Say yes...

It's hard, I know. One of my biggest problems has always been that I don't say yes to enough opportunities. I've been aware of this issue for a long time, and I've slowly started to make a change.

Some of the biggest things I've said yes to are:

1. Going to university. I was stuck in an endless loop of a shit future and I wasn't allowing myself to take this wonderful opportunity because I was scared for myself and worried about the impact on others. 

2. Holidays. I am going on two holidays this year. I haven't been on holiday for at least 6 years. Partly because I never really had a friendship circle to go away with, and that I was always so concerned with money. Saying yes to these two holidays and commiting has made me happy as I have something to look forward to. 

3. Socialising. I try to, whenever someone asks me to do something or see them, make the time and not say no over lame excuses. I haven't said no to a night out in a while, and I feel good for it. It's all about balance. I use to say no because I was frightened of staying out late and getting taxis on my own as I live away from my friends, I didn't want to waste my money and I felt like I could be doing more productive things. And now I say yes (within reason!) because I know I will have a good time and my other fears will resolve themselves. 

Say yes to adventure. You won't regret it.

Do things out of the blue.

Drop your selfish ways and indulge in others. 

It's easier said than done, I know. It's taken me a couple of years to get to this point and I've still got so far to go. 

This was quite personal, so please be kind. 

Becky xo

Instagram Memories...

For the start of 2014, I decided to get my favourite pictures from Instagram that I took in 2013 and get them printed into a cute little book!

They are a handy 10cmx11cm in size and look adorable as a collection (I currently have two!).
You select your front covers pictures as well as the layout and design, but the inside prints in time scale order and there is no changing this. You can also choose to have it feature your Instagram captions as well as the date they were taken. I quite like this feature.
It's a great way to preserve your memories, and costs £10 for either 25 photos or 50 (there is no price difference for the two). It;s the easiest Instagram printing service I have found. Many others were too fussy and took me a good hour to organise a few pages, before I gave up and kept searching for a new one! They are really neatly bound, and the images will be as high resolution as the picture you took (so if you've been using iPhone front camera, they are not going to be great quality printed pictures!).

Sure, you already have them in digital form saved to your Instagram, but I never feel like things on screen are as sentimental than when they are on paper. Or is that just me?!

Make sure to check them out

http://printrbook.com/

DIY Valentines Gift Bag...

Your boyfriend doesn't really like valentines stuff?

Don't worry.

My boyfriend doesn't either.

That's why I thought up of this idea! I was browsing the shops looking for a gift bag to put his bits in but they all either say 'HORNY DEVIL' or something all lovey and gross.

I had just got something from Primark, and I thought to myself, 

"this bag is perfect size and colour! If only I could use this!"

That's when I thought up of this. And here's the result!

You will need:

• Primark bag
• Craft knife
• Metal ruler
• Glue stick
• Iron
• Towel
• optional decorations

1. Ugly bags right?
2. Carefully pull the bag apart on its seams
3. Place on top of a towel and iron out all the original folds (iron on cotton setting)
4. Cut those handles out using a craft knife
5. Hold the iron over the paper left keeping the handle in place to warm the glue, then peel away (there will be slight colour difference
6. Neaten up any edges with a craft knife and metal ruler
7. Have the logo facing you and fold the bottom along Primark's original line
8. Fold the top by a centimetre and glue down to create a neat edge
9. find a box that is the perfect size for your gift to form a template for your base 

it wouldn't let the numbers continue!

1. Begin to fold the paper bag around your box, pinching the corners
2. keep going round!
3. Lay out flat, using the pinches to guide you, fold the creases in
4. Create the side crease by flipping over and bringing the two pinches together and flattening out
5. What it should look like...
6. Unfold the bottom flaps, fold the right hand side over and glue all over it with your glue stick
7. Fold round and glue to the other side
8. Begin to fold the bottom like you would a present
9. It should look like this on the inside

1. What it looks like from the bottom
2. I used brown tape to hold the fold together. It's a little messy, but the inside doesn't matter! it also makes the base much stronger.
3. Attach the handles with two strips of brown tape (more if your gift is heavy)
4. fold down flat as shown
5. I chose to decorate it with a heart, but from a square of marvel wrapping paper!
6. looks fantastic, right?

I loved the end product, and it held his presents nicely. It only look about 10 mins too! It also look super cool. I would be very chuffed to receive this bag!

I hope you have a lovely Valentines day!

Becky xo

Topshop Top Picks...

I'm a student. I work 4 hours a week. So it's safe to say I'm always pretty broke. I have a very strong opinion about Topshop.

I think its over priced for the quality of clothing you get, yet there will always be a handful of things I feel I just can't live without. So it often leaves me playing the waiting game, finding out from my friend when Topshop is going into sale and hoping that the things I want go into it.

It's very tiresome!

So, here's the things I want at the moment! I actually own two of them since I made this little picture, so I'm slowly getting there!

I now own the leggings and the dress, so I'm a very happy bunny!

Now that I have the dress, I might have to ask someone to treat me to the satchel, as it would match perfectly...

Are there any shops that you love, but just can't afford?

Becky xo.

My week in photos 27/01/14 - 02/02/14

Quite a fun week. The last week I had off before going back officially to university classes.

Clock wise spiral as always!

1, 2. Where's our bodies? Took a trip to Londons Ripley's Believe it or not! museum. A fun day!

3. Made Chris a heart attack inducing breakfast before we left for out Ripley's visit.

4. My bestie Christina's Instagram at the moment. Just food food food!!

5. A little picture of my workout clothes at the moment that was also in one of my blog posts!

6. Mum and dad were having some work done in their bedroom, and out of no where this guy was on our floor! Got some really 90's hair. Crimped to the max!

7. Lizzie McGuire, because according to my brother, with my new hair I look like a girl who just can't get over that it isn't the 90's anymore, and I look a lot like Lizzie.

8. Sums up how I am with most foods, and I ate A LOT over December and January.

9. Picture of my blog post, Lancome Travel Sized Haul...

10. Chris and I waiting at the train station. Rough picture but I love him!

11. Selfie at the gym. Dark circles, but hey, I woke up about 40 mins before.

12. All of the books I lugged home from uni. Dedicated student.

13. Basically what I wish me and Chrissy did after the gym.

Not the most exciting week, but I really enjoyed myself! It was a good chilled week before going back to uni, and the lovely weekend with Chris made it even better.

How has your week been?

Becky xo

Lancome Travel Sized Haul...

My mum recently purchased the Lancome Beauty Box, and it came with a free gift with purchase. Result! Whenever she does this, it means that we share out the products depending on what we need. It included things such as an eyeshadow palette, blush and contour palette, mascaras, makeup remover and more.

Here's what I got to keep!

1. La vie est belle eau de parfum. Smells like jasmine and beauty. Such a cute fragrence that lingers for hours.

2. Hydra Zen soothing anti - stress moisturising cream

3. Tonique Douceur - softening hydrating toner

4. Galateis Douceur - gentle softening cleansing fluid face & eyes

5. Bi-Facil - non oily instant cleanser for sensitive eyes

6. Gloss in Love - 146

7. Rouge in Love - 402

8. Hypnose Drama

9.Hypnose Star

10. Le Crayon Khol - 01 noir

And it also came with a super cute little gold snakeskin clutch bag! (I like it when the free gift bag is actually usable!

I haven't used any of these products yet! so I'm very excited. Travel size products I tend to save for holidays and emergencies, so they will probably end up in my 'save for holiday' box. But the lip and eye products will go in my drawer.

Do you love a good travel size product? I know I do!

Becky xo

Look Good and Feel Good at the Gym...

I did the worst thing possible. I was feeling down and I walked in front of my mirror after getting out of the shower, and I managed to upset myself. Rather than crawling into bed and feeling sorry for myself, I text my friend Chrissy and it turned out a new gym had opened up opposite from work. AND IT IS ONLY £20 A MONTH. Fucking worth it.

When this is the kind of stuff I have to put up with from my bestie on Instagram I knew I had to jump on the band wagon and she serves as my inspiration and motivator!

follow her on Insta! christina1346

Chrissy took me on my first day at the gym, as I find them VERY intimidating. And we worked through a full body workout, including a little session in the weight section (scary!). We mixed cardio with weights and endurance.

When I woke up the next day, well I have never been in that much pain since I stupidly thought I could join my university cheerleading team without any dance or gymnastic skill whatsoever!

I gave myself a two day break, and was back at it on my own and went two days in a row, making sure I stopped when it was beginning to hurt and reduced my reps. I felt much better the next day.

Now for the tips!

I like to look good even whilst working out. I'm not one to just throw on some Primark see through leggings and a shitty t-shirt. If you look good you feel good.

I go for form fitting items, following the contours of my body so I'm not getting caught up on anything and so I can see progress!

1. Shoes: Karrimor (Sports Direct) £25

2: Cropped Bottoms: Primark £6

3. Racer-back Quick Dry Top: Primark (available in grey also) £4

You don't need to spend a fortune on clothing. At the end of the day, you are going to end up losing weight and it won't fit you. The Primark fitness range is excellent and I can't fault it one bit. With shoes, it is worth spending a little bit more money, but places like Sports Direct are there to give you professional quality at a lower price, and these are like walking on air!

I don't feel entirely comfortable with my hair tied up, and I don't like the weight that a ponytail causes on my head (silly I know!) so I go for the half up, half down look.

I simply clip my hair back with a medium sized grip, and I'm good to go. Very easy to readjust too! (excuse my eyes, I had only woken up 40 mins prior to the photo!)

And finally my gym makeup. As you can see from the picture above, I go for the bare minimal! These are the only products I wear when I know I'm going to get hot and sweaty!

1. Superdrug Wild Times Dry Shampoo. Smells good and makes my hair look fresh for after if I'm meeting anyone for lunch.

2. Estee Lauder Daywear BB Creme. It covers my red cheeks and spots just enough, and without clogging my pours and damaging my skin as it contains anti-oxidantes.

3. Topshop Mascara, Brown. Its just mascara, that is brown. It gives a more natural look as my eye lashes are brown, and isn't as harsh as black.

4. Garnier Mineral UltraDry Mineralite. I use before and after, I get reactions to most deodorants, and this is the only one iv'e found that doesnt break me out and keeps me smelling fresh and dry.

5. FEAST Lipbalm. Where I'm breathing heavily, my lips get a little dry. I like this one because I can keep it in my sports bra to use as I please. It also tastes like the ice lolly FEAST so its a little chocolate treat on my lips. Yummy!

Remember to stay hydrated! and don't push yourself too hard. It can do more bad than good!

Becky xo