Relax Evening Essentials

01.29 in essentials, evening, granola, homemade, Paid, relax

Every once in a while, I enjoy simply putting everything to the side and having a nice relaxing evening. Although I am guilty of always putting things off and saying Ill do it later quite frequently, on little occasions I wont worry about it and forgive myself.

During winter, these little pampering sessions are a perfect way to spend my nights. Dont get me wrong, I love the odd few in summer. But when its all wet and cold outside, slipping into a warm bath and reading a good book or snuggling up to watch netflix with your favourite blanket and a cup of tea is amazing and comforting.

So today, seeing as I enjoyed one last night, I thought Id share with you what I do and what products I use on these evenings.

First of all, I usually run a bath. This may be a little strange but personally, Im not really a fan of a lot of bath products. I occasionally put a sprinkle of bath salts or some bubbles but apart from that my baths dont usually look very interesting. 

Whilst the bath is running, Ill wash my face and put on a face mask. These two are my favourites - the Botanics Ionic Clay Mask and Avons Clearskin Pore Penetrating Mineral Mask

Ill then use a home made body scrub which consists of brown sugar and coconut oil. Simply melt 1tbsp of oil in the microwave and then mix in 2-3 tbsp of sugar.

Once I get out of the bath, Ill go a head and finish my skincare routine and then apply Soap & Glorys Heel Genuis and Soap & Glorys Butter Yourself.

Of course it wouldnt be a relaxing evening without putting on some cosy socks and lighting some candles. 

Next, I usually paint my nails with one of my favourite colours : Maybellines Colorshow in 107 watery waste or 77 nebline (which I dont think they do any more), Rimmel Londons Lycra Pro in 397 beige babe, Barry M in 304 mint green or Barry Ms Chameleon in 331 chameleon blue.

Then Ill spend the rest of the night either reading my current book or watching netflix. 

What are your favourite ways to spend a relaxing evening? 

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Emma Healeys Elizabeth Is Missing Review Film Roles

06.11 in 7, diy, elizabeth, emma, essentials, film, healeys, homely, is, make, missing, Paid, review, roles, room, to, uni, your

Elizabeth is missing, reads the note in Mauds pocket in her own handwriting.

Lately, Mauds been getting forgetful. She keeps buying peach slices when she has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea shes made and writes notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war.

A few weeks ago I added this book to my reading list over on pinterest and it was just my luck that I came across the book in a charity shop for £1 - so I just had to pick it up. I finished reading it the other week and I have to say I was pretty impressed. Normally, I wouldnt go for this type of book as when I think back over the books I have read (the list may not be as extensive as others but its growing) they all tend to be dystopia or fantasy types. 

Like with many other books, it took till about the first/second chapter to really get into the story. Im someone who cant put a book down in the middle of a chapter and often found myself saying Id put the book down at the end of a chapter and then once reaching the end just turning into the next.

Something I really liked about the book was the fact that we got to go back in time and hear Mauds story from when she was younger. I dont know what it was, but I fell in love with young Maud. You may be wondering why it was young Maud specifically and not the character as a whole, but I honestly dont think I could say why. I felt the past and present versions were quite different. 

 But I also felt it broke the book up nicely as if it was all set in the present day, I personally think that it would have been a little hard to follow - due to Mauds forgetfulness. Parts of the narrative from the present day reminded me a lot of a book I once read for my AS English - Paddy Clarke. However, I could not stand that book due to the way it was written, even though it was very clever, I found it was hard to follow. But with Elizabeth is Missing, Emma Healey very cleverly writes so that the reader feels Mauds jumbled thoughts and experiences some events alongside Maud in a muddled way, but not to the extent so the reader becomes utterly confused at what has happened, what is happening and what will happen.

Another aspect I like about the way the reader is joining Maud in the mystery surrounding Elizabeth is that exploration of dementia. As it is written in first person, we are given an insight into the life of someone suffering from it and personally, as someone who has thankfully never had anyone in my life suffer with it but also as someone who isnt that aware of what it is, it was an interesting way to become a little more informed on the disease. 

After finishing the book, I came across this article on the dementia blog and found Healeys intentions interesting  I just wanted better ways to guess at what my grandmother (Nancy), and several other members of my family, were going through, how they might feel, what they might be thinking, why they said and did the things they did. 

One last thing Id like to add is that I attached to the story. I think its because Maud is a lot like my grandma in the way she speaks and certain things she says to Helen. There were multiple times throughout the book were I could hear my grandma speaking Mauds words - it was strange. And to further add to the familiarity, Helens reactions remind me so much of how my mum is with my grandma, and to top it all off, my mum is also called Helen. Just thinking about it, I maybe even a little like Katy. 

Overall, Elizabeth is Missing is a really good read, there is bits you will laugh at and bits that will make you teary eyed. I would definitely recommend it, even if its not the sort of genre you would normally read.

As many people have reviewed the book, I felt I would add in my own little extra. One thing I always seem to struggle with when reading a book or creating my own characters etc, is visualising them. Well, actually Im find with visualising them, but I for some reason picture them faceless (which gets a little creepy at times). Once Id finished the book, as if I was going to turn it into a film, I thought of actors who would fit my idea of what some of the characters would look like - as away to stop imagining faceless people, which may help when reading books in the future. 

Maud - Eileen Atkins

Elizabeth - Joan Plowright

Helen - Emma Thompson

Young Maud - Izzy Meikle Small

Sukey - Saoirse Ronan

Frank - Douglas Booth

Douglas - Jake Abel

Have you read Elizabeth is Missing? And do you have any book recommendations, Id love to know?!

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Whats On My Face Daily Makeup

02.03 in daily, essentials, evening, face, makeup, my, on, Paid, relax, whats

I was browsing through YouTube the other day and watching a bunch of get the look videos, Tess Christine is by far my favourite, but I usually skip over or dont pay attention much to the make up part. Not necessarily because Im not interested, just simply because I dont wear a lot and therefore dont own many products to use to get the look. To be honest its mostly because I dont have the patience to put on eye shadow and bronzer and blush and highlight - lets not even mention working with liquid eye liner!

So, today I thought Id share with you the products I use on a daily basis. Well, I say daily, but I dont tend to wear make up on the weekends unless Im doing something other than going for a walk or food shopping. Its nice to just go bare face every so often and let your skin breathe. I know theres probably some of you that are sat there thinking what?! I could never leave the house without make up on!. Trust me, I was like that about 9/10 months ago. For me, it was because I was self concious of my skin and felt uncomfortable without ,at least, foundation on. If youre interested I have a blog post already up about My Acne Story. 

I have literally stuck with these products for months now and have repurchased them countless time - that just shows how much I love them. I will point out before hand that yes I know the products look worn and thats simply because they are well used instead of just sat in a huge collection.

Firstly, is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, which I first picked up after hearing Zoella talk about how much she loved it (and still does). It is the 2nd concealer I ever bought and I havent tried any others since.

I simply apply this under my eyes, a little down and around my nose and on any patches of redness or odd spot. As this does a perfectly good job of evening out my skin, I no longer bother with foundation (which makes doing my make up a whole lot faster).

Next I use Rimmels Stay Matte Powder as I tend to get quite oily throughout the day. Again I think I purchased this for the first time because Zoe or maybe Tanya Burr mentioned that its such a good product - and they where definitely right. I love it. I tend to just apply it in my t-zone and leave my cheeks - as theyre quite normal and dont get oily.

Then Ill move onto eyes and apply my 2True Easy Glide eye liner, which I picked up randomly one day. Im so glad I did because for only £2 in Superdrug, its a great little product. It goes on nicely and is pretty good at lasting throughout the day. I dont do anything too fancy with my eye liner, no wings or anything because I can never be bothered to get the looking somewhat similar, I just do a simple line on my upper lash line.

As I always look tired in the mornings, I like to have my Colourtrend white eye liner to hand. A little smudge of this on the inner corner of my eyes, sometimes my lower lash line, and it instantly brightens my eyes and makes me look more awake.

Lastly, Ill curl my lashes and apply one of two mascaras - either Maybelline The Rocket mascara or Maybelline Falsies Waterproof mascara. However, next time I dont think Ill pick up the waterproof falsies because the only trouble is removing it. I love both equally, but the rocket one is a little more natural and less dramatic. 

I hope you enjoyed it. Id like to know if you have any brow product recommendations, preferably things to help hold them in shape, as mine are in need of some controlling haha. 

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7 Essentials To Make Your Uni Room Homely DIY

08.29 in 7, diy, essentials, favourites, homely, make, Paid, recent, room, to, uni, your

September is slowly approaching and what does that mean? Back to school, college or uni (or it could be earlier for some places around the world). For so many students out there, it is the exciting (and equally scary) time of moving away from home to go to university. Im one of those students; well hopefully depending on when I receive my results on the 13th of August. 

Along with many other daunting aspects of going to uni, such as meeting new people, the work load and living independently, leaving the comforts of home is a little sad. Especially leaving behind your own room which is your space to design, express yourself and hold all those precious (also many useless) items. 

Lets be honest, university accommodation isnt going to be like living in a luxury hotel. But its going to be your home for the year; your place to study, sleep, wallow in self pity and other things. Adding homely touches to make the place feel more comforting and more like your own place, rather than a last minute booked B&B, is always a great thing to do.

So when Parachute got in touch and asked about uni room/dorm essentials, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share what Ill be planning to take and Ive compiled a list of essentials to make that dull room feel more homely.

A Rug

You may be thinking that a rug is pointless, not only will it add a nice touch to your room, but it will feel like youre bringing a piece of home with you. What do I mean by this? Well, you could use the rug a home for a while before you move out so then when you get to uni and wake up each morning youll be stepping onto a familiar feeling until your surroundings become more familiar.

Comfy Bedding 

What is better than getting into bed after a long, hard day? But lets be honest beds are just for sleeping....what about those neflix marathons! Fluffy pillows and a duvet are obviously needed, but you gotta get a lovely bedding set to cover them - whether you choose one that is plain, patterned or adds pop of colour always make sure its soft!

Blanket

I know you have the comfy bedding and all, but youve got to have a blanket to hand to snuggle into for those netflix marathons, comfort eating sessions or when you have a hangover (I expect that they will be pretty prominent in freshers week). Also, they add a nice touch to any room!

Memories

This one may come in different forms : photos, cuddly toys, ornaments, books etc. You arent going to need to take every little thing you own, just take a small selection that you can have dotted around your room. Even if you dont have the things on show at home (like me), you never know, a quick glance at those items may help banish any oncoming feelings of homesickness.

Greenery

Adding some greenery to a room brings about a sense of calmness. You could pick up a small fake plant or fake flowers (much easier to take care of) and place them in a decorative pot or vase. I plan on picking up some little succulents or cacti and having a few on a shelf in cute little pots.

Fairy Lights

Im not to sure how each university or college is with fairy lights, as I know some places dont allow them. But if youre going somewhere where they arent a problem then go ahead a string some above your bed, across shelves or wherever else theyll go. Fairy lights just make everything better! They instantly make a room feel cosy by flicking them on and any other lights off. So tumblr or what?!

Bunting

If you cant illuminate your room with fairy lights then bunting is a great option, it can make a boring shelf look all pretty or fill blank spaces on a walls. Bunting can easily  be picked up from many craft stores or even ordered online, but sometimes its much more satisfying making your own. 

So here is a really simple DIY you could be doing on those nothing to do days throughout the rest of summer (its a lot easier than it probably looks as the sewn outline isnt needed and only there for decoration).

What you will need:

• fabric (use assorted if preferred)
• triangle template
• needle & thread (use one colour or go wild with a bunch of colours. Matching the colour of the thread to the colours on the fabric looks really nice)
• string
• scissors
• hot glue gun

Directions

1. Draw around your template on the back of your fabric for how ever many triangles you want then cut them out.

2. Thread your needle then go ahead and get sewing about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch from the edge, but make sure to leave about an inch or more at the top of the triangle to create a flap over the string in the next step.

3. Lay your triangles out in the order you want them to go and using the hot glue gun stick the string along the top and fold the flap down over it to fix it in better.

4. Once its all done, hang it up and youre good to go!

So there you have it, those are my tips for making student accommodation more your own. Do you have any to add? Please share them in the comments.

I just wanted to add a little extra on the end to mention something amazing that Parachute does. Whilst having a browse on their website I found out they are in partnership with Nothing But Nets, who provide bed nets to help fight malaria. You can read about it on their website here.

As a little disclaimer, I was not told I had to mention the brand and there is no payment for doing so, but I wanted to mention them as I love that they are supporting a very good cause and wanted to share that. 

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