Tuesday 29 August 2017

August 2017 favourites

Hey guys! Today I am doing my August favorites! You guys know I never do these every month but this month I actually felt like I had a lot of things to show and by the first week in August I was feeling excited to write this post!



My first favourite has been getting my nails done. I have never really been into this before but over the past few months I have been loving getting my gel nails done. As a nail biter, I need my nails to look nice to stop me biting them and it really helped, my nails got a lot longer! But they have since all snapped off unfortunately!

The biggest thing I have been loving this month are chokers and hoops. I bought a pack of chokers from Primark and I am obsessed with them, I love them so much! And I love these hoops I got from H&M, they're gorgeous.



Another Primark buy I have been loving through August are these gray Harry Potter Leggings. They're so comfortable and soft and a cross between trackie bottoms and leggings! I love them.



I have been loving a few beauty things in August too. Firstly my makeup revolution brow pomade. I have never used a pomade before but I love this so much! Secondly is the Miss baby roll mascara. This has become my favorite mascara and I think it's really good.



A favorite book this month has been this 100 Years of Weather photo book. I have never been a fan of photography books before but I love this one. I just love flicking through this book and looking at all the weather from throughout history, I think it's really interesting and cool.



A candle I have loved in August is the Summer Scoop Yankee candle. It's honestly amazing it smells like Raspberry ripple ice cream. I talked about it before in my nighttime routine and I have honestly just been obsessed with it.

Something random I have been loving this month is scrapbooking. I had never been into scrapbooking before but I just love showing my memories from important events like holidays and such into a book. It's something fun and creative to do.



An app I have been loving this month is Duolingo. I have never used this before but I decide that I would like to get back into learning French as I always loved it at school and this app is amazing. I feel like I could write an entire post on it and it has so many languages you can choose from. If you want to learn a new language I would 100% recommend it.

Finally, something I have been enjoying watching in August has been the IT crowed. I can't believe I have never seen it before but all of it is now on Netflix and I loved it so much. It's side splitting hilarious and It's definitely my favorite thing I watched in August.

So that's everything I have been majorly loving this month! Have you guys enjoyed any of these things too? By the way, I have officially started my bookclub over on the twitter @ lilposbookclub. Our first book is My not so perfect life by Sophie Kinsella and I hope you guys will read it and join in with the chat at the end of the month!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Saturday 26 August 2017

40 Self care ideas

Hey guys! I hope you are well! Today I want to share with you some ideas for self-care. In our busy schedules, it can be really hard to put some effort into ourselves and making ourselves feel good. Life can get really hectic and it is really important to take stress breaks, even if it is just for a few minutes a day just to feel a bit better. So I thought I would share with you some self-care ideas!



1) Take a bath with a bath bomb
2) Light a scented candle
3) Read a book (if you are looking for inspiration join my new book club on twitter @ lilposbookclub)
4) Take some time to go outside and get some fresh air
5) Have an early night
6) Buy yourself some flowers
7) Do some yoga (Yoga with Adriene has some amazing videos for anxiety)
8) Eat some fruit
9) Put a face mask on and relax watching youtube
10) Watch your favourite film
11) Learn a new skill (You could download Duolingo, a free app which lets you learn a new language)
12) Have a clear out and tidy your room
13) Call a friend
14) Cook a new meal (try deliciously Ella's website, she puts up loads of healthy recipes)
15) Take time to plan your day out
16) Paint your nails
17) Slow down and be present, even if it's just for five minutes
18) Allow yourself to have a recharge day
19) Get yourself into the habit of having a filling, healthy breakfast such as porridge
20) Read positive posts and affirmations (check out this blog here, it encourages self-improvement and mindfulness and self-care. If you're looking for motivation this will help!)
21) Write down some things you are grateful for
22) Prepare a pamper box for yourself. You could fill it with a new DVD, some lovely shower/bath products, some comfy pyjamas ect.
23) Do some exercise (I love blogilaties on youtube she has some amazing workouts and you'll feel so good after them!)
24) Have a nice hot drink, some hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or some water and lemon.
25) Eat a meal (or maybe some chocolate) slowly and take time to appreciate how it tastes.
26) Write down the things you love about yourself
27) Find satisfaction in what you are doing
28) Time manage between working and relaxing
29) Do a random act of kindness to someone, surprise them with a coffee or their favorite food.
30) take a social media break for an hour
31) Write a letter to a friend
32) Give yourself a little massage
33) Put on your favourite songs and have a dance around your room
34) Give yourself permission to say no
35) Create a goal and stick with it (to drink more water or to read more ect)
36) Get dressed up, do makeup and put together a nice outfit. You'll feel amazing, even if its just to go to the shops!
37) Make a list of the things that are getting you down and think about what you can do about them
38) Step out of your comfort zone
39) Go for a bike ride
40) Treat yourself to a blow dry and wash at the hairdressers.

There you have some of my ideas for self care! They range in price (most are free!) and time so hopefully everyone will be able to find something they can do! Or maybe even try to do one every day for the next 40 days!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x


Tuesday 22 August 2017

My nighttime routine

Hey guys! Today I am going to tell you about my nighttime routine, what I do before I go to sleep! I have seen a lot of these and always enjoyed reading them but I have never done my own.


So firstly, before I start getting ready for bed, I like to put some music on my Bluetooth speaker and light a candle. I love listening to some music like Marina and The Diamonds, or Kodaline while I am getting ready for bed as it relaxes me. At the moment I am burning a Summer Scoop Yankee votive and I am obsessed with it, it smells like raspberry ripple ice cream. I usually end up having a bit of a dance around my room too!


Then, I take my makeup off. I have talked about this before so I won't go into too much detail about my skincare. I take my eye makeup off with my Garnier micellar water and then cleanse with my Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser. Then I often exfoliate using my L'oreal red clay scrub and then tone using the Pixi glow tonic and then moisturise with my Clinique dramatically different moisturiser. 



Then, I brush my teeth and use some mouthwash. At the moment I am using the Listerine advanced white mouthwash to test out for a future post. 



After that, I like to get into my pyjamas. If it's winter I love getting into my warm pjays and getting all comfortable in bed and even in the summer I like to wear little short sets, I am obsessed with pjamas it's definitly a big part of my nighttime routine!

when I get into bed I often do some reading or watch some youtube before I go to bed. At the moment I am reading The Taxidermists Daughter by Kate Mosse and I'm really enjoying it actually. Also before I go to bed at the moment I am enjoying doing some french on the Duolingo app! I am trying to pick up my French a bit more so I am loving this app.



Just before I go to sleep I put some Cutex intense recovery on my nails. My nails are quite dry at the moment since I have had gel nails for a while so I put this on to hydrate them and to keep them strong. 



After I turn my lights off I like to scroll through social media and Tumblr for a bit which definitely is not the best thing to do before you sleep but I can't sleep unless I've checked my social media! 

And thats it! That is my usual nighttime routine! I hope you enjoyed this post!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Sunday 20 August 2017

Astonishing splashes of colour book review

Hey guys! I hope you are doing well! This post is going up a little later than I would have liked, every time I thought I had a free day to write, something came up! Today I am doing a book review of Astonishing Splashes of Colour by Clare Morrall. My friend actually lent me this book because she thought I would enjoy it, and I had never heard of the author or the book before. Furthermore, the book does not have a blurb (or at least the copy I had didn't) and so I was going into the book blind. I am also going to say there is a trigger warning about loss of children.



The book is about a woman Kitty, who is finding it very difficult with both the loss of her mother when she was a baby, and the loss of her own baby. Along with the knowledge she is incapable to have another child. Kitty feels she has no future and no past. This book particularly holds a theme of lost children which seems to run througout the book. I wasn't sure how I would take to this book, it's not a particularly happy book as you can probably guess and I was slightly worried for Kitty and what her need of a baby would lead her to do next.

I actually really enjoyed this book, it had a good plot and some major plot twists that I did not see coming at all that made it hard for me to put the book down! It is really interesting too. Kitty's husband James, clearly finds it very difficult to talk about their lost baby too. The two of them never communicate about it and when Kitty's councillor suggests James comes along to their meetings too, he declines, clearly not wanting to talk about the situation. For me the book really highlights the importance of talking about issues like this in a marriage. I think Kitty felt alone and isolated, and needed to talk about what had happened between them. For me, this was a major unstated message from the book. I think a lot of the situations Kitty gets into could have been avoided if the two had discussed where to go from losing a baby.

One thing I did not particularly like was the ending of the book, there is a death at the end (don't worry I won't tell you who!) which I felt was not needed at all and seemed a bit random and rushed. But apart from that I enjoyed this book and finished it in three sittings. I think I would read more from this author I really enjoyed the writing style and the book really came alive for me. It is definitely an unforgettable book that has really stayed with me and I often find myself reflecting on it!

Have you ever read this book? Let me know what you thought!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Monday 14 August 2017

L'Oreal clay glow scrub review

Hey guys! Hope you are doing well. Today I am back with a review of a new exfoliator I have been using for the past few weeks. This exfoliator is £6 from Superdrug and since I was looking for a new one, I decided to go for a cheaper alternative to my usual Liz Earle exfoliator and try something different. If you have been reading my tweets lately you might know that my skin has been acting up over the last month or so. I have had mass breakouts especially on my chin but on my forehead and cheeks a little too. since converting to Liz Earle skincare over a year ago, my breakouts have been quite small (although still having a few now and then) and this is the worst my face has broken out since last years exam period. I'm not sure what has brought it on, I have not changed anything in my foundation or skincare routine. Thinking my face has maybe gotten used to the Liz Earle routine I am trying to switch my skincare products up! Having used this product for about two weeks I thought I would give you some thoughts on it!




Firstly, my face has gotten a little better since using this product. However, that is likely to be down to a contribution of many factors so I can't say just yet that this product has done anything particularly to my acne, however, it has not broken me out or made it worse and I think it could be one contribution to my breakout clearing up a little.

This product is recommended to be used twice a day which threw me off a little as I am used to only using an exfoliator twice a week. Despite being okay for twice a day everyday use, I use this product once every other evening. This is quite a gentle scrub, it's not abrasive but my face does feel tighter after using it and I think it would be too drying to use it as much as it suggests too. I am using it more than I usually exfoliate, but not as much as it suggests.

I really like how this exfoliator smells, but I have to say it is quite perfumed which I was a bit unsure about when I first used it. I just thought I'd mention this as I know perfumed skin care is a big no no for many people. Another thing I thought I would mention is that it is quite staining to cloths and flannels. A few of my flannels have some orange stains on them now! But this doesn't bother me too much but maybe use some old face cloths!

This product claims to be cleansing, brightening and exfoliating. I do think it is really cleansing, my face feels really clean after I have used it and I feel like it's taking any remainder of foundation off after cleansing beforehand. I'm not sure about brightening, I don't think it has made a massive difference to scars or anything or made my skin particularly "glowy" but maybe I haven't been focusing on this as I am mainly just looking for its effect on my breakouts.This product leaves my skin feeling quite soft, although not as soft as my Liz Earle exfoliator.

Overall I do really like this product, I am going to continue using it and see the long term effects it has on my face. This is the first L'oreal skin care product I have tried and I really want to try some of their well talked about masks.
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Saturday 12 August 2017

Leibster award #4

Hey guys! Hope you are okay! Within my four years of blogging, I am no stranger to the Liebster award and this is the fourth time I have been nominated.This time by the lovely Rachel from apearlydream (who is one of my fave bloggers by the way and you should definitely check her out!) It's been a few years since I have done one though so I was really excited to be nominated again and to get to do it again! As usual with my tags, I tag anyone who reads this and fancies having a go (maybe even for the second, third or fourth time too) at doing this and answering my questions! Anyway on with answering the questions Rachel has set!



1) Why did you start blogging? 
Originally I wanted a little space for my thoughts (hence the name!) and wanted to help and inspire people. My main goal was to help people and to begin with my blog posts tackled some big issues like depression and body issues. I also used to share and talk about a lot of different quotes and stuff. Since then my blog has changed a bit and I talk a lot more about beauty stuff and other bits now but I do want to go back to my roots a bit more I think!

2) What are your current blogging goals?
At the moment I wouldn't really say I have any major goals, I would like to carry on as I am doing hopefully getting more views and followers on various social media sites and generally growing my blog. I also want to improve my photo skills and come by birthday (in 6 months time lol) I should be getting a proper camera and hopefully, that will up my blog game a bit!

3) If money wasn't an issue what would you want to do with your life?
I love this question! I think if money wasn't an issue I'd go travelling more. I know thats quite a boring and bog standard answer but that would definitely be something I'd do! I also would be able to buy more blog stuff (a really good camera and lenses ect) so I'd really put money into blogging I think! I'd also be more inclined to stay on at university and definitely do masters as I wouldn't need to worry about affording that!

4) Where do you see your blog in five years?
This is really hard, I tend not to make such long term plans for my blog as such as I just take each day as it comes and hope that each time I post I get a few more views than the last! I would like to say that if I do really stick to my blog it will hopefully have grown more. I would also like to think that I would have bought my own domain too. But in terms of content, I really couldn't say, my content has changed so much over the course of the four years I've been blogging so it will have probably changed again!

5) What would you describe your blogging style as and why?
I tend to describe myself as a lifestyle, beauty and book blogger as at the moment they are the three main things I tend to focus on!

6) What advice would you give to new bloggers?
I would say not to get het up about followings and views and stuff, I never did when I started out I just created content I loved (and I still do that!) At the end of the day so what I don't get all these views as long as I am creating and writing about things that bring me happiness! I would also say give blogging a while before you majorly invest into it so you know you love it and will stick at it!

7) What is your biggest fashion or beauty faux pas?
I have definitly had a few!  Before I really wore foundation I used to wear a bright orange concealer all over my face which was probably not my best look. I also used to wear bright blue eyeshadow and no other makeup, just the eyeshadow!

8) What is your favourite beauty item?
This is hard because it changes quite a lot actually. I do really like my double wear foundation as it covers my acne up really well.

9) What is your favourite form of social media?
At the moment it's twitter! It used to be Facebook for ages until I got into the twitter blogging community and now it's livened up my timeline a lot! I wish I liked Instagram but I find it so hard to grow!

10) What tools of the trade would you recommend to new bloggers?
I would recommend buffer, which is an app that schedules your tweets and a good photo editing app! I would also recommend getting into blogger chats on twitter.

11) Would you ever stop blogging?
Right now, no! I love blogging so much! But I know what I am like and I have had breaks from blogging before that have lasted for 8 months plus. You're never too sure either what life throws at you and I don't know how blogging will fit into my life when I leave uni or start a proper job and stuff. But definitely not in the near future!

I hope you enjoyed me answering these questions! If you want to have a go, here are my 11 questions to you:
1) What is the meaning behind your blog name?
2) What is your favourite season and why?
3) If you could do anything for a living what would it be and why?
4) What do you think about the blogging community?
5) Who is your favourite blogger?
6) If you could do a collab with anyone who would it be?
7) What animal would you love to have as a pet?
8) What is your guilty pleasure?
9) What tips have you got to make blogging easier for you?
10) If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
11) Why is blogging important to you?

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you decide to answer my questions don't forget to tag me so I can read them!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x

Wednesday 9 August 2017

The Cotsworlds 2017

Hey guys! I have just come home from my week away with my family to the Cotswolds! I never really get down south much and I had a lovely week away. I am back with another travel post as I wanted to tell you about the things we got up to away! I went away with my parents and sister, my boyfriend and my sister's friend. We stayed in a lovely cottage in Castle Combe, which is so pretty and where films such as Stardust and War horse have been filmed! It was exciting recognising scenes from these films right outside our cottage! The cottage itself was gorgeous and old worldly, and me and my boyfriend were in a four poster bed which I loved. Here are some pictures of the outside of our cottage and the little village around us.




On the first full day of staying here, we went into Bath. I was actually really looking forward to this as I had always wanted to go and look round the Roman baths. I loved it here and I would definitely return! Bath had some really pretty bits around town including the pretty umbrellas hanging above streets (needed in the drizzly weather!) and flowers in telephone booths! I also took a few photos of the cathedral and the baths too!





On the second day, we went into Chippenham. There wasn't much here so I didn't really take any photos! It was just a little-modernised town. We were unsure of what to do on the next day, so I had a google and we decided to go to Lacock Abbey and I am glad we did! I loved it here, it was a very pretty abbey with a beautiful house attached to it and gorgeous gardens. Lacock village was also very pretty, and bits of Harry Potter was filmed in the abbey and in the village! I loved recognising them from the film!




                                                    (Quirrell's potions room!)
                                                         

                                                      (Harry Potters house as seen in the flashbacks in the first film
                                                      of Harry's parents being killed by Voldemort.)

On the Saturday, we decided to go into Bristol. I love Bristol and it's been 5 years since I last went so I was really excited to go! I didn't get any pictures but I picked up a few things in the massive Primark and had a lovely meal in the hole in the wall.

On Sunday we went into a little town called Tetbury. A lot was closed up on the Sunday but we still had a nice wander around and went into the Highgrove shop, looking at all the lovely things I can't afford!



On the Monday, we had a relaxed day and had a little walk around castle combe and a nice pub lunch. On Tuesday, the day we were going home, we broke up the driving with a trip to Warwick castle. I had not been for ages and I loved it! I didn't remember anything from the last time I visited and despite the horrible weather, we all had a really lovely day! I loved the live action war of the roses and the jousting!


I hope you enjoyed this post! Now I am back I am resting and relaxing today!
Lots of love,
Eleanor x