Savage Beauty

This weekend, I visited Whinfell Forest at Center Parcs with my friends from university. I had such a fabulous time and really wanted to write a post, summing the weekend up!

We arrived at 2:30pm on Friday the 19th January. Once we entered the park through the secure gates, I felt like I was in the dome world which was featured in the Simpsons. You feel like you enter a secure, little world of your own. You are surrounded by enormous pine-trees and tiny forest-creatures, which scurry around in the day and night! We were able to enter our lodge as soon as we arrived, but we could not drive our car to the lodge until 3:30pm.

The lodge was clean and well-equipped. Our lodge had three rooms and could sleep six people. We paid for the basic lodge and I dread to see the more expensive lodges... as ours was absolutely lovely, so I cannot imagine what they would look like! We even had our own log-fire, which was fabulous for roasting marshmallows! Not to mention, we had our own patio area outside, equipped with a barbecue. We found it a tad too cold for a barbecue, but I did see our neighbours have one... I was extremely envious!

On the Saturday, we visited the Village Center. It is like an in-door shopping centre. It's equipped with different bars and restaurants, a sweet shop, a supermarket and a gift shop. Inside the Village Center, is the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. It is a huge, indoor pool and it is equipped with waterslides, an outdoor pool, a wave pool, a lazy river and a jacuzzi! We had such a good time, and I would recommend it for anyone who needs to tire their children out!

After swimming, we went back to the lodge and glammed up, before heading out to Hucks. Hucks is a modern, American-style restaurant. To be completely honest, the food was over-priced... but that's Center Parcs for you. Everything at Center Parcs is over-priced, no matter where you go, based on the fact that you are five miles from the nearest town! However, I ordered a Texas Burger and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was tasty and filling, which definitely suits me!

On the Sunday, we woke up to a winter wonderland! The snow was settling heavily, so we decided to take a walk. We then visited the Village Center again to pick up some Krispy Kreme donuts (YUM!) and headed to the Pancake House. Just to warn you, they get extremely busy in there and some people were being asked to wait between 20-40 minutes. However, they give you a buzzer which you carry around with you and they buzz it when your table is ready, which is a fantastic idea! Luckily, there was only two of us going that day, so we managed to get seated straight away. Now, the Pancake House is my ideal dining experience. It sells a range of savoury or sweet pancakes and waffles. I decided to go for Banoffee Waffle, and it did not disappoint! Not only was the food amazing, all of the staff were so lovely to us! I also loved that they were incredibly allergy conscious... My friend had a nut allergy and her food arrived with a warning flag, which allowed her to feel settled that her food was nut-free!

We decided to have a quiet night on the Sunday night, and in the morning we returned to the Pancake House as a large group. This time I had the "New Yorker"... a pancake stack drizzled in bacon and maple syrup. IT. WAS. AMAZING! We had to vacate our lodge by 10am, but you can spend as long as you like in the park on your last day.

Overall, I had a fantastic time at Center Parcs with my friends. My highlight was definitely the waffles and pancakes! There are lots of different activities to do if you're more outgoing. If it had been nicer weather, I definitely would have loved to have gone on the Quad Bike Safari! However, I was quite content sitting by the fire, watching the snow fall and enjoying a cold glass of Prosecco!

Thank you so much for reading my post!

Hi there.

I am about to go into my final year of nursing at university and I've learnt a lot of over the past two years. I've learnt how to be strong in difficult situations, I've learnt that I need to believe in myself... but mostly, I've learnt that I am incredibly unprepared. Oh, and I am also far too trusting with my pens. In this post, I'll be discussing five essential items that I would recommend to any newbie-student nurse!

Watch Out

Every nurse needs a decent fob watch. A fob watch is a small watch that is pinned to the front of your uniform pocket. They're particularly important to keep track of time, keeping your organising... oh, and also, for observations. I bought a pink, silicone watch from Amazon. It's also so easy to wipe clean, if anything gross spills on it!

Get Booked

When I first started the course, I was fresh out of school and incredibly inexperienced. The student edition of the Royal Marsden is the only book that I would recommend for you to buy. I would especially recommend it to those who are inexperienced in a clinical setting. The book is huge, so keep it at home, but it truly is a nursing guide for dummies. It tells you everything from how to wash your hands properly to inserting a laryngeal tube. In my first year, I used this book for everything! I used it to help me with essays and within clinical practice, and I especially love the diagrams and pictures of essential equipment. It's £23.99 but it's totally worth it. Buy it from Amazon NOW!

Socks socks socks!

I know it sounds simple, but at the start of my course I had about one hundred pairs of black socks, and today I have about two pairs left! Buy the cheapest ones in your local supermarket, because you will lose them everywhere! And always carry a spare pair with you, in case you end up spilling something suspicious on them...

True Colours

A four colour Bic pen is one the biggest recommendations for going into any healthcare course. The reason that they are so good, is that they are so useful when adding notes to paper handovers. They help you to keep organised, and I like to do a 'traffic light system' on my handovers. Red for highlighting important information, blue for ongoing assessments and green for hospital discharge tasks that need completed. Then I use the black ink for filling in paperwork. I find that using these pens keep me super organised and helps me to prioritise important tasks. Buy them from Amazon NOW!

Plan Ahead!

Whether it is a tiny diary or a full scale weekly-planner, you need something to keep you organised! The amount of times where I have had to cancel plans because I have had placement or university is ridiculous! I wish I had invested in a decent planner earlier in my course, particularly when deadlines were approaching. Luckily, you can find a ton of cute planners on Amazon, which range between £5-£15.

Thank you so much for reading this post. When I started my course, I wish someone would have been there to tell me what to spend my money on, so I hope this was helpful!

XO Zoe

Hi there!

Side note: I'm extremely motivated to stay dedicated with my posts and I have been posting every day since I started my blog back up. At the minute, I have quite a lot of time off of work and university so, I have had the time to post frequently. When I go back to university/work I am aiming to post at least twice a week! However, I will be updating my instagram whenever I post, so make sure to follow me HERE. Also, none of my posts contain sponsored content unless stated otherwise! Okay, on to the review!

In this post, I will be reviewing a face mask by the Natural Spa Factory. The 'Illuminate and Brightening' mask is a peel-off face mask which is designed to give your skin a breath of fresh air, achieving a youthful glow. I purchased this from a local spa. However, you can buy a pack of three masks for £18 on the Natural Spa Factory's website (HERE).

The mask's main ingredients include grape-seed oil and rice (many have claimed that rice may stimulate cell growth), and the product smells absolutely divine. The mask comes in a 30g powder foil sachet and the instructions state that you should mix half of the 30g sachet with 30ml of water. I would recommend using between 5-10g and mixing it with 15ml of water, as I ended up with a lot of excess product which I could not use again. To mix the product, I used a clean brush and I mixed it in a empty (and clean!) Lush face mask tub! You're supposed to mix the solution until it runs smooth, and you have between 30-60 seconds before it gets too thick to apply, so don't hang around! Once the consistency becomes smooth, apply it to your face for 15-20 minutes... or until it sets!

As said on the tin, this is peel-off and I LOVE any sort of peel-off face mask as I find them SO satisfying! What I love about this mask is that it isn't harsh or painful when you peel it off, and is incredibly gentle on the skin! Once you've peeled the mask, I removed the excess product with a warm face-cloth.

Once I dried my face, I noticed that my skin felt so smooth and my skin had a visible glow! I continued with my regular skincare routine after using the mask, which includes the Liz Earle daily essentials kit. The next morning, my skin did not break out in blemishes, which usually happens to me when I test a new face mask! So, this surprised me!

Overall, I really enjoyed using this mask. It left my skin feeling extremely smooth and the smell is divine. However, I feel that the instructions should recommend using less product, as I had a lot of excess product when following the instructions to mix the product. If you are careful when mixing the product, I'd estimate that you could get between four to five uses out of a single sachet, rather than the recommended two! Considering this, the price of the product does seem quite reasonable compared to other major brands!

Thank you so much for reading this post!

XO Zoe

Hi there!

In this post, I will be reviewing one of my current favourite make up items! The Urban Decay Afterglow palette is a powdered highlighter palette consisting of four different shades: Bliss, Peroxide, NSFW and Side Piece. It is currently priced at £27 at Urban Decay. It comes with a good sized mirror and each highlighter has a net weight of 4.55g.

The palette is an addition to the current Afterglow eight-hour highlighter range. Weirdly, I did not like the original highlighter range (sorry!) as I felt that they were far to subtle for my skin tone, and they refused to build up into a beaming highlight. I felt that the originals highlighters were difficult to apply and were chalk-like. However, the Afterglow palette is far from the likes of the original highlighter range! These highlighters swatch and apply like butter. They apply evenly, slightly subtle at first, but they can be built into a blinding highlight! As for the eight-hour promise, I can confirm that these highlighters can last up to 13 hours (I'm gross and wear make up for a 12 hour shift, okay ;)!

(Left to right: Bliss, Peroxide, NSFW, Side Piece!)

When I first opened this palette, I thought 'uh oh!' because the shades look incredibly dark in the pan. I'm extremely pale on a good day, so, I did not think that these would suit my skin tone... but boy, I was wrong. In theory, Bliss is a champagne-pearl gold shade which is suited for paler complexions whilst Side Piece (a yellow-gold shade) will suit darker skin tones. However, this is not the case. Personally, I find every shade wearable... even Peroxide, which looks like is should have been named 'Barbie'! NSFW is a warm rose-gold shade and would be perfect for summer. Personally, I prefer to go one step further and mix all four shades for a gorgeous, hella blinding highlight.

The only negative thing to say about this palette is that it is a little bit heavy, so it may not be great if you're travelling light. However, the compact mirror makes up for it, and is a perfect size for doing your make up on the go. As I said before, you get 4.55g of product per pan! A single highlighter from this range has 6.8g of product and costs £21... so you're definitely getting more for your money, if you buy the palette.

Overall, I adore this palette and I have been using it religiously since I bought it last month. These highlighters are versatile on any skin-tone, long-wearing... but mostly, they will leave you glowing to the gods!

Thank you reading this post

XO Zoe

Hi there.

In this post, I will be reviewing some skincare products by Liz Earle. Over the past year, my skin has gone from incredibly oily to a combination of oily and dry. I have also struggled with acne on my cheeks and chin, which subsequently has left me with acne scars and redness. One of my resolutions for this year, was to focus on having a consistent skincare routine, and this has been made possible with the assistance of three Liz Earle skincare products.

Liz Earle advertises these products as your 'daily essentials' and costs just £49! What I like about this 'routine' is that it does not involve hundreds of products making it easy on a busy morning. The kit comprises of a Cleanser, Toner and Moisturiser. Easy.

Cleanse and Polish

The first product to be used is the Cleanse and Polish. This is a gorgeous smelling cleanser which is to be used first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It also works well to remove your make up. You simply smooth one pump of the product all over your face, and remove the product with a cloth which has been ran under hot water. With the Daily Essentials kit comes (free) two Muslin cloths, which can be used to remove the cleanser. Muslin cloths are very thin cloths which gently exfoliate your skin.

Instant Boost Skin Tonic

The instant boost tonic is a toning solution. Toners are designed to get rid of excess dirt or make up. Simply apply it to some cotton wool and dab all over your face. The main ingredients in this are aloe vera and cucumber, therefore, it is incredibly soothing and refreshing. Once I apply the toner, I leave my skin to dry for a few minutes for using the next product±

Skin Repair Moisturiser

This is an incredibly light weight moisturiser that glides on to your skin. In fact, it's probably one of my favourite moisturisers! It doesn't feel greasy when applied and soaks quickly into the skin. It's perfect if you're in a rush and don't have the time to wait for your moisturiser to dry. I have oily skin with dry patches, so, this combination moisturiser is perfect for my skin type!

Overall, I think this three step kit is perfect for those who want to develop a skincare routine, but do not have the time to use lots of different products. I have used these products religiously for the past month, and I have definitely noticed a huge difference in my skin!

Thank you so much for reading this post!

XO Zoe

Hi there!

I used to have a series of posts where I talked about great music, and I really wanted to bring that back. Music is a huge part of my life, and I adore sharing and finding new tracks. So, here goes!

Marshmello x Lil Peep 'Spotlight'

This song is so dreamy. Unfortunately, Lil Peep passed away in 2017, so getting to hear another song from him is brilliant. His vocals are dreamy, they remind me of the old 2000s rock/skater songs.... It's just a more mellow version of them songs!

Camilla Cabello 'Never Be The Same'

I love Camilla Cabello. I love her voice and the raw emotion that she puts into her songs. I didn't ever listen to Fifth Harmony, but I became a fan when she became a solo artist. The song is super catchy, yet soulful. Her debut album was recently released and I have to say, I love every song on there. Check it out ASAP!

Dua Lipa 'IDGAF"

Can I just ask... How is Dua Lipa so stunning? Not only is her song about girl power and independence, the music video portrays the importance of self-love before entering a relationship.

Noah Cyrus 'My Way'

So, when I first heard this song, I thought it was incredibly annoying. And... I still do, but I have to agree that it is a total bop. I feel like in a few weeks this is going to be killed by radio overplay, but for the time being I can enjoy the fact that no one has caught on to it! Also, does anyone else get Sia vibes from this video?

Post Malone ft. 21 Savage 'Rockstar'

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you have probably heard this song. It's incredibly mellow and vulgar in nature. But God, is it catchy! As mentioned before the video, viewer discretion is definitely advised!

Thank you so much for reading this post. I hope your enjoyed it!

XO Zoe

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Hi there!

"This year is going to be dedicated to challenging workouts, toning muscle and finally getting some abs". I said before chomping on a donut. Yes, it's that time of year where people's new years resolutions get flung out of the window. Dry January, who? I'm sat writing this in my work out clothes and procrastinating from actually working out. So therefore, it seems about right that I should write a post about motivation. So, here are some tips to stay motivated to work out and eat (mostly) healthy!

Look Good... Feel Good

The first thing that keeps to motivated to get on the grind... is looking the part. I find that gym clothes with funky designs and prints make me look and feel confident. People think that you need to spend a ton on work out clothes. As much as I would love to spend £40 on some (very nice) burgundy leggings, I simply cannot afford it. I bought the purple sports bra from Asda for £5 and the Nike Pro shorts from Sports Direct for £16.99! Who needs Gymshark when you have January sales?!

Challenge Yourself!

Exercise can get really boring really quickly, so it's important to find exciting ways to work out. I enjoy HIIT workouts and they do make me sweat. However, I just felt like they weren't pushing me to my limit. I stumbled across a Les Mills GRIT work out last week, and I regretted it immediately. Without being too TMI, I have not sweat so much in my life doing this work out! When I finished, I felt strong and athletic. I want to challenge myself to complete this workout without having additional breaks. Setting small goals and challenges which you can reach, can boost your motivation to work out! Try a GRIT work out, you won't regret it (I mean, you probably will)!

It's Eighty Percent Diet!

I hate the saying "it's eighty percent diet", mostly because I want to eat cake all of the time. But, it's probably true! I am not a dietician but from my own experience, I know that I perform better during my workouts when I eat healthy foods. Incorporating healthy fats, protein and complex carbohydrates into your lifestyle is going to fuel your workouts, and help to build muscle. To keep track of what I'm eating, I like to use the myfitnesspal app. I don't track religiously, but I do like to keep an eye on what I'm eating. You can also input your weight loss which is a great way to keep motivated. It's also useful to make you aware of portion sizes and what you're actually putting into your body!

Keep Hydrated!

It's not rocket science, so I won't talk too much about this. We all know that drinking water is good for you, and the recommended daily intake is over two litres. As I am active, I like to drink between three and four litres a day. I have suffered with both dry skin and acne, and I find that drinking this amount of water can clear my skin in days. If that is not enough motivation, you can find water bottles online that help you to keep track of the amount of water you're drinking. The one picture above is from amazon!

CHEAT!

Most significantly, cut yourself some slack and balance your dietary intake. If you do not allow yourself certain food groups, you will crave them even more and end up feeling guilty when you succumb to the cravings. I set myself cheat days throughout the month where I eat whatever I want on that day. It's something that won't work for everyone, but for me it does. A few days each month I eat what I truly want, I don't feel guilty about it. It also works as a great motivation tool during my work outs!

Thank you so much if you read this post! I will be posting every week (unlike last year!) and I am very excited for my future posts!

XO ZOE