I went on a Shell STEP course last year, and one of the previous winners of Livewire (another Shell project) were Glasses Direct. After I saw the way their business worked I had a peek and ended up buying some new specs. Basically, you get your eyes tested on the high st, then buy your frames online. Glasses that were £80 in the shop were £17 online, and you can upload your face to try the specs on virtually to see what you look like in them.

There is no reason to buy specs on the high street anymore

http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/

I have been experimenting with various shaving techniques to find one that suits me. Disposable razors are mostly crap, and throwing that much plastic away irks me. Electric shavers give a razor burn. I won’t buy anything from Gillette because of their insulting and retarded adverts. So I came to traditional shaving. I was going to buy a cut throat razor, but then realised it was a six month training course before I would get a decent shave, and the risk of killing myself while not paying attention first thing in the morning was too great. I asked for a Merkur Futur razor for my birthday.

First off, this thing is heavy and solidly built. It takes proper razor blades, which are the scariest things I have ever handled. They are right up there with scalpel blades in the League of Ridiculously Sharp Items. I got some lovely posh shaving foam too, so lathered myself up and stood terrified in front of the mirror. I gingerly swiped a few hairs off my cheek, expecting it to skin me alive. As scared as I was, I managed to shave myself with only minor injuries and was impressed with the closeness of the shave. There are a couple of bits I cannot shave with the Merkur - over the mole on my chin (because it chops it off) and just underneath my nose and bottom lip (due to the chunky head not fitting in there).

Using this has worked out cheaper than using disposables, and irritation is greatly reduced. Overall, shaving has now become a careful, satisfying ritual instead of a painful annoyance and I would recommend that anyone looking for a new razor to try this bad boy out

My Merkur Futur came from Mankind - Supplier of swank shaving products.

I signed up to this website, and within a week had found somewhere super lush to live. If you are sick of letting agents ripping you off for “admin fees”, £500 grotty flats above kebab shops and other such bullshit, give this site a go.

You can search and express interest for free, and if you find somewhere you want to live, you can pay to contact the landlord. I paid for a whole year at £50, which is still loads cheaper than getting my wallet raped by a letting agent

I was going for an N95, but the guy from Orange warned me off them, so I got one of these as an upgrade from my aging 6230. It’s slim, good looking, has a proper metal cover and is easy to use for rapid texting. The OS is quick, and I don’t have to sit and wait for it. The themes are lovely. The camera is ok in decent light, but bands a bit in the dark. I don’t expect a phone camera to be up to much, but it’s fine for the odd snap. Overall, I can’t fault it really