July Favorites!

Its not exactly the end of July, but its close enough...can you believe its August soon! WHAT! So this is my first 'favorites' post, obviously I was to eager to wait till the end of the month. I've decided to just do general favorites, probably mostly beauty related, as that's the kind of thing i like to read/watch. But i'll also include other stuff like books, music or apps I've been liking.

First up this month is the Maybelline falsies mascara. I love the curved wand as it curls my eyelashes slightly making them extra pretty! Unfortunately mines started to go a bit dry and clumpy now (sob) but I've had it for probably about  2 months now so its definitely at the end of its life! Thinking of trying out the Benefit they're real mascara next, I've been watching a lot of Tanya Burr lately and shes always talking about it, I want to try it!

Next up is Palmers cocoa butter body scrub. This leaves my skin feeling so soft and moisturized, what more do you want?! It has also seemed to last ages, I've been using this almost every other day for the last 2 months and I am only just finishing it. This isn't a brand I have really used before but I will definitely be purchasing this again! Its currently on sale on super drug online for £3.29 but its usually £4.99. Considering how long it has lasted me its a bargain!

I have never bought a moisturizing product for my eyes before, but I am so glad I did! I went with Simple as its a brand I have used a lot in the past and I usually get on well with it, I have pretty sensitive skin and they leave out harsh ingredients so I don't have to worry about my skin reacting to it. I use this when my eyes are looking a bit tired in the morning and it really wakes them up, even if i still feel like a zombie! My eyes have also been really dry and a little bit sore lately as I've been rubbing them due to my hay fever. This helps to moisturize them and soothe them, it also doesn't sting!

On a non beauty related topic I have been listening a lot to Hoziers, 'someone new'. I've probably been listening to it a bit too much, if that's possible! I heard it a little while ago and I rediscovered it and have probably listened to it about 13948875 times since.

Now it has been FOREVER since I've read a book, i used to read all the time but I don't make the time for it anymore. I've been watching Orange is the new black since the first season came out but I only recently found out that it is based on a true story. There is an autobiography written by the person who it is actually based on, I have completely forgotten their name! But i decided as I loved the series so much I would give this a read, and I have really been enjoying it so far. I always end up imagining the characters in the book as they are on the series as some of the characters are based on the book. I purchased this on itunes so I can just pick up my phone and read anytime and maybe I'm just really lazy but I find it a lot easier to sit with my phone in my hand, I can never get comfy when I'm reading a book!

well that's all from me for now, does anyone have any good book suggestions?

xxx

Graze box opening!

Its Monday! Not usually something to be happy about but Monday is graze box day! I specifically chose Monday because its nice to have something, ANYTHING, to look forward to after the weekends over. If you haven't heard of graze its basically a company that sends yummy (and healthy) snacks to your door, sounds pretty good right? You can choose different types of boxes, there's a new breakfast one (which I am keen to try) and you can also choose to have sweet snacks or savory ones, I have the variety box which gives you a bit of everything. They can be delivered when you want, I get mine weekly but you can go for every month or fortnight if that suits you better. The boxes are £3.99 each, including delivery which is pretty good if you ask me!

One thing I really like about Graze boxes is that it encourages me to try new things. Never would I have picked up sour cream and garlic crostini but I'm eating it right now and it is the bees knees (i do not say that enough!). I'm not adventurous at all when it comes to new food and this gives me a way to discover new stuff! The idea was that I was going to have like a snack a day or something but I manage to much through these pretty quick, so that ideas out of the window, you just want to taste it all as soon as it arrives!

 So here's what came in this weeks box:

light poppy and lemon slice and a cup of Assam and Kenyan leaves tea. I had this poppy slice after dinner and its gorgeous! Again if I had a choice I would usually default to choosing some chocolate cake, I don't usually try this king of thing but its so yummy! Cant comment on the tea just yet but I've started drinking green tea lately so I've been looking forward to receiving a tea bag in my graze box!

Sour cream and garlic crostini with cashews. Hands down these were the best of the box! my mouth is just watering thinking about them, I wonder if I can get big bags of these somewhere else...

Zesty lime and red pepper salsa! This was yummy, not my favorite of the box but yummy! I couldn't really taste any lime but i love the little pitta bites.

There was also a box of maple and pecan granola, but i've lost the photo! URGH! You can see a smaller version in the top picture. I haven't tried this yet but I bet it would be lovely with some natural yogurt. 

I'm considering switching to a breakfast box but I love getting these cute little snacks too much! Heres the link to the website to find out more, you get your first box free! If only lush did a box like this, I would be in heaven! 

XXX

My 5 Tips For Hay Fever Sufferers!

Summers lovely, unless of course you suffer from hay fever! I have for a few years now and let me tell you now it really puts a downer on the nice weather. For some reason mine came on a little later than usual this year and for a moment I thought maybe I had grown out of it and was cured! I was very, VERY wrong. I don't know if its the recent heatwave or what but the last coupe of weeks have been particularly bad! So here's some tips to help your hay-fever, if your eyes will stop watering long enough for you to read it that is!

• Close the windows! This may seem a bit crazy on boiling hot days but just do it. Buy a fan, turn the air con on, but keep the windows closed. I notice a huge difference when i close the windows near me in my office, luckily I work with pretty considerate people so they don't mind! They're probably happy to have a break from listening to me sneezing and sniffling all day.
• Take allergy relief tablets. I have found that the own brand ones work just as well if not better than more expensive ones. I actually started taking one in the morning and one at night, I have to say I'm not exactly sure how safe that is though... I haven't had any side effects or anything the only difference is I wake up feeling relatively ok. The keeping the window close rule is a no go at night for me, I can not sleep without my quilt and I literally would melt, but it doesn't do a lot of good for my allergies. 
• Don't itch it! Whatever it is that's itching DO NOT itch it. I am learning this the hard way at the moment...I had super itchy eyes for a few days and was constantly rubbing them, as a result I have super dry red skin around my eyes. Not the look I was going for this summer! to make matters worse, applying concealer/foundation to cover up the redness makes my skin look even more dry, there's no hiding this one. It has also made the skin under my eyes a bit droopy, making me look and feel even more gorgeous!
• Wash out your eyes. I started doing this following on from last weeks eye fiasco! Prevention is always the best way in my opinion. I used eye drops in the past but i just cant do them, my eyes will not stay open! So i bought some eye wash, You have to pour some of the liquid into a little eye bath, place on your eye and open it. Opening your eye in water seems SO unnatural and its a little bit painful (OK maybe more uncomfortable than painful) but its worth it!
• Green tea is good! First of all, if your eyes swell a bit due to pollen, excessive rubbing, sunburn or in my case all 3, put some green tea bags on your eyes for about 10 minutes. You will see results instantly! Another tip for puffy eyes, sit up a lot and sleep on your back, this will help fluid to drain away from your eyes. Green tea also seems to soothe my itchy throat and ears. I think its the warm water more than anything. I havent tried this but maybe honey would also help, I drink it when I have a sore throat so it makes sense that it would help and itchy one! Has anyone tried this?

There you go my five tips! Ive been doing this and so far I've had 2 blissful days without any symptoms, aside from the odd sneeze of course. I haven't even had to close the windows which is great, saying that I haven't been out that much the last couple of days either so it may just be that!

I hope all you sufferers out there can make the best of your summer!

xxx