Sunday Adventures in the Sun (featuring Firmoo)

Sunday Adventures in the Sun (featuring Firmoo)

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Now that exams are looming, for those who are students, like myself, the sun has spitefully come out in England whilst we are all crammed inside studying out butts off! Sunny days are one of nature's finest - something that can simply make my mood for the rest of the day. Therefore, my revision was taken to a much prettier landscape, in hope to motivate my procrastinating tendencies at this time of year. 

My boyfriend and I absolutely love to go for walks and discover new places. Today we decided to keep this Sunday adventure to a minimum and keep it within easy walking distance from my home, as we didn't manage to leave the house until four this afternoon. We equipped ourselves with a picnic blanket, revision material, sweets and plenty of cold water. Hydration is one of worst possible things, for physical and psychological process in the body, so make sure if you do revise in the sun, you are regularly consuming water. On sunny days like this (27 degrees celcius! FINALLY!!) I cannot resist the temptation of wearing a nice outfit and photographing it; the sun makes everything seem much more picturesque.

The weather was extremely humid, signalling loose clothing and strappy sleeves. Accompanying my outfit, I wore a plain brown rucksack to help carry all the necessities to our revision site. I tied my lightly-curled hair into a high pony - wearing my hair down is a huge no-go when the weather is hot, I cannot stand the my hair clinging to my skin.

My Outfit: 

Playsuit - Primark

Shoes - New look

Rucksack - Forever 21

Sunglasses - Firmoo

Fortunately, we found a quiet spot on a large field surrounded by trees and other greenery - only a couple of dog walkers passed by in the 3 hours we spent there! I love when the sun is hidden behind the trees; when the rays reflect through the branches I find it impossible to not take a photo. We chilled, revised and admired the nature surrounding us - the heat and atmosphere got us so excited for our two week holiday next year. If you guys have any recommendations of hot countries then let me know in the comments below.

My top essential for a sunny day would honestly be sunglasses - sun damage to the eyes is one of the most dangerous things you can expose your body to. My eyes also seem very sensitive to brightness so tinted sunglasses are a life-saver in the sun to prevent my eyes from watering like crazy! These beautifully crafted sunglasses were gifted to me by a brand called Firmoo; they offer an incredible range of prescription, and non prescription, glasses to their buyers. I was very impressed with the swift delivery and to see my shades encased in a stunning, rustic map glasses case. The pink frame and gold detailing is very flattering alongside the insane defined reflective feature. Reflective glasses are THE one, as you will all know if you've stuck by my little blog for some time.

~ My Firmoo Sunglasses ~

After packing all of our bits and bobs, we left off for home. However, we got distracted by the pretty fields that were on the opposite side of the road to our revision zone. Being both very excited as the sun was starting to beautifully set on the landscape, we decided to take some final images of our little day journey.

Don't forget to check out Firmoo to see their stunning range of (sun)glasses! Let me know which ones are you favourites from their website down below!?

Lots of love

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This post was in collaboration with Firmoo; however all opinions are honest and my own.

Crobar Review ¦ Fitness

Crobar Review ¦ Fitness

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Today's post incorporates two of my New Year's resolutions - becoming healthier/fitter and trying new foods. I am honestly one of the fussiest people when it comes to food - if it looks gross, then I won't be eating it. However, I've been trying lots of new foods and have 90% liked those that I've eaten. 

Protein bars are something I've never really delved into before, despite wanting to know what they taste like and if they work effectively. I am in no way a fitness expert but believe protein bars to be either a healthy snack or a fitness stimulant prior to exercise, helping to gain muscle. Recently, I've discovered Crobar - a brand that has created an obscure protein bar (containing cricket flour!) in which is more economically friendly to the environment, as well as helping you to achieve your goals.

INGREDIENTS

PEANUT & CRICKET FLOUR - Peanuts, Sultanas, Dates, Sunflower Seeds and Cricket Flour (182 calories per 40g bar)

CACAO & CRICKET FLOUR - Cashews, Sunflowers Seeds, Sultanas, Dates, Chia Seeds, Cricket Flour, Cacao Powder, Goji Berries, Cacao Nibs and Natural Flavouring (183 calories per 40g bar)

As the bars are sourced from animal protein, they ensure all 9 essential amino acids enter the body. Also, iron levels are extremely high - surprisingly, crickets hold twice as much iron as spinach do! Moreover, Gathr Food's Crobars aid efficient use of animal feed, less water and air pollution, reduce food waste and enhance better animal welfare. 

TASTE

For myself, I would describe this to have an acquired taste - something in which I am not familiar with. Unfortunately, I cannot compare this to an alternative protein bar as I haven't ventured out to try out yet. The taste, personally, was quite bitter and I personally didn't enjoy them; however, if you love the taste of dates and sultanas you will probably be very pleased. 

Have you ever tried protein bars before? What do you think of them?

Lots of love

London Bound ¦ April 16

London Bound ¦ April 16

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London is one of my happy places. It honestly excites me so much when I have day trips there, whether is be sightseeing, visiting one of their attractions or my favourite - shopping. This time, my family were travelling to Angle Islington to watch my friends in 'In - Nocentes' by the National Youth Dance Company. Going to watch my friend perform was very important for me as I'm auditioning for a place in the company this year...super exciting! 

However, before stopping at Angel, we had a couple hours to spare. This is where I struggled to restrain myself from the beautiful shops on Oxford Circus and Regent Street; my bank account is honestly crying at the minute so I wasn't able to go crazy. I did buy a couple makeup items in Boots, with the help of a good ol' voucher and my mum kindly treated me to a gorgeous playsuit from Forever 21. 

Selfridges is always my favourite place to shop/look in London. I literally want to buy all the designer bags and shoes; there were so many Kurt Geiger clutches I was lusting over it was ridiculous! The beauty floor is obviously my primary place to go - the Charlotte Tilbury stand always looks incredible with their spotlight display. 

My rust-orange, patterned playsuit was from Forever 21. The material is super lightweight so will be perfect in the summer (maybe not in England but..) and the style is super flattering because of the ruched-detailing at the stomach. Additionally, the deep V neck allows you to glam-up the outfit with a statement necklace if you were to wear it out in the evening. 

In Boots, I had two gift cards to utilise; I decided to go to the drugstore side of Boots as I hadn't purchased anything from there in a while. L'Oreal have always been one of my favourite drugstore brands so I decided to purchase some needed products from the stand - the Lumi Magique highlighting concealer and the Superstar Super Liner. Fortunately, there was a '3 for 2' offer on the counter so I managed to pick up one of their new matte lip products in 'Oops I Pink It Again'. After swatching it on my lips last night I am already impressed - the sponge end allows precise and smooth application to the lips. 

For my evening makeup, I ventured for a purple/grey smoky eye look with a nude lip.

Products used : 

~ Nars Sheer Glow ~ Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer ~ Rimmel Stay Matte Powder ~ Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess ~ Benefit Rockateur ~ The Balm Mary Lou Manizer ~ Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate ~ Urban Decay Smoky Palette & Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette ~ Maybelline Gel Liner ~ Revlon Lash Potion ~ Model's Own Liner (waterline) ~ Charlotte Tilbury Bond Girl ~

The performance was honestly breath-taking - I love contemporary dance and it has been my passion for the last couple of years. I cannot wait to audition for the company in the Summer! My evening was successfully completed with a Mango & Passionfruit cooler from Costa alongside a triple chocolate muffin. Mmmmmm.....

Where is your favourite place to travel to?

Lots of love

My Top 10 : Revision Tips & Tricks

My Top 10 : Revision Tips & Tricks

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A Levels are probably one of the most hardest and most challenging things I've ever done in my life. Throughout my years of education, I have absolutely loved, and hated school; I still find it extremely difficult to balance my social life, and other hobbies of mine, with revision. However, I've been able to explore ways which work and which don't to help me achieve the best grades possible. Thus I will be sharing my tips and tricks on studying with you in today's post to hopefully stop biology revision from driving me to insanity!

1. First and foremost, I always begin the exam season by creating a realistic timetable. I say realistic because my GCSE timetable included about 5 different subjects a night, which as you could imagine, didn't go down well. Before planning your revision hours/sessions, make sure you have pinpointed time for your weekly hobbies (e.g. sport, dance, music lesson etc), time for relaxation (I recommend you stop studying at least 1 hour before bed) and also time to socialize with family and friends.

You can colour code your timetable, like mine, for each of your subjects. As I am only taking four subjects, I've decided to split mine into sections so that I can focus on specific areas of my course. You can also use apps, like SQA My Study Plan or Skedule, to formulate a digital version of a study timetable.

2. A huge influencer of my procrastination would definitely be my phone. Therefore, as much as it may hurt, I advise that you ask a family member to hide it somewhere until your revision session is over. I believe that mobile devices can be a large distraction when trying to study so it is best to steer clear of too much mobile use over the exam season. However, I'm not saying to avoid technology as it can be a key helping point for finding unanswered questions and exam papers.

3. A personal favourite technique of mine is making flash cards, These are my predominant go-to when revising; the colours make it more fun to work with and concise, relevant notes ensure you are not overloading yourself with unnecessary information! If you're making revision cards, find your course's mark scheme, print it off and only write information it asks you to know. This way you are being efficient and not wasting valuable study time learning regarding something in a text book that you don't even need to know! Moreover, to utilise my finished flash cards, I put them in a pile on a my bedside table - this way I am reminded to read and remember them. I do this as I wake up and an hour before I go to bed. 

4. This may seem like a more obvious tip but using the correct stationery is crucial. When you see everyone around you using fancy paper, colours and flash cards, you can feel obliged to copy them. Nevertheless, you must do what is right for you. You can find this out by doing timed practice exams at home - revise in different ways to see what style of revision suits you. Not everyone will remember information through colours/visuals; for instance, my boyfriend likes everything to be in black and white when studying.

5. The classic - revision posters. Whether these be the standard mindmap or intricate diagram, posters seem to be a popular and effective method of revision. Make sure to be inventive so they catch your attention - stick them around your house in places you regularly visit (the fridge, your wardrobe or even the toilet). If you are consistently seeing the information, you are more likely to retain it. 

6. Printing off a TONNE of past papers has really aided my progression. As soon as I began working with previous exam questions, my knowledge expanded. This is technically the best way to retrieve the knowledge needed, in my opinion, as you are able to compare your answers to the mark scheme and see exactly what your exam board want from you. 

7. This next technique usually works if you have an eidetic memory, like myself. Eidetic memory is where visuals can help relate or denote an image vividly, enabling you to mentally see the photos/writing on a page. Therefore, I tend to purchase text books or create diagrams so that I can relate the images to writing on the page. Using colours also helps me a lot.

8. Remember to break down your subject into ordered section. This will stop your stress levels exceeding to maximum as you will have a focal point to work on that day. Once you've broken a subject into a section, make sure to create, or do, something that will help your remember the information and then answer some past questions on the topic. 

9. This is a good one of those who travel a lot or have a busy lifestyle - download apps that relate to your subjects/courses! By downloading releveant apps, you are able to revise on-the-go. This is convenient as you are studying and not wasting any time. My favourite revision app has to be Gojimo; this has an extensive array of subjects which can be specific for different exam boards.

10. Finally, you MUST have regular breaks. I am seriously guilty of not following this one and it results in insanity, for sure. It is proven that working consistently for over 3+ hours will completely demotivate a studient. Make sure to relax every hour or two, even if it is for 15 minutes to watch a couple of youtube videos, reading a book or having a meal.

Share in the comments below any methods you use to revise...

Lots of love