Sunday 24 March 2013

My top 10 tips if you're feeling stressed

I should actually be doing schoolwork right now but I've decided to write this quickly because it's how I'm feeling at the moment. I often feel stressed about this time of year because it's getting close to exam time, I'm planning holidays for summer and realising I spent most of my money on christmas presents, school jumpers, etc. and I still have to pay for everything else coming up. Anyway, enough about that and let's get back to the point.

1. Exercise. This is so important and so many people skip this step. You don't need two hours, you can do 10 minutes. It gives you time to think and sort everything out in your head and you're burning calories. You'll also feel better about yourself which helps when you're stressed. If you don't want to go to the gym, you can always do some yoga, some squats or go for a walk. Walking is really good actually, it's very calming and not too tiring.

2. Pamper yourself. This applies more to girls I suppose but I find it really helps me to relax. It's soothing. There's nothing like a nice face mask to calm you down. Again, you don't need to do it for hours. You could have a full on pamper evening once a week or you could just take 5 minutes to cleanse your face every day. It makes you feel fresh and relaxed.


3. Organise yourself. I find I get stressed when I have a lot of stuff to do. Try and plan it in advance. It gives you more time and it makes you feel like you've accomplished something. You could have a weekly planner or just a to do list for the day, anything that works for you and that you can stick to. Prioritise too. Get the hard things done first and the rest will seem a lot easier and less daunting.

4. Listen to music. A bit of relaxing music or your favourite happy song always makes you feel better. Try and avoid songs that make you sad because it can and probably will just make it worse. Though I do think everyone needs a good cry sometimes, it's best to avoid it.



5. Talk to people. It can be a friend, a boyfriend/girlfriend, a family member, a psychologist, a therapist, whoever you find it easiest to talk to and who will listen. This helps to get everything out of your system but you'll also get support. Some comforting words can make the world of difference.

6. Make a list of all the good things you've got in your life and the things to look forward to. You could pin this on your wall to remind you of it everytime you feel a bit down and it will really help. It puts things into perspective and can calm you down an awful lot.


7. Try and think positive. I know this can be very hard. I'm naturally quite a negative person but I've found that thinking positive will get you past things and probably solve a lot of problems much faster than if you think negative. You can learn how to do this, all it requires is a bit of will power.

8. Take a break. If everything gets too much, stop. If you can't go on a one week holiday that doesn't matter. You can spend 15 minutes doing something else and it will make you feel a lot better. Or, if you have the time, go for a day trip somewhere you like. It doesn't have to be expensive, it can be a long walk in the countryside or a trip to a local town where you can have a wonder.

9. Do something you like. This will instantly make you feel happier. It'll take your mind off things for a bit and sometimes that's all you need. If you get bored of doing what you like you could always find a new hobby which could also make you feel better because you might discover new skills and you're learning something new which will give you a sense of accomplishment.

10. Finally, if all else fails, eat or drink something that makes you feel better. If I've had a long, hard day, I like to drink a very chocolatey hot chocolate. It sooths and relaxes me. But I wouldn't do this too often because, if it's unhealthy food/drink you love, it's not good on a daily basis.

I hope this helps anybody who is feeling a bit overwhelmed by stress and take care!

Monday 18 March 2013

Bareilles nail varnish in 5078 polished princess

This is a gorgeous nail varnish. It's a rich, emerald green with shimmer and it's just perfect for spring. I'm wearing it today because it's getting slightly warmer and the sun has come out!


For an opaque finish, you need at least 2 coats. You could also wear it with one coat, I think it looks quite pretty. It's more of an olive green though.

One coat

It's dries quite quickly and it's pretty longlasting. I find these nail polishes usually last 4 to 5 days without chipping. I went to a festival last year (camping, etc.) and wore one of their nail varnishes and it lasted pretty much the full 4 days and I'd been wearing it 2 or 3 days beforehand.

2 coats

The finish is smooth and it's easy to apply, not too gloopy or too solid. It looks gorgeous on and really reminds me of the freshly cut spring grass, and the new leaves. I'm getting very excited for spring/summer now!

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Snow day!

So the weather in Belgium is very strange at the moment. Last week it was 16°C and sunny, today I'm stuck at home because there's so much snow! I thought I'd blog about it because it is very pretty. As you can see it is quite deep, I reckon about 30 to 40 centimeters! I'm kind of getting a bit sick of snow, I'd quite like spring to hurry up and get here.

Garden table
Part of my garden



   










Because of the snow, half the schools are closed down and Belgium has beaten it's record for the most traffic jams on motorways: 1500 kilometers! The trains aren't working in some areas and in the south, none of the buses are either. Basically, Belgium has shut down. Which means I get to stay at home and do stuff I wouldn't normally be able to fit in to my day, like baking.

The view outside my bedroom window
The view outside my bedroom window

The dogs seem to be loving it! Unfortunately, only one of them would stand still long enough for me to take a picture. The other one was busy running around, barking at everything. Very over excited.

Harry in the snow
Harry in the snow


Fragrance: Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle

I had wanted this perfume for quite a while before getting it for Christmas. After smelling it a couple of times in shops, I fell in love with it. It's quite a grown up scent but it still works really well for younger women. It's quite sweet smelling and I would wear it in the evening or to special occasions. It's my "special" perfume so I don't wear it every day. It's also quite strong and longlasting, so you only really need one spray.


Besides the actual scent of it, which is of course the most important, Chanel have done a really good job on packaging. Not only is the bottle gorgeous and simple, but the box it comes in is too! I don't know why but I rarely throw away boxes that I like and that are in some way special to me (I still have my MAC palette's box for example).


It's classy and elegant and I would say it's quite floral. Some people say it's citrussy but I can't really smell that in it. It's quite a heavy perfume but it's not overbearing. I really love this fragrance and have received quite a few compliments while wearing it.

I must admit, I'm not very good at describing scents but I hope this was helpful if you were thinking of purchasing it as it is quite expensive.

Sunday 10 March 2013

February favorites

I know it's a bit late but I thought I'd do it anyway. I've decided to start doing monthly favorites blogs. They won't be all beauty related, some things will be a bit random like music or films for example.

1. Eyeshadow: Patina by MAC. I really love this eyeshadow. It's such an easy colour to wear every day, it's not too much hastle because you don't need to wear anything else with it. It's neutral enough to go with anything but still makes you look really nice and above all, it's really flattering for people with blue eyes. Because it's a gold toned shadow, it makes them look even more blue. It's also quite pigmented and easy to apply. It stays on all day so very good if you're at work or school.


2. Lips: I don't wear much colour on my lips, partly because I don't like to when I'm at school but also because I find my lips need to be constantly hydrated during the winter months and not many lipsticks do that. This month I've been loving Burt's Bees lip balms. Unfortunately I've lost the label for the one I'm using so I don't know the name but all of them work really well I believe. It's just really nourrishing and it works. I've also had a bad cold in the last few weeks of february so the skin around my nose was all dry, I applied this on it one evening and by the next morning, it was so much better.


3. Skin: I've been using La Roche-Posay's Lipikar cream to moisturise at the moment. It's very rich and nourrishing. My skin has been itchy and dry because of the weather and this has made a huge difference. I'm lazy when it comes to taking care of my skin and you don't have to apply this every evening for your skin to see the benefits. Of course, you don't get the best results if you don't use it regularly but they're still pretty good.


4. Music: I've been rediscovering to the old classics like The Who, Dire Straits and so forth. I think this is because of a game on Facebook called SongPop. We've also just redecorated our lounge and we've been playng my Dad's iTunes in there a lot and he loves the classics. I've also been loving Adele and Alicia Keys actually. They both have fantastic voices.

5. Food/drink: Chai tea. We recently discoverd that the local supermarket sells a brand that do very nice chai tea, they're called Ethiquable. I've never tried it before and I like tea, but never really drank it that much. I've fallen in love with this though and it's fair trade too. It smells and tastes really nice and it's just so relaxing to have a nice cuppa while listening to some music after dinner in the evening. Especially after a long day of work and being outside in the cold for a bit.


Sunday 3 March 2013

Yves Rocher nail varnish: 81-brun peau


This product is amazing. You hardly need any to paint the nails on both your hands. The brush is the right shape and makes applying it easy. The colour payoff is fantastic, it's opaque in one coat and you  definately won't need more than 2. It dries almost instanly and you're not left with that sticky feeling afterwards.


I am not one for painting my nails I must admit. I'm quite lazy about nailcare and have been known to bite them... For me, this product is perfect. It leaves a really smooth finish with hardly any effort involved.

On the left: one coat, on the right: two coats.

I actually really like the colour. It's a high colour lacquer so it's supposed to better quality than the normal lacquer. Personnally I think it is. It's a brownish pink, berry like colour. More grown up than a hot or a baby pink. But it has got a hint of sparkly shimmer to it which makes it girly. It's a good colour for winter actually.