I have quite a large percentage of male rreaders so I thought I would dedicate a post on fashion tips for guys. I hope you find it informative but you will see a lot are funny tips too!
Standout.Net have put together a guide of simple fashion tips which you can apply to your everyday style. Most men wear simple outfits but a lot of men arer now starting to take pride in their appearances This handy tips guide features 22 different tips for men ranging from how to tie the perfect knot in a tie and how to make a good first impression with your personal style.
Disclaimer: In collaboration with Standout Net.
To stay active and healthy, power-up your diet with the next super foods!
Guest Post by Right Path Fitness; a London personal training company.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is an amazing source of healthy fats called medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). These unique fats include Caprylic, Lauric and Capric acids – all of them are mighty natural sources of energy, are very easy to digest and are immediately processed by liver without being stored as fat. Coconut oils also have powerful antimicrobial and antifungal properties that improve your digestion.
Avocado
These green fellows are loaded with some of the most abundant nutrients our bodies need: Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E, along with a smaller part of Zinc, Magnesium, Copper, Iron, Thiamine, Niacin and Riboflavin. Avocados are extremely nutrient and full of healthy fats and fibers.
Almonds
Almonds should be among your top healthy snacks as they contain loads of fiber, protein, healthy fats, magnesium and vitamin E. They reduce hunger and promote weight loss, plus lower cholesterol levels, lower blood sugar levels and reduce blood pressure.
Fish
Did you know that fish is among the healthiest products in the world? All the species are loaded with proteins and Vitamin D, plus it’s the most powerful source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Lemons
One lemon contains your daily intake of Vitamin C, essential to sustain good bone health and low cholesterol levels. Lemons also have mighty anti-inflammatory properties to boost your overall health, reduce allergies and stave off infections. A slice of lemon in your green tea boost your body’s ability to absorb antioxidants by whooping 80%.
Broccoli
There’s a good reason why your mom forced those into you as a kid. Broccoli is stashed with plenty of Vitamin K (100% of your daily intake) and Vitamin C (200% of your daily intake). Both are essential for bone strength. Pro tip: instead of steaming or boiling this veggie - microwave it to save 90% of its nutrients.
*Guest Post.
I'm currently travelling a lot lately and am actually in Greece at the moment; soaking up the sun of course. When I started planning my travels for this year, I realised I had quite a lot to organise so a travel set makes everything ten times more easier.
Trendz is a brand I had never heard of before but when I saw their geometric range comes with a passport holder, travel wallet, luggage tag and a mobile charging power bank; it seemed like the perfect set to try out and feature on my blog as I am doing so much travelling at the moment!
The travel wallet has come in handy for carrying around euros and loose change; aswell as English money that I want to change up later. There are also sections for your passports and plane tickets. It is neatly secured with a magnetic closure; keeping everything tucked away nicely.
I have used the portable charger and get around 2 full charges out of it which is superb for on the go... especially if you're like me and use apps like Snapchat and Instagram out and about!
I am really pleased I have given the travel range by Trendz a go. It's made my life much more organised and looking pretty damn cool!
Disclaimer: Products were sent to me for consideration for review. All opinions and photographs are my own.
I graduated university two whole years ago and I still haven't become the next Rankin. I still to this day have absolutely no idea why I studied Photography because I have never had any future goals to become the next best fashion photographer. But hey ho, here I am two years later with a degree I'll never use to its best ability.
Saying all of this, I am aware that I'm not the only jobless graduate with unreached dreams that simply feels like a walking failure every single day. I know that competition is tough; especially in the industry that I want to go into but I am determined that I will get to the place I want to be in one day. Whether it takes me another two years of working part time and building my own brand up a whole load more; I will get there. Nothing comes easy after all. Conquering your biggest dreams takes an extreme amount of hard work, passion and... maybe a little bit of sheer luck.
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Spotlight Recruitment. However, all words and opinions are my own.
I've touched lightly before on what my plans are for the future and what my hopes and dreams are. I crave a job in the digital marketing or PR world but it's simply not that easy. Competition alongside only being 23 with no direct experience in the field are the two biggest downfalls any person could have.
Having my blog means I have been on the other side of the fence for nearly five years. I have successfully built my own brand from scratch and I watch it grow a little bit more each and every day. I am the person working with brands every day; liaising with digital marketeers and PR's constantly. I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved along the way and couldn't ask for more in that respect. I like being in control of my content and social media channels. I thoroughly enjoy jotting down new ideas for content and shooting new images. I basically love it all. Blogging is my number one passion and I sometimes wish a degree in blogging existed because 1) I definitely would have studied it and 2) I think I would actually know what direction my life was heading in.
So, what am I getting at?
I recently came across Spotlight Recruitment who are a marketing recruitment agency based in London. They make it super easy for fresh off the boat graduates like myself and more experienced people who are looking for a new challenge in industry sectors such as digital marketing, PR, e-commerce and SEO/PPC.
I am simply changing different aspects of my life and instead of concentrating on scouring through job sites and submitting every week to 20 companies with a covering letter and my CV in the hope of hearing back from at least one; I am just going to sit back and enjoy the ride of working on my blog and enjoying life. I am going to limit myself to job searching on marketing recruitment agencies only in the hope that someone eventually sees my creativity and determination and decides to employ me. I have no more interest in looking for part time shop work to earn a few extra pennies. Absolutely none.
Saying all of this, I am aware that I'm not the only jobless graduate with unreached dreams that simply feels like a walking failure every single day. I know that competition is tough; especially in the industry that I want to go into but I am determined that I will get to the place I want to be in one day. Whether it takes me another two years of working part time and building my own brand up a whole load more; I will get there. Nothing comes easy after all. Conquering your biggest dreams takes an extreme amount of hard work, passion and... maybe a little bit of sheer luck.
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Spotlight Recruitment. However, all words and opinions are my own.
That was until I walked into TK Maxx on a whim.
TK Maxx has always been one of them shops that I bypass. My mum absolutely loves it in there and always comes home with bargains she's snapped up.
It's basically a giant store full of brand and designer names that are discounted up to 60% off the RRP price. A lot of old season things from brands end up in there but you can also find the odd on trend bargain too. They have everything from both men's, women's and kid's clothes to homeware to beauty and kid's toys and books.
I scoured through every single clothes rail in T K Maxx (not even exaggerating in the slightest... no really, I'm not!) and found this little gem hanging loosely on a hanger. I was a little like hmmmm because I have a large chest and this playsuit has a wrap over detail across the chest. However, I couldn't bare to let it go and put it back so I decided to keep it in the 'to try on' pile.
It's a size small which I didn't even realise until I was in the changing rooms feeling a little flustered to say the least. However, I managed to wriggle into it and it ended up coming home with me. It's one of the comfiest things I've been wearing recently and was superb for my recent holiday to Lanzarote.
The elephant and paisley mixed print is right up my street; alongside the ever so slight bell sleeves. It really is a gorgeous piece that I am so happy to have in my wardrobe!
I also wore my gorgeous and MEGA comfortable sandals* from Firetrap at M and M direct. I took a few pairs of sandals away with me but I ended up wearing these ones the most because they are real leather so are really soft and great for walking about in. They are also currently in the sale so be quick!
I'm in love with this outfit and can't wait to wear it again. Is that sad? Infact... I am off to Zante tonight so I might even wear it for dinner tomorrow night. Well... I did say it was the playsuit of dreams!
Catch you all soon! I have another plane to catch! x
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with TK Maxx and The Brewery shopping centre, Romford, who provided me with a gift card. The sandals were also sent to me for feature on my blog. All words, opinions and photographs are my own.
Part 1 of 3 of my holiday adventures this Summer is over. Thanks to Thomas Cook Airlines* and my paella cooking skills, I jetted off to Lanzarote for a week on the 7th and arrived back in London on Tuesday evening.
I'm all about dressing comfortable when travelling and as it was an early start, I knew I would be cold! So, I wore trainers, denim shorts and the Paris Sweat* from Style Sportif which is super soft and retro looking with its red and blue stripes and bold PARIS print. I'm so glad I took it as I wore it on a windy excursion which you will read all about later on!
Once we got the boring part over and done with (baggage drop off and passport control), it was time to grab breakfast. Easily my favourite meal of the day; we had about an hour to spare until we had to board the plane so we had a full English... obviously!
Time to board the plane! We took off at 9AM on the dot. I bagged myself a window seat (such a kid) and had a comfortable ride from start to finish. We was provided with breakfast which happened to be another fry up...ooops!
A few days in, we booked a car rental to drive to the North of the island to Cueva de los Verdes. These are the underground volcanic caves which is now shown off as a guided tour. It cost 9 euros per person and a tour guide took us around the caves explaining things along the way.
It was extremely dark in there as you can see and nearly almost impossible to photograph anything but it was so surreal being deep inside the passageways of a volcano which were once active. Quite scary actually!
SPOILER ALERT!
There is a really cool optical illusion inside the caves which I managed to photograph below. See if you can work it out. If you can then well done! I spotted it a mile back as the tour guide kept emphasising the same sentence... "please no photographs on the next bit and be careful not to fall over... it's very dangerous!!"...
If you can't spot it and want to find out what it is then do your research! I don't want to spoil it too much for anyone who is thinking of visiting Lanzarote soon.
It was an amazing experience and I definitely recommend going there if you're going to the island any time soon. There is also another cave called Jameos del Agua that you can visit which boasts water based caves and apparently is the only place in the world where you can see white albino crabs! This also includes a visit to the King of Spain's private swimming pool.
Our outbound flight was at 9AM from London Gatwick which meant an early 4AM wake up call. It was only an hour's drive to London Gatwick and thankfully Josh drives so I could nap in the car. We pre-booked a space to park the car using Airport Parking*. You may remember me briefly mentioning my plans to use the website to book parking in my travel plans post.
Airport Parking at London Gatwick is the easiest way to go about booking your car in. All we had to do before hand was enter our flight and car details and choose a representative to book with. As our flight was South Terminals, luckily the airport has on-site parking for South terminals so all we had to do was collect a ticket and park the car. We then took a 5 minute shuttle bus which dropped us right outside the South Terminal entrance. It was a super easy experience which I highly recommend if you have a car you want to drive to the airport but to be looked after too whilst you're away.
I'm all about dressing comfortable when travelling and as it was an early start, I knew I would be cold! So, I wore trainers, denim shorts and the Paris Sweat* from Style Sportif which is super soft and retro looking with its red and blue stripes and bold PARIS print. I'm so glad I took it as I wore it on a windy excursion which you will read all about later on!
Once we got the boring part over and done with (baggage drop off and passport control), it was time to grab breakfast. Easily my favourite meal of the day; we had about an hour to spare until we had to board the plane so we had a full English... obviously!
Time to board the plane! We took off at 9AM on the dot. I bagged myself a window seat (such a kid) and had a comfortable ride from start to finish. We was provided with breakfast which happened to be another fry up...ooops!
The flight time was just under 4 hours and we finally arrived at Arrecife airport around 1pm. Luckily, they are the same time zone as the UK which meant we wasn't as tired as we could have been!
Check out our photo bombers!!
After having a bit of a mishap with euros, we waved down a taxi which took us to our hotel. We was booked in for a week at SENTIDO Aequora which is a 4 star hotel situated in Puerto del Carmen. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the receptionist and offered a glass of bubbly each. A lovely surprise to say the least! After checking in, we got given our room card and it was time to look for room 4028.
After having a bit of a mishap with euros, we waved down a taxi which took us to our hotel. We was booked in for a week at SENTIDO Aequora which is a 4 star hotel situated in Puerto del Carmen. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the receptionist and offered a glass of bubbly each. A lovely surprise to say the least! After checking in, we got given our room card and it was time to look for room 4028.
We was booked into a junior suite which had its own walk in shower, separate living room and HUGE double bed. Our room was on the ground floor which meant our balcony area (with its very own sun loungers might I add... bliss) was right infront of a swimming pool. We made a routine of going for a continental breakfast every morning and then having a morning dip in the pool.
The hotel itself has 5 different pools around the complex including an adult only pool. This one was right in front of our apartment and was always quiet... until me and Josh tried dunking each other, of course.
It was extremely dark in there as you can see and nearly almost impossible to photograph anything but it was so surreal being deep inside the passageways of a volcano which were once active. Quite scary actually!
SPOILER ALERT!
There is a really cool optical illusion inside the caves which I managed to photograph below. See if you can work it out. If you can then well done! I spotted it a mile back as the tour guide kept emphasising the same sentence... "please no photographs on the next bit and be careful not to fall over... it's very dangerous!!"...
If you can't spot it and want to find out what it is then do your research! I don't want to spoil it too much for anyone who is thinking of visiting Lanzarote soon.
It was an amazing experience and I definitely recommend going there if you're going to the island any time soon. There is also another cave called Jameos del Agua that you can visit which boasts water based caves and apparently is the only place in the world where you can see white albino crabs! This also includes a visit to the King of Spain's private swimming pool.
We visited two beaches whilst away. The local one called Puerto del Carmen beach was a 10 minute walk from the hotel. It features a huge stretch of beach including golden sands and crystal clear waters. It's actually so big that we went around 2pm and had no problem with over crowding or privacy at all.
Whilst on our car rental drive, we came across a much smaller beach which I don't think even has an official name because it was so small in comparison to the 10 beaches that Lanzarote has.
I think I had the coolest beach towel* on the whole island. It's by a brand called Beach Lulu and is from Amara.com. This one in particular is called the Mayan towel which features a colour palette of oranges, reds and yellows. I've seen round towels making their debut on Instagram recently so I am ecstatic to have one now too! It's most definitely going with me on the rest of my travels this year.
The final adventure we got up to was quite possibly my favourite thing we did. We booked an excursion directly with our Thomas Cook representative based at the hotel to do the volcanoes tour at Timanfaya National Park.
It was around 70 euros for the both of us and was an early start to the day. We were told to meet outside at the bus stop for 8:30am and a coach picked us up. It was a tight fit but the tour guide from Thomas Cook called Joney was really informative and we learned a lot throughout the day.
Looking quite happy for 8.30am, aren't we?
The tour began by driving up to the park itself where we was told we could take a 20 minute camel ride if we wished. It cost an additional 6 euros per camel and it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.
When we exited the coach, there was a few hundred camels in front of us all sitting down waiting to do their rides. Whilst I have always thought it's cruel, I actually learnt that a single camel can take on average 300 kilos on their backs and are bred purely to transport materials such as wood to places. These camels in particular work from 9am-2pm and also get a month's holiday every year!
After the camel ride was finished (watch out for my vlog coming soon which shows it all happening in action!), we got back on the coach and took a trip through Timanfaya National Park. The roads were really slim and windy but it felt special as no cars are allowed on that route.
We drove right up to the top which has a round restaurant. Super weird but really cool because you can see the whole of the national park by entering the restaurant... which actually only offers a lunch menu. We also got to exclusively see their very large BBQ area which is heated purely by the hot volcanic rocks below it.
We took part in some demonstrations which involved holding small stones which were hot from the active volcano tunnels below us. We was then directed to a large black hole in the ground and watched a man put some dried grass in. Within seconds, it was alight which goes to show how hot it really is in those volcanoes!
The final demonstration was showing the pressure below us. We were told to stand back and watched as the man poured water into several water spouts in the ground. Within 5 seconds, the water erupted into the air with a loud noise to go with it and we all jumped and laughed.
Again, watch out for my vlog because I filmed it all! It was truly an amazing experience to watch. We are both really pleased we booked this excursion in particular.
The rest of the tour involved visiting an aloe vera factory where we learnt how aloe vera is extracted from the plant and the benefits it has to us human people. Following on from that, we took another coach ride to a vineyard where we got to sample some local white wine. We didn't like either as we are not wine drinkers but it was a nice (and very grown up) experience to say the least!
That's our trip summed up! We both had a lovely week away in Lanzarote and were very sad to leave so obviously we took a selfie to express such sadness...
I fully recommend on visiting Lanzarote at least once in your life because the island is so small but has so much to offer in terms of seeing things and things to do. We had a very pleasant and comfortable stay at the hotel and will definitely be looking into booking SENTIDO hotels in different countries in the future.
Thank you so much to Thomas Cook Airlines for providing everything. We had such an awesome time and lovely flights and service from start to finish.
Disclaimer: This holiday was a competition win and was provided by Thomas Cook Airlines. A few other brands mentioned are travel collaborations.
*Guest Post*
It’s been in your calendar for weeks, actually no – it’s been there for MONTHS. And no doubt you have been paying attention to what you are eating and drinking to make sure that you are looking and feeling your absolute best for the big weekend.
For most of us, festivals mean a weekend of fun, freedom and questionable choices; and to quote the saying “a little party never hurt nobody”, putting your health and safety at risk whilst you are away just doesn’t make sense. So read on to discover to how to enjoy a summer of festivals with an undercurrent of sensibility…
{image credit: Kaye Ford}
Staying Hydrated
Between drinking, dancing and sweating it’s easy to forget about topping up our water levels.
Becoming dehydrated is far from a mildly uncomfortable experience, and if it becomes serious can leave you being hospitalised. Take a case or 2 of bottled water with you, while the collapsible pouches are quirky and easily folded away, it could take you a while to locate the nearest place to fill up again!
Alternating between alcoholic drinks and water not only means that you will keep yourself hydrated, but you will also be keeping a hangover at bay – meaning that you won’t miss your favourite act because you couldn’t face the light of day. Although you might still want to remember your sunglasses to hide behind.
Taking rehydration sachets to add to water also prevents you from becoming dehydrated by keeping salt and sugar levels balanced. Admittedly they don’t taste particularly appealing, but they work wonders!
Food Choices
Food choices at festivals are becoming inherently healthier, as the ‘whole’ and ‘clean’ trend rages on. Even so, these options can be vastly overpriced!
Buying a decent size cool box and filling it with fresh fruit (especially bananas, the potassium works wonders for hangovers!) nuts, vegetable sticks and humus, rice cakes, cold pressed juices and protein drinks (if you can’t stomach a breakfast) will lessen the amount of money that you will need to spend on meals whilst away.
Making the right food choices is also going to aid your body when it comes to any repair that it needs to carry out when all the fun stops! Yes, I’m talking about your liver here.
Alcohol
“Because no great story ever started with a salad”
We have touched upon it briefly already but there are smarter choices when it comes to drinking at festivals.
Rule 101: Stay away from hard liquor!! Some people argue that drinking it neat means you are less likely to spend time in the queue for the loo, but I guess it depends on your tolerance levels? You don’t want to be out of control for 3 reasons;
Personal safety should be high on your list of priorities. You don’t to be so drunk that you miss the acts, or you can’t recall them!
Hangovers: Opting for a more refreshing tipple will meet your fun criteria; think light beer, a fruity cider or wine spritzers!
Smoking
Its 2016 and by now, we are fully aware that smoking is a no-go area. But if you have previously been a smoker then you already know that giving up is HARD and it’s even harder once you’ve got a drink in your hand.
If you can get by on will power alone, then I salute you – give yourself a high five. However, if you have even the slightest inkling that you might fall off of the wagon then I would consider investing in an ‘emergency’ E Cigarette.
Although don’t go for the ones that look like cigarettes with a blue light on the end, I’ve heard countless rumours that they aren’t allowed at many festivals? ‘Vaping’ is becoming big business and there are so many styles to choose from, not to mention flavours of liquid; breathing out clouds of candyfloss, cherry cola or pineapple smoke has to be better than the stale scent of tobacco?
There is some slight differences in the base ingredients of the liquids, so it’s worth reading up before making the decision of which one you opt for.
Mobile Devices
Normally our smart phones are a necessity, permanently glued to our palm for primarily social (networking) reasons. However, at a festival it also becomes a camera, a torch, a mirror, a weatherman and potentially a lifeline!
Stocking up on extra battery packs (and making sure that they are all charged) is a must! Buying them from high streets can be prove to be pretty expensive, so it’s worth having a look around online and reading reviews to make sure you are getting the best value for your money!
Now, I know many of you think that you can’t be some sort of sensible AND have fun but hopefully this post has gone a little way to prove that wrong…. But in all seriousness, festival season only happens once a year and we really should make the most of it.
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