beauty habits

Recently I've been trying to get into a few beauty habits. I should probably premise this by saying I'm not massively into the whole beauty scene, I would much rather spend my money on a cute scarf than a new mascara. But now I'm edging ever further into my late 20s I think it's about time I address my routine - especially considering I still get spots (yawn). So here are my 10 new habits I'm trying to stick to...

1) Cleansing my face twice at night - once when I get home from work to remove my make-up, then again before bed to cleanse my skin. For this I'm using my favourite cleanser ever, Liz Earle cleanse & polish hot cloth cleanser.

2) Use a face mask once a week - I've started using Dr. Organic Manouka Honey face mask every Wednesday after yoga to give my skin a bit of a treat.

3) Wash my make up sponges once a week - trying to keep everything as clean as possible to prevent breakouts.

4) Keep my hair off my face at night - I use a fair amount of product in my hair and now it's getting longer I'm trying to keep it off my face at night.

5) Floss every night - I recently got a bit of a slap on the wrist from my dentist for not doing this, so trying to get back in the habit.

6) Experiment with lip colour - I've always been an eyes over lips kinda girl as I really struggle to find lip colours that suit me. I've recently branched out with a dark berry colour for night and a subtle pink for day....baby steps.

7) Paint my nails with more exciting colours - something I've always been lazy about, even though I have naturally long nails. When I do paint them I tend to stick to neutrals, so I'm trying to branch out a little! I've now bought some lovely new colours including navy blue, mint green and a metallic rust colour on top of my standard taupe and grey.

8) Keep on top of my eyebrow maintenance - any one else guilty of this? I always put off sorting my brows out until I begin to resemble a cave man, but no more! I'm now plucking stray hairs every couple of days to keep on top of things.

9) Exfoliate and moisturise - self explanatory really, must look after my skin a bit more.

10) Get out of my make-up product rut - I always use the same foundation, powder, blusher etc. I really need to see what else is on offer.

Any beauty habits you're trying to get into?

stack rings

all images via pinterest

Let me start this post off with a confession - I am not a ring person. I feel like they get in the way and  struggle to function with them obstructing my fingers. I'm not even really a bracelet person. Whenever I work at a computer (which is pretty much all the time considering I'm a copy writer by day and blog writer by night) I can't even have my watch on, it just irritates me. I'm much more of a necklace person (as you can see here), give me layered chains around my neck over cluttered fingers any day.

 Lately however, I have become rather obsessed with stack rings. Thin, plain ones with the odd Aztec-like flourish would be ideal. Even though I'm pretty sure at work I would take them all off and end up with a big pile of jewellery on my desk - wouldn't they look awesome the rest of the time? In fact, looking at my style board on Pinterest, it appears I do have quite the obsession with rings and bracelets. 

Perhaps it's about time I went out of my comfort zone and embraced cluttered fingers.

Are you a ring person or do they get in your way too?

a birthday in bath

For my birthday this year I was well and truly spoilt by my boyfriend and taken to Bath for the weekend. I've heard such great things about the city from friends and now I know why - it is such a gorgeous city and steeped in history. 

We stayed at the Royal Crescent hotel and received the most incredible service during our stay. Joe had told them it was my birthday and when we got to our room there was a cute box of handmade chocolates waiting for me with a written note wishing me a happy birthday! (it's the little things that make a difference). 

After unpacking we went to explore the city and took a look around the stunning Roman Baths (where we saw a couple of ducks enjoying the hot springs!) was so interesting to see all the relics they uncovered. Didn't get the chance to go inside the Abby, but we got to take in its beauty from the outside.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the hotel spa for a relaxing swim, steam and sauna - heaven. We managed to find a cute little bar in the evening and had a couple of cocktails before dinner. Joe had booked us a table at the most INCREDIBLE Italian restaurant called Sotto Sotto, amazing service, romantic setting and delicious food, I thoroughly recommend it to anyone going to Bath.

The next day we took another stroll in town and stocked up on some Ben's Cookies before heading home. It was such a lovely weekend, will have to go back in the summer to explore the botanical gardens. 

Have you been to Bath? Anywhere you would recommend going?

getting healthy - how i'm doing it

Back in October I wrote a blog post about 'getting healthy' and even though my intentions were there, so was Christmas. I ate my way through November and December and came out the other side at my heavy-est weight in a long time and suffering from constant stomach cramps.

So when January rolled around, I decided to get serious about my health - feeling bloated and unwell all the time was getting old. So I made a resolution and this time, stuck to it. Since Christmas I have lost five pounds, my stomach cramps have gone, my skin is slowly starting to clear up and I generally have more energy. 

Here's what I've been doing and what I've found helpful...

Using 'My Fitness Pal' app to track what I'm eating

Swapping high sugar cereals for low sugar cereals 

(bitesize shredded wheat with a few sultanas is my new obsession)

Being good 90% of the time with food and letting myself have the odd blowout meal 

(usually something involving pasta, cheese and chocolate!!)

Drinking water instead of squash/juice/coke most of the time 

(I never used to drink plain water so this is a big deal for me)

Keeping my fitness regime varied with cardio (spinning or swimming) strength (free weights and body weight exercises) and flexibility (yoga)

Using the 'Yoga Studio' app to practice yoga at home on top of my weekly class

When I'm craving something sweet I either chew some sugar free gum or have a light Options hot chocolate

(I have a major sweet tooth so conquering cravings has been my main issue)

So far it's been going well and after two months, I really feel it's become a lifestyle change. I think one of the main things is to not put pressure on yourself to be 'perfect' all the time, I don't punish myself for having the odd takeaway. This means food is still a pleasure for me, not something to feel guilty about which is soooo important. I'll be doing a resolutions round-up post soon to let you know how I'm getting on with my other goals for 2013, feel it's a good idea to remind yourself where you are with them from time to time.

Anyone else trying to keep fit this year? How are you getting on with your resolutions/goals for 2013?

just a minute february

Writing: Lots of content about diet and exercise for work - I am a fountain of fitness knowledge right now!

Trying: Yoga at home. I love my weekly class so much and have now started practicing at home

Watching: TV - Walking Dead | Film - Cloud Atlas (I did not enjoy sadly)

Listening: Alt J | DJ Shadow

Buying: Clothes! Grey separates, cobalt shirt and lightweight knits

Loving: Getting into a routine with my fitness, pub lunches and lighter evenings

How is your February going?

lust have: the print shirt

 Zara Print Shirt 

This season I appear to be having somewhat of a Zara obsession. My love for the brand started young when a rather trendy friend of mine told me about a couple of cool Spanish stores called Mango and Zara. We travelled to London for the first time on our own to visit the stores, and the rest as they say is history.

Right now I need this over-sized leopard print shirt. Buttoned up over skinny black trousers for work, or loose over a plain tee and leggings for the weekend, this shirt is a serious multitasker. I'm already planning a trip to Reading to buy this shirt (because for some reason Guildford does NOT have a Zara yet?!) and I'm sure I'll end up with more a few more bits for spring.....

What are you currently lusting over?

what if money was no object?

Found this video on Facebook and had to share it on here too. 

What did you want to do when you were a kid? 

I remember vividly being asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" in year three and replying "a author" (clearly I had some way to go grammar wise). A few years after that we had to stand up on stage in front of the whole school  and say what we wanted to be when we grew up and why. By then I had decided I wanted to be a Vet because "I wuv animals".

Between then and secondary school I swung between professional horse rider and masseuse. The next time I remember being asked to consider my career was secondary school year 9 when we had to pick our 'options' for GCSE's. By then I was convinced I was going to be a singing superstar so chose music and drama. 

At college I realised I had no musical talent whatsoever and was right the first time round when I said I wanted to be an author, so I studied English Language, Media Studies and Psychology. When college came to an end I didn't know what the hell to do - so I went to uni to study media writing.

So far in my career I have worked in a factory, been a shop girl many times over, written thousands and thousands of words for free and had a stint in customer service for a fashion website. None of which really made me happy. I'm now writing for a living and can honestly say I'm happy.

Would I rather be travelling the world writing whatever I wanted and getting paid for it? Hell yeah! But  even though I'm not earning what most people my age are, I live at home with my parents and I can't drive, I'm still happy. I don't dread work on a Sunday night, I have time to go to yoga, read magazines and write blogs - and I have an amazing boyfriend and kick-ass friends and family. 

One day I'll be earning money from what I love - but until then, I'm happy to say I'm happy. 

Do you work to earn money, or are you lucky enough to enjoy what you do?