The Forbidden Word!

So I'm sad to say that my exams start tomorrow and many exams are starting at the minute, from gcses, to A-levels to uni final exams. So I just want to give you some tips for the day and night before exams.

In the day

1. Don't revise too much! - There is definitely such a thing as too much revision. The day before an exams you should take it easy, you probably won't retain as much information the day before as you would a few days before

2. Have a good breakfast - This is important for both the day before and the day before exams. It's best to have a breakfast with slow releasing energy, like bananas or something with whole grains. Also recently I've been obsessed with drinking green tea. It tastes amazing and helps with your memory! Also make sure you drink lots of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.

3. Make flash cards - Make a few cards with the vital information you need for your exam and place the cards around your room either on the wall or on tables. It's also a good idea to place them around where you get ready in the morning so you can look at them while you do your hair for example. You can do this a week or two before the exam even but I personally find it so much easier to retain information from little flash cards than from huge pieces of paper with lots of writing

4. Take lots of little breaks - It's actually quite difficult for your brain to concentrate for long amounts of time so make sure you take a break, it can be anything from going to the toilet to going for a walk. That way you can set yourself little goals throughout the day and the rest can be your reward

5. Do some exercise - It doesn't have to be a lot of exercise but exercise is very good for your brain. As they say in Legally blonde: Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy! It can also give you a good break from the stress of exams.

In the evening

1. Make a good dinner - Find time to make a good dinner, you need to eat healthily so your body and mind are happy. Cooking can also be your start to a relaxing evening and will get your mind off the next day. Try and eat some brain foods like oily fish, spinach, and other proteins to help your brain work through this stressful time.

2. Do something other than revise - Like I said before, you won't remember a lot that you learn for the first time the night before so do something to distract yourself. You can watch a film, have a bath, read a book... anything. 

3. Get to bed early - You need to get a good nights sleep before your exam the next day. Nobody wants to go to an exam yawning with bags under their eyes. Also keep a glass of water by your bed to rehydrate when you wake up

I hope these tips help. My main piece of advice about exams is to RELAX, no matter what happens in the exam room, if you believe you can do it, you can!

Good luck!

xxCiaoxx

Cheap substitutes

I know that some beauty products cost a lot of money so I thought I would give you a few pointers of where you can save money. It may only be a pound or two difference but it all adds up when you're on a budget!

Instead of dry shampoo use... Talcum powder

Talc only costs about 99p and can be used on your roots just like dry shampoo. You just have to be a little more careful to make sure you've brushed it all out! It can also be used on your feet if you tend to get sweaty feet... Admit it, we're all real and we all sweat :P talcum powder was a life saver for me this summer at festivals, I use it all the time but it barely looks like I've used any from the bottle

Instead of expensive brow gel use... Cheap clear mascara

My brows are hard to tame but brow gel is so expensive. I just bought a technic clear mascara from bodycare for 99p and it works perfectly, you can even use it as a mascara when you want a really natural makeup look

Instead of a brow brush use... An old mascara wand 

Another brow tip. Instead of buying a brush especially for your brows save your old mascara wand. If you wash the brush enough it can be used to tame those brows and saves you money 

Instead of expensive perfume use... Fruit body spray

I know every girl loves to use perfume to smell nice and I do too on special occasions. But on those days when you want to smell nice but don't want to use up your favourite perfume use a spray. I use the natural collection body spray in passion fruit from boots which only cost me £2. It smells really nice and there are so many sprays out there that will suit everyone's tastes

Instead of buying expensive lip scrub... Make your own

When your lips get chapped it can be expensive to buy a lip scrub but you need something. I made my own with brown sugar and a little bit of honey, it can be messy but it definitely works, and tastes good too :P

Instead of shaving gel use... Conditioner

If you want super smooth legs but don't see the point in spending money on shaving gel, use your conditioner. When you're in the shower and have conditioned your hair, use an extra bit on your legs before you shave them, it makes them silky smooth and lasts a while, all without spending any extra money.

Instead of spot cream use... Toothpaste

Toothpaste may not do the same job but toothpaste can help with red spots. Just dab a small bit of toothpaste on a red spot and leave it for about 20 minutes. Then wash it off and the redness will have gone 

I hope these ideas help and save you some precious pennies. If you guys have any more ideas feel free to comment and add them :)

xxCiaoxx

Pole fitness update

So I posted a while ago about starting my university's pole fitness society. So far I have really enjoyed it for lots of reasons.

-I feel a lot more confident - I have always been conscious of my size and never liked showing my legs so was nervous when I realised you have to wear very short shorts in a pole lesson, so you can grip to the pole. When I arrived at the first lesson I was terrified but then I realised that everyone was there for the same reason... To have fun. No one gave me funny looks, said anything and just concentrated on the exercise. Fair enough I'm still not up for showing off my legs much more anywhere else but standing next to really skinny, tall girls in short shorts and feeling ok is a huge step for me :)

- I've met some lovely people- I have recently joined the exec of this society so have a lot more say in how the society is run and it's also meant I've made a lot of friends. We've done photo shoots, fun socials and are planning so much to help each other and and enjoy time as a group. We all do very different subjects so I wouldn't have made as many friends if I had t joined and it's nice to meet new people in whatever way possible.

- I can see genuine improvement - I don't claim to be any good at pole but I've improved a lot since I started in around November. I've gained a lot more strength and control and by the end of the year I might be able to invert (go upside down), which both excites and terrifies me!

Also my university, Lancaster, has a competition with York university every year called Roses, where we compete in sports. For the first time Pole are competing and even though I will only be helping to organise the event and won't compete I'm so excited to be doing it. Pole fitness doesn't have a very good reputation so it's good to have the opportunity to show off what we are capable of.

Here are some photos of my progress so far :)

The Ball

Peter Pan

Sunbather spin 

Scissors

I hope you enjoyed reading this and it inspires you to try something new that pushes your boundaries 

xx Ciao xx

Starting again

So I've decided after a few months to start blogging again! I stopped mainly because I didn't feel like I had anything interesting to write. However 2014 has been a great year so far and I think I have a lot that I want to start sharing with people. I've got a lot planned, lifestyle posts, beauty, uni tips, food and more. 

I hope that people get some inspiration from my blog and enjoy what they read!

And Happy Easter :) 

xxx

Goodbye 2013

So its the day before New Year's Eve and its the day to eat all of your chocolate before you agree to eat more healthily for a resolution. Let's see how long it lasts this year!!
In all seriousness 2013 has been a really good year and its nice to look back and see what has happened in the past year that has been good.
Personally I am happy that:

• I'm more confident - In one of my posts I spoke about Pole Fitness. I am not the most body confident person in the world and am rarely seen in anything that shows my legs, I practically live in tights. But every Sunday I've been wearing shorts and a vest in front of a large group of skinny girls. I thought they would look at me strangely but I couldn't be more wrong. Those classes have made me feel so much better and making me question if my insecurities are irrational
• I'm more organised - I've finally got myself in order in certain aspects of my life. I'm better at organising time and my money which is very useful when you're a student! It's meant that I've been able to spend more time with my friends and I've made lots of new friends this year which has been great. I've always loved meeting new people and trying new things and I've been very lucky this year in meeting so many fantastic people!
• I've been smiling more - I've always been known for being a bubbly person but the past few years have been a bit difficult. I find it hard to know my place in a friendship group or even just a social situation. So its hard to be happy all of the time and I've always felt a little left out. But this year I've felt like I have a lot of people close to me that I can trust and be myself around which has really helped me. I feel a lot happier a lot more often. Obviously everyone has their bad days but I can take them if it means more happy moments. 
• My family are closer - Since me and my brother have both moved out of the house when we're at Uni my parents spend more time together. They used to always argue but now go on holidays for just them two, go on dinner dates and days out. Its nice to know that they can be happy together as no one likes when their parents are always arguing. Its made home a lot more relaxing and fun and even me and my brother get along better than we used to

I'm glad to be starting the new year feeling happier and more confident and hope 2014 will be just as good! I haven't decided my resolutions yet but I'm sure there will be a few. Whether or not I stick to them is another matter. 

I hope everybody who reads this has had a good year and are as excited for 2014 - see you next year :)

XXX

Getting Healthy: Vegetable Curry

I love vegetables and I love curry, so I combined the two!!! This is a pretty simple recipe and it tastes amazing!! You can also change around some of the vegetables to whatever you like best and the curry paste, depending on how hot you like your curries. This recipe serves about 2-3 people.

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• half a green pepper
• 3 or 4 mushrooms
• 1 medium red onion
• 1/4 jar of Curry Paste- (make sure its a paste not a sauce- I used a mild curry paste)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Method

1. Chop the sweet potato into about 2cm chunks and chop all other vegetables
2. Fry all the vegetables in an oiled pan for around 5 minutes
3. add the curry paste and cook for another 3 minutes
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste
5. Leave to simmer for around half an hour - make sure the sweet potatoes are soft
6. If there isn't enough liquid and things are burning - add a little water
7. Serve with rice and any sides you like with curry (chutney, naan, poppadoms etc.)

Getting Healthy: Stuffed Mushrooms

So here's a recipe I threw together when trying to eat more healthily! I just made a basic recipe so if you ever try it; add things to make the meal more interesting. This recipe is for one so just adjust it to whatever you would want

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 large flat mushrooms (depending on how hungry you are)
• 1 slice of bread (left on the side for the day to go a little stale for breadcrumbs)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• lots of grated cheese

Method

1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and clean them. Also turn on the oven to 200 degrees centigrade on a fan oven
2. Once the oven is hot put the mushrooms on a baking tray and drizzle them with oil and leave in the oven whilst doing the next steps (or around 5 mins)
3. Break your piece of bread into very small crumbs and add to a bowl. Also chop the garlic and onion into small pieces and add to the same bowl
4. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl and add salt and pepper to taste
5. Carefully take the mushrooms out and spoon the mixture equally into the mushrooms
6. Grate as much cheese as you'd like onto the mushrooms and put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so until all the cheese has melted and the onions look cooked

ENJOY :)