12 Day's of Christmas - Day 7 - 10 day 'you' challenge - Four books

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Can you believe that today is the last day of 2013? This year really did fly by! It is just a blur of snow and sun for me, what about you?

I hope you've been enjoying my 10 day 'you' challenge posts, because I have another one for you all today :)

This one is going to be so hard for me to write, because I love books. Whatever book I last read tends to be my favourite book, but I do have a couple of all time favourites. 

1. Harry Potter - Of course I was going to include this. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix is my favourite, with Chamber of Secrets being my least favourite, but I adore the entire series.
2. A Song of Ice and Fire - Another series there was no way I could leave out. I was introduced to the series this year, and I am so happy I was, it is amazing!
3. Perks of being a wallflower - This is another book I read this year, and fell in love with. It is so inspirational, and just amazing and I love it so much.
4. Entwined - This is such a fun and beautiful story. If you love fairytales, you'll love this. It is based on an actual fairytale (I can't remember which one) but it reminds me a lot of Beauty and the Beast because it is set in an enchanted castle, with an ugly beast.

What are your top 4 books? Let me know, I'm always looking for recommendations.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

My last post

12 Day's of Christmas - Day 6 - Currently

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Today I am doing a currently, but instead of doing it in real time, I'm going to mention what I have been doing lately.

Listening: All of my new C.D.s I got for Christmas, including Luke Bryan, and a Disney Princess album :)
Eating: A lot of junk food, particularly cake. Well it is Christmas after all ;D
Drinking: Juice. I'm not normally a fan of juice, I much prefer water, but lately I've really been enjoying it, especially when it is in my Disney Princess cup.
Wearing: Pyjamas. With it being Christmas I haven't really been getting dressed, except to walk the dog, but I much prefer to be in my pyjamas.
Feeling: Lucky because I was very spoilt this Christmas.
Weather: Sunny, but cold. Not very Christmassy, but oh well, it's not been too bad I guess.
Wanting: To finish A Song if Ice and Fire. I love it, but I've been reading it for months, and want to read something else, but refuse to until I have read the entire series.
Needing: A new laptop. As you all know I keep having issues with my laptop, and seeing as I'm doing a course online, I should probably get a new one (and I hope to get one very soon)
Thinking: I can't wait to start Tai Chi in the new year, it is going to be so good. I really can't wait!
Enjoying: All the cake we have in the house right now. My health might not appreciate it, but my taste buds certainly do :-P

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

My last post

12 Day's of Christmas - Day 5 - 10 day 'you' challenge - 5 foods

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Today I am sharing my top 5 favourite foods

1. Chocolate. What girl can resist chocolate, right? 
2. Pizza - I adore pizza, but I'm not a fan of toppings so I tend to go for margarita. However Morrison's do a delicious goats cheese and spinach pizza, which I highly recommend.
3. Curly fries - Also sweet potato fries, both of which are perfect with my pizza.
4. Fruit - All sorts of fruit really, I'm not fussy.
5. Popcorn - I love the Metcalfe sweet and salty popcorn a lot right now. It's weird to begin with, but then when you get past that, it is amazing.

What are your favourite foods?

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

My last post

12 Day's of Christmas - Day 4 - Clear up your skin in a week.

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I have not been kind to my skin lately. I've been skipping washes, a lot lately, which has been causing a lot of breakouts. But I have worked out a great way to clear it up quickly. Of course this depends on how bad your skin is. If you have a lot of acne/cystic acne, then this probably won't for for you, but if, like me, you only have a couple of spots here and there, then this will work great. Well at least it does for me.

Things I do anyway, no matter what:

• Use the clean side of a pillow every night. By this I mean I will turn the pillow over every night, and every other night I will use a different pillow. I sleep alone so I have four pillows, meaning eight nights of clean pillows, but if you share a bed you can always put a clean towel on your pillow every night. This prevents bacteria that has transferred from your face the night before to transfer back the next night.
• Use a clean face cloth and towel every day. I only use the face cloth and towels for one day, in the morning and at night. It's always best to use clean things if you want to clean your skin. You can get face cloths pretty cheap, I think you can get a pack of eight for a pound in Primark, and you just do a wash once a week and you're set.
• Clean your make-up brushes every week. Make-up build up on your brushes causes germs to collect, and you're putting that on your face every day. Cleaning your brushes at least once a week will prevent this. I have a post on how I clean my brushes if you are interested, but however you do it, just do it, trust me.

Now how I clear up my skin after being lazy:

Obviously the most important thing to do is to get back on track with your skin care routine. Wash every single morning and night with your cleanser, tone, and moisturise! But just doing that will mean it will take more time to clear up, so here is what I do.

• Use a face mask twice a week. Below are the two I've been using lately which are amazing! Especially the Planet Spa by Avon one. They both deeply cleanse, and work to get rid of spots without drying out your skin. Whenever I use the Planet Spa one, I notice a difference within 24 hours, so I would highly recommend ordering it from your Avon Representative. The mud therapy one is from Superdrug, and does the same thing as the Planet Spa, however I don't notice a difference as quickly, but it definitely works. Both are pretty cheap and are green, which I love because it makes me feel like I'm in a movie :-P

• You're also going to want to use a spot treatment, and the best one is Tea Tree oil. It is super cheap, and can be found anywhere. I put this on after my toner, but before my moisturiser whenever I have a spot, a fading spot, or I can feel one coming up, so pretty much everyday. In the winter I get dry skin, so I apply some E45 after my moisturiser, to hydrate it again, however, the greasiness can stop the spots from fading as quickly, so I apply more Tea Tree oil on top of the E45.
• Go without make-up for the week. Make-up clogs your pores, and if you're not removing it properly can cause acne. You need to leave your skin to breathe and heal, so going a week without make-up will allow that to happen, and your skin will clear up much quicker.
• Exfoliate the night after a face mask. This might seem a bit excessive to exfoliate after a face mask which gets deep into your pours, but I really find that it works to get rid of the top layer of the dead skin, and let the new skin shine. I exfoliate three times a week, but when I'm doing this I find that doing it the night after a face mask is better; at least for my skin

And that is all I do. It might not seem like a lot, but it really works! As long as you are cleansing twice a day and doing these extra things, you'll have clear skin in no time.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

12 Day's of Christmas - Day 3 - 10 day 'you' challenge - 6 places

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Have you tried out my post from last night? What did you think?

Today I am doing a quick post - the 10 day 'you' challenge:

1. Ireland - There are 2 countries I want to travel round the most, and Ireland is one of them. I don't just want to go to Northern Ireland, I want to go to Republic of Ireland too. I think it looks like such a beautiful country, and I want to visit it more than anything.
2. Italy - This is the other country I want to travel. It is so beautiful and romantic, and I secretly hope to find a hot Italian to sweep me off my feet ;) I think I'd like to get married there, maybe in Venice. It is my dream.
3. Paris - Another romantic place I would love to go. I want to visit the Eiffel Tower, see The Mona Lisa, and go to Disney. Believe it or not, I've never been to Disney, and I want to go so badly.
4. New York - I want to shop in New York. The crowds will probably stress me out, but I would deal with it, because it would be amazing! I've always wanted to visit New York, and one day I plan on going. I think it would be fun to spend a week in America, a couple days in New York, then go on to Florida to Universal, doesn't that sound great?
5. Asia - I want a huge culture shock. I want to learn how other people live, but I have to go there to learn. I can learn how people live in France, and Italy by watching TV, but I don't know how people in Asia live. Anywhere in Asia would be fine by me, for a month or so, just to live differently, I think that is important for everyone to do.
6. Watford - I am desperate to go back to the Harry Potter studio tour, but I can't afford the hotel, so I can't go back until I've saved up quite a bit of money, and it makes me sad. But I will go back in 2014, that is a promise!

Where do you want to visit? 

I know I've done this post before for Wonderly, and I'm sorry for the repetition. Once I realised I tried to think of different places, but those really are the places I want to visit the most, and I didn't want to lie to you all.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

12 days of Christmas - Day 2 - How I get soft feet

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I hope you are all having a relaxing Boxing Day. Today I want to share with you all how I get soft feet, and don't worry there are no pictures of my feet, because I know a lot of people don't like that

Day 1: How I get soft feet!

To begin with, I use this pedicure system, which I have had for years! So long in fact, that the pumice stone, and file are getting a bit too smooth, and I may need to buy a new one soon. That's if I can find one, because I don't think you can get this one any longer.

First of all, I use the pumice stone attachment. I like to use this one first because it gets rid of the really tough skin on my heels and big toes. 

I then just give it a quick once over with the file attachment, just to get rid of the extra toughness. I do this before soaking my feet because dry feet means you're going to get rid of more dry skin, than if you do it on wet skin. I can't remember exactly why, but I found out in a really old Tanya Burr video years ago, and have done it ever since, and it has made a difference.

I soak my feet once a week in some warm soapy water. I soak for about 15 minutes, then thoroughly dry them

I then slather them in a foot lotion. This is the current one I am using, it is from Avon, and has a massager ball on the bottom

This is the massage ball. It is so relaxing using this, it literally massages your feet whilst evenly distributing the lotion, which is nice and thick. I really love this, and would highly recommend it to you all.

Afterwards, I put on some fuzzy socks and let the lotion sink in.

I tend to do this whole process pretty early in the evening, because I don't like to sleep in socks. But I like to wear the socks for as long as possible, so that the lotion can really penetrate my feet.

The next thing I do is to use a foot file, which I could've sworn I had taken a picture of, but apparently not. I file every night, then put on more lotion and socks. Then I have lovely soft feet, even though I walk all the time! 

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Don't forget to check out my last post if you missed it

12 days of Christmas - Day 1 - Merry Chistmas

Merry Christmas girls, I hope you've all had/are having an amazing day eating food and spending time with your families.

So blogmas didn't go so well. I've had major laptop problems, and I plan on buying a new one in the new year in the sales. But until then I'm planning on writing as many posts as possible for a 12 days of Christmas series. 

I don't really have much to say tonight, so this might be a boring post, but I promise that tomorrows is much more interesting (I've already wrote it).

I've just finished watching Doctor Who, and oh. My. Word! It was not what I expected, and if I'm honest I expected to cry more, but I stopped myself because I wasn't on my own. Does anyone else do that? They try and stop themselves crying over TV shows and movies unless they are alone? Or is that just me? I feel weird crying over my favourite characters dying, because my family don't get it. 

Right before he regenerated really got me. I'm not going to say what happened, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it was such a shock, I literally stopped breathing for about 10 seconds! Not even kidding. From anyone who did watch it, what did you think? I enjoyed it, and I didn't find it as sad as when 10 regenerated, and I think that was nice. I'm really trying not to say too much, I'm so scared of spoiling it for any of you. Maybe I should change the subject ha-ha.

How has your day been? I've had quite a relaxing day really. It kind of feels like a Sunday if I'm honest. I got up pretty early for church, then came home and opened presents, and ate Christmas dinner. The only difference between today and a Sunday is the opening presents. I was very spoilt by Santa this year, and got some pretty awesome gifts, including Hufflepuff robes and tie! Which was probably the best present ever! 

I want to do an Outfit of the day, but if I'm being honest I can't really be bothered moving. I'm kind of in a food coma, which I know you will all understand. So instead of pictures I'm just going to tell you how awesome my outfit is. I'm wearing Santa leggings, a brown dress, and a Christmas jumper with a Christmas pudding and a present on it. Oh and I've been wearing a Santa hat all day too! How tacky and brilliant does that sound? Most people want to dress fashionably for Christmas, but not me, I want to be tacky ha-ha. 

I feel like I've probably wrote way too much tonight, so I'm going to sign off now, and I'll talk to you all tomorrow.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Blogmas #4 - 10 day 'You' challenge - 7 wants

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I have spent the best part of the day finishing Christmas shopping and wrapping, which was exciting. I've only got a couple of things left to buy and wrap, but they have to wait until a couple of days before Christmas as they are refrigerated foods.

So onto today's post, another 10 day 'You' challenge post. I plan on finishing this tag during Blogmas so keep checking back for that.
I feel like this one is perfect for Christmas as it is all about what I want, but I'm not particularly materialistic so let's see what I come up with.

1. Nike running trainers - I like exercising, but I don't have a good pair of trainers, which is bad for your feet and joints. There is just one problem, good trainers are expensive, and I'm poor
2. A new laptop - My laptop gives me a lot of problems, as you all know, so a new laptop would be nice. Again it is something expensive, but because I see it as a little bit more essential than trainers, so I'm getting one in the new year.
3. To travel - Lately I have really been wanting to travel the world in a year, but I just don't have the funds to be able to do it. Plus I think I would get really homesick. 
4. My own place - This was one of my New Years Resolutions, but it's not as easy to do as I first thought, which is why I still live at home, but one day I will have my own place.
5. To finish the Song of Ice and Fire books - I have been reading these books since August, but they are taking me forever. I have suddenly started getting through them pretty quickly, I've read 3 in 4 weeks, rather than 1 in 2 months haha.
6. A pet - particularly a cat. I love animals, and would love my own pet, either a kitten or a bunny rabbit, but having an over-active puppy who likes to chew anything and everything means we can't have something so defensive. 
7. To be a Disney princess - or a superhero, both work for me. How cool would it be though? I know, a Disney princess superhero! Like I would be a Disney princess who saves the world! That would be incredible!

So those are my 7 wants, what are your wants? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx 

Blogmas #3 - Decorating for Christmas

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I am so so sorry for not posting since the 2nd, but I have been trying so hard to edit this video for you all, that I haven't had a chance to write any other posts. My laptop is very slow and annoying, so when I'm editing a video it will switch itself off randomly, then it will take 2-3 hours to load back up, and when you're doing that multiple times a day, you don't really get a chance to write anything on the internet, especially when it happens at 8pm, because by then you're like 'screw it, I'll try again tomorrow'. So hopefully the video was worth it. 

So I have no idea if the video above will work, so here is a link as well. I hate google sometimes, because since they made me use Google + I can't get my videos on here, and it sucks! But hopefully it worked, and if not you have the link.

If you managed to watch it, what did you think? Are you decorated for Christmas yet, or do you wait? Let me know in the comments.

I will be back tomorrow, I'm going to write a few posts up ready in case I'm not able to get on my laptop for whatever reason.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Blogmas #2 - Christmas tag

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I have been trying to edit a video all day, but my laptop was just not letting me do it, but I'm going to try again tomorrow, fingers crossed I can edit it.
So instead of the video, I am doing a Christmas tag :)

1. Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?

        Synthetic. I was actually thinking about this today, and how most people think that real trees smell like Christmas to them, but I actually find synthetic trees have an amazing scent, and make me think of Christmas. Is that weird?

2. You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?

        Eggnog latte from Starbucks *drool* or a Spiced Apple drink from Costa *also drool*  

3. What’s your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?

        I have no colour scheme, just colour, colour, and more colour.

4. Giving or receiving?

        Giving. I'm really weird and don't actually like getting presents, I kinda stress out knowing people are spending money on me, but I love spending money on people.  

5. To mince pie or not to?

        Ew no, I can't stand mince pies, I don't know how people like them, just the smell is disgusting to me. Sorry if you like them.

6. What's your traditional Christmas lunch?

         Everything! Think of your traditional roast, so veg, potatoes, yorkshire puddings, Turkey (veggie kind for me) plus pigs in blankets (not for me) and gravy, stuffing, and more gravy. We always start with a melon, then the main, then flob out before desert, which tends to be cheesecake and trifle *drooling*

7. Christmas day fashion

        Pyjamas in the morning, then I dress up for church and dinner. I always wear heels, but other than that I just wear something pretty, sometimes jeans and a sparkly top, or a dress. I have no idea what to wear this year though, any ideas?

8. What's your favourite Christmas song?

        All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey, it gets me excited and I love screeching along to it and dance along.

9. What's your favourite Christmas film?

        Santa Clause, all 3, but mostly the first one. We watch it every single year at the beginning of the month as a family, then I watch it on my own again, and again, and again.

10. Open presents before or after lunch?

        Before lunch. We get up super early, and yes we are all adults, open our presents, shower, and get ready for church, church, home, lunch, movie time and snooze before pudding and more sleep haha.

So that's my Christmas tag, I hope you enjoyed. Please link me to your post if you do this tag, I would love to see it.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Days until Christmas: 23
Christmas song of the day: All I want for Christmas is you
What I am listening to right now: YouTube videos
Days until the new year: 30
Last post

Blogmas #1 - Welcome, and empties of the past 2 months

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Yes, I am doing Blogmas again! I love doing Blogmas, it's so much fun, and even though I don't talk Christmas in every post, it really gets me in the Christmas mood (although I don't need much help this year :P)

I have so many posts planned, and because I've been very bad with posting this year, I'm going to write up a bunch of posts in case I don't get a chance to write anything any day. Normally you'll get the post at 10pm, but I wanted to get this one up earlier today, I hope you don't mind :D

So I didn't post my empties post last month, so I have combined the past two months for you all.

Candles top row: Kitchen Spice, Fireside treats, Cinnamon sticks, Lilac blossom, Vanilla Satin. Bottom row: True rose, Cinnamon sticks, Sparkling cinnamon, French lavander, Blissful  Autumn. Other products: Neutrogena visibly clear spot stress control 3-in-1 daily cleansing lotion, Nivea powerfruit refresh, Temptation from the dead sea cuticle treatment, Soft and gentle deodorant.

My thoughts:

Ok so I'm not going to go through every candle, because they have similar scents, either spicy and warm, or fresh. My favourites are the Cinnamon ones (hence why I have 3) which is spicy and warm and so yummy. Vanilla Satin which is warm and calming, it's not particularly sweet but it's so calming, I can't explain why though. Fireside treats which is sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet, more subtle, and very warm, like you would expect.

Neutrogena toner: I love this, it really helps clear up my skin when I'm breaking out really badly, which I did this month. This was my second or third bottle, and would highly recommend it, however I have not repurchased as I am trying out a new toner.

Nivea shower gel: This smells amazing and lasted me months! It smells of berries which is a great summer scent, and it lingered on my skin. I would definitely repurchase, if I hadn't fallen in love with my current shower gel, Dazzling by Avon.

Temptation of the dead sea cuticle treatment: I have had this for years, so you probably can't buy it any more. It worked great on my cuticles making them soft and neat. I loved using this, and if you can find it, I would recommend trying it out.

Soft and gentle deodorant: I really liked this deodorant, it smelt fresh, and made me feel very clean when I used it. It's such a small bottle though, so it didn't last very long, which is sad.

And those are my empties. I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what products you used up in the last month.

I hope you're excited for Blogmas, because I know I am! Don't forget to follow me over on BlogLovin' so you don't miss any posts.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

Days until Christmas: 24

Christmas song of the day: Here comes Santa Clause (right down Santa Clause Lane)

What I am listening to right now: YouTube videos

Mixed haul

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I know I didn't do very well with the blogging every day last month, and I'm sorry, but here is the haul I promised you guys. I am still waiting for 1 more package, but I have no idea when that will be here, and I've had to email about it because I ordered it over a month ago! But once it's here I will show you all.

Onto the haul.

So first off there was Primark, where I spent way too much money.

I was in need of some new boots, and Primark shoes have been really good recently do I bought a pair of riding boots, which I am in love with. I got some reindeer slippers which have been put away until December, 2 t-shirt bras, which I love (I find it hard to find bras that are affordable and fit me because I am an awkward size) Snowmen gloves (also put away until December (I can't wait until December)) A born to tweet t-shirt with an owl on it, which I think is perfect for me, as I love Twitter and owls. An owl snood, and a pair of super cosy tights, which are so thick they are thicker than their leggings!. Also pictured is a jar of Almond Butter from Holland and Barret, which I don't really know why I included, but it's tasty. If you don't like peanut butter like me, I highly recommend this.

Next is Amazon. I got this boyfriend cardigan and am so happy with it, it is comfy and cosy, I have been wearing it pretty much non-stop since it arrived. I also got the first ToneItUp Beach Babe DVD. I am so happy it is available on Amazon now, as the ToneItUp shipping is a bit ridiculous.

And last but not least I ordered from Blogilates. I had done the Blogilates DietBet, and at the end Cassey gave a code for 15% off, and seeing as I had won, I was like, heck yeah, I'm buying something. I saw this jumper and was like, yup I need it, it is soft, cosy, and oversized which I love, plus it keeps me motivated! I also have been wanting a blender bottle for a while, so when I saw that she was selling some I had to buy one. Side note, I did not buy them to be matching, I wanted the jumper in that colour because it is gorgeous, I wanted the bottle in that colour because of the saying "Sore today, strong tomorrow", so the matching colours were not intentional.

That is my haul, I hope you enjoyed. 

I am doing NaNoWriMo this month, so I'm not sure how consistent my posts will be, but I'll try and keep to some sort of a schedule, probably at least one post a week, at least that's my plan.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

#Blogtober #13 - Birthday haul

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Yesterday it was my birthday, and I had an amazing full filled day, hence why I didn't post anything. I have some pictures from the day if any of you are interested in seeing those. But today I thought I would do a birthday haul, as I know many of you like those.

I was very spoilt so not all my presents are shown, I just got my brother to pick a few to share with you all. My parents did a thing where they bought me 21 things that I have loved throughout my life, from TV shows, books, and movies, to food and drinks.

My balloons which are very pink and sparkely and I love them

My cake, with a picture of me at 7 months old, sleeping just after eating. Not much has changed haha

Me and my wonderful family after our wonderful meal.

A select few of my presents: From T-R-L - Doctor Who season 3-6, Art Attack PC game, Sherlock seasons 1 and 2, John Barrowman live at the Royal Albert Hall, 100 verses every Christian should know, 21st wine glass. Second row: Rusks, Bang on the door Groovy Chick colouring book, My little pony Pinkie Pie, Keep calm and join Hufflepuff keyring, Monty the dog with glasses. Bottom row: Nikon D5200, Framed Avengers comic, Signed and framed Doctor Who picture with David Tennant and John Barrowman on it, Framed Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen picture.

Phew that was a lot

My brother put a lot of thought into this gift. I love The Avengers, and comic books, so he decided to get an Avengers comic book from the year I was born and frame it. How awesome and thoughtful is that? He also bought me 2 other Avengers comic books to go with it :) 

My Mum was so excited to give me this, and I can tell why. It is John Barrowman and David Tennant outside the TARDIS and below that, it is signed! I love it!

Another signed present. It was bought like this apparently, and I don't understand why someone would sell a signed DVD. It is awesome!

And the best present ever a Nikon D5200! I took all of these pictures with this camera, and even though I'm still learning how to use it, I think the quality is amazing. What do you think?

I had an amazing day, and am very lucky to have gotten all of these amazing presents.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

P.S. Don't forget that you can get 10% off over at Blogilates using the code "Fit4Fall10"

#Blogtober #11 - Health and Fitness motivation Instagrams, Tumblrs, and Twitters

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

How has it already been a week since I blogged last? Sorry about that, I've had problems with my computer, and have been kind of ill, but I'm back!

So as you all know I'm very into health and fitness, and because of that I follow a lot of motivational Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter accounts, and they are great. But recently I've been seeing a trend on them, something that I don't feel is right, or healthy. Motivational? Yes, but healthy? No. And that is text posts that say things like "Do it for every time you've hated what you see in the mirror. Do it for every time you cried over your body. Do it for the double-takes. Lose that weight". Basically those posts are saying that being skinny will make you happy, and that is not true! Losing weight will not give you happiness, not in the long term. Losing weight will not make you love what you see in the mirror. What will make you love what you see in the mirror is accepting your body for how it looks RIGHT NOW.It is good to want to be healthy, and have muscle definition, but it won't make you happy.
I am aware that the majority of people who start eating healthy and exercising do it because they need to or at least feel like they need to lose weight, that's why I started it. But please don't do it because you think being thin will make you happy. Eat right, and exercise because you already love your body and you want to treat it right. That is the ultimate motivation, loving your body will make you want to eat right and exercise because you want your body to be at it's best and to function, and look after you.

Another thing I want to mention is that the 'fitspo' pictures they post of the very defined bodies tend to be Photo-shopped, you can tell most of the time if you are aware of it. Yes you can get defined abs, and a lifted booty by working out, but it also depends on your genetics, and how your body is made. Like me, you may have tight hips, meaning that you'll probably never get a thigh gap, or you might have thick, muscular thighs, again meaning you won't have a thigh gap (sorry for only mentioning thigh gaps here, it's the only thing I can think of right now). But you wanna know something? That is perfectly fine, you don't need a thigh gap to look or feel good, you don't need perfect abs to look or feel good. What will make you feel good is learning to love yourself.

There will be another post within the week about loving your body, and how to do that, so please check back for it. And share this post with as many people as you can. Show everyone that being skinny does not mean being happy.

I love you all

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

#Blogtober #10 - Avon Mega-effects mascara

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Today I went shopping, and I was going to do a haul post, I took the pictures, and was about to edit them, then remembered that I had a few things coming in the post, and thought I would wait until I had everything. Especially as the only place I bought from was Primark, because they have some amazing things in and spent a bit too much in there and felt bad so stopped shopping.

Anyway, I remembered that I had taken some pictures for some reviews, and decided I would do one of those. And as you can tell by the title today's review is on Avon's new mascara, Mega-effects!

How scary does that look? I was a bit sceptical about it too, because it definitely looks hard to use/ weird looking.

What it looks like one after a long day.

From a different angle. I also want to point out that in these pictures I have not curled my lashes or wearing any fake lashes.

What they claim

Avon claims that the brush is an "ergonimic brush for comfort and control" and that it "fits the natural shape of lashes, from corner to corner".  The brush bends to provide 40% more mascara to lash bold volume. 

"Provides panoramic volume and corner to corner coverage for dramatic definition. Flake-proof and sweat-proof".

My thoughts:

As I stated before I was a bit sceptical about this, especially the usage because of the weird brush. But there was absolutely no need for that because it is so easy to use. It gives volume, and covers all my lashes. I can do both eyes without re-dipping, which is great, especially for those mornings when you're in a rush. 

I have worn this when getting my eyebrows waxed, and obviously my eyes watered a lot, but the mascara did not budge. I also have a puppy, and he likes to lick my face, especially my eyes when I'm wearing make-up, and again, this does not budge. There is no smudging with this, and it lasts all day!

Taking it off is easy too. I use Johnsons and Johnsons eye make-up remover, and hold it on my eye for a full minutes, then gently pat away. Doing both eyes takes about 5 minutes, which is not long at all to completely remove all of my eye make-up. I've had mascaras that flake and spread across my face when removing them, which can be annoying, but this doesn't, which I really like.

One thing I don't like is the packaging. As you can see in the picture, it has a lid that you have to take off, then you pull the wand out, which is completely separate to the lid. I like that it is separate, but the first couple of times I used it, the wand was a bit stiff. Now this is only because it is tightly packed, which is a good thing because not much air can get in, meaning it doesn't dry out as quickly as other mascaras, but is obviously annoying because you don't want to break it.

Another negative is that it is extremely wet, so you have to be careful when applying, which isn't hard with the unique brush, not to smudge it. But this can be a good thing, because if you blink a couple of times, it transfers onto your bottom lashes, saving time. It takes about 30 seconds to dry, which might not seem like long, but I normally use quite dry mascaras. 

I give this 4.5 out 5 stars, simply because of how wet it is. I highly recommend this. It is unique in style, and simple to use.

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you've tried this mascara out. And if you haven't go and order from your representative, you won't regret it.

Before I leave I want to give you all a coupon code for Blogilates, which I love. Just use "Fit4Fall10" at the checkout to get 10% off your order, and yes they do ship worldwide. In fact I'm waiting for a couple of items from there too.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

P.S. Check out my last post on a DIY Tote bag

#Blogtober #9 - DIY reusable shopping bag, or Farmers tote bag

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Today has not been very exciting, so I didn't really know what to write about. But I made something today and thought I would share my thoughts on it.

Source

Cassey Ho from Blogilates recently posted a DIY farmers tote tutorial on her blog, and I pinned it, thinking 'I'm not very good at following picture steps, but I do want to try it, so I'll save it for a later date'. I had the perfect t-shirt I wanted to use for it, but I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do it using the pictures, and I do love this t-shirt.

Anyway, today Cassey uploaded a video showing how to do it. It's like she read my mind! I got super excited, and decided that I was going to do it along with the video!

This is how mine turned out:

How awesome is that t-shirt, I got it from Primark, about 2 years ago ironically. Anyway 2 years later, and I've decided to change my style and actually dress in clothes that look good on me, and maybe fit me (this was from the mens section).

I had no idea what to do with this top, because I still love it, I just don't want to wear it like it was made any-more. I thought about making it into a workout tank, another of Cassey's creations, but never got around to it. Then I saw the tote idea, and thought it would be perfect. My thinking was, the bag is designed to carry your healthy food shopping, this has a pear on it, OMG THIS IS PERFECT! So I made it.

I used it tonight when I went food shopping, and I'm going to be honest, I wasn't sure how much it would hold, because it is quite small, and I was scared I hadn't tied the tassels tight enough. But it held all of my shopping, minus one thing, and that was because it was in a large cardboard box. 

I didn't buy much, mostly just frozen veg, but there was about 5 bags of those, and they do weigh you down. But the bag just stretched, and it didn't even feel heavy. 

Another thing I love is that you can put it on your shoulder, so you're saving your hands, because let's face it plastic carrier bags dig into your hands, even if they aren't very heavy. 

So in case you can't tell, I freaking love this bag, and would highly recommend everyone making it. It's eco-friendly, it's homemade, it looks cool, and it holds quite a lot. 

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

P.S. I posted a Pinterest try earlier, all about the best brush cleansing method ever!

#Blogtober #8 - Pinterest try - Clean your brushes

Hey girls, I hope you're all good.

I know that this was supposed to be posted last night, but I couldn't find the pictures, but I've found them now, so here it is.

How to clean your brushes. I did the second one because I don't have a brush cleanser. So let's get started.

What to do:

First you swirl each brush in warm soapy water

This was the water after swirling one brush, pretty dirty and I had hardly used my brush

You then soak all of your brushes together in more warm soapy water

You do that for 10 minutes

Whilst they are soaking, make your sea-saw for your brushes to dry on. I used 2 small bottles, and 2 layers of kitchen towel.

Once your timer has gone off, go and rinse your brushes with cold water, and re-shape them. If you find that there is a brush that is very clogged up, i.e. your concealer brush, just soak it for a bit longer and come back to it after you've rinsed the rest of them

This is the water after taking out all of the brushes. I was not expecting it to be so dirty.

Finally place your brushes on your sea-saw to dry.

My thoughts:

Oh my word, I love this cleansing method! My brushes had never been so clean before, and I have since done this 2 more times! I have changed it a tiny bit, when I am swirling the brushes I apply some baby shampoo onto the brush as well as the bowl, it just gives an even deeper clean. 

I clean my brushes every week, whether I've worn make-up every single day, or just once or twice. When I did this, I had only worn make-up once or twice that week, and it was still pretty disgusting, as you can see. 

Seeing all that dirt, even just from swirling, really made me realize how crap I'm putting on my face if I don't wash my brushes, and it's made me clean them more regularly. I hope it's had the same effect on you too. 

Overall I highly highly recommend this, it is quick, simple and so very effective. And don't forget cheap, all you need is a bowl, kitchen towel, and baby shampoo. 

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

P.S. Check out my last post about my first ever fitness class

Blogtober #7 - My first fitness class

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Today has been quite a busy day, well for me anyway. I've been out pretty much all day running errands.

One of the things I did was go to my first fitness class, which you probably already know if you follow me on Twitter. I was so scared, but really excited, and couldn't wait to get there. I had no idea what to expect. It wasn't in a gym, instead it was held in my churches hall, so I wasn't sure the age group that would be there.

Because of this, I didn't know the type of exercise we were going to do. I kept changing my mind about wanting an intense cardio session and an intense toning session, the only thing I wanted was for it to be intense, however that is not what I got.

It turned out that I was the youngest person there, as everyone was in the retirement age, so the workout was not was intense as I wanted. However, that does not mean I didn't feel it and I didn't sweat because I did! There was some cardio, and some toning, but I felt like it was mostly stretching, and wakening up your muscles. I am really naughty and don't bother stretching most of the time, so my muscles are quite tight, so I could really feel my muscles, and it was a little bit painful, but I totally needed it. It made me realise how much stretching is important, and I'm going to start stretching after every workout now.

Everyone was so nice and welcoming, they really made me feel relaxed and because of that I was happy to workout in front of them. I wasn't embarrassed to when I messed up which is always a good thing because I did mess up a bit when some dancing was brought in because I have no rhythm.

Overall  I loved it, I left feeling energised and ready to take on my long day. And it made me want to go to more. There is an easy Zumba class on a Monday morning in a hall next to my church, which I might go to. They have 3 other Zumba classes a week there, but I chose the easy one because Zumba is hard, and like I said, I have no rhythm, so it should be fun. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have you ever been to a fitness class? Was it what you expected? Did you enjoy it? Let me know.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

P.S. Check out yesterdays post a Pinterest try :)

Blogtober #5 - Currently

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

Sorry there was no post yesterday, I got a really bad headache so didn't bother logging onto my computer, instead I slept for 12 hours. I've still got my headache, but I needed to do some research for something, so thought I might as well do a quick post, hence why I'm doing a Currently :-)

Listening: BreeLovesBeauty doing her September favourites

Eating: I just finished eating a bar of Oso loves your tummy healthy chocolate

Drinking: Water because I'm really thirsty

Wearing: My cosiest pjs because I've been in bed all day

Feeling: Bored. I've been in bed all day trying to get rid of this headache, but I hate being in bed all day, it makes me feel so lazy

Weather: Sunny, which is typical because I couldn't enjoy it

Wanting: For this headache to be gone

Needing: To start saving some money for my mini holiday coming up at the end of the month

Thinking: About the best ways to make money fast, anyone got any tips?

Enjoying: Writing this post because it got me out of bed.

Ok so most of this was me complaining about my headache, but, hey, I'm just keeping it real ;-)

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx

P.S. Here is my last post in case any of  you missed it 

Blogtober #4 - The 10 day 'you' challenge - 8 fears

Hey girls, I hope you're all well.

I was going through my picture, and realised I still had all of my 10 day 'you' challenge pictures. So I decided to check out where I got up to on this tag, and noticed that I only did two of them, and the last one was back in December, which is crazy! So I decided I would try and complete it this month.

I'm going to put it out there right now, I get scared easily, but I don't have many actual fears, so this post is going to be hard to write. Let's hope I can think of eight.

1. Grasshoppers - Have you ever seen 'A Bugs Life'? I'm sure you have, it's a classic Pixar movie. Well ever since I saw that when I was really young (it was and still is one of my favourite films) the grasshoppers always terrified me! Then a couple of years ago my Mum got Geckos and they eat grasshoppers, and they would always come to the front of their tub whenever I was in the room. I was terrified to be in that room, I felt like they were coming after me!
2. Clowns - I don't know where this stems from, I just know that I've always been scared of them. They are just so creepy!
3. Psychological horror movies - This is something that scares everyone, but I'm really struggling. I'm ok-ish with gorry horrors, even though real life gore makes me sick but psychological are a no go for me.
4. Odd numbers - I've written my true fears, even a few of my deep ones, and now I'm going onto the silly ones. This isn't exactly a fear, it's just I don't like them very much, they just make me feel uncomfortable. Weirdly enough though, I want 3 children, I don't understand either. Oh and my lucky number is 7. But other than that odd numbers make me uncomfortable.
5. Dirty dish water - You know when you're doing the dishes, and there is some food dried onto the plate, i.e. oats, and they start floating in the water? Yeah just the thought of that makes me want to be sick, I can't deal with it. To deal with that I soak those bowls, then rinse before and after washing.
6. Never being a mum - Ok so now it's getting deep because I really can't think of other things I'm scared of. I want to be a mum so badly, that I have a fear I am infertile. 
7. That I'll die alone - This is probably something a lot of people have a fear of, and I'm not really going to get into it. I know I'm still really young, and I've got plenty of time to find a husband, but the fear is still there.
8. That I'll never leave anything worthwhile behind when I die - I'm not scared of dying, but I do want to leave something worthwhile behind. I want to live life to the fullest, and do something that might change the world and make it better, I'm just not sure how to go about it yet.

So I just about did it. If any of you have done this, are you like me and get scared easily but don't have many actual fears, or do you have actual fears, and found this easy? Let me know.

Have a beautiful day

Dream beautiful dreams; live beautiful lives

xx