10 ways to get yourself together - mind, body & lifestyle

Hey guys! So, it's almost the end of the first month of 2015 - can you believe it! I've thrown myself into the new year; trying to be productive everyday, getting on with university and making a conscious effort to spend more time laughing and having fun than worrying. But for people that feel like they've lost track or need a little boost, here are a few things that I've learnt - and still learning - simply gathered from chats with my girl friends and on my journey to self-happiness. 

1) Worrying is natural, everybody worries. But when it gets to a point where it disrupts your sleep, or makes you think twice about accepting exciting new opportunities, then it needs to be addressed. I am a little bit of a worrier I have to admit, especially when it comes to uni work, deadlines, interviews etc, but it's important to put things into perspective. 1) What's the worst that can happen? and 2) will worrying yourself now have any impact on the outcome? 99% of the time, worrying two weeks before i.e an exam, going back to uni/school, an interview, or anything outside of your comfort zone, will not effect what actually happens at the time, so why worry? be conscientious of course, and prepare yourself but worrying too much, I find, can really ruin your time and it's so easy to find yourself in a negative place, but put things into perspective - enjoy today, put it to the back of your mind, because worrying now will not make the end result any better or worse.

2) Separate yourself from others problems - of course, it's important to be there for your friends and family as much as you can, but it's important to look after yourself first, and although some may think it's selfish, at the end of the day only you can truly take care of you. And if you have a lot of things going on, then hearing other peoples problems and getting involved can put extra pressure on yourself, so sometimes there's no harm in stepping back and focusing on yourself.

3) Set yourself realistic goals - whether it's a goal to lose weight, to eat healthier or to exercise more, it's so important to set realistic goals that you know you can stick to. If you set yourself an unrealistic goal that isn't sustainable then it won't be long till you feel disheartened when you don't see the results, potentially ending up back where you started. Expecting to go to the gym four times a week when you've never regularly worked out before, isn't realistic, find something that not only you will enjoy, but you can keep up. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, you're doing great!

4) Diet? Lifestyle change - I HATE DIETS. If all of our 'diets' worked then why aren't we all bikini babes? That's because the whole idea of cutting out sugary/fattening foods for a couple of weeks/months is flawed. What happens when the diet is over? HELLO CHOCOLATE AND ICE CREAM ALL DAY AND NIGHT. The key is to change your mentality, eating healthily is a lifestyle change, with chocolate and ice cream all day and night - in moderation. Scrap the diet, and start eating healthily as a new and improved lifestyle - not something you're forcing for a couple of weeks. Then it won't be long till you're feeling better and seeing the changes you want to see.
*Read Cameron Diaz - 'The Body Book' for some amazing inspiration*

5) Don't hold yourself back - We only get one life so what are you waiting for? Life is way too short to have regrets or to wish you'd done things sooner. I like to think of it as: what's the worst that can happen? What's the worst that can happen if you fail that exam? If the answer is no? If you go to an interview and they say no? - exactly that. The earth won't swallow you up whole into a pit of doom and failure, you move on. We live, we learn, we shake it off.

6) Be pro-active - Want to be a writer? fashion designer? dolphin trainer? then there's no better way to make yourself feel content than by being pro-active. Make steps that will help you to get to where you want to be. Sitting and thinking about it won't get you there, and if you don't strive for change, then nothing will change. Knowing that you're making those steps to better yourself and your life will make you a happier and more content person instantly.

7) Surround yourself with positive uplifting people - It's as simple as that. People who are negative-Nancys will only make you a negative Nancy. Find some positive Pollys that will lift you, make you feel good and inspire you. There's no better feeling and I'm very lucky to have that with two very special girls :) I always leave them feeling like I can conquer the world!

8) Get yo' exercise owwwn - It's true. Exercise makes you feel good. As horrible as exercising sounds - the effort, the sweat, the pain - more often than not, it makes you feel good afterwards, productive if you like. Even if it's only for 10/20 minutes, anything is better than nothing!

9) Document your progress - Thinking of starting your new healthy lifestyle? take a full length picture of yourself and again a couple of months later. There is no better way of getting yourself feeling motivated than seeing how far you've come and how much your body - however subtle - has changed! This can also be effective in written form; documenting your feelings in a notebook or simply what you've eaten that day is a brilliant way of remembering where you once were, compared to where you are now. Perfect for down days when you need to realise... you ain't done bad girl!

10) Treat yourself - Run a hot bath with a whole Lush bath bomb (don't try to salvage any - hehe) Pamper yourself, buy that look-at-me dress that you've had your eye on, get your hair done, put on that fake tan (that I've tried to stay away from but I just can't resist), either way.. just love yourself. Do anything and everything you can to get yourself feeling good and confident. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself and putting that little extra effort in to give you that little boost. Even if it's simply having some time to yourself after a busy week, just do it!


What do you like to do to pamper yourself and feeling more positive? :-)

I'm part of the short hair clan! - My new short tousled style

I haven't braved hair this short since the age of thirteen - to say it was a tragedy then is an understatement - but I decided a couple of weeks ago to take the plunge and at my own risk, cut it short... thirteen-year-old-Laura short. 

My longer hair had really run its course. Long, split ends sprouting everywhere, ratty and damaged, this was more than just a 'trim' job, it had to be chopped off. I'd made the decision to cut my hair, knowing I had to wait a week to get an appointment, so I detested it; no matter how much I faffed around with the style, it was U.G.L.Y. Chucking it in a top knot was the only solution. 

Now i've finally had it cut, I just love it. It's so much easier to maintain and when I wake up, that's it. I don't have to bother styling it or playing around with it because finally, the short and messy unkept do is IN. 

Alexa Chung's perfectly tousled hair and Fearne Cotton's volumised locks are the inspiration for my new style; who knew how chic the just-rolled-out-of-bed look could be? 

However, in 2007, it wasn't so chic; growing up being really picky and conscious about my image didn't help with my confidence at all. Throw in a short haircut that I didn't know how to look after, and there you go... a mid-life crisis at the age of thirteen. Back then it was all about having perfectly straight hair - which I don't have but desperately craved - and I was obsessed with straightening it every morning, every night because I hated having wavy hair that stuck out all over the place. Now, I feel like the natural wave and messiness of my hair really makes this look, waking up and not having to put much of an effort in is a real relief... in fact, I might go a little shorter! 

It's been a journey, but I finally feel like me and my hair can have a healthy relationship, however it decides to be in the mornings!

Oh, and i've also cut out fake tan after my unhealthy obsession over the summer, so you could say it's the first big step towards being a more natural me!

Let me know if you have any short hair styling tips that you're loving this season!

FOTD: Get festive with Kiko - a warm eye look

Seen in photograph: 

- Foundation: Bourjois healthy mix (Vanilla)
- Concealer: Collection 2000 Lasting perfection concealer ( 01 Fair)
- Benefit Hoola Bronzer
- Lipstick: MAC Kinda Sexy
- Eyes (my staple product!): Kiko long lasting eyeshadow stick (37 Burgundy)


Not seen in photograph (because packaging is too grubby):

-Powder: Max Factor creme puff pressed powder (41 medium beige)
-Mascara: Bourjois volume 1 second mascara (ultra black)
-Brows: Hi impact brows palette

I LOVE this look. The warm burgundy eye is perfect for winter and the up-coming festive season! Team with a nude lip for a casual day look or with a dark berry lip for a mysterious, sexy evening do. Heavy contouring will always be in - from Cheryl to Kim Kardashian, effortlessly get the look with Benefits famous bronzer, Hoola! I never leave the house without my ol'faithful Hoola... even though it's getting a little bit grubby. It also has no shimmer and appears completely matte which doesn't make it too overpowering for everyday use - holy grail right there!

Kiko's burgundy eyeshadow stick also makes blue eyes really stand out and is soooo flattering, so blue eyed beauties... get to Kiko! I also love how easy it is to apply as eyeshadow can be a little daunting. It's a quick fix product that can completely transform a look in seconds; simply sweep and blend for a flawless finish!

I really hope you enjoyed this post because I haven't done a FOTD or MOTD in a loooooooong time. Be sure to let me know what products you're loving for the upcoming festive season and any eye products that make blue eyes pop!

My biggest beauty blunders - I was young okay!

We were all young once, and at some point - stupid. When it comes to beauty, I cannot help but cringe at some of the things I used to do... more worryingly, some of the things that I thought looked good;  I made some of the biggest beauty mistakes in history, but I'm sure many of you were guilty too!

1) Powder brows: And I'm not talking powder made for the brows - I'm talking full on, bushy; un-plucked, untouched brows. With nothing to accompany them but the insane amount of foundation powder, clinging onto every hair, they looked more like two ginger slugs sitting above my eyes. I know going au naturel is the biggest gift of childhood, but wearing just an innocent amount powder can really destroy a look!

2) Liner brows: No. 2 of the brow-destroying chronicles has to be the worst. After discovering that filling in your brows is the way forward, I decided to try this myself…. with thick black eyeliner. I don't even have to add anymore to this because I think you know how treacherous this is.

3) Almost-no-brows: No. 3 of the brow-destroying chronicles is also quite disastrous - just when you think I couldn't mess up my eyebrows any more. Pluck, Pluck, Pluck, Pluck, I'd pluck all day, just not in the right way. Instead of plucking beneath the brow to create the perfect arch, I'd pluck on top to create more of an emoji-style finish. More like straight lines. *cringing right now*.

4) Foundation flaws: My first ever foundation is a blast from the past. It was from the little Maybelline booth in my local chemist and I was so excited to try it that I just picked up the first one I saw  - with no awareness of colour matching- and slapped it on. As well as putting something on my face that was 5 shades darker than my own, it also had glitter in the formula so the finish was horrific and couldn't of drawn enough attention to the orange line beneath my chin.

5) Recyclable makeup wipes: No. Makeup wipes should not be used more than once!!! But, yet again, along with the long list of beauty blunders that i'm guilty of, of course I done it. I had no awareness of skincare and up until then, no awareness of what caused breakouts. I probably had the worst skin ever from the age of thirteen to sixteen because of this beauty blunder, and yet I seeked to destroy it even more by re-using my cotton makeup pads too.

6) Gradual tan, looks the same as suncream, right?: Yet again, I don't have to go into much detail because you can imagine the sight. The orange. It didn't take a miracle to realise that 5 minutes of sunbathing wasn't causing my sudden tango glow… did anyone warn me? nope.

7) £5 extensions: The price tag should've been a warning not to go there. So was the stall outside Primark, selling a combination of hair extensions, Nokia phone cases, and dog baskets... but there you go. My extensions were a crime. Plastic, horse hair looking rat tails that sat on my waist whilst my natural hair, just under my chin, stuck out like a sore thumb. If I wasn't known in secondary school as 'the girl with dodgy hair extensions' then i'll eat my own arm.

8) Foundation lips: It was a trend that swept through the nation and the majority of girls in Essex were guilty. The trend consisted of smearing your lips with foundation and if that's not bad enough, slapping lipgloss on top to really make them stand out. I could say that was me compromising by creating a budget nude lippy, but there are standards… laws. Just NOOOOOOOOOO.

9) I daresay hairspray: I may have been a little hairspray crazy throughout the end of primary school/beginning of secondary school. I was a perfectionist and couldn't have a hair loose. I sprayed my hair so much that it was rock solid stuck to my head - a constant wind tunnel/ face lift look if you ask me. Who said that Kim Kardashian bought the slicked back top knot into fashion ayy?

10) Spots on forehead?… get a fringe: At the time, I thought it was a genius decision… until I cut my fringe myself. It was a hopeless/stupid attempt at camouflaging the corkers on my forehead. Not only did I cut my fringe with paper scissors causing split ends to grow on my already split ends, but I decided to only apply my makeup on the lower part of my face - after all, you can't see my forehead when I have a full fringe? Not until the wind blows and my disproportionate skin tone is on show to the whole playground. It could be seen as me saving my makeup, or it's a beauty blunder that cannot be ignored.

11) reapplying makeup on top of yesterdays makeup: C'mon girls we've all done it. It's soooo bad for our skin it should be illegal, but just once won't hurt, right? tehe.

So it's been fun, but i'm all beauty blundered out for the day and I feel ashamed that I thought any of these were acceptable… ironically i'm a beauty blogger now so something must have gone right!!!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipsticks

Last week I went to the fabulous Bourjois 24hr Party Ready event and had a sneak preview of some of the gorgeous A/W range - including a new Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick in shade 09 Happy Nude Year! (how cute).

Sprinkled with bouquets of roses, cocktails all round, ghd stylists and nail artists at the ready, I felt pampered like a princess. I had a glass of wine in one hand, delicious mini hamburger in the other, whilst getting my hair done at the same time; my excitement (especially after a few wines) made it perfectly clear that this isn't a daily occurrence… hehe.

When I got home - head slightly hurting - I couldn't wait to try my new goodies! I've heard such great things about Bourjois' ultra long-lasting matte lippys, and they really lived up to their reputation. At first I thought: oh great, another standard lip gloss that tastes weird, with a sticky consistency and goes gloopy after a couple of weeks.. but no! I was super surprised to find that it had a smooth matte finish with a consistent pop of colour, easy to apply and just gorgeous. 

Happy Nude Year is a very pretty pink, but it's natural and subtle enough to wear everyday. The pop of colour gives any complexion a really healthy glow and it can easily be taken from day to night with a bold eye look - party ready for the festive season ahead! 

Even my mummy swooped at the sight of these, lathering it on whilst pouting in the mirror, mmm-ing with approval and insisting on stealing it for her evening out! They're so lovely and I'm really impressed by how long they last. I wore it on a date night with Sam and had a whopping great burger (only to test if my lipstick will last, of course) and surprisingly it had clung onto my lips like a trooper! So, it's really great for someone like me who intends to apply my makeup once a day, and once only. Oh, I also love the applicator wand which makes the product easier to apply than the standard-style lipstick… in the words of Bourjois, Rouge Edition Velvet is the "new era of lipsticks"- so much easier and convenient in my eyes! LOVE.

The red shade 03 Hot Pepper is also as hot as it looks. Like the little black dress that every woman needs, the same applies to the red lip. Bourjois' Rouge Edition red is, yet again, another beautiful matte shade that's super bold and long-lasting, keeping up with you towards the party season. 

I'm so impressed by the Rouge Edition Velvet range and they have to be the most long-lasting lip products I've ever used - bold statement, yes. I can't wait to try some more gorgeous shades because I have a feeling these are going to stay glued in my makeup bag for a long loooooong time. It's also inspired me to buy more of their products because I haven't really tried many up till now, so look out for more Bourjois inspired posts in the near future!

I'M BACK - October favourites!

Do-it-yourself brow tinting kit: MY FIRST TIME!

The road to achieving the perfect brows can be a treacherous one. You know what they say… never trust anybody with dodgy brows, and I have to admit, I may have fallen into that category at many points in my teenage life.

From - what seemed like - over-plucked pencil lines sitting above my eyes, to foundation covered, ginger beasts sprouting everywhere; it's been tough. BUT, I think I've hit the jackpot. Whilst they're not yet the perfect Delevingne brow, I'm one step closer to socially acceptable brows that not only match my hair colour, but require little everyday maintenance.

The answer? Tinting. I've always gone back to dying my hair Kardashian dark but my eyebrows never seem to be able to keep up. Tinting allows me to achieve a natural finish, tricking those into believing I'm basically a long lost Kardashian sister. I can't believe I haven't taken the time to go through with it! (or it's because I'm a wuss).. who can blame me when I Google it and there are tales of going BLIND if you get the dye NEAR your eye?! I have risked losing my sight to do this for you girls.