Virtual PR

This is my first time blogging so I'll use it to tell you a little bit about me. I am Virtual Assistant; I carry out various administrative duties on behalf of small business people from the comfort of my own home.

There are loads of benefits to this job such as choosing your own hours, being around for your family and taking on as much or as little work as you feel capable of.

I have set up this site as a gateway to potential clients and also to provide information to people who would like to become Virtual Assistant's themselves.

I've become the victim of an internet stalker in very strange circumstances. It began when a woman ripped me off on a private sale through a paid membership forum I was a member of. After a long drawn out saga, she finally refunded me through PayPal almost the full amount I had sent her. So I was happy to put the whole depressing story behind me and move on. However, after a couple of months had past, she then proceeded to send me threatening emails trying to imply that I had stolen the funds from her PayPal account. I blocked her e-mail address from my Yahoo account, so she tracked me down on Facebook! Why she couldn't just put it all behind her I will never know. Anyway, the lesson of the story is to beware online and keep the following 'stay safe' tips in mind:

• Always do a background check on anyone you are dealing with. Type their username & any other relevant details you have on them into google. You'll be surprised by what you can find.

• Never disclose your private telephone numbers or address unless absolutely necessary.

• When choosing a username try to pick something generic that doesn't giveaway too much about you such as your sex, race, hobbies etc

• Keep your primary email address private. Use your primary email address ONLY for people you know and trust and set up a generic mail for dealing with anything online such as chatrooms and forums.

• Don't give out information such as your full name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, etc. when it is unneccessary. Many sign-up forms ask for all this info, but very often all you need is a username & email address.

I've been searching for a decent foundation for what seems like forever! I am now at an age that I really feel my skin needs the added cover up; no major wrinkles, but certainly the onset of haggard and dull greyness from too much time in front of the PC.

I love cosmetics and get endless pleasure out of buying make-up, gently caressing the sleek packaging, lovingly eyeing up the sparkly colours and textures and always, but always that buzz of applying a brand new mascara or lipstick. However, all this pleasure drains away when it comes to purchasing foundation. There is just too much choice. Which shade, what colour is my skin, which texture, should it be matt, mousse or creamy light to touch and then of course there's the price, packaging and branding too.

Why does this not apply to other make-up - there's certainly no shortage of choice for any of them? Well you can't go too far wrong with the wrong shade of eyeshadow, lipstick or mascara; people might just think you were having an inovative moment. But if you get it wrong with the foundation, then you can instantly go from classy chic to skanky ho. Orange jaw line, brown stains on your collar or porcelain mask - definitely not a good look.

Well, after some serious aisle scouring and longingly pouring through Vanity Fair, Woman & Home & Cosmo magazines, I started to ask the people I think look the best; "Hey, do you use foundation?" And praying they say yes, which one do you use? After a few 'no's' (they were definitely lying) and a couple of 'just tinted moisturiser', I finally found the gem of gems. A foundation which lasts 16 hours, looks so natural it could be transparent and even feels lovely to touch. The foundation of choice; Loreal Infallible Foundation - it has a no-mask clause on the label and certainly appears to be true to word. I found it light and easy to apply, very much like my moisturiser and it instantly blended out all my imperfections to leave a smooth a clear base. I have always been told I should apply a porcelain/ivory shade but feel they tend to leave me ghostly pale so on a whim I went for the golden beige. It seems to be doing the trick and I've checked with a few 'honest' friends for any signs of a waterline and so far, so good.... Loreal Infallible Foundation costs £16 from Boots, Tesco, Superdrug (£10.99) Thanks to the Co-Resistium Technology, this advanced foundation lasts up to 16 hours and fights the signs of make-up meltdown. The result: a radiant finish that looks freshly applied all that long!

On days like these, I realise why I chose to become a Virtual Assistant. As I type this on my laptop, I am sitting by the beach with my baby in his buggy and the sun shining down on us with clear blue skies above. Life couldn't be more blissful.So you are stuck in a 9 to 5pm with a boss you can't stand and a colleague who doesn't have great personal hygiene or much of a social life to gossip about. You're fed up and thinking 'There's got to be more to life!"

Sleepwear to slumber at figleaves.com