iPhone 6s+ review

I upgraded my phone a couple of months ago, so I thought I'd do a little review & what's on my iPhone post incase any of you are thinking about upgrading to the iPhone 6s+. 

I was undecided for a while whether to go for the 6s or  the 6s+ but I decided on the bigger one after thinking about what I use my phone for the most: photos, emails, social media. 

Pros

Large screen is great for photo editing, web browsing, social media, youtube and emails. 

Screen is a lot clearer than the previous 5s I had 

Speakers are improved

I love the rose gold colour I chose 

I went for the 64GB meaning I have loads more space

Cons 

The off/on button is on the side which is really irritating. I find I catch it all the time especially when altering the volume which is on the opposite side. (I think this is the same for the 6s) 

It's too big to fit in most pockets 

It's a little awkward to use at the gym for music as its so big, so I did invest in a specific arm band thing from Amazon.

It's difficult to find nice cases that fit properly. I ordered a skinny-dip one which was lovely, but didn't quite fit properly over the buttons, so I just have a plain clear one on at the moment. 

Overall Thoughts 

I really love this phone, and once you get used to the larger size, it's so much nicer to use. I found it a little awkward at first, but now I find the normal size far too small!! 

Apps 

I don't have loads of apps, but I thought I'd share some of my favourites in this post

My Fitness Pal - I use this to track calories instead of my old fashioned writing it down in the notes and it's so much easier! I also track my exercise at the gym using this, and my weight. 

VSCO - This is what I use to edit my instagram pictures and apply my filter 'theme'. If you don't follow me on instagram, you can see my profile and theme here. I just like the look of an instagram theme, and it makes editing photos easier as you can just copy and paste the edits. 

Face tune - I don't use this to airbrush selfies, just make whites whiter and smooth any parts of the photo that don't look right. I tend to only use this for selfies, pics of my dog and things with a lot of white that I want to bring out. (Also, mine always has 18 notifications which I can't get rid of and are really irritating!!) 

Spotify 

I actually got Spotify premium in with my contract, which was great! I use this to listen to music as it takes up less space than iTunes, and you can also listen offline which is perfect for the gym. 

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Natwest/Paypal - pretty self explanatory!! 

Unidays - great for student discounts! 

Harvey Nichols Rewards, Starbucks Rewards - I love a good rewards program, and both are completely free and don't require you to do anything as you just set up an account and purchases/points are automatically added, or you can scan receipts. 

Netflix - I love netflix, I usually watch it on a bigger screen but have it on my phone as I use it sometimes. I had a trial of Now TV which was good for The Walking Dead, but I didn't sign up as there wasn't any other programmes on that I wanted to watch! 

Wordpress - good for checking blog stats and comments 

ASOS - for addictive browsing!

So that's a little overview of my phone - I hope some of you found it useful! If you'd be interested in a video to go through my apps, or a similar post with my iPad mini 4 then do let me know! 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! 

New Year, New You with Boohoo!

January is the time when most of us go on some sort of health kick, whether that be a diet, exercise routine, eating better, or a combination of both. Boohoo have just launched their new FIT range which is an amazing collection of fun, affordable and stylish workout wear to make that health kick a little bit easier!  Today I'm sharing my health & fitness tips, and also showing you how to style the Victoria marble print asymmetric top* from the Boohoo plus FIT range (that's right, they've made items in all sizes from 4-24!)

I absolutely love this top - the colour is right up my street, and I love that the sleeves cover my upper arms as that's the part of my body that I absolutely hate! The asymmetric design makes it more interesting than a basic t-shirt, and also means you can wear it to work out or to go out, as I've shown by styling it in two ways. I'm wearing a size 16 and would say it fits true to size. 

Worn throughout - Boohoo top*, Miss Selfridge Leggings 

Outfit 1 - Vans slip on trainers, weights (from Argos) 

Outfit 2 - All Saints gilet, Miss Selfridge boots 

Outfit 1 is a sportswear outfit. I wouldn't wear these trousers/leggings to actually work out in - but this is more of a sporty outfit than workout wear (as I also wouldn't wear any makeup or my hair down!) and I like to keep my blog looking more polished! I've added my gold Vans (which were a TK Maxx bargain) to add a pop of shine, but for actual working out, I'd wear something like these leggings and these trainers (both from the new Boohoo fit range). It's important to work out in specifically designed clothes as they are more stretchy and won't be restricting. 

Outfit 2 is a more everyday fashion look, and is something I'd wear day to day (currently I'd need to add a jumper/coat/scarf!). I love that because the top is fashionable, it's easy to style it as a regular top and you'd never know it was fitness wear!  It also means that if you're going somewhere before or after the gym, it's easy to quickly take your outfit from gym wear to stylish. 

My health & fitness tips 

A few years ago, I was a miserable size 24 and was very ill. My weight was part of an unknown illness, and it's taken me a while to feel happy with the way I look. I'm still on my journey but here's how I went from a size 24 to a 14/16 and lost over 6 stone: 

1. I count every calorie, and aim to eat between 1500-1800 per day, with occasional treat days where I eat what I like. 

2. I aim to eat 70% healthy foods and 30% junk/treats/more unhealthy items. I'm vegetarian, so I'm a big fan of Deliciously Ella's recipes, and Millie Mackintosh's book has some recipes that are veggie (and also some meat ones if you're not!)

3. I exercise regularly. I hated PE at school, and it really made me hate exercise due to self confidence  issues. I also have learning difficulties which means I could never catch a ball and was always useless at sports. I've found the best way to exercise is at home as I can fit it in to my busy lifestyle as and when. I like to do a combination of yoga, pilates and weights for my arms, and usually use Youtube workout videos. At times I do it everyday (usually when I'm on holiday from work) but some weeks I only manage to do it twice or 3 times. I like going to the gym, and want to go back soon, but I struggle fitting it in as I'm so busy. My main tip for exercise is to find something you like that works for you, and to not beat yourself up if you struggle to fit it in, just do as much as you can, when you can. 

4. Exercise works best if you eat healthy. That means eating protein (something I personally struggle with), fruits & vegetables, good fats (like avocado) and less of the unhealthy and junk foods. 

5. Don't make life difficult for yourself. I always tell people I eat what I want, which is true. I know the consequences if I eat pizza for example, but restricting everything all of the time would just make me miserable. I've been loosing weight for around 3 years, and this is what works for me. I know that if I loose weight slowly it will stay off, and I can still enjoy treats. 

6. Keep going. It's hard to stay motivated when you don't see instant results, but over time you can really tell. I remember the days when all I could wear was an oversized t-shirt and leggings and wider fitting shoes. I don't miss it, now I'm a fashion blogger who has a much bigger choice of what to wear, more confidence and feels a lot better. And I now wear that oversized t-shirt as a nighty! 

I hope that you liked the outfits, and that this post has given you some ideas/inspiration/tips. It's been a difficult one for me to write, so I hope that some of you have found it helpful! 

Good luck with whatever health kick your embarking on (if you are)! 

Check out the full Boohoo fit range here

*Not a sponsored post. Boohoo sent the top for me to feature in this post for free. 

Hello 2016.

Hello 2016.

2015 was a year of many ups and downs for me, but on the whole was a great year. I completed (and graduated from) my PGCE, started my first teaching job, attended some amazing blogger events, made new friends and stayed in touch with old friends, saw Florence & The Machine live (which was one of the best experiences ever!), started eating healthier, and became more confident and happier.

I don't have any traditional New Years resolutions this year but I do have some things that I'd like to do this year: 

1. Eat healthier

I eat pretty healthy anyway, but over Christmas have eaten a bit too much chocolate and not enough fruit & veg. I was eating at my healthiest around May 2015, and I want to get back to that 80% plant based/very healthy diet and 20% treats/junk food. I just think that worked the best for me. I also want to continue losing weight (I've lost around 6 stone up to now) and I also think eating healthier helps your skin, nails & hair too. 

2. Do More things 

I find that I don't really do many 'exciting' things, so I'm already planning a trip to visit a friend abroad in the Summer, and have decided to make things happen myself. Basically, if I want to do something, I'm just going to do it rather than waiting for anyone else. I've decided to be a bit more selfish in that way, as looking back on 2015, I spent far too long waiting for people to make plans and doing what others wanted, and I feel that I missed out on things. 

3. Take more time to relax 

I'm a bit of a workaholic, and am often either working at my job, doing my masters work, or working on my blog and youtube channel. I find it difficult to relax when I have such a long to do list, but I'm going to make an extra effort this year. I also plan on getting back into Yoga (I used to do it everyday, but found it hard to fit in when I started my new job) and watching films, tv and reading. 

4. Blogging 

I plan on sticking to my 2 videos and 3 blog posts a week as I think that worked pretty well last year. I also want to continue improving my content and making my blog & videos as professional as I can. I'm also hoping to grow my blog some more in 2016, and hopefully you'll stick with me too. 

5. Stress less

I'm also going to try and stress less in 2016. I get stressed easily, and although I think I do quite well at managing it, I'm going to try and not worry about the small things as much as I have done in the past. 

So there we have it, my New Year's resolutions (if you can really call it that). Just my plans and ideas for the new year ahead. 

I hope you all have a brilliant 2016, and do let me know what your resolutions and plans are too! x

Made by Millie Mackintosh

Made.

Made by Millie Mackintosh was one of my Christmas presents this year (What I got for Christmas video will be up on Thursday) and I've already read most of it!

I've been a fan of Millie Mackintosh for a very long time, and have followed her from Made in Chelsea to her blog and was so excited when she released her book. I decided to put it on my Christmas wishlist, as I love getting books for Christmas.

It takes the usual format of blogger/celebrity books and includes sections on Millie's life, style, beauty, food, travelling and fitness. What's different about this book, and what I really love, is that it's not a list of rules or instructions on how to do things that are pretty simple anyway. It's all written from Millie's perspective and is about the things she does, how she does them, and how they work for her.

I found the book really interesting, and I know it's something I'll refer back to, particularly for the recipes, fitness exercises, and beauty tips. Unlike many other similar books I've read, Millie's book has taught me the most new things, and also includes some of Millie's favourite places to go for beauty treatments, shopping and food.

Made is quite an inspiring book, and if you're looking to improve your fitness, change your style, eat healthier or improve your beauty routine, this book is a very good place to start. Particularly if you're making new years resolutions - I'd have a read of this book!

Christmas Mess & Peanut Hottie

Peanut Hottie hot drink*

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Mess chocolates* 

A rather delicious and festive post today! I got both of these food goodies in my Blogger Review box from The Press Tent event back in November, and finally got around to trying them out this week! 

Peanut Hottie is a hot drink which works like a hot chocolate (powder that you add hot water to) and tastes absolutely delicious! I was worried it might taste a little strange or not very sweet but I really like it. It's somewhere between a hot chocolate and a nutty latte - and if you're a fan of peanut butter you'll definitely like this! It's only 83 calories per serving too! 

These Hotel Chocolat Christmas Mess chocolates are also delicious (apologies if this post is making you hungry!). They're an eton mess flavoured chocolate with added cinnamon and spices, and are topped with cranberry and meringue pieces. If you're a fan of very sweet, cinnamon chocolates or eton mess then I'd definitely recommend trying these! Hotel Chocolat's christmas range is amazing too - they've got so many different chocolates and gift options. My christmas mess chocolates didn't last very long! 

I hope you're all having a lovely Christmas - and if not, why not treat yourself to some hotel chocolat chocolates and a peanut hottie and watch a film or browse the sales online! x 

*Both products were gifted to me via The Press Tent. Not a sponsored post. 

New Bed.

I don't normally post about home-related things, but I thought I'd share my new bed and bedding. I had a bit of a drama last week - I'd ordered a new bed from Argos on Black Friday, and to cut a long story short, it never arrived resulting in a week sleeping on the floor as my old bed had already been got rid of. I got my new bed from a local company who delivered it the next day in the end. Moral of the story - never order anything from Argos! 

My bedding is from Primark and is a brushed cotton fabric so is really soft and cosy. I chose this neutral gray winter print bedding and it was £18 for the set. The star cushion is also from Primark and was £5 and is a lovely faux leather and memory foam cushion. The fleecy star throw is from George at ASDA and was £6. My sheets and pillows were from Dunelm as it's hard to find sheets to fit my bed (its a small double/120cm) - but Dunelm have practically every colour of them. 

Anyway - I hope some of you found this interesting/useful! 

Unboxing the Press Tent #BLOGGERREVIEWBOX

An unboxing video of The Press Tent #BLOGGERREVIEWBOX that I got from The Press Tent event last week! I hope you enjoy it - do let me know if you'd like to see any specific posts of any items I mention! x

The Press Tent: http://thepresstent.com
Rock on Ruby: http://rockonrubyclothing.com
Dom n Ink: http://www.map-my-style.com
What Emma Did: http://whatemmadid.com/the-boutique/
Nicky Rockets: http://www.nickyrockets.com
Artsy Nibs: http://artsynibs.com
Bee Good: http://beegood.co.uk
Propercorn: https://www.propercorn.com
The Beauty Store: http://www.thebeautystore.co.uk
Peanut hottie: http://peanuthottie.com/uk/
Hotel chocolat: http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/
Nerd wax: http://www.nerdwax.com
Lypsyl: http://lypsyl.com
Halo: http://www.halowipes.co.uk
Luxardo cocktails: https://luxardococktails.com/age-gate
Liquor 43: http://www.licor43.com

Jewellery Maker beaded bangle kit.

Jewellery Maker Beaded Bangle kit*

You may remember if you've followed me for a while that I did a post about Jewellery maker a few months ago. It's a TV channel for jewellery making, but they have a great range of project kits available that are perfect for beginners and gifts. The Jewellery Maker team kindly sent me one of their beaded bangle kits to review. I chose the black beaded bangle as it will fit in well with my style. 

The kits are all around the £10 mark, and come with everything you need to make the bracelet including full instructions with pictures. The only other tool you will need is some pliers (mine are a set of round nose, flat nose and wire cutters that I've had for ages). For this particular kit you only need flat nose pliers and wire cutters. 

The bangle was really easy to make, and the finished result is very professional. The materials are really good quality and the finished bangle is quite heavy and looks expensive. The technique to make it is very simple - you just wrap wire around the two bangles and thread the beads on, wrap the wire and continue. It was a little fiddly to get the first couple of beads on, but after that it was really simple. 

It took me about an hour to make the bangle and I'd say this was a good beginner project. I think these little kits would be a great gift idea as they're affordable and you could either give the kit as a gift, or the finished jewellery. 

If you are a beginner, Jewellery Maker have loads of video tutorials on their website which are really helpful! If you're interested in having a go at jewellery making, I'd recommend trying out a kit, as they're affordable, easy to make and the finished products are really professional. It's also not a lot to spend to have a go at Jewellery making, and the kits don't take very long to make! 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and thank you to Jewellery Maker for sending me the kit to review. 

*product sent to me for free. All opinions my own.

Weekly Roundup #9 & Primark Haul

I haven't done one of these posts in weeks, but I thought I'd do one of this week & last week's events and happenings! 

Florence + The Machine 

I went to see Florence live at the Manchester Arena last week, FATM are currently on their How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful tour and it was absolutely amazing. I don't mention music much on here, so if you didn't know, Florence + The Machine are my absolute favourites and if I had a bucket list  seeing them live would have been on it. I'd really recommend seeing them live if you're a big fan like me, it was probably the best thing I've ever been to! I was literally so sad when it was over! I did buy something from the merchandise too, which I'll show in a haul video going up tomorrow! 

Hair 

I'm blonde again! Last Saturday I was feeling pretty bored, and my hair needed washing and toning, and I've been thinking about re-dying it for a while now as it was looking very orangey. Everyone keeps telling me that my hair is better blonde, and somehow I didn't feel 'myself' with darker hair so I decided to go back blonde! I did it myself at home instead of going to the salon, as it's a lot cheaper, and I find colouring and highlighting hair pretty easy (If you've not done it a lot though, I'd recommend going to a salon!). I'm going to film a video about the products I used and the different stages and things, so if you're interested, keep an eye out for that video. 

Other News 

There aren't any other 'exciting' things to report, but my new job is going very well and I'm managing so far to keep up with my blog and youtube schedule, which I'm pleased about. 

If you haven't seen it, here is my latest video - It's another Primark haul! (obviously filmed before I dyed my hair back blonde!) 

I hope you've all had a great week, and for those of you starting/going back to school, college, uni, or work, I hope it's going well for you! :)

Weekly Roundup #8

Well this week has been the last week of my Summer and I honestly don't know where it's gone! I saw Paper Towns on Wednesday with my cousins and really enjoyed it. I was curious to see what Cara Delevingne was like as an actress and she was great. The film itself was good too, a strange storyline but one that was really interesting - a good escapism film and I'd definitely recommend going to see it! 

I've also watched two films on Netflix this week (how exciting is my life?!): The Oranges and Love, Rosie. Both were really good and I'd recommend either. The Oranges was more of an unusual film (with a bit of a Christmas bit in the middle) and Love, Rosie was an emotional romantic film. I was feeling weirdly christmassy after watching the Oranges, so I used up a Christmas bath bomb and lit a Christmas candle (although I didn't share on Instagram as Christmas in August isn't really a thing...)

In other news, I've re-done my gel nails using a new shade called 'Love those Baby blues' which is a gorgeous blue shade. The selfie was taken when I was filming Sunday's August favourites video because you just gotta make use of good lighting! 

I'm also starting my new job (officially) this week (I'm a teacher) which is a new thing for me and I should be able to stick to my usual schedule, but please forgive me if replying to comments and things takes a little longer. I'm also not sure whether I'll continue these weekly posts as I don't know if I'll actually be doing anything worth blogging about! So I may just do them as and when and post another outfit/beauty post if not. 

I hope you've all had a great summer, and good luck to all of you going back to school/college/uni/work! x 

Weekly Roundup #7

Well this week has been busy! 

London

I went to London for the day on Monday. It was a very early start (5.30am) and I got back just after 1am! I was absolutely shattered, but had a great day shopping, meeting up with friends and carrying way too many heavy bags! I really love shopping in London as there's just so much to see and a lot of things I can't get at home! I posted a vlog of my day, and also have a London haul and a London Primark haul coming soon on my Youtube channel! 

Friends

I met up with some of my friends this week for coffee, lunch and cakes (although I only remembered to take pictures of one of them!) It was so nice to meet up, especially as I hadn't seen them for a long time! 

Graduation photos

My official graduation photos arrived this week too, and I think they turned out really well. I was really happy with it and I'm glad all the contouring paid off- haha! 

What's next 

This next week is my last week of Summer holidays, which I'm very sad about! It's gone so quickly, and yet I don't seem to have done very much! 

I hope you've all had a great week! 

Weekly Roundup #6

Firstly, I hope you've all had a great week! Mine has been pretty uneventful, but here's the highlights, thoughts and a roundup of my week!

Beauty
I picked up two of the new Kate Moss for Rimmel Nude lipsticks last week, and honestly haven't worn anything else since! These are amazing, the shades are beautiful (including some on-trend brown tones) and the formula is lovely. They aren't as long lasting as other brands (e.g. MAC) but I really like these! I have shade 42 & 43, but I'll definitely be looking at the others next time I'm in Boots/Superdrug.

Magazine freebies
Grazia this week has a free iced espresso/refresha drink, so of course I got an iced skinny Caramel Macchiato (#sogood). Plus this week's magazine is only £1 so it's a bargain!
ELLE this month also has a 20% off ASOS card, which I can't wait to use - I'm waiting for a few more new season pieces to arrive online first, but of course will do a haul of what I end up buying!

TV
I've watched quite a bit of TV this week, which is unusual for me! I finally watched season 3 of American Horror Story (Coven) and absolutely loved it- definitely my favourite season. I also watched the Louboutin documentary which was fascinating to see the behind the scenes of my favourite shoes! And also, I'm loving Tattoo fixers on E4, no I don't have a tattoo but it's fascinating what some idiots get tattoos of!

What's happening next...
Next week I'm off to London for a full day of shopping which I'm so excited for! I'm also meeting up with friends and enjoying the last 2 weeks of my summer holiday (seriously, where has it gone!!!?)

Weekly Roundup #4

This week has been a week of shopping, blogging, catching up with friends and relatives and blogging. Nothing overly exciting to be honest, but I do have a new haul video up on my YouTube channel, and tomorrow's video is a lookbook that I spent a lot of time on this week!

I've also re-dyed my hair this week. I noticed that my brown/dark blonde at the top was fading quite a lot and also pulling quite warm, so I decided to re-dye it before it faded completely. It was pretty easy to do, and I used this L'Oreal hair dye in shade 5 (natural brown).

The weather hasn't been great this week - it's so cold!!

Films&TV - I'm completely hooked on 90210 and am currently on season 4 on Netflix. I love that I have time in the holidays to just chill out and watch tv shows in the evenings instead of doing work!!

I'm also obsessed with Missguided at the moment and have been buying a lot of their stuff over the past month. They just have some great pieces at affordable prices and the quality is really good. I was chatting to one of the managers in their Trafford Centre concession and all their designs are their own, and most of their items are made in the UK!

I hope you've all had a great week! Happy August - where did July go!? x

Weekly Roundup #3 PGCE Graduation

Hi everyone! Yesterday was my graduation for my PGCE! I graduated from Edge Hill University with Postgraduate Certificate of Education in Secondary Music with QTS and 120 Level 7 Masters credits! It was a great day of celebrations and for this week's weekly roundup I thought I'd share the photos! 

I'm wearing: Whistles dress, Whistles clutch and Louboutin shoes (and of course the graduation outfit!)

Hope you've all had a great week! x

Weekly Roundup #2

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster really, I turned 23 on Monday, got a job on Wednesday (that I applied for on Monday) and I'm feeling much more positive about things, although it hasn't all really sunk in yet. 

Birthday

I didn't have the best time being 22 so was a bit anxious about turning 23 (silly isn't it) but honestly it hasn't bothered me. I didn't do anything much - just went shopping to the Trafford centre with my mum and celebrated by eating WAY too much cake! The cupcakes went, and so did the actual cake! (so naughty!!)

Shopping

Speaking of the Trafford Centre, Missguided have a little selection in Selfridges and I picked up some great things. I then made a massive order from their £5 sale, and a HUGE parcel arrived for me on Wednesday. I'll definitely be doing a haul video, although I'm thinking of changing my YT channel a bit, I'm not sure if my videos are getting a bit boring and predictable!? Anyway, I'd highly recommend checking out their sale as there are some A-mazing bargains!

JustFab July

I got two pairs of shoes from JustFab this month, both of which I love and will show you properly in a post next week but for now, theres a sneak peek of the flats I got in the outfit photo above! 

Music

After I said last week I was loving Years and Years, I picked up their album for the car and also Everything Everything's new album. They're a little weird but I really like their music, particularly Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread (listen to it- it's great). 

New Job

I finally managed to secure myself a job for next year! I've finished my PGCE (a postgrad teaching qualification if you didn't know) with top marks, and have got my first teaching job at a really nice school. I'm so pleased and relieved, and finally feel like I can enjoy my summer now!  As for the summer, I'm not sure what I'm doing yet as I didn't plan anything as I wanted to wait till I knew what I was doing in September! 

I hope you've all had a great week! x

Weekly Roundup #1

I'm starting a bit of new feature today, a weekly roundup of things I've done, and things that I want to share, but not necessarily in separate posts. I used to do something similar years ago, but I thought I'd bring it back! 

Movies/TV

I watched Ted 2 on Wednesday at the cinema. I was feeling really down so thought it would take my mind off things. I hadn't seen Ted 1 but me and my friend thought it looked good so we went to watch it.  At first I didn't think I'd like it, but I actually really enjoyed it. I'm not usually a comedy fan but it was a really good movie and it definitely took my mind off things! If you've no idea what it's about (like I didn't), it's a teddy bear that comes to life and in this movie he fights for civil rights to be acknowledged as a real person. It sounds boring, but it's really funny and great if you just need to take your mind off things! 

I've also been watching 90210 as I've got free time now I've finished my PGCE, although as I said I'm pretty down and don't feel like doing much. If you liked Gossip Girl, you'll probably like 90210, it's basically the LA version without the online blog. 

New Hair 

I'm really loving my new hair, and I'm glad I've moved away from blonde. It's true that changing your hair can make you feel so much better about things! Hopefully my colour won't fade too quickly and I can stay on the dark side! 

Music 

Years & Years released their album yesterday - it's so good! I never mention music on here, but this album is great! I first heard them on Radio 1 (I like the breakfast show on my way to work) and have been obsessed with their music ever since. Their live set from Glastonbury (on iPlayer) is also really good. Usually albums are a bit hit and miss, but there's not a song I don't like on this one! Other albums I've been loving are: Florence and the Machine - How Big How Blue How Beautiful (I LOVE Florence) and La Roux - Trouble in Paradise (I've been listening to loads of La Roux since watching her Glastonbury performance). 

General

I'm turning 23 on Monday and honestly I don't really feel like it's time for my birthday. Every year I think 'next year will be better' but it never seems to be. I'm just so down at the moment as nothing seems to be going right and I don't really feel like celebrating. I'm going to go shopping though which will hopefully make me feel a bit better and be able to enjoy my birthday a bit! 

I hope you've all had a great week! x

Colouring for Adults?

There's been a bit of a trend recently of colouring for adults as a method of stress relief and relaxation. Now I'm not usually one for the random trends, but I loved colouring as a child and have been feeling a bit stressed lately (final weeks of PGCE) so I thought I'd give it a go.

I thought 'how can colouring help stress and anxiety?' and although it took me a little while to get into it as it's quite a slow process ( I'm usually one for getting things done, not chilling out), it actually works! It must be something about taking your mind off troubles and forcing your thought process to slow down, or maybe its focussing on the colours or pictures, I don't really know how it works, but it does.

I've finished my PGCE yesterday and these last few weeks have been stressful, and I have a couple more weeks of interviews, dentist appointments and other stressful things so I'm glad I've found something I can do in the evenings just for half an hour or so that helps to ease the stress a little. I've also been quite moody recently (I think due to being so busy and feeling stressed) so spending a little bit of time doing something like this helps me to calm down a bit. 

Now I'm not saying a colouring book will rid you of your troubles and anxiety, but if you're getting a little stressed, and you liked colouring as a child, I'd recommend having a go. You can buy the colouring books at loads of places (e.g WH Smith) and it's a really inexpensive thing to try. Or if you're still a child at heart, you'll probably also like it! 

Also, apologies that there hasn't been any Saturday posts for the last couple of weeks - I've just been so so busy!! I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Everyday Breakfast Smoothie

I've been enjoying healthy eating recently, and I thought I'd share my favourite breakfast smoothie recipe. This is one I came up with myself, and I promise it tastes good (despite the weird brown colour!) I use the nutribullet and the small cup that comes with it, but any blender that's similar will work. 

Here's the recipe: 

1/2 cup spinach 

1 banana 

a handful of frozen berries (I'm currently using raspberries) 

A tablespoon of oats 

A spoonful of linseed ( I usually just tip a bit in) 

A tablespoon of chia seeds 

1 measure of teapigs Matcha powder 

Coconut milk to the max line 

Then I just screw on the blade, and blend! 

I usually have this on mornings when I'm going to work, as it keeps me full, and if I'm in a rush, I can attach a lid and take it with me! 

Let me know if you try this! x 

Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free brownies.

As part of my health kick, I've been cutting down on gluten, refined sugar and 'bad' foods, and although I haven't given anything up completely, I've been trying out some healthier options.

As part of my What I Eat in a Day video (going up tomorrow) I attempted to make Deliciously Ella's raw brownies. I love brownies, but they're very calorific and not very healthy, whereas these ones consist of good ingredients: raw cacao, maple syrup, dates and pecans. Also as they're raw, they don't require any cooking, just freezing for an hour.

The recipe is from the Deliciously Ella cookbook that I blogged about last week, so even though I've included them in a video, I thought I'd do a post as well, as I know some of you prefer my posts, and some of you prefer my videos! I'd really recommend Ella's blog and book as there's loads of amazing recipes there!

The brownies were easy to make (even for me, and I'm possibly the worst cook) and they turned out really well. They are quite sticky though and need to be kept in the fridge, so probably not ideal for lunch boxes or anything, but are such a tasty snack! I've eaten quite a few of mine now, and I love that I don't need to worry about unhealthy ingredients, and that I can eat these guilt-free.

I'm really enjoying my healthy eating, and although I'd never give up any foods (even though I'm already vegetarian) I'm really feeling the benefits of eating an 80% super-healthy diet. I'm no nutritionist, but it seems to be working well for me, and I feel like 80% healthy is enough for me for now, and anyway,  life's too short to give up treats like pizza, chips and cake!

Friday's WOMF and Chinese food.

Sorry that today's post is a little late! It's been a hectic week! 

Last night I went out for a Chinese with friends, and although the food wasn't amazing, it was nice and was a good night catching up with my friends, so I thought I'd share it with you! 

I also haven't done a What's on my face post in years, so I thought I'd also do that as part of today's post. The pictures are just from my phone as I didn't take my big camera and I don't have a smaller one apart from my go pro, so the quality isn't amazing but you get the gist! 

My makeup: Origins vitazing, L'Oreal infallible matte foundation, Rimmel wake me up concealer, Maybelline eye eraser concealer, Bourjois healthy balance powder, Anastasia contour kit, NARS smudge proof eyeshadow primer, Too Faced Natural eyes palette, Maybelline gel eyeliner, Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Khol black liner, Benefit they're real mascara, Clinique bottom lash mascara, Maybelline brow drama. I also added Burberry lipstick in pink heather after, but in the photos I'm just wearing lip balm. 

As for the food I had vegetable soup, satay tofu and egg fried rice and chocolate flake ice cream for dessert. It was nice but I'm now back on my healthy eating! If you'd like to see what I eat in a day, Thursday's video will show you! 

I hope you all have a brilliant bank holiday weekend, and don't forget I have new videos every Sunday and Thursday, and new blog posts every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday! x