GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER

"I need to get my sh*t together" is a recurring thought for me. 

I am amongst the horde of twentysomethings that are paralysed into inaction due to living in a society that tells you that you're still young but that everyone your age and under has already got it figured out; that makes it acceptable to watch binge-watch television series whilst also expecting you to magic out hours of productivity in the same 24 hour day; that tells you that the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world are rare unicorns but then demands to know why you're not like him, or even a fraction like him and his ilk. And when your answer is 'I don't know why I'm not on route to becoming a bajilionnaire by age 30' they have a whole range of products, advice and tips that will lead you there. That is if you're not too busy procrastinating. 

Let's face it, having your sh*t together is an art form. 

And as with all art forms, some people are born with a nature inclination towards it whilst others have to work hard to get there. And in the category of those who have to work hard to get there, there are those who, like me, didn't realise that hard work was involved. I think in the back of my mind I always assumed that when I reached 18, at which most government starts considering you an adult, I'd be handed a manual that had some sort of guideline entitled, maybe 'The basics of being an adult: how to pretend you know stuff because you are old". At age 21, there was still no guideline. As age 26 arrives with increasing rapidity, at which point no one anywhere ever will every again consider me anything but an adult, I realise that if I am going to get my sh*t together, I am going to have to work hard and figure out what it means myself.

What does having your sh*t together even mean? 

The first thought that comes to mind is: Beyoncé. There is a woman who seems to have her sh*t together: someone whose blossomed since her Destiny Child's days, a career that has yet to need a "comeback" which she juggles alongside being a (seemingly) lovely human being, mother and wife, and spawned a saying on a mug that I desperately want to get my hands on: "You have as many hours in the day as Beyoncé". 

craftsbychristii - AvenueBlue

I love this because it can mean so many different things to different people. You might scoff at it because obviously Beyoncé hours and "normal hours" aren't the same thing since normal hours don't include personal assistants, nannies, housekeepers and people to do the mundane things that might distract you from working on your passions. Just like you might point out that no one has their sh*t together - that we're just projecting our own image of "togetherness" onto people who have the qualities we deep down aspire to.

Alternatively, you might see it as a reminder that Beyoncé is also a human being, but ever single day she has used the 24 hours she was given to give her all, and over time this persistent effort her got her to where she is - and keeps her there. I don't think you reach Beyoncé status by only giving a half-hearted attempt. To me that means that you reach Beyoncé status when you give your personal all - only you can measure how much you're giving. I think that once you have your sh*t together, you stop looking at Beyoncé in awe and wpnder, as a motivational person to aspire to - when you have your sh*t together, you raise that mug up high in salute because you know that feel: your 24 hours are pretty much as you want them to be. 

So I am going to get my sh*t together. I might also buy a mug or a motivational print, but mainly I am going to share with you my thoughts, tips, and advice as I force myself to bracing the cold reality of life: no one can give me the life I dream of except me. The only way that one day I am going to wake up and think "I have my sh*t together" is that I work at it, and work hard. 

I'm never going to be Beyoncé, but nothing, except me, stops me from being as good as.

What do you think? What does having your sh*t together mean to you? 

REVIEW: The Body Shop | Instablur™

If you haven't heard of The Body Shop Instablur ™ then I am afraid I have no idea where you've been. Worst of all, you don't know what a great primer you're missing out on. To say that the hype surrounding this product is well-deserved would be an understatement. I picked it up after seeing it featured in so many 2014 beauty favourites - I haven't looked back since.

My journey to a dairy-free life | The beginning

Tell someone that you're going dairy-free, and one of the immediate reactions is to think that you're doing it to lose weight or have jumped on a similar bandwagon to the gluten-free mania that we're still in the middle of (is it showing signs of letting up?). I wish going dairy-free would become a "thing" - at least then finding appropriate food would be a breeze. My reason for wanting to go dairy is simple: I'm lactose intolerant.

I've been lactose intolerant since before I can remember: my body simply doesn't produce enough lactase to succesfully break down the lactose, the milk sugar, in milk products, leaving me with a whole range of symptoms depending on what type of dairy product I eat, when and the quantity. It can be anything from hives to lethargy to a bloated, cramping stomach. I've also read theories that lactose intolerance can affect your mood, perhaps not causing, but certainly not alleviating symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. 

So I've decided to use the period of Lent as a spring-board for what will hopefully be an extended dairy-free life. I was raised Catholic so Pancake Day has always also signified the start of a 40 day period where you either gave up something, you ended a bad habit, or you took up something positive. I don't think I ever grasped the spiritual aspect of it, but it was always a great opportunity after the usual fail of New Year's Resolutions, to have another chance at picking one thing you know deep down you want to change and perhaps lacked the courage to do so on your own. 

So today, on the first day of Lent, I am beginning my journey to a dairy-free life.

I know it's not going to be easy; I've tried giving up dairy on and off over the years and always ended up cracking in the face of an enticing chocolate-coated goodness or under the pressure of being surrounded by foods that all contain lactose (I once discovered a fruit ice lolly I bought contained milk - why does a fruit ice lolly need milk?). It's overwhelming. It promises to get lonely when everyone seems to be scoffing their faces with your favourite foods just to spite you and some plain non-supportive comments such as "You always eat chocolate anyway, what's the point in changing? It's not like you're allergic. You ate ice cream just last week". As if the cravings and dairy-withdrawal aren't hard enough to deal with without added negativity.

On the plus side, it promises a life free of all the symptoms, never mind the benefits of cutting out a food that I'm not entirely sure was made for human consumption (I mean, don't you think it's a tad weird that humans are the only mammals that drink the milk of another mammal?). While it is overwhelming suddenly finding yourself with all these new menu choices you didn't even know you could make (and with ingredients you're not sure where to even begin finding), I'm looking forward to the hours I'm going to spend on Pinterest, getting into the super useful habit of meal planning, and discovering new foods as I give up old ones. And of course, I look forward to documenting my journey and sharing with you my discoveries and progress.

Have you ever considered going dairy-free? 

Beauty products I swore by in January 2015.

Time passes so quickly! I swear it was only yesterday I was gathering inspiration from '2014 favourites' and here we are with the first month of 2015 gone. January for most of us is a month of trying to recover from the festivities, deal with the cold weather and all its implications whilst all the while trying to decide if we're going to implement New Year's Resolutions or not (and if we do, we struggle with the stark realisation that just like bad habits aren't made in a day and so neither are they broken and replaced by good ones by the second week of January).

January was the month that I fell in love with the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. I'd gotten a sample size in a Glamour Edit Box ages ago but hadn't really gotten into as I was still a gel facial wash sort of girl - I like the convenience of not having to faff about with muslin cloth. However, when I got into consistently double-cleansing with this, the difference it made to my skin made me fall in love, and the herbal scent that I wasn't sure I liked in the beginning came to be a source of comfort. I don't think my skin has ever been this clear! You have no idea how gutted I was to come to the end of the tube. This is definitely a product I'll happily repurchase in the future.

One product that I loved that was in fact a repurchase was The Body Shop Overnight Serum-in-Oil. It helped my skin massively during the weather transition from spring to summer, and it helped again with the cold snaps we've had over the past couple of weeks. I have sensitive oily-to-combination skin that has a tendency to dry out right before it turns into an oil spill so moisture is a necessity.. I have been loving The Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream to layer with the serum at night and return moisture to my skin after it's been ravaged by icy winds and snow blizzards. Despite the fact that it's 'intense moisture' I can even wear this during the day and it doesn't make my skin feel greasy or any oilier - just smooth, soft and moisturised.

Speaking of smooth, one night I went to apply my eye cream and noticed that the area under my skin was so soft, moisturised and healthy looking. I've been using the B. Energised Eye Cream that I picked up in Superdrug when I was last in London, and at first I wasn't sure it was even doing anything but last month I really began to see a difference, and it's one of my favourite parts of my skincare routine. The gel-like consistency is cooling, has reduced the look of my puffy eyes and does it's best against the bags under my eyes. 

For my eyes, I reached for the Yves Rocher Volume Elixir Mascara  every day in January. Not only is it a gorgeous gold, it gives me the longest, fullest non-clumpy lashes that a girl can ask for. It's perfect for those days when you want your lashes to be full, but not glamorously so, and long but almost as if they were naturally that way. I love that you can really layer it on, and the way the brush bristles are means that you have to really try hard to make your lashes clumpy. Paired with eyelash curlers, this gives the prettiest eyelashes.

Last but not least, is my Make Up Revolution Brow Dual Arch & Brow Eyebrow Pen in the shade Darkest . During January, my brows became part of my signature look, and the Arch & Brow was something I reached for every day. I love that it's double-ended: one end is a felt tip, perfect for drawing the outline and a sharper arch, and then the other end is a wax-like pencil that is great for filling in and creating that fuller brow. I really enjoyed experimenting with it, and I would highly recommend it if you're curious about the Anastasia Brow Wiz  or Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil because this is a much affordable product and will allow you to determine what kind of eyebrow pen girl you are. 

What products did you swear by last month? 

A risk not worth taking.

There are some risks in life that are worth taking. One risk that isn't is: risking losing all of your documents, files and images because you didn't back them up. Now, if you're one of those ultra-sensible people who regularly back up to content of their electronic devices to secondary electronic devices for storage purposes or to the Cloud, then this post is probably not for you. However, if you're like me and when you're prompted to back up files you relegate it to the all-elusive later, then heed my warning and BACK YOUR THINGS UP. NOW. OR AT YOUR EARLIEST POSSIBLE MOMENT.

Trust me on this - it is absolutely worth the few extra moments it'll take to regularly do so because the risk you run in not doing so is much more annoying. My laptop gave up on me a couple of days ago (it was quite old in PC years - it was coming up to its fourth birthday) and it took with it the majority of my files. And to make matters worse, this wasn't the first time it had happened. I had to reset it to factory settings a couple of months ago losing a lot of files along the way and I still didn't get into the habit of backing up documents. And its not just with my PC - I've had multiple scares about losing everything on my phone after its had a misshap with tea, andyet I didn't back them up regularly.

I have learnt my lesson now though as I realise that losing all of my documents, photos and files isn't a risk I have to take. Here's what I'm currently using to minimise this risk:

An external hardrive || This is old-school but it works. The fact that I own an external hardrive shows that I have good intentions...that I never put into practise. I recently swapped out my old external hard-drive that weighed more than my laptop for a smaller Toshiba Canvio 1TB model. It's well-worth the investment, and once I get my hands on a new laptop, you can be sure I'll be setting an alarm to back things up on a weekly basis. 

Dropbox || Dropbox and I are en route to becoming very good friends. Dropbox is a cloud storage system that provides you with 2GB of storage (that can be upgraded to 1TB if you subscribe). What I like is that you can access it from all your devices, and their Carousel app, which is specifically designed for phone photos, allows me to back up all my pictures and access them without having to go through iTunes (which is very useful when you don't have a laptop).

Microsoft One Drive || I have a Microsoft Surface 2 which means that most of everything I do is connected to my Outlook account. Whilst this has a great deal of disadvantages, the advantage is that my files on there are easily saved to the Microsoft One Drive. One Drive is similar to Dropbox but gives you 15GB instead. Google Drive would be a great alternative if you're not an Outlook person, also offering 15GB of space for free.

Evernote || The only lesson I learnt from the first time my laptop went AWOL was that writing blog posts on a cloud-based program would be much safer than writing down ideas in Word Documents. As a result I started writing my blog posts in Evernote. Their new interface makes it much easier to use, and they even have a distraction-free full screen which is great for any type of writing. What I really like is that because you can get the Evernote app on your phone, when I'm on the go and get a sudden flash of inspiration, I can write it directly into the app, and I'll be able to consult it on a laptop later or on my tablet. You get a 60 MB monthly allowance, and it's comparatively much cheaper to upgrade to Premium at just €40 a year. 

I cannot stress the importance of backing up your things as someone who has spent the past couple of days despondently wondering why I didn't shift over to the Cloud or regularly back up everything up earlier.

How do you back up your work or avoid the risk of losing everything on your laptop or phone?