Tips To Cure a Cold

I'm sitting here feeling a little a though I have been hit by a bus...I have in fact got a Summer cold. I am shivering and sweating, sneezing almost once a minute and blown my nose so much that I have given myself a headache. And as you can probably guess I am feeling a little sorry for myself.

As someone with an seemingly incompetent immune system and the ability to catch a cold from anyone within a mile radius, I am unfortunately fairly used to feeling a little under the weather. However, this has meant that I have developed a strategy so that I can feel better as soon as possible and not let a little cold get in my way! As the weather (finally) starts to drop and "Back to School" is among us, colds are pretty common. So I thought that this would be the perfect time to share my tips on how to cope with a cold and get over it a little quicker.

Disclaimer: It should go without saying that I have a degree in Fashion and AM NOT a doctor.

POP A PILL
As soon as I feel as thought I am coming down with something I take a paracetamol. Sometimes if you get there early enough you can even catch it before it develops into a full blown cold!

DRINK A LOAD OF WATER
Not only will cold water feel really nice if your throat is a bit sore but it is so important to stay hydrated right now. I like to drink warm water with honey and lemon whenever I am feeling a little under the weather, it tastes amazing and it really lovely for soothing a sore throat.

FACIAL STEAMING
I like to do this anyway as part of my skincare routine to open up pores before a face mask, however, steaming your face is also amazing for clearing sinuses. Make sure that the water isn't boiling, use something to protect your eyes and have a tissue at hand for when your nose inevitably starts streaming!

GO FOR A WALK
While resting when you are ill is important I also think it is good to get outside for a bit of fresh air. I wouldn't recommend doing any hardcore exercise when you are ill, but something like a walk or yoga is just what the doctor ordered!

GIVE DAIRY A MISS
This might be a personal one but whenever I have a cold and I eat any dairy (but particularly chocolate) my throat just feels so sore. It's natural when you are feeling ill to want to snuggle up in bed with a load of unhealthy food, but now is actually the time to eat really healthily and help your body to recover.

TAKE A HOT BATH
Similar to a facial steam, the stream from a hot bath will really help to clear sinuses. This is particularly beneficial before bed.

 

I hope this helps any of you who may also be experiencing a Summer cold! And if you have any other tips, please share them in the comments.
Speak soon, xx

Healthy Habits

This is probably the kind of post that should have gone live back at the beginning of January as part of a "New Year, New Me" type thing. But final year brings some pretty tough January exams and I am only just feeling as though I have got my life back! I made a few resolutions back in my post a few weeks ago which you can have a little read of here. But there a few smaller little changes I have started to make in my life that I think will lead me towards my 2018 goals. So I thought I would type them all up into a post about the healthy habits I am trying to get into this year.

COLD WATER
As soon as I wake up I am trying to splash my face with cold water. Sounds horrendous but after I feel so much more awake! I am also trying to run the water cold at the end of my shower to help my skin and hair look healthier.

LEMON WATER
After splashing cold water on my face and before my shower I drink a warm lemon water to help flush the digestive system and rehydrate my body.

DRY BRUSHING
I do this just before I shower to exfoliate my skin and increase blood circulation. It takes about 5 minutes and feels a bit like a massage in the morning!

STRIP BACK SKINCARE
Gone are the days where I am throwing twenty different products at my face every morning and night in the hope that one of them might work! I know have a skincare routine that I am really happy with and takes about half the time. And my skin has never looked better!

HEADSPACE
If you haven't heard of the meditating app Headspace then you are probably living under a rock! But did you know that if you are a student and already have Spotify then you can get it for free?! Really trying to get back into mediating. Think I am going to need it with all the stresses of final year!

SUBSTITUTING COFFEE FOR TEA
I drink herbal teas anyway, but last year I really got into coffee. I can't drink black coffee (yet!) so my coffees were always milky and full of sugar. Although the main reason I am trying to cut back my coffee intake, without going into too much detail is because coffee usually upsets my stomach! I haven't had a coffee in 2018 yet and I don't even miss it that much!

DRINKING WATER
Possibly on everyones healthy habits list but it is so important. I am still learning how to understand when I am hungry and when I am actually just thirsty, but I'm getting there. And I also try and always take a water bottle out with me when I leave the house.

BEFORE BED READING
I am quite possible the worst sleeper you have ever met. It takes me hours to fall asleep and when I finally do it is rarely a deep sleep, so I wake frequently during the night. This is an area of my life that needs a lot of work. But turing my phone off and reading a book before bed seems to be helping.

SUNCREAM ALWAYS
I have been wearing suncream pretty much everyday since I was about 16 and read that it would stop me getting wrinkles in a Vogue magazine! These days it is just part of my face routine and works as an amazing makeup primer.

STRETCH AND WALK
Unfortunately most of my days are now spent at my desk hunched over my laptop. It's not healthy, but it's just life! I can't always commit to proper exercise, especially as my gym is currently being renovated. But making sure I get up from my desk every now and again to stretch a bit and trying to walk as much as possible makes me feel so much better.

CUTICLE OIL
My nails are dry and weak and need a lot of extra care to keep them looking decent. I keep a cuticle oil and a hand cream on my desk and try to use them both a few times a day.

FIND A CREATIVE OUTLET
For me, my creative outlet is this blog and also a scrapbook I am currently making. When I've had enough of work for the day it's nice to have something I can do other than just watching TV for hours that also feels productive.

SMOOTHIES
Coming back to uni after the Christmas holiday means I have been reunited with my Nutribullet and I couldn't be happier. It makes upping my fruit and veg intake so much easier, plus I am now throwing in superfood powders and chai seeds to make it even healthier!

...I think that's it! Now I am seeing these healthy habits written out it looks like a lot! But I promise that it isn't and they quickly become just part of your daily routine. Let me know in the comments if you have any other hints and tips to add!

Speak soon xx

Saturday Sunshine

Saturday Sunshine 

This is the first time in a long time that the weather has been amazing and I have actually had the day off work to enjoy it! And I think this is basically the last day of summer now so this morning I got straight into my bikini to try and make the most of it. I moved some blankets and cushions, and then all the other essentials, iphone, laptop, Vogue, Essie nail polishes outside into the garden to create the perfect little relaxation zone. I have been trying to top up my tan from Kefalonia but I have had to move back inside for a bit to write this blogpost as it is basically impossible to see my screen in the sunshine, and sunglasses do not help!

For lunch I made myself a yummy little salad. it sounds very healthy but the truth is that I woke up so late and had a bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast so I wasn't actually that hungry. I also have some of my all time favourite drink, Pink Lemonade. And I swear it isn't just because of the colour! 

This afternoon I used my new Nutribullet again which I really can't get enough of! I now have lots of more adventurous things to put into my smoothies to make them even healthier like spinach, kale, almonds and all that good stuff, as well as lots of yummy fruit.

Today I just chose one of the simple smoothie recipes from the Nutribullet booklet, Spinach, banana, strawberries, blueberries and then some water. 

It tastes really nice and refreshing, especially on a hot day like today, and I can't really even taste the spinach!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Speak soon xx

Saturday Sunshine

Saturday Sunshine 

This is the first time in a long time that the weather has been amazing and I have actually had the day off work to enjoy it! And I think this is basically the last day of summer now so this morning I got straight into my bikini to try and make the most of it. I moved some blankets and cushions, and then all the other essentials, iphone, laptop, Vogue, Essie nail polishes outside into the garden to create the perfect little relaxation zone. I have been trying to top up my tan from Kefalonia but I have had to move back inside for a bit to write this blogpost as it is basically impossible to see my screen in the sunshine, and sunglasses do not help!

For lunch I made myself a yummy little salad. it sounds very healthy but the truth is that I woke up so late and had a bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast so I wasn't actually that hungry. I also have some of my all time favourite drink, Pink Lemonade. And I swear it isn't just because of the colour! 

This afternoon I used my new Nutribullet again which I really can't get enough of! I now have lots of more adventurous things to put into my smoothies to make them even healthier like spinach, kale, almonds and all that good stuff, as well as lots of yummy fruit.

Today I just chose one of the simple smoothie recipes from the Nutribullet booklet, Spinach, banana, strawberries, blueberries and then some water. 

It tastes really nice and refreshing, especially on a hot day like today, and I can't really even taste the spinach!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Speak soon xx

Benefits Of Dry Brushing

Benefits Of Dry Brushing

I have been dry brushing before I shower for probably nearly a year now. And while my friends and family think I'm crazy for doing it I wanted to share with you what dry brushing is and why I do it. I know that beauty fads come out all the time, and being a total beauty junkie I probably so get sucked in by advertising and magazines. But this is something that I have researched a lot, done for nearly a year and genuinely believe is really good. 

So what is dry brushing? Dry brushing is simply brushing the skin with a brush like the one in the picture above before you shower. It best done starting at the hands and the ankles and brushing in long upward motions towards the heart. 

What are the benefits? 

The skin is the largest organ in the body yet I think so often we forget to care for it. Often when we think of skin we just think about the skin on our face as it is the most obvious and visible. But we need to look after all of out skin and I think that dry brushing is a really quick and simple step do add to your routine to do that.  

• Exfoliation - this is one of the simplest and most natural ways to exfoliate the skin
• fewer in grown hairs - shedding dead skin cells through exfoliation can help with ingrowing hairs. I have been waxing my legs for years and I've definitely noticed a difference. 
• Smoother, brighter skin - shedding dead skin cells can help to improve the appearance of the skin.
• Helps with blood flow in the skin
• Can help with  muscle tone and a move even distribution of fat pockets
• May reduce cellulite

So if you don't already I would really recommend dry brushing, you might find that you love it like I do. It is quick and easy and it actually feels very nice and relaxing before a shower and helps to wake me up in the morning. The brush that I use is just from Boots Botanics range but they have a few different options. Hope you enjoying reading this little post. xx

Benefits Of Dry Brushing

Benefits Of Dry Brushing

I have been dry brushing before I shower for probably nearly a year now. And while my friends and family think I'm crazy for doing it I wanted to share with you what dry brushing is and why I do it. I know that beauty fads come out all the time, and being a total beauty junkie I probably so get sucked in by advertising and magazines. But this is something that I have researched a lot, done for nearly a year and genuinely believe is really good. 

So what is dry brushing? Dry brushing is simply brushing the skin with a brush like the one in the picture above before you shower. It best done starting at the hands and the ankles and brushing in long upward motions towards the heart. 

What are the benefits? 

The skin is the largest organ in the body yet I think so often we forget to care for it. Often when we think of skin we just think about the skin on our face as it is the most obvious and visible. But we need to look after all of out skin and I think that dry brushing is a really quick and simple step do add to your routine to do that.  

• Exfoliation - this is one of the simplest and most natural ways to exfoliate the skin
• fewer in grown hairs - shedding dead skin cells through exfoliation can help with ingrowing hairs. I have been waxing my legs for years and I've definitely noticed a difference. 
• Smoother, brighter skin - shedding dead skin cells can help to improve the appearance of the skin.
• Helps with blood flow in the skin
• Can help with  muscle tone and a move even distribution of fat pockets
• May reduce cellulite

So if you don't already I would really recommend dry brushing, you might find that you love it like I do. It is quick and easy and it actually feels very nice and relaxing before a shower and helps to wake me up in the morning. The brush that I use is just from Boots Botanics range but they have a few different options. Hope you enjoying reading this little post. xx