Why I Am Excited For Autumn

Print bought via Sweet Allure

Hi guys,

I thought I would just have another chatty post today. I’ve been doing a lot of that recently apart from the CB12 review and the reason behind it was the fact I was getting a little bored of writing the same kind of posts. Don’t get me wrong, I adore writing beauty content but I feel like I have lost my mojo a bit and I am taking a little break from it. I’m not saying I have stopped but I just want to get some of my thoughts down and things that I enjoy as this blog is supposed to be about me and my opinions but also about me as a person so my lovely readers get a feel for who I am and what I am about. So... I am going to talk about my favourite season EVER! Autumn. The official day for autumn to begin is something like the 22nd September but as far as I am concerned it starts as of today, the 1st September. 

Now you will notice there is no pumpkin spiced lattes or Ugg boots in this post ladies and gentlemen! I’m not criticising but I’m not too fussed about those things really. Everything else however, is what I’m looking forward to most.

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1. Weather

Ok, I’m not one to moan about it being too hot, especially when the sun is shining but man oh man, it’s just been too humid recently. I live in Glasgow and we pretty much get about 11 months of rain/wind but the other month is normally made up of a few sunny days, maybe a few weeks if we are lucky and then just some unbearably humid days with no sunshine whatsoever. What the fuck is that all about? Give me sunshine or don’t but don’t make me sweat with no chance of a BBQ or tan in return! Give me a break mate.

2. Clothes

Nothing screams autumn to me more than plenty of loose layers, chunky knitwear and some cute boots. I love the colours of the season too when it comes to clothes as they are all so inviting and comfy looking. 

3. All the Holidays

Let’s face it, the best holidays ever take place in autumn, apart from Christmas of course. But my favourite has to be Halloween. I love everything about it, especially if there is a party going on. I love Halloween sweets, candied apples, dressing up, having a night to get drunk with all my besties and then chilling out with some awesome horror movies. 

4. Movies

I love all the movies at this time of year. They are some of the best, especially when there is a good old fashioned horror going on at the cinema but I love the classics such as Hocus Pocus, Chucky and Beetlejuice. They just scream autumn to me.

5. Return of TV

As far as I am concerned, the TV situation is seriously lacking during the summer months. I understand why but when you live in Glasgow, there aren’t many opportunities to go out and enjoy the sun so you end up staying in more often than not hence the reason I am excited for some fall TV. The ones I am most excited about are Great British Bake Off, Great British Menu, The Fall (Jamie Dornan anyone?!), Cold Feet, Gilmore Girls (YASSSSSSS), Black Mirror, Westworld, How to get away with Murder, Transparent, Our Girl, Divorce, Criminal Minds and SVU. I have just finished season one and two of The Affair but I don’t think that will be back until the winter. Another great show that I watched online was The Night Of. I think it might have started already or may be starting soon but I highly recommend it.

6. Food

Who doesn’t love a huge hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows? I mean it is a staple when it comes to the colder months. Usually people will say this is a winter drink but for me it all starts in autumn. It doesn’t just end with HC, I touched upon this in the holiday section of the post but for me I love everything Halloween based with some great meat, vegetables and fruits thrown in for good measure. I am happy with a good stew, a glass of red wine and then a banging dessert, usually something apple based.

7. Colours

There is something about the colours of autumn that gives me great comfort. I just love the red, orange, yellow and green hues flowing through each and every street but it’s the parks where it’s really at. I love going for wee walks in the autumn months as the whole place is truly magical.

8. Homeware

Now this is probably my most favourite of the lot. I absolutely love going into the supermarkets and stores round about me and seeing all their gorgeous autumnal products on display. Again, it’s mostly the colours that capture me but it’s the designs on mugs, bedding, cushions, etc. that really gets me excited. Next Home has got to be one of my favourite places on earth and it does not let me down when autumn hits. It’s also a favourite due to the fact that Costa lives upstairs and I can grab a Chai Latte and some cake before walking about the store.

9. Dark Lips

I love a deep dark lip when the colder months come in, it’s just the perfect time to make those bad boys stand out. Anything that is red, purple or deep pink is where it’s at for me when it comes to makeup. I especially love Nars Liv, Mac Rebel and Rimmel #107 as they are the perfect shades for autumn.

10. Baths and Comfy Pjs

Come on now! How could I write this post and not talk about my two favourite things in the world. When the colder months come in, I am all about baths and comfy warm pyjamas. I absolutely adore it and I always buy a few new pairs of pyjamas every year. Lush and Pretty Suds are probably my favourite websites to buy from when it comes to bath products as they have a wide range and always have some great smelling autumn delights. Throw in a good book and a large glass of red wine and I am one happy lassie.

So there we have it, my top highlights of autumn. Seriously, how many times can I say autumn in this post ha-ha. Autumn, autumn, autumn.

What are your top choices?

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Life Update

Sidari Beach

Liam and John

Hi guys, 

I thought I would just check in with you all and give you a little run down. Its not going to be super exciting cause I am one boring bastard but I thought I would do it anyway ha-ha. I love Life Update posts, they are some of my favourites to read so here is mine.

Firstly, I just got back from Corfu on Saturday. I’m going to go in with this one guys. I’m sorry. On the first night, I was a silly cow wasnt I and fell down a flight of stairs! Sober as well! WHATS THAT ALL ABOUT? I only went and damaged the ligaments in my ankle so you can imagine how painful it was to even put pressure on never mind walk on it. I was pure looking forward to walking for miles each day, having fun in the sea with Liam and checking out some of the sights we left out last year but we had to stay on the private decking area within our apartment which did become somewhat boring. Im not whining, I know some people dont get to holiday every year and I am very lucky to have gone away, but when you have been an idiot & ruined your holiday from the very first day, your gonna have a bit of a moan arent you? Don’t get me wrong, looking out to the sea was beautiful and because it was private it was quiet plus it had stairs going straight into the sea but you want to get out n about on holiday don’t you? I was raging with myself for not looking where I was going that night, so the first few days I was a right moody bitch and ended up snapping a few times at Liam but bless him, he just let me rant and rave before filling up my wine glass more and more ha-ha. I’ve got a keeper ladies!

The complex itself was stunning. We stayed in the Galini Apartments in Messonghi, Corfu which was right on the beach with the sea right at your doorstep. The weather was intense, it never fell below 30 degrees so of course I had to drink as much alcohol as my body would allow to keep me hydrated ha-ha. Also this helped alleviate the pain. I would hang my head in shame at the amount of alcohol consumed, but I’m not ashamed ha-ha. I enjoyed every minute of it. I did also drink a lot of water but let’s not kid around, I was more interested in the wine and vodka!

Private Decking Area

We met up with Liam's mum and her partner, while we were there which was lovely so we had a nosey around the gorgeous streets and had a lovely wee lunch in Corfu Town. Since I stayed at the complex most days, I read a few books, not as many as I wanted right enough. Once I was propped up on a sun lounger with an endless supply of vodka & wine I found myself just looking out to the sea for a couple of hours. It was so beautiful. Along with the vodka and Britney's greatest hits blasting in my ears, I have to say, it really calmed me down.  I will do a breakdown of what books I read while I was away on another blogpost.

Moving on, as you know, I joined Slimming World at the start of July and have been so pleased with the results. In my first four weeks I lost 7lbs which may not sound like a lot but I had a lot going on throughout July. I had my sisters birthday meal, my birthday meal, my aunties 50th birthday meal, my other aunties 60th drinking marathon and my mums birthday meal so I am surprised I lost anything to be honest. Its nice though, even though its only 7lbs, I can already feel the loss in my clothes and see it in my face which is excellent. SW has been amazing, really cant fault it at all. I have well and truly found my feet when it comes to the eating plan as it’s very generous and I don’t feel like I am losing out on anything. If I want an ice cream, chocolate bar or packet of crisps, then I have them and add them to my syn count for that day which never goes over 15. Obviously I will have put on due to my holiday but I can easily get back into it. UPDATE: I lost 1/2 lb which I am over the moon with considering I drank pretty much every day and had a lot of coffees & pastries as well as chips ha-ha. 

As for fitness, I bought a Fitbit Flex (£79.99) before I went on holiday as I wanted something to count my steps throughout the day and this had the best reviews. I am in awe at this little guy as it goes on like a watch and counts each step taken. It also connects to your phone via Bluetooth, keeps track of food & drinks as well as tracking your sleeping pattern. I would highly recommend you get one of these as it’s amazing to see how many steps you can take during the day.

Flowers

Arggghhh. The dreaded Uni! I start back on 8th September and I am so nervous guys. It’s not really a good nervous either. I'm just not looking forward to it and have been toying with the idea of just looking for a job and sacking off my honours year but I may be acting a little hasty there. I think it’s because I have built it up in my head over the course of 3rd year and the fact that I have to attend a new campus. But I don’t know. The only thing keeping me going is the fact that some of my favourite people will be coming with me apart from my favourite one! If you’re reading this Heather, I am devastated you won’t be there!! It’s all good though cause I know for a fine fact she will always be up for a liquid lunch which will turn into a night out. I can’t believe it’s been three years since I decided to leave my job and take the plunge with education as the time has flew by. I am so glad I done it though as I love the course and have been lucky when it came to the friends I have met. It’s kinda sad that it will all be over soon and I will need to find a full time job, but I am equally going to be glad that I don’t have to look at another exam again or write a report on something that seems ridiculous to me. Wish me luck!

As far as my little job went, it kinda didn’t if I’m honest. From the interview I never should have accepted the role. They said some things that had alarm bells going off with regards to time off for exams, holidays and the fact they didn’t want me to become accredited with an accounting association but I took it regardless and hated it from the minute I stepped into the office. I cried every day I came home from work, and I mean full on sobbing as it wasn't what I was used to at all. Poor Liam had to console me every time he saw me and constantly told me to quit if it made me that upset but I am not a quitter, especially when it comes to my work but it was too much and I ended up leaving after 6 months. Even the days leading up to me working were filled with anxiety which is not something I suffer from usually but when my Uni work started to suffer, I knew it was time to go. Even my lecturers noticed a difference in my work and attitude as it really got me down with one actually taking me aside and asking if I had broken up with Liam ha-ha because I looked terrible (Cheers Fiona!) I am not going to butcher this small firm at all, especially not online or on this blog, but I am glad I am away from it all to be honest as it wasn't my cup of tea which was such a shame.

Achilleion Palace

Achilleion Palace

Family wise, my gorgeous little niece, who is really my cousin by the way but she is 26 years younger than me and I refuse to call her my cousin. It all gets a bit weird when I say she is my uncles daughter which could also mean he is my brother but we aint hillbillies (no offence), we do not condone those type of relationships in my family! Anyway, that was some tangent to go off on, but I wanted to clear it up. She started school this year and I missed it *crying emoji* I cannot believe my little baby is going to be five years old in October and has started school! Where has the time gone? I feel as though she was just a chubby wee baby five minutes ago and now she is giving me makeup tips due to her love of YouTube ha-ha. Seriously, she sits at my makeup table pumping the foundation onto the back of her hand and tries to apply with my RT miracle sponge. SHE IS TOO CUTE!  I missed her first day at "college" as she calls it but I was sent some very cute pictures of her in her uniform and the cuteness oozing from her was unbearable! I actually can’t get over her sometimes, she is adorable and the light of my life. 

Lastly, I still haven't found a house for me and Liam to buy, I’m still not engaged and I’m still not preggers but do you know what, I’m enjoying life just the way it is and hopefully those things come with time. He better hurry up though as it’s been 8 years and I’m only getting older ha-ha. 

Anyway, I’ve got my first weigh in tonight with SW (shitting myself) but after that, I will be buying a nice bottle of red, have a relaxing bath and chilling out with a book tonight. I don’t know which one right enough so I will have a wee look and see what tickles my fancy but I hope all is going well with you guys. Leave me a comment below giving me a wee update or send me the link to your life update as I love reading these posts.

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*All photos are my own

A Period Rant & My "Blob" History

DISCLAIMER *this is not a political/feminist/anti-religious post. It is me ranting about something natural. It is supposed to be a chat about periods from my point of view. I am a girl from Glasgow who is only sharing my own opinions and thoughts. It’s not about the goings on in the world as I am not educated enough to comment on that. I understand that men carry the same taboos when it comes to certain issues such as premature ejaculation, impotence etc., but I 'm not a man and cannot comment on things that I have not experienced first-hand so I am only commenting on things that have personally affected me.

Hi guys

"Aunt Flow", “Riding the cotton pony”, “Carrie at prom”, "Little Miss Strawberry", "On The Blob", “Surfing the crimson wave”, "Painters and Decorators are in" and "Parting The Red Sea". I don’t care what you call it but we all get the jist, you’re on your period. None of those offend me in the slightest, I personally call mine Aunt Flow as it’s the most fitting. 

This isn’t a biology lesson on periods, I just thought I would discuss some things with you and then give you a history of Lauren so to speak. If you are experiencing your period for the first time and think there is something wrong with you due to whatever reason, I can assure you, you’re ok, we have all gone through it and most likely still are. When I say something wrong, I mean with bloating, gassiness, clumsiness or being unbelievably hot at night (I will go into more of my symptoms later) but if you are worried about other issues then I would speak to an older relative or a doctor to find out a little more about it. I’m in no way a medical professional so I can’t tell you what’s right or wrong but if you feel like it shouldn’t be happening, then speak to someone about it and get a little advice.

One thing that annoys me though, is when people make faces as soon as periods are brought up. I was talking to Liam the other day and said that I couldn't do something due to my periods and his faced winced for a second. I was a bit shocked as I have talked about my periods for nearly eight years with Liam and I have never noticed that kind of reaction before. He was shocked too to be fair. I did somewhat understand it as he grew up with two brothers and his parents so he never heard about such things growing up but it really made me think, why do people still make a face when you say "Periods"? I get that some people are disgusted by it and the mere thought of it is off putting but we have to get past that! It’s as natural as peeing. I grew up in a house filled with girls and constantly had my mum and all her friends including aunties and cousins talking about this stuff so I don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed of it but I understand not everyone feels like that.  

For anyone who is young and hasn’t experienced periods yet then this is the part of the menstrual cycle when a woman bleeds from her vagina. In most women this happens every 28 days or so but could be different for each woman. The average age for this to begin is eleven but can happen anywhere between 8 & 14. Were you as shocked as me to find out it can happen as young as eight years old? I was utterly shocked, it just sounds so young. My niece is only 3 years away from that age and I would struggle with that one, I’m not gonna lie. I was a late bloomer and didn’t get a full on period until I was about 14, I definitely didn’t get boobs until I was about 15 cause I remember being slagged rotten in school and the boys constantly hitting my tiny pancakes, so it must have been around the 14 mark. Thank God my body held off for as long as it did because it was a nightmare after that. 

Source

I used to have the worst pains, I mean full on pains from my boobs to my stomach and back to the tops of my thighs and right down to my knees. The headaches alone were unbelievable and I would often get an upset stomach to go along with, what was already a horrible experience, my period. Some months I would collapse in work with the pain and have to be left alone in the staff room or a changing room or toilet. I would just lay on the floor with loads of painkillers but nothing ever took the pain away. Nowadays doctors are likening the pain to a heart attack! Its unbelievable to think that and not that i've experienced heart attacks but I agree, the pain can sometimes be so extreme that you are doubled over. 

I remember my legs gave way once when I worked in my old hairdressers as I got a sudden surge of pain from my knees right up to the tops of my thighs and I just went down! As my boss brought her dogs in every day they had little beds by the reception desk and I just remember rolling over and cuddling one of the dogs in her bed just sobbing. My boss who found me was very sympathetic and told me to just lie down and take some of the edge off ha-ha. God thinking about that now, I am slightly embarrassed, not about the period pain but what must I have looked like! A bloody grown ass woman, sobbing and hugging a dog in its bed in amongst our clients hanging coats. I am allergic to dogs too so you can only imagine the ramifications of that one ha-ha. It was horrific. 

PMS is a killer. I’m not gonna lie. I used to be a nightmare and because I lived with my mum and both sisters so you can only imagine the arguments we used to get into every month because all but one would be on her period. We would scream at each other, then stand in separate rooms crying and then come back and apologise. It was a vicious cycle that has been known to go on up to three or four times a day. We would honestly just fly off the handle at the slightest thing and then make up. Nutters, the lot of us! When I moved in with Liam, I knew I had to speak to my doctor (about as much help as a chocolate teapot!) about it as I couldn’t be acting like that with him, he would think I was the devil woman who could go through sixteen different emotions in a day and then be totally normal again.  He has since found out, I am a nightmare regardless of my periods ha-ha. My doctor recommended the pill which was ok but I put on a load of weight with it so I went back and got the contraceptive implant. I had done a ton of research on it and was pleased with the results so opted for that.

I've been on the contraceptive implant for the last six years, something I have loved as it made life so much easier and relieved most of the pain I went through each month. I could honestly say I’ve had a total of eight periods in six years since using the implant. I know that may not sound healthy but I feel perfectly fine. Recently, I decided to give my body a break and get it removed. They say that you should only get it three times in a row before removing but I decided to take it out now. It’s only now I am feeling it and I actually forgot what I went through each and every month until I took it out such as discharge, bloating, feeling gassy, ALL the emotions, low energy, nervousness, diarrhoea, clumsiness, nausea, cramps, feeling irritable, body odour, smelly vagina, loss of memory, backache, itchy vagina, regular toilet breaks, feeling horny all the time, cravings, trouble sleeping, sore boobs, sore thighs, aching muscles, trouble concentrating and wicked headaches. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind to say the least. 

So that's all  wanted to talk about. It was a spur of the moment post which took me ages to publish as I just wasn't sure about it. If you have any questions at all, just leave me a comment and I can try and help you out, but like I said, if its something serious and you don't know if its normal or not, then talk to an older relative or your doctor. The doctor may not be the best person as they normally fob you off unless you are lucky to have one who actually cares and wants to help, but if you have someone you trust and respect, then I would ask them. It cant hurt can it?

Did you make a face when you read the title?

Do you believe we should be able to talk freely about periods?

Is this a natural thing to discuss?

Do you feel as though there is too much talk and we should not mention it again?

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Get To Know Me

Hi guys, 

Well I am well on my way with this blog; I have been going strong since April 2014 and have loved the opportunities it has brought. But I thought I would do a tag today to let you all know me a little bit better than you already do. I have a Random Facts About Me post too if you wanna check that out. Please feel free to carry out this tag on your blogs too and tag me on Twitter (@__beautylauren) with your answers as I would love to hear them.

1. Do you have a middle name?

Yes, it’s Elizabeth after my gran. She was a belter of a woman and someone I miss every day.

2. What is your star sign?

Cancer

(She is a tidal force of perplexing emotion, and can be stubborn, compliant, furious, and docile, all in the same hour. She is deeply intuitive, and if she says she doesn't feel right about someone, it pays to take notice. ) This is 100% percent me, just ask Liam!

3. What was your favourite subject at school?

Biology and Maths were on the same level for me. I wanted to be a forensic scientist and even went as far as to study it at uni but after hearing of all the lab closures I decided against it and focused on work.
4. What’s your favourite drink?
Water, how sad am I? Alcohol wise, red wine or tequila.

5. What’s your favourite song at the moment?
Oh jeez, I am rubbish with songs at the moment. I can’t believe I have reached an age where I couldn’t tell you who sang what. My favourite song of all time would probably be Welcome to The Jungle by Guns n Roses and I listen to it constantly.

6. What would you name your children?
Erm, if I had a boy I would probably name him after a strong male in my family with a bit of Liam’s family thrown in too so I don’t know. We have Patrick (my grandad) Dominic (Liam’s grandad) Stephen (both of our dads, not the same one though ha-ha) and Thomas (my favourite uncle) it’s a tough one, we will see when it happens. For a girl we would definitely like to have Elizabeth incorporated in there somewhere for my gran but I like Erin & Amelia, I could go on but I will stick to two. If we had a second girl then Josephine or Siobhan (her Irish name) would be added in to her name for Liam’s nana as she has been the most amazing woman for both of us, she is the nana everyone should have.

7. Do you participate in any sports?
No sports, it’s mostly the gym. I used to play badminton and swim when I was younger for school teams but I’ve never carried that through to my adult life.

8. What’s your favourite book?
Deviant Ways by Chris Mooney and Armed Candy by Reg MacKay.

9. What’s your favourite colour?
I love every shade of green apart from neon.

10. What’s your favourite animal?
It has to be penguins! I adore them and pugs!

11. What’s your favourite perfume?
Hermes Un Jardin En Mediterranee

12. What’s your favourite holiday?
Halloween for sure!

13. Have you graduated from High School?
Yes, finished with my Standard Grades including French, English, Music, Craft and Design, Geography, Maths, Biology and Chemistry.

14. Have you been out of the country?
Yes, I’ve been to Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Malaga, Marbella, Greece, Gran Canaria, Tenerife & Australia. 

15. Do you speak any other languages?
I could attempt French but it would be butchery of a beautiful language. I would love to learn Spanish though, it’s my favourite language. I should really ask my friend Sara to teach me as she is actually Spanish.

16. Do you have any siblings?
Yes! I am the oldest of four. I have a sister, Justine who is 25, a brother, William who is 22 and a baby sister, Rhiannon who is 18.

17. What’s your favourite store?
Really?! Ummmmmm, my favourite stores to walk around are probably House of Fraser or Selfridges or Lush! How could I forget Lush?  Online, it would have to be Cult Beauty.

18. What’s your favourite restaurant?
At the moments, it’s Peters Seafood in East Kilbride.

19. Do you like school?
Well I am back finishing my final year of accountancy so yes, I think education is very important and people should never want to stop learning! 

20. Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?
Vivianna Does Makeup, Nicole Guerriero, and Pixiwoo

21. What’s your favourite movie?
Oh now you’re asking. Favourite movie is Goodfellas, it is amazing. I also love, love, love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days & Something Borrowed as Kate Hudson is one of my favourite actresses. Oh and Overboard with her mother Goldie Hawn! Four of my favourites, is that cheating?

22. What are some of your favourite TV shows?
Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, House, Criminal Minds, Medium, The Blacklist and Sex and the City, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Law and Order SVU, Chicago PD, Gilmore Girls (of course!) and Friends. I could watch any of these over and over again. Infact, I have done several times already.

23. Do you believe in the Supernatural?

Yes, I believe in ghosts but that’s as far as I would go.

24. What phone do you have?
I have the iPhone 5s. I`m not one for the latest gadgets.

25. Any pets?
No! I have a flat so no pets allowed but hopefully, in the near future when we buy a house we can get a little dog to complete the family (until the kids come along)

That’s all the questions answered guys, I hope you enjoyed this and if you carry it out, then tag me on twitter.

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