LIFESTYLE Archives - Page 3 of 9

HOW TO GET TO SLEEP QUICKER

THIS ONE TIP WILL HELP YOU GET TO SLEEP QUICKER

I always struggle to get to sleep. Always have and I thought I always would. There are so many ways to help aid yourself to sleep. I have even listed my top 5 sleeping aids here. These 5 ways to help you sleep are amazing and always help me. The only problem is that there are often days when I am either too stressed about something to properly switch off. In fact sometimes I can’t sleep because, like a child, I am too excited or inspired about something. My mum is a keen yogi and learnt this fabulous trick which I have been using for the last month and it has worked wonders.
Candle in featured image: Neom • Balm in featured image: Balm Balm

WHY DO WE NEED TO SLEEP

Why do we actually need sleep you may ask? Well, when you don’t sleep you can see the signs in your skin quality, your brain function and you will inevitably be a fair bit more grumpy with less sleep.

THE TOP TIP

This trick works well for the purpose of slowing down your breath but the main thing for me is that it has me concentrating on something other than my own life.

Take slow steady breaths.
Breath in for 2, out for 4.
Breath in for 3, out for 6.
Breath in for 4, out for 8.
Breath in for 5, out for 10.
Then work your way back down.

Breath in for 5, out for 10.
Breath in for 4, out for 8.
Breath in for 3, out for 6.
Breath in for 2, out for 4.

On an average night I tend to fall asleep before I have worked my way back down the routine. On a more stressful evening I will do this once or twice and fall asleep. I feel that this technique works well because you become less focused on life and your deep breath help flow oxygen around your body.

Try it out for yourself and let me know if it helps you too.
Sweet dreams x

THE GIRL’S GUIDE TO TRAVELLING WITH ONLY HAND LUGGAGE

Hello from a girl that needs her creature comforts around her at all times to feel fully comfortable and anxiety free. Until August this year I had never travelled with only hand luggage in my entire life. The only reason I travelled with only hand luggage on this particular occasion was because I had a new beautiful suitcase which is hand luggage appropriate and I was only going away for a couple of nights. I was also comforted by the fact my family were already on holiday where I was travelling to so if I forgot anything they would probably be able to rescue me. That being said I actually didn’t borrow anything…apart from a plug adapter which I forgot even though I have 10 of them at home from past forgetfulness! So, I am here to tell you how this rather high maintenance traveller managed to go abroad with only hand luggage only.
Excuse the gorgeous summer imagery. This post, of course is still applicable for chilly City breaks too…although make sure you travel in your winter boots because they take up far too much space in a hand luggage suitcase and are super heavy.

PLAN AHEAD

The main thing you need to do when travelling with only hand luggage is to plan and be prepared. Do your research as to how much liquid you can travel with in your country, how heavy your hand luggage can be and how big your mini suitcase can be. The suitcase I have from American Tourister is luckily cabin size approved so I didn’t have to worry. If you are going to go with only hand luggage and make the effort to downsize your belongings you are taking you need to make sure you aren’t going to get to the airport and be told you have to pay to check in your slightly oversized luggage. Read below for my outfit planning tips.

THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO TRAVELLING WITH ONLY HAND LUGGAGE | MEGAN TAYLOR

(Suitcase from American Tourister)

BEAUTY PRODUCTS

As a beauty blogger I am a big lover of my beauty products and make up but the ban on big quantities of liquid makes this addiction a little tricky. The only products that I went full size on were my face SPF, cleanser and foundation because I want these to be totally clean when I put them on my face rather than decanting into something else. I decanted eye make up remover and body wash into small plastic containers. I had a small shampoo and conditioner from a hotel which I took with me. At the airport I bought a bottle of SPF for my body and left that in France as it was too big to take home, this upset me a bit though as it felt so wasteful. I did the same with toothpaste, hairspray, razor (most pricy thing to buy and get rid of! If you aren’t a pain woss like me, you could opt for a wax?) and deodorant…again, this felt wasteful 🙁 With my make up I managed to go with a super pared down make up bag. I opted for two creamy eyeshadow sticks in different colours, an eyeliner, the foundation I mentioned earlier, a cream blusher, mascara.
Oh and I also gave my eyebrows a good tweezing the day before leaving. A tweezer is something I would be devastated to have confiscated because I really get attached to my tweezer, I find that they mould to my grip like a fountain pen.

FASHION ITEMS

A big planning tip would be to make a note of everything you are planning on doing during your trip away. I knew that I was going to be going out for two nights so needed two cute dresses and the same pair of shoes for each. I knew that I was going to go for a run one morning, so I took the smallest running clothes possible and my lightest pair of trainers. I was planning on spending most of the time on the beach so I took two bikinis, one pair of flip flops and two beach dresses that could double up as cute enough to wear to breakfast or strolling around the streets and morning markets. Luckily I didn’t have any clothes that I needed to shoot for work so I didn’t have to take any specific clothing and could just go for the lightest small items as possible.

THE TRUE COST

Even though you are saving money on not paying to check in a suitcase you are actually still going to have some spendy moments. Once you have gone through passport control you will probably have to go to Boots to buy yourself the beauty essentials. I suppose if you are only going away for a couple of nights you could get away without buying shampoo and conditioner. I have noticed that travel sized products are so much more expensive than their full sized equivalent. I would suggest investing in some nice travel sized containers that you can decant into rather than spending a fortune on travel sized goodies.

I have to admit the whole experience of travelling with only hand luggage was incredibly freeing. Not having to queue to check in and not having to wait for your luggage on the conveyor belts made me feel a big sense of smugness. If I am going away for a proper length holiday or trip of a week or more I will probably go for checking in a full sized 20kg suitcase but for a weekend away I may just try the hand luggage only thing again. Have you ever managed to travel with only hand luggage? Tell me your words of wisdom too please 🙂 x

WHAT TO WATCH (AUTUMN 2018)

Hello October. Hello cosy season. ’Tis the season to get cosy and snuggle up on the sofa to watch TV or if you have new clothes layer up and go to the theatre. I have been doing both lately and need to let you know what I have been loving because I know you will to.

KILLING EVE

Oh, wow, how incredible is this production! I saw a trailer for this BBC drama at the beginning of the year when it was airing in the USA and I was so jealous we didn’t have it. Well, the BBC have finally aired the goodness for us and posted the entire series on i-player. Safe to say we binged it in record time. Jodie Comer plays an incredible assassin that is hilarious as well as obviously terrifying. I believe this is a program that everyone will love. It obviously did well because they are already filming season 2.

ATYPICAL

Another absolute gem. I think I already mentioned season 1 in an old TV Picks blog post. This program is hilarious 90% of the time but also incredibly heart wrenching at times. It follows a young boy with autism trying to navigate his way through social situations. There is one episode where he tries to learn to lie and it made me realise that that is one of the biggest issues for those with autism and actually others could take a leaf out of their books and become a little bit more truthful. Season 2 is just as wonderful as season 1…watch it now.

WICKED – APOLLO THEATRE

How have I waited so long to see Wicked at the theatre. I already knew a lot of the songs from watching a Wicked episode in Glee and hearing Gravity sung a million times on singing competition programs. The story is absolutely wonderful and I found that it made The Wizard Of Oz make so much more sense afterwards. Get your tickets here.

THE KING AND I

I took my mum to see the King And I at the theatre as a surprise for her birthday because back in the early 80s for a few years she was in the original production with Yul Brynner. It was a wonderful show like no other and mum said it hadn’t changed at all, so it was wonderful to find out exactly what she did. I would definitely recommend seeing this hugely popular show if you can get a ticket.

BODYGUARD

From the same creative directors of LINE OF DUTY (BBC must watch airing on Netflix right now) comes Bodyguard. An insanely gripping sit on the edge of your seat with eyes wide open drama. I’m not going to give anything away incase you haven’t seen it…but I’m pretty sure everyone in the UK right now has watched it.

What other shows are you watching and binging right now? The Good Place is finally back in our lives with season 3 so that is definitely on my watch list. Have a lovely week ahead.

WHAT TO WATCH (AUTUMN 2018) | Megan Taylor

WHY YOU NEED A TRIP TO THE COUNTRYSIDE

Hello Autumn, is that you I see? 🍂Autumn has crept up after the long hot summer and I am really excited about it. To me, Autumn conjures up thoughts of exciting layered fashion, Strictly Come Dancing, hot chocolate and long walks in the woods followed by cosy cuddles by the wood burning fire. With the kids going back to school, adults back to work and the roads and trains being busier in the mornings, it has got me thinking…I need a long weekend away 😉 As a bit of a suburban dweller it has taken me a few years but I believe I have aced the art of a long weekend in the countryside. Let me tell you why you too need a trip to the countryside…oh and also the fashion items you will want to take with you.

This post is sponsored by the wonderful Celtic & Co. Shop their clothes here.

RUN THE MOUNTAINS

Wether you walk or run, go and seek some adventure. Relaxing is so much more rewarding after working. My parents’ house is surrounded by mountains. They are right in the middle of the Brecon Beacons so we are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking our spot. Liam and I tend to run the Skirrid, Derry or the Sugar Loaf. Once you reach the peak and see the epic views you will feel accomplished and literally on top of the world. Once you have conquered your mountain or field or even the block you will be filed with fresh air and ready to justify a pub lunch.

LAZY PUB LUNCHES

Long lazy pub lunches are so much better in the countryside. The pubs feel so much cosier, especially in Autumn/Winter. There are often log fires and cosy little nooks to sit in with your loved one. What I also adore about the country pubs is that 99.9% of them I have visited have allowed dogs. I know not everyone is a dog person but I feel they add to the relaxed care free vibe. I am vegetarian and spent my childhood avoiding pub lunches with my family because they were so bad at catering for veggies. With time that has completely changed, you can’t get away from sweet potato fries and halloumi and for that I am forever thankful.

WHY YOU NEED A TRIP TO THE COUNTRYSIDE | Megan Taylor

• TRACKIES • SLIPPERS • CARDIGAN •

QUIRKY CAFES

Continuing on the food conversation, I am here with my love of cafes. I love stumbling across quirky little cafes around small towns. They all tend to be little independents which makes you feel like you are supporting the community. Abergavenny in South Wales is filled with them, my favourite being The Chapel. The food is fresh and exciting and they even serve alcohol to go alongside your cake…perfecting at it’s finest. I am in Abergavenny this weekend for the Abergavenny Food Festival and can’t wait to eat all the cheese.

SIT BY THE FIRE

My parents have a lovely wood burning fire and we light it the second we arrive. If we aren’t going out for the day we light it first thing in the morning giving full on Little Women vibes (one of my favourite books). The sound and heat of a roaring fire with a cosy old movie on in the background is absolute heaven for me. I do however have to fight my dog Coco to the hotspot in front of the fire.

• CARDIGAN •

FORAGING AND FARMER’S MARKETS

As I said earlier, I am off to a food festival this weekend which we do most years. The opportunity to discover new food and nibble goodies whilst talking to the owners is something that I am loving doing more as I have got older. When I was younger I hated my parents taking forever between each stand but I am now that person. If you go out for a walk make sure you bring a bag, you never know what you may find. Liam and I have been known to come back with berries, mushrooms and even apples to cook up a storm with.

CUDDLE

If you are in the countryside with a loved one then a cuddle is definitely in order. Pop on your cosy clothes and snuggle up together for extra bonus romantic points. I adore these lounge pants (remind me of Rachel from Friends ‘Apartment Pants’) and slippers for perfect lounging attire.

Are you a fan of being in the countryside or would you rather be in the City?

WHAT TO PACK

The weather can be obviously be a bit skitty. One minute it is raining and cold, the next sunny and warm. The most important factor for me was to have a pair of boots for walks and slippers for the minute you walk in the front door. This cardigan was my saviour last time we went to Wales, it was warm-ish so I was in a dress and flip flops but when we were walking around town there was a strong breeze. I popped this cardigan on and I was super cosy. I am not your best friend when I am cold 😉 . Oh, also, I got Coco a matching jumper to my cardigan for ultimate cuteness. I also adore these lounge pants because even though they are merino they don’t itch, even in the slightest! Also, after 3 days of lounging about the house in them, they didn’t get saggy knees, that’s a sure sign of an amazing pair of trackies.

• BOOTS • SCARF • DOG JUMPER •

WHERE HAVE I BEEN AND THE FUTURE OF MY BLOG

Some of my more keen eyed readers may have noticed I have been absent on my blog for almost two months now. There are many reasons to this, not at all ominous but I wanted to share them with you. I was just going to share my latest ventures and updates through a couple of Instagram Stories but realised I actually wanted to explain myself and tell you some exciting news in a little more depth. I have been blogging (in the more business minded sense) for four years now. I have had many blog layouts. I have been a finalist for eight awards. I have won two awards. I have grown an amazing readership. I have loved every second but blogging has become such a saturated market and I wanted to work out a way to stand out from the ever growing crowd. This meant that I needed to take a step back and think about how and what I should do next.

I AM

I have long struggled with the fact that I have so many parts to my working life. I have agents for many aspects of that and I love that, yet I am constantly juggling between each of them. It is from this moment that I now only have an agent for acting and another for modelling. For the time being I am going to manage my blog myself. I have learnt along the way that although having management for your blog is at times wonderful, I have actually learnt how much to charge and know how to work as a freelancer so I can, for now, wing it myself. With regards to what work I actually do, it is still a rather extensive list and I freaking love that. I am never going to get bored that is for sure.

I am an actress
I am a model
I am a writer
I am a blogger
I am a content creator
I am a podcaster
I am a lecturer
As from today…
I am an ebook author!
I am a blogging judge!

MY LATEST VENTURES

My two latest ventures of writing an ebook and becoming a blogging judge are both things that I am incredibly proud of. I have been writing my ebook for the best part of a year now. I became a lecturer in blogging and social media last year and learnt a lot along the way.In the same way I struggle with the simplest of maths, I realised that what I found easy in the techie sense didn’t come easy to others. I receive numerous messages across my social platforms, especially in my Instagram DMs on how to do things on social media and although I can answer all of these questions, I struggle to take the time out and answer with the attention that it needs. I wrote down every question I have ever been asked by readers, followers and students alike and compiled it into an ebook full of all of the advice that you would need. I have kept the price super low and hope that you will learn everything that you want to learn in the book.
My other new venture is that of being a JUDGE!! Wahhh, I was so excited when the lovely Lauren of the UK Blog Awards asked me to be a judge of the Social Influencer category this year. I have won highly commended in both the Social Influencer and Fashion & Beauty categories over the last two years and am definitely ready to take a step in the other direction and help judge the awards. It has also come along at the most perfect time alongside my second year in lecturing in social media and releasing my first ebook in social media.

THE FUTURE OF BLOGGING

Readers of blogs are decreasing and that is widely known. The biggest audience for many bloggers lies on Instagram. Instagram is an amazing platform for immediate connection. It is easy to scroll through mindlessly and pretty much everyone has the app on their phones. I still believe there is a place is the world of social media for long form content and for that reason and the fact that I adore writing and creating blogs I am definitely sticking around. I will however stop beating myself up to produce 3 blogs minimum a week. There are just far too many platforms for me to create content for each and every day and I will not let my content sacrifice in its quality to create a higher quantity. I want you to click through to my latest blog posts because I can teach you, inspire you, put a smile on your face and help transport you to a happy place for the 3 or so minutes you spend perusing my content between tube stops. I will also be regularly updating my SHOP with only products which I have bought. As a reader of blogs I don’t particularly like it when bloggers just stick up products which they have never actually used or bought and seem to be trying to earn affiliate money. All items you find in my shop will have actually have been used by me. I also want to improve the quality of my photos after having so much information taught to me by Olympus. Although I want my photos to look gorgeous, I also want to include more behind the scenes/raw images as I have in this blog post where you gain more of a sense of what I have been up to and less “edited”. Let me know your thoughts on this.

WHERE YOU WILL FIND ME

I am going to be creating an equal amount of content across my social platforms and not treat any as more important that the other. With that in mind I am hoping that you will be able to find some form of me on your personal favourite social platform and not feel like you are missing out because I am only on a platform that you don’t particularly like using (oh, wow, I kind of sound a bit like I think you are obsessed with me pahaha, I know you’re not, but it would be great if you were haha). I am going to be producing more video content over on YouTube, I am still pinning away over on Pinterest as I always have since it’s launch because it is my favourite place to be and an amazing form of escapism. I am going to be here on my blog writing informative posts for you on all aspects of life. I will not be writing throw away tosh! I am going to be sharing the prettiest moments of my life over on Instagram. I will still be sharing less filtered moments on my Instagram Stories. I will also be writing short form content over on Twitter…mostly about my favourite TV shows. I will also be on Facebook, mostly sharing links to my latest blog posts, my latest Instagram photos and behind the scenes of acting and modelling jobs. Facebook is in fact probably my least used social platform and would love to know what you would like to see there if you do use it.

OVER AND ‘AB’OUT

So, basically, even though I have been missing for almost two months I am actually still here but hopefully bigger and better than before. I have such a passion for this industry and want to stick around whether I have 1 follower or 1 million followers. I started blogging as a creative outlet and will keep it that way and hopefully you will enjoy it. Megan x

THE EASIEST WAY TO CODE A BLOG POST

For many, one of the biggest hurdles to creating a blog post can be the technical hurdle. I am dreadful at maths but techie stuff has always come quite naturally to me and I actually enjoy it. I have been learning to code for a long time. In 2015 I downloaded the free app Lrn (this isn’t an ad). This app teaches you the basics and helps you read coding. You don’t have to be an absolute whizz at coding to get by, but it is great to be able to pick out little sections to help you understand why something is sitting somewhere on your webpage and how to move it. I am here to teach you a super basic thing that you can copy and paste to work on like a kids work book on each of your blog posts. This coding will increase your SEO rating by including subheadings and improve your blogging productivity in general as it gives you a guide of what to write for a easy to read piece of copy. Why not give it a go…don’t be scared, I promise it is wonderfully simple.

(Did you know that I have a whole ‘Blogger Advice’ section on my site?)

TEXT

With the below coding you just need to copy and paste it and stick in in your computers notes so you can always come back to it and squirt it into the ‘text’ section of your blog draft whenever you are writing a new post. When you are typing away on a blog post when using WordPress for example you will see in the top right (below your blog title) it will say ‘Visual’ and ‘Text’. Click on ‘Text’ and paste the coding I have given you below into this section.
I personally like to write my blog posts in the ‘Text’ area among my coding but you can do it in the ‘Visual’ section for now whilst you are learning what’s what.

THE ONLY CODING YOU NEED TO KNOW

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Intro paragraph</p>

<h2 style=”text-align: center;”>FIRST SUB-TITLE</h2>

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Writing</p>

<h2 style=”text-align: center;”>SECOND SUB-TITLE</h2>

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Writing</p>

<h2 style=”text-align: center;”>THIRD SUB-TITLE</h2>

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Writing</p>

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Ask a question to gain some chat</p>

WHAT DOES THIS CODING MEAN?

Do you like coding or know anything about it? What coding should I learn next?

HOW TO BOOK AN AMAZING HOLIDAY EVERY TIME

I am often asked by friends and family for holiday recommendations or even to find them a holiday. Finding a great holiday can be blooming tricky and time-consuming task. I don’t mean to brag (although I totally am ;P) but every holiday I have booked has been amazing!! Of course, a good holiday is what you make of it. Any holiday can be good or bad depending on your mood but I have always been thrilled with the locations and hotels I have booked for both summer and city breaks. I thought I would share my process in seeking out those gems and name the hotels that I have stayed at that I can remember off the top of my head in different countries where I have loved the hotel and the location.

TOP TIPS FOR HOLIDAY SUCCESS

TIME

It can take time to find your dream holiday but allow yourself that time, each lunchtime or evening whilst keeping half an eye on the Love Islanders latest antics. When it comes to booking a holiday you do not want to rush the task. I have heard rumours that the time of the week you book is imperative and that on Tuesday evenings the prices are often higher. I’m not certain if this is true with regards to the exact time and day of the week but I have found that the stored cookies thing is true. When I have been to book a holiday a few days after researching the price has gone up. I suggest you either delete all your cookies or do your research on a different laptop/tablet/mobile than the one you are going to book on.

5* BABY

It may be a bit cheeky but my first port of call once I have decided on the country is to go onto the Mr & Mrs Smith website and see which hotels they recommend in the country. They only recommend the most lush holiday spots, I always trust their opinion. Sadly I have always found much cheeper option on other holiday providers websites so I use them solely as a research tool. If I can’t find their recommendations anywhere at an affordable price I will then use the following 5* tactic. I go onto the typical sites including Olympic Holidays, Thomas Cook, TUI etc then input the country and dates I want and only search 5* hotels. If I can’t afford any of the 5* hotels I open up the search to 4* hotels. If I can’t find anything in those two brackets I move on to a different country of choice. I am a homebody and I need my creature comforts when in a strange and unfamiliar place, therefore I really need my hotel abroad to be lovely and a complete safe haven.

TRIP ADVISOR

I always check my hotel on Trip Advisor. I couldn’t believe it when I was booking our holiday in Zante at Zante Maris Suites and there was not a single negative review. This is totally unusual, some people are grumpy and have a cruddy holiday and write rather unfair reviews on trivial problems. I do however sometimes get sidetracked by these negative reviews. I do also quite like to have a look at the customer hotel holiday photos as they portray a much more realistic view of the hotel than the professional holiday snaps.

INSTAGRAM

Another place that I research my potential holiday is Instagram. Some hotels have an Instagram account and you can look at photos they were tagged in by real holiday makers. If they don’t have an Instagram account you are still likely to find the hotel through a hashtag or location where holiday makers have taken photos and geotagged their location. Our latest hotel we went to didn’t have an Instagram account but lots of Instagrammers and holiday makers had shared pictures of them swanning about drinking cocktails and hanging out on their balcony private pools and it all looked ever so dreamy and I could picture myself there too.

GOOGLE MAPS

A great way to check if you really want to pick a holiday spot is to use Google Maps street view. These images are often taken out of season and even the most dreamy holidays I have been on, such as our honeymoon at Bill & Coo in Mykonos looked a bit daggy on Google Maps even though it wasn’t daggy, even in the slightest. Use the street view to map your route to the local town, can you walk there? Is the beach near? Are there restaurants close enough?

HOW TO BOOK AN AMAZING HOLIDAY EVERY TIME | Megan Taylor

MY FAVOURITE HOTELS

GREECE

ZANTE – Zante Maris Suites

RHODES – Atrium Palace

CRETE – Insula Alba

MYKONOS – Bill & Coo

ITALY

FLORENCE – Continentale

VERONA – Palazzo Victoria

ROME – The Westin Excelsior

VENICE – Hotel A La Commedia (best places to eat & drink in Venice)

TENERIFE

(I stayed in these 3 hotels whilst filming a commercial, so I didn’t pick them but they were amazing, especially the one in the West)

SOUTH – Sheraton La Caleta (Adeje)

NORTH – Iberostar Grand Hotel Mencey (Santa Cruz)

WEST – Melia Hacienda Del Conde (Buenavista)

I hope my holiday booking tips can help you too. Have you got any other tips that you have used which I need to include? Or, any amazing hotel holiday hot spots that I have missed off my list?

BEACH SUMMER READING LIST 2018

I love reading books almost as much as I love buying them but two things stop me. Firstly, I am one of the slowest readers on the planet. Secondly, my brain can not focus on a book, it is always thinking about something else whether that’s work or what I am going to eat next. So, when I actually get through a whole book, I know it’s a goodun! I have written a few book recommendation blogs in the past, including blogging books and inspirational books. Both of these posts had great click throughs to purchase so I am guessing you all liked my recommendations. The following books that I have listed are novels, bar one from Emma Gannon which is there to teach you how to be a complete Queen at your working life. Rather than reading a whole essay from me, I have written a couple of sentences on each along with a few key words that explain what the book is.

ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

It seems that this book is everyone I meets favourite book. I laughed out loud on the beach and by the pool whilst reading this. There are sad moments of loneliness but dealt with in a wonderful way.
Funny • Easy Read • Film Rights Bought By Reece Witherspoon

THE MULTI-HYPEN METHOD

This book is totally up my street. I have always struggled to explain what my work is, there are so many parts to it…actress-model-writer-blogger-fittings model-lecturer-social media etc etc etc. Emma makes me realise this is totally fine and teaches me how to make this a completely viable way to live. Emma Gannon also has a podcast which I have recommended here.
Easy Read • Educational • Inspiring

HOW TO BE A GROWN UP

Probably the youngest and easiest read from my list. The author is Grazia’s agony aunt and is written in such an easy reading style.
Laugh Out Loud • Relatable • Youthful

SHE REGRETS NOTHING

Experience the Manhattan lifestyle through the eyes of a 23 year old who has just recently found out some of her family are super rich.
Addictive • Fast Read • NYC Lifestyle

What have you been reading so far this summer? What shall I read next?

HAT • PHONE CASE • SUNGLASSES

SUMMER PREP BEAUTY MUST HAVES

Hands up who is ready for a summer holiday? Actually, who has booked a sunny holiday abroad? I am off on my yearly one week holiday to Greece. I’m not sure what it is about the Greek Islands but Liam and I can’t keep away. Whether you are off abroad or not we have been blessed with some lush weather lately (today…not so much, but it will be back I am sure). Anyway, I am here to introduce you or perhaps remind you of some amazing beauty products and little extras to help you prep for the summer months ahead.

BEAUTY MUST HAVES

REN MICRO POLISH
The eagle eyed amongst you may notice that my image of this product below is seriously creased, a bit dirty and the lid has snapped. This is all a result of me squeezing out every last inch. I have been using this product for about 5 months I think and actually not in the intended way. This product is designed for the face which is a delicate area, therefore I thought that it must be fine to use on your tougher skin on your body as well. I have been using it on the backs of my legs and on my bum cheeks. I’m not one of those Instagrammers that intend on wearing a thong bikini on holiday (not even when I was a teenager…I’m such a prude) but(t) it’s nice to keep all of our skin smooth and conditioned isn’t it!? I squeeze out the product which is like a dense clay like sand and rub it in before washing it off again. I have seen a great improvement in the bumpy bits on the backs of my legs from years of stupidly tugging at ingrown hairs. Was this paragraph TMI? hmmm…
DR ROEBUCK’S BYRON 2-IN-1 MASK + SCRUB
This was sent to me in my PO Box last month and I was immediately impressed before I had even physically used it. The packaging is delightful and everything that you would expect from an eco vegan Australian company. As soon as I spotted the fresh colours of branding and the beautiful white tube with a toothpaste style lid I knew I was in for a treat. The product does in fact smell like a minty fresh toothpaste, so much so that I would quite like to have a taste…I didn’t, don’t worry. The eco beads are biodegradable which are designed to target clogged pores and gently remove dead skin cells. I love that they are using eco/biodegradable beads after hearing so much press about brands using plastic in their products. You can use this product with peace of mind that you aren’t washing plastic into the ocean.
HEMPZ GRADUAL TAN
This electric orange tube of SPF 30 from Hempz helps protect skin from free radical damage whilst subtly helping you tan. It isn’t an actual fake tan, it helps to enhance your skins colour. Therefore you aren’t going to smell of biscuits or have streaky legs.
LEIGHTON DENNY WELL HEELED
This product from leighton Denny is designed to help soften your feet. I have never thought much about my feet as I have grown up. Yet, after a bout of wearing some trainers which blistered me up pretty badly I am all for reviving my feet and this product is definitely the one. Along with the cream which you can slather all over your feet, it also comes with the adorable spotty blue socks in the picture below. They even have cute pastel blue bows on the back of them. For a seriously deep conditioning, cover your feet in the cream, then pop the socks on and binge watch your current favourite Netflix series (check out my latest TV Picks here).
SAND & SKY MASK
I have had this product in my ‘To Test Out’ for a while and I am so excited to have stumbled across it again. In fact, this is another Australian product of goodness. In this pastel blue tub is a whole lot of Australian pink clay. This clay is designed to detoxify and brighten your skin in only 10 minutes. It feels incredible and super smooth. For a quick pre-holiday glow, you need this clay mask.

NOBLE ISLE BODY HYDRATOR
If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I am quite a big fan of Noble Isle, especially their Rhubarb scented products. I can’t live without their Rhubarb Rhubarb (yes Rhubard twice ;)) hand wash. I recently had a little bit too much sun after a long workout in the sun and used this Noble Isle body hydrator all over my tingly shoulders and it felt wonderful. It is actually a great lotion to use in preparation to fake tanning and can help negate the dreadful scent of most fake tans.
SKYN NORDIC SKIN PEEL
These Skyn Nordic Skin Peels pads are designed to exfoliate, tone and clear pores. When I first looked into this product I thought that it was maybe, a little bit like a Retinol (I talk in depth about Retinols here) but this is a less scary way to “peel”. It is the papaya fruit extract they use which exfoliates your skin. Make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel to see my review of Skyn’s skin peel and there eye brightening patches going live this weekend.

LITTLE EXTRAS

On to the pretty little extras, but by no means any less important. How pretty and sparkly are the below goodies. Once you have prepped your skin with hydration and a touch of sun kiss you will need pretty nails and to be adorned with pretty jewellery, right!? I thought I would introduce you to current faves which are carefully strewn across my gold rimmed mirror display form Oliver Bonas. In terms of adornments I am most in love with my beautiful pale blue Hampstead ELIE BEAUMONT watch and jewellery from MeMe London, Stella & Dot and Penny Levi and Lily Belle.
NAIL VARNISHES
These three nail varnishes from Joan Collins (Fontaine), iZ London (Lemon Meringue) and Mavala (Long Island) are my go to colours for the summer seasons.

How beautiful are these summer must haves! Which are your favourites?

WHAT TO WATCH | MAY 2018

TV is pretty darn good at the moment! When the days get warmer I don’t watch as much TV or film because I spend more time outside. Therefore my watchlist is seriously backed up with so many goodies. As soon as the sun sets I jump on the sofa and turn the TV on for a big case of viewing binging. I tend to talk about my Netflix Picks but this month I am back with a whole array of goodies on paid for and free tv.

DRAMA

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (NETFLIX)
I have loved Designated Survivor for a while now but last week was the final episode of the season and it was a goodie. I felt the beginning of the season started off slowly but it picked up after its mid season break and has been pretty darn good.
THE GOOD FIGHT (CH4)
A fantastic legal drama with some incredibly funny moments and manage to be openly close to the line with its political opinion. I was a huge fan of The Good Wife but its sequel, ‘The Good Fight’ has been incredible. Onto season 2 and I am further gripped. I really look forward to it each week and bringing along Diane and Marissa (who, in my opinion were 2 of the best characters, although I wish they had brought back Eli too!).
LOST IN SPACE (NETFLIX)
I didn’t realise that Lost In Space was a big TV series a long time ago, either before I was born or when I was very young. Yet, I did love the movie adaptation with Matt Le Blanc so I knew of the concept. A family who are stranded in an unknown planet in space. I have really loved this season and apparently so have a lot of others as it has been commissioned for another season. I do find the fact that every episode requires someone to be rescued a little tedious…yet, doesn’t put me off.
FAMOUS IN LOVE (AMAZON PRIME)
I am a little late to the party with loving this show. Everyone clearly knew I would love it as so many people recommended that I watch it. It follows Bella Thorne’s character winning the lead role in a huge movie. It’s full of drama and excitement and is the perfect girlie program to fill the void of The Bold Type having finished.

CRIMMIE

SAFE (NETFLIX)
Harlan Coben (I filmed a book trailer for him a couple of years ago) wrote the book Safe and he has produced an amazing TV adaptation which has become in an incredible hit. A crime drama set in a British private estate where a young girl goes missing and it follows the entwined lives of secrets that are being hidden. There are 8, 1 hour, episodes which I admittedly watched within 4 days…it was that gripping!

COMEDIES

THE BIG BANG THEORY (E4)
YOUNG SHELDON (E4)
BROOKLYN NINE NINE (E4)
THE GOLDBERGS (E4)
All of these E4 comedies have been mine and Liam’s favourites for such a long time now that it seem silly for me to include them. Yet, the latest seasons which have been aired on E4 have been so good that I couldn’t not mention them. They are all fantastic half hour shows which will take your mind of any anxious thoughts and have you laughing out loud. Big Bang and Brooklyn are both aired on Netflix if you need to catch up on old episodes.
EPISODES (BBC)
BBCs Episodes which stars Matt Le Blanc has been airing for a few seasons now and I enjoyed it but never raved about it. This latest season has been sooo good. Sadly I didn’t realise it was on TV until episode 1 had disappeared off iPlayer. If you can find a way of watching it, then you must.

Which of these have you watched? What have I missed?

WHY I STOPPED GOING TO BLOGGER/PRESS EVENTS

Blogger and press events have such an allure when you are first starting out. You follow bloggers on Instagram to see them swanning around drinking champagne and heading home with a goodie bag full of exciting gifts. I spent over a year to going to pretty much every one I was invited to when I first started but last August that all changed.

TIME & MONEY

Last August I started earning enough money from blogging to leave one of my regular fittings clients. If you don’t know what I am on about here, have a read of this blog post where I describe my other random job. This particular client was based in central London right by Liberty so I spent a lot of time in town and being paid to spend the morning there at least two days a week. When I left this job I was no longer being paid to be in central London so to go to launches and events I needed to justify paying for a travel card from zone 6 where I live. Even though I am on a fast line, it was still a good 1-2 hours out of my day where I wasn’t creating content at home.

FOMO

When I stopped going to the events I continued seeing all of my blogger friend going to them on their Instagram stories and I felt some serious pangs of FOMO…not always, but a lot of the time. Yet, I was spending this time (apart from when being in an Instagram vortex) working and getting so much done that I felt a whole lot more accomplished. I managed to keep up some of the relationships I had gained with the brands and PR’s through emails.

NETWORKING

The major thing I was finding was that I wasn’t as well connected as I was before and started feeling out of the loop. Before I had essentially quit event-ing I was really good friends with a lot of PRs and I was getting first pick of new products and my stories looked a whole lot more interesting back then because I wasn’t spending 24/7 typing away at my desk. After 7 months of being essentially off the grid 90% of the time I have decided to get back to the real “blogging” lifestyle and start going to more events. I have begun to be a little bit more picky with which I go to but when I do go to the events I come away feeling “involved” and inspired, so it is definitely worth getting out there.

EVENT ADVICE FOR NEWBIES

Events can be scary for newbies because you don’t know anyone. I remember my first big event that I attended which was on the rooftop of Ham Yard Hotel. I didn’t know a single soul there and had no idea what to do, so I picked up a cocktail and spent a good half an hour drinking that and taking the same picture of a product so I looked busy. Now I tend to know someone or at least know the PR so it is far less intimidating. If you are scared to go to an event, just head in and pick up a glass of something and poodle about taking snaps and soak in the atmosphere and see how the others do it. There will always be someone to talk to that’s in the same boat as you.

What do you think? Do you go to blogger and press events? Do you think they are worth your time?

HOW TO PLAN YOUR BLOG CONTENT

This post seems a little conflicting considering that I spent a week off blogging. I have had a seriously busy couple of weeks with planning our house move. We have only just put it on the market but, oh boy, we interviewed those estate agents with no shame haha. Anyway, until we sell I have a little more time on my hands and I am back to blogging 3 times a week…fingers crossed. I am often asked how I plan my blogging content, so I am here to help you in any way I possibly can. Feel free to comment below with any extra questions and I will get back to you as quick as possible.

BLOGGING DIARY

Even though most of my work is online and inputted through a computer/phone I am a huge fan of pen and paper. Even to this day I always buy a paper yearly diary and if you read my working from home tips with Paperchase you will already know that I am a huge fan of notebooks. In the last couple of years, since I began being more professional with my blogging approach I started using a blogging diary as well as my day to day work diary. This diary, as you can see in the images at the bottom of my post, is a month view. This layout enables me to see every day and write in what I am going to blog about. I write down the potential blog title and which category it will sit in. I can then workout if I have concentrated too heavily on one category that month and try to plan more content in other categories, although I don’t push myself to do this as I always want to write about what I am passionate about.

SPECIAL DAYS

At the beginning of each year (sometimes at the beginning of each month if I am being a little less organised) I will sit down with my blogging diary and write in the dates of special occasions which can help stimulate my creative brain into producing time relevant content. For example Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas, Mother’s/Father’s Day, National Women’s Day etc. Then I will jot this down in the correct day and write a note in the diary about a month in advance to start planning the content. For any national popular occasion you want to release your content in advance otherwise it can be obsolete. For example, with my Mother’s Day Gift Guide, I released it two weeks before the actual date to give my readers time to possibly buy what I am suggesting. I start collecting a list products, events and calling in samples about a month in advance to give me time to take the pictures and write my post.

BOOK OF IDEAS

The way that I never run out of blog content ideas is by having a long list of blog title ideas in my notes section of my phone and a notebook. My phone is an easy place to quickly jot down ideas when I am out and about and getting inspired by my surrounding. My notebook of ideas is split into the categories of my blog. I get inspired by so many things, reading magazines, reading blogs, reading newspapers and often the questions I get asked by readers. A really great way I find to fill up my blog ideas notebook is when big influencers like Zoella or Tanya Burr put out an Instagram or Twitter post asking their followers to ask them questions for their Q&A YouTube videos. I then jot down all the interesting ideas that I think I could write about.

I hope this blog can has helped you a little bit. Do you have already have a blogging diary? How do you organise your blogging schedule?

WHY YOU NEED TO SPRING CLEAN RIGHT NOW

If you have been following me on Instagram and You Tube you may well know Liam and I are in the process of “trying” to sell our house. We live in a large maisonette but are desperate for our own space and to have a house. This has been a huge learning curve, there is so much to learn…but more on that in a future blog post. I am going to give you the 411 on how to buy a house. Yet, for now, we have just got to the stage of having photos of our place taken. This involved a full day of decluttering, tidying, cleaning and oh boy did it take a long time. It was worth it though and I am here to tell you why you too need to spring clean right now.

CLEAR YOUR AIRWAYS

Once you start to declutter and move old boxes or look under the bed you will most likely be inundated with dust. I don’t mix well with dust, it makes me sneeze and itch for hours after so I have to be careful. We have a cleaner and still have dust in places that she can’t seem to find. It is good to keep on top of this for your cleanliness and general healthy wellbeing. I am a bit of a delicate soul and was finding that I was getting a bit sensitive in my nasal area when going to bed, so we pulled it away from the wall and found a super thick dust layer along the skirting board…we are clean people I promise 😉 Even in our bathroom we found dust on our top shelves pilling up on beauty products which I am still planning on testing. Everything feels so much fresher now and I am aiming to not leave anything unattended for so long next time.

FIND LONG LOST GOODIES

One of the many wonderful things about Spring cleaning anytime of the year is finding long lost goodies. Last weekend I found a lot of jewellery behind my chest of drawers and beauty products lost behind taller bottles. It was like everything was new all over again. Recently we even recovered my Santa Clause the movie DVD in an old DVD player that we were going to throw away…thank goodness that wasn’t thrown away (it’s one of my faves ssh).

SPARK YOUR CREATIVITY

I’m not sure about you but whenever I have had a clear up/decluttering session my creativity blossoms. I think it is because of two reasons, the first being that my working space is so much tidier and there’s less to distract me. Secondly, when I am tidying I come across things that trigger memories or inspire me in some way or another.

DECLUTTER

Especially as a blogger I store and hoard a whole lot of stuff. I can’t physically use it all, so after a trial period I should really decide whether or not to keep it but I have a serious case of attachment issues and struggle to let go. Therefore I often keep most of it for myself hehe. Over the weekend we had to have a big clear out before our estate agent house photos and this meant I really had to declutter. I found old products which I adored and products which I was never going to use so I made piles of giveaway/charity/keep and my shelves are now thanking me for it. You can see everything and therefore I am more likely to use them. Go ahead and declutter to actually make use of what you own.

LOVE LIFE

I remember reading some Cosmopolitan supplement about Feng Shui way back when I was a teenager which really stuck in my head. Apparently you need to have a clear under bed to attract a good love life. So, if you’re single, maybe you need to clear out the clutter from under your bed? Hmm… maybe a bit of a peculiar and suspicious one but worth a try 😉

Have you began to Spring clean? Does it make you feel better?

5 TOP TIPS TO SUCCESSFULLY WORKING FROM HOME | Megan Taylor

WHAT BLOGGERS ARE READING RIGHT NOW

Instagrammers, big and small are influencing what you buy whether you like it or not. I have come to notice that flatlays and props are leaning towards Instagrammable reading material which is pretty cool. I already had a few of these reading picks you will see below but some were definitely subliminally pushed into my Amazon basket without my choosing after mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. Whether or not you are a blogger you will still want to read the majority of these picks, so carry on reading for some fabulous literature.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Sunday Times best seller ‘Little Black Book’ is written by Otegha Uwagba, one of Forbes Under 30, so you know it’s going to be a goodie. I love how this book is rather teeny and fits in my handbag to read on my travels to and from work. Oh and being so small you will always have it with you to add to your food and coffee photos whilst out and about. What I also love is the many many subtitles in each chapter. So, even if you are only scanning the book you can pick out some good tidbits through the subheadings! Yet, with a little more concentration and reading you will learn a lot from this book about working life.

MILK AND HONEY

This book was definitely subconciously pushed on me by Instagram after seeing it in so many Instagram pictures. I didn’t even know what it was about but was drawn into the elegant black design…by the way it feels lovely as well (random). This book is a collection of poetry, some more disturbing than others. Although it is at times intense, it is beautifully written and cleverly presented. Oh and Rupi is another Sunday Times Bestseller!

HOW TO BE AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS

I have owned this book for a while and even bought my mum a copy half way through reading chapter 1! I have grown up with parents that create incredible companies and often sell them so I know the highs and lows that entrepreneurs go through and found it really interesting to read from megastar creator of Rodial. You can learn a lot in this book of how to create your own brand and what can turn you into an “overnight” success.

BLOGOSPHERE MAGAZINE

I have raved about Blogosphere magazine on numerous occasions and thanks to my mum subscribing for me a few years ago. This magazine is filled with so much information and has become a bit of a necessity for every blogger to own…my mum was well ahead of the time finding out about this magazine and I am ever so thankful for every snippet of information I have learnt from each issue. The magazine has stayed true to the way it is produced each time and is incredibly bulky with almost 200 pages of high quality paper and content. Have a listen to Blogosphere gal Albertine Brandon on these blogger podcasts.

GLAMOUR

Last year when I heard that Glamour was essentially stopping production bar its biannual issues I was devastated. It is one of the only magazines I bought regularly. Yet here it is with its first issue back and named SS18 Beauty Book. The reason every blogger in the universe seems to have snagged a copy is because legendary ZOELLA is gracing the cover…and two other incredible women…but I have only seen this copy in the umpteen flatlays and Instagram stories. I found it hard to find a copy only days after it was released, never mind a Zoella cover…good luck.

WHAT BLOGGERS ARE READING RIGHT NOW | Megan Taylor

WHAT BLOGGERS ARE READING RIGHT NOW | Megan Taylore

Are you guilty of owning any of these blogger publication cliches? What have I missed off my list?

AMAZON PRIME TV PICKS

Hi all, I am just popping by with a quick list of what to watch right now. The last Netflix Picks I wrote was November last year! I have been in love with Amazon Prime lately and have found so many incredible programs which I want to share with you. (All of these shows are free to watch within the Amazon Prime subscription). I have picked shows for the family, for the girlies and for the adults. A lot of the shows have actually won many many awards. Let me know what you have been watching lately because with all of this snow I am going to need some new goodies to binge watch. Little side note…I always struggle with finding a feature image for my Netflix/TV picks so I picked this little less seen image of me and Liam watching my phone…who knows, we could have been watching TV…mid event…hmmm…

THE BOLD TYPE

Oh wow this TV is incredible! If you are someone who loved Gossip Girl and Sex In The City then this is what you have been missing since their endings. The show follows a few girls working at a magazine and making their way through relationships. They are all so determined. It’s a program that makes you want to go out and conquer your dreams.

LIFE IN PIECES

This show has made me laugh out loud with every episode. Every actor is incredible but Zoe Lister-Jones is my absolute favourite!!!! The show is based around one family and is split into four separate stories which are all interlinked. This program is perfect for that quick sit down and laugh comedy.

THIS IS US

Oh, wow, I think I have cried whilst watching every episode. This show tugs on your heart strings like no other. It is a drama which flashes back between the 70s and the present day. You get to see the parents and the children during different stages of their lives. Mandy Moore is amazing in it. I adored her as a pop star in the early 00’s and can’t believe how amazing she is as an actress. A must watch.

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Follow a Jewish girl in New York trying to make it as a comedian. Classic! Hilarious! I love this show and clearly others do too because it has won numerous awards already. It is set in the 1950s and the costumes are stunning. Mrs Maisel, played by Rachel Brosnahan (won a Golden Globe for this part) has many hilarious quirks and works so hard at being the perfect housewife. If you want a thoughtful laugh then this is the one for you.

A couple of other programs on my watchlist are The Collection and Good Girls Revolt but I haven’t had time and they are more me than Liam programs, so ones for me to watch when I’m alone. What have you been loving on Amazon Prime? Is there anything I have missed off the list?

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Wahoo…it’s almost that time of year again when we get to celebrate our mummy’s in this world. Whether you have a mummy, granny of a special woman in your life, why not treat them this Mother’s Day and show them how much they mean to you…through the gift of material belongings hehe…everyone loves a treat however small or large. I have compiled my current favourites for a Mother’s Day gift guide with a sophisticated feminine vibe.

ROSY BEAUTY

Rose is in! These two products are rosy and so is the top note of the LK Bennett perfume below. I personally LOVE it. It makes my mind think of pinks, reds, love and romance. Whereas I know a few of my friends immediately think of granny’s. Whichever way your scent tastebuds lie, you need to know that rose essential oil is gold dust and costs a fortune so can often be a very minute part of the ingredients list in a product. Yet, brands can 100% get by on this as the scent is pungent and magical. This Ren Rose Otto bath oil is luxury beyond your wildest dreams. Rose Otto is the real deal, it is an actual Essential Oil from the flower, “neat” stuff. This bottle alone has 10,000 rose petals in it! You have to smell it to understand the power of it. This bottle will last you a very long time, you only need a capful in your bath to fill your room with a fragrance so romantic and relaxing that you will be drifting off to bed on a cloud. Wowey, I really went off on one there didn’t I hehe…I really like this product 😉
This Sanoflore “baume” is gel meets cream in its consistency. This product is filmed with rose essential oil and natural hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid isn’t as scary as it sounds, it is actually incredibly hydrating and moisture binding. This product comes in a lovely pink box with a gold lid on the pot giving an all over luxurious present feel. It’s even on sale here.

Sanoflore Rose Baume • Ren Bath oil

TIME PIECES

I find that I often buy my husband watches but why not buy watches for women? I love the concept of owning more watches and as I write this, I am going to start adding some to my collection…shame I got this one engraved for my mum hehe. I have fallen in love with this black and gold watch by Elie Beaumont which I got from Personally Presented and had engraved as part of the package. It arrived incredibly quick and was packaged beautifully in a gift box and a leather wrapped pouch. I was really surprised at the cost, it is really affordable but looks so much more expensive than it is.

Elle Beaumont Personalised watch

MAKE ME UP

If you know how much I love my make up then you will already know how much I love these two brands, Joan Collins Beauty and Too Faced. They both do make up really well, they are affordable and best of all they are always packaged beautifully. I have picked these two products in particular because they are in line with the other pinky gold products I have hand selected. Neither of these products are making their way to my mum because I have already used and loved them hehe. The Joan Collins lipstick is in the colour Fontaine and is more tame than it looks yet is striking all the same. I am actually wearing it in Mondays blog post on my love for pastel blue clothing right now. I feel this colour makes me look a little bit tanned and give a no-make up look a pop of colour. Where do I start with this Too Faced palette? It is incased in gold, the clasp is made of two peaches and the magnetic closure is rather satisfying. I talked about their chocolate palette in my Christmas Gift Guide and I saw a lot of people clicked through to inspect it further. That palette smelt like a chocolate bar and this Peachy Palette unsurprisingly smells like peaches. When I opened it Coco (my dog) was even loving it. Too Faced eyeshadows are really heavily pigmented, so you don’t need much to get a good coverage and as a result lasts a really long time. This palette alone would be an amazing gift, that if I were a mummy would personally be over the moon with.

Joan Collins Lipstick In Fontaine • Too Faced Peach Palette

SWEET SCENTS

Perfumes can be tricky to buy because everyone has such strong opinions of their own about what is nice or not. If you know that someone has a signature perfume already then an amazing present to buy them is the Twist & Spritz refillable perfume spray bottle, which you can see below in the rose gold bottle. It is so easy to decant your own perfume into this bottle. What an amazing affordable gift idea. If your mum travels or even just goes off to work she can carry this lightweight bottle in her bag with her favourite perfume in to spritz to her hearts desire. If your mother figure in your life is elegant and feminine this new LK Bennett perfume is the one. The top notes are rose and rhubarb which I feel are womanly and sweet. The bottle is the perfect accompaniment to any dressing table, I especially love the heavy weighted gold lid. The bevelled glass bottle is reminiscent of a perfume bottle you would buy in an antique shop.

Twist & Spritz Dispenser • L.K. Bennett Perfume

I feel like these two perfumes from Accessorize and Monsoon are a little younger and more girly in their scent than the LK Bennett perfume. Look at the lid of the Accessorize perfume, the most adorable addition to a perfume bottle that I have ever seen. This scent actually reminds me of Britney Spears’ first perfume…yes I definitely did own a few bottles of that when I was younger 🙂 The Monsoon Rose Gold perfume is right on trend with its decor and comes packaged in a gorgeous white box with rose gold accents. The scent is of a sweet vanilla rose and lemon.

Accessorize Perfume • Monsoon Rose Gold Perfume

PERFECTLY ELEGANT

I feel like Yardley have been in my peripheral for my entire life. It is one of those brands that have always been around but never been too in your face. I feel that they are a fabulous gifting brand for a woman that you admire. I have actually gifted my nan Yardley hand creams on many occasions. I have also included here some adorable gift options from Woods Of Windsor. I have only recently come to know about this brand but they are such an amazing company for affordable gifting! These gift sets are packaged insanely beautifully with pretty Spring scenery.

Yardley Scent Set • Yardley Hand Set • Woods Of Windsor Bath And Body Set • Woods Of Windsor Bath And Shower Set

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Which is your favourite item?

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY | LCHF VEGETARIAN

Back in January I wrote a blog post on how and why I was aiming to lose weight. It is one of my most read blog posts. It was received with mixed reviews. Some were inspired, whereas others were telling me to get a life…in a nice way haha. Well, if you read the post you would understand why I was aiming to lose a small amount of weight. Find out at the bottom of the post my results from 6 weeks of healthiness. I have also filmed a ‘What I Eat In A Day’ You Tube video…my first video in a little while now (I fully intend to film more so please do let me know what you would like to see).

WHAT I GOT UP TO

My initial blog post describes what I got up to in the 6 weeks but in a nut shell I was working around a bit of a low carb high fat lifestyle with no alcohol (minus 2 cocktails for a celebration) and no sugar (biscuits, chocolate, cake, crisps). I did however have a few veggie Lebanese take aways, a few yummy pizzas, sugar free healthy chocolates from Ombar and Booja Booja. So, I definitely wasn’t feeling at all deprived. In terms of exercise, I kept it pretty similar to my normal weekly routine. I went for 2-3 runs a week, clocking about 16km all in all. I attended Elevate’s bootcamp 2-3 times a week. I was ill for about 2 weeks during this period so slacked a little bit during those weeks.

HOW MUCH I LOST

As you may have read in the previous post, I did not weigh myself before, after or ever really because I don’t own weighing scales. I like to use a measuring tape because I believe that is a far more accurate analysis of your body shape, especially as I do a lot of exercise which could mean that I put on weight with muscles. I have listed below how much I lost at each section of my body.

WAIST: -2 cm
HIPS: -2 cm
Left Thigh: -2.5 cm
Right Thigh: -1.5 cm

AFTER THOUGHTS

I am really thrilled with my results and have felt a whole lot less bloated which I was how I was feeling all of the winter period. I am definitely going to keep up my healthier lifestyle. I am going to exercise as much as I have been. I am only going to drink once a week (more than I did during this six weeks but less than before). I didn’t really miss drinking alcohol per se, but I did miss the social element so I am going to be a little more lax. With regards to less healthy food, I am going to stick to the healthier chocolates more of the time, which sadly costs a whole lot more. I find that I can’t gorge on them as much as naughty chocolates and biscuits and the cost of them definitely restricts me. Yet, Easter is a whole other situation…bring on the Cadbury’s chocolate eggs ;p My biggest thing to come out of all of this is that I fit in my teeny Zara mini skirt again after it being too small for me for over a year.

5 TOP TIPS TO SUCCESSFULLY WORKING FROM HOME

I am assuming that you are here because you currently work from home or possibly have dreams to do so, or maybe you are younger and just aspire to having a lovely sanctuary to do your homework. Whatever your stage in life is, working from home can be tricky. There can be many distractions, you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off, you can’t always get out of the office for lunch and you don’t have a boss above you to keep you on track. I have been freelance for my whole working career but since becoming a blogger and having to graft for myself and occasionally have very important deadlines I have had to work out the best way to work from home. I personally prefer working from home than in my local cafe because I need my self made environment around me…that being said, I do write some of my best work in a notepad on the train whilst commuting. I have been a long time lover of all things stationary and have always had a desk in my room from a very young age, wether that was to do colouring in, my homework, my dissertation or later on in life my tax return. I have fond memories of new term time and buying new pencil cases, pens, pencils and covering my exercise books in stickers of the coolest pop stars in Smash Hits. Flash forward a few years and I am still obsessed but would rather spray everything white and gold a la Pinterest 🙂 .

My 5 top tips to successfully working from home below will hopefully help prepare you for working from home and inspire you to add a little beauty to your working environment. If you don’t have a home office, then why not buy a cute small desk from your local charity shop and paint it with a fresh lick of white paint, or even simpler you can buy fold away desks which you attach to a wall and fold up to keep any mess out of site. Whatever your situation, try your hardest to find a spot to work from that isn’t the sofa or your kitchen table, both for your sanity and the comfort of your back and neck muscles.

Read my interview with Paperchase here.
This post is in collaboration with Paperchase [AD].

1.BEAUTIFY YOUR ENVIRONMENT

You have to like where you are working from to produce good work. You need to feel inspired and excited to work and you will then thrive and be the best you can possibly be. My top tip is to make a mood board on Pinterest, much like mine here and head off to the shops to replicate it. Try and make every moment a Pinterest worthy photo and you will be proud of where you are working and most likely want to show it off 😉

2.ORGANISATION IS KEY

Keep all of your documents, papers and notepads in obvious places. Clearly label your files for admin and each aspect of your working life. Keep on top of your filing regularly so you don’t have an ever increasing to do list piling up besides you. I love having a To-Do list by me at all times which I will either write the night before or first thing in the morning. Make these jobs small and bitesized so you can tick them off regularly. It is the mini accomplishments which build up and make you feel as if you can accomplish anything.

(Gorgeous gold scissors, ruler and envelope paperclips are part of a set from Paperchase)

3.MINIMISE DISTRACTION

Distractions when working from home are ten times worse than in a standard office and you need to be prepared for these distractions and either know you are going to allow them or prevent them from actually happening. If you find often find yourself getting distracted and lacklustre, pop out of the house for 10-20 minutes, take the dog for a walk, water the plants in the garden or go and get a takeaway coffee from your nearest shop.
If it is your phone which is constantly getting in your way…anyone else click on social media apps every few minutes without even realising they are doing it? Turn off your phone or even stick it on ‘do not disturb’ mode where only those in your favourites list can actually contact you incase of an emergency. I have even heard about a tree app of some sort which grows trees as you work, to only stop growing as soon as you touch your phone…I’m pretty sure I would end up with a forest of dead trees, but I am intrigued and need to seek this app out.
Why not find some music which suits you and your way of working? Spotify has a playlist for every mood. I personally need music without words when I am composing an email, blog post, article etc. Yet when I am tidying or being hands on creative I love listening to the top 50 pop songs to sing along to.

4.TIDY DESK, TIDY MIND

Each night when you finish working, tidy up your working area. Don’t go to bed leaving your house messy and dirty. If you leave mess over night you are likely going to wake up in the morning and have to wash the dishes and put on a load of laundry further delaying the start to your productive day ahead. Keep your desk nicely filed away and be excited to get back to your desk the following morning.

5.KEEP THE BOOKS UP TO DATE

I am assuming that at least 75% of you that work from home are freelance. If you are, a huge point I must add is to keep your accounts in order. I actually have a few side note, extra points to add. Actually, I could probably do a whole extra post on this though, so here are my absolute must have tips for this. Get a ring binder, put in 12 plastic sheets and separate them into months. These months will signify a full tax year. In front of each of your plastic wallet, pop in your bank statement. The plastic wallets are for you to store the months receipts in. If you have different receipts then add in a couple more plastic wallets (I personally split mine in two, expenses and travel receipts). The benefit to having your bank statements printed out means that you can go through it and highlight in different colours all of the different incoming and outgoing payments to help make your tax run smoothly. You have probably just submitted your tax so why not get ahead of the game and set this up for the following tax year.

(I use the gold letter rack and gold book stand to store my most used note books)

I hope my tips can help you as you work from home. Is there anything you do that keeps your home the perfect working environment.