How to love yourself more - 5 things you can do

Well hello to you my reader chums! 

Self-love is something that can take a long time, varying on each individual and how they stand about themselves. It's a quality that should be celebrated amongst all, how incredible each of us is and the love we have for ourselves. We live in a world that if you're too insecure you look like an attention seeker and if you love yourself too much, you're arrogant - but how can being happy with who you are be a bad thing? 

For me personally, it's taken a long while to learn to love my flaws, accept who I am as a person, and praise the assets I have. The journey is still in progress and I'm slowly getting to the point of accepting who I really am and loving it.

though she be but little she is fierce

This quote is my favourite of all time, it reads 'Though she be but little she is fierce'.To me, this means no matter how small, quiet or shy you are, whatever you strive to do in life is possible. Your voice can be heard, your dreams can come true and you will own everything you put your mind to. Have confidence and just go for it!

Whether you're struggling with loving yourself or are unsure where to start, here are some best tips on how to love yourself more.

Go for it 

Whether that's wearing a new top, trying a different lipstick shade or braving a bikini in the summer time, take the chance and strut your stuff. You are beautiful, fierce, and can work any type of outfit. Don't limit yourself, try new things, and get comfortable wearing items you wouldn't usually go for.

Compliment yourself 

The key thing to accepting and loving you is praising yourself. Say in the morning 'my eyebrows look good today' or ' I love my outfit' as it'll instantly give you that boost of confidence before you leave the house.

Don't hide away 

When you aren't feeling confident about your appearance the thing you wouldn't want to do is go out in public. However, rather than staying in feeling worst about yourself, call a friend, meet up and go have a laugh - it's guaranteed to make you feel a whole lot better. Laughter is the best medicine!

Try and rock naturally you

Easier said than done but go out of the house without any makeup on. Over time, you'll grow to see you don't need it to feel confident, you're beautiful as you are. If you would have told me a few years ago to do this, I'd have cried at the thought, but now I am able to go out bare faced and feel happy within me.

Be your authentic self

 The last but most important thing is to be yourself. To love yourself, you have to fully be you, the weird and wacky person that you are. Laughing at your flaws, embracing your assets, and just having fun with your friends - life's too short to worry about a bad hair day. Be beautiful you.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What are your tips for self-love?

Thank you for reading <3

Beauty review: Zoella's Sweet Inspirations range

Well hello to you my reader chums! For today's post, I've got a review of the new Zoella Beauty range, 'Sweet Inspirations'. When the collection was announced, I was rather excited because not only did it look absolutely adorable, the scents were all based around sweet things, suiting me perfectly. I've got both of Zoe's previous ranges so couldn't wait to get my hands on a few bits when they were released.

Here's an overview of the range:

Zoella beauty Sweet Inspirations range

I initially bought three items after the launch; the bath latte, fragrance mist and coin purse then received the clutch bag as a gift.

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations bath latte

The first product I picked up was the stunning 'Bath Latte'. This has to be the cutest looking bubble bath bottle I've seen, it reminds me of vintage milk bottles with a shiny lid. As I adore my baths and lush products, I couldn't wait to try this out! I have to admit, it exceeded my expectations; once pouring the liquid under water, an array of bubbles formed and the sweet scent lingered for ages. I'd describe the scent as a combination of almonds and the overall smell when you walk into a sweet shop. It's like soaking in a bath of marzipan, leaving your skin feeling soft and smelling lovely all day long. For one bath, I used about a sixth of the bottle and after the bubbles grew, they lasted for ages, holding in the sweet goodness. Love, love, love!

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations coin purse

Another item I bought was the coin purse/pouch as the design was too cute for words. With the scalloped edges and lilac colour scheme, it gives off a mermaid-esque vibe. As it's quite a small bag, designed to put nick nacky bits in, I've liked to use this to store contact lenses in when travelling or slot it in my handbag for everyday essentials. The whole concept behind it is very practical and I love the quote 'life is sweet', simple but effective.

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations body mist

One of the products I've been obsessed with is the 'Sweet Inspirations' body mist. The scent of this spray is delicious, I could smell it all day long. I've been using the fragrance continuously as part of my everyday routine, I just can't get enough! Despite only being a mist, the scent lasts quite a while throughout the day. I love the packaging of this too, the glass bottle, gold lid and pattered background, provides an elegant, more expensive look to the overall product - for the quality and design, the price is brilliant.

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations Clutch bag

Last but not least is the gorgeous clutch bag. What I love about this is its versatility; you can either wear it folded over on a day basis or use for storage purposes when stretching out to its full size. I haven't gave it a go yet, however I think it'll really come in handy to pack all my beauty bits on my next trip in August. The design is super stylish, I love the blend of stripes, pastel colours and the wash of white shine.

I hope you enjoyed my review of Zoella's new range. Have you tried any of these products?

Thank you for reading <3



Brighton adventures and birthday celebrations!

Well hello to you my reader chums! The past few days have been a tad hectic but very exciting as my twin Maria and I celebrated our 20th birthday. It's crazy to think I'm now 20 years old and 'supposed' to be a full fledged adult, when in reality I still love a good old fashioned Disney filmed curled up on the sofa. To begin our celebrations as Maria was going to be away for our actual birthday, we headed to Brighton the Saturday before. Maria had never been to Brighton and since I fell in love with it the first time I visited, I couldn't wait to explore more!

Brighton Pier with Maria
Maria and I on the pier.

As soon as our train pulled up, we headed straight for the pier and had a good old browse around. The stalls, arcades and rides were all so exciting to take in. We wanted the day to be more of an exploration venture so only opted to go on the crazy mouse ride and couldn't stop laughing the entire time!

Brighton Pier with Maria

After taking a series of pictures and having a few games in the arcade, we headed down for a spot of shopping! We took a browse around the main shops and the Lanes. There was a wide selection of the cutest homeware boutiques offering an array of unique, quaint items; I wanted to buy everything!  

Brighton Pier with Maria

OOTD on Brighton Pier
OOTD on Brighton Pier:

Top - Primark
Jeans - Topshop black 'Joni' jeans
Jacket - Forever 21
Converse - Office

Gourmet Burger kitchen

Once we'd taken a tour around the main part of Brighton, it was time for lunch. We chose the ever so hyped Gourmet Burger Kitchen as both of us had never eaten in there before! I picked the classic chicken burger and sweet potato fries which I must admit was incredibly delicious, definitely worth the excitement.

Gelato Gusto ice cream Brighton

For a sweet treat afterwards, I took Maria into this scrumptious gelato place, 'Gelato Gusto' I'd tried out the last time I visited. We both adored the ice cream - I went for Belgian chocolate and salted caramel cheesecake; both mouth watering options. 

Brighton beach

We walked around Brighton a bit more then headed over to the beach to relax. Nothing makes me happier than sitting on the beach watching the waves go by, it's definitely my favourite place; I'm so lucky to live in a seaside location. To finish the day, we headed back to the pier, had even more fun in the arcades and grabbed some classic dinky doughnuts. The day was utterly brilliant, a lovely venture around an adoring city and quality time spent with Maria.

Brighton is becoming one of my favourite places to visit! To me, it's like a calmer version of London with the blend of a trendy city and the cool vibe of the seaside intertwined into one; I love it.

Birthday meal out
My best friends at the birthday meal (Danielle, Me, Chloe, Molly and Jesmine.)

As I mentioned previously, Maria went away for our birthday with her boyfriend. On the 21st June (the big day) therefore, I headed off to work and my marketing team completely spoilt me! They decorated my desk with princess accesories, banners and thousands of stars. Then bought a collection of different presents in a large box for me and Emma, made me a delicious cake - we even had Dominos for lunch! Once the working day was over, I went out to dinner with my best friends aka my favourite people in the world. I reserved an authentic Greek restaurant none of us tried before and we all absolutely adored it - the food was top notch and the service was truly friendly! The girls spoilt me rotten too - they prepared 20 presents, one for each year and wrote a quote on each one that links into the gift; a super sweet idea. I felt incredibly blessed and surrounded by so much love yesterday by everyone.

Three musketeers
Three musketeers ( Chloe, me and I) <3 

The past few days have been exceptional and I feel truly lucky to be blessed with the friends, family and work colleagues I do, as well as being able to experience such wonderful adventures. I saw my 20th year in on a high and I can't wait to see what more travels, experiences, funny moments and milestones it brings - here's to the next chapter.

I hope you enjoyed this birthday style post. Have you ever visited Brighton?

Thank you for reading <3



Plane journey travel essentials

Well hello to you my reader chums! If you saw my previous post, then you'd know I went on an exciting girls holiday the other week to Gran Canaria. When it comes to holiday planning or packing something to think about is your hand luggage, the essentials to take on the plane journey. 

Whether it's a short or long haul flight can vary slightly in what you bring on the plane and here are the plane essentials I choose to take with me.  

Plane journey travel essentials
Plane journey travel essentials

Travel documentation

 Let's start with the most important things as you certainly won't be going anywhere without a passport, travel insurance, and all your booking information. I like to keep mine all together in a plastic folder to ensure they're secure and in one place - and easily accessible to pull out when required.

Book 

 I'm a complete bookworm and something I do before every holiday is to buy a new novel to read on the flight. I opted this time for 'Finding Audrey', a book based around 'Audrey' overcoming her mental health journey through the help of her new friend Linus. It was such a touching, uplifting and easy read, bringing awareness to the subject of mental health -  I'd definitely recommend it. As my flight there was in the early morning I slept and read the novel on the way back, nearly finishing the whole thing - an addictive read for sure.

Headphones

Another activity item I'd suggest bringing is headphones. These can be used to block out any surrounding noise and you can either listen to music, podcast, watch a film, or whatnot on your phone/ tablet.

Hand sanitizer

Being the clean freak I am, hand sanitizer is a product I always have with me. It's perfect for plane journeys as not only are you surrounded by many people but if you'd like to eat something, touch anything sticky accidentally, or would like to freshen up, you can quickly clean your hands.

Hand cream

Like sanitizer, I love to carry around hand cream with me because there's nothing worse than dry hands. I find especially on a longer flight, it gets a bit stuffy so a little freshen up with a moisturise is the best remedy.

Tissues

Again, I feel like these are essential for journeys. Whether you have a runny nose, spill something, or whatever the scenario, tissues always come in handy.

Lip balm

Similar to dry hands, dry lips are another annoyance I like to keep at bay especially on a plane ride. I therefore always bring a lip balm along, this time I chose a Nivea one as I find them to be incredibly moisturising and soft on the lips.

Makeup bag

When flying, I always like to keep the bare essential make-up products with me, in case I either want to apply them on the plane or whilst waiting at the airport. My flight was really early in the morning and as I don't like travelling with makeup, I applied it on the flight. Inside the bag, I brought Rimmel's BB cream, wake me up concealer, stay matte powder, Benefit's Hoola bronzer, an eyebrow kit, and  Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara; to achieve a natural, quick look.

Chewing gum

Last but not least, chewing gum or mints are a necessity. Due to the pressure change in your ears when lifting off or landing, I find chewing a piece of gum can help pop them, easing the pain slightly. Also, it's good to have a mint/gum with you to freshen your breath during the flight.

Other essentials would be water to keep yourself hydrated, food to ensure your sugar/energy levels are kept high and a hoodie/cardigan, to wrap up.

I hope you enjoyed this plane essentials post. What do you bring on your flight?

Thank you for reading <3


Gran Canaria 2016 ❤️

Well hello to you my reader chums and long time no see!

If you've been following me on Twitter or read my previous blog post, you'd know over the past week I jetted off to the sunny Gran Canaria for a girls holiday. I went with my crazy group of best friends Danielle, Chloe and Molly; we had the most incredible time. Through the course of that week, we packed in many exciting activities, unforgettable hilarious moments, took loads of cherishable photos and truly had the best time together. From visiting the water park Aqualand, parasailing ( an amazing achievement), going on a jeep safari, camel ride, watching the dolphin show, heading to the zoo, beach days, paddle boating, swimming in the sea, market shopping and consuming enough ice cream to sink a ship, we certainly packed a lot in.

We took an array of pictures, many of which I adore! I've picked my absolute top favourites for this post as I love documenting exciting trips I've done throughout the year. Here's a look at the images:

Gran Canaria safari

For one of the days, we went on a camel ride which followed on to a jeep safari up the mountains. We went very high up and the road became rocky, however the views were astounding and the overall experience was a one off. Nature is such a beautiful thing a lot of us take for granted so it was lovely in that moment to take in the earth's calming atmosphere. In the image, we're surrounded by caves, which contain a pool filled with edible water. It's one of my favourite photos from the entire trip of us!

Palmitos Park Maspalomas
In Palmitos Park, a zoo we visited that featured the dolphin show, the surroundings were sheltered with exotic trees, shrubbery and rocks, giving the perfect background for images as well as providing much needed shade in the heat! The day was wonderful, we were able to see various different species, the exotic bird show and met a dolphin.

Chummy and I

Danielle and I on the first evening when we headed out for a little exploration of the town.

Gran Canaria beach

This photo makes me smile! On this beach day, we hired a paddle boat in the sea ( you can see behind us) and spent an hour of so paddling around, swimming; admiring the clear waters below. After that we hired a UFO float - basically this is a large circular seat which is attached to a jet ski and pulls you along the sea. It was a crazy amount of fun and we were laughing a hell of a lot! Despite Molly falling off, we still absolutely loved it and it's up there with one of our favourite moments of the trip.
The squad in matcing pjs
Before the holiday, we all got matching PJ's to wear!

Life is meant for good friends and great adventures

Adventures and best friends are the perfect mix. I love this photo of us three on the jeep, overlooking the mountainous views.

Gran Canaria jeep safari
Safari adventures.
Palmitos Park Maspalomas with chummy

Danielle and I in Palmitos Park under the trees.

Boat trip

I'm not the biggest fan of boats, water or even heights so it was a big thing for me getting on one and going parasailing! My favourite part of this day was getting off the main boat ( I got a bit of sea sickness) and heading out on a speed boat to the parasailing. The speed boat was so much fun and put the refreshing sea air back on your skin! When it was time for parasailing, I was really worried but once Danielle calmed me after the initial shock ( we went up as a pair), it was relaxing, watching the soothing waters and stunning views below - a one off experience I'm truly glad I did!

It's the crazy moments we live for

I have the craziest pals!

Village strolls in Gran Canaria

On safari day, we stopped off at a little village and had a lovely browse around. I love quaint, tucked away areas as they truly capture the heart of a community.

Three muskateers

Three musketeers <3

On the last night, we took a beach walk, saying goodbye to the area and taking some cute pictures. The beach will forever be my happy place and I love evening strolls.

Evening beach walks
Mountainous views

Lake views from the jeep safari.

Playas del Ingles beach

Playas del Ingles beach.

Boat trip views

Our view from the boat trip.

Palmitos Park dolphin show

I was completely blown away by the dolphin show in Palmitos Park! They were all amazingly talented and put on such a performance - we even had the chance of meeting a dolphin and had our picture taken with her. Dolphins are one of my favourite animals so it was fantastic being so close to them


Best friends

Chloe and I at the beach.

Bikini ootd

Bikini OOTDs with Molly!

The squad

The crazy crew enjoying our last day at the beach!

I hope you enjoyed a look at my most cherished holiday photos. I'm truly grateful to have such beautiful, heart warming best friends in my life and am able to head out on these fun filled trips together. I can't believe the holiday is now over and I did many things I never thought I would. I overcame a handful of fears, laughed till my stomach hurt and created lifelong memories with my favourite people.


Thank you for reading <3


May favourites ❤️

Well hello to you my reader chums! I can't believe the spring month of May is over and we're now in June; half way through 2016. The past few weeks have gone incredibly fast and I'm now only a couple of days away from jetting off on another girls holiday; crazy stuff.

I've been loving a few new products and a golden oldie the month just gone, here's an overview:

May favourites
Maybelline's colour tattoo in 'Pink gold'
Maybelline's colour tattoo in 'Pink gold'

When the warmer weather hits and spring emerges, my go to makeup look is a shimmery pink eye and nude lip. To achieve it, my favourite product is the ever so hyped, Maybelline colour tattoo in 'pink gold'. This cream eyeshadow doubles up as a base and primer for the eyes, ensuring the shadow lasts that extra bit longer. The consistency is creamy and blends well, giving a beautiful pink sheen to the eye.

Little girl gone book

Book - Little Girl Gone' by Alexandra Burt

For as long as I can remember I've been a complete bookworm, with my head always stuck in a story. Over the past few weeks therefore, I wanted to get back into the swing of reading and have carried this little gem wherever I'd get the chance to read. This book had me hooked from the off, the deep tragedy and suspense it had throughout, gripped you in; I didn't want to put it down. With many unexpected moments, heart breaking scenes and noteworthy characters, it's an addictive read. A must recommend with a crazy plot twist.


Simple kind to skin soothing toner

Simple Kind to Skin soothing facial toner

I'm not sure if it's because summer is fast approaching or what but this month I've really got back into a skin care routine, ensuring I tone after using my Simple face wash. The toner I've been loving is the matching Simple one because it's truly gentle on the skin and feels really refreshing once used. It helps take away any excess dirt, makeup or grime that the makeup remover and face wash do not, leaving the skin feeling clean.

Brushegg brush cleaner

Brushegg brush cleaner

This mitt style brush cleaner has been another favourite in May. My best friend Chloe picked this up for me at a boot fair as she'd thought I'd get a lot a use out of it; she was correct indeed. The gizmo makes the brush cleaning process much quicker, simpler and doesn't leave your hands feeling raw afterwards. It's designed with a little hole in the bottom to insert your fingers and have a grip when swirling the brushes on the flat side. I use it by squeezing a ten pence size amount of baby shampoo onto the flat part and lathering it up to deep clean the brush. I found by using this, the brushes get more of an in depth clean to what it usually would if I had lathered the shampoo on my hand.

NYX Matte lip cream in 'Cannes'

Nyx Cosmetics matte lip cream in 'Cannes'

With the exciting arrival of a NYX stand in my local boots, I finally got my hands on a few of their products and I have to admit the matte creams certainly lived up to the high expectations. I bought 'Stockholm' and 'Cannes', two varied nudes, 'Stockholm' being a brown tone and 'Cannes' a slightly dark, dusky pink. I've especially loved 'Cannes' this month as it really smartens up any look. I find the texture of these to be beautifully creamy as they sit on the lips well, not budging for several hours. Despite the matte formulation, the lip creams aren't drying at all on the lips and feel like you have no product on at all; I absolutely love them.

I hope you enjoyed this monthly favourites post. What products have you been loving this month?

Thank you for reading <3