L'Oreal Infallible Stay Fresh Foundation

I am a creature of habit when it comes to my make up. I am also a lover of the cheap and cheerful due to the adulting world taking all of my money for stupid things like rent and utility bills. However when you get absolutely wasted and lose your handbag containing your foundation and eye liner you have to get what is available.

I live quite far from town so taking a trip after work would be useless because everything would be closed. However I didn’t need to go to town. Supermarkets have make-up stations now (stations...is that what you would call them?...probably not) so I thought I would simply walk in and find one of the few foundations I am a fan of (usually costing around £7 or £8). Of course when I got to the supermarket all of the make-up stations had been close apart from L'Oreal. There was an option of 3 different foundations and I didn’t particularly like any of them, but I was sick of everyone saying I looked ill at work so I picked this little gem!

Retailing at £10 it's not much more than I usually pay, although as I was angry at the time this seemed like the end of the world. I bought this in shade 125 – Natural Rose. I am a very pale person but I find getting the lightest shade is always to white for me. Even though I am pretty pale my skin tone is more pink than white. I am so happy with the it matches my own skin tone better than any other foundation I have used before.

I am used to a foundation that comes out quite thick, like a cream. I like a full coverage. So when I saw this looked quite thin I was worried the coverage wouldn’t be what I wanted. I would say this leaves a medium coverage but it is very build-able and it didn’t take much more to get the coverage I am comfortable with. Adding extra layers of foundation always gives me fear that it looks a bit cakey or leaves a mask., but it left such a natural look, almost like I wasn't wearing any foundation at all. I did however have to stop using my moisturiser as I found if I applied this over the top it went all crumbly! I blame the moisturiser here not the foundation.

I work in an office so sweating off my make-up isn’t really a problem I have, however after a whole day I have always found I look a bit dishevelled when I get home and the foundation has just fell off of my face leaving all of the covered spots and black rings visible. Working solely with men I don’t want to be reapplying make-up all day. This foundation has changed the game for me, getting home and still feeling like I look half decent is great, I might need a top up on certain parts but for the most part the imperfections are still disguised with the help of the foundation.

The absolute nightmare of losing my make-up along with my handbag still gives me a cringey feeling in my stomach but I am actually glad I tried this foundation. I would have never have paid the extra few pounds to try this!

I may be obsessed with make-up but I don't consider myself knowledgeable enough to write a beauty post, so I am hoping my very limited technical knowledge was enough to do this product justice!!

Get to know me tag

I haven’t done any tag posts yet and although I have introduced myself I though it would be nice to share some random facts, and what a better way to do it than with a get to know me tag. Remember when you used to do these all the time on Myspace! I was such a loser I absolutely loved doing them like anyone was actually interested. (If Myspace was before your time just know I am jealous of your youth)


1. Do you have a middle name?
Maria

2. What was your favorite subject in school?
Hmm in school it was probably out of Art and English...I haven't done anything artistic in a while so I guess English is the one that stuck.

3. What’s your favorite drink?
I guess it depends on my mood. I love Pepsi Max (complete fizzy addict) but I am also fond of a good cup of coffee.

4. What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Agh I don't think I have one at the moment...Is it weird that I haven't really listened to any music in a while – oooo I do love Calum Scott's cover of Dancing on my own.

5. What would you name your children?
I love the name Amelia for a girl, and maybe Thomas for a boy after my granddad

6. Do you participate in any sports?
I used to make up all kinds of excuses to get out of PE and now that I don’t have to do any sports I stay well away! I'm not a huge fan of moving around.

7. What’s your favorite book?
Difficult one, I love so may books, I dont suppose I really have a favourite. Two years ago I read 'The Good Girl' by Mary Kubica and it was wonderful, so many feelings!

8. What’s your favorite colour?
I love a light blue...I can't narrow it down any more because I love all of the shades.

9. What’s your favorite animal?
Elephant

10. What’s your favorite perfume?
At the moment… Chloé Signature

11. What’s your favorite holiday?
I love Halloween but I have to choose Christmas, you get to spend the whole month being excited and there’s so many Christmas markets and yummy food, AAAUGH I'm already excited

12. Have you graduated from High School?
High School, Sixth Form, University. Been through it all and now struggling through adulthood

13. Have you been out of the country?
Yes, I would love to travel more though. Rather tan going for a relaxing holiday in the sun I would love to go and see all of the amazing sights.

14. Do you speak any other languages?
Unfortunately not. I am envious of those of you who can.

15. Do you have any siblings?
Yes! An older Sister

16. What’s your favourite store?
Hmm depends what kind. I could spend a year browsing through Paperchase at all of the glorious stationary

17. What’s your favourite restaurant?
I go trough different phases...Right now I love Chiquitos!

18. Do you like school?
I hated it. Sixthform (College) wasn't too bad but I hated school.

19. Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?
Jenna Marbles, Shaytards...too many I like to name but those two are the first I ever really watched and stuck with.

20. What’s your favorite movie?
Lord of the Rings – Probably 'Return of the King' but don't tell the others!

21. What are some of your favorite TV shows?
Game of Thrones, Pretty Little Liars, American Horror Story, Scandal, Grey's Anatomy...I could go on, but I won't.

22. PC or Mac?
I have a PC but I loved using a Mac when I was at university.

23. What phone do you have?
Samsung Galaxy S6 – I never thought I would change from iPhone but I love it!

24. How tall are you?
Just Under 5’5″

25. Any pets?
Two Long haired Chihuahuas (Buster and Ava) and a Pygmy Hedgehog (Willow)

I tag you ALL! I love finding new blogs to read and being nosey, so leave me your links!

Holiday Wish List

MaxiDress | CutOutDress | TeaDress | MeshDress

Bralette | Sundress | CrochetDress | BeachKaftan

Less than three months until holidaaaay!!! - that's if I save up enough for a late deal. The problem with needing to save money is I am bad at it. I love browsing online and it's so hard to stop myself. I need to leave it a bit longer until I can really buy anything but a holiday wishlist can't help can it?

Although a summer holiday calls for colourful clothes, I am a bit of a goth at heart so half of the bits I was clicking on ended up a bit dark - but still summery in my oppinion - I am especially inlove with the Maxi dress on the first row (drool).

Asos is my first stop when I'm window sopping online, so to stop it getting a bit confusing I decided to stick to their website. All of the clothes are linked in the captions although I will link them below also!

Where do you guys like to online window shop? The budgets a bit tight and I'm always looking for new websites I can drool over, let me know where you like to look!

(Below lists goes left to right of the photos)

Glamorous Floral Print Maxi Dress - £39
Missguided Cut Out Waist Button Front Ditsy Dress - £25
Reclaimed Vintage Button Front Mini Tea Dress With Ruffle Detail In Floral Print - £45
ASOS Mesh Dress With Bright Embroidery - £38
New Look Long Tassel Crochet Bralet - £17.99
ASOS Shirred Dropped Waist Sundress in Ditsy Print - £25
ASOS Hand Crochet Skater Dress - £35
ASOS Pastel Palm Wrap Front Chiffon Beach Kaftan - £22

Now TV: What's Worth Binge Watching

That's right, not only am I an avid binge watcher of Netflix but also now TV. I love Now TV because all of the mix of Sky TV shows, I don't have sky so it's great for shows like Game of Thrones which otherwise I would have to find online or wait for it to come out on DVD. There are a lot of show I watch week by week as they come out but like netflix there are so many shows you can sink your teeth into with already a couple of seasons out.

Girls

I have a weird relationship with this show. I had watched a couple of the episodes of the first season when it came out because of a blog I had read. I do not find any of the characters likeable. All of the girls are very different, They have different personalities and different lifestyles, and they all have these negative personality traits. For example Hannah makes no sense to me, she is kind of a bitch, she's selfish and she's self-centred. As much as I find these girls unlikable I am so aware of how real their personalities are, we can all be selfish and we can all be bitches, nobody is perfect all of the time and this shows the really gritty side. I think this is what kept me coming back for more and although I stand by finding them unlikable, I want them to succeed. Boyfriend wasn’t too interested in this so I watched it on my own in a weekend or two. Definitely worth a watch.

Modern Family

I had heard so many people reference this show, it was always something I wanted to watch, so all of the seasons being on Now TV was a dream come true. It's been a couple of months since I watched this. In my old flat I had to wake up at 5.30am for work every day due to living so far. Nothing is really on TV at that time so I used to turn this on for a little laugh while I got ready and sipped my morning coffee. It's such a laid back easy show to watch. I'm always looking for shows like this that will help cheer me up on those down days when I don't want to think to hard about the show I am watching, this is the perfect example of that.

Devious Maids

This is a very recent addition to my watch list. I'm all up to date on any of the shows I like to binge by myself, so I thought I would give this a try. The concept is so similar to Desperate Housewives, and considering they are both created by Mark Cherry I suppose they would be similar. (one being about rich people and their families and the other being about maids and the rich families they work for) I loved Desperate Housewives so I know I will continue to love this. I wouldn't say this is one of my go to shows when I don’t want to concentrate much because so much happens and you need to see it to stay up to date. I am about half way through the first series and I am really enjoying what has to offer so far.

The Affair

When I started watching this I wasn't sure if I would carry on (lets be honest it's not exactly a nice subject) but I quickly became obsessed. Without leaving any spoilers I love the layout of this show. The same events are shown twice but from different characters point of views. I loved how neither of the characters involved in the affair admitted it was them that started the whole thing. Most shows have at least one main character you can like, but not this one, you're so mad at them for what they are doing but you are drawn in and although you wont admit it you can feel the excitement they feel. The show isn’t just about the affair – the whole time you are leading up to a murder and you don't know who did it – I have attempted to write a bit more in depth but you need to watch it for yourself. There are two seasons on Now TV and I'm really hoping the third is out soon (Just checked for you and it's in November so you have plenty of time to catch up!)

Zoella Sweet Inspirations

As I mentioned in my May round up post, I was very late to the Zoella party. I knew of her and had seen a few videos but beauty guru Youtubers just wasn't what I was into. Until December 2015 I decided to watch her Vlogmas (I love a vlogger – the more every day mundane thing you are doing the more interested I am in the Vlog). Since then I have tuned into most of her videos and when I heard that her new beauty range was being released online on the 27^th May I decided to treat myself.

I chose the three products I though I would use most. Two products for the bath and her fragrance mist.

Bath Latte - £6

“Indulge in this deliciously scented, creamy bath and shower milk. Enriched with nourishing sweet almond, cacao and honey, the Zoella Beauty Bath Latte will leave your skin feeling beautifully soft, silky and smelling totally irresistible. Your skin will love you a latte!” - Description from feelunique.com

I am a huge fan of a nice hot bath after a hard day at work, and bubbles are always a must so this was the product I had decided on from the minute I saw it. This smells amazing – not too sweet, The boyfriend described it as a smell you always smell when you are in a beauty shop...not quite sure if I agree but you get the gist that it is a sweet, clean, beautiful smell. The product makes amazing fluffy bubbles, I didn’t use too much and I was left with plenty of bubble to make sure I didn’t have to see my nakedness under the water. I wouldn’t normally spend £6 on bubble bath but to be honest the bubble baths I normally buy aren’t the best and don’t have a lot of scent. When I saw the £6 price tag I was pleasantly surprised, the whole range is reasonably priced and a good quality.

Le Fizz Fragrance Bath Fizzer - £5

“This irresistible macaron scented Zoella Beauty Le Fizz Fragranced Bath Fizzer will transform your bath into an indulgent experience.
Lie back, relax and enjoy. Ooh la la!” - Description from feelunique.com

The more products I can throw in the bath, the better! I love the concept that it is styled like a bar of chocolate. Once again the smell is amazing, although when both products were mixed into the bath I can't really say which one made it smell so nice (probably both!) The pack recommends you drop 4 squares in so there is plenty for a few uses and at £5 you cant go wrong really.

Body Mist - £8

“Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations Body Mist is inspired by the scrummy scent of sweet macarons, this deliciously chic fragrance will leave you smelling totally irresistible!” - Description from feelunique.com

I had never used a body mist before this, always just perfumes. I suppose I wasn’t sure about spending money on a fragrance that I wasn’t sure would last, but at only £8 you can't really go wrong, plus I’ve worked my way down to only one perfume at the moment and don't really have the budget to buy another. It has the same gorgeous scent as the rest of the products and spraying all over myself just made the smell better. To my surprise I kept getting whiffs of the scent all day at work, it stayed marvellously. Out of the three product I bought this is by far my favourite – mostly because I can't really stay in the bath all day. This is the product that gets my 10/10 and I will 100% buy again.

Forgive me if my reviewing skills aren’t exactly up to scratch, it's been a very long time and rather than a detailed and perfectly structured approach I prefer to get more personal. I love the range, I will buy again, and I recommend all of the products I tried!

May Round Up

Did May even Happen? I cannot believe it is already June. We are already half way through the year! (stating the obvious) Nothing much happened in May and to be honest it felt pretty non existent to me. I write the date numerous times a day in my job and I constantly found myself either writing April or June!

I didn’t buy many products this month so haven’t gathered many favourites, but trying to look at the good things in life leaves me with nice little memories to cheer me up.

Slim and Save

Boyfriend and I have been doing this diet for almost a month now, although we did have a 4 day break recently so we could drink alcohol. This is a very low calorie diet that puts you into ketosis. I won’t say to much as I plan to do a post on this when it has been a full month. But this diet has played a huge part in my mood. At the start of the month I was the heaviest I have ever been and was feeling pretty blue about it but at the end of this month I am starting to see the old me and am full with motivation and love for this diet. (I will be posting about my full month on this diet on 10^th June so keep a look out)

Zoella Sweet Inspirations

I was quite late to the Zoella obsession but since watching her Vlogmas series I am decidedly inlove. Seeing as I am trying to save up some money I haven’t really bought myself any treats. When I saw her new products were available online last Friday (and at very reasonable prices might I add) I was excited to spend a bit of money. I haven’t used any apart from the mist, but it smells amazing and I was really surprised that at the end of a full day wearing it I can still smell it on my skin!

Kasabian

Now this isn’t a fully happy memory for me! On the 29^th May I went to see Kasabian. I was excited to finally have a night out and let my hair down. Sadly I let my hair down a bit too much and got ridiculously drunk! I haven’t been an emotional drunk in a very long time but at the end of the night I was sobbing. I also have no memory of why or most of the night I just know I cried and made a bit of a fool of myself. Oh well, I’m sure I will stop feeling embarrassed about this eventually!

So it turns out I didn’t have too much to write about this month. There a quite a few things that I plan on being blog posts so I can’t write too much. With all the happy feeling I felt in the past month have also come some sad feelings. Most of these are unexplained girl emotions where I have honestly just felt a bit blergh! I am really in need of a holiday and I think the uncertainty of having enough by August hasn’t been helping. Oh Well! Onwards to happier month and a more well rounded and emotionally stable Chloe!

Things I wish I had done while I was at University

These points are more about the lifestyle. When I look back I can come at this subject from two different angles – Things I SHOULD have done to get a degree I will use, and a light-hearted list of things I wish I had done, mostly to have more fun.

1. Stayed Single!! - I got into a relationship while I was at Uni, and eventually we were together because it was comfortable. If I was single I would have paid more attention to my work and spend more time with my friends!

2. Focused on work more – I have always been pretty academically average, but I know I could have done better than I did do.

3. Joined a society – Some kind of creative outlet would have been nice, maybe I would have met some people that live closer to where I am now?

4. Found a part time job – This did happen for a while, but bar work meant less going out with friends. 2 years after uni I am still battling the student overdraft. Extra pennies could have helped. Also, finding a job after university was very hard with no experience.

5. Been better with money – I mentioned the overdraft above, I don't regret anything about uni but saving up is 100 times harder with debt.

6. Gone on a girls holiday – I would have loved to go on holiday with my uni friends, however I had no money and now it seems impossible.

7. Utilized the equipment – Studying journalism meant I had access to resources that may have helped me get into a writing career...3 years later and I'm only just trying this blogging thing seriously.

8. Dyed my hair an outrageous colour!!! - I want to do this so bad now, but it wouldn't look too professional in an office environment.

9. Dated – I have always jumped from serious relationship to serious relationship – I don’t regret not dating and I'm happier than I ever have been now – It's just something I never did.

10 – Lived in the moment – It was an amazing time in my life and I could have had so much more fun if I wasn't worrying!

I am aware some of these contradict each other...especially money and living in the moment….but the lifestyle I had in uni is vastly different to being an adult. This was a time I made mistakes and it didn't matter any where near as much as I thought it did. Taking chances and having fun is what the lifestyle is about.

P.S of course if I looked back from an academic point of view my list may be different

P.P.S I tried to find ridiculous pictures of me from my time at uni, but still not the worst there is out there!

Budgeting for Dummies

Yet another year has gone by and once again I have done no saving! Every month I have scraped by and I don’t even know where all the money went. I’m 24 now and I rent a house with my boyfriend. If I ever want to be able to buy a house or go on more than a cheap late deal holiday I am going to have to get my act together.

This year things have changed. Our rent went up, neither of us will have any over time, Luke had to repair his car a couple of weeks ago and I started driving lessons. We are just coming to the realisation that we need to make an effort to save money and all at once reasons that we can't have sprung up.

I entered this year expecting that we would go on holiday. Boyfriend usually gets a lot of over time in the summer and for the past few years that and the small bit I have saved goes towards a Late deal. We have time booked off for the end of August so it was time to get serious and a few simple steps have really helped us see that we could save so much more money a month.

SPREADSHEET BUDGET -
I have the next few months mapped out. How much my wage will be and all of the monthly bills that must be paid every month. I am then left with a figure to spend on Food and anything else important…I’m actually surprised at how much is this (I always expected it was more). I am awful at spending on meaningless things and having nothing to show for it. With it all mapped out I can see what I have and where it is all going. I have managed to save more in the last 2 months than I ever have just because I am aware of exactly of what is going out of my bank and where it is going.

MONEY POT -
I really need one that doesn’t open as I have dipped into it a few times, but there is always spare change laying about the house and now this is where it goes. Its slow saving but without that money in my purse I'm not tempted to but a fatty lunch while I'm at work (so it's both healthy and sensible!)

DO NOTHING - (unless it is already planned)
Like I said. The aim is to afford a holiday at the end of August. We have a few things planned this summer so there is no getting out of spending some money. But its been put in the budget. The rest of the time we are strict hermits. Nothing but nights on the sofa watching TV! Of course this isn’t good for long term saving because you want a social life but the next 3 months (other than the few things that are planned) I am locking the front door and staying in (NO TAKEAWAYS EITHER)

Obviously I am no expert. But from someone who has never been able to save up in her life I’m quite impressed with myself. So if you're as bad as me try writing it all down, so simple but it has helped me so much!

10 Disadvantages of Living with your Boyfriend

A couple of Days Ago I posted 10 advantages of living with your boyfriend. Although the good does outweigh the bad, living with a boy can be hard sometimes!(no pun intended) So just for fun I thought I would share some of the disadvantages I have found.

1 – Your periods sync up – Yep...They become raging bitches as well sometimes.
2 – They have bad days too – sometimes they cant handle your emotional ass.
3 – The smell that comes out of their ass.
4 – Sometimes they can be a bit too attached to old fashioned gender roles.
5 – They can spend weeks wanting to do nothing but play an Xbox game (I do the same but THAT'S NOT THE POINT)
6 – Bad moods are great for stupid arguments.
7 – If you have an argument, it sucks a million times more than when you didn’t live together.
8 – Too much comfort means the romance is harder to keep alive.
9 – They leave toenails everywhere and block the bathroom sink with their beard hair!
10 – You become reliant on them! - one night away is enough.


Please note: This was just for fun, living with your other half is the best!

Things I wish I knew when I was 14

I have always had a bit of trouble with anxiety, but when I was 14 I was set on a path that made the next 10 years of my life pretty hard. Of course there were some amazing moments in there, by no means has my life awful. But looking back there are some things I wish that timid little girl had known. I wanted to do a letter to my younger self post, but this proved too difficult. Hopefully one day I will have the strength to face those awkward teenage years, but for now I thought I could make a list of the things I wish I had known.

1. You should never settle.

In the last 10 years I have settled way more than I should have. Settled for what I didn’t want because it was what other people wanted. Settled in relationships when I knew I wasn’t happy but I was made to believe things were as good as they got. I have settled in many different areas of my life and the decision has always been wrong, I never knew it was OK to do what I wanted.

2. You can trust yourself.

I have a major confidence issue. If I am asked a question I know the answer to I am likely to to keep quiet or say I don’t know because I don’t trust that I am right (even though I know I am.) I have struggled to trust my own decisions, almost to the point that I didn’t know it was OK to do what I thought was right.

3. People won't understand the way you feel, but that's ok.

Through my anxiety and depression I learned that people will only understand for so long before they want you to snap out of it. Even if that person has been through the same thing they are still different to you and will never fully understand. Don't get to upset by this. Everyone will serve their purpose and eventually you will find the strength to pull yourself out.

4. It's OK that you don't know what you want to do when you grow up.

I still didn’t know when I left University after doing a journalism course!! I found any job I could get and ended up really loving it. And I still love writing in my own way. You don't need to know the direction you want to go in because you can work it out as you go.

5. You will be happy.

I'm pretty sure that every teenager goes through a time of wondering if they will ever live happily ever after. I can't know that at only 24, but what I do know is I am happy and I have been happy in the past. 24 has been a good year for me and at this point in my life that happily ever after is very possible for me.

6. You are not average.

I can't really find the words to explain this one, but I have always put myself down with the word average. Someone put this into my head and I wish I knew they were wrong. I have finally learnt to love myself (this is still hard sometimes) and I wish I knew sooner that I am what I make of myself.

7. Stand up for yourself!

This is something that over the past couple of yours I have gotten a lot better at. It may have caused some arguments, but it was worth it. Don't be pushed around! It is NOT OK!

There are so many more!! But I think these are the fundamentals. When you're a teenager and you are going through a crappy time it seems like there will never be a light at the end of the tunnel. Those years don't really matter any more, and I have only just started the years that have mattered enough to make a difference!

App-sessed

Does 'App-sessed' sound enough like obsessed for it to be a valid title...I'll worry about that later. Like every twenty-something year old I go through my fare share of apps. Games, diet aides, workout challenges etc. Every month I go through about ten (sometimes more) apps, sometimes none of them survive the month before I'm done with them. But there are always more just waiting for me to try out. During my lunch break at work, rather than reading the paper or a magazine, I will go through the various apps that I am currently obsessing over.

These are Aprils favourites:

City 2048

You might have played 2048 before. Pairing numbers to keep on adding until you reach 2048 and above. It's hard to explain in words, but I could play this strategy game over and over until it makes me angry. City 2048 has the same concept except instead of numbers there are trees, houses, apartment buildings, skyscrapers and beyond. I have been trying for weeks to better my best score but can't get anywhere near! I'm shocked I haven’t thrown a tantrum and deleted the app to be honest.

Cooking Fever

Now this is a real obsession. My boyfriends mum plays it all of the time, and last month I got my boyfriend a tablet for his birthday. I decided it would be best to play on a tablet as its a bit too detailed to manoeuvre on a phone. I love this game I have persevered and I love playing this before bed, or before work if I'm not patient enough to wait until night.

Roller coaster Tycoon

This one I stole off of my boyfriend he started playing it on the tablet and then just stopped! So as any loving girlfriend would, I took over. It's a bit slow once yo get so far, but its one of those games that is in my routine, so I keep playing. Not too sure where it is going but after a long day, I collect my coins and see if I can buy more land to fit in another roller coaster!

PEAK

This one would be best on a tablet, but I use my phone because I like to play the games during my lunch break. This free app gives you 4 different every day to help you improve on Memory, Problem solving, Language, Mental Agility, Focus and Emotion (not sure how is helps emotion to be honest.) I love seeing how I have improved every day I play. My memory can be quite bad so I have though about playing brain games for a while. Definitely my favourite app this month. You can pay for extra games, but its a monthly/yearly payment unless you want to pay £79.99 for lifetime access to all of the games/features. I don't think you need this though, there are plenty of games in the free version to keep you occupied and improving the skills you choose.

10 Advantages of Living with your Boyfriend

I've lived with my boyfriend for over two years now. If I think about this to much I realise what a grown up thing it is to share a home with your other half! Sometimes I don't quite believe it's real, it's like we are just playing house. When we first moved in together my mum thought it was a bit too soon but I jumped in head first and it was the right choice. Life is pretty good living with the old ball and chain and there are some great advantages of living together…

1. Had a bad day? - You don't have to wait days to see the person who is best at cheering you up!

2. You are in a comfortable relationship – That extra layer of fat around your hips doesn't matter to them.

3.There is a person equally as strange as you in the same house – They love your quirks!

4. Your very own nurse for when you feel sick.

5. They scare the monsters away when you turn the light off at night.

6. All of those t-shirts you can wear to bed! …also boxers...is that weird?

7. Had a bad dream? - They can be pretty understanding when you wake them up for a hug.

8. Dieting together means you can motivate each other - If you fail, you can feel bad together.

9. You are better at compromise – You know when it's not worth arguing about.

10. Nothing beats sleeping next to the person you love every single night.

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Netflix: What's Worth Binge Watching...

Before Netflix (before I had it at least) I would have said I was a TV addict. I do love TV shows, but I have always been awful and remembering times and channels. So often I will see an advert for something I want to watch and I never remember. I have fallen into a comfortable routine of having a lot of choice any time I want. I use Netflix and Now TV for different shows. These players have built it into my brain that one is not enough. I love to binge watch. There are a few select shows I watch as they come out on both platforms week by week, but if I'm looking for a new show I'm looking for one with a couple of seasons and plenty of episodes to sink my teeth into. There are movies and TV shows for any occasion. In my case there are a few that I have to watch with my partner. Shows like 'How to get away with Murder' or Game of Thrones'. If Luke watched one of these without me it's likely I would throw a fit.

Having two Xboxs is amazing. Now I have even more obsessions because I can sit downstairs and binge watch all kinds of series that are a bit to girly for Luke to be interested in. There are too many to tell you them all but I thought I would share some of the series I like to watch by myself with a nice cup of coffee all on my lonesome.

Charmed

This is a go to when I have nothing new to watch. Charmed first came out in 1998, and its hard for me to believe I was only seven years old at the time. I probably didn’t start watching until I was somewhere in my teens, so I had only ever seen a few seasons and then picked up an episode or two on TV in the last few years. Finding this got me seriously excited for some binge watching. It's one of those shows that I can even watch when I'm having problems concentrating. I put this on when I'm pottering about cleaning the living room (WARNING: This will make you procrastinate when trying to do chores.)

Love

When I originally saw Netflix advertising this when it first came out I thought what a load of S**t. It didn't look appealing to me at all. Cheap and s**t. A couple of weeks ago the PMS left me in a flood of tears for no reason...the hangover didn't help much either. This is when I decided to give it a watch. When you’re feeling gross and gloomy what better than something about Love to make you more miserable, right? But it wasn’t what I expected, not mushy at all. Love is so witty and easy to watch. I finished the entire series over the weekend.

Reign

I love Period Dramas. I started watching Reign for this reason, plus there was already 2 and a half series on Netflix just waiting to be binge watched. However at first I wasn't to keen. It is clearly aimed at for a teenage audience(especially in the first season) I'm not to sure some of the costumes are 100% historically correct but I can't deny I have fallen for this show. As the seasons have gone on I no longer feel like it is aimed at such a young audience...or maybe I am still 15 at heart! The second half of the third series is currently being added week by week so the binge watching has come to an end for this one, but it seeing as it has been renewed for a fourth season it will stay as a firm favourite.

Call the Midwife

I watched the first season while I was at university and then just forgot this show existed. I go through long phases of being quite obsessed by the 50s, the hair, the fashion, everything. This is another one of those relaxing shows I can watch when I'm finding it hard to concentrate but it's also one that has you desperate to watch another episode! There are currently three seasons on Netflix although I think four may have been released. (This is probably one of my only gripes with Netflix!)

April Round Up

I can say that April has been a very good month. Not that any recent months have been particularly bad at all, but this last month I found myself content and happy. Finally certain aspects of my life are fitting into place. The weather still might be a bit crazy but these light mornings are making getting up for work a hell of a lot easier. I don't buy a great deal for myself most months so I decided this shouldn’t be a post of products, but simple things with a few products thrown in if I happened to particularly like something.

Kate Moss Sculpting Palette

I am no make-up artist, so no real life changing contouring is done. However over the past year I have been playing about with hi-lighters and the one I usually use has a bit to much shine for a normal day so I had considered finding one of these matte contour palettes for a while. There was no rhyme or reason to choosing this other than on the day I liked the look of it more that what the other brands had on offer.

My skin can be quite sensitive. Not so much with bronzer but I very often find that I get a bad reaction from blusher – I have been quite lucky with this one. I've been using this product for a little over two weeks now and it's a welcome addition to my everyday make-up routine. I really see a difference in my face when I use a highlighter and for only £6.99 it didn't break the bank.

Slow Cooker

Now this is a real grown up favourite! I bought the slow cooker over a year ago and only used it a handful of times, I always worried that it must cost a fortune leaving it on all day. But it actually works out cheaper to slow cook your meal for 8 hours than to use your cooker for just one hour (info here). I may have mentioned before that I love spending hours scrolling through Pinterest, well there is a whole wealth of recipes to try in the slow cooker, super simple and it saves spending an hour or so making dinner when you get home from work. You can find the link to my Pinterest in the sidebar, I've pinned a few recipes that I'm hoping to try, the cashew chicken recipe is cooking as I write this.

LUSH

I know it's crazy but this month I lost my LUSH virginity. The bath in my old flat was small and didn't look very appealing but I love the bath in the house I'm renting at the moment. Since I moved in almost 5 months ago I have got a lot of use out of the bath. The cost of Lush products is a bit extravagant for me to buy all of the time. But I recently found £20 tucked away in a Christmas card that I completely forgot about so I thought I would finally treat myself to some of those delicious products...I haven’t been disappointed.

Driving Lessons

I am finally learning to drive! I have been meaning to start lessons for almost a year, but nerves had gotten the better of me. Finally I had y first lesson last week. This was probably the cherry that topped off the month. It was nowhere near as scary as I expected and I'm actually excited for my next lesson. Maybe once I can drive I will be a real grown up!...NAH!

Book Club: Many Lives, Many Masters

I have a huge fear of death... It's hard to describe... I'm not scared of it hurting or how it will feel... I'm sacred that there will be noting after death.

Every person I have told this fear to has come straight out with something along the lines of - “If there is nothing after death then when you die you wont know it, so it won't matter.” I am aware of that if there is nothing then once I am dead I will know nothing – but the moments before I die is my worry...the years before that also! I worry about it now!

I don't have any religious beliefs but I do like to think that there is more to life after death. That this world isn't all there is for us. I won't get into any of the weird and wonderful things I think about the world and afterlife in my head. The internet is a horrible breeding ground where people relentlessly argue about what they believe is and isn't real. The bottom line is we will all believe what we want.

I bought this book off of the back of a month where all I could think of was losing everything I have now after I die.

This is the first non-fiction book I have read for pleasure and whether you think it's a completely mad made-up story or you think there is some truth in it, it makes a very good read.

The book follows Dr Weiss as he treats a woman suffering with severe anxiety with hypnosis. The woman begins recalling past lives, and the events in those lives tie up with some of her anxieties and this helps her over come them. Other than the recollection of these lives the patient is able to recall an in-between state where Dr Weiss talks to 'The Masters' and they tell him how these multiple lives work and what their purposes are.

I did find some of the book quite far fetched, but I loved it. So much of the book ties up with stories we have all heard about what happens when we die, and beyond that it ties up some of my personal beliefs. I still fear what happens after death, but with this in the back of my mind I fear it a lot less. I am intrigued and would love to read more on the subject.

There is so much more I could say about this book. Towards the end I began to put sticky notes on pages and highlight passages that mean something to me, and since then I have gone back to the start to highlight important passages so I can find them again when I need something to lift me up. I don't want to give much of the story away as the whole experience of reading the book was worth not knowing what I was getting into when I started reading. I recommend this book to anyone with a fear similar to mine and to anyone else who loves anything supernatural.

                                                                        

I decided to go back to fiction for the next book I'm reading. I mentioned in another post that reading a minimum of one book every two months is a goal I have. The past few nights I have set aside an hour to read in bed, and only a few days in I have already found that this is helping me wind down easier and get to sleep quicker….Like a child with a bed time story.

5 Things to Help you Function as an Adult

Do you need extra help being an adult? The urge to slip back into student/teenage life is a constant struggle. Spending money on hoards of clothes and things you don't need. Saving for a mortgage can go right out the window when there is just so much s**t on Etsy you could buy with that hard earned cash. Every day functioning is so hard with out a mid day nap and now that you're in your twenties you can no longer rely on your parents to remind you of Birthdays and anniversaries.

I am a poorly functioning adult but I thought I would share a few things I do that generally help me to stay on the right track.

1 – Buy a Filofax

I love a good bit of stationary and over the years I have wasted countless pennies on pretty pens, pencils and notebooks. Buying a Filofax has really allowed me to still explore all the fun that comes with pretty stationary from Paperchase, while helping me remember how to function.

Throughout the day random bits of important information just fall out of my brain never to be found again. Maybe it's a side affect from all the booze consumed at University or maybe I just don't care enough to be responsible for so much information.

I primarily use my Filofax as a diary. There are other sections that I have designated for various things but I'm still not sure about them (perfectionist) I use different colours handwriting pens, highlighters and stickers so I know what each thing it. For example birthdays are pink, appointments and deliveries are purple, money is green. Writing things down has always helped me learn so as well as a pretty reminder I am hoping this is helping my memory!

I got my Filofax and all of my pens from Paperchase, it was nice and cheap compared to the branded ones, the quality is lovely and it came with lots of inserts.

2 – Notebooks

I could put these things in my filofax but I choose not to. I have a small notebook for money. I write what I get paid and all outgoings for the month. These are also colour coded with highlighter pens. Bills, and rent and other important outgoings tat happen every month are green. Groceries and other necessary purhases (eg. birthdays) are purple and treats for myself are pink. The colour coding is how I plan on finding where I should be cutting back in order to save some money!

I have a slightly larger notebook for things like lists and ideas, I originally used my Filofax for this but the pages can be scribbled and messy and I’m quite neat when it comes to the ol' Filofax (why can't I be neat in every aspect of life!!)

3 – BEDTIME!!

That’s right! We spent years waiting to be old enough to be the boss of our own bed time. We pulled all nighters and sometimes still let the time get away from us when binge watching something on Netflix. But bedtime is important. Not even coffee can save me if I've had no sleep. I don't have an exact bedtime but I do have a bedtime routine. I like to have washed my hair by 8pm so I can snuggle down into bed in a nice pair of Pjs and watch some TV until I fall asleep. However having a boyfriend sometimes means the TV being on way longer than is OK. My boyfriend works shifts and when he gets home at half 10 and I’m drifting off I end up getting woken up by the bright glare of the TV and even on volume 1 it is still too loud!!! Earplugs have helped with this but I have recently discovered that the TV lighting up the room annoys me more. So a cushy eye mask has been purchased.

4 – Sundays

That day where nothing happens. This was such a boring day a few years ago and a lot of the time for many people it is spent hung over. However this is the day I catch up on any clothes washing. I tidy the house and make some time for myself. Starting the week with the house looking like a bomb-site really affects my outlook. Tidy house, tidy mind. Of course by the end of the week the kitchen will have exploded along with the rest of the house. But that's OK because Sunday will always come around for it to be fixed. I have read a lot of blogs that suggest doing this on a Sunday but I don’t remember reading one before I made this day my day of chores….must be a built in adult prompt.

5 - Me Time

I briefly mentioned this in 'Sundays'. To clarify exactly what I mean, I love spending my weekends binge watching a TV show with my boyfriend. We get unhealthily obsessed with TV series and as soon as one ends the fight is on to find a new one to watch before we get too bored. But this isn't me time. In amongst the quality time I get with my boyfriend at the weekend I also like just a little wile to sit by myself on the sofa and watch some girly TV program on my own. A nice bubbly bath with plenty of candles, bath products and an extra large glass of wine is also a good 'me time' activity.

I probably do at least 10 more things that help me semi-function as an adult, but as I explained earlier, information has a habit of falling out of my brain! If you have anything that helps you remember all of the important things or stay on top of your money so you don't go spending it on take outs and make-up let me know! Maybe how I can pass for an adult in public instead of a bumbling child with no sense of direction?