Diet?

"I've decided to try a healthy eating diet."

Whenever I utter these words, I'm always met with remarks of; "But you're SO skinny," "You don't need to diet," "Don't be silly!". 

Diet. I hate the stigma that's wrapped around this one word. I know for a fact if I told everyone I was eating healthily, I'd be applauded for doing so. But when that four letter word hangs on the end of my sentence, I have to face a huge uproar of disapproval. All I want to do is to start choosing salad over pizza, water over coke and hummus over ketchup, but there seems to be an awkward pressure on me to do the exact opposite as I'm already 'so skinny'. It's a shame, because I know my fitness levels are suffering. The excess fat has to go somewhere, right? If it doesn't end up somewhere noticeable, it'll be in my arteries or heart or bloodstream, and who wants that? I want to try a healthy eating diet to avoid this, not so I can lose weight, and this should be seen in a much more positive light.

Many people automatically assume that to 'diet' means I'm going to only drink water, have a cube of cheese for breakfast lunch and dinner, and god forbid I eat carbs! I can assure you, this is not the case. Eating healthily is a lot different from trying to lose weight. I may be slim - not 'skinny' - because I know I happen to have quite a high metabolism. However, I also know that I eat a lot of sugar and fatty foods, and my body probably hates me for it! I'm incredibly unfit despite my slim appearance, and my skin is suffering due to my lack of fresh and clean produce. I decided to change this, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed when I'm met with a lack of support. The people around me hone in on the word 'diet' and forget about anything else. I want to make a positive change to my lifestyle, but it's hard to make a difference when everyone accuses me of being 'silly'.  I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like I can't eat what I think is best without someone commenting on why I'm doing it in the first place. I'm not being silly, and I know what's best for my body. Why can't people just understand that?

Fiji!

Sorry for the delay in my blog posts, but I have just came back from being in Fiji for 3 weeks! Yes, that is correct, I travelled with my cousin to the furthest place you can get from the UK (that's 22 hours travel) to do some volunteering in a small village called Naboutini. It was an absolutely fantastic experience and a massive eye opener to 'how the other half live'. The villagers were all so lovely and most of all welcoming. Each and every one of them had fascinating stories to tell - not to mention a wicked sense of humour!

The completed community hall!

The view!

Our project was basically to paint a whole community hall, and do some work on the ceiling. It was hot and humid and sometimes I just wanted to curl up in bed with some tea, but with projects like this, you just have to keep going. We were doing it for the under privileged villagers (try saying that fast), and knowing I had access to so many things back at home, I wanted to do it for them. They didn't have iPads or blogs or makeup, but they were living their lives to the full, which I found so admirable. Who could blame me for wanting to give something back to them?

Me with one of the funniest villagers!

To say I haven't changed slightly after that trip would be a lie. The fact that the village people scraped by on the bare minimum, yet were the happiest people I've ever met, really struck a chord with me.

I hate to go all cheesy on everyone, but the whole experience really levelled my head and cleared my mind about a lot of things. Most importantly, I feel like I'm much happier now. I've had my low points (hasn't everyone?!) and my issues and my problems, but right in this moment, I'm focusing on the now. If you get kicked down, get straight back up again. These people find happiness in the littlest of things, and I am striving to do the same. Thank you Naboutini.

Print-tastic!

I absolutely adore the S/S 13 trends, but my favourite has to be the geometric prints! I've always been a fan of prints and the odd splash of colour but the catwalks are going crazy this season! From postage stamps to parrots - I've seen it all! I love how intricate the details are and that the designers have paid such close attention to detail. These prints are perfect for the dreary "Summer" the UK seem to be having... we need something to brighten us up!

The palette seems to be very earthy, though. Watch out for lots of greens, blues and browns. Have fun clashing printed tops and trousers to really make a statement, or tone it down to your level. Whatever you feel comfortable with! This season it's all about having fun!

Don't play safe, buy fake!

After seeing fake nails on so many celebrities recently (Lana del Rey, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J....to name a few), I thought I'd try them out myself. After months of exams I thought I deserved a bit of pampering - so why not join in on the long taloned trend? I bought a set of 100 medium length nails by Kiss, an absolute bargain at £5.99. I especially liked these because they were translucent, meaning you could shape and paint them yourself. 

I was a bit apprehensive at first, as I'd never ventured into this particular side of beauty yet, but they were so easy to apply and shape! The glue was perfect as only a thin layer was needed (although it dried very quickly and was extremely strong - at one point I thought I'd glued two fingers together FOREVER). They also took to the nail varnish easily and made them look really smooth! I decided to paint them a bright coral pink to show off my tan. 

This was the final look! Overall I'd give this product a solid 8/10. They were so easy to apply and looked really natural despite them being quite long! I did get a few nails snapping off after a few days, but the recommended length of usage is around 7 days, so all in all not too bad! 

Satchel and Trainer Heaven!

I've been craving neon for some time now and yesterday it appeared to me in the form of a neon yellow satchel. I just couldn't resist. I've always been a fan of Topshop and as soon as I spotted this on one of the mannequins I claimed it as my own (it's my baby now haha). It'll really brighten up a dull outfit and is a complete staple item for this Summer.

While I was in Urban Outfitters I spotted these trainers too - very Ellie Goulding - which I had to snap up. Reduced from £38 to £10 they were such a steal! I can confirm that they're sooo comfy and go with literally anything. So excited to start wearing these new purchases out more! 

The Day I Met Ariel

OK so, hands up who has a favourite Disney princess? I know I do. Ever since I was 3 years old I have adored Ariel, from The Little Mermaid. I don't know, it's something about her red hair and her gadgets and gizmos and the fact she's a frickin' mermaid! When I was younger I used to swim around my little community swimming pool and pretend I was swimming with Ariel...cool I know.

So anyway, the opportunity came when I went to Florida with my family in April. We visited Magic Kingdom, as always, and found there was a whole new area dedicated to Ariel and her pals. I actually wanted to scream! There was the castle, and Scuttle (the seagull), Eric's ship, and Ariel's very own cavern.

The best part was - you could meet Ariel! I couldn't believe it. After years and years of pining and wishing to meet her, I finally could (only 15 years later!). I queued up for half an hour with a bunch of 5 year olds, with my Ariel shirt on, and finally joined her in her clamshell. No innuendo intended, haha! She was so amazing and pretty, and complimented me on my hairbraid. She told me her favourite colour was purple - to which I replied, "I know!" (what a cringe). I got lots of pictures taken with her and she was happy posing for them all.

Call me sad, but meeting someone you have idolised since you were a toddler is pretty amazing. It's honestly an experience I'll never forget an although my grandmother kept reminding me that she wasn't the real Ariel, it was certainly the closest I was ever going to get.
I hope you all have had a lovely day! xx

Top 5 Favourite Beauty Products!

Hiya everyone, first posts are always quite tricky to master so I thought I could show you all my Top 5  beauty products so you could get to know me a bit better! Here goes...

 1) Smokin' Eyes kit by Benefit. I got this kit when i was 15 and just starting to experiment with makeup, and I've loved it ever since. Just goes to show a good makeup kit can actually last! It contains 3 eye shadows, eyebrow cream, eye lightener, double ended application brush, and some tweezers and kohl eyeliner (both of which I have lost - sorry!).






The colours are bold enough to stay on all day without making you look like a drag queen (if that's the look you want to go for, this kit is not for you! Haha!). It is so amazing and such a good size to just pop in your bag when you're out, and it contains almost everything you need to create the perfect smokin' hawt eye!















2) "The Red" Sephora Lipstick. I bought lipstick when I was in Florida earlier this year and I LOVE IT! It's from Sephora and it's called "The Red". This colour is bright and classic - definitely one of my favourites. I'd describe it as the 'Taylor Swift Red' because its the exact beautiful colour she so often wears! It's longlasting and doesn't smudge or lose its matte finish. A+ Sephora!






3) Painterly Paintpot by Mac. This is a lovely eyeshadow primer by Mac. As you can see, I've used it quite a lot! It's perfect as a base coat for eyeshadow as it helps the colour last longer without smudging, but it also looks great alone on your eyelid to brighten them up! I make sure I apply it in the corner of my eyes by my tear ducts to make them look brighter and more awake.

4) Lipgloss "Hydra" stack by Sephora. Another absolute beaut from Sephora! This lipgloss stack is super cute and is so handy to carry around as it contains 6 lipglosses in one easy, manageable tube. I adore this stack so much because not only is it cool and adorable to own, you have got 6 beautiful varieties of natural lipgloss colour (that aren't too sticky).

5) MasterPrecise Ligquid Eyeliner by Maybelline. I adore liquid eyeliner and this is most definitely one of my all time favourite products. It glides on like a felt tip and stays matte and even all day long. It has a very precise nib for intricate details, which can be easily thickened as you draw it on. The colour doesn't dry out and it's so easy to apply - I've recommended this to everyone I know!

Thank you for taking your time reading this! More posts will be uploaded every couple of days! I hope you enjoy my blog :) x