How To Sleep | Stress

BEAUTY REST TIPS

Winding down for sleep can be a hard thing to do. Our minds are whirring round thoughts of the day, if I'm stressed and anxious it can take ages before I feel tired. My worst problem is feeling tired watching telly downstairs and by the time I get into bed I'm wide awake again. I'll stay awake till about eleven answering tweets, seeing my instagram likes and follows, checking my blog views, sending e-mails, snapchats and texts. After that's all done I find my self procrastinating rather than going to sleep. Playing bubble witch, looking at my news app, funny apps and rubbish like that. Which wakes me up again. So I'm going to give you five tips to finding it easier to fall asleep.

• I used to have a television in my room, well I still do, but it does not come on past 9 anymore. Television stimulates your brain which keeps you awake without you knowing. Your brain is then processing what you've seen and heard. For example, have you ever watched a program about the army and had a dream that was remotely related? This is your brain processing ideas. 

• Currently I have white curtains in my bedroom which the absolute opposite of what I'm about to tell you.. get blackout curtains if you can. You can pick them up at furniture shops such as Dunelm Mill or ebay, amazon and the range for not a massive expense. 

• Counting sheep is an old wives tale but it really works. Maybe let you imagine yourself in a job or situation you'd love, this can relax you and put you into a sleepier mode. I'm currently counting down to go skiing in four months so when I can't sleep I picture everything I can remember of the resort we go too. I never normally finish because I'm asleep!

• I've started reading again. I used to read all the time and just went off it, for some reason. I think I just stopped finding books that interested me. Don't pick a boring one though, you'll resort to something else. 

• If you're really really suffering try melatonin tablets. Obviously talk to your doctor or nurse first but they could be of help. 

Hope some of these help you out

xx

Sleep Deprivation | Stress

SLEEP DEPRIVATION 

I think it's ironic that when you're little, parents nag you all the time to go to bed and you fight them and now, at eighteen, I would give anything for a two hour nap in mid afternoon. A lot of countries such as India, Italy and Greece all have siesta's midday. I think the UK should join this idea, everyone's bodies has a little dip midday. I know that I won't get more than nine hours sleep a night since I started my college years. At college I'd have to get up at 6:30am to be on the bus and I wouldn't go to bed till late, due to fitting in course work, my horse and friends. 

   I average around seven hours of sleep per night. 

It's essential that you have these hours and they are scheduled. I'm lucky because I know what work rotas are for a week at a time. This means I can see when I can blog and when I can't, for example. If I know I've got a nice four hour chunk in the morning before work but know it's not enough time to go out or ride I'll write posts and posts on here but not publish them, just one. This means on a day I have a five minute break I can just push publish and I won't miss a single post. Which is positive on my blog, and on me and my future. Which I hope is developing soon! I work better on my blogs in chunks like this when I have time to myself. Now for example, I put 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' on the telly in the background and work away. There's always time for blogging!

xx

New Chapter | Stress

Horse Riding Is My Stress Relief

Back in college, before a big event like the end of year prom or a job interview, I would, like girls everywhere suffer some kind of sudden acne breakout, take over problem. It's not coincidence and it's not a cruel trick of fate. It's stress. It's your body in control, not your mind. I've recently started researching stress and what it can do and I've learnt so much. Stress can affect pretty much every aspect of your life. Those pre-date pimples are actually caused by your unconscious stressing. Stress can affect you hair, skin, nails and even weight. 

   When I started my first 40-hour a week job, I was so overwhelmed; sleep deprived, ill, stressed. I was so worried about my future, (as many young adults are) but I found blogging which helps but I have to find a balance with work, social and blogging which is a lot to handle. 

   If you see a doctor about stress, they will tell you it's not only poisonous for your body, but also can become an addiction. WHAT? I hear you say. While some addicts use drugs to combat stress, there's a whole different group of people who don't know how to live without stress. For type A personalities, stress can be the pulse-quickening factor that drives them, at unhealthy speeds, through life. When you feel stressed it's actually your mind thinking you're in danger and is preparing you in the fight or flight response. This is caused by adrenaline and cortisol being released. This is great i you're actually in danger and need to run, but this is terrible when it happens on a regular basis. The constant uptick in these hormones wreaks havoc all over - your immune system suffers, skin problems can appear and worsen and you can become forgetful or depressed. Stress affects me by making my skin oily and red, making any dry skin flare up badly, my nails suffer and I can't maintain weight. 

   To combat this I try and relax and detox. I don't intake as much caffeine, (coffee, energy drinks and fizzy) alcohol, fast foods and I've started exercising more. I find riding my horse is a major stress relief because animals naturally calm you. With some time and dedication, I finally reduced my stress levels. Soon i felt so much better. 

   Since then I've found a happy balance in my life. This is because to do my jobs well I need to be happy and healthy and motivated. I hope this stress chapter helps you too. Look forward to posts about sleep deprivation, beauty rest tips, breathing, you time, destressing and tips. Hope you enjoy.

xx

Possible Give Away?

DID SOMEONE SAY GIVEAWAY?

My first giveaway! I promise you it won't be the last either, if it's successful enough! So let's make it be..

So, why do one now? Well, recently my blog has become more and more popular and rocketed in views. I still only have one follower but I don't mind at all if 650+ people have read my writing :)

If I do, what do I give away? Only a small giveaway to start.. just three things, two from my favourite beauty range.. lush.

 (products subject to change)

First could be the 250g of Alkmaar Soap from LUSH. Why this one? It's an old favourite soaps from lush and it's so hard to get your hands on because they discontinued it everywhere except the Poole branch and online. So I can help you get some of this lovely honeysuckle soap.

Next could be the Ego Retro Massage Bar from LUSH. This is another old favourite, if you find it hard to relax or wind down before bed, this bar will sort all of your problems. It's gorgeous!

Finally something a little different and carrying on with the retro theme.. remember lip smackers lip balm? You can get them in Primark still but that's about the only place I've seen them in years and years. Well, I might get you guys the candy floss flavoured one just for something a little extra. 

How will you win this giveaway? When I get to the desired amount of views on my blog.. (800?) I will set a little something up. I'm thinking a little competition on Twitter. Maybe tweet me the reason you think you should win? Or your favourite old retro discontinued beauty product? We will see...

We will see. 

xx

Bangs | Daily Hair Care

ALL ABOUT BANGS

Whether you've worn bangs or not, you'll probably realise that there's a lot of variety in the fringe family. If you're thinking about really changing up your look but you don't want to sacrifice length in either direction, (hair cut or extensions) bangs can really be a great option. This doesn't mean that you have to adopt dramatic blunt bangs either. You can always trim more, so start long and go from there.

Ashley Tisdale

LONG, SIDESWEPT BANGS

These are good for almost any hair type and can be very versatile. You can straighten them or wear them wavy to blend into curls. They're also easy to grow out, which makes them the perfect solution for easing yourself into a full on bang commitment. These also work well if you have naturally curly hair that you air dry since you can blow dry the bangs and sweep them to the side, blending them with other hair.

Chanel Iman

BLUNT EYEBROW-LENGTH BANGS

These are a good option if you have a long, narrow face, because they make your face appear a bit more oval. They're also great if you have thick, straight hair and want a more mod look. If your eyes are your favourite feature, these will draw a lot of attention to them!

Reese Witherspoon

WISPY-ENDED BANGS

You don't ever want your bangs to be too thin, otherwise they'll be a little too '80s, but you can have your hairdresser cut up into an otherwise blunt bang just to make the ends more jagged and less precise. This is good if you hair has body and you don't want your bangs to look too perfect.

Colouring Your Hair | Daily Hair Care

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR COLOURING YOUR HAIR

When you go darker, you'll find many colour lines load their products with conditioning agents, so the layer of colour can make your hair feel really glossy and luxurious. Going lighter, however, can be fraught with issues. You need to take extra caution when caring for your hair, since you've then shifted it into more fragile territory. Resist the urge to change your colour by more than a couple shades at a time. If you go too far there's a good chance your hair will suffer and will require constant - and expensive - treatment. Then there's the irreversible damage.  

   Like with a haircut, it can be nearly impossible to determine exactly what the colour is going to look like on you, which is why, as tempting as all the pretty colours in the hair dye aisle can look, if you're going lighter, or changing dramatically, please, please go to a professional. Fixing a bad at home job can take months, or, at worst, you will have to wait till your hair fully grows out.. years. Before you sit down in the chair, find pictures of your favourite colours and show your stylist. Again, go to the wig shop and try on different wigs. Listen to your hairdresser's recommendations so you don't end with something to close to your skin colour and end up monochromatic. 

My Everyday Make Up Routine

 Every blogger needs to do a post about their everyday makeup routine, and I'm about to tick that box. I've done one before but that's long gone because it was only my second post, and wasn't the greatest read. Since then I have updated my routine, found better products, techniques and have definitely toned it down a little. I definitely wear a lot less makeup now! So have fun reading..

I use a staple of nine products with the added extra everyone and again. 

I use a mixture of two different foundations, the Rimmel London Perfect Match Foundation and the Revlon Nearly Naked. I use two because they are both in the wrong shade but I don't want to let them go to waste. Why? Because they are both incredible foundations, that's why! The perfect match is a darker share with some medium coverage which helps match my face to neck as I self tan. The nearly naked is lighter but it's one of those foundations that goes on so lightly and makes it look like you don't have any on at all, whilst still making you look flawless.

I will always love my maybelliene dream mousse blush for giving me a natural, subtle blush to my apples and then I apply my accessorize bronzed as a contour on my cheekbones, nose and forehead just to try and shape my big ol'face a bit better. 

Next, my old reliable concealer. I use a concealer by Collection (2000) which I think was discontinued, it's a stick sort of solid one, like a lipstick. But if I research it now they only have concealers on a wand and follow with the collection sheer loose powder. 

That's my face done! So next I use my new-ish Rimmel Smokey Brun quad and I take the darkest chocolate shade on a brush and run it through my eyebrows as they are quite sparse and light compared to my hair. 

I always prime my eyelids using maybelliene dream primer before I wing out my eyeliner using a NYC felt brush liner. Sometimes I use a selection of Coastal Scents eye shadows and sometimes I dont. It really depends on my mood!

Finally I brush some mascara onto my top and bottom lashes. I go between three ascaris, the Accessorize one, the l'oreal million lashes and my Rimmel day 2 night. 

So that's my look. I should do a picture tutorial or a youtube tutorial so keep your eye on that. Lots of exciting things hopefully coming this way :) 

Xx