Second Year of Uni | Fashion Design (Practical)

If you want to read how my first year went, definitely have a read of that post first before this one because the experiences were quite different.

I mentioned that I was looking forward to my second year after being on a six month Summer holiday, so you could imagine that my mind was screaming for some structure and routine in my life. I went back to uni, refreshed, ready to tackle the projects. It was great settling back in, you know seeing everyone from last year, everyone's excited, good energy is flowing, there were a few new faces which is always nice.

Gone with the Wind

September is always the month that confuses us. We're preparing for Autumn wanting to whip the knits but we're still getting sunshine and humid days. Many of us probably aren't complaining, I mean who doesn't love good weather but most of you are back to work and those uniforms are not the one in the heat. School kids are feeling it right now, the blazer with the jumper underneath . . . torture!

I'm one of the lucky ones that can dress according to the weather, so if the sun's shining, best believe the toes are coming out. 

I'm surprised I didn't whip out this split tee earlier in the Summer but to be honest I've been in gym gear most of the Summer. I bought it online from Bershka back when I bought my camel biker jacket a while ago. Khaki is in still so why not throw it on, now Autumn is approaching, it'll be great for layering up too.

Are you one of the ones that can dress according to the weather or are you confused just wanting to whip out Winter boots? Let me know!


I'm wearing

BERSHKA Split Tee
PRIMARK Ripped Jeans | Bucket Hat | Sandals
CALVIN KLEIN Tote Bag
THE WATCH HUT Casio Watch


Take care,
Jesslyn.

SCRUB LOVE | Coffee Body Scrub*

*This post contains gifted items by Scrub Love, all views/opinions/experiences expressed within the post are all my own.

Coffee body scrubs. Seems to be the new craze, I've never really been interested as I'm not a huge fan of coffee and the body scrub concept wasn't appealing to me at all. As you guys know, I don't get excited by hype.

So when I was contacted by Georgia at Scrub Love and she asked me if I'd ever used a coffee scrub before and if I wanted to try it out. I was fascinated about what the hype was, so I said why not.

She sent me the Mint Temptation coffee scrub out of the 3 they offer, the Original and Coconut Affair are the others. I'm glad I got to try out the mint because it sounded like it consisted of so much good stuff.

It has coffee, of course, a roast organic coffee though, it buffs away dead skin cells without damaging the delicate new skin. The high caffeine content stimulates circulation to promote healing in problem areas.

It also consists of some amazing oils such as peppermint, argan and tea tree which the benefits being a clearer complexion, minty freshness, antiseptic properties that are good for healing and softening, soothing tired muscles and lastly, argan is high in fatty acids and Vitamin E which easily absorbs into the skin leaving your skin soft and glowing.

It doesn't stop there, it also contains aloe vera and dead sea salt that are packed full of minerals and vitamins.

So that's a lot of good stuff and benefits in one product which made me super excited to test it out.

I'm very particular with my skin mainly because it's sensitive and it doesn't play well with new products especially harsh and fragrance ones.

I cracked open the scrub and boom, the scent hit me, the coffee smell was so strong I could cry. Like I said at the start, not a fan of coffee, taste or smell but I eventually got passed the smell and got some on the skin. I tested it first on my arms just to make sure my skin wouldn't react badly. It didn't and I was looking forward to getting it all over the body.

They recommend using it 3 to 4 times a week to get lovely skin, I've been using it twice a week, my skin is quite soft already and sensitive so I didn't want to over do it. With using it twice a week, my skin has been looking healthier in terms of its glow and complexion so you can imagine what 3 to 4 times a week could do for you.

If and when my skin needs that much scrubbing (lol), I'll definitely up the usage.

All in all, it's pretty easy to use, simply get some in your hand and rub it into your skin, let it sit for a bit and then rinse off. It can be a bit messy, it's easiest it the shower as opposed to a bath, I've tried both and the bath was mayhem.

The Mint Temptation retails for £12.95 which I think is an affordable price. I love anything to do with skin so I don't mind the price as long as I'm getting my money's worth. I do wish they had different sizes so you could mix and match for cheaper but that's just me. I definitely want to try Coconut Affair next. I'd recommend it as a whole, especially if you're into scrubs.

I'm a coffee body scrub convert thanks to Scrub Love! Make sure you follow them on Instagram, @scrublove, so you can see all the other #babesthatscrub!

What are you thoughts? Have you used a coffee body scrub?

Take care,

Jesslyn

How to Feel Refreshed after the Summer Break

Summer is over. September is here. Autumn is coming, the wind, rain and brown leaves are coming.
You've had your fun and now it's time to get back to work. Work could be literal or it could mean back to uni, school, college etc. It's time to get those butts out of relaxation mode, for many, getting back into a solid routine is super difficult. You've been drankin', sleeping late, partying hard, eating rubbish food and now you're trying to force yourself to get back into a great state of mind and you're just super drained. Yes, I know the feeling.

These are going to be my 5 tips on how to feel refreshed after the Summer break:


DETOX

First of, put those bottles away, far away and get some H20 in your system, lots of it. For me, drinking loads of water helps my body rejuvenate as it should yours. 2 litres a day should get you feeling alive again, whether it be that you're dehydrated or your skin/hair isn't looking its best, a water detox is essential.



NEW WARDROBE

Majority of the time, September means you're starting somewhere new, you want to feel brand new so why not switch out your wardrobe? As you evolve, so does your style. A jumper you loved a few months ago could be making you feel frumpy or those jeans you've been wearing aren't fitting too great, well it's time to get those out the wardrobe and gets some new bits in. Depop, eBay and charity shops are great ways of getting rid and you can also make money from selling old clothes for new ones.



HAIR

I'm someone that lovessss to change my hair, whether it be from long to short, black to red or curly to straight. Since I've started my Summer, I've stuck to my curly hair, I've loved it but it's time for a change, possibly a drastic one. Sometimes you need that, a new hairstyle to bring out the life in you. As a girl, changing our hair can make us feel like a new person. So why not get down to the hairdressers and get you a new do.



FENG SHUI

If you're that kind of person that loves your space to look pretty and you've had your room/office set up a certain way, maybe it's time to swap things around. Get some plants around your space, paint the walls, switch your desk around, get a new rug, anything, basically do a spring clean but an Autumn one. Trust me, you'll feel refreshed and ready to work.



ORGANISE YOURSELF

Lastly, organisation is key. You've been out the loop for a little bit and a routine needs to be set in stone. A calendar or a diary is very useful to have, plan your week, even your month if you can. It makes life so much easier, especially if you're juggling work and education or multiple jobs.
Being able to know when you should be working or resting puts your mind at rest and prevents a build up of stress.
Another way that works for me is, setting alarms. Alarms for everything, I'm talking, breakfast, lunch, dinner, gym, medication/vitamins. It helps me get used to doing things at the right and it definitely works. It stops you putting things off that need to be done.


So those are my tips on how to feel refreshed after Summer, after any long break in fact. It's all about making yourself feel brand new and ready to work. I'm trying to get back into the work flow and trust me all these tips I've given to you guys have definitely worked for me. New hairstyle pending!


Take care,
Jesslyn

Bristol Photo Diary

Bristol, what a picturesque city.

I'm not someone that travels around the UK much, I stay in London or I go on holiday, not really a 'go up to Scotland' kind of gal. I like exotic places, I mean, who doesn't?

My uncle lives in Bristol and has been inviting me to come down since the beginning of Summer, I honestly wish I did about 3 trips to Bristol before having to get back into the flow of work.

Simple 'Kind to Eyes' Soothing Balm

The Simple eye cream bandwagon came and left and I'm now trying find the wagon to jump on. I'm not someone that falls for product hype because I'd rather buy products that I know could potentially work for me instead of seeing everybody else buy it and hope it works for me too.

I'm at that age where looking after your skin will determine what your skin will look like in 10 years. Your 20's are your free years, you want to be a free spirit and enjoy yourself but your body doesn't pause because you want to party. I am queen of allnighters, my brain is most creative at 2am, I love the extreme quiet and just being able to focus. It's all good until I've gone to sleep, woken up and my eyes look sunken in, dark with puffy eyelids.

I have hooded eyelids so I'm prone to puffy eyes, I've always disliked them, especially when I've got to leave the house 30mins after I've woken up!
This was the main problem that I wanted to fix.

This is where Simple's 'Kind to Eyes' Soothing Balm came into play.
I picked mine up from Superdrug for £3.99, which I thought was pricey for a 15ml tube. It's on sale now for £1.95 which is a more friendly price!

It consists of some good stuff, Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, Bisabolol and it has no artificial perfume/colour/harsh chemicals which is perfect for sensitive skin.
It says '. . . perfect blend of multi-vitamins and skin-loving ingredients to reduce puffiness, wind down and relax your tired eyes.'
Sounds great, doesn't it?

It instructs you to 'Apply morning and evening as a thin layer to your delicate eye area without massaging. Gently pat in until absorbed.' 
The 'gently' patting was what I found difficult to remember, I'm so used to pounding a beauty blender under my eye that I tend to forget that it's a very delicate area prone to stretching and causing creases.
I'm impatient also so patting until absorbed was annoying but I wanted it to work so I did as told.

After about 2 weeks of using it, I noticed my eyes were brighter, the crease under my eye wasn't so visible and my puffiness had reduced significantly.
The picture above was taken 30mins after I'd woken up and completed my morning routine. I applied the balm and my eyes look ready to tackle the day.

What I love is that, it reduces my puffiness, the ingredients are great, it doesn't irritate my skin or make my eyes feels heavy, it's very moisturising and it doesn't affect the way my concealer sits under my eye. I also love that it's a squeezy tube and not a roll on, I hate roll on products, I just think bacteria, bacteria, bacteria!

The not so greats bits are, the size of the tube and the price for that size. I'd still buy it for that price because I know it works and it's lasted long for me but I'd definitely prefer to buy it on sale.

So that's it guys, take care of those tired eyes and get you some soothing balm, I'd recommend it!
Have any of you tried it? What are your thoughts?


Take care,
Jesslyn