Skin Care Tips

I don't know about you but my poor skin is really feeling the effects of this cold windy weather. I thought I would share some handy tips that I have found useful. I suffer from eczema which I have had since I was a little girl so winter and my skin do not get along very well.

1. Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise! You may need to take a trip to the doctors to ensure you are using the right creams or you may even need a stronger one for certain areas. It is important to moisturise more in the winter time, it is cold outside and the heating is on indoors drying out the skin. The best time to moisturise is probably after a nice warm bath.

2. You always need a good lip balm for winter time to keep in your handbag. My favourites are Nivea  essential care or Burt's Bees lip balms. 

3. My scalp is pretty dry too at the minute, whenever my scalp flares up I head to the nearest supermarket and purchase some Tgel. It works so well and relieves the itching after the first use. 

4. Eating and drinking skin friendly, try to drink lots of water to keep the skin hydrated as well as eating well. It is important to oil the body from the inside out so things like oily fish and taking cod liver oil or primrose oil tablets are really important. I have been taking a couple a day just to try and help my skin,

5. My hands are super dry at the minute, I think the best thing to do is moisturise them as much as possible, when you venture outside wear some gloves to protect then and keep a mini hand cream in your handbag so it is there to use whenever you need it. I have been using the E45 hand cream intense recovery, it is really inexpensive and works well. Something you can do at night time is smother your hands in cream, wrap them in cling film and put a pair of cotton gloves on or socks. This will give your hands a deep moisturise over night. 

6. Try not to wear clothes that will irritate the skin or make the skin hot. I have swapped my regular tights for cotton ones. Cotton pyjamas are best for night time.

National Television Awards 2016

January is always a good time for fashion as it is awards season, I enjoy seeing what the celebrities choose as it gives me inspiration for my own style and I guess I am just nosy. The National Television awards took place on Thursday, I have chosen a handful of dresses that I want in my wardrobe immediately. Here are my faves:

The celebrities were loving the thigh split dresses and Rochelle Humes was no exception. This peach strapless number is very flattering and the accessories perfectly compliment the dress.

I really like this dress on Emma Willis, it suits her bump perfectly and the pattern is super cute. I would love this in a non maternity version.

This simple yet beautiful Phillip Armstrong dress worn by Catherine Tyldesley is perfect for the occasion. No accessories needed as the dress speaks for itself. I bet the other arm was cold though.

I adore the dress Rakhee Thakrar wore, I could see myself in it (if I was a famous actress who went to award ceremonies.) The dress is by Phase Eight and I love the hair style she has chosen too.

I feel like not many people can get away with wearing white however this dress is absolutely gorgeous, Holly Willoughby looks incredible and definitely pulls it off. The little train is too cute.

This dress worn by Jorgie Porter definitely got people talking but not necessarily for the right reasons. It is very revealing however I can see potential in the dress, it would be more wearable if it was completely lined all the way to the floor instead of stopping at the thighs. It would give a completely different look to the dress and be slightly more classy.

I have to say that this dress is my favourite, the picture doesn't do it justice. I follow Fearne Cotton on Instagram and I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it. Not only is it my favourite colour (yellow) it just looks really elegant. I especially like the glitter ball bag as a quirky accessory. 

2015 Favorites

 I am a little delayed in doing this as I have been poorly sick for the past few days, I guess it has given me more time to think about my favourites from last year. Some of these items have featured in my previous favourites post and the others I'm not sure sure why they haven't already.

This Rimmel Wonder'full mascara makes my eyelashes look really long and it doesn't clump them together. It also contains argon oil which moisturises my eyelashes while I am wearing it.

I am pretty new to contouring so this little kit by Collection is perfect for beginners like me. It takes some getting used to but now I know what goes where I absolutely love contouring (as you can tell by the condition of it). It has this handy little mirror so is perfect for your handbag.

 

These Estee Lauder lip glosses are so versatile, they can be worn in the day as the colours are quite subtle and work just as well in the evening. They are super glossy and I just really like them.

I am not sure where this is from but was part of a little kit which was a present. I love this colour, it is like a rose gold and I'm really sad it is coming to an end. I have tried to find similar colours but am still unsuccessful. 

My hair has been loving Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo and Conditioner, my hair can get quite dry especially with the cold weather. The argon oil really moisturises my hair and leaves it feeling soft and looking shiny.

I am quite lazy when it comes to styling my hair, I don't like to use too much heat so this product is perfect for me. My hair takes 2 minutes to do which is ideal in the morning when I am usually in a rush. It is probably best used on wet hair but can be used on dry hair too.

I have the driest sensitive skin so to get my make up off I use these two simple products. Because of the condition of my skin I get scared to try new skin products. The tone and cleanse make my skin feel so clean and they give my skin that tingly feeling.

I curled my hair quite a bit last year (when I wasn't using salt spray). It was my go to hair style for a night out or occasion. Using this wand is so easy and only takes around 20 minutes to curl all of my hair.

 This scent screams holiday and summer. It is subtly sweet and I absolutely love it. It is called Ghost Eclipse, I discovered it in the summer time and it is now my summer scent. 

I enjoyed floral hair accessories a lot in the summer, I gained quite a few new additions and wore one every day while I was at Kendal Calling.

I loved Yankee candles last year, the smell they let off is amazing and I always get compliments about them, I have been enjoying this Red Apple Wreath scent which I got for Christmas, it is the biggest candle I have seen in my life. 

I am excited to see what products I will discover this year and how many new favourites I am going to gain.

Healthy Snacks

It's January and everyone re-evaluates their eating habits, puts on their gym shoes and pledges to never drink alcohol ever again. Here are a couple of snack ideas that I have been loving recently and they are super healthy too!

 

 Dark Chocolate is actually really good for you (in moderation obviously). I made these with dark chocolate, dried cranberries and seeds. I used sunflower and flax seeds but you can use any of your choice. I just melted the chocolate, 70% cocoa or above is best then I added the seeds and cranberries. I put the mixture in a mould and put it in the fridge to set. Easy peasy and so yummy, a piece of this and a glass of red wine and you will have a very happy heart. If you put them in an airtight container they will last up to three weeks in the fridge,

The next thing I made was a healthy flapjack. Its just oats melted with honey, a bit of granola and seeds and dried cranberries. I then put it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden. Because of the sweetness it feels like a naughty snack, perfect to get you through the mid morning.

Other little snacks I have been loving include reduced fat red pepper hummus with carrot sticks, celery sticks or oatcakes. Lightly salted popcorn which I have had a lot and seeds and dried cranberries on their own are really handy to keep in your handbag for when you get peckish. Happy snacking!

Sales! Sales! Sales!

It is fair to say that I took full advantage of the after Christmas sales, it would have been rude not to. Here are the items that magically found their way to the till and are now in my wardrobe/bedroom.

I already have this in blue which I paid full price for however I do love them. This and many others in different styles and colours were all half price. It cost £24.50 instead of £49.

I have wanted a Radley bag for such a long time so I thought this would be the perfect time to get one. I wanted a colour that would go with a lot of different things. I love this shade of blue and this one has to be my biggest saving. It was £52 instead of £129 from a Radley Outlet store.

I spotted these a while ago and very almost bought them. I wasn't so sure about the 70's style heel but I absolutely love them now. They are from Primark and cost just £6 instead of £14.

I had been looking for a dress like this and I know I will get a lot of wear out of it in the spring/summer time. It would be cute with a pair of black boots and a leather jacket or heels like those above, gold accessories and boho hair. I got this from Oasis and it was reduced from £55 to £22...bargain. 

The next three items are part of a set:

Every time I bake I always think to myself 'I  really need a timer' as I always use my phone as one. This one is perfect, it was £3 instead of £6 from Boots. It was part of the 3 for 2 offer but was now half price,

How cute is this? Instead of £15 it was £7.50. Complete bargain and it now makes me want to go and bake a cake.

A cake slice to cut my cake that is on my cake stand that has been timed by my timer. Absolutely in love with this set in case you haven't noticed already. £6 reduced to £3. I also have the cake forks in the same set that I got around November time.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. I currently have that Sunday Night back to work feeling after having a week and a half off. I have had time to reflect and I'm not going to make a new years resolution this year, however I have thought about a few changes I would like to make and goals I would like to achieve.

1. Blog more - 

About 6 months ago I decided to start this blog, I know I am not the most consistent blogger which is where I would like to make my first change. I have come up with some ideas of things I am going to blog about and dedicated a whole notebook to it. I enjoy doing my blog, thinking of ideas and releasing my creativity which is why I want to put as much effort as I can into it. 

2.  Drink more water - 

I say this all the time. I find this so much easier in the summer when it is warm but in the winter I love hot drinks. I drink a lot of herbal tea which I think is a step in the right direction. I suffer from eczema so treating my skin right is really important. I have bought bottled water and intend to take one with me wherever I go.

3. Sew more - 

I do miss sewing and would love to get my sewing machine back out. I need to create a place to sew before I can do this as I usually do it in the living room where my sewing machine isn't always welcomed. My aim is to make something new each month. I already have a couple of ideas which I need to write down. 

4. Anxiety - 

I suffer from anxiety which can make certain situations difficult for me especially social ones. At its worst it can mean that I avoid these situations and get quite down. My anxiety has been pretty bad recently and I really want to seek some help for it. I no longer want it to hold me back from doing anything. 

5. New job? - 

The last one is to evaluate my job situation, ask myself if I am truly happy there and where I can see it going. I would love to do something with my degree in Fashion and it irritates me that I haven't. I have been really hard on myself about it in the past but I feel like this isn't too late to change. I fell like my anxiety has been holding me back for the most part but also fear. I need to concentrate on the positives rather than any negatives. 

I know this all seems quite a lot but I am going to do it gradually, concentrate on one thing at a time to avoid myself from getting overwhelmed. I would love to hear your new year goals or any resolutions you have made.