FYI I’m currently on a mini-break, so I’ve scheduled this post in advance. Shhh, the fact its not published live is just between you and I. I was writing this post after one to many late nights, and a few to many early mornings. Therefore it’s safe to say I’m kinda looking forward to a quiet night in. Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not a totally Boring Becky. Friday/Saturday nights are great and all that, however I never feel like you can have a proper night in on either of them. No matter how much you feel like you need a quiet one, no matter how determined you are to properly unwind it never really happens. Maybe it’s just me, but I always feel like those nights are tinged with guilt or FOMO. If you’re not doing all the things, it feels like you’re not doing them right. Sunday however is different. Technically it’s a school night, so there’s no pressure to be out gallivanting. A quiet night in on a Sunday is not just OK; it’s a bloody brilliant idea – because you need to be feeling your sparkly best self on Monday after all.

• Get Your Thinking Cap On – As we start edging into the evening, I like to do something that involves getting my brain sorta out of weekend mode. It can be writing up all the things you want to complete in the coming week, doing a game/puzzle that gets you thinking, watching a documentary or whatever. I like to read, and while I love a good ol’ chick flick (and I’m so excited about the film adaption of Me Before You) in the last few years I’ve been opting for books with a bit more bite. It might be a plot that really gets you thinking (you can read my review of Girl On The Train here) or the way in which is written. I’ve found if I don’t get my brain going for a bit earlier on it begins whirling away later on, when dammit mind I need to sleep.
• Look After Yourself – Pamper yourself. Whatever it is that makes you feel like you, with the possibility you may wake up as a butterfly. For me, personally that means a hot shower slathering on all the moisturizer, getting into the fugliest but snuggliest of clothes and leaving a hair mask to work its magic for a few hours.
• Have a Herbal Hit – I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be a fan of herbal tea. They made me think of weird grandmothers with violet perfume and twenty ailing cats. In the last couple of years though I’ve really got into Twinings fruity range – though I’m still to brave the classic of a peppermint tea. Lately I bought these Pukka Honey and Lemon teas, and promptly hated them. They made me feel like I should be ill if I’m drinking them. A few cups later though and I am eating, or drinking, my words. The honey and spicy ginger just makes my soul feel all at ease and floaty. It makes me feel relaxed in a comfortable chilled way, without making me need a nap within the next hour.
• Turn it Off – I always try and usually fail at this one. However I do think it’s important to try and unplug from electronic devices as part of the process of winding down. Countless studies have shown everything from the notifications to the very lights they use make unable to fully relax, and deep down I think we know it without all these studies telling us. Try and choose something offline, that has that all important balance: you need to concentrate on it enough to forget about the outside world, yet not enough to get you all engaged. For me, its colouring. When I mentioned having a colouring book to a guy I’d recently started seeing, he was in shock. And he still takes the piss out of it to this day, but I think they are great. You can get them featuring all sorts of themes, and basically every supermarket stocks dozens. So there’s no excuses.

So there you have it, I hope you all wake up feeling all sparkly and like you’ve got this. Because babes, you have so got this.

This weekend I’m using one of those oh so precious holiday days, and setting off on Friday for a long weekend away with The Boy. When I first mentioned to people that we were going away for the weekend, reactions were mixed given that we haven’t been together long. However I am beyond excited, even the cringing moment my mother referred to it as ‘a mucky weekend’ hasn’t put a dampener on things. So without further ado, here’s a look at what I’m taking.

1. Pumps – Does what you’re wearing on the day you go count? Let’s say it does. I’m going to be pretending to be a good driver, and am responsible for getting us there…which is slightly scary. I’m planning on wearing a new coral t-shirt (that will be featured in next week’s Primark Haul post) and some metallic trainers from New Look. And jeans, obviously I’m not just gonna be driving round in a t-shirt and trainers… the weekend isn’t going to be that mucky. Lol. I feel some sort of trainers or pumps are a must for any getaway, for sightseeing, long walks or just when you get lost and have to ditch the car.
2. All The Skin Care – I guess this isn’t the most glamourous of things, and I’m secretly hoping Craig doesn’t mind surrendering half of our room to various lotions and potions. Although we don’t have any set plans for the trip, I’m guessing it will include good food, good drinks and late nights. As such, I’m determined to stay on track with my skin care routine and try and undo some of the damage as it happens.
3. Naked 2 Palette – I’m taking this little babe because not only is it one of my favourite beauty products, but it is so easy to create a variety of looks for both day time and evening. I used to be a sucker for buying multiple smaller palettes or individual eyeshadows; but taking a palette when traveling is just so much easier.
4. Suede Pinafore Dress –aka Something New You Love – Again, this will feature in the Primark Haul that’s coming soon (you can subscribe to the blog to ensure you don’t miss it) I feel like such a cop out writing that, but it’s just so buttery soft I feel like it needs a proper post. I got it in a dark khaki, though it also comes in baby pink. I haven’t worn it yet but I’m in love. I’m also praying to the weather gods that I get to wear it with a loose white shirt and rose gold reflective shades.
5. Way Too Many Tops & Shoes – The good old British weather eh? Add to that with no set plans and packing it would seem becomes impossible. I wish I was one of those people that could just throw things in a case 10 minutes before the taxi arrives, but my inner control freak won’t let me. Somehow, leaving it to haphazard chance seems more stressful than packing. As such, I’ve got multiple flat shoes, black heels and a few tops that can all be interchanged with each other. It has taken years but I think I might understand the concept of a capsule wardrobe… Gok Wan would be proud.
6. Hand Cream­ –This will probably sound really mean, but Madonna’s hands scare me. Since someone pointed them out to me, and how they look a lot older than the rest of her; I’ve become a hand cream lover. I’ve had a tube of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Concentrated Hand Cream sat on my desk almost permanently since I discovered it. It’s unscented, so is in no way over powering and to say it’s so thick it absolves really quickly.
7. 2 Jackets – Sticking to what may be a fatal mistake of the capsule wardrobe; I’m only taking two jackets. One is a leather jacket for if it decides to rain all over us. It goes with everything I’m taking, and to be fair will be probably be the most worn over the two. The other is a bright coral blazer, I’m hoping it will smarten up some of my outfits and give them a bit of a more summer look. You can see the blazer in this ootd post.
8. 2 Lipsticks – I’m planning this, but it may snowball into a three, four… oh look all my lip collection is coming along for the ride. We’ll see. Anyway, I’m going for one almost nude and one strong red. I feel that I’m sort of covering all bases here in the looks department, for both evening and during the day, and that it’ll go with anything I manage to pull out of the case after inspecting the weather.

So there you go, see you on the flip side.

Here’s a confession: last year, or maybe the year before in the ‘what skills would you like to develop’ section of my appraisal I put down photography. I’d seen the product photography in action at the company I worked for and it seemed interesting, surprisingly complex and truth be told… in my imagination I guess I had a bit of a romantic view of photography.  Within months, for all intents and purposes I had forgotten about it. Or at least, shelved it in the ‘would be nice, but it’s too busy to happen’ area of my brain.

As such, when I was asked to step up last month it came as a bit of a surprise. My blog images, and Instagram left a lot to be desired so being told I’d have a crash course and then have to crack on made me feel a little overwhelmed. The camera itself made me feel overwhelmed; the amount of settings, dials and knowing how much it cost instilled a tiny bit of fear – though I can confirm Nikon cameras can survive the odd bump or two. Thankfully.  After a few bad photos and a lot of faffing arranging items, then re-arranging them I got the hang of it; and can now boast that my photos have been used in two print magazines alongside a website.

So here’s what I learned becoming a published photog…

• Don’t Make Assumptions – Beginner that I was, I assumed the best weather to shoot photos in would be a bright summery day. They say natural light is the best lighting, so what could be better than all the sun. Bright light, would surely show off all the intricate details, right? Wrong. It completely washed out all of the colour, or made the corners of even the softest item look to harsh. This is just one basic example, but there were loads of times I just knew something would make a brilliant photo… and it didn’t. So take loads of photos. Experiment.
• The Littlest Things Can Make a Difference – Although I like to think I have a good level of attention to detail these days, photography showed me what attention to detail really was. Having a product lean a teeny tiny degree of the wrong angle could throw off the whole shot. Similarly, one almost-invisible-to-the-naked-eye piece of lint would mean another bout of photoshopping. It may seem like nothing at the time you take the photo, but when it comes to uploading it whether to a blog, Instagram or website it will make all the difference.
• There is Very Little Blue and Yellow Can’t Fix – Blue and Yellow, especially in stripes has all the feels for me as it reminds me of family holidays to Butlins many years ago. But that’s another story. If you’ve taken a photo that doesn’t quite look right, try and alter the saturation – as a general rule saturation alters the amount of yellow in it, which can make colours look duller or stronger (as well as warmer.) Alternatively adding blue by playing with the temperature can make whites seem crisper and give the whole image a cleaner look without dousing it in light – as long as you don’t go too blue.
• Dress for Action – This sounds overly dramatic, but trust me. In order to get the perfect shot I’ve found myself balancing on tip toes, climbing on window frames and hanging off furniture. Until I attempted photography, I didn’t appreciate the need for proper trainers with a good grip, long tops and bobbles. On the odd day I forgot a bobble, I’ve had to go geek chic and pin my hair up with any pen I could find…. Because trust me when I say there is nothing more infuriating than taking the perfect shot, only to realise you can’t use it because lol your split ends are making a cameo.
• Finally, I guess its have faith – I dreaded showing people the photos I’d taken, sure that I’d be told to re-take them. But even the ones I thought were beyond help, often passed the test. While the image may look not quite right on the tiny screen on your camera or phone, export it and get it on a tablet, laptop or computer. Seeing the image on a bigger screen can allow you to get a proper feel for it, and what needs to be edited.

So there you have it, some basic but hopefully useful photography lessons.

As its National Stationary Week, I thought I’d share with you the fact that I am once again acting like a blogger cliché. Being original’s overrated these days, right?

A while ago Bullet Journals started doing the rounds on various lifestyle blogs and Instagram, and as soon as I saw them I was hooked. I’m a huge fan of stationary anyway, because it’s all so damn pretty… and ya know, useful. The one piece of stationary that I rarely invest in however is a diary. I feel a bit guilty confessing this to be honest, given that as a self-proclaimed stationary geek I should neglect one of the basic pieces.

Whenever I do start one, usually after finishing all the Christmas shopping and feeling all super motivated, I do it with the best intentions. They are never the Bridget Jones type diary, they are just boring, date orientated things that happen to have a semi-amusing slogan scrolled across the front. As such, within a month, my dedication to being all organised on paper begins to waiver, but I keep at it… because gurrrl can’t be giving up one month in. By about April (ok early, March) it’s usually lying forgotten in a winter handbag, or delegated to being plonked on a shelf in my room on the basis of ‘in sight, in mind’ (this tactic never works, don’t take it as a recommendation.)

What attracted me to the Bullet Journal was the freedom. It is essentially a blank notebook, with dotted graph paper inside – the type that you’re forced to buy for your Maths GCSE. Mine is more of a standard notebook in layout, in that the pages are lined. I’m just a stickler for tradition I guess. Apart from that they are totally your own. You can use colours, you can sketch out your goals or appointments, and you can break time down in chunks that suit you.

I’ve dedicated the first page of my bullet journal to my goals for 2016, separated into Life (& work), Health and Blogging. I’ve given myself set targets under these headings, and colour coded the categories. Seeing the areas separated out, allowed me to think more clearly about what I wanted to achieve in them, rather than just one big vague picture for the year.

I’ve then done a 1 page over-view of the year so far. I’m stealing this idea from so many other bloggers right now, but it’s a brilliant one – at the end of every month I am aiming to do a written entry, just a page long or so. I’m hoping it’ll just be a chance to reflect on what’s happened and what I’ve achieved, a chance to put things in perspective.

I’m splitting the bullet journal into months, because I feel that works best for me, though I know others have gone for quarters of the year, weeks or days. I’ve only written in one month, as I’m hoping to do it one at a time since there are no limitations to how much space you can take. At the start of the month, to be filled in retrospectively I’ve created a page called ‘April Stats’ which is broken down into the 3 main categories. Under the headers, I’ve made areas where I can fill in vital metrics to see how I am progressing towards my goals. I’ve done it this way, so that I can look back as the year goes on, both to keep on track and as a source of motivation – seeing how far I’ve come.

After the stats page, is key items/ideas/tasks for that month that can be ticked off as I do them. Trust me that nothing will make you feel sassier and empowered than seeing that lil page fill up with ticks. I’ve tried to keep the ‘To Do’ area just too big tasks, and all on one page. Part of me feels that if I was to put every single little thing I had to do that month, not only would it spill on too long it would also demotivate me a bit.

The pages after the ‘To Do’ area are my own. I can write when inspiration strikes, doodle or anything else my heart desires. Which is why I’m writing it month by month and not dividing it up beforehand.

The freedom and potential for creative has allowed me to stick to the bullet journal more than I would for a normal diary. Its helps you plan your life without being too rigid.

Disclaimer: If I haven’t succeeded in my plan for world domination by, I take all of these words back.