A Healthy Way To Start The Day

If you read my New Years Resolutions post, you will know I want to be healthier this year. Not that I eat that badly, but I want to think more about what I am eating and feel generally happier with my body. 

With this in mind, I have started by tackling breakfast; the most important meal of the day. Instead of  just having toast or skipping breakfast, I have started having granola with yoghurt (and sometimes a little bit of honey or some fruit), delicious. 

Breakfast: Granola with Yoghurt and Honey. Coffee.

I have discovered Rude Health 'The Ultimate' granola which is the perfect mix of oats/spelt/barley and nuts (almonds and hazelnuts). This granola doesn't contain any fruit and therefore has a low sugar level compared to most granolas. I like to have my granola with plain yoghurt; any type will do really, just whatever you prefer. 

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Charlie xx

Lush Haul

Lush products are some of my favourite bath and shower products out there. When they had a 50% off sale after Christmas I went a bit crazy, so I thought I would share with you what I got. 

1. Christmas Hedgehog // Bubble Bar (£1.65)

'Soften skin and prickly moods this festive season. Crumble under running water for mounds of bubbles and a moisturising soak.'

2. Dashing Santa // Bath Bomb (£1.45)

'The citrus essential oils in this satsuma-scented bath bomb will put a spring in your step. Drop into the water and watch Santa fly.'

3. Melting Snowman // Bath Melt (£1.10)

'Melt away festive fatigue with this cocoa butter bath melt. Drop into your bath water to soften up.'

4. Yog Nog // Soap (£2.00)

'Give skin a drink of soap made with soya yoghurt and a fudgy blend of festive spices. Lather on, then put on your Christmas knits.'

5. Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds // Bubble Bar (£2.35)

'Patchouli and frankincense give it an exotic, hypnotic fragrance that helps you relax. This melts into your bathwater, turning the water sky-blue dotted with foam clouds.'

6. So White // Bath Bomb (£1.75)

'This brings a crisp, fresh aroma of a juicy apple to your tub. Pop it in the bath and watch it fizz, releasing softening baking soda and the uplifting oils of bergamot and neroli.'

7. Sakura // Bath Bomb (£1.75)

'Noriko, one of our product inventors, hails from Japan and this beautiful Bath Bomb represents what it’s like to be in a park while the breeze blows through the blossoms in the trees.'

www.lush.co.uk

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Charlie xx

New Years Resolutions // 2015

New Year, New Me? I don't often make new years resolutions but 2014 has been quite a stressful year, meaning it hasn't been the best or happiest year for me. That's not to say there weren't any good parts (because there was) but I thought I would set myself 5 New Years Resolutions to try and make 2015 an even better year.

Source: www.tumblr.com

1. Work Harder

I know this is a common resolution but this year I really want to work harder in order to achieve my goals and get into my top choice university. 

2. Enjoy Life

This year I want to work on feeling happier generally and realise that if one thing goes wrong in life, it is not the end of the world. I believe that if something doesn't turn out the way you planned, there is always something you can do to change it. 

3. Be Healthier
I want to do more regular exercise and eat healthier in order to feel happier with my body and feel generally healthier. 

4. Be More Confident

This one is about feeling more comfortable in situations that would normally scare me. I need to stop worrying so much about what people think of me and focus more on doing what makes me happy.

5. Let Go of People Who Make Me Unhappy

This is very important one for me this year. I have realised that life is too short to try and impress people that make me unhappy and uncomfortable. I believe that it is possible to grow out of friendships; sometimes you have to accept that and let go of people that no longer make you happy. 

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I hope you all have a great New Year. I would love to hear any resolutions you have made in the comments. 

Charlie xx

Christmas Gift Guide // Under £15

With less than 2 weeks until Christmas, its time to start thinking about Christmas presents. I thought I'd put together a short gift guide aimed at teenage girls, all priced at under £15.

1. Soap & Glory - 'Soap For The Best' Gift Set - £10

Photo from www.soapandglory.com

This gift set includes:

• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter 50ml

• CLEAN ON ME Creamy Moisture Shower Gel 75ml

• HAND FOOD Hand Cream 50ml

• THE SCRUB OF YOUR LIFE Smoothing Body Scrub 50ml

• A Body Polisher

2. Zoella Beauty Products - Range from £5 to £8  

Beauty range by popular blogger and vlogger Zoe Sugg (aka: Zoella). 

'Fizz Bar' is a fragrant bath fizzer which is designed as a bar so you can break off as many pieces as you like and pop them into your bath. It is suggested to drop 1 or 2 cubes into warm running water to start the fizzing process. This bar is fresh and fragrant; perfect for a relaxing, evening bath.

'Blissful Mistful' is a fragrant body mist with a sweet and floral fragrance which is not overpowering. This product is perfect for teenage girls and priced at just £8 is really affordable. 

Other products in the range include a candle (£5), a body lotion (£5), a bath soak/shower cream (£5) and two makeup-bags/pencil cases [Eyes and Guinea Pig] (£8). 

For more information see my blog post // Zoella Beauty 

3. Alexa Chung 'IT' - £8.99

The images are stunning and I just love the way the book is set out. I think it's such a clever idea how it includes all of Alexa's own fashion icons and it allows you to see where she gets her fashion inspiration. 

Although a quick read, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who either loves fashion or just loves Alexa Chung!

For more information see my blog post // Alexa Chung 'IT'

4. Happy Jackson Notebook - £8.95 

Photo From www.johnlewis.com

Notebooks are perfect for the girl who's always jotting down important notes and creative ideas. This one from Happy Jackson is the perfect handbag size (A5) and looks amazing with all of the vibrant colours. 

5. Oversized Tartan Scarf - £14.99

Photo From www.newlook.com

Oversized scarves are in season at the moment as the cold weather has begun to sink in. Tartan is a must have fashion trend this winter so this is perfect for the girl who loves to be up to date with fashion but is also practical as this oversized scarf keeps you super cosy. 

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I hope you find this useful. Have a wonderful Christmas. 

Charlie xx

Alexa Chung 'IT'

'This one-off collection of Alexa Chung's writing, doodles and photographs combines stories of early style inspirations such as her grandpa and the Spice Girls with discussion of figures of obsession like Jane Birkin and Annie Hall, reflecting on heartbreak, how to get dressed in the morning, the challenges of taking a good selfie, and more.' Amazon 

I had heard good things about this book, so when I picked it up I was really intrigued to find out what it was all about. Alexa Chung has always been one of my fashion icons because I just love the simplicity of her outfits and how chic she always looks. 

When the book arrived I started reading straight away, and I love it. The images are stunning and I just love the way the book is set out. I think it's such a clever idea how it includes all of Alexa's own fashion icons and it allows you to see where she gets her fashion inspiration. 

Although a quick read, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who either loves fashion or just loves Alexa Chung :). One thing I do regret is getting the paper back rather than the hard back because it just doesn't look as pretty let's admit it.

Buy the book:  

Paperback

Hardback

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If you have read this book let me know what you thought of it on the comments.

Charlie xx

Top 3 Autumn Lip Products

1. Tanya Burr Lip Gloss // Vampire Kiss (£6.99)

Vampire Kiss is a deep pinky, red shade which is perfect for Autumn and Winter makeup. I don't normally use lip gloss because I find they can feel very sticky BUT these lip glosses are very pigmented, they smell a-maz-ing and they are super long lasting.

2. MAC Cremesheen Lipstick // Brave Red (£15.50)

I have owned this product for quite a while now and I love it! This is in the cremesheen finish which means it is a creamy lipstick with a soft shine and full coverage. 'Brave Red', as hinted by the name, is a bright red lip colour. What I love about this lipstick is you can either build it up for a much bolder red lip or dab it on for a more muted, berry/pink lip.

3. Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick // Wine '107' (£5.49)

Having avoided matte lip colours (in fear of dry looking lips) I finally took the plunge and tried out shade 107 from Rimmel's Kate Moss line. I had heard wonderful things about this product before buying it, so could not wait to try it out for myself. This lipstick is deep, berry toned and I love it! Although it is a matte finish, it is not drying on the lips and it lasts all day.

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Charlie xx

Mini Ghost Biscuits Recipe // Halloween

Today I thought I'd share with you the vanilla biscuit recipe I used to make my quick and easy mini ghost Halloween biscuits.

Ingredients

Biscuits:

6 oz. (170g) Plain Flour

3 oz. (85g) Butter

3 oz. (85g) Castar Sugar

1 Egg

Few Drops of Vanilla Extract

Milk (to mix)  

Icing:

Icing sugar

Water

Coloured Writing Icing

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add one egg and the vanilla. 
3. Stir in the flour and mix to a stiff paste.
4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and using a cutter, shape the biscuits and place on a greased baking tray.
5. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180oC until golden.
6. Mix up a water icing using icing sugar and water.
7. Cover the biscuits and pipe on eyes using writing icing. 

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Hope you enjoy!

Charlie xx