March Favourites

Hello everyone 😊 how are you all? 

So this blog post is going to be about everything I have been loving throughout the month of March! (It’s all mainly Beauty related this time lol) 

I’ve also done a YouTube video on this too, so if you’d like to have a look at that then the link to the video is — http://www.youtube.com/hannahsmithswj

Right….Let’s get started!! 

Origins

GinZing Moisturiser

In a previous post, I mentioned that I’m trying to go “Cruelty Free” with my skincare and makeup… I’m slowly but surely doing this. 

I picked up a Christmas gift set from Origins on Boxing Day last year (seems so long ago now!) And it contained two of the items I’m talking about.. one of them being GinZing Moisturiser… 

I was very excited to try this as I had heard so much about it. I did start using almost immediately and then for some strange reason I stopped.. it was the beginning of this month that i went back to it and wondered why I had ever stopped!! I LOVE it!! The delicious “Orangey” scent and how it’s so light, yet Moisturising! I use it morning and night and have seen lovely improvements with my skin since.. if you’re looking for a nice, lightweight yet moisturising moisturiser lol.. then this is the one for you.. it is however in the high-end range so best to save up for it and have it as a treat. 

Origins Original Skin Serum 30ml

This is the other product that i got in the gift set last year.. and again I stopped using it then came back to it end of last month and have been using it ever since.. it’s such a lovely product with I’d say a “velvet” feel to it when applied.

It says to apply to serum mkr information and night, however I only apply it in the evening as I have a morning serum that keeps my skin from getting too shiny/oily throughout the day. Although I love this serum and I would recommend it for anyone (definitely speak to a Origins consultant before you purchase to check you skin type) 

Origins “Out of Trouble” face mask

This is the main and newest item out of the range that I have been loving this month!! I had a sample of it at the beginning of the month as the consultant said it would help with any breakouts and my oily T-zone… She was 100% right and I have been using it 1-2 times a weeks and have definitely noticed a difference!! It has a month scent and leaves your skin feeling fresh and a little tight.. but not too bad.

I will DEFINITELY be building up my Origins skincare range this year. 😊 

Lorreal Skin Active “Wash, Scrub and Mask All In One” 

Now I know before you all say.. Lorreal isn’t “Cruelty Free” I purchased this at the begining of the month as I needed all three products at the best value for money, which this was. 

I have been using it religiously for the last 4 weeks and have definitely noticed a difference in my skin.. less oily and my skin seems clearer!! I’ve heard a lot of talk about this product and how much people liked it . I shall be joining them for the time being until I can build up my Origins range. 😊 

Elemis Balancing Toner

Now I’ve had this Toner since my birthday last year!! I have just recently started using it again to use it up.. but i still LOVE it!! I use it morning and night.. it has Lavender in it… So… At night it’s soothing and relaxing and in the morning it’s refreshing and cooling (perfect combination to me!!) It also helped my skin to stay Matte as well… Now the packaging does say to “spray onto a cotton pad the wipe of a cleansed face” however I literally spray it directly onto my cleansed face and that’s how I prefer 😊 

My Bullet Journal!! 

Now most of you all know how much I LOVE my Bullet Journal… It helps me with everything!! Staying positive, MS, planning and food.. 

I have been using this since the beginning of the year and still LOVING it now, so I thought I’d mention it in this month’s Favourites 😊

I have seriously noticed my stress levels have dramatically reduced since writing things and planning things in my journal… It just keeps me on track and i just LOVE “Ticking” things off once they’re completed!! 

To any of my MS friends out there, if you’re struggling with things at the moment, I’d highly recommend to start a Bullet Journal.. it’s been the best thing I’ve every done 😊 

And the rest of my Monthly Favorites you’ll have to check out over on my YouTube channel if you’re interested to see what else I talk about… I hope you enjoyed this post and if it’s given anyone any ideas for beauty then I’d love to hear from you? 
Once again thank you for reading.. i hope you all have had a great weekend. 

Much Love 

Hannah xx

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Things to help manage Fatigue

Hey everyone how are you all? 

So… This weeks blog post is going to be different to my YouTube video… I felt that my audience on my blog would benefit more from this post than the video I’ve uploaded.. you can check out my latest video on http://www.youtube.com/hannahsmithswj and if you’d like me to write about it then please let me know 😊

So…Back into the post for this week… As you all know by now, I’m learning to live with Multiple Sclerosis… One of my main symptoms that i suffer with on a daily basis is…FATIGUE!! So I’ve decided to focus on ways to help manage it because i know there aren’t any treatments to stop it. 

Below you will find some of this thing sthat really help me to manage Fatigue.. but don’t get me wrong, sometimes these things don’t help and all I need is rest.. sometimes that’s all your body needs in order to recover fully. 

1) Having a filling, healthy breakfast 

As you can see i mainly have porridge for my breakfast.. I find it’s the most filling breakfast to have.. it’s also a slow energy releaser, which means i have energy throughout the morning — I usually start feeling the affects of fatigue around 11ish so that’s when I know I need to rest. 

2) Having regular rest breaks and pacing

With this one I myself need to start doing more!! I’m getting better at knowing when I can and can’t do things and when I know that I need to rest, but sometimes when I’m having a “good day” I feel normal and this is when I over do it and then suffer for a few days afterwards… I’m trying really hard to make sure I rest regularly, even if that’s just sitting down to cook a meal or asking my partner to take over so i can sit.. I’m learning to ask for help a little more now.

I work a full time job (on reduced hours at the moment) and i have split breaks which really so benefit me!! I’ve also been keeping a “Fatigue log” in my bullet journal for work so we can see if theres a pattern when my energy levels drop etc.. 

I definitely think k that pushing yourself through fatigue is the wrong thing to do.. i don’t actually know how people do it? Because when fatigue hits me..Properly.. i just lose the use of everything in my body and the only thing that I can do is sit and rest… It’s very frustrating and annoying especially at the age that i am (26) and having to go to bed on a Saturday night at 10pm lol… But i feel so much better on Sunday and I can do more things! 

Your body will thank you so much when you allow it to rest and relax! Try it!! 

3) Meal Planning

The last few weeks I’ve started Meal Planning.. when I say meal planning I mean that I’ve been breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.. i want to try and lose a little weight but this is mainly so that I don’t have to constantly think “what are we having for dinner” etc, because that alone i found was stressing me out and taking up energy mentally.. i cant decide whether mental energy is more draining or physical energy lol… But I’ve found that planning all my meals has helped me tremendously! It’s like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders and it’s one less thing to think about… I know what I’m having for lunch, dinner and everything else so i don’t have to think about it.. also my partner helps me too, if I’m having a bad day he can prepare the meals cause they’re all in my bullet journal.. i also write down and create different recipes and ideas of what to eat too.. which helps me and of course my shopping bills isn’t as expensive too!! I’d thoroughly give this a try and see how it makes you feel.. 

4) Planning small daily tasks when I get home from work 

I also found that when I used to get home from work, I’d be straight in the kitchen sorting dinner out, lunches etc.. not asking for any help and basically exhausting myself! Whilst going through my recent relapse I decided that I need to come up with daily tasks to help me relax more when i got home from work.. this is when I came up with the “Daily Tasks” idea in my bullet journal.. these tasks and not mamouth ones.. just ones to help me chill out in the evening.. so for example when i get home from work I now go and out the kettle on and make a cup of tea before I even consider cooking dinner.. I then go upstairs and take off my makeup and get changed… Next I REST for 1/2 an hour.. and then move onto dinner, which I now make sure are simple quick meals like the Slimming World ready meals etc which I’ve spoken about before…

Completing these tasks have really helped me and it’s like I’m ticking off little daily goals too! If you’re struggling to relax and chill.. try coming up with some of your own goals and see if they help you? 

5) Getting things ready the night before!

This one mainly aims for when I am working… I always make sure I have everything ready the night before eg. Bag packed, clothes cleaned and hung up, lunches prepared etc because if I feel exhausted in the morning then I’ll be able to have aottle more rest instead of getting up straight away and having to sort everything out! I’ve been doing this for a while and once again I’ve found it’s made a massive difference for me! 

6) Try doing a small amount of exercise daily

I know what you’re all thinking about this one!! And trust me i feel the same… I hate exercise the thought of running or the gym just makes me want to stay in my bed longer lol!! But exercise doesn’t have to be running or a full HIT work out at the gym… 

Doing some house chores like hoovering or cleaning etc is classed as exercise, doing a short home DVD work out is too.. even going for a little walk around the block is classed as exercise too!! 

After a recent meeting with my MS nurse she told me that i needed to do 30mins exercise that raised my heart beat 3 times a week… I thought to myself that i could do that.. then when i got home and really thought about it.. i realised something… I’m on my feet majority of the day at work, I’m always rushing about and walking about.. I also walk to and from work.. so really I exercise on a DAILY basis!! Yes my heart beat my not be raised all of the time but this is what I can handle.. i try and go for a longer walk on my days off but what i think is that you MUST listen to your body.. don’t push yourself..If you’re feeling particularly unwell or fatigued one day, then do exactly what you want to do… 

I’ve also heard people with MS say to me that exercise helps their fstigue and i think that’s amazing and I don’t doubt it for a second…Bit remember.. that’s THEM… Not YOU!! We are ALL different and what works for one.. doesn’t mean it works for us all!! 

7) Do something you like and enjoy every night

I LOVE this one!! Give yourself something to look forward to every night.. think of it as a little reward.. whether it be to have a nice relaxing bath, watch your favourite TV programme undisturbed or read your favourite book.. finding something you enjoy doing every evening really makes a difference one your mood.. 

I LOVE painting my nails and creating new pages in my bullet journal.. I’ll also always watch YouTube videos or a film too.. it just helps you to unwind and relax for the evening 😊

And that everyone is my 7 things to help manage Fatigue! I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts on this topic in the comment section below.. i hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend and remember… Keep smiling.. 

Love and Big hugs

Hannah xx

What I Eat In A Day – 2

Hey everyone!!

In my most recent YouTube video I filmed a ‘What I Eat In A Day’ video… I’ve had some requests to film this and since I’ve been meal planning again to help a) Lose some weight and b) help me manage my MS I thought I would get back into filming those videos.. and here is the blog post to go along side it… My YouTube channel link is http://www.youtube.com/hannahsmithswj

Breakfast

Breakfast for me really is THE most important meal of my day… I find that if I don’t eat breakfast then fatigue really affects me throughout the day.. even if I don’t have a decent breakfast either.. I remember on the Slimming World weight loss/lifestyle change plan there would be people who would only eat a small little Slimming World bar and a piece of fruit for their breakfast… or just fruit and yogurt… I mean each to their own.. but I need a hearty breakfast to ensure I won’t snack on those biscuits that are sitting round the corner at work..

Porridge with strawberries & Raspberries

I have porridge virtually everyday for my breakfast, I find it so filling and I always like to make it delicious too.. I love looking on different YouTube videos to find delicious ways to make porridge healthier.. there’s one YouTuber that I follow and her name is Liezel Jayne and her channel is amazing.. I love her ‘What I Eat In A Day’ videos and they inspire me to have a go at making the delicious recipes.. the link to her channel is http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2d_KfjVPwh9gqoczQ9sSw/videos

Right.. getting back to my porridge and the recipe – Majority of the ingredients used for this was from Lizel Jayne’s videos

1/2 cup porridge oats

1 cup water

1/4tsp cinnamon, 1 flat tsp pure maple syrup and 1flat tsp coconut oil

(Once the porridge is cooked – mix in the above ingredients)

Toppings

4x strawberries chopped up

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1tsp almond butter

A light splash of almond milk

This breakfast is so delicious and literally fills me up until lunch time without the need of snacks!!

Lunch

So for my lunch I try to prepare and make it all the night before (There’s nothing worse than waking up in the mornings and  realizing that your don’t have lunch!!) Now because my evening meals I’m keeping really really simple.. it gives me enough energy to be a little more creative with lunch… but still keeping things simple.. we don’t wanna be burning precious energy on a massive lunch do we?

For lunch today I had mad myself a ‘Falafel Salad’.. I had bought some falafel balls from my local supermarket and created a delicious filling salad with it.. trust me once I had eaten it I was totally full!!

Also in my Bullet Journal food diary I had allowed myself some snacks:- these snacks are healthy (ish) ones and stop me from eating all of the crisps and chocolates!! Today my snacks were:- some fresh mango, 1 babybell light cheese and 2x oreo biscuits (that was my naughty snack)

Falafel Salad

3x falafel balls chopped up

1 1/2 tbsp reduced fat hummus

green salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, beetroot and sweet corn

Snacks

No added sugar Caprisun, 2x oreo biscuits, 1/2 fresh mango and 1x light babybell cheese

Afternoon tea

Before anyone says anything I DIDN’T have actual afternoon tea lol.. around 3:15pm I made myself a three mint tea by Pukka.. I LOVE these tea, its so refreshing and if my stomach is bloated then it just reduces that, which is great.. 

Dinner

It’s come to that time… DINNER!! In the evenings my fatigue is the worst so I like to make sure that my evening meals are as simple as possible but also healthy too.. This is where I’ve found the Slimming World ready meals so useful and helpful to me, I can just get home from work and choose a delicious meal.. put it in the oven or even microwave and in little time you have a meal all ready for you! I do like to add veggies and either potatoes or rice with mine as well because George and I share the meals between us.

Tonight I have had the Chicken in Black Bean sauce for dinner and because George is having let over Chinese (birthday part two lol) I’ve given him some of the Slimming World meal for his lunch the following day. I also added a Tilda Microwavable rice bag to the meal and some steamed broccoli (Remember I halved all of these things with George) I’m also trying to dish things up onto a smaller plate to try and control my portions sizes, which seems to be working well too at the moment… The meal itself was absolutely delicious and very filling.. I did however have a little desert of 1x Apple with reduced fat peanut butter and 1x banana with 2tbsp nutella and that was the cherry on top of the cake as I felt satisfied and I ate until I was full! I didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day and after my final meal I actually went and brushed my teeth so therefore I wouldn’t want anything to it lol.

Lol I know my plate in this picture does look large, but if you head on over to my channel and watch the video of this blog post.. I actually compare the plate to my hand and it is actually a small/medium plate… not one of my larger ones lol.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post.. Please let me know what you thought to it and leave me any comments to which I’ll be sure to answer.. I hope you’re all well and have had a good weekend.

Big Hugs and Love

Hannah xx

February Favourites

 

Hello everyone, how are you all?

So in today’s blog post I’m going to be talking about some of the things I’ve been loving throughout the month of February. I’ve also done a YouTube video on this topic as well so feel free to go and check that out… my YouTube channel link is http://www.youtube.com/hannahsmithswj – The video will be up and ready for viewing at the same time as this blog post.

Right, because I’ve filmed a video on my monthly favourites… I’m not going to talk about all of the products on here too, only because this blog post will be extremely long!! So  are a few of the products I’ve been loving through this month.. Enjoy and let me know what you all think.

Food!!

As you all know if you follow me on Instagram (Instagram Account hannaheliza_1990) that I’m a massive ‘foodie’ I love food, eating and cooking it lol.. however since going through my MS relapse I’ve decided to relax a little and not feel that I’ve got to cook lavish meals every night, but I also need to make sure my meals are relatively healthy… this is where the #slimmingworld ready meals come in!

Slimming World is a weight loss/ lifestyle change plan based here in the UK. Its extremely well know and has recently developed ready meals from the plan to help keep customers on the weight loss track… when I was on the plan I used to love these meals, however it wasn’t just ready meals that they do, they also do sauces, soups, burgers, sausages and now more!! You can get all of these delicious products at Iceland supermarket and they’re £3.00 per meal (the ready meals) and they’re also quite a big portion so they really fill you up.

Even though I’m not on the Slimming World plan anymore, I have been buying these meals again for the simple fact that they are so good and help me so much… I don’t have to stand in the kitchen for ages in the evenings anymore after work.. which is when my fatigue gets quite bad… with these healthy ready meals, I can just pop them in the oven and then add some salad of veg of choice and its as simple as that!!

I’d highly recommend if you’re struggling in the evenings or suffer with any type of illness and just need to make life a little easier.. check the Slimming World meals out.. or try looking in your local grocery store for Healthy ready meals, make sure you check the ingredients to make sure you’re getting the right nutrients (by the way i AM NOT a nutritionist)

My Bullet Journal

I have been writing in my bullet journal since January 2017… A friend introduced me to it and since then I have become obsessed.. I’d definitely been a monthly favourite over the last couple of months already and I’m sure that will continue.

If you’re unsure what a bullet journal is I’d highly recommend that you check out Ryder Carroll who is the creator of The Bullet Journal (I’m not very good at explaining things lol) but basically It’s been my personal little diary, food log, journal and somewhere where I can just escape when I’m feeling low or down.. I also keep a log of MS symptoms, appointment discussions and things like ‘The Gratitude Log’ and I’ve created a new page recently called ‘The Achievement Log’ and this is where I write down one thing everyday that I have achieved.. it can be MS related or anything related.. if you have achieved one thing (which I’m sure you have) then write it down as it will help you keep a positive outlook.

I’m also very artistic and love colouring etc, so I make my bullet journal very colourful so that when I look through it, it just makes me happy.. however if I want to write a journal entry if I’m having a bad day (Which I’d definitely recommend to you all because we all have horrid days and to allow us to forget about them you just need to let it out!) Then that journal entry might be coloured in colours of my emotions at the time, however I then cover it with a coloured sheet of paper and then its *gone away* sort of thing.

If you’re artistic, organised and like structures.. then I’d recommend creating and starting your own bullet journal.. even if its to help you with anything that your going through as its really helped me!

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Beauty/makeup

Beauty and Makeup that I’ve been loving in February… well all of it really!! Makeup wise I’ve been loving my Barry M Foundation.. its cruelty free, which I think I mentioned in a previous blog post and its really affordable at £5.99 in the drugstore UK (That’s in Superdrug UK)

I find that it goes on my skin really nicely, however I also find that if I apply too much then it doesn’t sit right on my skin and looks ‘cakey’ so make sure if you get this product to only use little amounts, its also build-able so you can use more if needed… It lasts the whole day again which I love and makes me feel flawless without needing to layer a lot of it onto my face!

I’ve also been loving the matching concealer (Flawless Light Reflecting Concealer) I mainly use this under my eyes, to combat those dark circles ladies! it’s not a thick consistency, in fact I’d say its actually quite watery.. I’m used to using the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer but I don’t think they’re cruelty free.. However this concealer for under the eyes is perfect for me.. I wouldn’t use it on blemishes because I don’t think it would give the desired effect..but I’m still using it and loving it… AND… will be repurchasing another one soon!!

So now moving onto my favourite lip-gloss I’ve been loving at the moment… that’s the Tanya Burr lip-gloss in colour ‘Lunch Date’

I had stopped using her glosses for a while because I fell out of love with them (I don’t know why) but have now rediscovered them again and this particular shade is my favourite! It looks perfect over a nude lipstick and the best part about it…. ITS NOT STICKY!! I hate a lip gloss that makes your lips stick together… Tanya’s ones don’t, they also make your lips feel quite moisturized too.. well mine anyway.. the gloss also lasts a nice length of time before reapplying.. I usually reapply at lunchtime and that’s it.. of course if I have a drink I reapply too lol… You can get these lip glosses I believe online and in Superdrug.. I hope they still sell them because they are my favourite and I’m running out!! Thank You Tanya!

And the final thing I’m going to talk about it a perfume I’ve been loving.. I got this for Christmas (No I don’t think it’s cruelty free but I got this as a gift so..) It’s the Clarins Eau De Jardin perfume.. its just got such a lovely light floral scent and reminds me of spring/summer time.. I love it and wear it most days.. I also get comments on it and it lasts really well too.. I also purchased a little travel perfume dispenser (Best invention EVER!!) and I also put a little bit of that inside too when I’m on the go or at work… it’s £33.00 for 100ml which I don’t think is that bad considering other perfumes out there.. if you like a light floral scent, go and give this a try.. I love it and I’m sure you will too 🙂

And that everyone is my ‘February Favourites’… I know I haven’t spoken about much or that this blog post is a little shorter than usual.. but I’ve mentioned a lot more products over on my YouTube channel and I’d be so grateful if you could check that out too.. the link is at the top of this blog post.

I hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend and I hope you’re all as well as you can be and I shall see you next week for another post.

Much Love

Hannah xx