Rio 2016 has arrived

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It doesn’t seem four years since London hosted the 2012 Olympics, but with Rio starting in style on Friday night, we know it really was.

With nearly a month of badminton, cycling, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon rowing, sailing, and so much more happening, we thought we would have a look at some of the facts you might not know about this iconic, global sporting event.

The very first Olympic Games took place over three thousands years ago in 776 B.C.E. The games started as part of a religious festival to honour Zeus, the leader of the Greek gods who lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.

The modern Olympics however, began in 1896. They were created by the French educator and historian, Pierre de Coubertin. Pierre believed the world would have more of an opportunity for peace if they gathered together to play sports. Nice idea.

Coubertin designed the famous five colour rings that represent the games and stand for North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

The Olympic flag, featuring this symbol on a white background, flew for the first time at the Antwerp Games in 1920.

Not many people know this, but every national flag of the world has at least one of the rings colours, blue, black, green, yellow, and red, in it.

The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia in Greece every two years (summer and winter games) before it travels to the next host nation and is paraded until the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron at the opening ceremony.

The 1900 Paris Olympics were the first to allow women to take part, and winners were awarded paintings rather than medals. Charlotte Cooper a tennis player from London, was the first female athlete to win an individual Olympic event at the these games in Paris.

The Olympic Winter Games started in in Chamonix, France in 1923. There were 16 events in six different sports. Team Canada dominated in the ice hockey tournament by scoring a total of 122 goals and only allowing three against them.

Only four athletes have won medals at both the summer and winter games. These were; Eddie Eagan (United States), Jacob Tullin Thams (Norway), Christa Luding-Rothenburger (East Germany), and Clara Hughes (Canada).

The Rio games are happening from 5th to 21st August with both the opening and closing ceremonies taking place in the Maracanã Stadium.

This is the first time the Olympic Games have ever been held in South America and will events will take place in 33 venues across the four areas of Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro and Maracanã.

A staggering 10,500 athletes from 205 countries will take part in 306 competitions in 42 different sports.

There will also be over 300 horses at the games, which is more than enough horses to fill a Grand National field seven times over.

The motto of the London games was ‘Inspire a generation’ and in 2016 it is ‘Viva sua Paixão’ which means ‘Live Your Passion’.

The new mascot is called Vinicius. He is based on a number of different Brazilian animals, and names after Vinicius de Moraes one of Brazil’s most-loved artists.

At Pure-Beauty we are most looking forward to the gymnastics, road cycling and swimming – how about you?

Style Resolutions

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The start of a new year is the perfect time to assess your style and make changes to bring your look bang up to date.

We aren’t talking about taking every item out of your wardrobe and starting from scratch, but spending a morning or afternoon assessing where you are and just what image you would like to project in 2016.

We have some top resolutions that could make all the difference not only to the way you look this year but also how you feel.

The question is, are you brave enough to change?

Resolution one – stop playing matchy-matchy
Somewhere down the line someone said you have to pair brown boots with a brown bag and that blue and green should never been seen. These style snippets aren’t true but they stick in our minds and can make for a somewhat safe look. Go for a pop of pink with a new scarf, a splash of red in a jumper or add leopard print to boots and you are looking at a whole new you.

Resolution two – don’t be afraid to shine
Wear a sequinned top with jeans, a denim skirt with silver pumps or add super-cute diamanté buttons to a coat and whatever you do, shine with style.

Resolution three – wear the size you are
Be honest with yourself when you are getting dressed and wear something that fits. Size is just a number and if you squash into a snug pair of jeans or drown in a massive sweater, neither will make you feel the best you. Pick the right size, buy the right size and wear the right size and it will make a massive difference to your look and confidence.

Resolution four – leave your comfort zone
We all do it, head to our black jumper, navy jacket or grey shirt to feel safe and hidden from the world. Why not add one stand out item into your wardrobe and see how it feels. Prints, navy, camel and white are a great way to make small changes and if you are feeling brave a bright coat or statement pair of shoes can add a new dimension to your colour palette.

Resolution five – have a feel good favourite
There are some social events you can’t plan for so have a great, flattering LBD that you keep clean and pressed that you can put on last minute and feel amazing.

Resolution six – experiment with make up
We all do it. Put on foundation, blusher, mascara, lippy and head out of the door. Why stick with safe when there is a world of experimenting out there? A coloured eye liner instead of your usual black or brown can be a starting point. Green or navy mascara can give a subtle pop of colour and adding smoky eyes looks stunning but not out of place even on a Monday morning. Go on, give it a go.

Resolution seven – don’t slum it at the weekend
We all do it from time to time but don’t sit around in your PJs all weekend long. It is fine to go casual but tatty t-shirts and dirty tracksuit bottoms just don’t cut it unless you are ill. New Look and H&M have excellent luxe sports pieces you can mix and match or go for boyfriend jeans and layered tops for a cool, chic look that will look polished but relaxed.

Resolution eight – organised, organise, organise
You will find that if you organise your clothes, accessories and shoes it will be much easier to get ready in the morning Give away what you don’t need or like (or fit into) and only buy what you love moving forwards. Arrange but colour and type, roll items rather than fold and put shoes in clear boxes and you can find what you need, fast.

We would love to know what changes you plan to make to your style in 2016.