I don't know about you, but I have seriously upped my online shopping habit since the COVID-19 lockdown has left me with a lot more time on my hands. Whether purchasing loungewear pieces for keeping comfortable at home or summer items ready for when we can finally get our glad rags on for more than a trip to the supermarket, I've been looking for more affordable shopping options that don't compromise on quality. So, if you're thinking of revamping your wardrobe or fancy treating yourself without breaking the bank, I thought I'd share with you my top places to shop for clothing that can be purchased for a little less.
Now that I'm well into my twenties, I can't handle going out-out every single Friday and Saturday night quite like I used to, unless I want to be bed-ridden with a hideous hangover for the entirety of Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I love getting glammed up to the max for an evening spent sipping cocktails in beautiful bars and dancing the night away. But, I also love chilled nights in with a takeaway, Netflix and a load of luxurious products to pamper myself with.
Everyone struggles to feel body confident at times, but even more so as the summer season approaches. Whether you're the woman with stretch-marks, the guy who's struggling to gain muscle despite hammering the gym, the girl who constantly feels fat, or the boy with severe acne, we all suffer from low self-esteem every now and again, at least. It's normal, but we shouldn't just accept it. In this post, I've put together some confidence-boosting tips that will hopefully help you feel better about your body.
It's only four days until Christmas and now is the time that people start to panic buy the last of their gifts. After sharing my Last-Minute Beauty Stocking Fillers post, it's about time I show you my last-minute picks for the ladies! If you're still stumped about gift ideas for any lovely ladies in your life, or you're in need of some ideas for yourself, then hopefully this little guide will give you some helpful pointers.
As there's so many Christmas gift guides floating around at the moment, I thought I'd keep mine to a minimum this year. For the first of two last-minute gift guides, I thought I'd focus on beauty stocking fillers. Sometimes thinking of smaller present ideas is the most difficult, whether you're picking one low-budget secret santa gift or a stocking stuffed full of goodies. You can never go wrong with choosing some beauty bits, though. So, if you're in a quandary about what to buy, I have a few suggestions.
Now we've hit December, Christmas is well in our sights. Whilst I'm more than excited for all the festivities, sweet treats and family time, I don't want to completely let myself go and abandon all my healthy habits. In order to indulge without undoing all the hard work I've put in to my fitness for the rest of the year, I try to balance things out. I find that if I start sitting on my bum all day, stuffing my face with tins of Quality Street, then I soon begin to feel rubbish both mentally and physically. So, to help me stay on track and feel great during December, there's a few tips I follow.
Ah, Spring! Although we've had quite a miserable start to the month, I cannot wait for the blue skies to appear, sunshine to start shining and beautiful blossom to bloom. As soon as a new season is upon us, I get a little spendy, but recently I've had good reason to as my guy and I will be re-locating to Nottingham in a few months. As we only moved from our home of Liverpool to Yorkshire two years ago, I'm not really looking forward to another big upheaval so soon, especially as we've really settled here. But, that's life! Every cloud has a silver lining and I see ours as a chance to upgrade lots of our home interior pieces. I was recently introduced to the uber-cool brand Esprit by a friend and, after having a browse of their homeware, I soon discovered they had a gorgeous selection of clothing, too. My online bag is currently brimming with goodies, so I thought I'd share my favourite pieces from the website with you.
Now that I've covered Gifts For Her Over £30 and Stocking Filler Ideas, my last present inspiration post includes gifts under £30, again with a mixture of beauty, home-ware, clothing and accessories. If you're short on money or have a lot of presents to buy and expenses at Christmas time, then these gifts are more affordable, whilst still being thoughtful and great quality.
After sharing my ideas for Gifts For Her Over £30, next up in my Christmas Gift Guide series, we have stocking fillers. With everything costing under £15, these smaller gifts have got every interest covered, whether your loved one is a bookworm, chocoholic or beauty-addict.
Seeing as we're around ONE MONTH (yes, that needed capitals) away from Christmas and now is the time that everyone begins to get into a frenzy when shopping for presents, I thought it was time for me to share my set of gift guides. My first of three includes more premium gifts ideal for the lovely ladies in your life.
For decades, fat has been vilified as the number one enemy in our diet. Supermarket shelves are packed full of low-fat alternatives, but it's now becoming clear that sugar is causing just as many issues with our health, if not more. Over the past, few years I've really been trying to cut down my sugar intake, so I thought I'd share some tips on how I've done it, without sacrificing my sweet tooth.
Everyone I know will testify that I am guilty of over-packing, whether I'm venturing abroad for a couple of weeks or even just spending a long weekend in a city. Not only does my boyfriend get fed up of the chaos I create when attempting to stuff everything into my case, but my indecisive self ends up all flustered whilst on holiday, trying to cobble together an outfit with too many options to choose from. This year, I've made a concerted effort to turn my bad habit around and I have a few tips on how to streamline that suitcase.
Detoxes seem to be all the rage at the moment. Whether you swear by them or think they're a load of rubbish, everyone is talking about the trend. I'm not usually one to fall for a fad, but I am really into my heath and fitness (aside from the occasional takeaway, of course). After suffering from a bout of tummy trouble recently, I thought that doing a detox would give my body a kick in the right direction and so I jumped on the Bootea Teatox bandwagon. Now that I've finished the two-week course, I thought I'd review my experience and share my results with you.
For the past couple of months, whenever I've popped into a book store, this red and white cover has been everywhere. Elizabeth Is Missing, by Emma Healey. Seeing as it appeared to be so popular and was a Sunday Times best-seller, I decided to sneakily nab it off my Mum when I saw it on her bookshelf. Instead of reading the blurb or reviews of it online, I just dived right into it. One of the most intriguing and compelling books I've read recently, I felt an eagerness to continue to read right from the word go. Don't worry, there's no major spoilers below if you haven't read it!
Last week was Sleep Awareness Week, but the guys over at Casper, the brains behind a new, mattress brand that's rivaling some of the biggest names in America, have decided that seven days was simply not enough time to fully appreciate the power of getting sufficient zzz's. Instead, they've devoted a whole month to the cause, seeing as the average person spends 26 years of their life in dreamland! To celebrate, they've created a fun graphic to help you decipher which type of sleeper you are, from the cover-collecting 'bed-hogger', to the tech-obsessed 'iSleeper'.
I like to think I have a modest bag collection, but different occasions call for different colours, sizes and styles. Forever changing them up on a daily basis, I spend a few precious minutes in the morning making transfers between my bags. For years, I would abuse my shoulders and back by lugging around a bag almost the same size as me, filled to the brim with practically anything I could fit into it, you know, just in case. Older and wiser, or now that my back lets me know when it's overloaded, I try to only take the important things out with me.
For the second half of our Thailand trip, we headed to the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao. As we were there at the start of the rainy season, we stuck to islands on the East Coast to avoid any miserable weather and non-stop downpours. With the white sands, clear waters and lush, green trees, both islands felt like paradise. After the chaos of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the idyllic beaches and scenes straight from a postcard were just what we needed.
After Bangkok, Chiang Mai was the next stop on our Thailand travels. Situated in the North of the country, this city has a much more relaxed vibe to it. Remnants of the old city walls and the surrounding moat separate the old city from the new. Surrounded by imposing mountains, you have to venture into the hills to really make the most of your experience there.
At the end of June, I did the Thailand travelling 'thing'. Two friends, my boyfriend and I spent a few weeks making our way through the chaotic streets of Bangkok, the leafy hillsides of Chiang Mai, the white sands of Koh Samui and the clear waters of Koh Tao. I know - a cliched, predictable trip. Yes, and we loved it.
Yes, your eyes haven't deceived you; for once I've managed to give you a favourites post at the end of the same month, instead of at the beginning of the next! Although, I thought I'd mix up this months favourites and show you the non-beauty bits I've been loving. After a couple of months of shopping and trying out new products being my last priority, I've well and truly made up for that in August, so watch out for plenty more reviews and exciting Autumn/Winter posts coming soon!
