● Laura Thornberry ● Lifestyle Blogger ● London Based ●

GUEST POST | Confidence is key to feeling your best in your clothes. There are many ways to improve confidence, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It can be beneficial to try out many different ways to find the method that works for you. With that in mind, this article will explore some of the most popular ways to help boost confidence, leaving you looking and feeling more confident.

Wear Things That Make You Feel Good

One simple way to boost your confidence is by filling your wardrobe with pieces that make you feel good. This could be a material that you enjoy the feel of colours that bring you joy or a style that makes you feel sexy. It may take a little experimentation to find out what makes you feel the best.

Add Positive Affirmations To Your Daily Routine

Positive affirmations can help you change your mindset and improve your confidence. The way we talk to ourselves matters, and a lot of people are more critical than generous towards themselves. Some people choose affirmations that focus on their strengths, what they like about themselves or noting achievements.

Smile More

No one likes to be told to smile by strangers, but it is worth noting that the act of smiling can help to boost mood. Not only this but smiling at others will often lead to them smiling back, creating positive social interaction. That’s not to say that you should smile at everyone you come across, but taking the time to smile, even when alone, can help bring your mood up and improve your confidence.

Invest In The Right Shapewear

Shapewear can be a great way to help your clothes fit better and more smoothly. This, in turn, can be a great way to feel happier in your clothes. It is crucial to find shapewear that fits your body type and consider the kind of shapewear that is most suitable for various outfits. Take a look at the brilliant shapewear options from Heist to help you choose the right option.

Take Yourself Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Getting out of your comfort zone can help boost your self-esteem, helping you feel more self-sufficient and capable of taking on whatever life throws at you. Knowing that you can handle even the unknown can be an incredible boost.

Throw Out Clothes That Don’t Make You Feel Great

You could consider going through your wardrobe to find items that no longer make you feel good. These could be items that no longer fit well, are no longer your style or that are past their best. You could consider donating or recycling these items so that you can make room for the clothes that make you feel good.

Accessorise Well

Accessories can be the perfect way to finish off an outfit. Even if you’re not feeling your best in something, the right finishing touch can completely change how an outfit feels. You could consider building a good collection of accessories, including sunglasses, jewellery, hats and scarves. These can add more of your personality to your outfit, leaving you feeling brilliant.

How do you help boost your own confidence?

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AD - GIFTED | Love the occasional glass of red wine? Did you know it might have health benefits too?

When it comes to making healthier lifestyle and diet choices, alcohol consumption isn't typically the first thing that you would consider. However, drinking occasional glasses of red wine has been linked to a host a number of positive health benefits that can improve your lifestyle and diet.

There's little doubt that consuming red wine has a number of health benefits, but those benefits will only apply if you drink wine occasionally and in moderation. Consuming large, excessive amounts of alcohol is not good for your body and your health in general, so lets look at 3 health benefits of drinking red wine in moderation.

Can Lower Cholesterol Levels

Red wines are typically known to help lower the bad cholesterol levels in your body. The powerful antioxidants found in red wine may increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol - which is good for you, and help protect the body against cholesterol build-up. The NHS free tools can educate and advise you in aiming to help to cut down on alcohol too - they always advise to drink less, but better quality wines.

Keeps Heart Healthy

One of red wine's most popular health benefits is its effect on your hearts health. Many individuals believe that consumption of red wine can be linked to lower risks of heart/body inflammation and heart disease, as well as a reducing your chances of dying from a heart attack. When red wine is produced, it retains the skin of the grapes used during the fermentation process and this is usually where the beneficial chemicals are located. Red wine typically contains a number of beneficial nutrients that are linked with keeping a healthy heart, including: Polyphenols, Quercetin and Resveratrol - which are all powerful antioxidants with huge health benefits.

Full of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are vital substances typically used for maintaining good health, as they help to protect your cells from damage. Red wine contains powerful antioxidants called Polyphenols. These are what helps protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. The majority of health benefits red wine has to offer are linked to Resveratrol -an antioxidant found in the skin of grapes.

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Independent Wine is one of the UK’s leading specialist in award-winning Italian wine, and the company stocks a large variety of Italian wines that have won some top awards. Recently, I was kindly gifted a couple of bottles of red wine from Independent Wine, to see what I thought and to share online.

1. Siddùra Erema 2018 | Cannonau di Sardegna DOC

This full bodied Sardinian red wine has a deep, dark ruby colour, enriched with aromas of wild berries and cherry, as well as hints of spicy black pepper. A powerful wine with aromas of fresh, spiced berries, made from Sardinia’s signature black grape variety - Cannonau, thought to be the most ancient in the Mediterranean. It is full of powerful and healthy antioxidants, which is a key element of the famous Sardinian diet.

Awards

Concours International De Lyon 2021 – Silver Medal (2019 vintage) | Sakura Awards 2021 – Silver Medal (2019 vintage) | Gilbert & Gaillard 2020, Gold Medal (2017 vintage) | Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 – Bronze Medal (2016 vintage) | Women’s Wine & Spirits Awards – Double Gold Medal | International Wine & Spirits Competition – Bronze Medal | James Suckling – 91 points

2. Feudi di Guagnano Pietrafinita | Primitivo di Manduria DOC 2019

Old-vine Primitivo wine has a very luxurious and rich flavour, with hints of blackberry and liquorice. It has quite a remarkable depth of flavour due to the particular winemaking process used to make this wine. The Pietrafinita wine again has a deep ruby colour, with strong aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and liquorice. Since it’s made from passito grapes, this wine has a elements of dried raisins, dates and prunes, followed by notes of coconut and cinnamon.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 – Bronze Medal (2019) | I Vini di Veronelli – 2 stars (2015 vintage) | Luca Maroni – 91 points (2011 vintage)

Are you a red wine drinker? Did you know consuming this drink can have positive health benefits?

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AD| Whiskey is a drink that divides people. Not in the literal sense - when friends gather together to enjoy a dram of a good whiskey, it encourages conviviality and a good feeling. No, what divides people is talking about whiskey, specifically the different kinds, the good and the bad, the technicalities of what even constitutes a whiskey. In fact, as we’ll come to see, even the spelling of the word can lead to differences of opinion.

Below, we’ll approach some of the different kinds of whiskey from the point of view of a beginner and show what the differences are, which whiskeys will work for whom, and where the different types come from. Learning something about these differences may help you when discussing whiskey with someone whose opinions may differ from yours.

Scotch Whisky

As you will have noticed, Scottish versions of the beverage carry the name “whisky”, without the “E” that is usually included in the word when it comes from another country. The word is from a Gaelic translation literally meaning “water of life”, and when transliterated by Scotch distillers, “whisky” was how it was spelt. It’s not just the spelling that differs, though. Typically, whisky is made from malted barley and aged in oak casks, ideally for no fewer than three years. Whether a single or blended malt, single or blended grain, or simply a blended whisky, the Scottish form of the drink has an earthy, smoky flavour seen by many as the ultimate version.

Irish Whiskey

Known for having a smoother finish than Scotch whiskies, the Irish form of whiskey is often made from a yeast-fermented grain mash or a blend of cereals. Like its Scottish counterpart, Irish whiskey is also aged in wooden barrels, though no specific wood is prioritised. The ageing process lasts at least three years, and Irish whiskey can best be differentiated from its neighbour across the sea by the absence of that tell-tale peaty, aromatic tone. Irish whiskey is produced all over the island of Ireland.

Bourbon Whiskey

The most famous form of whiskey produced in the United States, bourbon looks and tastes markedly different from its Celtic cousins - you’ll recognise it by its fiery red colouring and its sweeter taste. The production method is different too - Bourbon is made mostly from corn and fermented in charred oak casks, ageing for up to ten years. Many people believe that Jack Daniels is the most famous bourbon, but it isn’t - it’s actually a…

Tennessee Whiskey

Similar in many ways to bourbon, the big difference with Tennessee whiskey is that it is steeped in charcoal before it is allowed into the casks for fermentation. This allows it a smokier, almost treacly taste which will be familiar to many drinkers.

Rye Whiskey

The alternative to corn-derived whiskeys, this kind is produced using a mash of no less than 51% rye along with other grains before ageing in charred barrels for no less than two years. The different production method bestows upon it a taste that can variously be described as “fruity” or “piquant”.

There are, of course, other sources for whiskey, but these are the main ones exported worldwide. Which you prefer is a matter of personal taste, although Scotch is generally favoured by the connoisseur thanks to its more complex flavour profile.

Do you like to drink whiskey? What is your favourite type?

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AD| Love online shopping? Need ways to save money? Looking for the best deals? This blog post has you covered! The online world is constantly evolving, and as a result of this, it has made many things in life that little bit easier – including shopping. Online shopping is incredibly convenient, easy, and can save so much time and money, why wouldn't you want to shop this way? Nowadays, you can simply order anything online to be delivered right to your doorstep, including clothes, home appliances, food and drink - the list is endless!

Searching for the best prices online can seem like quite a tedious job, but if you have the right knowledge and know what to look out for, you'll be saving yourself some money. So, if you’ve looking for the bests ways of how to save money when making purchases online, then you will need these simple online shopping tips and tricks for the next time you fill up your basket and head to the checkout.

- Use Vouchers and Discount Codes -

Many online retailers offer their customers various vouchers and discount codes when shopping online. There are several ways to get these, for example - signing up to newsletters, seasonal discounts, and installing browser extensions.

Sign Up To Newsletters - Many online stores and retailers will usually reward you for subscribing with a some form of deal, voucher or discount code to use online. This can be extremely useful if you are a new customer to the brand and once you’re on their newsletter mailing list, from time to time, you may receive vouchers or discount codes to your email inbox for other sales and seasonal discounts on their websites.

Seasonal Discounts - Throughout the year, many brands offer seasonal discounts to sell out the old stock in order to offer the customer something new. As well as this, many brands will offer discounts at certain times of the year such as Christmas, Black Friday and end of season sales. These are great opportunities to save money on your online shopping and get the best deals. This is also a great chance to be organised for getting gifts ready for Christmas and birthdays, as you can shop ahead to ensure you find the best online discounts and save as much money as you possibly can.

Installing Browser Extensions - A new way of finding the best deals and saving money online is to download and install browser extensions such as Honey and Pouch. These online plugins will automatically search online for any relevant voucher or discount codes, and apply these to your online basket to lower your total spend.

- Use Cashback Sites -

As well as searching for voucher and discount codes, another money saving tip is to check whether you can earn cashback when shopping online. Websites like My Money Pocket and Top Cashback allow you to earn a small percentage back of the amount you spend online once you complete your purchase through a tracked link. My Money Pocket is a free, money-saving site that offers a number of online discount codes and allows you to earn cashback at over 4,500 brands - including Asos, Superdrug and even Just Eat, to name a few. Cashback websites can seem like a waste of time, and it may seem like a small amount of money to get back if each store only offers 1 or 2% cashback, but over time, this can add up and you could soon be rewarded with 100s of pounds for simply choosing to shop online.

- Use Price Comparison Sites -

To get your product, utility or service at the best price, you might have to visit a number of different websites in order to get the best price comparison. Today, there are a number of reliable price comparison websites with integrated search functions that make it easy to help you find the lowest price. Price comparison websites work by scanning the internet and gathering the total costs from multiple retailers or providers, to ensure you the best rates for products and services you require. You can usually find good deals on utilities, holidays, hotel rental, flights and insurance using websites such as uSwitch, Go Compare and Expedia to name a few.

- Look For Websites Offering Free Delivery -

Many online retailers will usually offer customers free shipping on their orders if you spend a certain amount of money on there store. A great money saving hack would be that if you realise that you are only a few pounds away from qualifying for the free delivery, adding a few more items to your order and spending that little bit more on products can actually help you save some money overall.

And if the items you added as extras are not suitable or what you expected, most of the time you can easily send them back for a refund. Another option for saving money on delivery costs is to order your items for click and collect in store, or even get them delivered to the post office, local convenience store or your nearest pick up point, as many retailers offer this for free and will save you a few extra pounds.

Online shopping is extremely easy and accessible - but the hardest part about it is trying to remember all the various ways you can go about finding the best deals and saving your money. Once you get the hang of using specific cashback sites and looking for discount codes, you'll be doing it every single time you shop online and will eventually be rewarded with incredible money saving results!

How do you save money when shopping online? What other tips and tricks do you have when looking for the best deals?

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GUEST POST | Not only does the approach of winter mean we’re more likely to reach for the thermostat to turn up the heating, the current energy crisis has caused our utility bills to rapidly rise. This obviously isn’t good news for our bank balances but putting the heating on isn’t good for either our wallet or the planet, so here are a few ways to keep warm without putting the heating on.

Layer Up

Putting more clothes on sounds like an obvious way to keep warm but instead of reaching for a thick, chunky jumper, put layers on instead. Thick, chunky jumpers look warm and cosy and while they’ll undoubtedly help to keep the chill out, layers are the way to go. Layers will keep heat trapped in between each layer, therefore more layers = more warmth trapped.

Stop Draughts

If you live in a brand-spanking-new posh and trendy London development, you’ll hopefully have draught-free doors, floors and windows. However, for the rest of us mere mortals who may be in older properties with original features from the Victorian era, we might be living with draughts coming in through the doors, floors and windows.

Block those gaps with draught excluders at the bottom of doors, heavy curtains at the windows and rugs to stop draughts coming through the floorboards. Also, if you’re lucky enough to have an open fireplace, if you’re not currently using it, plug the opening with a chimney balloon. Obviously, if you do choose to use your fireplace, remove the balloon first!

Put Rugs Down

Speaking of rugs, as well as stopping draughts coming through the floorboards, rugs will also prevent heat escaping through the floor. Rugs will trap the heat, keeping it inside the room and also keep your feet much warmer than they would be if you were walking directly on hard floors.

Move Around

When we get cold, we tend to sit around more, moaning about how cold it is. This makes us colder though, because what we should be doing to keep warm is to move around a bit. We’re not suggesting you get on an exercise bike for a full-on spin session - this will actually have the opposite effect. While that much exercise will of course get you hot and sweaty, the sweat will make you lose body heat, causing you to get colder than you were before you started. But if we’re to keep warm, we must move, so do a bit of cleaning, DIY or light exercise to get your body moving and warmed up.

Eat and Drink

Although a glass of wine and a slice of cake will probably cheer you up more when it’s cold rather than something healthy, alcohol and sugar will only give you a brief respite from the cold. Put the kettle on and have a cup of tea to warm yourself up from the inside - add ginger to take advantage of its natural warming properties.

When it comes to food, food that takes longer to digest is ideal - e.g. porridge, potatoes, whole grains and lentils. We know that’s not as exciting as cake, so if you do make a cake, keep the oven open when you’ve finished baking to let all that lovely heat into your kitchen.

Get a Pet

Pets feel the cold just as much as we do and when they feel cold, they turn to the nearest source of heat - i.e. us. Your pet might think it’s using you for heat but in fact, they’re earning their keep by keeping you warm too.

When To Put The Heating On

We’re not suggesting you never put the heating on. Not only is this unrealistic but it can also cause damage to your property. Each year pipes burst due to them freezing, which isn’t something you want to happen to you. With a few tweaks to our homes and lifestyle though, we can save on our heating bills and still keep ourselves warm.

How do you keep warm without putting the heating on?

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