Life of Lou

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MY MAKE-UP COLLECTION

After Christmas, as I was sorting out and putting my presents away, I decided to go through my make-up and have a good sort out. I went through each drawer in my organiser and also in my basket that I have on top. I sorted out which products I like to use and which haven’t been used and will be given to a family friend.

The first thing I organised was my nail varnish, as you can see I have a favourite brand, This being RIMMEL. Over the years I have tried a wide variety of brands but I find this one the best for long lasting wear and it doesn’t chip as easily. I also have two others which are from BURBERRY and & OTHER STORIES.

The second group I organised was my palettes. As you can see I love the brand REVOLUTION. I only have a small collection of palettes at the moment as I want to experiment with different looks.

I then organised my brushes. These are from a variety of places including Amazon and Primark and the brand REAL TECHNIQUES. I don’t personally think you need to spend a lot of money on make-up brushes as the ones I have are all good quality.

Next, I organised my lip products. I love a dark red lip and have quite a few in my collection. Some of the brands I have are AVON, RIMMEL and BODY SHOP. I also keep in this drawer my lip balms, which are TED BAKER, VASELINE and NIVEA.

Next up was eye products. My favourite brand is definitely BENEFIT, I find their brow products so easy to use and their mascara is also very good quality. My eyeliners that I currently use are from AVON.

The final drawer I sorted was my foundation, primers and concealers. I have a few favourite products such as the RIMMEL PRIMER and the COLLECTION LASTING PERFECTION POWDER. I am still trialling the other products to see what works well with my skin.

What are your favourite make up products and brands?

Stay Safe, Be Happy

Louise

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NEW YEAR AND PLANS FOR 2021

The year of 2020 is now behind us and it can only get better, right?! For me, 2020 had a lot of ups and downs so I really hope that 2021 will bring great things for me.

I want to take the time to wish you all a HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 and I hope you all achieve what you set out to do, whether that is something big or something small.

One of my main plans for 2021 is to get myself a new car, although I think I will have to wait until we are out of Tier 4 for that to happen, hopefully sooner rather than later. Another one of my plans is continue to save money to put towards me and my boyfriend buying our first property together.

My final wish of 2021 is to be able to see my friends and family in whatever way possible, due to moving out in October 2019, it meant that during the majority of 2020 I was unable to see my family, I know it we all have done it to keep each other safe but I really hope that I am able to spend more time with them all this year.

Stay safe , Be happy

Louise

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Update on my Bucket List (Repost)

Hello Everyone!
In 2018 I did a post on my Bucket List. One of the things on my Bucket List was to go to a Spa Day.

For my 23rd Birthday I was gifted Spa Vouchers to use at Five Lakes in Colchester, Essex. In March 2019 I went for my Spa Day. The treatments I chose were a back massage and a facial.
I got to the spa at around 11am and once checked in I headed straight for the swimming pool. The pool water was warm which was lovely but the only disappointment was that there was a aqua class taking up most of the pool which meant there wasn’t much space to swim. After my swim I headed back up to the spa area ready for my afternoon tea.

My nan joined me for afternoon tea which was lovely. The food was delicious and very filling.
After our tea, I decided to sit in the relaxation room before my treatment. This was a room full of beds and beanbags to relax on while listening to relaxation music.

I then went for my back massage facial which was amazing. So relaxing that I may have fallen asleep during the treatment.
Overall I had a lovely day and I would love to do it again.

X . Louise . X

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My Bucket List (Repost)

Hello Everyone!

I originally wrote my bucket list in 2018. This is what I wrote and I would still like to do these.

There are many people who have a bucket list which details what they would love to achieve. Here are my 10 things on my Bucket List!
1. Travel to Italy
Italy is a beautiful country, there are so many places to visit and of course the lovely food!

2. Have a Spa Day
I’ve never had the chance to go for a spa day! I would love to do this just for a day to relax and to treat myself!

3. Own my own house
I would love to own my own house and decorate it to how I would like. I already have many interior ideas of what I would love my home to be like.
4. Become a mum
Working in childcare has given me a big insight in to looking after children. I would one day like to have children of my own.
5. Learn to play guitar
I already own an acoustic guitar and would love to learn how to play it well.

6. Sing at a recording studio
I love to sing! It would be amazing to be able to spend time in a recording studio and record a song!

7. Raise money for charity
I have done charity work before but would love to raise a lot of money for Diabetes UK! It is a charity that has supported me in the past and I would love to raise money to support the charity.
8. Achieve my ideal weight
I have battled for years with my weight and I would love to be at a weight that I am happy with and can maintain.
9. Learn to dance
I’ve always enjoyed dancing, but had to stop years ago due to an injury. I would love to learn a style of dance that I could continue to do!

10. Visit a water park
When I was younger I always wanted to go to a water park but never had the opportunity to. I’m not the biggest fan of rollercoasters but a water park sounds fun to me!

X. Louise .X

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5 Things to Keep you Busy in Lockdown

Hello Everyone!

The current situation in the World is new for everyone and it takes some getting used to, not being able to go out to see family and friends and staying at home all the time.

I will be honest in saying the first week of lockdown I found it difficult to adjust, but I have now found it a lot easier as the weeks have gone on.

Below I will be giving you some ideas of what you can do to keep yourself busy while at home.

1. Baking

I have always enjoyed baking but don’t often have the time to do it. Spending this amount of time at home has meant that I have been able to do this. One of the things I have made is a traybake. It was a basic sponge cake recipe with icing and sprinkles on top.
When baking it doesn’t have to be something complicated, we have also been making some easter nests. All we needed was shredded wheat (you can use rice krispies/cornflakes if you wish), melted chocolate and some mini eggs to decorate.

2. Couch to 5K

I have began incorporating the Couch to 5K as part of my daily exercise. I will sometimes just go for a walk and other days I will do a Couch to 5K run. I make sure that I keep my distance from other people that I see when I’m out. I am currently on week 2 and it is going well so far!
Spend time creating your own playlist on your phone to get the perfect running tracks for you. Each session lasts 30 minutes and it gives your mind something to focus on. I have also been tracking my runs on an app called Strava so I can see how far I have ran and what my pace is.

3. Arts and Crafts

I have recently been enjoying doing Diamond Art. I ordered mine at the beginning of the year and I have now been able to take more time in trying to complete it. I have also been doing some cross stitch.
Spend some time doing something creative, whether that is drawing, colouring, painting or something more.

4. Spring Cleaning

Now is the perfect time to have a sort out and a good clean. Pull out the furniture you don’t usually move and sort through each thing that you find. Even the drawer full of random bits and pieces that everyone has in their kitchen! I have already sorted through my make-up and toiletries and I next want to sort through my clothes.

5. Trying out New Recipes

I have enjoyed trying out some new recipes and cooking more meals from scratch now that I have the time to do this. I have made a Cottage Pie and I tried making the Dalgona Coffee for my boyfriend, something I haven’t tried before.

Please tag me on Instagram in what you have been up to and what you have been doing while you have been in lockdown.

I would love it if you could subscribe to my blog and follow me on my different social media pages.

Instagram: lifeoflou95

X . Louise . X

My Skincare Routine

In August of last year I decided to trial being a Body Shop at Home Consultant, it was during this time that I decided to change up my skincare routine by using some products that are more suitable for my skin type. I have always struggled with finding the right kind of products for my skin and I have now found the products that work good for me and my skin type.

The first thing that I use is the seaweed face wash, to use this I firstly wash my face with water, I then place a small amount of the face wash on my hands and rub my fingers together to lather it together. Once I have applied this to my face I then wash it off with water and let my face ‘air dry’.

The second product I use is the tea tree toner. I apply this using some cotton pads and apply it all over my face. Once this has dried I then apply a seaweed moisturiser. There are two moisturisers that I choose from, depending on what I am doing that day. If I’m just having a home day I will use the seaweed oil control gel cream, and if I am going out and about I will use the seaweed oil control lotion which contains an SPF 15.

There are some other products that I occasionally use which if you’d like to know about, please let me know. What skincare products do you recommend?

Stay Safe, Be Happy

Louise

What I Like To Do To Relax

Over the past year or so I have come to realise that I need to take more time for myself and to relax and to slow down. One of the ways that I do this is by giving myself a little pamper session. The first step of my pamper session is to apply a face mask. I have a collection of 7^th Heaven masks and I also enjoy using the Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Mask. The mask I chose to do today was the HOT SPRING SAUNA MASQUE.

While this mask was setting I ran myself a bath. I am a big fan of LUSH products and today’s chosen bath bomb was I WANT A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS. I also add bubble bath through using a bubble bar or using a BODY SHOP Bath Blend. I then apply a hair mask through my hair.

After this I then grab myself a drink and jump into the bath to relax, topping up the hot water to keep it nice and warm. What do you like to do to relax?

Stay Safe, Be Happy

Louise

How I Manage My Money

Over the past few years I have been budgeting my money in a variety of different ways. Today I wanted to show you how I have decided to do it this year.

This year I bought my budget planner from AMAZON and it is from a brand called GOGIRL. One of the things that drew me towards this planner was that there isn’t a specific date that it starts on and that it blank so you can start it whenever you like.

The first thing that I do is write down my bills for the month, so for me this includes; car tax and insurance, rent, phone and gym membership. I also include in this the money I want to put into my ISA, as I want to make sure that I put money into that account each month. I then work out how much I have left after bills. I do this by taking my income and subtracting the total amount of my bills. After this I separate my month into either 4 or 5 weeks and set myself a budget for each week then for petrol for the month. The money that I then have remaining from this then goes into savings.

In my budget planner there are a variety of different sections to fill out and there is also an Expense Tracker which is where I will track what I will spend from when I go shopping. Any money remaining also goes into savings. The reason it seems that I’m putting a lot of money towards savings is because me and my boyfriend are saving to buy our own place.

If you have any questions or would like to know more please let me know.

Stay Safe, Be Happy

Louise

Life Update

Hello,

A lot has happened since May/June 2020. I sadly lost my granddad in May and attended his funeral alongside my brother, 4 days after this I returned to work as one of the few initial staff to go back. Work for me has been very busy since then, especially the beginning of September. With my anxiety, I have been very worried about what is happening around us and I have been trying my best to keep it under control. I have been able to meet up with my best friend on multiple occasions and spend time with my family, which I greatly appreciate. I also turned 25 in September and was able to celebrate with all of my family. I was supposed to be going on holiday in May and June this year, which because of obvious circumstances, were either cancelled or rescheduled. Me and my boyfriend were supposed to be going to Jersey at the beginning of October but our flights were cancelled so we hope to now go next year. We then booked a Haven Hideaway Holiday, which got cancelled last minute due to the UK going back into the lockdown. We really haven’t had much luck with being able to get away this year. Let’s hope 2021 will be a much better year! This year has been positive in some ways too, I’ve been able to start saving up for a house and I am so proud I have been able to achieve this.

What has your 2020 been like for you?

X . Louise . X

Restart

Hello,

It’s been a little while since I last uploaded on my blog page, 6 months ago actually. A lot of things have happened since then and I am now ready to continue to update this page, regularly I hope.

I have lots of different posts planned for the next few months and I can’t wait to share them with you all!

I will be uploading on Sunday each week. If you would like to be notified when I update, please subscribe to my page 🙂

X . Louise . X

Anxiety My Story (Repost)

Hello Everyone,

This is another repost from my previously blog account. I originally wrote this in March 2018 and I will keep what I have written as it is. I will do another update on my Anxiety in a future upload.

It’s hard to know where to begin, talking about my anxiety. It’s been a lot harder than I thought to write about and actually put it into words. Please feel free to ask any questions if it doesn’t all quite make sense.
I have been medically diagnosed with anxiety for about a year. It felt like a long battle with doctors to get this diagnosis and to actually get support in place. Looking back over the years my anxiety wasn’t that obvious to me at first, but thinking about it now it did affect my life massively.
My anxiety peaked, I believe between 2014-2016. A big anxiety attack happened when I went out to a club with a good friend. I was having a lovely time, then all of a sudden I felt like I was zoning out, I felt sick and had a incredibly bad stomach pains. This meant I left early which wasn’t what I wanted to do. This happened on several occasions when going to new places. It then began to make me feel like I didn’t want to go somewhere new or try new things. I only stuck to places that were familiar to me. At the beginning of 2016 was when my anxiety was at it’s worst. I hated the thought of going out anywhere different and began to stay in quite a lot.
My life stayed like this for quite a while, which looking back was only a few months, until I said enough was enough and decided a trip to the doctors would be best to find out what was going on and what caused me to feel like this.
When I went to the doctors for the first time I told the doctor all about my symptoms, he said it was acid reflux and told me to take gaviscon whenever this feeling came on. When I got home after the first appointment I looked up acid reflux and the symptoms of it. what I was feeling and what I said didn’t match up at all but I went with it. When I next had what I now know was an anxiety attack I took one, obviously it didn’t work. I continued taking gaviscon for a few weeks, each time it not working. Then I decided to go back to the doctors and see a different doctor as I lost faith in the doctor I saw as I didn’t feel like he listened to me and what my symptoms were.
The second doctor I saw listened to what I had to say and suggested that it may be anxiety. he prescribed me Diazepam and to only take it when I got my symptoms. I was told that it can be addictive if taken for a long period of time, I was aware of this but I needed something to relax my anxiety symtoms.
I continued to take diazepam for a few months, going through a particularly bad week in August 2016 where I ended up needing the medication every day for 5 days because I was having constant anxiety attacks. Once my medication ran out and was due a review I went back to see the same doctor that I saw the second time. He told me about CBT and how that can help people with anxiety. I decided that I wanted to try it, immediately filling out the referral form and sending it off. This was at the beginning of 2017. The doctor also changed my medication to citalopram which I was told to take a small dose every day to keep my body relaxed. I got an initial call from CBT to talk about my symptoms very soon after I sent the referral off, there was a lot of questions they went through that I had answer on different scales. They then said they would be in touch to arrange an appointment to start my CBT. In the end it was about 16 weeks later that I had my first appointment.
Overall I think CBT helped me in some ways, giving me tips on how to cope with my anxiety, however the service that provides it needs to be dramatically improved. In the 8 months I was with the service that provided CBT I only had 5 sessions. Some of them were 6 weeks apart due to the staff not being available or double booking appointents.
During the time of having CBT my anxiety slowly improved. I used the skills they gave me when I had an anxiety attack and I began to go to new places. In January 2018 I had a final conversation with CBT and we decided I no longer needed their support as I had improved and could cope better by myself. Throughout the whole time of being diagnosed with anxiety I knew everything thing was fine and there was nothing to worry about. My anxiety is just my bodies way of dealing with certain situations. Hopefully my anxiety attacks will slowly disappear and I will no longer have them.
Since then I have had a few anxiety attacks, when these happen I now know how to deal with it to then carry on what I was planning to do. Eventually I want to come of the medication I have been prescribed but for the time being I know it is helping me to gain control again.

X.Louise.X

Lush Collection/Faves

Hello Everyone!

I have to admit I’m quite a fan of Lush and their different products. What started off as just an interest in bath bombs has now expanded to their bubble bars, hair treatments, face masks and shower scrubs.

Here are some of my current Lush products and my favourites.

The Comforter Bath Bomb
This is one of my favourite Bath Bombs, I originally found the Bubble Bar version of this and I loved the smell. I was so happy when I found out I could get a Bath Bomb version of it.

Peachy Bath Bomb
This is one from the Valentines Collection. As you can probably tell I love pink! Another Bath Bomb with an amazing smell.

Buttercup Bath Bomb
This is one that I received as a gift from my best friend. I can’t wait to see what this one is like.

FireBall Bath Bomb
I received this bath bomb as a gift and I can’t wait to use it and see what it is like.

Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
This is my favourite Bath Bomb of all time! I absolutely love the smell of it and the colour of it when I put it into my bath.

Lucky Cat Bath Bomb
This is one that I found when I went to the Lush Store in Oxford Street in London. It is very glittery but creates an amazing scene when put into water.

Large Lush Pud Bath Bomb
This bath bomb was a gift that I received Christmas 2019. It is a lot bigger than the regular Bath Bombs. I can’t wait to use this product and see what it is like.

Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub
This is another of my favourite Lush products. I love the way that it feels on my skin and how well it exfoliates.

Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb
Another Bath Bomb that I am yet to try. Can’t wait to try all my new bath bombs.

Please comment below your favourite Bath and Shower Products and what you would recommend.

X . Louise . X

My Top 5 Films

Hello Everyone!

I am writing this blog post while in lockdown. I know everyone is probably getting stuck with what to do to fill up the day so I thought sharing my Top 5 Films would give you some suggestions of maybe some new ones to watch.

Jurassic Park/World Series
Over to past few years I have come to love the Jurassic Film Series. They are good films to watch if you want a laugh and want to watch an action packed film.

Princess Diaries 1 & 2
These films are my childhood favourites. They are created by Disney and stars Anne Hathaway. I would recommend these films as easy films to watch.

Mamma Mia 1 & 2
A great sing-along series of films that are great to watch with all the family!

27 Dresses
A girly film that I enjoy to watch. A good film for you and your friends to watch at home but together, if that makes any sense at all!

Terminator Series
This is another series of films that I come to love over the past few years. They are definitely action packed and a good series of films to watch.

Please follow my blog page and I would love to know what films you would recommend.

X . Louise . X