Planning the Week

At the moment, every Sunday I try to sit down and plan out what's coming up in the coming week. It's something new I've started since I've been using my bullet journal, and I've found it's been so helpful. I'm the most forgetful person at the moment, because I have so much going on. 

I try to write down some weekly goals (three at most), which includes some kind of yoga/fitness goal. I then write down key events for every day, like if I'm meeting up with someone, or if I have a Brownie or Senior Section meeting that week. I love having a monthly page in my journal, but I find that having a page like this helps me to focus on the week to come, and what I need to be prioritising.

I also like to have a little weather box down at the bottom, even though the weather changes so much at the moment. It helps me to think through simple things like what I might wear if I'm going out, which makes choosing outfits daily (slightly) less stressful sometimes!

Past bullet journal posts:

my bullet journal | what I use

Do you like the idea of a weekly plan?

n xx

Easter Baking

On Monday, my friend Charlotte and I had something of a baking epidemic. We decided to do some baking together, and thought Easter was the perfect excuse, though we probably did get a little carried away with so much baking! All the recipes we used were either off Pinterest or from my trusty Mary Berry Baking Bible, so they weren't hard to find either.

We made creme egg brownies, easter nests and little sheep cupcakes, and they were all super easy to make (though we did have a moment melting some of the chocolate). Though all of these bits are long gone now, they were all super tasty, and probably more importantly, were so much fun to make together. My sister and I are planning to recreate the creme egg brownies today!

Have you done any Easter themed baking?

Happy Easter!

n xx

Walks at Wollaton

One of my favourite things at the moment is to go for walks with Jay and Horlicks. I went up to stay with Jay for a few days last week, and it reminded me how important it is to get caught up in everything going on. Jay's in his final year of uni, so he's pretty stressed too. It did us both a lot of good just to take some time out of thinking too much, and spending some quality time with each other (and Horlicks, of course).

Wollaton is one place where I love to go with these two, because it's close  to where Jay lives and it always makes me smile seeing how excited Horlicks gets. Plus, it's free and although I take some photos, I don't use my phone while we go out and have a little technology detox.

1. take more 'me time' 

2. plan for the future... but stop stressing so much when it doesn't work out like you thought

3. don't forget that other people are stressed too 

4. appreciate the little things

5. aim for a little technology detox once in a while

What's your favourite way to destress?

n xx

The Pudding Pantry

The Pudding Pantry

Last week Jay and I decided to go out for lunch in Nottingham, mostly because I was having serious cravings for this little cafe. We'd only been once before, but the food was so yummy and this time definitely wasn't a disappointment!

I had scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with some smashed avocado, and the eggs were absolutely perfect. Jay had a bacon sandwich, which looked just as tasty. I think the crowning glory goes to Jay's drink, which was a salted caramel brownie milkshake. It was the milkshake equivalent of heaven, I can't say anything else that would give it any justice.

The actual cafe is really lovely and the staff are so friendly, so we'll definitely be going back when I'm next back in Nottingham, I'd recommend looking it up if you're near!

n xx

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Sometimes, you just need a book that you don't really need to think about. Eleanor and Park is such a simple idea, but so well written and easy to follow, and I love Rainbow Rowell's writing. It's one of those stories where you think you know where it's going, but you're not sure because nothing's ever that simple. It's sickenly teenage in places, as the two main characters are both 16, but it's not a typical boy meets girl kind of novel, which I think is why I enjoyed reading it so much.

I also really loved the structure, because the narration goes between Eleanor and Park. I loved how sometimes their narration would overlap, so you get to see the same situation from both points of view and how much they would differ, or judge each other wrongly. The chapters vary in length and style too, so it's easy to get lost in and think 'just one more chapter'.

For me, it was a reminder that you just don't know how other people are thinking, so don't set yourself up to be the person you think they think you are. 

What have you been reading recently?

n xx

Review | Clinique take the day off

Clinique take the day off

cleansing balm £22

I've tried a few make up removers, but this one definitely makes my top 5. I chose the balm over the cleansing oil (£22) or cleansing milk (£20), just because I prefer the consistency. It also feels nicer on my skin because it's super creamy and silky, and I don't like anything that leaves behind too much of a residue.

I take around a grape sized amount and massage in into my skin (it also removes eye make up) and take it off using a muslin cloth. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and smooth, and it isn't drying at all. I'd only heard a little about it before I bought it, so it was a bit of a risky buy, but most Clinique skincare products work out well for me. At £22, it isn't the cheapest, but I've been using it for a few weeks and my skin is absolutely loving it. I'd definitely look at buying another one when this runs out!

Have you tried this, or any of the other Clinique take the day off products?

n xx

Bullet Journal | What I Use

As I mentioned in my last post about my bullet journal, I've been playing around with colours and washi tape wherever I can. It's one of those things that you can't really copy from other people, because you'll slowly develop your own style and find how you prefer to look at things. My favourite places to order it from at the moment are Nouvelle and ohh deer (I've got bunting and pink stripes, but my eye is on this one). I use it mostly along the bottom edges of pages, but I'm thinking of also using it to edge important pages that I want to go back to later on.

I'd definitely recommend investing in some good coloured pens too, because it really brightens things up, especially in things like habit trackers. You don't even need to buy millions (it could probably be said that I have a few too many), just enough to make it look how you want!

Are you thinking of starting a bullet journal?

n xx

Current Loves

last month's loves

Rimmel match perfection foundation

The Body Shop wild rose hand cream

Primark wild berries candle

I haven't always been the biggest lover of foundation, so it's always surprising to me when I end up loving one. Though I'm still a long way off from wearing foundation every day, this is the closest I've come in a while. It's a good match for pale skin and it isn't too heavy coverage, plus it lasts really well through the day. I've also been loving this Body Shop wild rose hand cream again, mostly because I've been keeping it on my desk so I actually remember to use it. I love this because it leaves my skin feeling super soft, and it's a really lovely scent too. Finally, just for a change, I've got a candle favourite- this one is a £1 one I picked up from Primark after a quick sniff the other day. I wouldn't say the smell is as strong as something like a Yankee Candle, but some days I just love having a candle going, and this seemed like a total bargain. It's wild berries or something similar, and so far it's lasted quite a while. I might be looking for a few more of these!

What are your favourite things at the moment?

n xx

Skincare Empties

Clinique Liquid Face Soap £16.50

Clinique Clarifying Lotion £16.50

Garnier Refreshing Toner £3.29

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish £14

I think I've mentioned all of these on here in the past at some point, and these are all products that I was sad to reach the end of (normally I'm just super satisfied). I really loved the 3-step cleanse for quite a while, and I posted in full when I first used this as my daily routine. It's really nice first thing in the morning, and last thing at night. I tended to only use it once a day, because if I used it more my skin could get quite dry, but other than that I found it kept my skin feeling and looking pretty good.

Liz Earle has been a long-term favourite make up remover, and it's still up there as one of my go to products. I love how easily it takes off my make up, and although I've tried other brands versions of it, they just aren't the same on my skin. This Garnier toner was something I picked up on a 'what the heck' spree in Boots, but I loved it a lot more than I thought I would. It's really gentle, but left my skin feeling cleansed and refreshed every time without being too drying, which is a problem I get a lot with toners. 

Have you used up any products recently?

n xx

Barry M Acai Smoothie

Gelly Hi Shine £3.99

A few weeks ago I picked up this gorgeous shade from Barry M. I love the Gelly Hi Shine range, mostly because it always dries quickly. This colour is called Acai Smoothie, and it's a pinky nude colour. I really love it, I think it's super flattering without being too out there. I decided to spice ir up a little with some glitter, though I'm not sure this exact colour is sold anymore- I think the closest is rose quartz (£2.99).

I can definitely see myself wearing this a lot, I absolutely love this colour!

What's your favourite Barry M shade?

n xx

My Bullet Journal

Back at the end of January, I decided to take the plunge and invest in somewhere to keep all my ideas and planning together in one place. I've been doing 'bullet journalling' of sorts for a while in my daily to-do lists, but recently I've been finding more youtube videos and pinterest boards to follow. I struggle to keep creativity in my daily life since I finished school, because I love playing around with colours, pictures and of course washi tape. Though I'm still getting into things, I thought I'd write a few posts about how it's going now it's a definite part of my daily life, and how I'm finding my own style of doing things.

What I use:

Leuchtturm1917 dotted notebook in pink

Staedtler pens

ruler/ pencil/ rubber

washi tape

Instagram inspiration:

boho.berry

tinyrayofsunshine

bulletjournals

My pinterest board: journals

Do you have a bullet journal?

n xx

March Goals

01- read more. I've been trying to go to bed earlier and read more because it makes me less stressed, but some nights that doesn't quite work (she says, typing this at 11pm). I'm such a morning person, so if I don't go to bed early ish the next day is just a blur of caffeine. So: reading more, earlier to bed, more sleep, less coffee. In theory, anyway.

02- don't stress about the future.This month is a big month for me: my contract with work ends on the 31st, and at the moment I've got nothing planned for after that. Which is kind of scary, but at the moment I'm feeling quite calm about the whole thing. It's slightly surreal.

03- visit Jay, which doesn't sound like such a big deal, but long distance relationships are hard. I haven't been up to his in what feels like forever, so while I'm up there I want to make the most of it and go on lots of adventures. Or just eat a lot of doritoes.

Do you have any big plans for this month?!

n xx

Soap & Glory Vitamin C

Face soap and clarity £8

3-in-1 daily detox

"Face Soap And Clarity™ is a 3-in-1 daily face wash with ultra-soft scrub-beads, plus vitamins, amino acids and Soap & Glory’s exclusive SUPERFRUIT™ YUZU complex. It cleans and purifies skin, effortlessly removes make-up, and gently exfoliates. In short, it’s one killer cleanser!"

I'll admit I only bought this because it was half price, and for 350ml I thought that was a flipping bargain and definitely worth giving a go. It's supposed to be skin energising, toning and brightening from natural citrus fruits. The microbeads are also mildly exfoliating, which I love in a morning cleanse. It's not the normal S&G scent that I was expecting- it's slightly more citrus scented, which makes it slightly more refreshing. I've noticed since I've been using it that my skin has been looking a lot clearer, 

The exfoliating beads also aren't plastic (they're environmentally friendly), and they're not too harsh on the skin. I'm not always a big fan of more gel-like formulas, but this washes off easily and leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're looking for a new face scrub!

What's your favourite S&G skincare product?

n xx