Tinder Dating App: Light Me Up!

TinderSo… Tinder.  The free app that lets you anonymously ‘like’ people based purely on their photos, and then ‘matches’ you if you both like each other.  Online dating made incredibly simple.  No cringe-worthy Match.com profiles here, no description of personality, no ‘this is what I’m looking for’.  The only question that needs to be asked is ‘do I think this person is hot?’

I’ll admit, when I first heard of the thing, I was very sceptical.  Surely it’s just a different version of Facebook stalking?  Or just allows guys to flick through literally thousands of girls’ photos and make snap-shot decisions on whether they’re fit or not?  Well, both of these aspects are true (for both sexes), but what I hadn’t banked on was the ego boost or entertainment factor that Tinder can provide.

Having been unceremoniously dumped for no apparent reason, I was in need of a bit of cheering up, and friends (both male and female) recommended Tinder – not as a way of finding a new boyfriend, but just as a way of taking my mind off being miserable.  A little flirt, a little fun… where’s the harm.  So, moderately tipsy on a Tuesday night, I found myself downloading the app and scrolling through endless photos of guys to be found within a 5-mile radius.  This is London, and the app connects to Facebook, so it’s literally a bottomless pit of potential.

Several things became immediately apparent:

  1. Men who post ‘mirror selfies’ are an absolute no
  2. Those who are wearing sunglasses in every photo: again an absolute no (there has to be a reason why they won’t show all of their face)
  3. The guys who only post photos where they’re in a large group so you can’t be 100% sure which one he is: same story
  4. In general, there seems to be a rotation of the same 15 or so male names across London.  Tom, James, Ben, Dave, Will, Rich etc. etc.  Where’s the variety?!
  5. A lot of guys are seriously lacking in creativity when it comes to profile pictures

Not having ticked the ‘Interested In Girls’ box, I’m not sure what the female version of all of this is, but apparently the fairer sex is just as bad when it comes to awkward mirror selfies and the ‘less is more’ approach to clothing. (Ok so my profile picture is me in a bikini, somebody shoot me…)

Moving on to the next stage in the process, where ‘matches’ have begun to pop up, is where things begin to get a bit more interesting.  This is where the ego boost comes in.  Look, a hot guy finds me attractive too!  Maybe I’m not completely undesirable…  The range of opening lines is really quite impressive.  So far I’ve received messages along the lines of ‘Great rack’, ‘Come round my place this evening?’ and ‘Tip top tits’ (I think the aforementioned bikini shot might have something to do with this).  At the other end of the scale, there are the slightly more creative ones that ignore the bikini and focus on jokes, skiing banter or not sitting on chairs properly (all related to the non-bikini photos I have on my profile).  Needless to say, the latter category is what grabs my attention a little more.

Now I’m well aware of the fact that most people are on Tinder for some light-hearted fun and a few easy hookups.  For my part, I’m certainly not looking for anything serious (look how well that turned out last time…).  But there is a huge difference between looking for your soulmate and being prepared to show up to the house of someone you’ve never met for a night of no-strings-attached nakedness.  After all, I ain’t no ho.  Stories of girls who message guys with phrases such as ‘what’s your address I’ll come over in an hour’ and ‘want to give it to me now big boy?’ simply aren’t doing the rest of us who aren’t prepared to instantly drop our knickers any favours.  You can at least pretend to have an interest in what the other person does for work, what they do for fun etc, and shockingly enough you can actually have some fairly decent banter over instant messaging.  Now call me crazy, but surely this is a better way of piquing someone’s interest rather than unsolicited trouser shots via WhatsApp?

Moving onto Stage Three: the Tinder Date.  Public area, generally daylight (no excuse really, it’s summer!), and ideally a back-up plan to leave early if it all goes really wrong.  Now so far I’ve been on four TDs, three of them good, one truly awful.  The first three were all normal attractive guys, not axe murderers, all with decent conversation.  It also helps that usually by this point you’ve exchanged enough messages to know what the other person does professionally, which friends you have in common on Facebook (Tinder helps you out there), and if they’ve done anything interesting recently, so more than enough conversation starters offered up on a plate!  However, there will be various factors that you can’t be sure of until the TD actually happens.  Someone might have great banter in written form, but be really quite dull in person.  The guy might have somehow managed to look better in pictures than in the flesh.  And then there’s the height issue, which for me is a total deal-breaker.  This is NOT something you can get away with lying about.  The aforementioned awful date was a culprit of all three crimes.  Cue a fake phone call to my ‘locked out housemate who is simply desperate to get inside as she’s diabetic and needs her insulin’.  RUN AWAY!!

Overall, as far as Tinder is concerned, I’d have to say I’m a surprised fan.  One bad date out of four really isn’t bad going, and it’s certainly dragged me out of my self-pitying post-dumped ditch.  There’s a certain liberating factor to it as well: so long as you don’t have any mutual friends and you never actually meet, how are they ever going to find out you’re not French/a quantitative analyst/Australian/really rich?  You can be as flirty/weird/boring/confident as you like.  There’s no pressure to go on a real date, and if they start getting pushy you can just block them.  Simples.  It also opens you up to a whole range of people you’d never otherwise encounter from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions.  Architects, engineers, management consultants, civil servants, traders, bartenders, the list goes on.  For someone like me who is genuinely rubbish when it comes to being chatted up in a bar, Tinder is a goldmine.

This is first time I’ve done what’s I call ‘proactive dating’, and so far I’m having a lot of fun (all with my clothes staying on, in case you were wondering).  Where will it all lead?  Who knows.  For now I’m happy to just roll with it, and avoid the men whose creativity is summed up by an opening gambit of ‘nice pair’.

Read more here: http://datingcritic.org/review/victoriabrides/ 

Sunscreen Expert Launches Free iPhone App

Leading suncare expert, La Roche-Posay, has developed a free mobile iPhone app, My UV Alert, designed to promote sun safe behaviour and encourage the British public to act responsibly in the sun by advising users on the latest UV levels and weather forecast.

My UV Alert uses Met Office weather forecast data to give you the most accurate forecast available.

Available through the ‘iTunes App Store’ and compatible with the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch,  My UV Alert highlights the potential damaging effects of UVA and UVB rays on the skin and provides users with personalised suncare advice.

The new pioneering app aims to help in the battle against Melanoma and raise awareness of the damaging effects of UVA and UVB rays to skin.

Here are some of the features available on My UV Alert:-

UV profile – answer a short set of questions to determine your skin type and discover your personal UV risk level.

Push alerts – receive location specific notifications on the UV level in your area, tailored to your skin type.  The alerts will advise when UV levels are high and remind you to apply and re-apply sun protection.

Sun protection tips and advice – practical tips and advice to keep skin protected from UV rays, and how to stay safe when spending time outdoors whilst in the UK.

Weather forecast – find out the latest weather forecast in your area.

UV level warning – find out the latest UV level warning in your area.

Share option – access links that allow you to pass the app and advice on to friends and family.

Store locator – to help find the five nearest stockists of leading suncare range, La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL

My UV Alert showcases further information about the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL range, which offers the highest sun protection from both UVB and UVA rays. The range comes in a variety of formulas for different skin types and is suitable for even the most sensitive of skins. La Roche-Posay is one of the most recommended sunscreens by British dermatologists.

Jane Toner, Marketing Manager for La Roche-Posay states:
“Two thirds of the nation (62%) still does not apply the recommended amount of sun protection. We hope that the My UV Alert iPhone app will help to educate people that UVA and UVB rays can cause both ageing and skin cancer”.

My UV Alert will also highlight the importance of wearing a good quality, broad-spectrum sunscreen all year round, as even when it isn’t sunny or warm outside, UVA and UVB rays can still cause damage to the skin.

To download the My UV Alert iPhone app, search for “My UV Alert” on the iTunes App Store or click here.

Images courtesy of iTunes / La Roche-Posay

Favourite iPhone Apps

Our readers asked us if we could do a list of the most popular iPhone apps. Mobile phone technology has become an integral part of everyone’s live and smart phones have become more and more popular. With the increase in demand, the applications that one can download these days have increased exponentially and it gets harder and harder to choose which applications to install. City Connect recommends the following apps:

(1) Google Maps

The google maps application seems to be an all-time favourite. It is very self explanatory and intuitive. It is particularly great in big cities if you want to find your way around. Hint: the GPS works even abroad when you have switched off your roaming. You just cannot browse the map, but you can load it using a WiFi and then track your position without a internet connection.

(2) Around me

This application allows you to quickly find information about your surroundings, such as banks, bars, coffee shops, ATMs, hotels, pubs and many more. This is particularly useful if you live in a big city or travel a lot. It makes life much easier and navigation very easy in busy places.

(3) Viber

Viber allows you to phone other contacts who also have Viber installed for free via the internet. This is particularly useful if you want to talk with friends abroad as it incurs zero costs. This is a great way to save money!

(4) Angry Birds

For one the greatest iPhone game ever, for the other a waste of time. Angry birds is the ultimate game for the iPhone and very popular. It is very simple: a bunch of birds have to be catapulted to hit some evil pigs. It is dead simple to play and a great way to release aggression and anger. Try it out and decide if it is for you!

(5) AllRecipes’ Dinner Spinner

Have you ever come home after a hard day at work indecisive about what you can cook with the few ingredients that are in your fridge? Ever wondered how to quickly conjure a romantic dinner virtually out of nothing to surprise your loved one after work? This application is a great way to make the ingredients in your fridge into a great tasty dinner.

(6) Runkeeper

This application uses GPS to track your exercise. Whether you want to walk or run, you can monitor your performance very accurately. Each workout will be sent to your e-mail address and you can thus easily monitor your fitness over time. This is a must have for runners.

(7) Shazam

Have you ever wondered what the song was that played in the background in a restaurant or pub? Just open shazam and it will recognise any pop song and give you title and singer. This is a great app to give more peace to your mind.

(8) Dragon Dictation

This app is the beginning of a new area of mobile technology. Now you can dictate your text message and have it typed out for you on the screen. The app works in many different languages and makes texting so much easier. Make sure you speak relatively slowly and pronounce the words well.

(9) Top 100 hits

This app gives you a list of the 100 top hits in any major country, such as the UK, the States, Germany, France, Canada and many more. You can listen to parts of the songs but unfortunately you have to buy it on iTunes if you want to listen to the whole song. Another great thing about this application, is that you can find music which is similar in style to the songs you like and automatically make playlists.

(10) Trip it

This app is great to help you plan your travel itineraries. The great thing about it is that you can just use your reservation conformation e-mails and forward it to the applications. It will build up a list of recommendations straight away for you.