Saturday 30 April 2016

Friday 29 April 2016

On Headaches



Headaches have pretty much plagued me all my life; in my second year of university I would get them every single day without fail. (And no it is not to do with my eyesight and requiring glasses). What causes them, I'm not sure, but from time to time they can be a lot worse than others. 
Headaches can be a common problem among many people, and everyone has their own ways of trying to combat these. So today here are my few tips (aside from the really obvious ones) that I have found can really help to ease, and try to reduce the onslaught of them!

I drink a lot of tea. And coffee. Both of which include caffeine and which is a big cause of headaches. So I have been trying really hard to cut down my caffeine intake. The main way that I have been doing this (cut out tea altogether I hear you say; god no!), is to swap one of my standard cup of teas for a Green tea. Not only is this far less caffeine but Green tea is known for its numerous health benefits. I'm currently loving the PG Tips one; it says smooth on the box and although I don't quite know what that means, it is smooth!

In a related note; dehydration is another leading cause of headaches (something that one of my friends always used to tell me back in school was the cause of my headaches). Along with reducing caffeine intake (a big dehydrater!) I am trying to drink waaayy more water. And when I say waaayy, I mean I never used to really drink anything in the day aside from tea. I have started running which has helped the water intake. I recommend having some sort of funky water bottle to motivate the water drinking.

Another good favourite of my is a head balm. I have one from Badger that comes in stick form so you can just spread it across your forehead. Anything like this I find definitely helps to soothe an achey head!

Continuing on that theme; anything cold. Placing wet flannels (or even wet tissues in a restaurant during a particular bad migraine) always and I mean always helps. I always find myself putting anything cold across my forehead; my hands, my ipod, my water bottle. 

Naps. I personally am quite a big napper anyway, and whenever I feel a bit worse for wear I generally resort to a nap. (Shout out to Hannah, another napper!) If you're really not sure what else to do and are getting nowhere with your day, definitely try and take a nap. Even just shutting your eyes for a little bit can work wonders. 

During my last speight of headaches I ended up researching if they are in fact linked up to hormones and periods. And guess what? Hormone headaches are a thing; most likely to hit around the third day of your period! So definitely keep that in mind if you are prone to headaches. Read up on that here.

And one more that the boyf has just suggested; headache candles. I personally had never heard of, let alone tried these, but after looking into them they sound quite nice! Made from soy and aromatherapy based they sound quite soothing.

I hope this has helped if you are a headache sufferer and let me know if you have any of your own tips that work wonders on an achey head!

xoxo

Sunday 24 April 2016

On Sundays


Invest in a really wolly pair of socks for indoors when you're chilly, wrapped up in bed with a cuppa coffee:          

Term 3 is approaching here in Warwick which means the library (not that I ever enter that space of doom and dread) will be full by ten am, stress levels will be through the roof, deadlines approaching and not to mention the dreaded E word (Exams). My personal timetable this year isn't too bad so my stress levels haven't quite peaked yet but I am prepping myself by trying to get ahead on everything for when they do. This week thus far as been essay and revision filled. Exciting I know.
So here are just a few things that I've been loving at the moment. 

I have currently been loving Essie - Sand Tropez. It has also lasted ages! I'm finding that it's the prefect neutral to wear between bolder shades.

I've been getting extremely broody for my own home lately and looking at DIY Playbook has not been helping!

I need this bar cart. (Seriously. I have been showing photos of it to everyone).

I am still obsessed with this. (And remember 10% Student Discount!)

How I wish I could go to this exhibition!

I recently signed up to the New York Times Running Newsletter - motivation and top tips! (More on my own running soon to come!)

I often get headaches (more on that to come also) so I have been trying to reduce my caffeine intake (and increase my water intake) so have been switching up my regular tea bags for either Green Tea or these Tea Pig Bad Boys.

It was the London Marathon today!

I finally managed to give blood again this week. Giving blood is such a great cause and takes only an hour out of your day! You might even be like me and have special blood (!) which means it's even more important you donate. Sign up for an appointment today!

xoxo

Saturday 23 April 2016

On World Book Night 2016


For the past five years (I started before university!) I have been a giver as part of World Book Night. This is an event that happens every year on the 23rd April. Chosen people all over the UK give out 16 copies of one of 20 different books to their friends, families, strangers, people that don't have great access to books or don't read very often. 

The books themselves are always a special edition of the book that varies each year and can be passed on to whoever you like once you're read them or kept as a special memento. As they read on the front, these books are a gift. World Book Night is a great cause and I'm so proud to have been a part of it for so many years and to have given out so many different books.

This year my book is Whispering Shadows  by Jan-Philipp Sendker. Now I know that this is going to be a pain and probably sound, but I never read blurbs. So other than this one involves Hong Kong (where my sister used to live and part of the reason why I chose it), I know very little about it! The few books that I have however given out thus far have gone down well!

Even if you aren't directly involved, the whole motivation behind World Book Night is to get everybody reading. So wherever you are and whatever you're doing today, make some time to sit down with a cup of tea and a book. Even if it's only one chapter.
You can also find out more here.

Happy World Book Night!
xoxo

Saturday 16 April 2016

On Beauty - Rosie for Autograph Collection



(You would not even believe the focusing struggle I had with these.
Alas, all I can do is apologise. I tired)

The Rosie for Autograph Beauty Collection did have a fair bit of hype. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's collection of underwear, pyjamas (and the dressing gowns, oh the dressing gowns) is already established very much in its own right as probably one of the best known and best designed collaborations of any that out there on the high street. As a model, RHW knows her stuff. She knows what works and what looks good.
Her beauty collection is no different.

I got the eyeshadow palette (£18) in Copper Gold Rush (I also got this palette for one of my best friends Emily who loved the colours on first look). The palette has a matte nude colour, a shimmer berry maroon, a shimmer gold-tinged nude and a shimmery dark smouldering brown. The paler colours blend in so well with the darker colours and they can be worn by themselves as well. You can really pack the lighter colours on and then need a tiny amount of the darker ones. They blend beautifully and are really pigmented. The shimmer is probably what would be described as glitter for grown ups; it looks beautiful but without that really heavy glitter look. 

I also got the cream eyeshadow stick (£12.50) in Feline Fox. Wow. The pigment of all of these [after swatching them all, the swatches were on my hand all day], is incredible. The swatch shown is with one quick sweep. That is it. These are incredibly creamy and blend well. They last all day and do not budge. And all of the colours are beautiful. They remind me of the Kiko versions but are just that bit more glamorous.

I don't think that I really need to mention the packaging. It's Rose Gold. It's made beautifully. Enough, honestly said. 
You can get these and the rest of the collection online and in stores now; and I would advise you at least swatch everything!

xoxo

Friday 15 April 2016

On Stationery - Kikki.K

[Photo: http://www.tijgertjerawr.com/zweedse-pastelkleurtjes-van-kikki-k/]

After initially reading about Kikki.K opening in Covent Garden here, I looked up the shop, I browsed it's website, I sent it to my sister, I sent it to friends, I followed them on Instagram. I needed to go. Make up and Stationery (and books) are a few of the things that I fluctuate between buying the most and I had not actually bought any stationery in a while. 

I would like to say that I had not gone to Covent Garden solely for the purpose of going here ... but I cannot lie. This shop is incredible. It is kind of like Paperchase but a little bit sleeker [and don't get me wrong, I adore Paperchase. Ask the boyf and he can confirm]. Much the same as Paperchase it has different ranges with similar things in each; journals, Paper Lover's Books, decoration sets, planners, pencil cases. The list goes on. 


They even, in an almost Ikea-like format, have desk layouts. (Is this just a Swedish thing?) Everything is sososo beautiful and it is all such a lovely quality. Many of their items are focused on living a better, happier and more mindful life. This is not just ordinary stationery, it's stationery that is focused upon something and can help you to focus as well. 


These beautiful books each focus on a particular trait, such as happiness or habits and help you to focus these throughout your life. The books themselves are gorgeous and the insides are also beautiful; they have different sections for different considerations and time frames as well as questions that help you to guide your planning. 


This range was by far my favourite and possibly one of the cutest in there! 

To my amazement, I bought only one thing. The Paper Lover's Book. 





I don't think there are the words to even begin talking about this book.

Kikki.k is definitely one of the most beautiful (and Instagrammable) stationery shops that I have ever seen. If you sign up to them in store you get a £5 voucher and £5 on your birthday! Students: they also do 10% student discount. You're welcome.

xoxo

Tuesday 12 April 2016

On Motivation

Mantras to Lighten The Darkness:


It is the penultimate week of the Easter holidays (Warwick give us 5 weeks; don't ask). I have a grand total of 17,500 words to write (this will be small to some and large to others; it's all relative), three exams to revise for. A CV to complete, job applications to fill in and emails to send. 
I woke up yesterday morning with a horrendous migraine and could do nothing but re-watch Gilmore Girls and drink hot water in bed. I know that the latter part of this sounds pretty pleasant, but the former was awful and in total it left me feeling extremely guilty about having done little to no work. The majority of my deadlines are six weeks away and a good 12,000 of those words have been written. Yet still, I felt guilty. I lacked absolutely any motivation which also added to the guilt.

But motivation is hard to find. I'm one of those people that if I want a break, I'm going to have a break. I know that I'm not going to be productive if I want to watch Four In A Bed or go and make hot chocolate. I have productive periods of about 20-40 minutes at a time; then I need a break. Working like this means that I can then gather a bit more motivation in each break. Read an article about the girl that got accepted into all 8 Ivy League schools. Or the blogger that is in the same position as me but still runs an amazing blog. Or just lust after this bar cart.


Yet when you do have motivation, there are so many things you can get done. You can finish that essay. You can beast that exam. You can finally get rid of all those Law Firm brochures (I recycled all of my Law career hopes and dreams of 2013 yesterday). You can tick off some of your To Do List. And it doesn't really take that much to do it either. If you got out of bed, you're already basically 75% there anyway! 


My diary has become a mass of day to day to do lists. In fact more like day to day goals. Finish Nietzsche Essay. Make revision timetable etc. It's all about those small steps. Once you know what the steps themselves are, the rest is actually pretty easy.
And if you're like me and your main problem is actually making the steps; read: actually doing it, then really the only thing holding you back is you. 


And remember. Today is Tuesday. We've already conquered Monday!

xoxo