LIFESTYLE: GETTING A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP



I've struggled with getting to sleep for a little while now and have a little routine and a few tips that help send me off to sleep. I thought i'd share these with you as I know it's very common to have trouble sleeping and getting to sleep.

1. Get yourself into a routine - your body produces Melatonin which is what makes you go to sleep. If you don't give your body time to wind down then you won't produce enough. Try not to go on your phone whilst in bed, the blue light also effects your levels of Melatonin. About an hour before you go to bed you should finish whatever you need to do on your phone. Have a wash and get into comfortable clothes so whatever you wear to bed and unwind so read a book or do some colouring, just relax. 

2. Have a bath, having a bath is another great way to unwind before bed. Get yourself some lovely bath bombs from Lush they have some really amazing scents that smell so good!

3. Below are some skincare bits that I use each night before bed and I feel this helps with my sleep. I love the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow spray, it has amazing reviews and smells lovely. You spray onto your pillow to help you sleep. I like the Vichy Skin Sleep* moisturiser as its a lovely night cream, it's not too thick and soaks into the skin really fast. I use this alongside my Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate* which makes your skin look and feel so good. This smells so nice aswell and always relaxes me.

4.  Is your bed comfortable? If not this is something you should sort out right away. If your not comfortable you can spend hours trying to get to sleep. Adjustamatic have a selection of a Adjustable beds that could be exactly what you need. Check out this video on how an uncomfortable bed can effect our sleeping pattern. 

5. If i'm really struggling to switch off I light my Neom Tranquility Candle about an hour before I go to bed. This smells so good and always helps me to sleep. You can get these little travel sizes for about £15.  

6. Sometimes worry can stop us from getting to sleep. If you find it hard to switch off your thoughts and you worry about things you should get yourself a nice new notepad and pen and have this by your bed. When you start to worry about something just write it down, leave it and worry about it tomorrow, give yourself time to go through your worries and do something about them.

I hope these tips help you get a better night sleep, i've been struggling again the last few nights but i've been using my phone in bed again and not giving myself time to unwind. I am going to make sure I give myself some time to relax and I don't think my pillows are that comfortable so I'm going to find some better ones, i've been reading up on these pillow reviews from The Dozy Owl I think one of these would definitely help me sleep better. 





* pr samples are marked with an asterisk
**collaborative post

MY GOALS FOR 2017!



LET'S DO THIS!! 


I feel like 2016 was a really hard year for myself and alot of people around me. I read back through my goals for 2016 and i'm so proud of myself for what i've achieved. 

I haven't achieved all of my goals for 2016 but I have ticked off most of them. I'm really proud of my blog and feel 2016 was a great year for my blog, i've spent alot of time working with new brands and my instagram game has stepped up. My pictures are alot better and I feel I have been blogging alot. 
I've worked with some amazing brands this year such as Kurt Geiger, Jamie's Italian, Johnny Loves Rosie, Freya, The Clothes Show, Rush Hair, Benito Brows and many many more. 

I got my 2 and a half stone award for Slimming World, I didn't manage to get to target but I got very close!! 

Clint and I still have our flat and we've managed to budget for a whole year and have loved living together. 

We went to Turkey on Holiday with my mom. 

A few of our friends have had babies :) 

2016 hasn't all been great though, 

A close family member was ill and in hospital which was so horrible, she's back to her normal self and much better now which is amazing and i'm so grateful.

One of my friends had a really horrible thing happen to her and her family and I hate that something so horrific could happen to such an amazing person in my life. She will never get over it but shes so so strong and i'll always be there for her.

I was diagnosed with Anxiety, I had 3 weeks off work and was really down. It affected work and my blog. I didn't blog much and I didn't Vlog for a while so it have a big impact on my everyday life.
However towards the end of 2016 I went on an anxiety course and learnt all about Anxiety and I haven't had any symptoms yet in 2017 and i'm so proud of myself as I feel i've used the course to manage my symptoms.

Personally my year wasn't that bad in comparison to others I know that! I know that 2016 as a whole was pretty shit, we lost some amazing people and theres been alot of change. Brexit and Trump are just two of those changes but It's 2017 now !

MY GOALS FOR 2017!! 

- BE MORE POSITIVE ( i know that a cliche) 
after being so down and unhappy because of my anxiety I want to look at life in a positive way and have a much more positive mindset.

- GET BACK TO SLIMMING WORLD AND GET TO TARGET
I'm actually going back to group tonight and I know I can do this!

- GO ON HOLIDAY
We did it last year so i'd love to save up for another holiday maybe later in the year or maybe even book somewhere amazing for 2018

-SEE FRIENDS MORE
We have amazing friends and I feel like sometimes work comitments can get in the way. I want to make more of an effort to see friends more. I did start this towards the end of 2016. 

-RESEARCH CAREER OPTIONS
One of my goals for 2016 was to start my teaching career whether it be work experience etc and I didn't manage to do this. I'm not sure what I want to do whether I still think teaching is for me. I want to do some research into jobs and teaching etc and decide my next move with my career.


FASHION: BERGANZA JEWELLERY


Berganza The Jewellers is situated in the heart of Hatton, London. They are specialists in ancient, antique and vintage jewellery. They have the largest collection of these rings in the world. 

Each piece is rare and unique and they believe in only offering exceptional pieces from each design period, from Ancient Roman intaglio seal rings, Viking twisted rings through to rare gem-set Medieval pieces, Georgian, ornate Victorian, elegant Edwardian, bold Art Deco and retro vintage designs. Each piece has a unique historical background and dates to a time when jewellery was crafted by hand, so no two are alike. They supply only the finest quality pieces with natural untreated stones without enhancements.

Every item of jewellery is set with hand cut diamonds or natural and unenhanced gemstones, often from mines long since depleted. Their team of specialists are trained in all aspects of gemology and history of jewellery design so they are able to select the finest quality pieces of jewellery for their extensive one-of-a-kind stock. They deal in rarity and as such have a vast collection of posy rings, the precursors to 'modern' wedding rings. 

Whether you are after a unique engagement ring for that special woman in your life, or an family airlume for your daughter to pass on to her kids there is a huge selection of rare and unique pieces at Berganza. They stock lots of different brands and there really is something for everyone. They have something to suit most budgets and have a great choice when it comes to the stone/ gem, size, metal colour. The search options on the website make it really easy to find the perfect ring. If you need help whilst shopping online you can phone or contact them via many other social media outlets. Or you can pop into their store in London where one their specialists will be able to assist you with your purchase. 



 






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LIFESTYLE: WAYS TO REVAMP YOUR KITCHEN



Here's a few easy and affordable ways that you can revamp your kitchen. 

- Accessories can always brighten up a room or add abit of colour. 
This is a really affordable way to brighten up a room and if your renting and can't really do much to your kitchen this can add a personal touch.

-Buy new doors for your cupboards. If you can't afford to replace your whole kitchen you can buy new doors for the cupboards and this can refresh your whole kitchen.

- You can give your kitchen a fresh and clean look by using plastic acrylic sheets which you can use to give your kitchen a more contemporary look, Simply Plastics  have lots of colours and you can get them cut to whatever size you need. They also have a selection of Acrylic Kitchen Splashbacks again in a range of colours. 

-A lick of paint is a great way to brighten up any room, your kitchen gets grubby from steam and cooking oil etc so just giving it a fresh coat of paint will clean up those walls. We have a feature wall as you can see below, I think this gives a very white contemporary kitchen a bit of character. 

Switch out old for new, replace you old manky chairs for some new ones and give the dinner table a new look. Replace your old tap for a new one or even just replacing your grubby door handles for new ones can make such a difference. 

 Will you be giving your kitchen a revamp, I hope you found my tips helpful! 


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BEAUTY: MY BOXING DAY SALES LUSH HAUL


You may think i'm crazy for braving the shops on Boxing Day but as I work in retail and along with Christmas Day it's the only day I get off work to go sale shopping so this year we got up and went into Birmingham to so a spot of shopping. Clint got himself some bargains but I didn't do very well, I picked up a couple of tops in New Look. We went into Lush but they had nothing left and the queue was out the door. So we drove to Solihull which is where we live to have a little mooch around the shops there. The Lush in Solihull was Closed as they shut early so I was gutted! I had been trying to get online for the Sale all day but I was in a super long queue, I managed to get on and get a few bits which I was very happy about and then I popped into Solihull before work on the 27th and got a couple of other bits. 

 My favourite Christmas bath bomb is Golden Wonder which is the big Gold Present, inside theres lots of amazing colours and its really cool. I also love Northern Lights which is another favourite as the colours are so so pretty. Another Fave is Luxury Lush Pud again because the colours are so pretty and it smells amazing.I like Butterbear as a nice relaxing bath time treat so stocked up on those. 

Father Christmas is a subtle snow fairy kind of scent so I thought i'd get a few of them too!

I wish i've have got another few Shoot for the Stars as the stars have cocoa butter inside so leave your very soft and glittery. 

Never Mind the Ballistics is a newbie and again I wish i'd have picked up some in the sale. Clint bought me this one. I haven't tried this yet though so i'm excited to give it ago. 


I also got a Snow Fairy Shower Gel as it was a bargain. I got So white for Christmas off Clint as he got me a couple of bath bombs YAY!


You can check out my Christmas Lush Haul 2016 which is the goodies I picked up before Christmas, these have all gone now which is why I got some Sale goodies. 

 






FASHION: MENS FASHION PICKS 2017

Standout.net have some really great products from a huge selection of designer brands for Men such as Calvin Klein, Penguin, G-Star and many more.

I picked out some of my favourite bits and thought i'd share them with you. I've based my picks on clothes that I think Clint would like and wear. I always think Clint looks good and he really cares about his appearance which I love.

First up this Jacket is from Jack and Jones and Clint actually just bought a jacket like this. I think its great for this time of year. It's so cold in the UK right now so this is a great coat. The colour makes it so versatile and easy to wear.

Clint already has a couple of pairs of New Balance trainers so I thought i'd feature these. I also have a pair and they are really comfy trainers, you can get them in lots of different colours and styles. I like these Black ones as they would go with everything and be easy to wear. I think these are similar to the ones I have, they are a suede material which looks really good.

These are Scotch and Soda Black The Nero Skim Skinny Fit Jeans, Clint always goes for skinny or slim fit jeans. I like these because they are a simple style. I'm not really a fan of boys wearing jeans with rips or a distressed look, even if this is trendy I prefer a plain jean and I think Clint does too. You could wear these in so many ways and I think Black jeans always look really smart on a night out.

Muscle fit tops are really on trend right now and there's quite a few to choose from on the Standout site, I really like this G-Star Slim Fit Longsleeved Grandad Pocket Tshirt. You can easily dress this up with some smart jeans and shoes or wear it with a hoodie for a more casual day look.

Finally the scarf is Ralph Lauren and it's this gorgeous Wine shade which is perfect for the colder months. I think this would look great with the coat.

All the products above can be found on the Standout.net website along with lots more designer clothing, shoes and accessories.





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LIFESTYLE: TIPS FOR FIRST TIME RENTERS


Can you believe we've had our own flat for over a year now! It's gone so fast and it's been so good.

Today I thought i'd share a few tips for first time renters for when you move into your property as sometimes it's hard knowing what you need to do.


1. Moving Day can be very stressful so being organised will help so much, when packing you want to have boxes for each room which I know sounds obvious but we had a few random boxes and these sat in the spare room for a while as we needed to sort them whereas the kitchen stuff and living room stuff all went away straightaway because it was in it's own box. We had the kitchen stuff in the car with us when we went to pick the keys up so we could make a cup of tea for people helping us move. We also brought the bed first as even if the flat was full of boxes at least we could sleep in our bed.

2. Cleaning the flat before you bring all your boxes and rubbish in makes it easier so we just brought the bed and a few kitchen bits and the vacuum with us and got the flat nice and clean before we started bringing boxes in.

3. Write up an inventory, our flat is part furnished so there's a few bits that were left here so we wrote up these things so when we move out we can make sure these are back where they belong. For example the sofa had cushions left on it but I had already brought cushions so i've popped the cushions into our airing cupboard but when I go through the inventory I will know they belong here.

4. Get a spare set of keys cut, we have the original set in the flat and both have a set of keys, we could do with getting a replacement key set cut incase either of us ever loose ours. Also make sure that the your lock system is secure and in working order, check out https://www.fastkeys.co.uk/ for a huge selection of locks and a fast key cutting service.

5.Take photos of damage or marks etc. On the first day when the flat is still empty you want to go round with your camera and a note pad and list any marks and take photos so if there is any issues when your moving out you have proof that these were already there. In our flat theres a mark in the spare room on the carpet and theres a broken leg in one of the kitchen cupboards but we have photos of these

These are just a few little tips if your about to move into your first rented property.





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