One Year Of Blogging

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging for a whole year today!  This time last year I was just finishing up my first ever university exam, and I was so excited to be taking up a new hobby that I would not only enjoy, but that I hoped would help me academically and in a future career.  One year later, I’ve found it to be one of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself, and I’m super pleased with the work that I have produced on my wee spot on the web – everything from the photos, the interaction, the scheduling and the written work itself. 

I’m not going to lie, it’s been a lot harder than I thought it was going to be – who knew that maintaining a little blog whilst working part time and studying and having a social life would take so much effort and planning?!  There have been a few times now, more so recently, when I’ve had to take a step back and give myself a little time to think and breathe and recharge before I create new content.  I never really understood writers block until I experienced it first-hand myself.  And whilst these little episodes might have caused a little bit of extra stress in my life at the time, there is nothing quite like watching your interactions grow when you do finally get around to posting again. 

I never thought that I’d be able to stick to blogging, I’m one of those people that loose interest real quickly in projects.  However this time I’ve stuck it out, and bar a couple of weeks here and there, I’ve actually managed to post at least once a week every week – which is pretty impressive, or at least I think so anyways.  I hope to be able to continue this throughout 2017, as well as improving my scheduling and how I promote my content every week.  I also want to try and get more involved with other bloggers, however I really hope that my dissertation research will help give me a head start on this one during the next couple of months! 

All in all I’ve really enjoyed my first year of blogging.  I’ve interacted with people, interacted with brands, and I feel as though I’ve become more confident in my work and myself as a whole.  I was really worried about sharing my work online, in fear that people I know would find it and make fun of it.  However I’m over that now - I enjoy what I’m doing, I’m proud of what I’m doing, and the little words of encouragement from people along the way have really helped me get over it!  So thanks to everyone who has come and read a post or two over the last year, you’ve helped me determine that I really do want a career in writing, and that there are people that care what I write about!

Here is to the next year of blogging!

Until the next one,

Night Time Routine For Good Sleep

Having entered one of the most stressful years academically that I’ve had in a long time, it’s become vital that I get a good night’s sleep to ensure that I’m able to perform to my best abilities in everything that I do.  Working part time alongside my studies, I often find myself either up super early or working till late at night, meaning that my sleeping pattern can be all over the place, making it that little bit harder to get up for uni or to study.  Over the last three months I’ve been on a mission to help myself get a better night’s sleep, and whilst doing so I’ve come across a few handy tools that have aided the process along the way!

Deep Sleep Spray

Now this had been a staple product of mine ever since I treated myself to the sample packs back in October.  At Christmas my parents gifted me a large bottle of the stuff, and so I was so delighted that my good night’s sleep would long continue!  What I really like about the stuff is just how subtle it is, yet how it manages to work above and beyond what is expected.  I like to use around three sprays on my pillow before bed, and like I said in my November Favourites post, although it doesn’t send you straight to sleep right away, it does send you into a beautifully deep slumber when sleep does approach.  Having been using this for months now, I can truthfully say that I always get a better night’s sleep when this is on the go.

Sleepy Lotion

Although this has vanished from the Lush stores until the Christmas range is upon us once again, their sleepy lotion is another product that really does help me get a better nights sleep.   I was gifted one of these in a Christmas gift set, which was perfect timing as mine had just run out!  Although not a particularly large tub, I only use a little bit each night, and so I’m sure this supply will last me well and truly until the kitchen decide to make a batch – we hope!  Sleepy lotion smells of lavender and gingerbread, which might sound like an odd combination, but trust me, it really works.  I like to rub about a fingertips worth into my temples and pulse points, and I just find that it’s just a really soothing smell to fall asleep with.  It’s totally not necessary, but definitely one of my comforts now!

Clipper Sleep Easy Tea

During the colder months I have become a total sucker for herbal teas, and have completely fallen in love with this one.  Packed with cinnamon, lavender and chamomile, this gorgeous blend really does help me unwind and fall into a deep slumber as best time approaches – especially on those days were I’ve been super busy or have had a super stressful day.  It’s both a sweet yet subtle tea, and really does taste delicious… It’s the cinnamon that does it for me!

These are the three staple products that I find helps me get a really good night’s sleep – and with dissertation hand in approaching faster with each and every day, I think that these will be the products that really help me pull through!

What's your trick for a good night's sleep?

Until the next one,

Ways That I Save Money, Part 3

It’s been a while my friends… the January blues hit me like a ton of bricks when the realization of exams being just a week away rudely awoke me from my festive slumbers.  Exams are over now though – so I’m ready to return to my weekly blogging mojo and social media once again!

One of the easiest things that I do every day to ensure that I’m not splurging unnecessary cash is taking a bottle of water with me to work, uni or a shopping trip to town so that if I need hydrating, I don’t have to pay for it!  Martin bought me a Hydratem8 water bottle for Christmas which I absolutely adore as it keeps me up to date with how much water I should be drinking to the exact time of day.  I’ve been using water bottles for months now, but before I started taking one with me I wouldn’t think twice about spending 50p-£1.50 per day on juices. 

Every month now without fail I like to work out my expenses down to the penny, which covers everything from my bills, dog food for the month, petrol money and anything that I feel like treating myself to.  By doing this, it gives me an idea of how much I can afford to put away into savings, and what I have left over.  I then like to break this down into weekly amounts, and then work out the expenses regularly throughout the month to try and keep on top of what I’m spending.  By doing this, it normally helps me to ensure that I’m not completely stranded the week before payday… Normally!

Now we all know that there are not many months that go by when I don’t feel the need to treat myself to some Lush goodies.  I spend a lot of money in there, and in return I tend to get a lot back too!  Every time you buy and item from them in one of their pots, be it a scrub, cleanser, conditioner or shower jelly – make sure you keep the pot!  Clean it out and pop it aside for when you have five in total.  Lush have a scheme where you can exchange 5 clean pots for a fresh face mask.  You get to choose the one you like, and they all retail at £6.75 – making it a great freebie!  I tend to get a free face mask every two to three months, as like I said, I spend a lot in the place!  I think I’ve tried out all of the masks now thanks to this scheme, with Cupcake, Love Lettuce and Don’t Look At Me being some of my faves! 

One of the best things that I’ve discovered that has helped me save HUNDREDS of pounds a year is the Trainline best fare finder.  This fab little tool helps you find the cheapest train tickets on the market, and will let you book up to three months in advance, which can help turn a £70 train fare for two into £40 no problem!  The best bit about it though is easily their email reminders to let you know when your journey is going to be it’s cheapest.  For example, Martin surprised me with tickets to see Avenged Sevenfold back in August if I remember correctly (we saw them on Tuesday and it was an insanely amazing gig!), and so when he told me about it, I set a reminded for the train tickets.  In October, exactly three months before the gig, the Trainline sent me an email to let me know that I could travel from Aberdeen to Glasgow for as little as £5!  Not only that, but I could book two first class return tickets for £40!  Needless to say I booked there and then, saving nearly £200 pounds alone on that one journey!  Although it takes a little planning, setting reminders is definitely the way to go when you know you’re gonna be travelling by train – I’m already looking at dates for this years music festivals so that I book them well in advance too.

I hope you find some of these little hints and tips helpful, as once again these are the things that I swear by to ensure that I’m getting the most for my money every month.

Do you swear by any of these tips too?

Until the next one,

What I Got For Christmas

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope this year brings everyone much joy and happiness, although 2016 wasn’t necessarily a bad one for me, some of my nearest and dearest didn’t have such a great year – so I’m glad to be moving into the new year and look forward to seeing what it brings for one and all!

I love reading though everyone’s “What I Got for Christmas” posts, mostly because I like to have a nosey but also because I like to see what people make of the products they were gifted – I like to get others opinions when reading these posts too.  So I thought it would be fun to do my own Christmas post and share some of the beautiful things I was gifted this year.  I was so totally spoilt once again, and I’m feeling super loved from everyone around me.

Nugg Masks

Martin picked me up the cutest little Nugg face mask gift set which I’m delighted with.  I got one of these in a beauty box a while back and I loved the way it made my skin look and feel, and so having a few to try out now means that I can give them all a go and decide what ones work best for my skin.  The exfoliating and revitalizing ones have been a hit with me so far, so I reckon the other two will be no different either!

Sweet Cecily’s

Both Martin and his parents were sweet enough to pick me up some bits from Sweet Cecily’s – a cute little store who lovingly create hand crafted skincare goodies.  Martin gifted me the cocktails lip balm set which both smell and taste delicious!  Mines contained the Gin & Tonic, Mojito, Pina Colada and Espresso Martini balms, but if you check out their site they have a whole bunch of other flavours to choose from too!  His parents gifted me the almond and avocado face cream – which I’ve been using every single day and have to say that it is wonderful!  My skin feels hydrated and nourished every time I apply it, it smells good enough to eat and I only need to use a small amount (I place my fingertips on the surface of the cream and use what’s there!)  It’s a super thick and creamy consistency, however it isn’t greasy nor sticky in the slightest. They’re both really nice products, and I’d recommend that you try them out yourself!

Zoella Goodies

My sisters and parents totally showered me in Zoella goodies this Christmas after I wouldn’t stop raving about how much I adored her Bake My Day lotion and fragrance.  Between everyone I was gifted a solid perfume, gingerbread bath fizzers, the mini fragrance set and a Gingerbread Village candle.  They all smell absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait to give everything a go and work my way through it all.  My favourite scent is still the Gingerbread/Bake My Day, however Sweet Inspirations very closely follows now!

Friendship Collar

I was beyond excited to have opened up a Friendship Collar from my lovely sister Kayleigh for me and my pugger Hulk on Christmas morning.  I spied them online a while ago, but didn’t actually think that I would be lucky enough to receive one so soon!  It makes my heart full that me and Hulk are matching every day now, and I think they are super cute too!

Tea Pigs

 A colleague at work was filling me in on the Tea Pigs pick and mix boxes that they had online, so naturally I went and had a look!  You can choose 15 tea variations online, and they’ll send you out the cutest little tea boxes that contain two of each flavour.  Martin selected a bunch of tasty ones to gift me including the chocolate tea and sweet mint – both super yum!  I’m intrigued by the sounds of the chilli chai and popcorn flavour, and I’m looking forward to tucking into them soon!

The Library of Fragrance

Another item that I was so super pleased to have received on Christmas morning was the Cinnamon Bun fragrance from The Library of Fragrance.  It SERIOUSLY smells good enough to eat!  From the sweet smell of cake, icing and cinnamon they have completely managed to master the exact scent of an actual yummy cinnamon bun!  I’ve been wearing this at night as a bed time fragrance, however I will absolutely rock this fragrance on my everyday outings too.

This year I’ve been gifted a lovely selection of goodies form my wonderful friends and family, and I only hope that they enjoyed their gifts from me as much as I have enjoyed theirs!

Have you tried out any of the above items yet?  What was under your tree this Christmas?

Until the next one,