Wednesday 29 February 2012

Things to make you smile #3


Dream beautiful dreams girls

Prepare for summer #1 - Feet



Hey girls, I am so excited about this post; I have been wanting to do it for a while and feel that now is the time to start. It is finally starting to warm up which means spring is almost here and with that means showing more skin and I want to help you all prepare for that.
I thought that I would start with the hardest part to fix which is the feet. Then work my way up. Although I will say, work on your skincare routine now, as acne is hard to clear up too.


Last summer, I had horrible feet, and was embarrassed to show them and even had people comment on how rough my toes were. So I worked on a routine to fix my feet and it worked amazingly, and I want to share it with all of you, so you don't have to be embarrassed by your feet and can be proud to show them off.

So the first thing you want to do is remove all nail polish on your nails, chances are its going to be chipped anyway. By removing all of your nail polish you are giving your nails a chance to breath, and to grow out the yellowing. As you all probably know, nail polish can discolour nails so it is important to let them breath.
I recently found a recipe(?) for whitening nails but haven't yet got around to trying it. I plan on doing so this weekend and if it works I will let you know what it is, as growing out discolouration can take a long time; I haven't worn nail polish on my toes since Christmas and they are still yellow.

Now comes the hard part; softening your heels and, maybe even, your toes. For this I suggest doing one thing weekly and another nightly. The weekly thing I suggest doing is to give yourself a pedicure (minus painting your nails) I do this every Saturday night and my feet are pretty soft (no bragging intended) Here is my specific routine:
1. First I fill a foot spa with warm water and some bubbles, just for that extra pampering. In my foot spa I have pebbles and marbles, however that is not neseccary. My foot spa is inflatable, like this one:
So you don't need a fancy one like this:

Even if you don't have either of these, you just need a bowl big enough for your feet to rest comfortably in.
2. I next take this:

And use the pumice and then the file all over my heel and big toe. Sometimes I also have to go over the balls of my feet as well if I have been walking a lot that week.
3. I then rest my feet in the warm water, and after, roughly, 2 minutes, I use the brush attachment to clean off  the dead skin cells. I continue to rest my feet for a further 5 minutes.
4. Taking one foot out I rest it on a towel on my knee and dry thoroughly, especially in-between my toes. After that is done I take some body butter,  or you can use foot lotion, and smother my foot in it and then place on a fluffy sock. This locks in the moisturiser and will really help to soften your feet.  Then repeat this last step on the other foot and you are done.

Now my daily foot treatment doesn't take as long but is still as effective.
Each night after my shower, I take a foot file like this:
And file away any dead skin on my heels, toes and balls of my feet. I feel that this just removes the day from my feet, if that makes sense, and helps them to stay soft. I then slather my feet in body butter or foot lotion and wear fluffy socks, again to lock in the moisturiser and help it sink into my feet, making them really soft.

And that is all I do to achieve soft, smooth, summer-ready feet.
I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful.

Have a beautiful night girls, and DFTBA

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Things to make you smile #2

Ok so I know I have been failing at this blog this month and I am really sorry about that. I've actually been really ill lately and am actually ill right now, but decided to do a quick 'Things to make you smile' post.
I am thinking of doing these daily as well as my other posts that I do. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below and I hope you like today's picture.


DFTBA

Picture from here

Friday 24 February 2012

Series idea, maybe

Hey girls, how are we all?

I have been so unproductive today, I had no lessons so I came home, with the thought of doing coursework and essays all day. However I went on the internet and immediately got distracted by twitter and youtube. Then I went to get lunch and watched TV and fell asleep for 3 HOURS! I feel horrible, I have a cold and I know I needed to sleep but I still wanted to get a lot of work done as I don't have much chance over the weekend.

Anyway onto the point of this post. I have an idea for a series and I want to check that you guys want that.
So as summer is just around the corner and I thought it would be a good idea to do a 'prepare for summer' series. Like how to get smooth skin, perfect tan etc. What do you guys think? I like the idea but I don't want to do it if you guys don't want to read it. So please let me know in the comments.

Well that is it, and I am off to eat food and watch a movie and sleep some more.

Talk to you all later

DFTBA

Thursday 23 February 2012

Things to make you smile #1

Hey girls, I'm having writers block and really can't think of a good blog post idea, so I'm keeping this post simple.
I thought I would do a series on inspirational/motivational pictures/pictures that make me smile that I hope make you smile.



I find most of these pictures from here but sometimes I'll have them on my laptop and have no idea where I originally found them ha-ha.

Anyway, I hope you like this series and please leave me feedback, and requests.

DFTBA

Monday 20 February 2012

I'm back!

Hey beauties, I hope you are all well.

I'm truly sorry that I have absent for the past week. As you all know, I was on holiday, and struggled to update whilst there, as there was no internet and for some reason my battery was dying really quickly. However I am back now, and I shouldn't be leaving you all again until April (that will only be for no more than 3 days, I promise)

I had a great time, whilst I was away. However I have fallen behind on some work I need to do for school, so that is what I am doing tonight. I don't have too much to do, it's just what I have to do takes a while. However I am getting back into the spirit of studying now that I am focusing on coursework. I am going to warn you that, as my exams get closer, I may lack on the updates. I'll try and keep them daily, but I'm not going to promise that after Easter, so I hope you all understand.

I got my first tattoo today! I've wanted a tattoo for as long as I can remember, and my mum had always said she would get me one for my 18th birthday, when it is legal, if I still wanted one. And, of course, I did. I had always been certain on what my first tattoo was going to be, but as I got older I realized that it was going to be too big for my first one. I kept thinking 'what if it hurts too much, and I can't keep going and I'm left with half a tattoo?' so I decided that I would get a small tattoo first, and if that was ok, I would go up to my original tattoo idea. So I thought of a few ideas, and I love all of them, and now I know what it feels like to get a tattoo done, I think I may get them all done. I kept switching up the ones I wanted, until last summer, when I was revising and took a break and drew this:

Encase you can't tell, it is the Deathly Hallows sign on my ankle. I tweeted it, saying "Thinking of getting this permanent" and I got a few people saying that I should. So I started to really think about it, and decided that, yes I did want that permanent. So I knew that that was going to be my first tattoo.
Now you're probably all wondering why I only got it today, when I'm 19, well to be perfectly honest, every time we went to get it, something stopped us, the shop was closed down, we didn't have the money etc. Until this past week when my mum made sure that she had it for me.

So I went to the tattoo parlour, and asked for a small Deathly Hallows tattoo. They said, small but you still see the detail? I said yeah, expecting it to be the size of the one I drew. But no, it is a lot bigger than that, as you'll see in a minute. Now for the past week, people kept saying that your ankle bone is the most painful place to get a tattoo, so I was starting to freak out, then they brought out the stencil and it was huge. I almost  backed out, to be perfectly honest, but I knew I wanted it so I went through with it. I have to be honest and say that it was no-where near as painful as I expected. It hurt to begin with, it felt like getting an injection but being pulled (which is basically what it is) but then I got used to it. Then came the shading. The tattooist had said that people find the outline the worst, but my mum said the shading was worse for her, so I was like ah crap, this whole thing is going to kill. The shading was more painful for me to begin with, it is constant needle movement, however I got used to that pain quicker, and my ankle went a bit numb during that part, so the outline was the worst over all. Except when he was shading the corner, boy did they kill, it was like someone was burning me, whilst sticking a needle in me, it was horrible.
I'm glad I did it though, because I love my tattoo, and I definitely want more. I want something with colour though, so do you guys have any suggestions?
Here is my tattoo:


What do you guys think? Leave me your honest opinion. I personally love it and am so glad I got it. It was definitely worth the wait. Do any of you have any tattoos? If not, would you ever get one?

I hope you enjoyed this random post, and I will talk to you all tomorrow.

DFTBA

Thursday 9 February 2012

Skin Care routine

Hey loves, hope you are all having a good week. 
I thought I would share with you all my skin care routine, as I am really loving it and it has really cleared my skin up.

Ok so first is my morning routine, I'll put the pictures and then explain:









 Ok so first I use Clearisil Ultra, wash and mask. I love this, it is so creamy and you it leaves your skin so soft.
After I have washed, I pat my face dry with a clean towel, (I change my face clothe and towel everyday) then use the Clearisil Ultra toner. What I love about this, is that you can actually feel it working on your skin, and leaves it feeling so fresh.
After that I use the Boots Oil free mattifying lotion, I used to use the Shine control tea-tree and witch hazel lotion but they stopped selling it. The mattifying lotion does the same thing as the Shine control. Even though it is mattifying it doesn't dry your skin out, which is amazing.
I then use my Anti-biotic lotion that I was prescribed by the doctor, so you can't buy it. This is amazing, it really gets rid of your acne within days.
In the winter parts of my skin get really dry so I had to go to the doctors for something and they prescribed these next two creams. I use the top one on the really dry areas, which for me are my forehead and nose area. I then use the bottom cream all over my face and neck avoiding any current breakouts.

So that is my morning routine, now onto my night-time routine:





 Ok so for wash I use the Clearisil Ultra night wash, and I love how this foams, I really feel like it is deep cleaning my skin.
Then I use the Clearisil Ultra over night lotion, which is so creamy and helps to stop my skin drying out.
I use the Clearisil Ultra over night serum as well, which again stops my skin drying out. All of these products really do help reduce your breakouts over night, it is pretty amazing to see in the morning.
I use the same anti-biotic cream at night as well, so not really much to say there.
This next product, I only use if my skin is really dry. Again I was prescribed this, it is for exma as well as dry skin, so if have this product and suffer dry skin as well, use this and it will help so much.

Now for my make-up:









I use Simple eye make-up remover to take off my eye and lip make-up. It is amazing on my lips, but not the best on eyes. However I don't wear make-up everyday so it isn't a problem.
To remove the rest of my make-up I use baby wipes. Trust me they are amazing. The ones I use are Huggies with Aloe-Vera which is so good for your skin. Using baby wipes is particularly good if you have sensitive skin. Plus they work out cheaper than make-up remover lotion/wipes or face wipes, as you get more in a pack.

I remove my eye make-up and apply my toner with cotton pads. These organic ones from Boots are amazing. They are so soft and I really feel that they help the product work better.

Well that was my routine, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave me your skin care routine in the comments below, I would love to read them.

I'm not sure how often I am going to be able to update for the next week, as I am busy. But I will try and update as often as possible, even if it is just on my phone.

Talk to you all soon

DFTBA

Wednesday 8 February 2012

What I am loving right now

Ok so this isn't a list of what I am  loving, it is actually just 1 thing that I am obsessed with. 

I adore Lauren Fairweather and WRock (Wizard Rock), and I become obsessed with things easily. So obviously (please tell me you read that in Snape's voice) I am obsessed with her Lauren's new album, 'Princes Tale' and in-particular the song below 'Lose you'. 


The album is all about the chapter, 'Princes Tale' in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and it is one of my favourite chapters out of the entire series. I love Snape, and I love the relationship between Snape and Lily that you really get to see in this chapter. Although that doesn't mean I hate James and Lily's relationship, they were two different ways of showing love, and I love both ways, but I also hate both ways. James wouldn't give up until he got Lily, which shows that he truly loved her, yet it also seems like he is arrogant, just trying to prove he can get whatever and whoever he wants. Snape never stopped loving her, and never had a relationship with anyone else, again incredibly sweet, but also kind of stalker-ish, he fascinated and lusted after her from the day he first saw her, to the day he died.
So both have their flaws; just as both characters have their flaws.

Ok so this was just a random and nerdy post. I will talk to you all tomorrow morning.

DFTBA

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Confessions of a shoe-a-holic


Hey all, this is just a quick post because I have to go and do my ironing and packing. I thought I would do a tag post so that it wouldn't take to long. Please leave me responses in the comments :)



1. Heels or Flats? Love heels, but I do wear flats more
2. What are your go-to shoes? Probably my brown boots for day time in winter and my Gladiator heels for night time
3. What's your favourite shoe trend at the moment? Wedges. I love how the style is in for winter
4. What's your least favourite shoe trend? I'm not really sure to be honest
5. What's your most expensive shoe? My brown boots not saying how much they cost though
6. What are your most wanted pair? I really want a pair of winter wedges
7. What's your most embarrassing shoe story? In year 8 my school shoes were really cute, but really slippy, even on a dry day. One day, during lunch, I was walking to the bathroom and slipped, in front of everybody. And I went to an all girls school which I think made things worse.
8. Pick a shoe and share a story Uh I don't know
9. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 10+ (I didn't count, that was just a guess)
10. When was the first time you wore heels? I was about 10 and my mum wasn't happy but I loved them
11. How much do you spend on shoes? about £15
12. Where are your favourite places to buy shoes? Diechmans
13. Have you got a pair of shoes you regret purchasing? My cowboy boots because I never have a chance to wear them

That is all the questions, please if you do this tag leave me the link, I would love to read them.

Before I go, I just want to mention today's challenge. It was to read a book that I own but have never read. I actually started this challenge unknowingly a couple of weeks ago when I started Wuthering Heights, but I still haven't finished it. Really enjoying it though.

Well that's all for tonight and I will talk to you all tomorrow

DFTBA

What I am listening to right now: Lose you by Lauren Fairweather
Days until I go away: 1
Days until London: 57

Monday 6 February 2012

British Rambles

Is there anything better than having a workout then getting a shower? I've just done that and it feels amazing. I love that feeling of sweating then washing it all off. Best feeling in the world.

I think I may become obsessed with Naruto. Well obsessed might be a bit strong, but I am loving it. I am obsessed with Ninja's so this is amazing for me, and I am so glad I watched this for my entertainment challenge. I want them on DVD, but until I'll keep watching them online. Has anyone else watched Naruto? What do you think about it? And are you obsessed with Ninjas? Or is that just me and my friend?

Omgg I just read this article! Can you believe how skinny she is? I don't believe that she eats that much, how can you and still be so skinny? Although I know 2 people who eat a lot of food, and food high in calories at that, who are stick thin. Don't you just hate people like that? Especially when you're there being super healthy, trying to lose weight, and they're there sitting, eating all the food you wish you could eat. Some people have everything, don't they? I love this quote, it is completely me ha-ha

Oh before I forget, I wasn't able to do today's challenge. It was to get on a bus and stay on until the last stop. Because of school and money I wasn't able to do this, which I was actually really upset about. Well at least until I realized that I have been on a bus from the first stop to the last before, so I have actually done this challenge, just not today :)

Right I am off to watch more Naruto and maybe get some sleep. Talk to you all tomorrow.

DFTBA

What I am listening to right now: I Try from Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland (I love this song so much, it is so beautiful and makes me want to cry every time I listen to it)

Days until I go away: 2
Days until London: 58

Sunday 5 February 2012

New food, and new TV

Hey beautiful, hope you are all well.

So here is the past 2 days Revolution challenges.

Yesterdays was to eat something new. Now I am quite fussy, I'm a vegetarian, and I basically have no money, therefore I was a bit limited. However my friend had bought the Cracked Black Pepper Ryvita's and seeing as I had never tried them before I tasted one. Oh my gosh they are amazing! I had it plain, but I think that it would taste really good with either spreadable cheese, or cheese and tomato. It was yummy. I also had vegetarian hot dogs which again were so good. I actually hadn't had hot dogs since becoming a vegetarian 4 years ago, and I had a craving for it, wanting to try the meat free version. I was so happy with it, they tasted amazing and I would totally recommend, even if you aren't a vegetarian. Both of my foods were healthy, which I am really happy about.

So today's challenge was to try new entertainment. As you know I am a media student, therefore I am supposed to watch multiple genres etc. However I had never watched Anime before, (except Card Captors, but I don't count that because it is a kids show) so I decided to watch some. My friend has been obsessed with Naruto lately, so I thought I would check it out, see what all the fuss was about. And I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Although that might be because I am obsessed with ninjas. I didn't watch it dubbed because I wanted the authentic feel to it, and I liked that too, although I will watch it dubbed just to compare it, so I'll have to borrow it from my friend, (she has it all on DVD)

So those were the challenges. Have you been doing them? If so how have you been getting on? Let me know in the comments below.

Talk to you all tomorrow


DFTBA

Have a beautiful night.

January Ins and Outs

Hey everybody, hope you are all well.



I know that this was supposed to be posted yesterday, but time just went by so fast yesterday that I didn't get a chance.
So as you can tell by the title, it is an Ins and Outs post. I decided to do this instead of a favourites post because I don't use a lot of new products each month, plus I thought that this fit in with my blog style better.

In:

  • Healthy food! E.G. Eggs, cheese, yoghurt and fruit! Yum, I love these foods. I know cheese is really high in fat but it is good fat and it has calcium and protein, 2 things that everybody needs. And lets face it, they taste amazing!
  • WeHeartIt.com. I am literally obsessed with this website, I can be scrolling through it for hours, hearting so many beautiful and inspirational pictures.
  • ElleandBlair.com. Again I am obsessed with this site. I think this and Weheartit are my 2 most checked websites. Well those and Twitter of course, but if you follow me on Twitter you'll already know that.
  • Disney. Since I got the Disney album for Christmas, I have become obsessed, constantly listening to it and only ever wanting to watch Disney movies.
  • Clear skin. Well close to clear skin. It is clearing up so great since making sure I don't go to bed without having washed my face. Although right now I have this stubborn spot, that will not budge. Hopefully it will go soon.
Out:
  • Being tired constantly. Since being healthy and taking my vitamins daily, I have really noticed a difference in my energy levels, and I have to say, it feels great. Although I have been ill a lot this month, but I think that might be because I changed my diet dramatically and suddenly
  • Being a bad blogger. I really love blogging and feel really bad when I miss a day, but I feel that in the past 2 months I have really improved on that.
  • Having money. This might not be a very happy one, but it is true. I am saving up for so many things at the moment and don't have much spare money as a result. Oh well, it'll be worth it once I've paid for everything for this summer.
Well that's it. I struggled to think of anything that is out for me at the moment ha-ha. What are your Ins and Outs this month? Or your January favourites? Let me know in the comments below.

Talk to you all later

DFTBA

What I am listening to right now: What's this? from A Nightmare before Christmas
Days until I go away: 3
Days until London: 59

Saturday 4 February 2012

Smile




Hey all, I know this was supposed to posted yesterday but I didn't get home until quite late, so didn't get a chance.

Anyway yesterdays challenge was to smile at everybody. This was actually really hard, because I didn't get much eye contact. I don't know if it is a British thing, but I've noticed that people tend to walk with their heads down, kind of being in their own world, not taking people in. I think this is quite sad because nobody is being interactive with each other, and it makes me think that people are alone.

So because of this I have decided to keep up with this challenge, and keep smiling at everyone. I think doing this will just, not only cheer me up, but it will cheer others up and I think that that is the best thing ever.

Anyway I'll be back later with today's challenge and another exciting post.

Talk to you all later

DFTBA

Thursday 2 February 2012

New Years Revolution

So I know I am a month late doing this, but to my defence I didn't know about it until a week ago. 
Anyway I decided to do Channel 4's New Years Revolution because I thought it looked fun and, well I do want to try new things.

I started it 2 days ago, because February only has 29 days, meaning I would end up over running into March.

The first challenge was to say thank you to those people around you who you don't normally thank, i.e. family and friends. I did this through text and it felt good. I thanked quite a few people, and it made me realize that I do actually have a lot of amazing people in my life, who I can sometimes take for granted.

The second challenge was to give something away. I actually found this quite hard, because I am always giving my old things to charity, and I had only recently done that. Therefore I felt that I had nothing to give away. However I realized that I had 2 copies of 'The Kite Runner' both having notes in them as I had them for school (I accidentally bought the wrong copy) and I knew that my mum was looking for a good book to read, so I gave her my favourite copy.

Today's challenge was to say yes to everything. I didn't actually have that many yes-no questions to answer, so I didn't truly get to do this. And most of the yes-no questions I was being asked were my opinion, so I had to answer truthfully. I don't feel like I truly got to do this challenge, therefore I am continuing this challenge tomorrow. One thing I did say yes to was eating a cheesecake, and I wish I hadn't because of my whole eating healthy thing. Oh well, got to stick to the challenges rigidly.

I will be updating you guys on this, hopefully, daily, so please check back. 
My third post of today will actually be posted on Saturday as it is suddenly quite late, for me anyway, and I have sixth form in the morning.

Talk to you all then.

Have a beautiful night

DFTBA

New Years Resolutions update



Hey lovelies, I hope you are all well. 



A month ago I posted my New Years Resolutions and I promised that I would update you all on a monthly bases on how I am doing with them. And that is what this post is.

I have a few so I should start:

  1. Follow my skin care routine day and night. I have done this pretty much every night. I'm going to be honest, I have skipped a few nights because I have been super tired, stressed or ill, however I feel that it is acceptable; I do want to try not to skip any nights this month though.
  2. Brush my teeth day and night. Again I have done this pretty much every night. I've skipped this more times than my skin care, which I know is bad, but it is literally the last thing I do at night, so forget or just fall asleep. However I have a plan on how to stop that from happening and if it works it will be in my next update.
  3. Take my vitamins everyday. I am so proud of myself, I have taken my vitamins every single day! I take them at the same day everyday so I think that helps, but I am still so happy!
  4. Eat cleaner/healthier. Over all I feel that I have been eating healthier. This is a long process as it is a lifestyle change, and sometimes it is hard to ignore my cravings, but I feel that I am getting better at that.
  5. Exercise at least 3 times a week. Again this is a lifestyle change, and I have been sticking to it for the most part. When I had my exams, I was only exercising 1/2 times a week but now it has moved up to 3
  6. Work harder at school and work, so I can get into university. This has been hard for me, and I am actually seeing someone about this. I do have days when I feel like I am working hard so I am proud of that.
  7. Read 6 books by the summer holidays. I have only read 1 so far, and I am disappointed in myself for that. However I am reading 2 books at the moment, one of which I am half way through, so I still feel like this is achievable.
  8. Appreciate all that I have more often. This is a hard one to know whether you are achieving or not, however I feel like I am to an extent. I am still human so have days when I hate everything and everyone, but over all I feel that I am more appreciative.
  9. Do something that scares me at least once a month. I did something that terrified me this month, and that was to read a very long letter full of bible verses out in church to about 60 girls. I wasn't as scared as I thought I was going to be, so I think that that is a good thing and it inspires me to do more.
  10. Learn to play the ukulele. I haven't started this yet, but seeing as it is something I want to achieve by the end of the year, I feel like I have a chance of succeeding.
So that is how I have done this month. How are you guys doing with your resolutions? Let me know in the comments, I would love to know. We could inspire and motivate each other.

I have 2 more posts planned for tonight, so check back for those.

DFTBA


What I am listening to right now: Love on top by Beyonce
Days until I go away: 6
Days until London: 62

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Liebster Blog Award


Hey all, I am so excited about this post. As you can tell by the title, I won a Liebster Blog Award! I think blog awards are great, and really help to promote other blogs, and I am truly honered to have won this.
I won this from Sweet Wahines Beautiful Life, who's blog is amazing and I suggest you all follow her :)
The award was created by, Diane. She describes this award as a: German word for dearest, beloved or favourite blog. I absolutely love this award. I would like to share this award to some of my most favorite bloggers.


Few rules that go along with accepting this award:

1.  Thank the person who awarded you.
2.  Share 7 things about yourself.
3.  Award 15 discovered bloggers.

Ok so here are 7 random facts about me:
  1. I have to blow my nose after washing my face every morning
  2. I have become obsessed with Disney again
  3. I don't wear make-up everyday
  4. I'm a Media Studies student, yet don't tend to stray from my comfort zone of genres
  5. I'm a vegetarian
  6. I love to organise
  7. I have to have a routine for everything
That was harder than I expected ha-ha

Now for my list of 15 bloggers:
  1. confessions of fashionistas
  2. Ember's corner
  3. Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish
  4. Make-up is everything
  5. Pears Blog
  6. Soup for every girl's soul
  7. Welcome to the twenties
  8. Fashions on top
  9. Girls will be Girls
  10. klimver
  11. Guide to Glamour
  12. Pretty, Pink, and Posh
  13. May loves make-up
  14. Truth beauty
  15. Vanilla Pop
Congratulations to all of you, you are all amazing and keep up the great blogging!

Have a beautiful night

DFTBA

What I am listening to right now: I wanna be like you from Jungle Book
Days until I go away: 7
Days until London: 63

P.S. I have 2 blog posts that should've been posted today, which I will be posting over the next couple of days so please check back for those. They include an update on my New Years Resolutions and an Ins and Outs



Congratulations to all of you!!
Thanks for the inspiration!! <
3