Keep Your Cool (when it's not so cool...)

  August is just around the corner, and lately here in the UK it has been painfully humid. That is me being dramatic by the way, I appreciate we have a very cool climate; however I am simply not used to this sticky heat. I enjoy being fresh and keeping cool... 

 There are many products and tips out there that will enable you to do just that. I have compiled a list of some of my favourite items for this humid heat! They are also perfect if you are lucky enough to be jetting off somewhere exotic soon...

L'occitane Hyrdra Vital Face Mist, 50ml, £12. 
"The Angelica Hydra Vital Face Mist instantly refreshes and hydrates the skin at any moment of the day: in the city, on an airplane, at the beach, or after exercising. "

Hats are definitely in. Look glamorous in this floppy, straw hat Topshop is offering. Imagine sipping a cocktail on the beach wearing this beauty! 

Plait band straw floppy hat, Topshop, £25.

Keep hydrated! Volvic Juiced, RRP £0.99p 500ml. Available at most leading supermarkets. 

Replenish your Electrolytes with citrus and water. This is a vital part of keeping healthy in the heat.

Keep cool in gorgeous light, floaty clothing. This sundress does the job perfectly. Available at ASOS, this Aztec Anicaml Sundress comes in at a purse friendly £25.

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-cami-sundress-in-animal-aztec/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4416606&clr=Multi&SearchQuery=sundress


Protect your skin! 

Korres Walnut & Coconut Face & Body Suntan Oil SPF 20

£20.00

This suntan oil will MAKE you want to put it on, believe me. Sun protection can be a bit of a chore, and the worst kind are the white thick textured ones that take ages to sink in. This product has changed all that fuss however. It's as luxurious as a suntan oil can get. 

Gelly Nail Effects!

     Aloha!


 Summer is here. Well kind of, I do live in England so I can't really say much about summer. The sun was very kind for a few weeks last month... but sadly it seems to have disappeared. We have been promised a heatwave pretty soon though so I'm looking forward to that. I haven't even managed to get sunburn yet this year. I know how crazy that sounds, but usually a shock sun burn to a British person is a common occurrence. We don't usually expect hot weather, so we head out one random "alright" looking day- and voila. We are lobster red. Well, probably just me and my Irish skin.


Come on heatwave!


 One thing that does bring a bit of summer to my life however is brightly coloured nails. One thing I dislike about brightly coloured nails? Chips. I am slightly obsessive about chips in nail polish. One chip makes me dissolve my whole manicure with my toxic pink nail polish remover. Or, it sees me repeatedly topping up my colour and wasting time like no other. You know, you can't get much done when you are waiting on your nails to dry? As some say, it's the only time a lady is ever hopeless. ;) 

I love the idea of gelish polish- long lasting colour. But I hate the fact I can't do it myself and I find it hard to indulge in a day at the nail salon just for colour. I want it all, without the time and money. 

 Low and behold, I stumbled across "Gelly" by Barry M. 

 As I type this, I have the beautiful lilac shade of "Prickly Pear" staring back at me from my perfect, and still chip free nails. Each polish is a purse friendly £3.99. There are so many pretty shades to choose from, and it really does give that "gel" effect with long lasting coverage that I was after.

 I think next on my list is "Green Berry"...



http://www.barrym.com/products/nails/effects/gelly-nail-effects.html

Available in selected chemists as well! 

Too Much Champagne

Hey guys!

I recently created a twitter that brings you updates daily on celebrity gossip and current affairs.

You can check it out here and give it a cheeky follow!

https://twitter.com/TooMuchChampers

Hope all is well!

Jessica 

Camping!

 I am definitely someone who acts on impulse. Last week, I really wanted to go camping. So, on Saturday, my other half and I headed off on a last minute camping trip. I am lucky enough to live about a 10 minute drive from Cornwall, which opens up a variety of camping hot spots and sites.

 We ended up in Perranporth in a lovely little campsite called "Tollgate Farm". Highly reccomended to anyone wanting somewhere to camp! Glorious staff and extremely helpful. There is even hot food available for those who want breakfast or an evening meal.

 The best bit was however, the little farm section on the campsite. I met a rather lovely pig. I am a sucker for animals.

 Perranporth also had a pretty amazing beach bar called "The Watering Hole". Right on the beach and fabulous. 

Enjoy my pictures from this weekend!

Note to self: must remember socks and warmer bedding next time... 

Cat friend! 

BB: Beat Bullying and Combating the Problem

 I was lucky enough to be involved with the "Beat Bullying" campaign, and even trained to be a cyber Life mentor. Beat Bullying is a fantastic charity that helps thousands of people each day.

 Bullying is sadly extremely common these days. Meet anyone, and 99% will tell you they feel they have been the victim or bullying or some sort of cruelty in their life. But this got me thinking. If most people are claiming to have been bullied, who is doing the bullying? If so many people are against bullying, why does it still happen? I have never met anyone who has told me they are FOR bullying.

 I have been thinking about this for a while now; and have come to the conclusion that bullying starts from us. Yes, you and I. If you are someone who believes they are not contributing to the problem, stop reading now. And well done on being so lovely, amazing and perfect. Well done for never saying a bad word about anyone or anything unprovoked. Well done for not slating someone to a friend for no particular reason. Well done for sticking up for someone who you feel is being wronged when it's right in front of your face. 

  I hope I don't come across as arrogant when I say that. But I think the first step is people admitting more needs to be done and we need to start with ourselves. (Yes, myself included. I am definitely not up on some ivory tower here.) I think we can all say we have said something bad about someone at one time or another behind their backs. I think the worst thing about bullying is sometimes, some people don't even realise they are doing it. And this is where things need to change. 

 The next time you feel you are saying something about someone who has not done you any harm, think to yourself- why? Is it kind? Would you like someone to say it about you? If it got back to the person, would it hurt them? And more importantly, why do you want to hurt that person? If there is no real reason, I suggest you think about your actions.

 Of course, as humans we annoy each other now and then. This is completely normal! But at what point does it become victimising and just not necessary? I feel we need to become more aware of our actions and words.

 Don't get me wrong. There are some people in life who are cruel and unkind. Some people are bullies. 100%.  And no one understands why. I am completely aware that people have undergone some absolutely cruel victimisation and in the worst case- bullying that has led to suicide. I hope no one ever feels they are alone and isolated. I hope no one ever feels that there is no one there to help- there is. I promise you. People do care.

 Never feel your problem is too big or too small. Every problem matters, no matter how insignificant you may feel it is. 

 This is where Beat Bullying comes in. Beat Bullying has reached out using a tool that most people use today- the internet. They offer help and support in the form of fully trained, lovely online mentors and counselors in a pretty awesome chat room. They want to help. If you're having a bit of a bad day, or you don't know who to turn to- speak to them. They even help if you're worried about someone else! Simply visit the Beat Bullying chat room here: http://www.beatbullying.org/

Don't worry about people knowing it's you- it's anonymous!

If you have a bit of free time on your hands, why don't you sign up to become a mentor?!

All mentors are fully trained. Sign up here for any information on training sessions that may be in your area soon: http://www.beatbullying.org/gb/get-involved/become-a-mentor/

Mentors are aged 11-17 and have been trained by BeatBullying staff to support and help other young people.  They can help by chatting about general stuff, or by talking about something that’s worrying you. They can also tell what sections are where on the site.

LifeMentors are just like mentors, except they are aged over 18. They can remember what it feels like to be a young person and are great if you want to talk to someone who’s a little bit older.

PS before you go, do something positive! Check out the Beat Bullying Big March here: http://bigmarch.beatbullying.org/

Let's put an end to bullying.



Opinions are my own and in now way affiliated with Beat Bullying Charity.

Delicious Home Made Pizza

 Today I was naughtily craving pizza. Things got worse when the post came, and a long with it came a flyer for a local take-away pizza outlet with discounts. I swear some days the world is out to personally get you.

 I decided to combat the naughty and (still with discounts included) over priced pizza staring back at me and headed into the kitchen to make my own delight. 

Mine may not look as perfectly round as I made it by hand- but let us just call it quaint. It still tasted delicious.

 This pizza is quick and easy to make, and you can use up random ingredients you find in the kitchen for the toppings too- bonus!

Flat bread base:

• 350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting (I 260g as it was just me!)
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150-200ml/5-7fl oz warm water
  
  Toppings:
• (You can personalise this to your taste!)
• Tomato purée
  Touch of ketchup
  Mature cheese
  Frozen prawns
  Sweet corn
  Rocket
  Salt and pepper 

 I simply made the base, spread it out into a rough pizza like shape. You can spend more time on this if you want something a little more aesthetically pleasing. Alas, it was just me I was cooking for so I wasn't that fussed...

 Place the dough on a non-stick baking and place in a pre heated oven. I cooked this pizza by eye as I wasn't really following any recipe. I left the base in there for about 8-10 minutes. I then took it out and added the toppings (apart from the rocket). I place it back in the over for another 8 or so minutes, keep watching, took it out when ready and added the rocket- voila!

 My home made pizza was complete. And completely free.

Give it a whirl... 

 I apologise for my lack of detail, but it was literally this simple.

Nom! 

Hello Sunshine, Hello Barbecue

 The moment the sunshine comes out in the UK it seems so do the barbecues. Everyone loves a barbecue! My favourite thing this summer will definitely be barbecued chicken with peri peri rub. It tasted amazing! Here are a couple of pictures from my Saturday cook off. 

 I am definitely excited to experiment lots more- hopefully we get a gorgeous summer here!