PRIMARK SURVIVAL GUIDE; HOW TO SHOP IN PRIMARK

Primark is a shop people usually either love or hate. People love it for its cheap prices and ability to imitate current trends, however Primark has also had some stick over the years about its dreaded long queues, chaotic shop floors and people have questioned it ethos. I must say over the years I've seen some improvements made in primark such as lots more tills open and tidier shop floors which were probably made in response to the negative feedback they received. 

Tips for shopping in Primark

Try it on Try on everything you want to buy and check it fits properly I've had size 6 jeans before that are to big around the waist and barely fit around my ankles.

Ask your self if you love it Ask your self if your buying the item because you really like it or if you've been tempted by the low price tag.

Add up as you go along Add the price of your items up as you go along. Its easy to get carried away adding items to your baskets because their cheap then get to the check out and nearly pass out when they tell you the total price.

If you see it get it If you see something you really like on someone else or in the shop then get it asap I've seen things I've liked before then never seen them again and as you cant shop them online you'll have to grab them when you see them.

Don't be put off by the queues The queues may look really long but they usually go really quickly. You could always try the queue in the mens section and see if its smaller, just don't make the mistake of queuing in the customer services queue as this does usually take a long time and they only do refunds and exchanges.

Check the size Always check the size of the item from the label stitched to the item. I forever find  items on the wrong sized hanger and I've also found trousers before with a different size on the price tag to the actual stitched label inside.

Check the quality Have one final overall look at the quality of the item before you buy it make sure the stitching is all in place, the item has no hole and the material is not see-through.

Bring some bags Primark's paper bags are great for the planet and that but they're notorious for breaking! Bring some of your own shopping bags or buy one of their fabric shopping bags at the tills and save yourself the embarrassment of getting half way down the road and your bags busting open to reveal all your lovely new underwear sprawled all over the pavement!

Leave the changing rooms till last I've done it so many times where I've picked up a few items and gone to the changing rooms when I've come out I've found a whole new bunch of stuff I want to try on and now have to go back and queue again. Save queueing more than once go to the changing rooms when your 100% sure you've finished shopping. Although Primark have a limit of I think 8 items you can take in the changing rooms at a time you can leave your basket with them and swap your items once you've tried them on.
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Take more than one size to try on If you're trying on a item not just to see if you like it on but because if your not sure it will fit you then take another size into the changing rooms with you (whether you think you may be a size up or down) this saves you having to go out a get another size and queue up again. You can always leave the extra sizes in your basket.

Things you cant go wrong with from primark

Pjs

Hairbands

Socks

Tights

Flipflops

Make up/beauty bags

Cotton pads/buds

Eyelash curlers

Towels

Things to check before buying

Dresses/tops/Trousers/skirts - check for frayed fabric and if material is see-through

Jeans/Trousers - check sizing sometimes they can get the sizing seriously wrong

Leggings - check material is not see-through

Underwear sets - sometimes the bottoms can fit and not the top & vice versa.

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12 BEAUTY HACKS

Here's 12 beauty hacks to make your beauty regime that little bit easier...

1.Bronze and highlight your face in a number 3 shape - this gives you a quick contoured look

2.Blow dry your hair upside down - blow drying your hair upside down can make your hair look more volumised

3.Wash your make up brushes with shampoo - a cheap, effective and easy way to keep your brushes clean

Apply conditioner to make up brushes and let them soak - a cheap, effective and easy way to prolong the life of your brushes and keep them soft.

4.Make your lips look a little bigger using a little highlighter - apply to your cupids bow and centre of your bottom lip

5.Make your hair look a little thicker using eyeshadow - apply eyeshadow in the shade of your hair colour along your parting to give it the illusion of being thicker (this works best with darker hair but still gives a subtle effect on lighter hair shades)

6.Add extra grip to your hair grips - spray your hair grips with hairspray before using them

7.Paint french tips easily using a rubber band - using a rubber band wrapped around the tip of your
finger is a easy a quick way to paint the perfect straight french tips on the first attempt.

8.Get longer lasting curly lashes - heat your eyelash curlers with a hair dryer before using them this will get a better curl that lasts longer.

9.Exfoliate dry lips with your toothbrush and some lip balm - this will help get rid of dry skin and moisturise them

10.Dry your nail polish quicker by dipping your nails into cold water

11.Conceal under your eyes in a triangular shape - this gives a more effective concealed look and will hide dark circles better than using a semi circle or dotting technique

12.Tie your hair in a high and low ponytail for a longer looking ponytail/hair

Do you have any beauty hacks?

Have you tried any of these hacks?

Which hack is your favourite?

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HOW TO DEAL WITH DRY SKIN

Overall I have normal/dry skin but I get periods where I have patches of dry skin all over my face and dealing with it can be a nightmare. In this post I'm going to share some tips for how to deal with dry skin and also some products I have come across that eased my dry skin.

Tips
Moisturise you skin whilst its damp - this can help lock in moisture
Don't use hot water on your skin - hot water can dry out your skin use warm water instead to minimise the risk of drying out your skin
Use makeup wipes specifically for dry skin - I used to use baby wipes to take of my make up but I find these dry out my skin when I switched to make up wipes for dry skin I really noticed the difference.
Drink plenty of water - keep your skin hydrated through out the day
Add some moisturising bath oil to your bath- this really minimises the risk of your skin drying out after bathing/showering
Use soap free products- soap can really have a drying effect on your skin
Limit cleansing your face to once a day - over cleansing can remove any natural oils from your skin and make it dry.
Get a humidifier for your bedroom - this puts moisture into the air and will help in preventing your skin drying out while your sleep.

My Top products for dry skin

Nivea Makeup Wipes For Dry Skin

Lush Let The Good Times Roll

Frank Scrub

Nivea Lip Butter 

Facial Cleansing Brush

Coconut oil

Aveeno Bath Oil

Kiehls Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm

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HEALTHY 3 INGREDIENT PANCAKES 2 WAYS

Pancakes are my favourite breakfast option. I used to use ready made pancake mixes that you just add water and eggs to, but these are not healthy at all so I decided to start making my own healthier mix as I love pancakes so much and cannot live without them. 

These are the 3 ingredients I use in my healthy pancake mix, Wholemeal Flour, Unsweetened Almond Milk and Egg whites. ( no added surgar/salt ect like regular pre made pancake mixes)  

I use wholemeal flour as it has some health benefits like being high in fibre and containing vitamins ect as appose to bleached white flour. I use Almond milk as its 100% plant based and has health benefits such as maintaining a healthy heart and skin. I use egg whites only as they are bursting with protein and dont have the high cholesterol (LDL) content of the yolks. 

First im going to take you through the few easy steps of making the pancakes and then explore how they can be enjoyed.
So first you add your egg whites to your blender cup if you have one if not then a jug will do fine.

Then add your wholemeal flour. I now just guess the amount by eye and then add milk accordingly. Obviously the more flour you add the more milk you'll need and more pancakes the mix will make. The amount I used on this occasion I poured into a small jug before adding it to my mix and it was roughly 8oz and made 3 pankcakes. 

Next you add your milk, I never measure out my milk as the amount I will need will vary everytime. I add a little milk to the mix then stir will a fork and keep doing this in small amounts until the mix reaches the consistency I want. I have always found the amount of water or milk that the regular batter mix sachets tell you to use make the mixture super runny and make either really thin pancakes or pancakes that are gooey in the middle so I have always made my mixes much thicker. I choose to have my mixture fairly thick as I find it cooks better, you can get a thicker pancake with no gooey centre.

Now blend the mixture to get a smooth mix without any lumps of flour. If you don't have a blender then a whisk or fork will do fine - it just requires more effort.

Once your mix is blended nicely heat a flat based frying pan on a medium heat with a small dash of oil for a minute or two. Then pour a small amount of the mix (i also do this by eye)  roughly 1/3 of a regular sized mug into the centre of the pan and then using the handle of the pan gently and slowly swirl the mix around the pan to level out the mix. You can now lower your heat a little and leave your pancake to cook for a minute or 2. Once you see that no parts of the pancake are no longer runny you can get a spatula and flip your pancake over to cook the other side. I don't recommend flipping your pancake in the air unless your a pro if your like me this will have a 98% fail rate.

Once your pancake is cooked properly on both sides place it on a plate.  Repeat the same process for as many pancakes as you would like.

Now the fun part.. choosing what you want to fill your pancakes with. Theres are loads of options but my two ways are Naughty (a delicious treat) or Nice (a healthy option) you can mix and match these ingredients up however you like but here are some of my top ingredients and the option they come under.

Naughty                or                   Nice 

 Nutella                                       Honey

Crushed Malteasers                   Chia Seeds/Flaxseed

 Maple Cyrup                              Choice of-

                                                      Strawberries, Bluberries, Banana 

I always have chia seeds or flaxseed in my pancakes as for me its a great way to include these in my diet and my usual choice is honey and fruit but sometimes I mix the naughty with nice and have a added little bit of Nutella. 

What are your favourite ingredients to put in a pancake?

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A ALL NATURAL WAY TO MOISTURISE YOUR SKIN

I found Dames and Dimes and asked if they would like to send me product to try out. The product I chose was this Whipped Body Butter. What attracted me to Dames and Dimes was that their products are all handmade, high quality, natural products containing NO synthetic colours, NO synthetic fragrances and NO parabens. As you'll know if you read my blog I harp on about how important our skin is being the biggest organ of our body, and how we quite often neglect it. Another fab thing to do for your skin is Dry Brushing check out my post about that here 

Dames and Dime's Whipped Body Butter is made with organic unrefined african shea butter. It has a consistency almost the same as coconut oil as when you touch it it starts to melt. It also feels more like a oil as appose to a moisturiser which to be honest I prefer, if you have dry skin like me moisturiser lasts two seconds on my skin before I need more, I found the butters effects fairly long lasting. Another thing I found because of the consistency is that a little of this butter goes a long way.

The only kind of downside to this butter (but then it is'nt really a downside) is that the smell is a very natural earthy smell but that's how it should smell! This product is natural at the end of the day and if you want to reap the benefits of natural products then these luxuries we've become accustomed too such as fancy smells are not too much to compromise are they? 

Although this butter is not fragranced it doesn't have a strong smell so you don't smell it once its applied. The ideal time to apply this butter I think would be straight out of the bath/shower when your skin needs a little hydration and I'd advise letting it sink in before putting on clothes. 

As Dames and Dimes products are natural they are suitable for sensitive skin. If your into your healthy alternative options then give these guys ago. 

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20 STRESS RELIEVING ACTIVITIES

Stress can get in the way of everything and it can even make you ill. Everyone experiences stress in their life one way or another and it's unfortunately normal but it's also important to at least try to minimise the stress in your life. Here are some stress relieving activities you could try

1. Go for a walk (try to clear your mind
2. Call a good friend (for a giggle or vent)
3. Take a long bath (add some relaxing bath oils)
4. Listen to relaxing music (even whilst working if you can)
5. Do yoga (even if its just 15 minutes)
6. Play games (card games/board games/on your phone)
7. Keep a Diary (could be talking about your day or feelings)
8. Get a massage (if no one at home can give you one treat yourself!)
9. Read a Book (choose something you really enjoy or a light hearted, funny, inspirational book) 
10. Meditate (you can get apps on your phone that help you meditate but be sure to turn it off)
11. Try some Art Therapy ( draw something or invest in a art therapy book like this one)
12. Have a clear out (clear room = clear mind clear outs always feel great)
13. Take a nap ( sometimes you just need to sleep it off)
14. Listen to a audio book or podcast
15. Have a foot bath ( add some epsom salts to detox your body and boost magnesium levels)
16. Use a stress ball (if you have access to a punch bag even better let it out!)
17. Try aromatherapy 
18. Have lunch with yourself (get some you time away from everyone and everything)
19. Rearrange your room ( i always like to change up my surrounding from time to time and the process can be calming)
20. Have a laugh (Watch a comedy or funny you tube videos

What do you do to de-stress?

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HOW TO MAKE TRADITIONAL MATCHA GREEN TEA WITH PURE CHIMP

If you didn't already know I'm a huge lover of Matcha and Green Tea. Matcha tea is a form of green tea, with green tea you infuse the leaves in water and then strain and discard them. Matcha tea is the whole leaf that has been dried and ground down into a fine powder. Matcha tea is said to have 10 X more more goodness and antioxidant power than green tea. Matcha is well known for its fat-burning capabilities, cancer preventing powers and mental stimulation and clarity. 

(Above is a graph from Pure Chimp website comparing antioxidants in Match Tea with superfoods)

I was so pleased to be gifted by Pure Chimp to try out their Mint Matcha Green Tea. Pure Chimp sell a small variety of Matcha Tea as well as some skincare products and gift boxes. They do a 100% natural Super skin cleanser which sounds really interesting you can check that out here. 

I chose to try out their Mint Matcha Tea as it sounded like a interesting twist on regular Matcha Tea. Their Mint Flavoured Matcha is much sweeter than regular Matcha. I liked the taste of their tea however I would say I prefer just plain regular Matcha tea. I think thats down to drinking it so often that I've become accustomed to its bitter taste. I know most people also find Matcha/Green tea quite bitter and like to sweeten it up if thats you, I'd say this is tea is perfect for you. I found Pure Chimp's tea of great quality and I love that it comes with a perfect sized little scoop. Im nearly out of my tea already! I think ill be going for their regular Matcha Tea next.  

Heres how to make traditional Matcha Tea

First sift the specified amount of matcha powder through a small sifter into a bowl. The pure chimp matcha powder comes with a scoop I usually add one whole scoop. If no scoop or measurements are provided use 1/2 - 1 tsp of match powder depending on how strong you like your tea.

Next add a small amount of your hot water (preferably just below the boil) to the bowl just enough to make a thick paste, ensure all powder has been mixed in well with the water and try to get rid of any lumps of powder.

Then add the rest of your hot water to the bowl and use your bamboo whisk in zigzag motion as appose to circular to whisk the tea vigorously until frothy. I think traditionally Matcha is drank as a smaller amount of stronger tea than the everyday sized mugs we use today for our teas but you can choose how diluted you'd like to drink it. I personally make just a little less than a mug sized amount of Matcha tea. If you do not have a bamboo whisk you can whisk the tea by any means you like.

If were going all out traditional then enjoy your tea straight from the bowl alternatively transfer the tea into a mug.

If you like your tea a little sweeter then add a teaspoon of honey and mix well

Are you a lover of Matcha/Green tea like me? 

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BONDI SANDS GRADUAL TANNING MILK REVIEW

I'd been wanting to try Bondi Sands tan or ages after seeing all those beautiful brown legged selfies on instagram. When I saw Bondi sands on offer in Boots I thought nows a perfect time to try it out and let you guys know what I think. I use gradual tan regularly so I went for their Gradual Tanning milk. I have tried Dove, Garnier, No7 and Palmers, the main gradual tans on market, so I feel I can offer a good experienced opinion.

How I Found Bondi Sands
At £11.99 Bondi sands is double the £5.59 price tag of my usual Palmers gradual tan, so I was looking for it to be an improvement from the one I always use. First off the smell of the tan was like cocoa butter and it didn't have that 'tan smell' that my boyfriends always going on about. Its smell was also more subtle than all other tans I've tried.

After applying the tan I found it soaked in really quickly, usually I take ages to dry and my clothes are getting stuck to me. When I woke up I wasn't sticky at all but I felt like my skin was moisturised, most of the time when I apply gradual tans I'm sticky until I shower. I also noticed that from one application I had a very faint tan and that this was indeed going to be a gradual tan. I find with the palmers tan that even from one application you can get a fairly good little tan, its does need a few layers to be a proper full on tan but the from one application you will certainly notice a difference.  So in a last minute attempt at tanning this tan would not be ideal. The little colour I did have was  however not patchy at all and a nice golden colour.

I applied another layer the following night and in the morning I had the same results as the first application just a little darker... Still not smelling like tan, not sticky or patchy. The colour however still wasn't as deep as I would like ... a great natural looking light glow but I am pale and do like to be a good few shades up the colour chart.

So I went on and did third application and again same results just darker.  At this point I had a tan I was happy with I wouldn't say it was a deep tan but it was even and looked great. I think I expected it to be quite dark as all of the pictures of developed tans I've seen have been deep tans, I think this may be the result of the tanning mousse. I just want to mention as well that I found this tan not as patchy on areas like your hands as much as other tans I've used.

There are pros and cons to this tan for me so that and it being more pricey than my usual tan is something I have to weigh up.  Overall this is a great quality tan and for someone who is happy with a GRADUAL medium tan I couldn't recommend it enough.

Have you tried Bondi Sands? What tan do you use?

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