Friday Favourites: The Shower Edit

Contrary to popular belief I DO actually have showers, and not just constant Lush baths, just so you know. Like baths, they're one of those things that you just look forward to at the end of the day, and totally the highlight of any day when you've done nothing but lounge around in your pjs all day (best type of day in my opinion).

It's just the concoction of lots of shower luxuries that I just enjoy the most. We all have our favourite lineup for the shower, but I do like to mix it up sometimes and try something new. Despite receiving enough shower gel this Christmas to last me for the whole year, I can't resist adding to it when I spot something I love on offer, or something new and exciting.

So, this Friday favourites will be going over my shower edit and my current lineup. I may make these edits a thing if you enjoy them, like Nicole's breakfast edit, Nicole's Bath edit, Nicoles makeup edit, more of that type of thing I'm thinking as it makes it fun and interesting. But for now take a peek into what I'm currently reaching for in my shower...

Original Source was probably one of the first 'grown up' brands I remember reaching for when I was younger. Despite the influx of new shower products on the market and my growing obsession for Lush, they'll always be a place in my heart for the classic Lavender and Lime original source shower gel. They just smell so good, and they're one of the only brands that actually help to get rid of that cloying chlorine smell after training. There really is nothing worse than coming to work and still smelling like a 25m swimming pool. I kid you not.

Determined to #ShakeUpYourShower in 2017, Original Source have created their new and ultra divine Moisturising Shower Milks* that are Vegan, are paired with delicious scents and they're so much more moisturising than your typical, everyday shower gel.

Firstly, they have a flavour that smells just like Bakewell Tart, the DREAM. Like, how is this possible? For this reason alone the Cherry & Almond Milk is undoubtedly my favourite, closely followed by Sweet Apple & Vanilla.  

With 4 flavours to choose from, this is definitely going to be the hardest shower decision I'm faced with every day. But on the plus side, each shower milk is packed full of real vegan milk extracts, natural moisturisers and 100% natural fragrances. So whatever flavour you pick they'll help to deliver a moisturising shower to leave you smelling fruity fresh for the rest of the day. 

These no nonsense, fuss free shower milks are a dream for busy people like me. I'll even go as far as missing my moisturising regime after a shower if I've used these, score another 10 minutes time to scroll through my phone before work!

You've probably tried Original Source at some point in your life so you'll already know how amazing and affordable they are. These shower milks are only around the £1.80 - £2 mark and usually on special offer, so adding one of these to your next weekly shop isn't going to break the bank!

Have you tried any of these before? Which fragrance is your favourite?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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6 Tips For Surviving A Spending Ban

Spending ban, what's that? Don't worry I'd never enforced such a thing on myself either until I was in a position to start 'properly' saving for a house. YES, YES, YES. I'm only a few weeks away from moving into my dream home now and it has 100% been worth my sacrifices over the last few months. Firstly, who knew it could be so expensive? If I wanted to get myself into gear at the end of last year I knew I had to make drastic attempts to curb my spending habits.

Try explaining to your mortgage adviser whether the 3 ASOS orders in one month on your bank statement were a regular occurrence. What would I say? Oh, don't worry about that, just trying to get myself up to the next level of ASOS A-List?!

I wish I had been told before how invasive lenders and advisers can be when you're in the process of buying a house, but luckily for me those 3 ASOS orders didn't affect anything. BUT it did give me a wake up call and make me realise just how much money I had been spending on clothes each month, eek.

I've been strict with myself and done 3 whole months of maybe purchasing one item of clothing. For a self obsessed shopaholic, I think I deserve a clap on the back for this one. People fear the term 'spending ban' and I used to think it was a waste of time, but honestly, it's a short term thing and guess what? ASOS and everywhere else is still going to be there afterwards, pretty amazing right?

Whether you have something big to save for or feel like you're sacrificing your weekly food shop for the latest mac lipstick, these 6 tips will help you save plenty of dosh in no time.

#1. Have A Goal - congratulations, you've decided to reward yourself with a spending ban. Any old spending ban that you've strung out of no where is going to fail faster than a teatox diet. So set yourself a realistic goal with how much you want to save each month, what it's for, or even what you want expenditure you want to exclude. Nothing adds up faster than the daily coffee run or trip to Costa, albeit rather delightful little luxuries <3

#2. Budget - When it comes to money, nothing will be achievable without setting yourself a realistic budget. If you're a lover of excel sheets you're going to love this one. This is also something that your mortgage adviser (if you have one) will draw up with you before the buying process to ensure that you will have enough money leftover at the end of the month to basically survive. I wouldn't recommend this yet if you still need to cut down on those 5 monthly ASOS orders...

I usually start with the amount of money I want to save each month, this is obviously the key reason for deciding to put yourself on a spending ban. You can then work out how much money you've got left over for the rest of the month and divide this into your rent, living expenditure, food and any other outgoings such as mobile bills. You may even be lucky enough to have a little bit leftover for those occasions in the month that you need to reward yourself for doing so well.

#3. Avoid The Shops - Sounds logical, but avoid the shops. I am the worst for going in town for one thing and returning with a kitchen sink, that I definitely don't need. I'm an impulse shopper so if I see something I like at that time I get it straight away without a moments thought. In the past, this is why I end up with a lot of clothing that I only wear once!

Make other plans for days out that don't involve town, this way it will stop you from making any unnecessary purchases that you would otherwise not have seen. I would 100% recommend deleting the ASOS app too...

#4. Make Use Of What You Have - Hence last weeks Shopping My Wardrobe outfit post, I have been trying to make the most of what I have so I can justify to myself that I don't need to buy anything else. Having a clear out also helps you to see wood for the trees and actually see what items may be lurking at the back of your wardrobe that you've never worn.

The same applies for makeup products, we all have at least 56789 eye shadow palettes, yet we continue to keep buying them. I guarantee that from shopping your stash you'll find some amazing things you've forgotten about. It definitely makes you appreciate more of what you already have, and stop yourself from buying another striped t-shirt to add to your 100 + collection.

#5. Make Sacrifices - but remember you still need to have a life. This is so important when you're saving, yes buying a house may be the most important thing in your life right now but your health and well being is more important, and saving will be so much easier if you remember this.

But unfortunately for any type of spending ban, sacrifices have to be made. Whether that's cutting out the daily coffee you get from the work cafe, or stopping those unnecessary weekly trips to Boots and Mac for the latest lippy. I see all of these things as non-essentials that YOU can survive without. In my eyes, it's the unnecessary expenditure which separates anyone from their end savings goal. 

#6. Reward Yourself - If you're a fan of Freudian studies, you'll know that by social association, when we do good things we may get a reward for that. Set yourself small targets throughout that month and set small rewards for achieving them. Whether that's rewarding yourself with a tea and cake outing with a friend if you last 2 weeks without buying anything non essential, or having a luxury purchase in mind that you'll reward yourself with when you reach that end goal.

Nothing will work if you don't have an end goal or some kind of reward in mind at the end, life really is too short for that -and it definitely gives you something to work for!

Spending bans don't need to be a life sentence and scary, if I can stop myself from my frivolous spending habits each weekend then anyone can! Make healthy changes to your lifestyle and your bank balance will love you for it! 

Have you got any other tips? Have you done a spending ban before?

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10 Thoughts You Have In Your 9-5 Job

The one thing uni doesn't prepare you for is the transition from all day napping and the occasional netflix binge to working 9-5, 5 days a week. If that isn't enough to cause a heart attack for a young heart, I don't know what will. 

You can't just skip a meeting when you feel like it, or sink into the back of your seat in a lecture hall to nap when you've had enough. Entering the 9-5 working world, is the first step to adulting. It's scary, it's adulty and it's exhausting.

A lot can happen within that 8 hour time span - enough to keep the gossip going for the whole week anyway, well as long as it doesn't involve you, then it's not so fun. Wherever you work in the world, and whatever you do, let's face it, we'll probably all share these 10 thoughts at least some point during the day.

#1. Is it Friday yet? Yes, it's only 9:05am on Monday morning, but like seriously, is it Friday yet? Also why don't we have 2 day working weeks and 5 day weekends? Now that could work.

#2. HOW MANY CUPS OF TEA DO YOU NEED? Everyone just loves the tea. I'm pretty sure that 6th cup of tea within 2 hours is neither OK or normal. *Applies the same principle to coffee*.

#3. Is 24 too young to retire? Serious thoughts here, and is it okay? I'm not sure how I'll be able to waste my life doing 9-5 for the rest of my life *shivers at the thought*.

#4. Is it really worth having a house, money and stability at the end of the day instead of a lie in, and job for that fact? Probably not.

#5. Hell isn't worse than this. I'd rather be stepping across hot coals 100 x times over than having to sit in my next meeting, oh and actually do some work. 

#6. You wouldn't survive without your co-workers. Sure your laughing to work ratio is 80:20, it might not be the most productive, but you're getting by. The day the office banter dies out is the day I leave. I just can't cope with that.

#7. What can I eat next? Why am I ALWAYS hungry? I only ate an hour ago, help me. Must resist eating my lunch at 10am. So what's for dinner?

#8. You've decided that your colleagues are vultures. As soon as the cake comes out everyone wants to know you. It's like no one's seen a piece of food before, and all sense of self restraint and diets go out the window. Cue the next hour of moaning about their weight loss goals.

#9. Is this really what I look like? Whilst you're milking those toilet breaks every hour you can't help but get a glance at your reflection in the mirror. WHO IS THAT AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH ME? You convince yourself it's the lighting in the bathroom, but I'm sure I was wearing makeup this morning, oh is that a grey hair and why are my eye bags longer than my hair. What have I become??

#10. Anything, but work. Why is the sky blue? Arghh I hate it when my nails chip at work. I wonder how many likes my last Instagram post? Is it home time yet? You get the picture.

The good news is that these thoughts are completely normal, even if your mind does feel like a constant washing machine. It's the best coping mechanism for work that you can have, and your best chance of survival in the work place.

Can you relate to any of these? What are your thoughts during your working day?

*This is meant to be a light hearted post, and is not completely true to life...Just making sure I still have a job after writing this ;)

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100 Date Night Ideas

I'm counting down the days until I'm no longer in a long distance relationship. When I can spend longer than 2 days a month together and can actually have frequent date nights, that would be a fine thing, eh?
It can be all too easy for couples to do the same Netflix, films and binge every Friday night. So whether you're looking for some new date ideas or for first date ideas or things to do with your friends, these 100 should certainly keep you going for a while...
1. Build your own burger night 2. A long walk/hike 3. Dinema - Grab some dinner and head to the cinema 4. Takeaway with film night 5. Make homemade pizzas - even make the bread from scratch! 6. Trampolining 7. Go for brunch 8. Exercise together - running, swimming, HIIT etc 9. Sit by the sea 10. Go to a comedy night 11. Go to the theatre 12. Take a dance class together 13. Watch a football/rugby/other sport together 14. Go to the seaside for fish and chips and ice cream 15. Pamper night - so underrated for couples, but sooo good 16. Chocolate fondue night 17. Do some baking 18. Go to an outdoor/ drive through cinema 19. Roadtrip! 20. Have a bar crawl together 21. Plan a picnic 22. Board game night 23. Phone free night 24. Spa day 25. Stargaze - grab some blankets, warm drinks and look up to the stars together 26. Plan a surprise date 27.Wine tasting  28. Visit a museum 29. Strawberry/pumpkin/various other fruit picking 30. Coffee and cake date 31. Go to the beach 32. Take a surfing class 33. Be a tourist in your own city 34. Go to the park 35. Build a fort - all the fairy lights and cosy blankets 36. Go to a food market 37. Take a city break - staycation or abroad 38. Go on a ghost tour - most cities will do one 39. Romantic meal 40. Ice Skating 41. Have a double date with your friends 42. Go to Ikea purely for meatballs and Daim cake 43. Watch the sunset/sunrise (2 different date night/morning ideas!) 44. Watch some fireworks 45. Boat ride 46. Skinny dipping 47. Binge watch netflix  48. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen 49. Go wild swimming (strongly recommend after my breakwater swim!) 50. Play video games 51. Outdoor yoga class 52. During Christmas walk around your streets and admire all the Christmas lights 53. Choose new Christmas decorations together 54. Do everything by fairy lights/ candlelight for an evening 55. Go to a theme park 56. Go to a dry ski slope/ indoor ski centre 57. Carve pumpkins 58. Go to a corn maze 59. Work your way through the alphabet for date night ideas (e.g A - abseil, B - bike ride) 60. Rock climbing 61. Mini golf 62. Buy a disposable camera and take lots of pictures! 63. Go camping... or glamping 64. Shop for each other - set a budget and buy each other an outfit or something nice 65. Recreate your first ever date 66. Go to a fancy bar/restaurant and dress up to the nines 67. Go to a midnight viewing of a horror film 68. Back to front day - dinner first and breakfast last 69. Go bowling 70. Buy tickets to a concert 71. Do something you've both never done before 72. Have a water fight 73. Throw a themed dinner and movie night 74. Movie marathon weekend - complete with endless snacks 75. Half and half - both of you organise one half of the date night or day 76. Pick out a Christmas tree and decorate it together 77. Carpool karaoke? 78. Write letters to each other and post them 79. Toast marshmallows on a fire - make s'mores! 80. Go fishing 81. Head to a waterpark 82. Fly a kite 83. Head to a flea market/car boot sale 84. Share a bubble bath  85. Start a DIY project together after picking one from pinterest 86. Buy a takeway pizza and eat it in the park (weather permitting!) 87. Go to a shopping centre  88. Have a quiz night 89. Have an indoor picnic on the floor with plenty of candles and fairy lights 90. Bike ride 91. Feed ducks at the pond 92. Enroll in a class together - learn a language, learn a skill and have some fun 93. Go to a roller skating night/party 94. Snuggle by the fire 95. Plan a dream holiday together 96.Hot air balloon ride 97. Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a place you've never been to 98. Pick out each others outfits for a date 99. Read a book together 100. Share the biggest milkshake you've ever laid eyes on Don't worry if you can't choose, I'm going to be writing my favourites onto pieces of paper and put them all together in a jar. Then every Friday, or whenever I fancy a date night, I'll pick something out for us to both do. You can then put the idea back in the jar or replace with something new once you've done it. The best thing is most of these ideas are free or relatively cost free, so there's really no excuse to do something a little bit different every once in a while.
Do you have any other date night ideas? Do you have frequent date nights? What's your ultimate date night?

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