FASHION: THE PERFECT INTERVIEW OUTFIT




It can be so stressful deciding what you are going to wear for an interview so it's a good idea to have an outfit ready should an interview present itself, they are often with short notice and come around quickly — leaving you with little time to decide what to wear! I am due to go back to work and considering a change in jobs so will have to go to some interviews and have no idea what to wear so CT shirts, retailers of menswear and suits, gives us some advice:  

Casual  
Casual dress is suitable when you’re interviewing for charity work or a casual unpaid internship. For these interviews, you might not be expected to dress formally, and will be more concerned with your personality, including your punctuality. Of course, it’s always good to make a positive first impression, so still consider what you’re wearing, ripped jeans or a stained top might not give off the best vibe. 

Women 
For women, you want to feel comfortable, skirts and jeans are appropriate in a casual interview . Make sure you look presentable, you should avoid mini-skirts with bare legs and ripped jeans. You could wear a smart dress with tights and a cardigan. Maybe a shirt and trousers?  
Since it’s likely to be a relaxed vibe, you shouldn’t worry too much about footwear. Opt for a smart ankle boot or flat pump, and perhaps avoid trainers and high heels.  I would feel comfortable in a ballet pump style. 

Men  
For men, it can be hard to dress casually without looking too underdressed. Jeans are definitely appropriate, but similar to our advice for women, steer clear of ripped jeans. No joggers or tracksuit tops, as these will not give off the best impression. A safe option would be a long-sleeved top, jeans, dress shoes such as Chelsea boots or brogues, and a smart jacket.  

Business casual 
Some interviews may specify business-casual attire on the invitation. This may be because they have this dress code in the office or it may be for an assessment day where you are expected to be there all day and recruiters want you to feel comfortable.  
If you dont know what to wear, it’s best to dress too formally rather than too casually to avoid giving off the wrong impression, if your wearing a smart jacket you could always take this off if you feel too overdressed once you are there. 

Women 
With a business-casual dress code, you have more freedom with what you wear than in a strictly professional interview. You could wear pinstripe or patterned trousers with a smart shirt tucked in.  
Or, wear a smart shirt with a wide collar underneath a long-sleeved jumper.  This look gives off a formal impression, whilst not as professional as a shirt and suit jacket.  I usually opt for a trousers and smart blouse combo! 

Men 
For men, to be appropriate for a business-casual dress code, you should wear a smart shirt. Why not invest in a non-iron shirt? It stays free of creases and there’s no need to rush around with the iron the morning before the interview! Also, if you’re travelling by car or public transport to the interview, a normal shirt can become creased but this is avoided through the non-iron garment.  
You should avoid a polo shirt, as this is too casual and still steer clear of wearing jeans.  

Professional 
For formal interviews, you should adopt a professional look. These interviews could be in front of directors of the company for a graduate job or an internship. You want to look your best here; your appearance certainly counts, and with the high level of competition at this stage, you don’t want to fall at any hurdles.  

Women  
In a professional situation, women should opt for a suit. When it comes to dressing the bottom half, go with what you feel comfortable in. If you decide to wear a skirt, wear one with a hemline just below the knee to avoid it rising and becoming too revealing. A suit doesn’t have to be boring — shop around and discover suits that are tailored in different ways — find one that suits your body shape. When it comes to footwear, heels are acceptable but make sure you can walk with confidence in them. If you don’t feel happy wearing heels, opt for pumps or shoes with a smaller heel.  

Men 
Men should wear a suit when it comes to a formal interview, too. Wear dark socks to blend in with your outfit and bring a briefcase to look professional. Brogues are a good choice of footwear — they are stylish and smart without being mundane. Choose a tailored suit that you feel represents your style, a slim leg may be best suited for you and your shape.  

What to avoid  
As we can see, the main thing to do is to make sure you feel comfortable in your outfit — it will show in the interview! However, there are a few things that you should avoid:  

Too much make up or jewellery  
Too much aftershave or perfume - usually interviews are held in small rooms and this can be overpowering 








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LIFESTYLE: POSITIVE THINKING AND FINDING MYSELF



Everything has started to get a little overwhelming recently so i've decided to take a step back and think about myself and concentrate on some self-care. Having suffered with Anxiety for a couple of years now I know how important it is to look after your mental well-being aswell as yourself physically.  I thought i'd talk about a few ways that I stay positive and ways in which I plan to find myself and overcome this anxiety and stress that is getting me down.

I'm due to go back to work next month and i'm having a few difficulties getting set days, this is causing me stress and there's not much I can do about this. I do tend to jump to the worst conclusions and worry about things that I shouldn't really worry about. I know that I will have to make it work and if I am not able to arrange childcare I will just have to phone work and tell them that I can't make it in today. I know theres a logical end to this scenario but my mind jumps to the worst outcomes and I just fret and worry and sometimes theres no need. All I can do is take each week as they come and try to do the best I can. 

There's a few ways I manage my anxiety, one of these is by looking at different possible outcomes, I find it easy to write them down and pick which one is the most likely, it's usually not the one that i'm worrying about. I find writing lists really helps me and I always write lists when i'm in bed worrying about things as it can usually wait till the morning. 

I've been looking into numerology and hypnotherapy as ways to reduce my anxiety. Hypnotherapy addresses your emotional and mental state and numerology is the relationship between numbers and events. If you keep seeing the same numbers it might we worth checking out what they mean. I always see 11:11 and I have done for a number of years and it's meaning is to do with the spiritual awakening across the globe. Some believe that angelic beings are close by.

I want to do more exercise, even if this is just a walk with Amelia or doing my fitness DVD. I find exercise gives me time to think and it calms me, exercise releases endorphins and can have a really positive effect on mental health. It can also help you sleep better with is a big issue i've been having recently. 

Winding down,  I am always doing something on my phone, or blogging or editing photos and I always do this before bed. I want to use some time to wind down, read a book, have a bath/shower, listen to some calming music. This is a good method to help you switch off and stop worrying about things like social media and my blog before bed. 

Talking of social media, I think it would do me some good to have a little social media break. We are all so obsessed with whats going on it other peoples life. I've found that sometimes social media does nothing for my mental health. I'm constantly comparing myself to others. Why have that brand worked with them? Why do they get to go on so many holidays? It's not good so i'm thinking of having a little break, maybe when I go on holiday in a few weeks. 

I'm going to start putting myself first a little more and having some more me time to hopefully sort my mental health out a little and find of more positive version of myself. 











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LIFESTYLE: PLANNING A ROAD TRIP WITH A BABY

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We are going on holiday to Great Yarmouth next month so we've started to plan our trip as we have a long car journey ahead of us. The drive would usually take about 3 and a half hours according to google maps but we have two little ones coming with us, both under 1 so we will need to stop a few times for feeds and nappy changes.

When we are going on a road trip we usually bring lots of drinks and snacks with us so we just have to stop if we need the toilet. We don't really tend to buy food at service stations as it can be quite expensive and sometimes especially during the holidays it can be really busy. We will be bringing some food and drink along with us but as we will be stopping anyway we might get some hot food at the service station, I can imagine we will need a nice hot cuppa as it's going to be a long drive.

We are going to be going in three cars, we have two babies and 6 adults that are going so although we could fit in two cars it might be abit of a squeeze and we are going to have loads of stuff from travel cots, sterilizers, milk, bottles, clothes and much more so it's just easier to have the extra car. I think my sister is getting a roof box which will help as we only have a little car.

We have just had our car serviced and had an MOT done. We usually get the car serviced before going on a long journey just to make sure that everything is ok with the car. This is such an important thing to do and it can save you a lot of money. We had the car serviced at Kwik Fit before we went away to Wales before and ended up needing a couple of new tyres. Had a tyre burst on the motorway we could have been in an accident or needed to call a breakdown truck. We might have had to pay out for a recovery truck if we couldn't sort the car ourselves. Even though we have breakdown cover you would still need to pay for parts if something needed to be repaired and you might find that a breakdown company may charge you more than if you'd just got your car repaired before you went away. I really don't fancy something breaking on the car whilst we are driving to Great Yarmouth (especially with Amelia in the car) which is why we have just had car serviced and we did need a couple of things doing so at least we know that the car should be fine for the long journey.

If you don't plan on getting your car serviced I would make sure you do thorough checks on your vehicle making sure you have plenty of Oil, water, and deicer/screenwash.


It's good to have an idea of your route and of an alternative route incase of an accident or traffic. I like to plan which route we are going to take. By planning your route you can choose the fastest route so you and this can save you time and money in fuel. I usually just use Google Maps or the Sat Nav to work out the route. This time we are actually going away with my parents and my sister so we will probably just follow them.

Other things to think about for a long journey, especially with a baby are a first aid kit- (pack pain killers), plenty of drinks (should you get stuck in traffic) Travel sickness tablets, nappy bag with milk and bottles should be in the car not the boot (incase you get stuck in traffic or can't get out of the car to get to the boot). We have a few baby CD's that will calm Amelia should she get distressed in the car.

I'm not really looking forward to the long drive but I can't wait for our first little holiday as a family.



 

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PARENTING: BATHTIME WITH BAMBO NATURE



We recently went along to a blogger event at Kelmarsh Hall with Bambo Nature Uk, You can see my full post here all about the lovely event we attended and all about the brand. We were gifted lots of lovely products from their range including some of their skincare bits and pieces. I thought i'd review the skincare products as we've been using them alot recently. 

Bambo Nature have an amazing range of products including Eco-Disposable nappies and wipes. As well as their nappies and wipes they have released a new vegan, cruelty free skincare range. 

The Bambo Nature range is accredited by several certification organisations that guarantee the safe use and environmental friendliness of the products. The Nordic Eco-label on the Bambo Nature range is your guarantee that the products are certified to be environment-friendly. 

The brand are not just accredited by the Nordic-Eco Label but also Asthma and Allergy Denmark and Dermatology tested. This means these products are less likely to cause any irritation, eczema or allergy on babies skin. Unfortunately for us we have found that Amelia does seem to be allergic to the nappies and wipes but she has very sensitive skin and i'm actually allergic to a lot of more natural products so I wouldn't let that put you off. We have tried some of their skincare range which so far so good... no allergies. The brand have actually won loads of awards for their products which you can check out  here on their website.


First up is the Splish Splash Bath Oil, this is made with mild, natural oils that help maintain the skins moisture balance and leave it soft. I really like this bath oil as it's not greasy and leaves Amelia's skin feeling really soft and smooth. I love using the bath oil to do baby massage, I tend to do it just before bathtime, the oil heats up well by rubbing the hands together and it is really easy to rub into the skin. Amelia has very sensitive skin and has allergies and eczema so I have to be careful when using new skincare products on her. We haven't had any issues with the Bambo Nature skincare products which is great.

My favourite product is the Bath Buddy hair & body wash, again it's great for Amelia's sensitive skin. I love that I can use the one product all over so I don't have to mess about using different products. It's so gentle that it doesn't irritate her eyes so it doesn't matter if a little water goes in her eye. The wash leaves her hair looking really nice a clean and it smells good too even though it contains no perfumes, this minimizes the risk of allergy. 


I'm loving the Bambo Nature skincare range, and love that it's all Vegan and really sensitive and gentle for perfect for newborn baby skin. As I mentioned above Amelia has Eczema and we have tried other skincare brands and shes had bad reactions to products or they have really dried her skin out but we've found that the Bambo Nature skincare is great for her skin and it leaves it feeling super soft but also really clear. 







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PARENTING: PRODUCTS WE USE WHEN AMELIA IS POORLY


Amelia is now 7 months old and shes had a few coughs and colds. It's such a horrible feeling when your baby isn't well and you feel like there's nothing you can do. I thought i'd feature a few products we've used when Amelia has been poorly and a few tips on how to make them a little more comfortable. 

I found that Amelia is most uncomfortable during the night so when she has a cold or cough I would use the Calpol Vapour plug in her room. You just plug it in and you replace a cartridge each night which releases vapours into the air, this eases breathing during the night, we've found it works well for Amelia.

We've been using a few products from Snufflebabe to help relieve Amelia when shes been poorly, I really like the Nasal Spray and find this works really well at clearing her blocked nose. I find it's a bit easier to use that the nasal drops. 

We have also been using the Snufflebabe nasal drops, it's a saline solution which you can use along side the nasal aspirator or on it's own to clear blocked noses. This just makes baby more comfortable as you can't really get a baby to blow their nose which is usually all they need to do. 

I feel like the Nasal drops and nasal spray really clear the nose and throat of mucus and help Amelia to breathe much easier and stops her nose from irritating her. 

Honestly she's not a huge fan of having the saline put in her nose and usually kicks off but she feels much better afterwards. My favourite thing about the Snufflebabe products is they are suitable from birth ( apart from the vapour rub which is 3 months) as some products have weight restrictions and some are from a certain age and when your baby is sick you just want a product on hand that you can use right away without worrying about whether shes old enough or big enough to use it. 

Similar to the Snufflebabe vapour rub is the Mustela Chest Rub, we were sent this a while ago and have recently been using as Amelias had a few colds, I like this because it's a cream not a balm and it rubs into the skin really easily. Again it's suitable from birth which is great. The pine scent promotes comfort and relaxes the baby. I love that it comes in a tube as usually vapour rubs come in a pot that you have to stick your finger in and I prefer a tube that you can squeeze product out. 

These are a few of the products we have been using with Amelia, alongside Calpol if shes really uncomfortable but I think these products are great at helping move mucus and relieving her and making her more comfortable. Another thing we do when shes snuffly is bring her into the bathroom and either run and hot shower or bath and this helps them breathe easier too. I usually put some relaxing music on my phone and light some candles and we will chill out. We have also tried some baby massage as this can help them breathe and unblock any mucus that is stuck. 










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FOOD REVIEW: THE HEAD OF STEAM BIRMINGHAM


We were kindly invited along to The Head of Steam in Birmingham on Wednesday night for their press launch night. Located on Temple Street it's in a fab central location, just up the road from the local transport links and around the corner from The Bullring, Selfridges and Grand Central.

The Head of Steam has a very impressive drinks menu, there's pages and pages of beers from all around the world, cask ales, cocktails, ciders, spirits and soft drinks. I worked my way through the cocktails, they were lovely. I had the Cherry Lollipop which is a mix of Disaronno, Midori, Lime and Cranberry, it was super sweet and fruity, it was amazing. I've never had Disaronno in a cocktail before but it's one of my favourite spirits. I also had a Louisiana Rum Punch which is a mix of Old J Cherry rum, blue curacao, passionfruit puree, pineapple and lemon juice, it was so fresh and summery, it reminded me of holiday. I think the cocktail prices are really reasonable and I think they were quite strong which is always good in cocktails. As I mentioned above they had a huge book of drinks so if cocktails are not for you they have a huge range of other drinks. Clint was actually spoilt for choice and didn't know what to go for so he just asked for an American beer, he was given Motorhead Road Crew which is a pale ale and he said it was good, and tasted a bit like a light beer and he really enjoyed it.

They have a really good variety on the food menu, as well as the main food menu they do Breakfast and Brunch which is served till 3pm, I don't know of many places that serve breakfast that late, it's usually around 12pm but I love breakfast food and loveee brunch so i'm always drawn to places that serve a late brunch. They also offer a selection of sandwiches, wraps and light bites, perfect for lunchtime or early dinner. They also do Pizza's, burgers, hot dogs, pies and much more. I had the BBQ pulled pork stone baked artisan pizza which was gorgeous, i'd say Pizza is up there as one of my favourite foods. The pulled pork was really tasty and the base was lovely, the sauce was very tomato-ey and fresh. The pizza was a really good size, we shared some onion rings and could'nt finish it, I left a slice of pizza as I was stuffed!! Clint had the 12" Chilli Dog which was topped with a 3 bean chilli, it was a really good size and it looked great and came with fries so again was a really good portion size.

I have a sweet tooth and there was a few things on the dessert menu that tickled my taste-buds so we got the Trio Sharing board and picked the Salted Caramel and Chocolate Torte, Strawberry and Rhubarb cheesecake and the Profiteroles with Butterscotch Syrup. We expected them to be smaller portions of the puddings but they were full size, it was huge so it's such a good value for money, you basically get a dessert free. The Torte was a little bit rich for me so I only had a little bit but it was really good, my favourite pudding was the cheesecake, it was really light and fluffy. I wasn't too sure about the Rhubarb but it was lovely very fresh and not overpowering at all. The Profiteroles were soo good, the cream was really fresh and light, they were lovely and it was unusual to have them with butterscotch but it was really nice.

Overall we had a lovely time, the venue is gorgeous very clean and looks really impressive! There's lots of different areas so you can go for just drinks or go along for a whole meal. It would be a great place to go as a group. You order at the bar and this works well when there's a group as you can just go and order and pay for your own. The staff were incredible, we had the best time! Every member of staff were lovely and couldn't have done more for us, they made sure we always had drinks and even when we asked for a little break before we ordered puddings they were happy to leave us to it. It's dog friendly and child-friendly so don't let that put you off. It had a really good vibe and atmosphere and we will definitely go back and we will bring Amelia along with us. They had baby changing facilities and highchairs so it's baby friendly. We both had a lovely night and it was nice to have a night off, have a drink and a catch up and it was such a lovely launch event, we had a fab time. Thank you to Head of Steam for having us.









* All of our food and drinks were complementary, I have not been paid for this review and it's honest and my opinions.