Pug Talk

On October 12^th 2015, my 21^st birthday, my boyfriend and his parents bought me the greatest gift of all time.  A little baby boy pug puppy.  And there hasn’t been a day since that my life hasn’t been delightful with my baby, Hulk.  Since that day when I took him home – there has been a number of things that I have come to realise are just part of  normal day life when you become a pug owner.  In fact,  they probably apply to all dogs actually.  But here's ten things that I now know, now that I own a pug…

1.   You will never be alone ever again.  Like, ever.  And if you do happen to be away from your pug – it’s because you’ve had absolutely no choice but to leave them with someone that you trust with your baby.  I can guarantee however, that you won’t stop thinking about them the whole time you’re away.

2.   Say goodbye to your personal space.  Seriously.  It’s none existent now.  Pugs have no sense of personal space, so if they feel like walking over your face to get to their toy on the other side of you whilst you’re lying in bed, then that’s what they’re going to do.  They have no shame, you’ll see everything up close and personal.

3.   Dogs are expensive.  Not just pugs, I mean all dogs.  Especially during the first six months when you need to take them to get their vaccines, wormers, flea treatments, microchip and then maybe even to get them neutered (which I’m still undecided about for Hulk.)  And then you’ll be reminded every three to six months of any treatments that they need thereafter.  And that’s without mentioning the amount you need to spend to kit them out before they even come home with bedding, toys, bowls, leads etc.  And then you’ve got the food on top of that – which might take a while to find a brand that they enjoy enough to carry on eating after a week or two.  And there is even pet insurance to take into consideration – which was one of the first things that I did because I know that pugs are prone to having problems with their eyes, nose and breathing difficulties.  So yeah, expensive.  Make sure you have the pennies to give your fur baby everything that they need and deserve.

4.   They will make you feel incredibly happy near enough all of the time - even when they’re being bad.  I mean, who can stay mad at that little squished up face?!

You want to get down from there sir?

5.   The first few weeks will be exhausting for you, your pup and anyone else who is helping out with the fur baby.  They will be scared and will be trying to get used to their new surroundings – so you need to be patient as they adapt.  So if that means being woken up every two hours each night for a cuddle and a trip to the garden for a piddle, then so be it.  You’re also going to need a lot of wipes and kitchen roll to mop up their messes when they don’t feel like using the puppy pads.  Just saying.

6.   They like to chew – so make sure that you have plenty for them to work their way through all of the time!   If you don’t, say goodbye to all of your nice stuff. 

7.   You need to make sure that you have the time to care for your pup.  I’m very, very lucky as when I’m at uni, work and on placement – my parents are happy to look after my little fur baby.  If it wasn’t for them being available to help during the hours I’m away (my dad works from home and my mum looks after my younger siblings), then I really wouldn’t be in a position to have my pup.  When I am at home, I make sure that I’m free to take him out for walks and give him the attention he needs (he likes to play all the time).  Regardless of if I’ve got other things to do, the pup has to come first. 

8.   They probably won’t use their bed as a bed.  More like a toy stash, digging pit or chew toy.  Just a heads up.

9.   You will be bursting with love for them from the moment that you take them home.  Bursting I tell you!

10. Regardless of how long you’re gone, 10 minutes, 6 hours, 3 days – there will never be a time when they are not happy and excited to see you – ever!  A trip to the bathroom (if you are lucky enough to get to go alone) will always result in a waggly tail waiting on your return.  True love.

Have you got a little fur baby?  I want to see the pictures below!

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Soap and Glory 3 in 1 Daily Vitamin C Facial Wash

After finally coming to an end of my Dark Angels face cleanser (you can read my thoughts on it below!), I thought it was time to try out the Soap and Glory Clarity facial wash that I received back in January after subscribing for a free sample.  I’d never tried any of the Soap and Glory face care products before – I’ve only ever ventured as far as the body sprays (AMAZING) and the Sugar Crush body scrub and body butter… one of the most delicious scents I have come across to date!  So after having read only good things about their face care range online and through other bloggers sites, I was really keen to try it out for myself.

I was instantly attracted to the product when I first took it out of the envelope because of the colour.  It’s a gorgeous aqua blue with pink beads – making it stand out visually in comparison to the facial washes that I’ve used recently. The texture of this face wash is what really stood out for me in use – as it feels more like a gel before you rub it in.  Then when you begin to wash it onto your face, it becomes a really thick and foamy consistency all over – which I really liked.  When you’re rubbing it into the skin, it gives a tingly sensation over the areas of use – which again was a quality I enjoyed because I like to be able to tell that my skincare products are actually doing something when I use them.

Clarity doesn’t take much effort to wash off either, which I think is due to the lack of beads, and the consistency of the product.  Although this wash doesn’t give me the same “fresh skin” feeling as my usual preferences (anything that gives a major scrub) – this wash actually leaves my skin feeling a really natural type of clean, as well as giving me a nice and soft face which makes applying my make up in the morning that little bit easier.

I’ll be completely honest, had I not been sent the free sample in the post – this wouldn’t have been a product that I would be interested in.  Simply because before now I: 

1. Had never used any of the Soap and Glory face care range before

2. I like my facial care products to be really exfoliating.  

However, after having been given the opportunity to try before I buy, and the fact that I currently have loads of vouchers for Soap and Glory products for Boots – I reckon that this little number may make a permanent feature in my toiletry bag!

What’s your favourite Soap and Glory product?

Until the next one,

Lauren x 

Chocolate Brownies

A few weeks ago now, when I still had the baking bug, I whipped together a batch of chocolate brownie cupcakes!  I used a recipe I found on the BBC Good Food website that I’ve listed below for you to refer to.  I made some changes when following the recipe, which I found to work pretty well – but you guys might feel better following the pros.  Either way, let me know how you get on below, mine turned out pretty good!

·         185g unsalted butter

·         185g best dark chocolate

·         85g plain flour

·         40g cocoa powder

·         50g white chocolate

·         50g milk chocolate

·         3 large egg

·         275g golden caster sugar

First, I preheated the oven to 180C.  I then mashed up the butter into randomly cut blocks in a large bowl and chucked in the dark chocolate that I had broken up into squares.  I then put the bowl into the microwave for around 3 three minutes – taking it out every thirty seconds to check and stir.  Once full melted, I put it to the side and left it to cool.

Next, I weighed out the flour and cocoa powder and put the two into a medium sized bowl.  The online recipe said to sieve the two before mixing them together, but when my mum pointed out that she never sieves anything (and her baking is amazing) – I decided to skip this step.  I’d probably just make a mess anyways.

The next step was to break up the chocolate bars – which I found to be a hell of a lot easier than what the online method made out to be.  I pretty much just broke the bars up into the squares, and then broke the squares up further into random chunks and mixed it all together.  This resulted in a lot of random sized chunks, which I wasn’t super fussy about because let’s be honest – who doesn’t like big chunks of chocolate in their brownies?

This next part was messy, thankfully though my mum has an electric hand mixer and so it didn’t take nearly as long as I had anticipated.  I cracked the eggs into another large bowl, and tipped the caster sugar in with it.  I then used the mixer on the highest speed for around about three minutes, until it turned to a nice thick and creamy mixture.  This probably doubled in size and the colour became a lot paler – like the online method stated. 

It was then time to pour the chocolate and butter mix in with the egg and caster sugar, which didn’t take very long at all.  I used a wooden spoon to mix it all together, and added in the flour and cocoa powder to the mix.  I added this in little by little, folding it through so that the mixture came to a thick and sticky consistency.  When this was ready, I then chucked in the bowl of chocolate chunks and gave it another stir.

The brownie mix was then ready to pop into the oven – and so I poured a little bit of the mixture into each cupcake case, leaving enough room for them to raise a little.  Around about 25 cases later, the brownie cupcakes were ready to pop into the oven and to be left for 20-30 minutes until they became nice and spongey.  When ready, take them out of the oven and leave for about 10 minutes until cool!  And voila – you’ve got some super tasty brownie cupcakes ready to be munched on!

Does anyone else make their brownies into cupcakes?

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1223/bestever-brownies - in case you prefer to follow the pros.

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Nudi Coconut and Bentonite Clay Facemask

On Monday I received a gorgeously wrapped parcel in the post, courtesy of the lovely folks at NudiLife.com.  I have been anxiously anticipating their launch for many months now, after they very kindly informed me on Instagram that they would be sending out free coconut facemasks when they launched a few months down the line.  Coconut oil is a big favourite of mine for my problematic skin.  Not only does it smell absolutely gorgeous, but it works a treat of my really dry skin.  So the idea of having a facemask that had incorporated all the goodness of coconut oil was something that I couldn’t resist waiting around for!

When I opened up the parcel, I was delighted to find that they had sent me a very generous sized sample of their coconut and bentonite clay mask – which retails for £12.95 for a 100ml tub.  The mask is a light grey kind of colour, and smells just like iced coconut slices (which are totally delicious, if you didn’t already know!)  On applying the mask, I found it to be ever so slightly difficult to evenly distribute across the skin.  Every time you swipe over an area you’ve already tried to cover, I found it to kind of clump together, making you have to use a little force to spread it out again.  This being said, I do think that this is simply due to the nature of coconuts themselves, as whenever I’m applying coconut oil to my skin, it does tend to do the same kind of thing, so not a big deal!  I really love that the mask goes on as the grey kind of colour, but as it dries it turns almost translucent in some patches, and others white - as if this is a sign that all of the goodness from the mask is seeping into your skin!  I think this was because I didn’t use enough of it during my first use, and I get the impression from the images I’ve seen on Instagram that the whole mask would turn white when ready to wash off. 

Nuts about these coconuts!

Having researched the product before trying it out, I was interested as to what the facemask would offer to my skin – as usually I try to go for ones that tackle spots and or blackheads.  I got the impression that with coconut oil being a key ingredient, it would definitely be a moisturising one – which appears I was not wrong about!  Nudilife.com states that the coconut oil will moisturise without clogging your pores (yay!) and the bentonite clay will work away at those blemishes.  I will admit that this is not a product that I think I would have purchased having seen it on the shelves, only because I normally go for masks that I know have ingredients that specifically tackle spots and blackheads – and I never would have imagined these two key ingredients to do the job.  Knowing what I do now though, I won’t be so quick to judge by ingredients anymore.  Once washed away, my skin was left feeling really, really soft which was lovely to discover!  Although I didn’t notice any drastic changes in the way of my few blemishes, there may be a chance that tomorrow morning they could be near gone – so we will just have to wait and see.

As I’ve stated already, the sample I received was very generous and so I’ve worked out that I will probably get around three uses of this sample before it runs out.  The mask is a really nice product that I think if used for a long period of time – would do wonders for your skin.  This would be something that I would purchase if I fancied a splurge or simply wanted to treat myself, alongside their coconut and sugar body scrub (which also looks amazing!)

Have you tried any of the Nudi products yet?  You can check out the range here www.nudilife.com

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Aveeno Skincare

Seeing as my skin has been acting up a lot over the last couple of weeks, and that I’ve only just managed to get it somewhat under control, I thought it would be fitting to share my number one favourite body moisturiser with you, Aveeno.

This gorgeous body moisturiser changed my life in regards to my skin care regime.  During my major breakout in 2014, (you can read about it here) a colleague recommended this brand to me.  She told me that she used it on her two year old son who also suffered terribly from eczema, and that it worked wonders for him.  She said that it was an oat based product, and that it was mostly made from natural ingredients and so it wouldn’t irritate my skin any more than what it already was.  I was instantly intrigued by the concept of oats being the key ingredient, as I had been doing a lot of research online about how to soothe my sore skin.  I saw that a lot of people enjoyed a soak in an oat bath (that’s right.  Bathing in a bath with actual porridge oats), and so I figured that the Aveeno moisturiser was a purchase I would have to make and experiment with.  

This moisturiser has a very thick consistency, which I absolutely adore because it makes a little go a long way.  The shea butter makes my skin feel super cool and smooth after applied, and the oats are super soothing to my particularly problematic areas.  Depending on how bad my skin is upon purchasing, I can usually get at least a month worth out of one 200ml bottle. 

I prefer to keep my Aveeno for my eczema ridden areas of skin, and use coconut oil for the rest of my body.  Because Aveeno retails around £5-£6 per bottle, I never buy it when it’s not on sale.  Nearly every single month since I have been using Aveeno, I have come across one retailer or another that has the entire Aveeno rage on offer, usually with about 1/3 off – which is when I like to make my purchases.  I normally pay around £3.50 for a bottle, and like to stock up with two or sometimes three at a time so that I do not run out. 

As for now, I have only ever used the Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion with the blue label.  This one is specifically for “extra dry, irritable and sensitive skin” which is what made me go for it in the first place.  This product will definitely always be my favourite skin moisturiser for when I’m having my bad skin days.  The mixture is so soothing, calming and smells absolutely amazing – it’s hard to imagine what kind of state my skin would be in today if I hadn’t been introduced to this beauty.

I definitely think that this product is a strong 9/10 – I would love to give it full marks… but the idea of paying the full retail price of £6 for the 200ml bottle actually hurts my soul just thinking about it.

Have you tried any of the Aveeno range? 

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Lush Tea Tree Toner Tab

Many of you may know that I am a self-confessed Lush addict, and that I will happily spend a large chunk of my wages in Lush at the beginning of each month…(and then maybe go on to regret it when I’m low on cash with 3 weeks to the next pay day!)  I love that all of their products are cruelty free, and that they are made mostly from pure and natural ingredients.  You probably already know that my skin is sensitive and so because of this, I need to be really careful when it comes to what I’m applying to it to avoid any breakouts.  Around about five months ago, I discovered the Lush Tea Tree Toner Tabs online, and I was intrigued as to how they worked.  There were lots of good reviews about them when I flicked through them all, and so decided to go ahead and purchase a couple.  They’re priced at just £1 each, and for what they do I think that is a super bargain!

The idea of the Toner Tab is to use it to “steam your face” and to open and cleanse your pores.  I like to take a bowl and pour in some hot boiling water, grab the toner tab and drop it in.  I then get myself a towel, cover my head with it and hold my freshly washed face over the bowl for around 10 minutes to feel the results.  The tea tree works a treat for this as your skin feels all tingly when you’re sitting using it, and we all know that tee tree is great for tackling those pesky breakouts!

I was really excited to learn that many people kept the water after they had used the tab for steaming.  Many people said that they bottled it and kept it in the fridge for around a week and used it daily as a toner.  With that being discovered, I went out and purchased myself a small travel sized spray bottle and followed in their footsteps.  Although I don’t keep my one in the fridge, nor do I only use it for just the one week (it probably lasts me around about a month each time) – I’ve found it to work just as effectively as any other toner that I have used in the past.  The Tea Tree is still fresh with every use, and although it can leave my skin feeling a little dry on days when it’s being particularly bad – it’s nothing that cannot be fixed with a little bit of extra moisturising. 

Clear skin... for now

Since switching my regular toner water for a Lush toner tab, I’ve saved myself an extra few pennies every month, which probably goes towards other Lush goodies when I splurge!  I feel that it had made an improvement to my skin, especially when I use the tab for steaming.  A ten minutes steam followed by a really good exfoliation and sometimes a pore strip or two, and my skin looks clean and fresh until the next session.

Have your tried out any of the Lush toner tabs?

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine

This Christmas past, I was very undecided as to what I wanted from my parents – and so I asked them to surprise me!  Needless to say, I was absolutely delighted when I opened up my Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine on Christmas morning. 

The machine itself is perfect in size, it’s slightly larger than a kettle, yet small enough that you can leave it sitting on the counter all of the time.  It’s really simple and totally safe – which makes me happy as I can be very clumsy sometimes.  With this machine, I’m not at all worried about scolding myself… which is always a bonus!

To use, you fill up the water tank on the back of the machine to the maximum point – which I have found gives me a decent sized drink with every make.  Next, you press the on button on the side and wait for it to turn green, which only takes about 15 seconds to do so.  Finally, you pick your pods – one drink normally takes two pods (one for the coffee/tea and one for the milk) depending on what it is that you are making.  Pop in your pod, wait for the cup to fill up about half way, swap it over for the milk pod and hey presto - you did it!  You really couldn’t get a simpler coffee machine if you tried.

Mocha anyone?

My parents spoilt me this year with a variety of different coffee pods to try out straight away, which consisted of caramel mocha, regular mocha and vanilla macchiato.  However when I went to register my machine to activate the guarantee, this qualified me for an extra £10 credit to my account.  With the free credit burning a hole in my pocket and an extra £10 cash to spare, I went ahead and ordered a variety of drinks including: 1 x caramel macchiato, 1 x mocha, 1 x vanilla macchiato, 1 x caramel mocha and 1 x chai tea latte.  Each and every single one of these drinks have been absolutely delicious. I love how professional each drink looks and tastes – even watching it brewing from the two pods is mesmerizing. 

Each box contains 8 drinks, which is pretty good value at £4 when you take into consideration the amount that you can spend on just one drink at Starbucks and Costa (… I’m still guilty of this though!)  You can pick up the pods at most major supermarkets at the moment, however if you’re looking for a large selection to choose from – I recommend ordering direct from the Dolce Gusto website, as they have all their drinks listed and delivery is free!

I’m really looking forward to trying out the other varieties of drinks available for my Dolce Gusto machine, especially the cold brewed ones, as I am yet to experiment with these.

Have you tried any of the Dolce Gusto range?

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Nivea Men Shaving Balm, Or Makeup Primer?

So back in January, when everyone was skint and trying to make their December wages last for the best part of 5-6 weeks, I noticed that a lot of people were ranting and raving about a new super cheap and extra effective make up primer.  My Instagram feed was full of pictures of folk sharing their new beauty product – Nivea Men Shaving Balm.

I was super sceptical for a very long times, “why on earth would you be applying shaving balm to your face before your makeup?”  “Surely that will smell super masculine and clash with my perfume?” “Won’t that make you feel really sticky all day long?”

But of course, as we all know I am a sucker for a bargain, and so when I spotted that you could pick up the product for just £2.50 on a half price promotion -  I decided to bite the bullet and give it a whirl.

When you apply the balm to your face, I have noticed that you don’t really need to use as much as you would, of you were using a normal primer.  The product is really runny yet quite thick, and so I have been using about a 10p size amount every morning before I do my makeup.  I rub this in using a beauty blender that I only use for my primer, it only takes a couple of seconds and it dries really quickly into the skin.  I have noticed that I do need to apply extra moisturiser around my eyes after using it, as it makes my skin here feel really tight.  However, this is probably just due to my eczema, and so is not a big deal.

The balm makes my skin feel a lot smoother, fuller and hydrated than a regular primer does.  It gives me a totally matt finish which I love, and makes my pores a lot less noticeable around my cheeks when I apply my BB Cream.

Literally seconds after I have finished my applying the balm, I’m ready to put on my makeup… as quickly as possible!  I’ve found that some primers can feel quite wet, meaning that you have to wait for them to soak up before you can do anything else.  However, the Nivea Men Shaving Balm is perfect for me, because unless I’m doing something that I want to look particularly nice for, I grudge spending any more than 10 minutes doing my make up in the morning. 

7am - 6pm make up wear, not too shabby!

What’s even better, is that is actually works amazingly as a primer.  My minimal make up will easily last a whole 9 hour shift at work without any touch ups – granted it wont look as great by the end of the day and usually a little oily, however it is not the patchy mess that it can sometimes be. 

So despite my speculation, the Nivea Men Shaving Balm will probably work really, really well for those of you who like a beauty bargain and a pretty decent make up primer. 

Have you given this a try yet?  What was your verdict?

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Books Abroad

-      Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working with Books Abroad, a Charity in Rhynie whom send books across the world to disadvantaged countries.  My work with them has contributed to part of my studies, as I’m currently out of uni for a 6 week work placement.  Whilst here, I’ve been given the task of looking over their social media, as well as taking a look at their promotional materials and looking into ways to help them gain some sort of media coverage.  This is exactly the type of work that I want to be moving into when I finish my studies, and so I’m absolutely delighted that they have given me such an opportunity to give it a try.

The charity founded as LINK in 1982, and were initially based in a cupboard in the Brander Library in Huntly.  In 1991 they moved to their current offices in Rhynie and changed the name to Books Abroad.  Years later, they expanded into the adjacent warehouse units where they now stock their hundreds of books that are kindly donated by various schools, libraries, individuals and organisations. Currently, their output sits at 125,000 books per annum, which is a fantastic figure for a little charity from the North East of Scotland!  The majority of the work at Books Abroad is carried out by unpaid volunteers, who give up a couple of hours every Monday and Wednesday to help sort out the books and have them ready for shipments.

Since starting back in 1982, Books Abroad have assisted over 2,100 schools and other organisations world-wide with new requests for books arriving daily.  Recently, they have been working hard and sending large shipments of books in 20 foot containers to in-country partner organisations such as library services or local charities who distribute the books to their client schools on their behalf.  It can take months for shipments to be organised and ready to be sent off, and so it’s a great achievement to see these being packed off and sent away for all of the volunteers!

The majority of the funding that Books Abroad receives is provided by a variety of charitable trusts and foundations to whom they are extremely grateful.  The remainder comes from membership fees, donations, and fundraising events.  Without the funds, Books Abroad would not be able to carry out the fantastic work that it does on a daily basis.  They currently only have one part time member of paid staff, who works on being the person of contact by taking calls, replying to emails and ensuring that shipments are being received by the people to whom they are sent off to.  The rest of the work is completed completely free of charge by the volunteers.

Books Abroad are always looking for volunteers to help out in the warehouse.  It’s an extremely rewarding project to be a part of, and when the charity have the opportunity to help others across the world, whom may not have the reading materials that they have today had it not been for them, is something that I think should be recognised by everyone far and near.  They are always on the lookout for book donations too, as they receive new requests every day for books to be sent across the globe.

If you would be interested in joining the dedicated volunteers at Books Abroad, or you would simply like to help out by dropping off some books, you can send an email to info@booksabroad.org.uk

You can also make a cash donation to the charity via Vodafone Text Giving by sending a text to 70070, quoting " Book43 " followed by the amount you would like to donate e.g. £1, £3, £5etc.  Text donations are free to Vodafone customers, whilst other networks may charge you for your text.  All proceeds go directly to Books Abroad, making it a great and worthwhile tool for the charity to take advantage of.

If you would like to know more about what it is that the charity does, or have any queries at all, please feel free to leave a comment below.  I’m here with the charity until the middle of March, and so I am more than willing to help them spread the word in any way, shape or form.

You can also check out their Facebook and Twitter pages (I've been helping to run them recently, so you should definitely give them a like/follow) by searching for @booksabroad

Until the next one,

Lauren x