing Diane Keaton film Baby Boom. It was made in 1987 but is just as relevant today. It is on netflix.com so do watch it. In the beginning Diane Keaton’s boss tells her that only men get to have it all, but in the end she starts her own business and becomes a mother. She really does get to have it all.

I know many of friends who aren’t even thinking of having children but are married and “of an age” so are discriminated against. I think maternity leave should apply to both sexes. Then women cannot be the only ones discriminated against. It is a thought. I might not work, but something has to be done. Whether by women who start their own business, by making sure that men are not discriminated against for wanting to stay at home, or by a change in the law, we need to keep doing whatever we can. Not just for ourselves, but for our daughters and sons too.

Mindful Mama: Happy Baby, by Maja Pitamic and Susannah Marriott Book Review

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

I have to confess, I haven’t read a lot of parenting books. I keep meaning to, but find it hard to find the time. I managed to find some time for Mindful Mama: Happy Baby as it looked interesting. It has a number of things going for it: it is easy to read, fun and full of ideas. I am not into mediation or mindfulness, but I found the activities interesting and will use some of them with my son. The book has games, songs, dances and outdoor activities. The book breaks the activities down by age and has a development chart too. The book is well-illustrated and has clear instructions. funnily enough, I recognise some of these activities from my own childhood so there are a few classics.

I liked this book and will be doing some of the activities with my little one. This book is fun and educational.

Mindful Mama: Happy Baby is an accessible guide for new parents using mindfulness techniques and Montessori activities to bring calm and confidence to the early parenting years. Susannah Marriott has published a number of successful parenting titles, while Maja Pitamic is a Montessori teacher and author of the best-selling I Can Do It, also published by Modern Books.

Over 60 mindful activities and play ideas for bonding with your child

Sensory games, songs, dances and outdoor activities to share

Advice on nurturing, feeding, bathing, sleeping and carrying

Meditative techniques to relax your mind and keep you calm

Mindful Mama: Happy Baby is a practical and accessible guide for new parents, designed to give you the skills to calmly navigate the early years of child rearing, from birth to three years of age. Mindful parenting makes time for meaningful interactions with your child, which have a profound effect on bonding during the crucial developmental stages.

Emphasis is put on the well-being of both parent and child, as well as the importance of bringing peace and perspective to the emotional whirlwind of having a new baby. As your baby grows into a toddler, the exercises change, allowing this age group to fully explore the world around them and engage their senses in a fun and playful way.

Playing with a child with awareness daily is the most mindful thing we can do as parents. It shows children we are available and passes on the self-acceptance that comes with engaging fully with an activity. As children reveal their personalities and unique ways of doing things so we learn from them, our relationships with them become richer

Both practical and inspiring, Mindful Mama: Happy Baby gives you and your child the building blocks for an enjoyable and mindful first few years.

Maja Pitamic is the author of I Can Do It, the successful Montessori activity book for ages three to five, as well as the co-author of I Can Make Music, Modern Art Adventures and 3D Art Adventures. She has over fifteen years’ experience teaching young children and holds degrees in Art History and Montessori Teacher Training. She currently lives in London.

Susannah Marriott is a freelance author and mother of three. Her books include Green Babycare, Natural Pregnancy, Pregnancy Herbaland The Pregnancy and Baby Book. Her writing has appeared in Weekend Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, Marie Claire, Zest, Shape, Top Sante, Healthy and Junior. She currently lives in Devon.

Also available in this series:

I Can Do It (Sept 2015) and I Can Make Music (Sept 2015)

Mindful Mama: Happy Baby

0ver 60 calming techniques and creative activities for babies and toddlers

by Maja Pitamic and Susannah Marriott

Published by Modern Books – 25^th August 2016. @modernbooks.

RRP: £12.99

MumsThread: On The Importance of Work When You Become a Mother

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Out of all of the truisms, few are more true as when you choose a job, you choose a lifestyle. This was never more true when I first became an actor many moons ago (at one point I had three survival jobs. A day one, an evening one and a weekend one), or when I had a corporate job that paid absurdly well, but made me unhappy because it felt like my creative soul was dying.

Now I have a child lifestyle is important. I have been self employed and freelance for about six years now. And it is wonderful and awful, easy and hard. The truth is: I have worked harder and had tougher work conditions as my own boss than in any other. Frequently not allowing myself breaks, chaining myself to my desk as I just churn the work out. But having my son last year resulted in changes. Mostly because I fell head over heels in love with him, and I will never be the same again. It has required sacrifices, and sometimes those sacrifices are that I get barely any work done at all. Those days are the toughest. I have turned down a lot of great opportunities and my acting career is on the back burner, but I know that the privilege of seeing my son grow up is bigger than anything else. It was always important to me that my son was raised by at least one of his parents. It’s not a judgment call, all power to nannies and nurseries. In fact, I wish I could afford a live-in nanny, or a night nanny. Oh what heaven that would be.

But what I didn’t bargain on was how much I love working. Even the worst job I had brought something good with it: money, a reason to get out of bed, meeting people, a sense of worth. I am not saying I want to go back to those awful jobs, but work gives you identity and freedom. It means you are contributing to society. All of these are things that are very important. Even more so when you have a child and otherwise you just feel like someone’s mother and someone’s wife. I am not slamming being a housewife. It is as valid a choice as any. But I know myself, I need to work, and times where I can’t fit my work in due to childcare/a sick child/ a problem with the flat leaves me with a void. I also believe that a woman needs something for herself, even if it is just a hobby. Women tend to sacrifice themselves and it is unhealthy. Not just for the mother, but all the family. I would love to share childcare 50/50 with my husband, but he works in finance and that is just not possible. So some days I will write an article on my iPhone in the playpen with the baby, I will work on my book as much as possible when the baby finally naps. It has taught me to work smarter, not harder. To be quicker. But the thing having a child has most taught me is quality of life. I no longer chain myself to my desk. I say no to things. Because I have something which gives me more joy than anything else: my son’s face. Even on my hardest day he gives me joy. He has taught me that life is more important than work. I would constantly burn myself out before he came along, now I know that I just have to do what I can and that I am enough. I should be proud of my achievements. On the flip side, I got irritated when a lot of people asked if I would still work after I had a baby, and when I see an article on “selfish” mothers going out to work. I mean, God forbid a women wants to have a career and professional fulfilment. Y’now, like men get to do. No one ever asked a man how he juggles work with having children. The other thing is money: how many households can really survive on one income?

Many women do not get to see their babies grow up. They have to go out and work. I can earn a living as a freelancer and that is a huge achievement. I know I have the best of both worlds, even if I have to bribe the baby with Disney cartoons while I work. It was Sheryl Sandberg who said there is no such thing as work/life balance. There is just life and work and there is no balance. She is a wise woman. As long as I am kind to myself and get everything done eventually I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

2016 Chinese Food Festival | Things To Do in London This Weekend

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

If you are looking for something to do this weekend the 2016 Chinese Food Festival is taking place on the 19th, 20th and 21st in Potters Fields Park adjacent to the magnificent Tower Bridge. Entry is free and following the huge success of last year (the festival welcomed over 30,000 visitors) the opening hours have been extended and exhibitors increased. I love Asian food so I will definitely be making an appearance.

2016 Highlights include:

– Chinese Food Fair (over 30 stalls selling huge variety of Chinese food and drink)
– 2016 UK Chinese Streetfood Competition (previous winner was Chong Qing noodles 重庆小面)
– Celebrity Chef Theatre Demonstration (feat The Dumpling Sisters and a Hot Pot Workshop)
– Chinese Fine Dining Lounge (feat. Shanghai Supperclub pre-booking required)
– Chinese “Night Market” (DJs, streetfood, cocktails and light show)
– Chinese Traditional Performances and Entertainment (inc. Tai Chi Fan Dance, origami, calligraphy)

Location:
Potters Fields Park (beside London City Hall), London, SE1 2AA
Facing the fantastic Thames River view, 2015 London Chinese Food Festival is ideally located by the busy Southbank river side.
The venue is just few minutes walk from BFI IMAX, South Bank’s National Theatre and the ITV London Television Studios.
The closest underground stations are Waterloo and Southwark.

Dates:
August Friday 19th, Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st

Hours:
Friday and Saturday 11am-10pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

Entry:
Free

Website:
http://www.chinesefoodfestival.com

Social:
https://www.facebook.com/chinesefoodfestivallondon
https://twitter.com/chinesefoodfest
https://www.instagram.com/chinesefoodfestival

Competition Hashtag: #CFF2016
Link: http://www.chinesefoodfestival.com

Timings:
Friday: 11am – 10pm (public hours)
Saturday: 11am – 10pm (public hours)
Sunday: 11am – 6pm (public hours)

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