Sleep Issues...

For the past couple of months I’ve had real problems trying to get to sleep. I am so wide awake at bed time it’s unreal! I have to force myself to go to sleep and end up just laying there for hours. Then the next day I am so tired at work, so by the time evening I’ve got my second wind and it begins again. Vicious circle! I’ve told numerous friends and family of my predicament and everyone seems to have some ‘amazing’ tip that will make me drop off as soon as my head hits the pillow.



 

 

 ‘Counting sheep’, seriously?!! Does anyone actually do this? A) it’s boring! I know that’s kind of the idea, but... b) I have a crazy imagination, my sheep end up with names and cool outfits. Then I imagine a sexy herdsman looking after them...this one doesn’t work for me!

Then a few people have said go to bed early and read a book, ‘a few chapters in and you’ll be fast asleep’. So clearly these people don’t know me very well at all, I find a good book and I’m hooked, I’ll be up till 4am to finish it. I love books!

However, I have been given a few suggestions that seemed to have worked, so I thought I would share with my top 6 suggestions.

1.       A relaxing bath, I know this is a pretty obvious one but it works a treat! Lots of bubbles light some candles and add some chilled music.

 

2.       I know lavender is a bit of an old wives tale, and it could be psychological but I find it helps. I was given a lavender room spray which I use for my pillows. I am also having a total love affair with ‘A French Kiss’ Lush bath bomb which is lavender scented. Add it to my previous tip and it equals perfection.

 

3.       A tidy bedroom equals a clear mind. I am a complete believer in this. I am really OCD about things being clean but I am little miss messy! My excuse is I juggle two jobs along with various other commitments so am in the really bad habit of running in, dumping stuff and running out again. As I am temporarily back with the parents at the mo, I also don’t have much storage space. However excuses aside I’ve been making a conscious effort to be tidier and have a tranquil sleep space.

 

4.       Hot milk, this stems back to my childhood and my mum giving me a warm mug of milk before bed. Now at 27, I still believe this works!

5.       Are you ready for the next day? Sounds daft, but if you’re like me and a bit of a last minute Larry and lay awake at night thinking of all the things you must remember to do in the morning. Make your life easier and do as much as you can the night before, make your lunch for work, get your outfit out ready. These things do help to make you feel a bit more organised and less stressed.

6.       Yoga, I’ve only recently got into this and I bloody love it! Bit gutted I didn’t try it out sooner. I’ve found it really helps to stretch out my muscles and relax me. I’ve been doing it half an hour before I go to bed. There are tons of fab lessons to follow on You Tube, I’d recommend trying out a few to find out what style suits you and just give it a go!

So I’m by no means cured, there are still nights where I’m staring at the ceiling at 3am. Although these points have all helped massively and also encouraged me to relax and take more me time in general.

Anyone else having sleep issues? How do you cope with it?

Thankful Thursdays!

As I've mentioned before I am trying to be a more positive person, focusing on the good in my life. A lot of us fall into the trap of seeing the glass half full, and if a few bad things happen you can easily be sucked into negative vibes. For me I know my main problem is I worry ALOT about everything and tend to over think things. I am working on this though!

So I have decided that every so often I am going to jot down a few things I am thankful for and pop a little post up about it. The idea being it will make me stop and reflect on the ace things in life. So this week, here is what I am thankful for:

~ Sunshine! Okay I know it's not really stuck around but seeing it appear every so often gets me really excited for summer. Sunshine definitely feeds my soul!

~ An amazing weekend catching up with awsome friends! I can sometimes feel a bit lonely but there is no need for it. I have some super cool friends who are always there for me.

~ The south coast - where I live! I often take for granted that I live in such a beautiful place with an incredible coastline . I can't imagine not being able to see the sea everyday, i would hate it. This week I've been for a few doggy walks across some gorgeous beaches near where home. Check out the photo of a local small beach.

~ My missing motivation returning! I've been lazy and sluggish for so long, but I can now call myself a regular at the gun again and I've lost a stone so far on my weight loss mission. Whoooop for me!

What have you felt thankful for this week?

ESSIE: Chubby Cheek Nail Polish

I come from a small sea side town with limited shops, they tend to all be closing down due to the current financial climate, so when I say limited we have a new look and Debenhams and that’s pretty much it. I have now become a huge online shopper which has its pros and cons. However to my huge delight, I have discovered that my local Superdrug is now selling Essie Nail polishes and not only that our Debenhams now has a Bare Minerals counter!! For a beauty blogger in a small town this is massive news!!

So you can imagine my poor balance must be quivering at this thought, but I am on a saving mission at the moment. So I managed to behave and just treat myself to a couple of Essie Polishes...

 

The first one I’ve tried is ‘Chubby Cheeks’ is a gorgeous dark coral shade, slightly different to what I would normally wear but I am so in love with this product! The shade is perfect, it has a cool matt look and it dries so quickly, definitely worth the £7.99 price tag.

REVLON: Color Burst Lip Butter Review

This is the second Revlon product I am reviewing, the first was Revlon’s nail enamel which you can check out here. All purchased as part of a 3 for 2 offer at Boots.... I can’t resist an offer!

The Color Burst Lip Butters have been recommended to me by numerous other bloggers, so I was excited to give them a try. They are available in a range of colours and I was tempted by a few of them! For once, I was well behaved (lack of pennies helped this decision!) and just purchased one in ‘Candy Apple’, which is a gorgeous dark coral colour.



 

It is lovely to apply, really soft on your lips and feels so moisturising. It’s kind of somewhere between a lip stick and a lip gloss. The colour goes on as it looks in the stick, which I loved and it’s a gorgeous tone which seems to stay put! I also like the cute packaging.

I shall definitely be making a trip to purchase some of the other shades and would highly recommend this product.

I will be posting my third and final Revlon review, which will be about their gel eye liner next week.



Monday Motivation #12

 

This quote couldn’t be any more fitting to where I am right now. I want to go travelling more than anything, you know some people have dreams of careers, families etc. The only thing I’ve know I’ve wanted to do is travel, to see the wonders of the world. Now I have been super lucky and have travelled a bit, I’ve spent a few months in both Canada and Australia and had an amazing time. However I desperately want to see more, I want to see South America, New Zealand, Asia.... I can spend hours dreaming away time looking into possible adventures, I love checking out websites like real gap, G Adventures and Gap Year for inspiration. If I could just find a way I could be paid to travel I would be there!

I know what you’re all thinking, just go for it! I’m pretty sure all my friends and family are fed up of me talking about it but not following through with any action!

The issue I have is money! I’ll put my hands up and be honest with you all, I’m not the best at saving but I am working on it. I moved back home last year, which is not an easy feat at 27. When you’ve had your own space for so long moving back in with the rents is hard going! For starters you notice your parents have got old, which is weird! You’re also very aware that it’s not ‘your’ house. Don’t get me started on the backwards feeling, when all your friends are settling down, getting married and having babies. I must point out my parents are pretty chilled out so I can’t complain!

Back to the point of this post... I move back to the parentals with hopes of being there for a few months and saving tons. The reality is I am still pretty skint but I am saving a bit each month. Life sadly gets in the way, cars break down (a lot), and things need replacing, all resulting in large dents in the savings.

So what I mean to say, is it is hard work and it is taking time (waaaaay longer than id like) but I am determined I will be out there seeing the world and achieving my dream, and soon!

Alternatively if anyone knows a way I can travel the world for free (I am a good writer / reviewer!) please get in touch, I am open to ideas?!!

DIY Tutorial: Photo Printed Trinket Box

I was umming and aaaahing about what to get my friend Amy for her birthday. I am super skint at the moment, so figured I could make her something, hoping she would think the thought was sweet even if the gift turns out rubbish!

 

So for inspiration I turned to pinterest. Yes I know it’s loved by bored housewives around the world. I can assure you that I don’t fit in that category, but I think it appeals to my love of lists, does that make sense?! I’m sure if you’ve ventured over to pinterest you will have seen the printing photos onto wood pin that appears a lot. Well I decided to take this idea a step further and make a photo trinket box.

Items needed...

A wooden box

A few paint brushes

Mod Podge

Gel Medium

A printed photo onto normal paper

A clean cloth

White gloss paint

 

What to do...

1.       Paint the area you want to place your photo in Gel Medium.

 

2.       Stick your photo face down onto this area, making sure it’s really flat with no air bubbles.



 

3.       Leave to dry over night.

4.       When it’s completely dry, remove the paper very gently by rubbing it with a clean damp cloth. Making sure you remove any paper residue left at the end.

5.       When all residue has gone, paint over the photo with Mod Podge and leave to dry for 24 hours.

 

6.       At this point you may be happy with your trinket box as it is but I decided I wanted to paint the rest of the box white, which I did using a quick dry white gloss paint.

 

7.       When dry I added a second coat. When dry you have a gorgeous photo printed trinket box to keep for yourself or it makes a gorgeous gift!

Friday Doodles...