My new little obsession!

I have to admit, I've never used Burt's Bees products before. I knew of the brand but had never been and purchased any thing from them. It wasn't until I was working on my winter season, when I met someone who loved their products, that I started taking a bit more of an interest.

I've always stuck to products that I know work for me, which is not many as my skin is so difficult to work with, and also quite sensitive, meaning more expensive things are a no go area as I don't want to spend money on something that is no good. I've spent so much money on cleansers, and moisturisers, and all sorts of other beauty products and cosmetics that I have tried and then given up on because they make my skin worse, or they don't do anything at all.

After the suggestion of trying Burt's Bees, I bought a couple of things. The brand is not really that expensive, but it is a bit more than what I would normally spend on things. Thankfully, it is living up to it's expectations.

I have technically only bought 3 things from them: a foot cream, a hand cream, and lip balm. Foot and hand creams are some of the things I have difficulty finding something that works for me. I am on my feet all day at work, and my hands dry out so much as I have to wear rubber gloves all day (joys of being a dental nurse!) so getting something that I am satisfied with without damaging my bank balance too much, is tricky. Also, I'm very prone to eczema, which is the most annoying thing! i've had it my whole life, and it can still be hard to manage. My hands and feet are unfortunately where it seems to crop up most.

I purchased the 'Coconut Foot Cream' and the 'Almond & Milk Hand Cream', and both have made me notice a positive difference! The foot cream is not greasy, which means I can put it on, leave it to soak in for a short amount of time, and then carry on with my day, without worrying that carpet/sock fluff is going to stick to me (gross!!!). I did find the hand cream a little bit greasy, certainly more so than my usual Soap & Glory 'Hand Food', which I LOVE, but it has worked really well for me! My hands are definitely softer and I will definitely continue to use it, although not as an every hour thing when I'm at work!

But this is not where my obsession lies. It's the lip balms that have really got me. I have spent far too much money on these little things, but I love them so much! I now have 7, so a different flavour for every day of the week, no? I've never had an obsession with a beauty product before, but I think I have one now!

The variety of flavours makes it so much better, because they actually taste and smell good when you apply them, and it lingers as well, making me love them even more! And what's better, it's all 100% natural ingredients!

I have different favourites for different reasons. The original peppermint one not only smells great, but it tingles your lips, which is a really nice sensation! Some of them I am yet to try as I have only just bought them, but if they go down at the rate the others are because I'm using them so much, then Burt has done a blooming good job and making good lip balms!

There aren't many more flavours to get before I have the whole collection, so come pay day, that is going to be my first purchase!

Right, I need to stop before I become a crazy lip balm lady, is that a thing, and is it too late?!





(P.S. Who ever I be kissing....my lips are more kissable than ever!!)

C is for....

....CRAFTS!

When looking around for decorations to go in my room, I decided I wanted one of those cool letters with the lights in, but I didn't want to pay the prices for one. Also, I don't need any more fairy lights in my room, so I ended up deciding against getting one.

Until I walked past Hobbycraft and saw through the window a display of wooden letters and numbers, and an array of paints, sprays, and paper to decorate them....why not make one myself? Firstly, no more fairy lights, I certainly have enough! Secondly, it's couldn't be hard to make one, and it's a fun thing to so on a Saturday afternoon.

I picked up the following items:

                         - Wooden letter 'C' - £3

                         - Copper coloured spray paint - £3 . 99

                         - Stick on gems - £1 . 50

I spent less than a tenner on the materials, and it took a very short amount of time to make. The sunshine helped the paint to dry within seconds of spraying it on.

Spray the paint on, let it dry, stick the gems on, done!

So that's it, and now it is sitting pretty on my shelf (surrounded by fairy lights of course!).

My new room!

After years of mismatching furniture and a lack of money in the back to replace it, I have finally gotten round to creating the bedroom space I have always wanted!

Last weekend, I ventured down to IKEA, and as a couple of my friends will know, I've been planning and meaning to go to the shop and actually buy something more than just things I really don't need (like tea lights, Mum!). I've been planning how I wanted to have my bedroom for a long time, spending countless hours browsing the IKEA website, and Pinterest for inspiration.

So here it it, the result of my long awaited bedroom renovation....and I'm so excited by it!

Before.

After a lick of paint.

New furniture!

My little beauty spot.

Storage sweet storage.

Where I will be spending most of my spare time...

Although I am super happy with my new room, I am slightly sad that I no longer have an excuse to visit IKEA. I'll just have to pretend I'm shopping for an entire house next time I go!

The 30 Day Yoga Challenge

The 30 day yoga challenge? 30 days committed to doing yoga for around 10-20 minutes every day? Was I up for it? Well looking at the list of "30 day challenges" I have pinned to my wall and realising that I gave up on all of them after day 4, it seems like I'm probably going to quit this one as well. It's worth a try.

Yep, all those 30 day challenges that I gave up on!

Seven years ago, I broke my back a little when I was skiing. Something which I didn't realise I'd done until 2 and 1/2 years later after experiencing constant pain. Unfortunately, as I left it so long before doing anything, the break healed up and left me with a slight deformity in my spine and I have been in constant pain ever since. I have been seeing a physiotherapist monthly for the last 2 years and last week was discharged from their care as they decided that the movement and strength in my spine had made a positive difference and I was able to manage my pain better.

This injury means I find it difficult to do certain exercises as my spine is incredibly stiff and has a lot less movement in it than it should have. Things like arching my back ever so slightly forward, is near on impossible for me to do.

I've always been very active and flexible, but over the last 7 years, my body has stiffened up quite a lot and I've needed to get more movement in it. Things like yoga, are difficult for me to do properly, but I wanted to give it a proper go. I've been to and tried a couple of different yoga/pilates classes and DVDs but gave up on them quickly because a) they didn't feel right for me, b) lack of money to continuously pay for classes, c) lack of effort.

When I heard about the 30 day yoga challenge, I thought I'd give it a go.

I first heard about it in someone's YouTube vlog, so checked out the website - DoYouYoga.com "Free Online Video Yoga Classes For 30 Days. Sent Directly To Your Email Inbox" - sounded great! All I had to do was enter my email address. Within the space of a minute, my first yoga class was in my inbox!

I was pleasantly surprised at how the yoga teacher, Erin Motz, ran her sessions. She didn't power through the classes like the DVDs do, thinking that you're already a yoga expert and therefore need no time to inhale and exhale. She took her time and made it more of a laid-back approach.

My first yoga session done and I hadn't stressed out because I hadn't exhaled the inhale I took at the start yet!

Day 2 and I was still as happy as I was on day 1. I didn't feel like I was rushing the moves or pushing myself too hard for someone who was only starting out.

I was so happy with the way my back was holding up throughout the sessions and didn't feel like I was doing something I shouldn't.

I think this is going to be something that I will get past day 4 on and hopefully make it to day 30!

So this is where I say GO AND TRY IT! You don't have to have done any yoga before to do this so anyone can give it a go. You don't have to be super flexible, because I'm not anymore, although, I am hoping this will bring it all back to me! I'm only on day 3 so why don't you join me in committing to 30 days of exercise and yoga!

Namaste xx

P.S. I'll let you know when/if I make it past day 4!!