Guest Post: How to keep sensitive skin happy when travelling

Travelling can be hard going for even the calmest of skins - a sudden change in climate, very hot or humid conditions, the sun's UV rays and the plane journey itself to get there can really throw your skin off-balance.

I've travelled pretty extensively, so I've picked up some hero products along the way which keep my skin calm, hydrated and protected.

So whether you’re planning a weekend away, a week in the sun or going backpacking, here are my hero skincare products that I recommend you take with you.

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Guest Post: 4 Ways To Get In The Mood For Blogging

When you're a blogger, it can often be difficult to get yourself in the right mindset to do work. There are a million and one distractions out there, especially online, and every one of them will suddenly seem extremely interesting when you feel like procrastinating.

Getting in the mood for blogging doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes just making a few small changes to the way you work can do wonders for your focus and productivity.

The next time you're struggling to concentrate, try one of these helpful tips to get you back on the right track.

Create the right workspace

Ever heard of the saying cluttered space, cluttered mind? Well, it turns out that there’s some truth to that saying. According to a study by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, the more clutter you see, the more easily you get distracted.

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Guest Post: Bay of Kotor’s top 5 Historical Sites

Hemmed in by commanding mountains and sparkling straits, dotted with fishing villages, gorgeous beaches and buzzing old towns the Bay of Kotor on Montenegro’s coastline is the perfect getaway.
Montenegro has a fascinating and rich culture built on layers and layers of history and religion. From Venetian seamen’s palaces to medieval forts, baroque palazzos and museums filled with maritime artefacts from across the ages.

If you want to learn more about Montenegro’s history then look no further than these 5 must-see attractions.

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Guest Post: 10 must-sees in Rome

Ever fancied a trip to Rome? Samantha from Coco Travels talks about 10 things you must do on your trip!

Colosseum

The Colosseum is top of my list for a reason. You know how sometimes tourist attractions can be overrated? Not this one! The Colosseum is absolutely incredible and I actually felt emotional when I rounded the corner and got my first glimpse of it. Do NOT miss it!


Trevi Fountain


The famous Trevi Fountain is usually packed with visitors and is apparently best seen at night time. We went in the day and it was pretty spectacular. You need to throw a coin in to ensure your return to Rome.


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Guest Post: 3 Barry M Favourites

Hi everyone, I’m Tiffany and I’m a lifestyle blogger at Food and Other Loves. First of all thanks so much to Emma for letting me guest post today, this is only the second one I’ve ever done so I’m really excited about it! I thought I would do a beauty review for you all today and I’ve decided on ‘3 Barry M Favourites’. Barry M is one of my all time favourite beauty brands and my go to one for all things nails so I wanted to talk about the 3 nail polishes I always find myself going back to!

The first one I absolutely love is the shade ‘Dragon Fruit’. This is such a perfect Spring and Summer colour and one I always reach for as soon as the warm weather starts! It’s just the perfect pastel pink and looks even better on than it does in the bottle. It goes with so much as well and it’s one I get a lot of wear out of.

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#MondayMotivation - Changing your life with a positive mindset

Last week, I spoke about feeling like a failure, which focused a lot on trying to cultivate those negative thoughts and find a way to overcome them. But sometimes, that is easier said than done. These thoughts will not only continue if you don't do something about it, but they can really affect your outlook on all situations and your mood.

It might all seem a bit airy fairy to say 'You just need to be positive!' but the sentiment is totally true. It's not easy, and you don't have to be perkier than Elle Woods, but it's definitely a starting point. Here are some ways you can change your mindset, and get a grip on life when it's feeling out of your control.

1. Challenge your thoughts

I spoke about this in my earlier post to an extent, but when you have negative thoughts you need to stop and challenge them.

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Guest Post: What's a Tagline and Does Your Blog Need One?

Ask anyone to name a tagline or slogan for a big name brand and bet they will be able to come up with a few.  Nike with their ‘Just Do It’ and Apple’s ‘Think Different’ are two of the first that comes to my mind.  But these are mega companies who can afford to create a tagline that has a higher purpose.  For bloggers, a tagline has a more practical purpose – to instantly tell visitors what your blog is about.

What’s a tagline?

Unless you are a blogger of the stature of Melyssa Griffin or Neil Patel, there’s a good chance that people won’t know who you are when they arrive on your blog.  They might have come across an article you have written or a social media update so there might be some idea about the content of your blog.  But what is your blog about?

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Guest Post: When even your best lipstick can’t hide your frown

Anxiety and dating are probably not the best match when it comes to relationships but sadly for some people including me it's a reality and fact that has to be faced.

To cut a long story short my anxiety first reared its head after having my heart broken and my whole world turned upside down and back to front.

Once things had settled and I found myself in a new relationship I  was shocked to find how I was affected by these feelings. I mean what on earth were they and who invited them to show up just when I thought I was back on my feet and enjoying dating again.

It took a while to recognise and I guess admit to myself that it was happening and that actually I was overthinking and worrying about things that weren't necessarily a problem. All the while over looking the things that actually were causing problems. This then led to that viscous cycle of me thinking it was all my fault and all in my imagination.

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101 blog post ideas for lifestyle bloggers

There is nothing worse than sitting down to write for your blog and not having any idea where to start. When I decided to take up blogging again, I decided to write myself a big list of topics that I could turn into awesome blog posts so I would never have that problem again.

It wouldn't be fair to keep it to myself, so for all of my fellow or aspiring lifestyle bloggers, here are 101 blog post ideas for you!

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Guest Post: Get a Money Saving Boost – with matched betting

I run a blog offering money saving and money making tips. In particular, I share lots of information about something called matched betting. It’s a guaranteed way to make extra money. However, many people have never heard of it or are a bit scared about trying it out. But once you get started, it’s a reliable source of additional income. So I’m grateful for Emma to allow me the opportunity to tell you all about it here on her blog.

Matched Betting?

Matched betting doesn’t involve you betting or gambling in the traditional sense. Instead, it involves you following a set process in order to make money from the free bets bookmakers give out as incentives for you to join them. Matched betting involves placing bets which cancel each other out. Therefore, instead of losing money, you simply get your money back. As you use the free bets given to you by bookmakers, you end up being able to keep this money.

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#MondayMotivation - A message to people who have failed

Feeling like a failure is something we will all experience at some point. Whether it's because you've not done as well as you'd like in an exam, or something in your job or maybe even your personal life, feeling like you have failed is a horrible feeling.

Thanks to my anxiety, I experience this feeling on a regular basis and it's primarily the reason I stopped blogging about a year ago. People often ask me 'Why on earth do you feel like that?!' and from the outside looking in, I understand. I am successful in my career as I'm now a Director in a rapidly growing digital agency, I am happily married with a mortgage, I have family and friends who care about me and are absolute diamonds, I have hardly any money worries and all before I am 30 - yet still I allow myself to think I am a failure on a regular basis.

You are not alone

But I'm not the only person who has experienced this, and I bet so many of you can relate to that feeling of failure. There are so many reasons that could lead us to feel like this. You're putting all the hours under the sun into work, but your boss still finds something to get at you about. You've reached a stage in your relationship where the hearts and flowers have faded into nagging and everything else that's far from romantic. You get the idea.

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Guest Post: Top 5 things to do in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a City bursting with culture; from its artistic heritage, canal system and traditional narrow houses with beautiful Dutch gabled facades to its vibrant and diverse nightlife there is always something to do and see.

In fact, there is such a wealth of attractions it can be hard to decide just what you should visit! Here are my top 5 things to do in Amsterdam.

CANAL CRUISE

Amsterdam is famed for its system of 165 man-made canals which were designed to facilitate trade and transport in the city. The canals are a UNESCO world heritage site and it is well worth boarding one of the many canal tour boats to see the city from the water where the view of the Dutch architecture is unparalleled.

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Guest Post: Am I too young to be married with a mortgage at 23?

Whenever I tell people I’ve bought a house, I get a mixture of two reactions: “But you’re so young!” or (and they’re usually thinking it) “How could you afford it?” Both of these reactions really grate on me, and have done ever since I bought my house back in January 2017.

I’ll give you some perspective.

I’m 22 and a recently graduated student. I think those are the only reasons I get either of those reactions. Because I’m an ex-student, I must be poor. And because I’m 22, I should be out living my life, partying in Ibiza, going out with the girls twice a week, or spending a month backpacking around Thailand.

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The little things can change any room*

I bought my first home with hubby just over a year ago. As it was a new build, we were advised not to decorate for a year, so we made the decision to keep everything plain and save up so we can do everything together.

We've just had some lovely decking put into our garden and we've finished our front room, so now we are moving onto the other rooms in the house and I'm so excited to have it finished.

One thing I have noticed as we have been planning, buying things and really getting stuck into redecorating is that it's really the little things that can make a huge difference. We've spent a lot of time choosing paint colours and the larger furniture, but when we were putting together the front room, we realised it was actually the little things that made all the difference.

Here are a few of the things I've noticed can make a massive impact to the final look and feel of a home when redecorating.

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I'm back! | Relaunch Competition

Hello strangers! I'm back and ready to blog again. As you might notice, I've not blogged for a YEAR! I'll reveal more about my reasons for taking a (really long) break over the month but I'm really excited to be starting up again and super ready to launch myself back into the blogging community at full throttle!

To celebrate my return, I wanted to start things off with a little giveaway to say thanks for having me back! In this giveaway you can win a £50 ASOS voucher to treat yourself PLUS some gorgeous Kimovi Cream which is honestly one the loveliest moisturisers I've tried in a while and you'll be able to catch my review in full later this week!

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