I Don't Believe In Diets. The 80/20 Rule. Let's Be Frank About Clean Eating.

Hey guys, so today I wanted to talk about something that’s been bugging me quite a lot recently, you’ll have seen me talking about it on social media but I’ve never really blogged the topic. If you’ve ever read any of my health and fitness posts, you’ll know that I’m all about the 80/20 rule. That means, enjoying yourself 20% of the time and being healthy the other 80% of the time. Too many people seem to have become obsessed with calorie counting, quick-fixes (which don’t work by the way) and never allowing themselves to have cheat days so they just binge and then put all the weight back on? Equally though, too many influential people in the industry seem to have become overly obsessed with the idea of 'clean', completely shunning people for enjoying life and telling the world to cut every-single-thing out of their diets. You all know I am 100% for eating well, I absolutely adore health and fitness and it's easily one of the biggest parts of my life. I also, adore everything green and good for you, but, I refuse to feel bad for having a cheat day! I’m going to talk to you today about the subject of balance, the importance of balance and the importance of the 80/20 rule (as far as I’m concerned). 

The White Jumpsuit & Beige Trench

Hey guys, I am so sorry I haven't posted in a few days. It's most unlike me and it won't happen again. If you've been following me on social media, you'll know that I finally finished my degree, headed straight to Ibiza with Barry M (YouTube video coming tomorrow about that trip!) and then I had an amazing apartment sorted to move into this July and this week, I was told by the landlord I can no longer live there. Let's just say what should have been a week to get back on top of blogging, has been a disaster and has set me back again. The good news? I'm here today with a shiny post, an outfit post and blogging posting will resume as usual from now on! Let's talk Summer style, I feel like I haven't done an outfit post in so long!

Skinade Review; Healthy Skin From Within

A drink which promises to improve the skin, hair and nails? Yup. I couldn’t believe it either. As most of you know by now, I am all about good skincare but also, well-being. I love a good multi-tasking product. After having bad experiences with products, I try to focus on putting good, natural things into my body and I'm focusing more on good, natural skin care than something that is just going to react badly with my skin/put rubbish into my body. I have this weird thing where I need to know what I’m actually putting on my face. If you read my recent how I got rid of my underneath bumps and spots post, you’ll know that skincare is just so important to me now, mainly because I stress my skin out way too much. I burn the candle at both ends, I don’t get enough sleep and I definitely stress way too much which has adverse effects on my face. I’m always tired or stressed and guess what, this always shows on my skin first. Let’s just say I was excited to give skinade a go. It’s perfect for the girl (or guy) on the move, who doesn’t really want to commit to skincare or doesn’t really have to the time to do a 10-step routine twice a day. It's simple and genius. Let’s discuss drinking our way to happier skin…

A Life Changing Experience In Vietnam - Visiting Yen Duc Village In Vietnam

When I was in Vietnam recently (make sure you read my Halong Bay post) I headed to the most incredible local village for one of the best experiences of my life to date. I'm so excited to finally be sharing this with you. Rather than doing two nights on the boat on Halong Bay like I did the first time I visited Vietnam, we decided to do 1 night on the boat and then 1 night in a local village in-between Hanoi and Halong Bay. This was organised by IndoChina Junk but no tourists seem to do this so I wanted to tell you about this amazing, authentic experience.

The Importance Of Having True, Good, Supportive Friends; Let's Talk About Friendship.

Hello hello! So today I wanted to do a personal post about friendship. I feel like I've learnt a lot about friendship in the past few years and I guess, who really matters over the past few years and even months. Growing up can be tough, girls can be horrible, boys can be horrible too. At some stages, I was so unhappy because of my 'friends' and it felt like the end of the world, looking back, those challenges have made me who I am today. I think I'll definitely do a follow-up post about those challenges in detail at some point if anyone is interested. I'm stronger, braver and I definitely wont take any rubbish from so-called friends anymore. Life is too short to be unhappy and waste it on unappreciative, rubbish friends and I am so glad I've realised that recently, trust me, it took me a long time. Good friendship is really important and I've realised recently just how important it is to be surrounded by good, supportive and trust-worthy friends. It really can enhance your life. When I was younger, I definitely thought it was about quantity rather than quality, as I've grown up, I've realised I'd much rather have two good friends than twenty not so good friends. Friends come and go, some stay forever, some friendships happen and they're completely unexpected. I just wanted to talk about my experience with friends today I guess. As a teen, I had a lot of issues with not-so-nice girls and I finally feel like I'm in a good place with friends and I've realised so much. I wanted to share a few happy thoughts about friendship and celebrate friendship. I'm a strong believer in building each other up rather than knocking each other down and far too many people are there to knock people down.

24 Hours In Milan With Essie; Essie Gel Couture Nail Varnish Review And Launch!

When my inbox pinged with an invite to Milan with one of my favourite nail brands, I couldn't resist. If you guys follow my blog and my journeys on my travel section, you'll know that travel is one of my favourite things in the world. I love nothing more than jumping on a plane and seeing the world, nothing makes me happier. What else do I adore? Beauty. Yup, my biggest passion. This week, two of my biggest passions came together, beauty and travel. I have been using essie nail varnishes for as long as I can remember and was invited to an exclusive preview of their brand new gel couture range. I got myself on that flight to Milan and was ready to learn all about this exciting new product in the city of couture. Let's see what I got up to! 

For Love & Lemons Gianna Lace Midi Dress - Spring Style!

I've always wanted to own something by For Love & Lemons. Finally, I took the plunge and  went for the Gianna lace midi dress from Revolve. If you're not familiar with the brand, they're famous for their incredibly beautifully made lace pieces. Let's talk...

AVEENO Body Products Review - Inside & Oat Challenge Results

As most of you know, last week I was sent a pretty incredible box brimming with goodies as a way of taking on a little well-being challenge to make my skin glow. I absolutely love pampering my body with lovely, hydrating products in the run up to Summer so I feel like this fits in perfectly seen as Summer is well on it's way! So how do I feel? Let's discuss...

My Every Day Beauty Essentials - Spring Beauty Favourites

Hello hello! Ah so it's one of my favourite things to write today, my updated, haul of everyday essentials! I feel like I haven't written one of these in quite some time so I'm excited to be publishing this post today. The contents of my must-haves seem to change month by month but there are always a few items which make it into my bag every time. Today I wanted to talk you through my every day must-haves at the moment and trust me, there are some goodies in this one! A survey by Sure Maximum Protection antiperspirant revealed that we Brits take and share an average of three selfies per week (I am guilty of taking at least 20!), relying on ten must-have products to give them the maximum feel good effect with women using up to 40 essentials to give them the necessary confidence to, so today I wanted to talk you through my every day must-haves at the moment and show you some of my every day beauty essentials, trust me, there are some goodies in this one!

Pintura Tapas Basque Kitchen & Gin Bar Review

I absolutely love tapas food, it's my favourite kind of cuisine. I love sitting down with good drinks, sipping away, giggling away and nibbling. I've always been a nibbler. I much prefer nibbling on things than eating crazy big meals, I think that's why I enjoy starters so much. I could easily eat 10 starters rather than a main. I've never really had any amazing tapas in the UK. Infact, I've always been disappointed with Spanish food in the UK until now. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll know just how much I adore Barcelona - particularly for the food. For me, food is  a big part of my life and I love eating out, it's definitely my favourite hobby. Recently, I finally got the chance to try out Pintura and it's changed my impression of tapas food in the UK. Read on if delicious food is your thing...

Get Soft, Glowing Skin Ready For Summer With Frank Body; Frank Body Coffee Scrub & Body Balm Review

Frank is one of those epic brands I've wanted to try for as long as I can remember. If you follow me on social media (@emshelx, come say hello!), you'll know that I'm a lover of all things Australian, in fact, I feel like I probably should have been born in Australia. I am forever buying Australian products and Australian clothes. It's safe to say then, that Frank was at the top of my list to try. Let me introduce you to the wonderful, natural, beautiful world of Frank...

A Healthy Shopping List & Healthy Living Plan! Join Me On The Journey To Glowing Skin; Inside & Oat Challenge With AVEENO

Hey guys! You all know how much I'm into health and well-being so I'm really excited about this post. I love nourishing my body and over the last few years, I've fallen in love with more natural body and skin products as well as natural foods too. Nourishing the body isn't just about pampering yourself, it's about nourishing it from within too which is what this post is about. Today I'm really excited to talk to you about the Inside & Oat challenge that AVEENO have challenged me to take part in. I was so up for this as soon as I heard that I'd be getting my own personal healthy lifestyle plan to try out for a week (I think I'll be doing this for more than a week!). I'm more than happy with my own healthy lifestyle plan (if you've read any of my health and fitness posts you'll know the rules I live by!) but I'm all for trying new things so I cannot wait to finally share this new plan with you today. AVEENO believe that beautiful skin is a reflection of inner health and daily moisturisation so they are wanting me to try out this plan to see if it makes my skin feel better. I want you to join in too! Let's see...

Oulton Hall Hotel And Spa Review; A British Weekend Away

I love nothing more than staying in nice hotels, it's honestly one of my favourite hobbies. Put that with a nice spa break and my day is made. I've been craving a spa trip for a long time as I've been so busy and haven't really stopped recently so I decided to go to Oulton Hall right before my China trip (I'm aware this post is just a little overdue, so sorry). Oulton Hall is in Yorkshire so not too far from home. You don't have to go miles away to have a break, it's sometimes nice to just stay in a lovely hotel in the UK. I've visited before just for a little spa day but I was excited to have an overnight stay. I've heard either really good things about Oulton Hall or bad things so I was quite nervous to see how the weekend would pan out...