The Power of Positivity

Hey angels!

One of my goals this year is to try and remain having a positive outlook, consistently, in order to work on my mental health and self-love.

I thought it would be nice to share with you a few of the things I’ve found super useful when it comes to unwinding, de-stressing and remaining positive – let me know what you think!

Candles & Incense 

To anyone who isn’t a wannabe candle connoisseur, I’d skip this paragraph. But for those of you who are – I cannot recommend enough to fill your room, home, work space with beautifully smelling candles or incense. Not only will your environment now smell like vanilla cupcakes (my personal preference, thank me later) but the warm glow of candles burning has the power to take nearly all my troubles away! It immediately helps me feel calmer, more relaxed and can reduce my anxiety significantly.

‘The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck’ – Sarah Knight 

This book (aka my new bible) has been the talk of the town for the past year or so, and rightly so. I’m not even being dramatic when I say, it really is life changing. I picked this book up not so long ago, and I’ve binge-read it completely. Sarah Knight has an amazing way of using the word Fuck about 7 times in one sentence and yet still speaks directly to my soul! I’m not going to give any spoilers – so please go get yourself this book and give it a try (Tesco have a deal on right now for this book too.. just saying).

Gratitude Lists 

It’s super important to remind yourself of all the good things you have in life. When we’re surrounded by politics, natural disasters and the sight of Donald Trump, it’s easy to get wrapped up in how awful things are. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying turn a blind eye to global warming because it ‘brings you down’, but it’s key to not let it consume your entire life.

So, each day (morning or night), think, write, say aloud at least 10 things you are grateful for. It can be the most ridiculous things, but truth be told, nothing is ridiculous if it makes you happy. You don’t have to apply much context, as long as you know what each thing is and what it means to you! Here’s an example of my gratitude list for today:

1. My job
2. My home
3. My morning cup of coffee
4. The ability to smell my morning coffee (see, sounds ridiculous doesn’t it!)
5. The lack of traffic I experienced during my commute today
6. My cosy new coat
7. My dog being super warm and cuddly in the mornings
8. The scenery I see as soon as I walk out my front door
9. My mum
10. My best friend

Organisation 

This sounds a bit silly but organisation REALLY helps me keep my mental health in check, whilst also keeping my life in order – which we all know, can be easier said than done! I use my laptop calendar, as well as a little diary I like to carry around with me.

Knowing what each day entails, in advance, can be a great way to help you remain strong and positive – if you know you’ve got a manic day fast approaching, you can schedule in some pamper time for the day before or make sure the day after is much quieter.

The ‘No Complaining’ Rule 

This is a new one for me and I’m warning you, it’s not easy. Well, for me it isn’t – complaining runs in my blood. My parents complain, their parents complained and so on. However, I read an article recently that showed situations weigh on you a lot less heavy if you try to refrain from complaining about them.

This is something you definitely need to take with a pinch of salt – it’s ok to complain, it’s ok to notice when things aren’t quite right and let out a little cry. But save yourself for the moments that do deserve a bitch and moan – don’t waste time complaining about the weather, the price of petrol or how irritating your siblings are. Focus on the good stuff!

 

To confirm – I’m not promising any of these things will improve your mental health or wipe away all of your worries but they help me, so I really do hope they help you in some way, shape or form!

Happy thinking!

A x

My Quarter Life Crisis

You may (or may not, probably not but lets pretend) have noticed that I’ve been absent from my blog for nearly a year now.

The last post I wrote contained a detailed, and probably un-interesting, review of a couple new lipsticks I’d purchased – and then began the slump. My quarter life crisis began to slowly creep up on me, without me even realising it had began to happen. You know when you go on a night out, and the more vodka you drink, the more that warm, tingling feeling in your legs begins to engulf your entire body and before you know it, you’re in the back of a taxi debating whether you need to throw up, pass out or devour a McDonalds? That’s how my slump has felt – except I’ve stopped getting drunk and started going to bed at 9pm instead.

So, what is this slump I’m going on about? Well, it’s shit. Lets start there. It’s the inevitable feeling that we all will be likely to experience where nothing feels good enough, nothing feels quite right and to be quite honest, you don’t really know what an earth you’re doing with yourself. Hence, the quarter life crisis.

I know what you’re thinking – 23 years old and she thinks she’s having a life crisis?! Let me assure you – it’s real, it’s ripe and it’s taken over my life for the past few months. It took me a while to realise what had been happening – in fact, it took till about 2 weeks ago for me to realise I’d been stuck in this slump and had done nothing proactive to rise out of it. I realised it when James and I began making goals and plans for 2019, and I just couldn’t make up my mind (not surprising as I don’t even know what I want for dinner, let alone what I wanted to do for the next 12 months). Poor James.

I wanted to save, save, save. I wanted to build this big old savings account and make myself rich, to then buy a big old house. But wait, do I? No. I want to travel. I want to see the world, experience new cultures, stay in hostels and meet wonderful, new people. Hold on – hostels? Now I’m not so sure. No, instead we’ll just go on holidays. We’ll be luxurious and stay in fancy hotels, tan by the pool or explore the rock pools at the beach. But hold on, my brother just sent me the CUTEST picture of my nephew – and boom. I want a baby. I want to start our family and become a mum, and jack-in work for a few months so I can have a beautiful baby bump, and in turn, a beautiful baby. Hang on – am I too young to do that?

Do you catch my drift?

It’s been torture. Swinging from one tree of ideas to another, like a clueless monkey. Hitting 23 and feeling like I haven’t really achieved anything. I mean, yeah I’ve got a great job, I rent a lovely house with my lovely boyfriend and I’ve had some fun in the past few years. But what have I really done? What will I look back on and say ‘yes – best years of my life’? So here begins the spiral again – travel? No, save! No, have a baby?!

(If you’re getting sick of reading my indecisive-ness.. imagine living it!)

However, after having some (heated) discussions with James and chewing his ear off with all my concerns and worries and decisions, he said something. He said something so simple, yet I so needed to hear it.

‘You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself‘

And wow, was he right. All these sleepless nights debating my future adventures, all the google searches of fancy holidays which somehow end with me looking at current house prices – it was all too much. Too much pressure, too much unnecessary, soul destroying pressure, that was actually achieving nothing – instead, just prolonging whatever it was I was looking for.

It had began to affect my work life, my home life and my relationship. And I STILL hadn’t got any closer to figuring it out. So, I’ve made a choice (shock horror, I actually made a decision).

Stop with the pressure – start with the adventure.

The adventure being to do whatever the fuck I like and enjoy every second of it. That’s what life is, isn’t it? An on-going journey of little adventures, all adding up to be one big one that we shouldn’t take for granted. What will be, will be.

So, watch this space. I’m not sure I’ll continue blogging, I’m not sure if I’ll go on a fancy holiday, become a recluse and save all my money, or just end the year pregnant (that’s a bloody scary thought, maybe not!) but all I know is, I want to enjoy every second of whatever life throws at me this year.

Here’s to the best year of my life, so far. 2019 – come at me!

 

TMI Tag

It’s the weekend you lovely lot, and that calls for one thing – for me to give you all too much information about my life, in this TMI Tag!

I stole this post idea from Vintage Tea Rose – check out her blog, it’s beautiful!

Enjoy!

What are you currently wearing?

My dressing gown and pyjamas – lazy Saturday mornings are what I live for!

Have you ever been in love?

Yes – I am at the moment

Did you ever have a terrible breakup?

All breakups are terrible in my opinion, so yes I have.

How old are you?

22

How tall are you?

5”10

How much do you weigh?

Don’t know.. don’t want to know!

Do you have any piercings?

Yes, my ear lobes twice and my tragus

Do you have any tattoos?

Yes – I have ‘nobody’s perfect’ written at the top of my back, my boyfriend and I have matching king / queen of hearts tattoo’s on our wrists, and I have a diamond on my ankle.

What’s your favorite drink?

Squash or juice (yes, very boring!)

What’s your favorite song?

My favourite ever song is Footloose, it cheers me up so much

What’s your zodiac sign?

My birthday falls on an awkward date – sometimes I’m Sagittarius and sometimes I’m Scorpio!

How long does it take you to shower?

Normally like 10-15 minutes!

What’s your favorite show?

90210 or Gossip Girl

What’s your favorite band?

21 Pilots

Something you really miss?

Being young and not having to pay bills, and I really miss my Grandad

Where do you go when you are sad?

Normally wherever my boyfriend is, or the shower I find to be soothing place to be when I feel sad

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

It really depends on where I am going and how tired I am – normally for work it takes me about 40 minutes

Have you ever been in a physical fight?

Not really – I grew up with two brothers though, so I’ve had my fair share of bumps and bruises!

What turns you on?

My mum reads this blog so I’m not going to answer that haha

What turns you off?

Arrogance – I hate people that think they’re better than someone else

Quality you look for in a partner?

Humour, the ability to have fun, caring, considerate, loyal – and good hair

What’s your favorite color?

I don’t really have one, I’m normally wearing black though

Loud music or soft?

Depends where I am, what I’m doing etc.

Favorite quote?

I have loads but I’ve chosen the below one, I feel it’s quite fitting considering this week was the week we lost this incredible man, Stephen Hawking;

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist.. without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”

Favourite actor?

I have loads; Adam Sandler, Jonah Hill, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Meryl Streep, Emma Stone – the list goes on..

Do you have any fears? What they are?

Yes I do, and my biggest fear is people finding out what my fears are! (Call me paranoid, but you shouldn’t reveal all your secrets)

What’s the last thing that made you cry?

A stressful day at work! – I cry SO easily about everything!

Meaning behind your blog name?

I wanted my blog to be a lifestyle blog, plus it’s a bit of a dream of mine to write for a living – so I just blended lifestyle and dream!

Last time you said you loved someone?

This morning 🙂

Last book you read?

Turtles All The Way Down – John Green. If you’ve never read any of his books, I’d really recommend them, he’s my all time favourite author!

The book you’re currently reading?

I’m currently not, although I’ve got a few to choose from!

Last show you watched?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Last place you were?

Sat on my sofa!

Last sport you played?

I don’t play sports.. at all

Who’s the last person you talked to?

My boyfriend

The last song you sang?

Fine Line – Mabel ft. Not3s

Favorite chat up line?

I don’t really know any chat up lines, the majority of my friendship group are boys so I feel like I should know some good ones but I really don’t!

Do you have a crush?

I crush on my boyfriend everrrryday

The relationship between you and the person you last texted?

Best friend

Favorite food?

Mac and cheese, or Fajitas

Place you want to visit?

It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember to go to California!

When was the last time you kissed someone?

This morning

Last time you were insulted?

Properly? A couple weeks ago, but jokingly? Last night

Favourite flavour of sweet?

Fruity or sour

What instrument do you play?

I don’t play one! I tried learning guitar but I’m far too impatient

Favorite piece of jewellery?

Too many bits of meaningful jewellery to choose!

Last time you hung out with someone?

Today

So.. now you all know way more about me than you probably should, but hey, we’re all friends here, right?!

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if we have any weird things in common!

Happy Saturday!

A x

What’s in my handbag?!

Happy Wednesday!

I keep seeing these ‘what’s in my handbag?’ posts and I LOVE them! If you read my Sunday Evening Rituals post, you’ll know an organised bag is quite important to me in order to feel like I can have a productive week!

So, let’s all have a nosey at what I need with me throughout my day-to-day life!

My Diary – I fell in love with the design on this. It’s from Sainsbury’s and was only about £8, and now I won’t be caught without it! I’m your typical makes-plans-forgets-all-about-them kinda girl, so I really rely on my diary.. although I’m now a makes-plans-forgets-to-write-them-in-the-diary girl but hey, baby steps!

My Purse – I’m a big fan of Kurt Geiger, not so much a fan of the price! I picked this little beauty up on Depop (seriously, check it out!) for £12, when it retailed for £40. Ya girl loves a bargain! Everything I need tends to be in my purse so I can’t go anywhere without it!

Dry Shampoo – if you don’t own any of this, I’d strongly recommend it! My hair gets greasy quite easily (oh happy days) but as you’ll all know, washing it every single day isn’t the best option. Dry shampoo is such a saviour for this – plus it adds such a nice amount of volume to your hair so it’s a total win-win.

Aloe Vera Gel – I have this weird obsession with Aloe Vera, I bloody love it. Dry skin? Aloe Vera! Acne? Aloe Vera! Sun burn? Aloe Vera! Weight loss? Aloe Vera! Like seriously – the benefits are endless, so I always carry mine around with me.

Tissues – I feel like an old woman with my tissues, but you never know when you’ll need them! Plus this packaging from Primark is super cute, 50p for a pack of tissues – go on then!

Nail Varnish – I always keep my favourite nail varnish with me, just in case (in case of what? I’m not really sure) but it’s good to have! This shade from BarryM is gorgeous and it dries so quickly!

Headphones – Essential. I use them nearly every day and feel like crying when I forget to take them out with me!

Body Spray – I wish I could show you how amazing this smells, I get so many compliments on it and I kid you not – it’s a £1.50 bottle from Primark! Go get it, promise you won’t regret it!

Carmex Lip Balm – My lips suffer massively in the winter months, I’m living in chap-city! I know there is the whole rumour that lip balm companies put shards of glass in their products (there’s a lil conspiracy theory for ya!) but this stuff saves me! Plus it’s vanilla flavour so it smells incredible.

Mac Prime + Prep – I discovered this product not so long ago and it’s amazing! You apply it before you put lipstick on and it stops the lipstick from drying out or chapping your lips – what a dream!

Mac Lipstick – I always have my favourite shade of Mac Lipstick with me – Viva Glam II. It’s a nude pink and is perfect for any occasion and applies so easily!

Colour Pop Liquid Lipstick – As you can see from the tube, I use this product quite a lot so you can’t actually tell it’s Colour Pop anymore! It’s in shade Baracuda and I’m obsessed.

So that’s whats in my handbag – I try to keep my bag to the bare minimum because 1, otherwise I end up with a load of useless junk but also 2, handbags get super heavy?!

Let me know if we have any of the same things or what you guys keep in your bags (purely because I’m super nosey)!

Happy Nosey-ing!

A x

Think piece – One for the people pleasers

So I’ve decided to include a segment in my blog of think pieces. I think a lot, like a lot. Writing it down seems to stop me from over-thinking (most of the time!). I do find myself rambling on at my boyfriend about all the things I’m passionate about, which I know he loves, but I wanted to share it all further than his ears.

So – here’s a shoutout to my people pleasers! 

Before I delve into the uncertain world of constantly pleasing people, I must admit this is one of my personal goals; to cut this toxic way of thinking out of my life. People pleasing is more of reflection on myself – if I’m proud of myself, who gives a shit what anyone else thinks?

People Pleaser: A People Pleaser is one of the nicest and most helpful people you know. They never say “no.” You can always count on them for a favour. In fact, they spend a great deal of time doing things for other people.

The definition above is spot on – we’re nice, helpful and we’ll never say ‘no’. Personality traits that anyone would be proud to have – except, I’m no longer proud. I’m no longer happy to be the ‘yes’ girl. Why? Because it’s inevitable that in a world filled with millions of humans, you’ll always come across one that you cannot please. You could be doing naked cartwheels whilst making a cheesecake and they still won’t be impressed. But why should we care?

The simple answer to that: we shouldn’t. There are a lot of things in life that we’re unsure of; what the weather will be like each day, will we get our hearts broken, where we’ll be in 10 years time. One thing we can always be sure of – not every single person within the universe is going to like you, and that’s ok. In fact, that’s more than ok, because I can sit here now and list off several people that I do not like, people I don’t want to associate with. It might be because they’re a Donald Trump supporter, it might be because they think Mayonnaise belongs in every single sandwich (which it most definitely doesn’t), it could be a number of reasons. I don’t have to like everyone I come across in my path, but it’s so important to remember that everyone is entitled to feel this way, which consequently means, not everyone is going to like me.

The easiest way to remind yourself of this way of life is to remember (repeat after me) – ‘your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life‘. Very wise words from Steve Jobs, and he’s rich and famous, so we could probably listen to what he says.

The above phrase is something to base your entire life on, because it’s frightening how true it is. Our time is limited, we get one go around this world and that’s it. So, you can spend it trying to please every fucker you meet (which, by the way, is totally impossible) or you can move on from the negative words some people may speak to you, and live for you.

Personality’s are an interesting thing and should always be judged with caution. If someone is continuously criticising you and saying negative things to you, it’s a reflection of themselves, not you. The only feedback you should be paying attention to is your own – be your harshest critic, take your own thoughts on board and improve things you want to improve on. Unless your boss is telling you to stop coming in late every day – listen to that feedback too!

It’s very easy to fall into the trap of people pleasing – of course you want to make people happy and help them when you can, but that’s where you draw the line. Don’t change your hairstyle because a girl in the club toilets makes a snide comment about it, laugh harder if someone tells you it’s an ugly laugh. Do what pleases you, not everyone else – don’t waste your one and only life living it for someone else.

So go be selfish, go shake what your mumma gave ya and ignore anyone who tells you not to!

Happy self-pleasing!

A x

Simple, effective, affordable skin care?!

Happy Monday everyone!

I’m really guilty of spending hours of my life watching Youtube videos, reading reviews, stalking Instagram accounts that all contain ‘the secret’ to great skincare. Except, after 2 hours of unhealthy research, I find out that these people are spending A LOT of money on their skin care products.. which is all well and good, if you have that type of money (FYI, I definitely do not have that type of money). Over the last few months, I’ve stuck to a skincare routine that really does work for me. The best part? It’s really simple and really affordable – result!

Therefore, I thought why not share it with you guys!

Please note – this works for my skin, we all have different skin types.. so please don’t hate me if you try theses tips and don’t get the results you want!

Biore Charcoal Cleanser – £5.19 (200ml) – Superdrug 

I cannot express to you all how much this cleanser has helped my skin! It’s an absolute treasure. It’s made up of mainly Charcoal, which we all know, works wonders!

I struggled for a long time to find a cleanser that suits me – my skin is so oily yet really dry, it’s super sensitive, doesn’t break out often but is riddled with black heads.. I don’t even understand my skin type, let alone trying to find a cleanser that works for it!

I use this cleanser every single night. It really digs deep in your skin to pull out all the dirt and make up you may have missed, it’s reduced my black heads massively and it makes my skin so smooth (like SO smooth!). It’s also oil-free which helps hugely – I cannot recommend this enough!

Superdrug’s Owen Charcoal Face Mask – £3.29 (75ml) – Superdrug

(Can you guys tell I really like Charcoal based products?!) But seriously, I picked this up as a total ‘it’s cheap, why not?’ buy and haven’t looked back since.

I use this after I’ve cleansed my face, but I don’t use it daily. I find face masks, for me anyway, tend to be more of when I feel I need to give my face a deep cleanse. If I use a face mask daily, my face feels too tight and unhealthy.

Normally I use this mask on a Sunday evening (to make myself feel better that it’s a Sunday evening!) and then again mid-week. It’s such a lovely mask though, it actually feels like it’s drawing out anything that could be clogging my pores and makes my skin feel silky – I cannot believe how cheap it is!

Jojoba Oil – £13 (100ml) – notonthehighstreet.com 

I have, for years, had a problem with oily skin and it’s just the worst. Firstly, it’s embarrassing.. in the Winter, sat freezing cold bundled up in layer upon layer yet your face gives off the impression you’re sweating like it’s mid July! You can only imagine what the Summer months are like! Secondly, trying to find foundations and concealers that aren’t just going to slide off your face is a nightmare (all hail setting powder!)

Jojoba oil isn’t typically known to reduce oily skin, but for me it’s worked wonders! I apply a tiny amount to my face at the end of my skin routine before bed, and let it sink in over night. Then again before I apply my make up, but only a tiny amount!

It can be used on all skin types and it’s actually meant as a natural moisturiser, so perfect for those awful dry skin months when you’re living in skin-flake-city!

(FYI – put a little bit in your hair, it’ll feel amazing!)

But please don’t go spending a fortune on this oil, I’ve looked online and some companies try to sell this oil for like £30 – you don’t need to spend this much, check out the link above!

That’s it! 3 simple steps that seem to work beautifully, and all products combined for just over £20!

Let me know if you try any of these, would love to know if they work for you too!

Happy skin-loving!

A x

 

 

The boyfriend tag!

Happy Valentines Day you lovely lot!

In honour of the big day, I wanted to give a go at the boyfriend tag! If I’m being honest, I just wanted to quiz my boyfriend to see how well he actually knows me.. he did pretty well, brownie points to him!

Where did we meet?

New years eve, down an alley after a party – This sounds a lot weirder than it is, my friends and I were walking home and bumped into his friends, the rest is history!

Where was our first date?

Well if you count KFC..

What was your first impression of me?

Brilliant.. and beautiful

When did you meet the family?

A few days in I met your mum and stepdad!

Do I have any weird obsessions- if so, what?

Handbags!

How long have we been together?

4 years

Do we have a tradition?

I buy you toy penguins every time we see one!

What was our first road trip?

The zoo!

What was the first thing you noticed about me?

Your eyes, I like your eyes because they are so brown you could fall into them.

What is my favourite restaurant?

That’s a tricky one.. TGI Fridays!

What do we agree about the most?

Weird people.. we always give each other a look when we find things weird or people weird!

Who wears the pants in our relationship?

You! (HA!)

If I am watching TV, what am I watching?

Gossip Girl.. or Friends

What is one food I don’t like?

Spaghetti Carbonara

What drink do I order when we go out to eat?

Prosecco.. or Coke if you’re driving

What size shoe do I wear?

6

What is my favourite kind of sandwich?

You don’t like sandwiches

What is one talent I have?

Singing.. it’s a hidden talent

What would I eat everyday if I could?

Hmm.. pizza.. no no, mac’n’cheese of course

What is my favourite cereal?

Probably that stuff in the cupboard.. Granola

What is my favourite music? (band, singer etc.) 

Twenty One Pilots!

What is my favourite sports team?

Arsenal, because it was your Grandad’s team

What is my eye colour?

Brown

Who is my best friend?

No comment! – (I have 4 best friends and he refused to choose one!)

What is something you do that I wish you didn’t?

Pick my nose.. or fart

Where am I from?

Chinnor (a tiny village in England)

What kind of cake would you bake me on my birthday?

Oooh.. chocolate, you don’t really like cake

Do I play any sports?

No

What can I spend hours doing?

Watching TV

If I could live anywhere, where would it be?

California

There you have it! Whether you’re happily single and rocking the independence, or blissfully settled down with your soul mate – I wish you a very happy valentines day!

Happy loving!

A x

 

Sunday Evening Rituals

So.. I’m fully aware I have been pretty inactive for about 2 weeks, and I have no real excuse other than I got far too content with reading all the wonderful blogs I follow and felt completely unmotivated to write anything myself!

However, I’m back and I’m motivated! (Finally!)

I wanted to share with you all my Sunday rituals. It’s so popular to view other people’s morning skin routines or Monday evening self-care routine, so I thought I’d mix it up a little and show you exactly what I do with my Sunday evenings and hopefully, offer you guys some tips on how to fully prepare for the week ahead!

1. First and foremost – declutter your handbag!

I recently discovered this tip and honestly, it has made such an impact on my organisation for the week ahead. If you’re anything like me, throughout the week you end up throwing so much crap into your handbag – receipts, a lipstick you’re wearing that day, water bottles etc. But by Sunday, I find my bag is full of things that just won’t be necessary for my upcoming week. So, every Sunday I spend 10 minutes just clearing out anything I won’t need and making sure I’ve got everything I do – there’s nothing worse than the Monday morning rush and forgetting you’ve completely forgot your lip balm or perfume!

2. Run through the diary..

I didn’t start using a diary until a few months ago, and I’m not really sure how I ever survived without one (?!) so if you haven’t got yourself one, I’d strongly advise it. I’m a pretty forgetful person and I’m nearly always late so having all my plans and timings written down is super helpful for me. Each Sunday, I always make sure to have a quick scan read of what I’ve got coming up ahead. Mainly so that I’ve given myself a heads up of my plans, but also so that I don’t completely forget!

3. A good meal! 

It’s super important to get yourself ready for a busy week with some good food (basically, I love food!) Having a healthy, filling dinner on a Sunday evening is a great way to get your mind and body ready to kick the week ahead’s ass! I know most of you will be having a yummy Sunday roast, but I live on my own with my boyfriend and neither of us are prepared to make a full blown roast on a Sunday, so we skip it (shock horror, I know!). Instead, we’ll make sure we have something just as tasty but with a lot less effort – bolognese, salad and garlic bread is a favourite, and no, I don’t care that it’s double carbs!

4. Monday’s outfit plan! 

My outfits are super important to me. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it needs to be a ‘jeans and baggy jumper’ day but most of the time, I like to make an effort. Especially if I’ve checked the diary and I’ve got a work meeting the following day, then baggy jumpers aren’t ideal. My Sunday evening always involves figuring out Monday’s outfit – I don’t spend hours and I don’t pick things and hang them all out, but I just have a scan of my wardrobe and make a mental note of what I’m going to wear (this also helps if you’re like me, forever late, as you won’t be spending time choosing clothes when you should have already left the house!)

5. Last but 100% not least – pamper time! 

The last one of my Sunday rituals is always my favourite – me time. As you should all know, self care is the most important thing you can ever do and what better time to do it, than on a Sunday evening. You don’t have to do a full on spa session, but a nice hot bath, face mask or nail paint can really help shoo away those Sunday blues and help you into the Monday motivation. I nearly always have a bubble bath and give my face a good scrub and cleanse – it just helps me feel ready to get some sleep and tackle anything that comes my way in the next week!

Let me know if you do any of these things or if you do anything different!

Happy Monday!

A x

My NTA’s 2018 best dressed women..

I love an awards ceremony, not necessarily for the awards but more to see the amount of incredibly dressed celebrities walking down the red carpet!

Although they all looked beautiful, I wanted to put together my favourite looks from this year, with one clear winner of the best dressed!

5. Holly Willoughby

Holly wowed us all (as always!) in this beautiful pastel blue gown. Created by Elisabetta Franchi, Holly was providing us with real mermaid – princess vibes on that red carpet!

4. Molly King

I already have a bit of a girl crush on Molly (I mean, look at her!) but I think nearly everyone developed a crush on her after her appearance on Tuesday night! This gorgeous gown was created by Hassidriss.

3. Vicky Pattison

Vicky shot us with full princess vibes at the NTAs this year, in a beautiful pastel purple dress. Not only did the colour compliment her, it hugged her figure perfectly! Props to Suzanne Neville for creating this one!

2. Maya Jama

I’m a huge fan of Maya and everything she does, but seeing her in this AloNuko gown, I nearly fell in love! This dress hugged her curves so beautifully, she was a very near 1st in my opinion!

Drum roll please?

1. Olivia Buckland

This girl is my absolute girl crush and inspiration – I love her! She wore this RockyStar dream-of-a-dress and my gosh, she looked amazing! See for yourselves..

That’s it! My best dressed NTA women. It was so hard to choose as they all looked so good!

But it’s safe to say, Olivia was a strong winner for me!

Let me know if you thought different, who’s dress you loved!

Happy fashion!

A x

New Years Resolutions?

Can you believe we are already at the 10th of January?! People weren’t lying when they said time goes a lot quicker as you get older. (I say that like I’m 40 years old.. 22 and I’m already moaning!)

I’m not normally one of those people that makes New Years resolutions, or if I do, I almost never stick to them! A lot of people tend to make quite drastic, life changing resolutions that are unrealistic and leave you feeling like crap if you don’t succeed in them. ‘New Year.. New Me’ and all that, but I’m definitely a firm believer of ‘New Year.. Same Old Me’. Why? Because if you think about it, right now – this very second, you are you. There isn’t another you, I doubt there is anyone even close to you because we’re all so different and wonderful, how can we compare to another single being?! That’s why I don’t think you should become a ‘new you’, you should be the same you but push to better yourself, push to make your dreams come true and stop holding onto to any negative energy that you may have experienced in the past you.

I feel resolutions are just extra pressure and stress that we put on ourselves, when in reality, we’re already so bloody stressed as it is. It’s important to make goals, but not ones you have to work on immediately. Ones you can progress and develop into, ones you can take days off from and ones you can enjoy!

So I’ve decided to make some new year goals – things I hope to have achieved by the time the clock strikes midnight and throws us into 2019! (Lets see if I stick to them this time..)

1. Be Happy! – I aim to stop worrying so much ALL THE TIME. Anyone who has ever met me will tell you that I am the overthinking queen. If you have a problem and you want someone to sit and dwell on it with, and make seem 100x worse – I’m your girl! So no more of that. I want to be content, I want to put things in the past and quit thinking about them. That’s the aim – just be happy!
2. Stop smoking! – Yawn, the stereotypical goal for half of the population I imagine. Never the less, a very important goal. It’s the most disgusting habit I have and I want to kick it. So by the end of 2018, I want to be smoke free (and therefore, save a bucket load of money!)
3. Save, save, save! – My boyfriend is one of those people that fully believes ‘if I die tomorrow, I can’t take the money I saved in the bank with me, so just have fun now’. C o m p l e t e l y agree.. but, I am forever hitting my overdraft, forever moaning I don’t have enough money and subsequently, forever not enjoying myself to the full, because yes, 99% of fun things cost some amount of money. So this year is the year I stop buying stupid shit (like cigarettes) and starting putting it away in a cute little savings fund so that on the rainy days, I’m not left crying in my bed about how ‘life’s so unfair because I want to buy new clothes and drink Prosecco but I can’t because I’m skint’.
4. Say yes more! – (Just realised my goals are making me sound like the most boring woman you’ve ever met, I’m fun I promise!) However, I do have a tendency to just say ‘no’ to any adventure sent my way if it’s even slightly out of my comfort zone. I get anxious and worry things will go wrong, when in reality, I’m just missing out on super fun things that I’ll forever regret! 2018 is my year of saying ‘yes’. I’m not talking about someone asking me to jump off a building and my only option is to say yes and get jumping – I’m just talking about silly things my friends or boyfriend really want to do, like holidays and festivals etc. I don’t want to miss out, so if it’s out of my comfort zone I’m going to ignore the voice in my head thats already stressing about what horrific accident may happen, and just do it.

There you have it – my 2018 goals. I know there’s only a few, and to you, they may seem totally pointless. But to me, these are going to be real struggles. The most important part of all of this though, is to not beat myself up about them if it’s got to August and I don’t feel like I’ve achieved them all. These aren’t critical, life-or-death goals that I must complete, these are improvements I hope to make to my life in order to better myself in the long run.

Happy New Year – and happy achieving!

A x