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● Laura Thornberry ● Lifestyle Blogger ● London Based ●

AD| By now, you have probably heard the term 'glow up' a million times. A glow up is basically the same thing as a makeover, only it is exponentially more intense. Instead of just getting a new wardrobe or a fresh haircut, a glow up is a total physical life transformation. It is a pledge you make to yourself to stop making excuses not to invest in yourself. Glow ups can range from the mild to the extreme, but they all have the same thing in common. When you embark on a glow up, you become more self-aware and start letting that true inner beauty you had hidden away shine through. 

Next up, learn the steps that have to be taken first before you can have a totally guilt-free glow up.

beauty spa glow up

How can Your Beauty Routine be Improved Right Now?
A lot of women end up getting to a point in their lives where they have a daily basic beauty routine that they complete each day, no matter what. Of course, you probably take a little more time to do your hair and makeup when you know that you are going to attend a special event. However, your everyday look should have you looking great as well. In short, if you aren't doing more than washing your face and putting on a bit of Chapstick, then your regular beauty routine definitely has to be improved upon. Remember that having a daily beauty routine doesn't mean that you have to start your day an hour early. You simply need to prioritise taking care of your appearance and gussying yourself up so you always look amazing when you step out the door.

Realising It Takes Effort to Look Good
Do you want to know how some people look effortlessly amazing every single day? By putting in a lot of effort. After all, where do you think the "no-makeup" makeup look originated? From your nails to your wardrobe, to the fragrance that you wear, every part of your look should be calculated and purposeful. In order to effectuate a real glow up, you need to start thinking about yourself and all of your self-imposed beauty standards more deeply. Glowing up is not about becoming vain or preoccupied with your looks. Making yourself over and sticking with it is about addressing the reasons why you aren't putting your all into looking and feeling your best. Once you get into a steady rhythm of preparing to face the day by way of putting your best foot forward, you will not want to go back to neglecting your self care needs.

Why You've Put Off Investing in Yourself
As people go through life paying bills, saving money, and doing their best to stay afloat financially, they tend to become more comfortable with cutting out splurges. If you can't stand the idea of springing for a cup of coffee while you're on the go because you have a coffeemaker at home, you probably have put off investing in yourself.

Tackling Your Teeth
Braces cost in the UK is no steeper here than anywhere else in the world. At the same time, if you don't have a habit of investing in yourself, it is fairly easy to see why you wouldn't have given the idea of straightening your teeth any real consideration. Whether you treat yourself to a new pair of shoes every month or go to your preferred professional hairstylist every six weeks, you deserve to invest in yourself.

The first thing that most people are going to notice about you is your smile. If you have a wide, white grin, you can capture minds and win over hearts, just by flashing those pearly whites. Regardless of how perfect or imperfect your smile may be, it is important to know about the different types of teeth straightening braces. Straight My Teeth has comprehensive information on teeth alignment options and affordability. This company can help you to deal with any teeth straightening issue you are concerned with, and at a price that is likely to leave you smiling. Knowing how “much do braces cost UK” will also give you peace of mind before you start thinking about that final bill. Between tooth whitening and alignment, the very first part of your official glow up will be complete.

womens clothes wardrobe

Developing a New Wardrobe
You simply can't have a glow up unless you get a matching wardrobe to go with your brand new and improved appearance and demeanour. Changing your wardrobe might mean that you buy some daring pieces for the first time in your life. It could also mean that you finally tone things down and begin dressing a little more maturely. It doesn't really matter what your new wardrobe consists of, as long as you like it and the clothes you wear are flattering for your size and shape.

Making Your Skin Look Amazing
Large pores, crow's feet, acne, hyper pigmentation, and even scarring can negatively impact your face and the overall appearance of your skin. Of course, you are encouraged to embrace aging as well as your unique beauty. Focusing on skincare is not about trying to look like someone else, or even about becoming perfect. If you are prone to acne breakouts, you will probably still experience having a pimple or two from time to time. All you want to do now is streamline your skincare routine so that it is manageable, and also so you start seeing some results. So, look to try out new under-eye creams, face peels, and moisturisers until you discover that perfect combination.

Laying Out Long-Term Beauty Goals
Embarking on a glow up may mean that you end up making more changes in the future. Some women are keen to schedule "mommy makeovers," so that they can feel and look as vivacious as they did before bringing life into the world. You might have plans to completely overhaul your closet, tossing out all of the inexpensive clothes and replacing them with luxury items. Even still, your long-term beauty goals could just end up changing and evolving as much as you do. Stay open to all new ideas, especially as they relate to your glow up.

Keeping Up with the Changes
In very short order, you can change up your look and execute an impressive glow up. The only problem comes in when a few weeks have passed and you start falling back into your old habits. Some days, you simply will not feel like curling your hair. In other situations, you will want to forgo accessorising your outfits expertly because you are getting close to running late for work. Maintaining the changes and making your glow up permanent is no different from making healthy life choices, such as if you are dedicated to losing weight. If you want to look and feel good, then you have to put in the work each day. Go easy on yourself when you are under the weather or didn't get enough sleep. However, you don't want to fall off the bandwagon and go back to not caring about how you present yourself.

Any woman who wants to have a glow up should be able to do so, guilt-free. It doesn't matter if you are saving to go on holiday or if you have some upcoming expenses that you want to save for. Glowing up isn't expensive, but it is an action that you have to be fully committed to.

What things would you do to have a "glow up"?
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AD| Blogging and influencer marketing has become extremely popular over the last few years, and has become increasingly prevalent during the recent coronavirus pandemic. Having your own blog and space on the internet, whether that's as a hobby, part-time or full time job can be extremely rewarding in a number of ways. In terms of my own success, whilst I have been furloughed, I've used this time to really put some more time and effort into my site, and have recently began to make a small income from a variety of opportunities via brands/websites/PR's.

But for some people who are newer to blogging or brand work, it can be a little confusing and daunting as to how exactly brands and bloggers can work together through collaborations and sponsorships. As a lifestyle blogger, I don't particularly focus on one topic on my blog, I simply prefer to write content about a variety of subjects of which I'm interested and passionate about. I know from my experience as a lifestyle blogger, I've had some extremely successful opportunities recently revolving around a number of topics, and have been able to form relationships with brands who I have been able to work alongside on multiple occasions.


GIFTED ITEMS AND PRODUCT REVIEWS
One of the most common ways brands and blogger work together is via sending products out in exchange for a review. This could be for new launches, new collections or just to gain some exposure of the brands/products involved. Bloggers will be able to test the products gifted to them and follow this up by writing an honest, in-depth review. These reviews are usually accompanied by photography, URL links back to the brand’s website and honest opinions for their audience to view/read about. 

SPONSORED CONTENT
Something that I have begun finding out more about is sponsored posts and content via brands. Many brands/PR's reach out to lifestyle bloggers for a number of collaborations or sponsored opportunities. This type of work usually consists of paying a blogger to host a pre-written sponsored blog post or asking them to write an article featuring their brand/products. 

Get Blogged is a brilliant blogger outreach website with various blogging assignments that connects a variety of brands with bloggers across a range of niches, including beauty, lifestyle and business to name a few. Depending on your blogs Domain Authority, it's also a great solution for bloggers wanting to begin monetising their blogs, and for brands wanting to outsource their outreach in a cost effective way. The Get Blogged Marketplace can help brands achieve their goals faster by placing assignment opportunities, and asking bloggers to submit idea proposals based on the brief provided. I've had a really positive experience via Marketplace, and have managed to get a variety of collaborations through this.

LINK INSERTIONS
Another way brands can work with lifestyle bloggers is through link insertions for new or pre-existing content on your blogs. This sponsorship style usually involves the brand or blogger pitching or suggesting a pre-existing post/new relevant content ideas on your blog that is related to subject of collaboration, to make sure that would be a good fit.


FIVE LIFESTYLE BLOGGERS WORTH FOLLOWING

Kayleigh Zara - A blogger I have recently found over the last few months during the current lockdown. Some of my favourite posts from her blog include blogging tips and income reports, as well as her e-books that she has to offer.

Olivia Jade @ Dungarees and Donuts - Olivia's blog is one I have followed pretty much since I began blogging. Always featuring relevant and engaging content on a variety of subjects, making it a great all-round lifestyle blog to follow.

Hayley @ HaySparkle - Another blogger who I have been following for a while now and whose content is incredible. Hayley has a gorgeous food and lifestyle blog that needs to be on your reading list ASAP.

Life of Luce -  A newer blog that I've recently been loving. A blog heavily focusing on beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics. I really love the fashion outfit posts and styling tips.

Reinventing Neesha - Another blog that I managed to come across during the current global pandemic. This blog is great for those who are looking for advice on blogging, money-saving and money making.

What are your favourite lifestyle blogs? How have you been working with brands recently?

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AD| Online learning is education or training that takes place over the internet, and has become increasingly more popular and current due to the current coronavirus circumstances. Educational organisations like schools and universities have had to implement digital ways of studying to ensure that students are still able to learn and work during this global pandemic. However, it's not just the younger generation attending school, college or university who can learn online. Absolutely anyone of any age can benefit from online learning and enrol in a number of courses suitable for them and to expand their horizons. 

Learning new skills and gaining new qualifications has become increasingly more popular recently, many people are using their furlough time, or spare time after their 9-5 job wisely and productively to branch out into something new or expand on their current knowledge or skills. It's also allowed those who have lost their jobs through company collapse or redundancy to get back into education to boost future career opportunities and expand their skills for a wider scope. Many people who choose to go online for learning tend to have other commitments in their daily life, and prefer this method of learning for its convenience and flexibility.


One of the main benefits of online learning is that the majority of courses available are completely self paced and flexible for learners. Students can take their time learning at a pace that suits them to allow them to fully engage in the course and not feel any sense of being rushed or being overwhelmed by tight deadlines. Many learning from home courses will map out the course objectives and give a rough guide of the length of time is needed for completion that can help you plan out your studying time effectively. Such flexibility allows you to complete work at convenient times but still meeting course/assignment deadlines.

Boosting your career potential is also a huge benefit of online learning. Whether you want to expand your knowledge of your current job role or gain extra knowledge in hope of a promotion, taking up some online learning could help you achieve more. Those learners who currently are in work/employment can apply newly found knowledge and skills to their job immediately. When completing these online courses, you gain extra qualifications for your CV, and expand your knowledge on a number of subjects/topics.

Obviously if studying online in your spare time is something you wish to undertake, there is huge opportunity to be able to learn new skills or even pursue hobbies and gain some qualification from it. Something that would really interest me is learning and improving my Graphic Design skills. There are a number of affordable and comprehensive web design courses online that I think would be very interesting, creative and suitable for those with artistic interests. As a blogger, this would be extremely beneficial when it comes to designing and editing blog themes, blog headers and images.

online learning notes

Online courses are easily available and can be extremely affordable. Depending on the learning provider you choose, there are a number of free courses available online, as well as many heavily discounted courses, making them widely available to many people. For those who didn't attend university in their late teens, there are many associations that offer affordable online degrees that you can take either part time or full time depending on your lifestyle.

Another benefit of online learning is that it can help with personal development. By taking part in online courses, you can further your own skills and abilities, by improving communication, time-keeping writing and reading skills. These courses can also build your confidence, be more productive and help lead a more successful life.

Some that makes online learning so incredible is the large selection of courses available to choose from. Whatever you want to learn/study, there is hundreds of courses out there, from first aid to sciences, history to creative subjects and much much more, there's something out there for everyone's interests. There's definitely no restrictions on how many courses you enrol in and the amount of qualifications you can gain from online learning, so we might as well make the most of it!

Finally, taking part in online courses from home can be extremely rewarding and brain stimulating. As we grow older, we never top learning and there is nothing stopping you from gaining huge amounts of knowledge about subjects that interest you. Your brain is something that needs interaction and stimulation in order to boost functionality, help with memory and simply gives you something new and different to think about. Online courses are great whatever your ages, so it's definitely never too late to find a new course and enrol today!

Have you signed up to any online courses recently? What subjects interest you?
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AD| Are you thinking of making improvements to your home in the future? Making improvements to your current or new home can be a difficult challenge to get correct, but with the right planning in place, the process can made be a lot easier and smoother. Home improvements and renovations are often expensive, disruptive and stressful, so it’s imperative and important that you take every possible step to suitably prepare yourself for the journey ahead.

Maybe you’ve got some home improvement projects of your own that you're currently thinking about and unsure where to start. With the warmer weather on its way during the spring and summer months of the year, many people start to think about decorating, transforming their homes and making their home dreams a reality. Whether you're adding an extension, rebuilding your kitchen space, changing your garden space, giving your bedroom a makeover, or even cleaning and repairing your home's guttering. There are a number of factors to consider before jumping straight in, and listed below are 6 things to consider when making future home improvements.

modern home furnishings

Have A Detailed Plan
Whatever the size and scale of your home improvements project, it can really help to get your layout thoughts and design ideas down on paper, to help plan and visualize your proposed suggestions. Having a number of drawn out plans and sketches can help you figure out what is best suited towards your needs, and will also help you work out how to get the most out of the space you're working with. It's also quite essential to make notes of the amount of space you have, so taking measurements will help you to figure out your future layout plans and what will work where. Another important part of the planning process is to keep a list of everything you're doing or planning to do, and tick if off once it's complete, as this will help you to keep on top of the overall project.

Cost And Budget
Many home improvements come at a high cost, so it would be best to have a reasonable budget/enough savings in place for your projects. The cost of home improvements will also be looked at during the planning stages of your projects, so you can estimate the costs of each step of the plan. If there isn't enough money to go around, you should prioritize the most significant or urgent improvements. For example, new gutters from a company like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Olympia in order to prevent roof leaks, or a new kitchen that replaces inefficient old appliances. Vanity projects can wait until you have the savings in place. You'll obviously be looking around to get the best deals, the best materials, and if you're hiring professionals, you'll want the best quotes for the job. Cheaper isn't always better, so do your research. By hiring well-reviewed professionals, you know that you will receive high-quality work at the best price. Whether your budget is big or small, the cost of your home renovation plans can quickly add up, so it's essential to make your future plans work in a way that is financially sustainable for you.

Consider Self-Storage
Whether you're only decorating one room of the house or making improvements to your entire home, self-storage might be something worth looking into to free up some much-needed space to allow you to get work started. Now Storage self storage in Reading offers self storage solutions for both personal and business use, and can tailor the cheapest quote for your personal needs, which could be very handy for keeping larger items safely stored during the home improvements process.

Do Your Research
Every home project starts with extensive research, carried out long before you commit yourself to spending any money. You can research your desired home improvement plans through various means, whether that's viewing houses for sale/your dream home for interior ideas, looking online on websites such as Pinterest, or even looking through home magazines and catalogues. Making sure to do enough research into your future home improvement projects can save you time, money and energy. With making changes into your home a reality, it's important not to rush into anything, as this is usually where things go wrong and complications happen due to poor planning and research. 

Have Realistic Timeframes
We all know that home improvements don't happen overnight. All building work, renovations and DIY projects can take a substantial amount of time, depending on what ideas you have in mind. Again, it could be worthwhile using your plan as a way to measure the amount of time each job requires and if you have any specific deadlines that need to be met.

Think About The Future
If you think that you may wish to sell your house in the future, it may be sensible to think about how the proposed home improvements you wish to make could affect that. There are many home improvements that you could plan for and implement that can really benefit and add value to your home. If you don't believe that your current space is your "forever home", this can change and impact the home improvement plans you currently have. 

What home improvements are you planning for the future?

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AD - GIFTED | Are you looking for the simplest yet stylish casual outfits that you can wear on an everyday basis? If so, you'll love these outfit ideas I've put together from FemmeLuxe!

Choosing an outfit for any occasion is the last thing you want to spend hours doing and wasting your time worrying about. For me, the best and easiest way to make putting your outfit together is to pick one item and style the entire outfit around that item. Knowing that you have a collection of staple pieces in your wardrobe that you can pair together for any occasion is a must have, and makes putting together outfits that little bit easier. 

I was recently kindly gifted some pieces from FemmeLuxe, and wanted to share some essential wardrobe clothing items that everyone needs to help create some simple casual outfits and how I have styled them with other items I already have in my clothing collection for everyday wear.

womens everyday casual outfit styling maxi cardigan

For my first outfit, I've put together a very simple, effortless look that can be easily taken from day to night. Throughout autumn/winter I've been a huge fan of leather look/faux leather trousers and jeans, and have seen myself reaching for them more over normal black denim jeans. However, the real star of the show for me in this first outfit is the long stone maxi cardigan*. This is something that I've wanted to add into my wardrobe for a while but haven't quite found the perfect one, until now. The nude coloured cardigan fits into my wardrobe pretty well, it's a super versatile colour that will go with many outfit options. Knitted cardigans are the perfect piece to complete a simple outfit, for when you don't want to wear a heavy, thick coat. I know it'll come in handy during the warmer spring and summer days, when you need a light cover up for the cooler evenings.

womens everyday casual outfit styling black tracksuit

If a two piece tracksuit isn't the epitome of casual clothing, then I don't know what is. Especially whilst being on furlough, loungewear has been my absolute go-to daily attire, simply for its comfort, but still looking cute and put together. This black loungewear set*, featuring a simple oversized crew neck sweatshirt and black cuffed joggers, both have a relaxed fit, making it very comfortable to wear all day long. I like the fact this two pieces comes as a set, but obviously you can wear each piece individually with other items in your wardrobe. An all black outfit is a definite winner from me anyway!

womens everyday casual outfit styling grey joggers

Joggers are an essential wardrobe staple for me, especially during the current climate with the coronavirus pandemic. They are an item of that everyone probably has in their wardrobes, and are extremely versatile when it comes to incorporating and styling them in an outfit. Grey high waisted joggers* are an essential with me, you can style them with various bodysuits, crop tops, t shirts and sweaters for the ultimate chill look. I was drawn to picking these joggers as I felt the ruffled paper bag style waist just added that extra detail and interest to a plain pair of joggers.

womens everyday casual outfit styling black faux leather trousers

Finally, outfit number 4, another all black outfit. This time, something a little more smart and dressed up, but still suitable for an everyday, casual look. If you hadn't guessed by now, I love an all black outfit. I find them to be so effortless, stylish and flattering on any body shape and size. I think mixing materials and textures within an outfit really helps bring it together and make it stand out, which is what I've done here. A simple cotton high neck bodysuit paired with some faux leather high waisted joggers* is a match made in heaven. A running theme throughout these outfits has been some chunky black trainers, and I also think these are a must have shoe.

So whether you're looking for some outfit inspo, or are simply on the hunt for some new sites to purchase some new clothing items, I hope this post has given you that much needed inspiration. I know I definitely want to fill my wardrobe with loads more stylish and versatile casual pieces. You can never have too many!

Which outfit is your favourite? Have you shopped at FemmeLuxe?

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