Effortless Ways To Grow Your Hair

Wouldn't we all love to have healthy, long locks like most of the Disney princesses do? One question I occasionally get asked is how do I get my hair so long and healthy. So for today's post, I decided to give you some personal tips and advice on how to achieve healthy, long hair that has worked for me over the past few years.

Avoid Heat | I don't know if any of you remember I mentioned in a post over a year ago that I stopped using heat on my hair and I 100% think my hair looks as long and healthy because of this. I wash my hair in the evenings to let it dry overnight, I mostly plait my hair to achieve waves and on the off chance I do use heat I spray my hair with the Toni&Guy Heat Protection Spray. I am always on Pinterest pinning different simple, heat-less hairstyles to get creative with my hair and not become bored. There are so many heat-free hairstyles that look amazing!

Drink Water | It has become an everyday ritual for me to consume at least 2 litres of water in my diet. Since doing this I have noticed dramatic results in both my hair and body. I know drinking water can seem a bit tedious but putting it in a cute mason jar with a straw and some fresh fruit can make it easier to drink. Trust me the benefits of drinking water is amazing and such a simple, effortless way to achieve healthy hair.

Vitamins | As well as drinking water another simple way to achieve long hair is to take vitamins. This is something that gets underrated as not a lot of people mention the benefits of them. I take the Skin, Hair and Nail vitamins every day from Zipvit and can definitely see a dramatic result in growth in both my hair and nails. 

Hair Medicine | I have been taking a spoonful of the Fountain Hair Molecule* every day now to help the growth of my hair. This is a beauty supplement that can leave your hair looking strong and healthier. I must admit out of everything I do this is definitely the best for achieving long hair, it's incredible and definitely worth the splurge if you are serious about getting longer hair. I noticed results within the first week of taking this and that to me is quick for a beauty supplement.

Other Methods | A few other things I do that have benefited my hair in the long wrong is to not wash it frequently. I try to avoid washing my hair as much as possible unless I have work or somewhere important to be. I also try to avoid brushing my hair as much which I think has helped stop any knots or chunks of hair falling out.

What are your secrets to growing your hair??

15 Things That Make Me Happy

I am very much an easily-pleased kinda girl that always sees the light at the end of the tunnel. I could be up to my neck in work and scraping for money until payday, but I will still find some way to laugh about it. It can be as simple as a bar of chocolate and I'm sweet. So today I wanted to share some simple things that make me happy and hope you'll agree!

Homemade Meals After Work

If I am at work until 9/10 it is nice to come home to a hot, healthy meal. A personal favourite is roasted vegetables with steak or bangers and mash! I don't think I'll ever get bored of coming home to food lets be honest, food is everything.

A Good Sale

Always a nice feeling when you've spent hours online browsing to come across an amazing bargain. It is a great feeling finding something that's a lot cheaper in price and even better if it's online so you're avoiding the crazy rush.

Kindness

Whether that's someone making me a cup of tea, the postman telling me to have a nice day or helping an elderly lady up the stairs. I love when people are nice and it's always nice for helping others too.

Fresh Bedding

It's as simple as that.

Lazy Days

Having days off work relaxing in your pyjamas and doing absolutely nothing but lazing around watching DVDs or playing The Sims.

Finding Things

Tidying up I always manage to find a lost treasure in my room, recently I discovered some of my old albums such as Pop Princesses and S-Club 7. I also love the feeling of finding money in the bottom of my bag or lipstick I've forgotten I even bought.

Looking Back

I love keeping memories whether that's photographs, letters or little tokens I've picked up off trips. Looking back on memories always puts a smile on my face, I especially love reading letters my boyfriend used to write to me when we first started going out.

Tidying Up

Most people hate tidying up but I love it! I love changing things around in my room and organizing it the way I want it to look. A tidy room equals a tidy mind!

Chinese Food

Chinese food is my all time favourite unhealthy meals to eat and I absolutely love having them, especially takeaways. The comfort of eating at home whilst watching something good on the TV, surrounded by family is always nice.

Spontaneous Drives or Days Out

I have always loved spontaneous trips or gestures they are just the best as you don't expect them, which makes you even more excited.

Good Makeup Days
I always battle with my skin some days my makeup looks great, others not so much. It's a great feeling when you know your makeup looks great for the day!

The Smell of Cookies
I love the smell of freshly, baked cookies or if you walk past a shop that sells them. The smell is aaaaamazing.

Harry Potter
My all-time favourite films that I can watch on any occasion over and over again. They instantly put a smile on my face.

Lie Ins
I love being able to go to bed at any time I want and not have to set an alarm the next morning, bliss!

Dispatch Emails
Waking up to an email that says your order has been dispatched, those emails really make my day a lot more exciting.

I could go on. What makes you happy??

My Top 6 Motivational Quotes

It's always a challenge ditching the Christmas pyjamas you've lived in for 2 weeks for work pants and the sweet mince pies for the healthy salad. Once the New Year kicks in I find my motivation just flies out the window with Santa Claus. Whether its motivation to exercise, go back to work, blog, start assignments or to healthy eating, they can be quite difficult to master after the festive period.

Today I am sharing my top 6 inspirational, motivating quotes that'll remind you why you started in the first place and hopefully get you out of those snowman pyjamas!

"Yesterday. Now. Tomorrow."

Rather than focusing on what mistakes happened yesterday or how many things you have to get done in the next month, think about today and make it a success. You have more motivation to succeed if you just focus on now!

"Remember Why You Started"

When you are so far into completing or achieving something you can sometimes forget the meaning behind it. It's nice to take a step back and remind yourself why you started in the first place and what you want to get out of it too. I read this quote a lot when I was stressed at university and it really helped clear my mind.

"Great Things Never Came From Comfort Zones"

I found this a really inspiring quote when I was at home doing uni projects all the time, I would go out for an hour for a walk or go to the gym. It really helped give me a clearer head and motivated me to be more enthusiastic about working. I think this is a good quote to read if you work at home a lot too as sometimes you get so used to being at home you are missing out on what is outside.

"Put On Your Positive Pants"

I think this quote could be a metaphor for anything really, whether it's wearing your new lipstick, spraying your best perfume or creating your favourite meal for dinner. Simple things like that can give you the motivation to do something. I am always motivated to go the gym if I am wearing my favourite gear or if I eat something yummy for dinner at work. Those simple things can make your mood change!

"You Can't Get Much Done in Life if You Only Work On Days You Feel Good"

I feel like this is a quote that really knocks some sense into me for motivation to do things (especially the gym). I am forever telling myself I can't go to the gym because I have spots or bad dark circles, this quote just gives me the boost to tell myself to not give a sh** and just do it. You have to power through all good and bad days to see success!

"Quitters Don't Win, Winner's Don't Quit"
A bit like the quote above but this one has stayed with me ever since I was doing my A Levels at school. If you quit things easily or only do things on days you feel good this is a one to look at for motivation. You don't win or achieve anything if you give up quickly, you need to stay focused and think about the outcome if you stick at it.

What are your motivational quotes??

How To Budget In The New Year

Today I am going to talk about the cry-worthy, hair-pulling topic and that is money. What money? You're all thinking. So let's be honest with ourselves we've all overdone it on the Christmas shopping and January Sales to the point where we fear to check our online banks to see the damage. Money is such a stressful topic this time of year, which is why I wanted to create a post on budgeting in the New Year, hoping it'll stop you all from pulling out your hair.

1. Buy A Money Box - It is always handy to get your hands on one of those money boxes that can only be opened with a tin opener or smashed open with a hammer. That way you won't be tempted to take some money out. I have two of this one for loose change and the other for notes to put in every other week to start saving up for a holiday or even next Christmas. I do think having a money box can help budget your money in the long run and are a lot less tempting to take out money than a savings account is.

2. Keep A Note - Alright it's a New Year the damage is done last year, now is the time to take note on how much you spend. Keep a little notepad on you to write down how much you've spent per week, maybe look at bank statements to see what's going in and coming out. It is healthy to keep track of where your money is going, honestly, I forgot I was still paying my phone bill at one point.

3. Cut The Habits - Have a gym membership that you don't ever use? Subscribed to a magazine that you forgot you were paying for? Or have a Netflix account that is being ruled by your partners rubbish film choices? Take some time to address where your money is going and cancel any unused subscriptions to save yourself in the long run. I have done this last year and I have saved myself £15 a month which totals as £180 a year.

4. Take Only a Little - When you are nipping to the shops or into town only take the essentials. I have ditched my massive wallet for a small card holder and only take with me I'D, a bit of cash and my Boots card. Leave your bank card at home if possible and only take out with you very little. Honestly not taking my bank card saved me a lot of money when I was wandering around town after university itching to spend my student loan.

5. Be A Smart, Savvy Shopper - It is good to be a smart, savvy shopper rather than buying something there and then why not check elsewhere first? I've found that online shopping and a little bit of patience can go far. There are so many online shops that could be selling what you want at a cheaper price. I recently got myself a new sports bra and fitness pants for £7 because I spend time searching online rather than always turning to the high street. It saves you money in the long run and finding a bargain is always bliss!

6. Sell, Sell And Sell More - If you have unwanted books, clothes, DVDs, jewellery etc you could easily sell them and give them to a better home. Depop, eBay and AliExpress are my go-to online shops to look for bargains or sell unused items. It's good to clear out your old things even if you give them to charity, you are clearing out a lot of unused mess that could get you a few pennies!

7. Out With The New And In With The Old - See what I did there? Rather than treating yourself every week or two to new products, use up the products you already have first. I rarely buy clothes or makeup as much as I used to because I try to make the most out of using what I already have before I even consider buying new things. Stop buying new things to cheer yourself up when you know deep down you feel guilty for spending your weeks worth of food shop on that new dress!

What is your advice for budgeting money??

5 Lip Products I Currently Love

I don't know why but for some reason winter seems to be the only season where I actually venture out and get the most use out of my lip products. I have been switching and swapping with a variety of lipsticks over the past few months and these are the 5 that I always sway more towards. 

So here are my top 5 lip products I currently love and why.

Rimmel Kate Moss '19' - This brown/nude lipstick is the perfect shade for my skin tone, most nudes wash me out unless they have a subtle brown to them. I wear this lipstick on those days where I want something on my lips just to make them look a bit noticeable, but don't want to wear pink or purple. So easy to glide on my lips and lasts hours without needing to be topped up!

Topshop 'Inhibition' - This is the newest lipstick to my collection courtesy of Santa Claus. I love to wear purple during the colder months, especially deep, matte shades, therefore, this is perfect for that. I find these lipsticks a bit more difficult to work with but the results are worth it. I love this shade it is definitely the darkest, vamp lipstick I own.

NARS 'Cruella' - It's no secret that NARS lip pencils are one of my favourite lip products to wear. This shade is a deep, matte, Snow White red lipstick which is perfect to wear this time of year. These pencils are the most moisturizing, long lasting, easy to apply products I have tried. I love the shade of this it really allows the rest of my makeup stand out.

Clinique 'Curviest Caramel' - Yummy name right? This is my go-to lip product when I am in a bit of a rush, it comes everywhere with me as a sort of 'emergency lip'. I do think chubby sticks are one of my favourite types of lip products as they're super quick to apply and the results are always buildable. Definitely, a handbag staple if you don't always have time for touching up lipsticks.

Revlon 'Crush Beguin' - Again on those days I don't want to stand and touch up my lipstick for ages I like to carry a chubby stick to do any touch-ups. This deep purple is a lovely matte shade that stays on your lips all day long, not kidding it is a nightmare to remove! I absolutely love these Kissable Balm Stains they really do the trick in keeping your lips alive!

What is your favourite go-to lip product at the moment??