April Resolution

Apologies for the late post. I know we're well into April now, but I haven't forgotten about my monthly resolutions! The March resolution was more difficult than you'd think. My plants died...more than once...

I ended up deleting the app, because honestly, it pissed me off! I had notifications all day, I wasn't drinking as much water as I should have, but I was drinking a lot more than I used to! I made a conscious effort to grab water whenever I could, and I still am to be fair! It was difficult for me to keep up with the app, but I'm still being a bit better with my water intake! Just not as strict as the plants would want me to (RIP Ivy and Dandy)

April so far has bought me a dry spell with the blog post inspiration. I was so happy last month, because I was bubbling with ideas, and managing to post more consistently than before. I'll admit that's dwindled over the past few weeks, and that makes me feel so guilty! I want to be consistent and watch my little blog grow and progress. That's why this months resolution is...

Take more time out for blog planning

I'm going to try and get myself a bit more organised, and plan a little better with posting. I need to learn how to organise my time a little better, and it will more than likely take longer than a month to get there, but that's what I'm going to kick start this month!

I definitely need a change in routine, and hopefully that will reflect in my future posts. If any of you fellow bloggers have any tips and tricks, please share. I would love to hear any ideas

Thank you for reading :) 

E is for...Einstein's

E was another hard letter to think of for a good date. I even googled it to find some ideas, but even then I had no luck. In the end we decided to go to a local bar called Einstein's. It's a gorgeous German style bar that serve amazing food.




We are regular visitors to Einstein's, as they do amazing cocktails and a great selection of German beers. When they first opened, Dan had a mission to try a different beer every time as they had that many. I'm not sure that he's actually managed to complete this! They also do large two pint steins if you're feeling brave.

The food really is gorgeous here. We rarely come to this place for a date, which is a shame as it is a really lovely atmosphere. I've sampled a few things on the menu, but this time I went for a currywurst pizza. Curry ketchup truly is a thing of the gods, and a pizza made with it, well there are no words really.



They also play old school music which I am a big fan of. I think this place is aimed more at the older generation, but I always enjoy going in for a cocktail or two.

I do apologise that E wasn't a more exciting date, but to be perfectly honest, they're not always going to be adventurous outings. I always have a great time no matter what we do, so to me I feel like anything beginning with E would have been nice, but it doesn't always make for great blog content I guess. I promise F will be more of an interesting date ;)

Let me know what you thought of this post. If you ever come across a German style restaurant, go in and sample the food. You may surprise yourself by trying something a bit different!

Thank you for reading :)

Creme Egg Cookies

In the spirit of Easter, I thought i'd bake something yummy and in theme. I got a creme egg Easter egg since they're my favourites, and I thought it'd be an idea to try something different with them.



I got this recipe idea on Pinterest from a lovely blog called Daisies and Pie, by searching for 'things you can make with Easter eggs'. They're really tasty, and super easy to make.

Ingredients

• 100g Caster Sugar
• 100g Butter (room temperature)
• 1 tbs Maple Syrup
• 3 Cadbury's Creme Eggs 
• 180g Self Raising Flour

1) Heat your oven to 180C (Gas Mark 4), and prepare a baking tray lined with some baking parchment.

2) Mix the sugar and the butter together in a bowl. I didn't have caster sugar, but I quickly googled that you can make your own with normal granulated sugar in your blender!

3) When your butter and sugar is mixed well, add in your syrup.

4) Chop your Creme eggs into chunks (this is harder than it sounds! I tried with a knife, but you might find it easier to just break them up with your hands)

5) Sift half of your flour (90g) in with the rest of the mix

6) Add in your Creme egg chunks and mix well

7) Mix in the rest of your sifted flour

8) At this point you should mold it into a dough, then separate into small sized balls. (See picture below for reference) Don't worry these will expand!

9) Leave these to bake for 10 minutes - NO later than 15 minutes! When you take these out, they will feel gooey, but I promise you they will harden up as you leave them to cool.

10) Leave your cookies to cool for about 20 minutes to half an hour. They will then be nice and moist and ready to eat!

11) Enjoy, get a warm hot cup of tea, cuddle up and watch a film whilst its horrible and raining on this Easter weekend!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and thank you for reading! :) 

DIOR | Glow Maximiser Light Boosting Primer

So I have another high end beauty review, and I promise I won't be doing this all the time! I just had £60 worth of boots points to spend, and I'm making my way through my treats!



I bought the beautiful Dior Glow Maximiser Light Boosting Primer on a whim really to help with my dull sad skin. Using this with the combination of my body shop glow boosting moisturiser has made a real difference!

The primer is really gorgeous. The initial colour might make you sceptical about putting it all over your face, but honestly, if you work in a light layer, it gives a stunning yet subtle illumination to your skin. I've also used this separately as a liquid highlighter, by just dabbing it onto my cheekbones, as it is very subtle but still a gorgeous finish.



I think this is perfect for lacklustre skin in the winter months, but also great for that fresh, dewy-like look in the spring. It works well as a primer, i.e. it is long lasting, and gives a gorgeous base for your foundation, but is also great for a subtle highlighter.

I have to say that I’m very happy with this purchase. I bought it from boots for £28.50, which is quite expensive, but I can imagine this will last me a very long time. You seem to get a lot in the tube, and you honestly don’t need that much when you use it. Overall, it’s a great product, and I would recommend for those looking for a healthy boost to their skin.

Have you tried this product? Would you recommend any cheaper alternatives?

Thanks for reading :)

10 tips to survive working in an office

I've worked in an office environment for the past 4 years now (wow it's weird to put that in writing), and you don't come that far without knowing how to adapt to your surroundings. The office is a very weird environment to be in. It's much different to retail or hospitality jobs (both of which I have also worked in), and the pace of it isn't for everyone.

I thought I'd put together a post on need to know tips to working in an office, and how you can make it more bearable to work in. After all, for some people you might spend more time there, then you do at home. You need to know how to survive, and make it through the week!



1) Know the drink schedule

I cannot stress to you how important caffeine can be in an office environment. I would love to know how much tea/coffee is consumed in the average week in the office, because it would probably shock you. It's not even always about the caffeine, a nice warm mug of tea/coffee is a great comfort, and even just by offering, you're in the good books. You'll know how important a hot drink can be, when you stand up, say 'does anyone want a drink?' and you get a chorus of relieved moans of joy, which translate to 'Yes I'd really love one, but can't be arsed to make one for the whole team, so I've been waiting for someone else to offer'.

When you get to grips with how the drinks system works in your office, you're onto a winner. You don't want to be caught in 'tea politics' (which I promise you, is a very real thing), and you definitely don't want to be branded as 'the person who never makes a drink', that is not a good position to be in.

2) Have a laugh, and get to know your colleagues

It's really important to get to know the people that you're working with. If you can make really good working relationships, it can make your time in the office 10 times easier. It's good to have a laugh and not take everything seriously. At the end of the day, you're all there for similar reasons, and you're all in the same boat, just trying to make it through the day. You don't have to go on every work function, and make best friends with everyone in the building, but be friendly, take the time to get to know the people you work closely with, and respect them on a personal level. Your relationship with your colleagues can make or break your work environment.



2) Make lunch your happy place 

So unless you're having a super busy day, and lunch doesn't even occur to you, you'll be counting down the clock until 12pm when you get to have a break. The halfway point to your day is very important. For me, I like to take mentally take myself as far away from work-mode as I can. I buy a magazine, read a book, blog posts, etc. The hour can go by so quickly, but I go back to work feeling so relaxed and mentally recharged. It's important to have a break from your desk anyway, but it's good to give your brain a rest! It'll make part 2 of the day feel not as bad.

I don't always make lunch, but I try and make it a really exciting lunch that I look forward to! Even if it's going for that Boots meal deal (the sushi salad...omg), it doesn't have to be healthy, it doesn't have to be unhealthy either. I like to mix it up and keep it exciting, but it always helps when you've got a really good lunch to look forward to!

3) Give yourself 5 minutes at the end of your day

Sometimes it can be overwhelming when you come into work in the morning, look at your emails/to do list, and think 'Fuck sake, i'm not up for this today'. I know myself well enough to know my reaction to things in the morning. That's why I give myself 5 minutes at the end of a work day, I make a list of things I could do the next day, and basically make it as painless as I can for myself to get into work and start on things in a morning. I find it's important to not dive straight into work. Sometimes you've got no choice if you've got strict deadlines, or a scheduled day full of activities, but I think sometimes the worst feeling is knowing you've got to go back to something stressful at work the next day. So it's important to take 5 minutes out to plan for that, and to make life easier for yourself.



4) Make your desk your home away from home
Your desk is your desk, and even though you can't exactly bring your bed into work with you (omg that's too nice to imagine), you can at least personalise it, and make it a happier place to work in. Here's a few ideas to help bring a small smile to your face, and make your day a bit better:

• Bring comfies (depending on how strict your work is, I used to be able to wear slippers under my desk)
• Bring a pillow for your chair
• Have a hot water bottle in your drawer for when it's cold
• Have snacks in your drawer (not all bad ones though, have a few healthy options in there too, but make sure they're all little treats)
• Bring pictures of happy things (your family, pets, partners, friends, anything that brings a smile to your face)
• Have cute little desk accessories. It's always nice to be prepared, but with your own stationary you'll feel super organised and also more at home
• Be prepared and have desk wipes, sanitiser, etc. There's nothing worse than when you have a dirty desk and nothing to tidy with. I also like to keep spare things, e.g. I have disposable spoons in my desk drawer for when I have my morning porridge pot. It's just being prepared for the things you come across during the day, and stocking up on those things you could do with.

5) Make the most of your evenings

Sometimes you'll have those day when it's horrendously difficult to get through, you'll be constantly clock watching, and won't be in a positive state of mind. It's important to make the most of your evenings and do fun things that will make 5pm seem even better. I try and do something fun on Monday evenings, and make it feel a bit like Friday. For a lot of people, the evenings will be the only time you'll get to see your partners/friends/family, so make sure you make the most of it.

6) Write things down!

Even if it doesn't feel like important information at the time, it might be later on. I try and write down everything that i'll probably forget. It's good to refer back to when you're trying to refresh your mind with a task. It's also very probable that someone will ask you about it later, and you'll be like 'oh! let me just check my notes because I did write it down'. You don't know how helpful that can be sometimes! It also saves you from chasing others for information,



7) It's okay to procrastinate!

Sometimes you need to get your mind away from something that requires a lot of energy and focus. I personally think it's fine to have 5 minutes to yourself, have a walk around, get something to eat/drink, or even check your personal emails, etc. Obviously don't take the piss and sit there on facebook all afternoon, but it's good to give yourself time to chill out if something's making you crazy!

9) Know when to switch off

Sometimes there literally aren't enough hours in the day, and you might physically have to take your work home with you to get something urgent done, but that doesn't mean you have to do that every day. For the most part, work should stay at work. It can be hard to switch off, but if you let work take over you, you can lose yourself in it. That goes for working late too. Yes you should love what you do, and be happy doing it, but you need to learn your limits, and don't exceed them. Even if you could work for 12 hours a day, should you? If you're not harming yourself by doing that (you might be, even if you don't realise it), you could be disappointing others in your life. Learn to switch off, and keep your work and personal life separate. 

10) If you're not happy, do something about it

One of my favourite quotes in life is 'If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree'. It's so true! Sometimes we can be so rooted in a routine and the familiar, that we accept being unhappy at work. It doesn't have to be like that! If you find that you're so unhappy, and not doing something that you're comfortable doing, it's not the way it has to be. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to quit your job and find something else, talk to your manager, or speak to another colleague. Your employer might see potential for you to do something else, move departments, etc. You are a human with a million different aspects to your personality. There's lots of things that you can do, and you might not have found what it is that you excel in yet. Keep going, there's lots of different paths that you can take.

Reading this back, it's quite a deep post! I just think that the way you feel at work is so important! I hope that this post helps you in some way! Let me know if there's any other tips that you use to survive in your work environment.

Thank you so much for reading :) 

Thoughts on the PLL Season 6 finale

So I thought I'd steer off my posting schedule for a special that is close to my heart. If you know me, you know that I have an UNHEALTHY obsession with Pretty Little Liars. I've been watching the show for about a year (a lot of Netflix binges), so I haven't dedicated as much time as the fans who've been watching since the beginning, but I feel like I can definitely call myself a super fan.

DISCLAIMER: Unless you watch PLL, then this post will probably bore you, I give you permission to click off here if you have no interest in the crazed ramblings of a fangirl. Also there are spoilers. Duh.

I think there are generally two types of PLL fans. There's the type that love the show, think it's great, accept the twists, and manage to get on with their lives normally after an episode encounter. Then there's the other type of fan. The type that can't get the last episode out of their head for the days, that follow I Marlene King on Twitter and go through every clue she's ever given, that can't accept any new twist without asking a million questions to try and justify it, that spend hours on end scrolling through theories on tumblr because they simple cannot stop themselves. I have to say, I am the latter.

I watched the finale yesterday morning, as soon as it was available on Netflix. I had read a thousand theories, and clued myself up on all of the pre-finale reveals that had been confirmed. I have to say I actually wasn't disappointed! 

For the super fans, it's fair to say that we've had our fair share of disappointment with this show over the past season. Whether you liked the A reveal or not, it's come with quite a lot to get your head round, a lot of things that don't add up, and a lot of teasers that have lead nowhere. I knew that there would be a twin, and Mrs D was one of my guesses, but even though I had that in the back of my mind, I thought it was a good episode. If you had no idea that there even was a twin, then it would have been a shocking episode for sure. I think the problem I have with this show, is that the writers TELL you these things to build up hype, and then you're kind of left thinking 'oh well yeah I knew THAT would happen, but is that it?'. It's kind of like the A reveal, we'll tell you that A is Charles, but you don't know WHO Charles is.

LET US BE SHOCKED. 

I know what you're thinking, don't search for clues and then you will be shocked. That is actually a very fair point, and if I had the will power, I think I would thank myself for it when these big twists are revealed. I think next season I'll try and not dig as much, and leave the mystery in the show, but that will be easier said than done! 

As for the twists of the finale, I thought it's an interesting path to go down to make Mary the twin, to make Charlotte her real daughter, and to make Dr Rollins in on the whole thing (AND BRITISH! Gotta be linked to Wren right? I hope this isn't a coincidence) 

As always though I'm left with an abundance of questions. I'll leave below a few that are bugging the hell out of me. Please feel free to comment, there's nothing I would rather do with my time then talk about PLL:

- Who is Charlottes father? We know Mary had Charlotte whilst she was in Radley, so the father must either be a fellow patient or someone who worked there right? Unless she was pregnant before she went in, but even so the father was 'unknown' on the birth certificate. I hope it's not just a random guy, and it leads to some sort of twist! 

- Did Mary kill Mrs D? I feel like she must have done. It feels very much like 'you had this perfect life, so now I'm going to ruin yours' by tricking Ali into a mental institution 

- Who killed Charlotte!? I thought this would have definitely been revealed in the finale. 

- Where has Mary been for the past 20 odd years!? And why has she never been mentioned by Mrs D? What did she do that was so terrible for her to stop all contact with her sister/family, and for her to get thrown into Radley!?

- So were Dr Rollins and Mary the ones blackmailing the girls and sending them texts then? Or was this A.D? This has me so confused since Mary was the one who was at the Lost Woods Resort on the video footage, yet A.D. was the one who had Hanna in the church at the end and then text the girls?

- WHO THE HECK IS A.D?! I think it would be amazing if Ali was uber A, I think she's way too smart to fall for Dr Rollins and his games. Let's not forget the kind of girl she used to be before she went missing.

- Finally the question on everybody's lips...WHO is Sara Harvey!? and what is her deal? Are we ever going to find out how she ever came to help Cece? and for the love of god WHY!?! 

That's just a snippet of some of the questions I've been thinking about since I watched the finale, there's still plenty more going on in my brain!

If you watch PLL were you happy with the finale? What are your theories? Let me know, i'd love to read them.

Thank you for reading :) 

The Body Shop Skin Saviors

Don’t you love those shopping trips that start with ‘ooh I’ll just nip in here to have a look at that thing I heard about’, and then end with you buying half the shop? Well this happened to me last week when I went into the Body Shop (maybe not as drastic as half the shop, but more than I intended on).



I love the Body Shop for starters. I feel like they’re one of those trustworthy brands that have been around for years, and really know their shit when it comes to skincare. The make-up range, I’ll admit, I've never really tried, but I have heard some really good things about.

What peaked my interest, and led me to have a nosey round the shop, was a few weeks earlier, I had done the skincare test on The Body Shop website. It takes about 5 minutes to complete, and asks you a few questions about your lifestyle and skincare routine. It then tells you what products would work best for you and your skin. It gave me a few recommendations, but the one that stood out to me was the Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser (£16). I was in the market for a new moisturiser, and wanted one that was quite lightweight, and could bring a bit of life back into my skin. When I went in store to have a gander, I had to pick it up. It’s lightweight, works for all skin types, and smells glorious. It has a citrus scent that makes you feel awake and refreshed in the morning (which is something I need!). The moisturiser clams to hydrate and energise the skin, whilst revealing a natural healthy-looking glow. It is targeted at dull, grumpy, fatigued skin, which is definitely what I've been working with for the past month or so. I should charge you 10p for the bags under my eyes!



So what’s the verdict? I have to say It's fantastic. It’s definitely bought a noticeable brightness and life back to my skin. It's not quite a moisturiser that I'm used to, in that when you apply it to your face, it dries almost instantly, and leaves your skin quite matified, but still very soft.  An interesting formula, but still very good. It does a very good job at what it claims to do, when it I look in the mirror, it does feel like my face does glow somewhat.

The next thing I picked up was something that a lot of beauty guru's rave about. The Tea Tree Pore Minimiser (£8.50). I wanted something that would prep my skin for make-up without making it too greasy, or too 'layered' if that makes sense. With some primers I feel like they can be a bit heavy, soafter you've put on foundation/powder, you've got a lot of layers of texture there, which isn't nice. This is great and lightweight, it boasts to to mattify the skin, which it does very well. Overall I'm really happy with this, I've been using it every day since I bought it, and it hasn't let me down yet.



Lastly was something that I believe has been a skincare staple for about 20 years. The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil (£8). My mum used to buy this stuff back in the day! She introduced me to it years ago when she found one out that she used to have. I picked this up again, because it is an absolute game changer for spots and blemishes. I get a lot of hormonal spots, and when I feel a really sore, angry one coming on, I use this stuff and it dies down dramatically. I would say it's the best thing that I've ever used for my spots, a very big claim, but it's that good!

It's also worth noting that I bought the Tea Tree Oil and the Pore Minimiser in a pack, The Body Shop always tend to package similar things together in store and it does work out cheaper! I think I paid £12 for both of these together, rather than buying them separately. If you do go looking for something in particular, it's always worth looking at if they come in a little set with something else for a cheaper price!

So this was a little body shop haul, with a few skincare treasures. Let me know what you think, if you've used any of these before, or if you have any more skincare favourites from The Body Shop.

As always, thank you for reading!

D is for...Driving Range

So we couldn't for the life of us think of a D date. I suggested we order a dominoes, which we did (they do sriracha as a topping now - it's a game changer), but we thought we can't really count that as a date. So after much debate, we decided to go to the driving range. Dan's a good golfer, he's been golfing since he was five, and I've never golfed in my life, so I thought this would be interesting to say the least...

We headed over to Grassmoor driving range, which Dan is a regular visitor to. If you're thinking of cheap date ideas, then the driving range is pretty good. Obviously different places will differ in prices, but for us it was £4 for 100 balls.

GOLF IS HARD.
Keep your arm straight, legs shoulder width apart, keep your knees bent, but not too bent, use your shoulders not your arms. I swear Dan could shadow as a golf instructor, but seriously I was a lost cause. I couldn't master how to swing without bending your arms! I eventually got slightly okay-ish at it towards the end. It really is all in the hips (there was a lot of Happy Gilmore referencing).

It also can hurt your hands quite a bit from gripping on the club, but even if you're useless like I am, it is a laugh and something different to do. The whole point in the alphabet dates is doing something that you wouldn't normally do, and I'm glad we went and experienced it, even though I was shockingly bad.

I'm really happy with this picture I got of Dan in action, he does look very pro. In the one Dan got of me, I look very useless and confused! So let's leave this one up and be happy.

Let me know if you think this is a good date idea, and PLEASE if you have any ideas for the E date, share them with me!

Thank you for reading!

March Resolution

Wow this year is going by so fast! I can't believe I'm already on my third monthly resolution. Progress report on the February resolution is positive. I get a word of the day every day, and seeing as it's on my phone, I rarely forget to check it! I think one thing I can take away from doing this little monthly challenge, is that when you're trying to make a change in your life, like a new diet or trying something new, try and incorporate it into your daily life/routine as best you can. You need to be realistic when it comes to setting goals, so by adapting it into something you normally do, rather than completely changing your lifestyle, you're more likely to stick to something.

So February saw me stressing quite frequently, and money budgeting like crazy. This has lead to one of the worst breakouts I've ever encountered, a poorly Lauren, and general sad times. My March resolution will be one that contributes to my health and well-being. It is one that I NEED to get under control, and I'm hoping in a month I will notice a real difference, not only in my skin/general health but in myself (naw). My March resolution is:

Drink more water

This might seem very simple, but I don't drink enough water. Working in an office, when someone says 'do you want a drink?', I would much rather have a lovely hot mug of tea or coffee. If it comes down to the choice, it's a no brainer, but I need to learn to ditch my beloved caffeine for something healthier.

"How will you make sure that you do this Lauren?" I hear you ask. Well as you know, I like to think that an app can solve all my problems, so I have downloaded a handy little app called 'Plant Nanny'. This amazingly cute invention, is a water reminder app, that takes the form of a little plant who needs water to survive. You need to look after it by giving it water, and in turn you're supposed to have some water too. This is like a Tamagotchi that makes you healthier, what could be better!? Although you can't play with your plants, you just give them water to live, and in reality it's no where near as fun.

I know what you're thinking! "Well what if you forget about your plants?" Well if you're like me, and you can't leave any sort of push notification messying up your home screen, then that's a pretty good motivator to drink some water. If you have a life, and don't worry about that sort of thing, then the app does send you reminders. This may annoy you, but if you don't want an app to run your life and tell you what to do, then don't download it. I, on the other hand, am a slave to apple, and will do whatever they say.

Also as pathetic as it sounds, one of the first days I'd spent using this app, I went on one morning to log my first drink of the day, and because I'd been bad the day before, it was sad/dying, and I FELT GUILTY! I mean, it broke my heart to see my virtual plant dying because I'd been slacking on my water. I do realise how sad this is, don't worry.

So that's my March resolution. Let me know if this is something you try and do, and how you manage to keep up with drinking enough water!

As always, thank you for reading!

10 'girl' things that i'm bad at

Hello fellow females (and males if you're reading, I don't discriminate). This post will either be completely relatable, or make you think I'm a slobby, lazy non-woman, who needs to stripped of her womanlyness immediately. I'm sure (hoping) that if you're a girl (or even if you're not. Again, I ain't hatin'), you'll come across these sort of things in life, and think "my god I'm so bad at being a girl". This happens to me on the regular, and even though there are lots of girly tasks that I relish in, there are others that make me scream with frustration. Whichever way you take this post, I hope you enjoy reading it/laughing at my sad life.



Without further ramblings, here are 10 'girl' things that I'm bad at:

1) Doing my nails

It's something that I get excited to do in my head, but when it comes to actually doing, I get so frustrated I nearly end up tearing the buggers off my finger. I am a serial smudger, I can't have my nails too long due to wearing contact lenses, I chew my cuticles (yes I know that's gross, it's a nervous habit), and I always forget to put on a top coat because I'm lazy, and this leads to chipping. I am absolutely USELESS when it comes to my nails

2) Cleaning my make up brushes

Now what's the rule here? a quick clean whenever you use it, and then a deep clean once a month? All I have to say to that is: HAHAHAHAH okay then. I actually physically went out and bought some make up cleanser, which is the easiest thing to use! Simply spray onto a cotton pad and wipe away the excess dirt, it could not be simpler, and I'm STILL bad at doing this. I sometimes do this every now and then (when I remember/am arsed to). I also only give them a deep clean maybe once every 6 months (hides).



3) Moisturising my body

I am really bad for this. Unless I've got that amazing Nivea in-shower moisturiser, then this job just ain't getting done. The furthest I'll go is moisturising my legs after I've shaved them, but that's the only time I actually think about moisturising my body. I know it's important, it's just when you've got that post-shower/bath laziness, it takes a lot to get your whole BODY moisturised, and then waft yourself about until you've dried off. Am I right?

4) Having regular haircuts

This is again, pure laziness and forgetfulness. I will leave my hair a good six months without going to the hairdresser to have my mop chopped. I am really really trying to get better at this! I'm trying to get my hair to a point where I'm really happy with it, just at the minute I'm not loving it. I tolerate it, and I am happyish with it most of the time. Hopefully this is something I can work on. I'm considering going for a 'lob' next time I go!



5) Leaving spots/blemishes alone

Right, if I see a spot, it's getting squeezed. I know you're meant to leave them to do their thing, but there's nothing I enjoy more, than a nice big juicy whitehead. My boyfriend and I are actual spot freaks. We send each other snapchats when we wake up with a good zit, we go mad over those viral videos with the freakishly big and bad ones, and I don't think we can make it through an evening without one of us saying 'Ooh let me have a go on your back'. Yes I realise this might be an overshare, but I don't think I'm alone on this! Please let me know if you're also a closet spot obsessive.


6) Painting my toenails

I know this kind of fits into the first point, but I'm even more useless at doing my toenails than I am my fingernails. I think it comes down to laziness again, but I think unless they're on show, then what's the point? I'll only ever plan to do them if I'm going out in shoes where you can see them (sometimes that will even affect my shoe choice - yeah I know).















7) Doing 'the messy bun'
This is not for lack of trying I tell you. The messy bun is one that I've tried to master on numerous occasions, but 9 times out of 10 it just looks messy messy rather than chic messy. There always comes that point too where you've been fiddling around with it for that long trying to make it look good, that your arms start to ache and feel like they're going to fall off. Someone please show me an easy way to pull this look off without looking like a tramp.

8) Fake tanning

I've got to the point with fake tan, where I just don't bother. I used to do it, and I'd look freaking ridiculous. It's something that I've never been able to master doing well. Also I'm the palest person on the planet, so I think that makes it look even worse on me. If there are any tanning products out there that work with borderline albino girls, then please let me know!

9) Wearing Heels

I just can't. I'd rather go out in flats, than have to endure that god awful pain any more. The only heels I can stand are those thick ones that can actually stabilise me for an evening. I wish I could be one of those flawless Carrie Bradshaw types that make heels look so effortless, but that just isn't me. I'd rather go out and be comfortable in my shoes, than want to cut my feet off/look like bambi on ice/be moaning all night!



10) False Eyelashes

This is more of a fear rather than something I'm bad at. As I mentioned, I wear contact lenses, so the thought of messing up around my eye area scares me. I always think 'what if the glue gets in my eye!' which yes, would be an unbelievably stupid thing to accomplish, but have you met me? Again, this is something that I'm going to try and get over, because I do love the look of them when they're done properly.

So there you have it! I'm officially a terrible female. I might do a series on trying to master each of these things for your entertainment, if that's something I can actually get myself to doing! Let me know if you're useless like me, We can start a support group!

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post

C is for...Cubana and Casino

Our C date crossed over with Valentines Day, so Dan and I decided to go for an evening away. We booked a hotel, and had a lovely meal at Cubana.

Cubana is insane! It's this amazing Cuban restaurant (in case you couldn't figure that out), that serve tapas for a set price per person. They had a fancy Valentines Tapas menu, in which they bought out a million dishes! There was no way that we could finish it all, but it was really gorgeous. The red wine lamb and spicy prawns were particularly scrumptious. Although, as it was Valentines day, we were sat next to two other couples, which made the set-up feel a little bit like speed dating.

The restaurant was lovely, a nice romantic atmosphere, and gorgeous food/wine (good wine is important). Also if you're feeling brave, they have salsa dancing in the bar area, which I got excited over, but Dan rejected flatly. So we decided to go to the casino instead which was just down to road.

I always like going to the casino, as it feels very sophisticated and fun, so as we were all dressed up, this felt like a good choice. This went south quite literally, as on our way there I FELL OVER ON MY ARSE, followed by Dan bursting into hysterics, and 2 minutes of me with the face on. Not ideal.

(Here I am feeling very pretty in my new shirt dress and boots. This outfit is a mixture of Primark and Tesco as I am cheap, but I feel like it looks more expensive than it is!) 

When we got to the casino (I practically ran inside as it was bloody freezing), we got a few drinks, and went over to the blackjack tables, as that's the only game we have enough knowledge on, and feel brave enough to play. I proceeded to lose £20 instantly by losing every. single. hand. Getting the face on for the second time in one evening wasn't the plan, but I had another drink and got over it pretty quickly. Dan went on to lose all the money that he'd won. So we ended up two poor sad people on valentines day. I think we should have gone salsa dancing instead. 

On a lighter note, the evening wasn't as bad as I've made out. We had lots of lols and soppy moments where we felt incredibly happy and lucky to have each other, which is what Valentines is all about after all. 

I hope you had a lovely Valentines day, and thank you for reading! 

CHANEL - Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour

So the day that i went into Boots to buy a Chanel lipstick was a happy one. I never buy any high end make up, and if I do, it's normally bought with my boots points (as was this purchase!). I had heard a lot about the coco rouge ultra hydrating lip colours, and I decided that I wanted a pretty but neutral colour that I could wear every day.

I decided to go with the colour Cecile, which is a gorgeous pink that looks very natural on the lips. This is definitely a 'my lips but better' shade, which is exactly what I was looking for. The lipstick itself is quite shimmery, which I don't normally love in a lipstick, but this one isn't too in your face. It's very subtle and works very nicely. I have been wearing this with my No7 Lip pencil in nude, which enhances any neutral lipstick beautifully.

As the name would suggest, it is very hydrating. It feels more like a balm than a lipstick in my opinion, which I love in these cold winter months when my lips are horrible and dry. I could wear this all day, and it won't wear out nastily. I think it's well worth investing in a really good quality lipstick that you can rely on for every day. I'm so glad I decided to go for this one! Some of the others shades look quite appealing too. I may go for a bolder colour next time. 

Overall, I have to say I am pretty head over heels for this lipstick. It's classic, and just makes me feel pretty when I wear it. I would definitely recommend you go and treat yourself to some Chanel!  

February Resolution

Well January is officially done and dusted, and I am welcoming February with open arms. I like that we can finally get into a bit of normality by not feeling the pressure to be healthy, lose weight, or generally be better people through the January post-Christmas guilt. Having said that, here is my monthly resolution update!

So for the month of January my resolution was to put my phone away when in social situations. This resolution was HARD! It was particularly bad when whoever I was with was on their phone, and I was sat there like an addict in recovery thinking ‘you can get through this, stay strong, you don’t need the phone’.

I can’t say hand on heart that I've stuck to this religiously. There are times when you just NEED the phone, whether it's to rant about celebrity big brother, or if something's kicking off in the group chat. I do feel however, as though it has done me a lot of good to put the phone down when I'm with people. It has made me more mindful of being in the moment with someone, rather than off in phone land.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my January resolution. It’s been tough at times, but definitely worth doing. I’d recommend a month of phone isolation for those of you who are a bit addicted like me (only when you’re around others, I'm not completely insane).

Now on to my February resolution! This may be something that you could try, depending on your job and if it’s relevant to you. I work in a large business, specifically in procurement. I started at this job in September, and one thing that has been really difficult for me (other than finding the will to get out of bed in the morning to go to said job), is the vocabulary that is used in meetings, memos, etc. Sometimes it’s like trying to decipher another language entirely. That’s why my resolution for February is:

Develop my business vocabulary 

(Wow, this looks really boring when you put it in writing)

I downloaded the app ‘Business Dictionary’ which is free on the app store. This app gives you a term of the day, so I plan to use this daily throughout February to try and develop my business vocabulary and sound like I know what I'm talking about at work.

Hopefully this is one that I can get into the habit of learning as I go along. If you work in an office or a business environment, then this could be really useful for you! Let me know if this is something that you would try. Alternatively, you could get a normal dictionary app, and still learn a word of the day. Is it just me that finds a strong and varied vocabulary a strangely attractive quality?

B is for...Brunch

B was a tough one to think of ideas for. We didn't want to go bowling, because we wanted to think slightly outside of the box. Also i'm ridiculously awful at bowling.

We decided to go for brunch somewhere fancy, which was meant to happen last week, but we were both hungover, and Dan couldn't keep anything down so we ended up having a lazy Saturday instead.

This weekend we were a bit fresher, and hungry for a lovely brunch at Maison Mes Amis. This is a local restaurant, which has a bit of a fancy reputation, so we thought it'd be a nice place for a brunch date. 

We both had Croque Madame, which was gorgeousss! Just looking at this picture makes me want to eat it all over again.

I'd like to take the opportunity to say, how amazing is brunch!? Let's just explore this for a moment:

• It's breakfast food, i mean come on. Who doesn't love a good breakfast?
• It's acceptable to have alcohol 
• You can pretend you're a bit fancy for an hour or so
• Most brunchy places serve breakfast until the afternoon (Mes Amis serves until 3pm), so you can have a lazy hungover morning in bed, and then go straight out for food, with time to spare!
• If you go on a brunch date, then you can keep the date going by doing something else afterwards without it being too late
• Alternatively, if your date is shit, then you can leave and you've not wasted the whole day
• It's brunch. Give me some downsides, cos honestly I can't see any negatives. Go with your friends, go with a date, have some drinks, eat some food, it'll set you up for a good day.

Overall, I was very happy with B. It was a nice change, which is really what this challenge is about, getting out there and doing different things.

Let me know your thoughts on brunch! Are you a crazy fanatic like me? If you've never had it, then I would definitely recommend that you try it!  

Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual - The Ultimate Beauty Guide

Today’s post is a little book review. I’m not sure what my opinion on book reviews is to be honest! I love reading, but I’m always very skeptical when someone recommends a book to me, because what someone might tell me is gripping, I might find boring. I think books are very personal, and you can’t tell if you’re going to like one until you’re reading it yourself, and even then, it might take you until you’re halfway through to make up your mind about it. This is a little bit different, as it’s a makeup book, rather than a novel.

For Christmas I received the incredible Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual from my boyfriend (without prompting! I was impressed). Other than being completely surprised that he’d bought me this, I was also extremely excited, as I’d wanted this for quite a while. I know i'm extremely late to the party seeing as this came out in 2008 (!!!), but i think it's still a classic. It doesn't go into great deal on any of the newer makeup trends out there like contouring or strobing, but it's still a fantastic staple for anyone who has a genuine passion for makeup. I thought I would give you a review on what you can expect from the book, and the sort of things that are covered in it.

  

Bobbi Brown is a great talent. It is clear from the first couple of pages, this woman knows what she’s talking about. She states that she has written the book to benefit anyone, whether you're a beginner or a professional makeup artist. It goes through the very basics of makeup application, what works for different skin types, and a series of how-to's, sprinkled with absolutely gorgeous photography.

         

The book is split into two parts, basics and artistry. I have only read the basics section so far, but I am already amazed by this book. I've learnt so many things already, and by applying some of the tips and methods, I see a genuine difference in my makeup. Bobbi goes into detail about exactly what you'll need in your makeup kit, how to care for your products, and how exactly to use them. There's sections on skincare, eyes, lips, specific looks, makeup photography, and the history of makeup. There's something in here for everyone I think, no matter your experience or knowledge.

If you have any interest in makeup, the industry, learning tips, or the history of it, then you will love this book, and I definitely recommend it. Let me know if you've read this, and what you're thoughts are!

A is for...Arcades and Aquariums

So if you listen to Matt Edminson on Radio one, or follow Tom Fletcher on youtube, then you will probably have heard of alphabet dates. A concept that is sickeningly romantic and quirky, that I just had to give it a go. As you can gather, the basis is that you and your significant other make your way through the alphabet by going on dates that begin with A, then B, then C, and so on. Dan and I figured out if we start this in 2016, we can do one date every two weeks.

So we started with A (obviously), and let me tell you it’s harder than it looks to think of specific dates! Especially with Dan’s best efforts including “A drink” and “A meal”.

In the end we decided with aquarium as there is one near to us in Matlock Bath. With that we could also go to the arcades that are there. Two A’s, one stone.

I've been to Matlock Bath a handful of times in my childhood, but never before realised how actually bizarre it is. It is effectively a seaside town without any seaside. When we first got there, we went straight for some fish and chips, and I was commenting on how it was odd to come in January when it’s cold, but nice to do something outside the norm. I then realised how weird it actually was, as people usually come in the summer, and go for fish and chips, go on the arcades, etc. and why? Why not go to Scarborough or Skegness which has all of this and more, as they are actual seaside towns! Why do we have this random tourist place in the middle of the country? It’s still got me a little baffled if I'm honest. I'm grateful that Dan puts up with my meaningless ramblings, as this went on for about half an hour.

After fish and chips, (I had chips and gravy, and I was quite disappointed with the lack of thickness to my gravy if I'm honest. As a northerner I feel like I'm allowed to comment on this, but really no one likes watery gravy on chips, am I right?) we headed to the arcade which was gloriously tacky and entertaining. I am addicted to Zingy machines, so Dan had to pull me away from that, but we did win the jackpot of £10 on a Deal or no Deal fruity. Happy days.

Next was the aquarium. If you've ever been to the Matlock Bath aquarium, you’ll know it’s extremely disappointing. As a kid I used to love it, so despite it being slightly shit, it was nice and nostalgic to go to. Also I don’t think it really matters what you do on a date. The fact that you’re doing an activity gives you conversation and things to laugh at. Particularly  if what you’re doing is awful, they’ll always be things to find funny, for example moody af catfish, and turtle orgys.

So that was our A date. It was a lovely start to the challenge I think, and it was a perfect style of date for us. I am really looking forward to the rest of the alphabet, because it’ll allow us to do things that we wouldn't normally do, and I'm hoping we’ll find lots of new things that we enjoy. I may blog all of the dates we go on, or I may just do the interesting ones. I’ll have to decide as we go along.

What do you think of this idea? Is it something that you and your partner would try? If you’re single then you could easily just do this with your best friend, I think that’d be equally as fun! Let me know your thoughts.