It's Corona time

Now if you are like me the words it's Corona time will have you stating a TikTok dance! Surely I am not the only one who has recently spent hours scrolling through the app, getting all the songs stuck in my head?

So it has been a few years now (wow time really did fly) since I last posted on here. Well life has been busy, purchasing my first home, working full time and just generally adulting really did get in the way. Due to certain circumstances and well now a global pandemic I find myself with A LOT of time on my hands to start up writing again. I find it very therapeutic to put down my thoughts to well some strangers on the internet, but if my ramblings manage to help just one person, then that will be a job well done.

30 day money cleanse

We all start January off feeling full of hope and optimism and with many New Years resolutions, but a week into the year and many of those resolutions will have been broken. This is why this year I am taking part in Personal Capital's 30 day money cleanse. With these small changes I hope to take charge of my finances! It is so easy just to spend all your wages in one go, especially after the early pay day in December with so much extra money it is very hard to be restrained.

Cleanses are a great way to hit the reset button on certain areas of your life. They help you break your bad habits and flush money toxins and set you up with a powerful plan for the future. A money cleanse is no different than any time of food or juice cleanse. With the simple 30 day plan from Personal Capital it is easy to get started.

These are a few simple tips I am using to get started!

Oooh a Malia

Last month I visited the beautiful Greek island Crete. I stayed in the small town of Stalis which although small had plenty of restaurants and bars to explore. Stalis is close to the well known town of Malia, typically full of British teenagers on their first holiday away from their parents. Malia has built up a reputation of being a "trashy" and "tacky" resort my experience was rather different. "The strip" was not intimidating and full of restaurants and bars to relax in. The clubs did not open until 2am so if you want some of at atmosphere but want to avoid the party scene I would recommend going out earlier. With two cocktails for 7euros it is very cheap! Just before the strip we discovered Drossia..this is the best restaurant in the area, we liked it so much we ate there two nights! All the food was local and freshly prepared it was by far one of the best restaurants I have been to. We also found a beautiful local bakery at the end of the strip which has so many delicious looking cakes and baklava (traditional Greek desert) they were a little pricer than the supermarkets but well worth it.

Sundaze

Wilko recently opened in Cambridge so of course I had to go and check it out. I had a Wilko near me when I was at University and it was my favourite place to go and pick up a bargain. I have just started to decorate my room as it has been a few years and it did need refreshing, so my main reason for going to Wilko was to look for curtains and also decorations. I found the perfect pair of curtains, however sadly they were not in stock so I will be searching online for them. 

After browsing around the home section and not having much luck, I made my way to the beauty department. They have a good range of beauty products and the best part it that it is all so cheap! I will be going back to stock up on holiday essentials before my trip to Crete next month. Whilst looking for nail varnish remover I came across these exfoliating mitt. I have used them before and the results I got were fairly decent so I decided for 95p it was worth a go. 

Smooth as silk

You have to rub quite vigorously in circles five times in each area for the hair to be removed. It produces a white powder which is just dead skin and hair, this can just be brushed away when you are finished. The hair removal was ok, it did work on finer hairs and left parts of my legs feeling very smooth. Although I didn't quite get the hair removal results I wanted it was definitely worth it just for the exfoliating part. It did get rid of a lot of my dead skin and my legs feel a lot smoother. I will give it another go just before my holiday so I can get beach ready. Now I just need to wax away the rest of the hair with my new at home waxing kit.

"In action"

Once my room redecoration is finally complete I will post some pictures up!

*Update: After trying the mitt again it did leave my legs hair free and really smooth! However a week after using them my skin has gone really dry and sore. I would recommend not to use these on a regular basis and not if you have sensitive skin.* 

Harry Potter studio tour

I recently visited the Harry Potter studio tour. I have been wanting to go for so long and finally convinced Mr M to go with me. I was soo exictied to see all the set and to look around behind the scenes and see how it all came together. I have to say I was slightly disappointed. One tip for anyone that is thinking of going do not get the audio tape it was really not worth the money. 

Hen party

Last weekend I went to my first ever Hen do!! It was for a good friend from University and in her home town of Guildford. The weekend consisted of drinks and nibbles at the Maid of Honour's house, we then slowly got ready and played cards against matrimony before heading out. Our first stop was All-Bar-One for a cocktail master class. Making cocktails is a lot harder then it looks. We then headed to Bills for more Prosseco and dinner. The Bridemaids did a beautiful job of decorating the table at the restaurants and made a goody bag for all the Hen's. After stuffing our faces we headed to a local bar (Five and Lime) for a few G&T's..then headed to bed for a well deserved rest.

My attempt at an Amaretto Sours

A deflated looking French Martini

Having way too much fun with the Face Mats

On Sunday we woke up to an amazing cooked breakfast made by the Maid of Honour we then got our bikins on ready to head for afternoon tea and then onto the spa for treatments and relaxation at The Harbour hotel.

The afternoon tea was just divine, I had the most delicious jam tart pastry and who doesn't love cucumber sandwiches. After again stuffing our faces with scones, pastries and sandwiches we headed to the spa. As we had finished eating earlier than expected the spa generously let us in early so we could all relax by the pool and make the most of the sauna and steam room. After an hour of relaxing I headed in for my beauty treatment I chose and ESPA facial. The beauty consultant sat my down in the room before starting my treatment to get a better idea of what my skin needs were. She then started my facial and rubbed all sorts of lotions into my face which smelt gorgeous and it was all so relaxing. After the treatment was over she explained what she had used on my skin and gave some very good advice and recommend some products, to help treat my dry eczema prone skin. I have now even purchased one of the products so I will be posting a review when it does arrive. I loved the whole day and I felt so relaxed and my face is still glowing 4 days later!!!

The Spa at the Hotel (picture from taken from the hotel's website)

Simple fudge recipe

Today I had a go at making my own fudge which turned out surprisingly well...it was just the right amount of crumbly and melt in your mouth. So I thought I would share the recipe. 

Ingredients:

680g of caster sugar 

1 can of evaporated milk

225g of unsalted butter

170g of white chocolate 

1 dash of vanilla extract 

Vegetable oil 

Method:

To start this simple recipe grease a 18-20 square baking tray with a very light layer of vegetable oil. 

Place the milk, sugar and butter in a saucepan and warm slowly on a low heat  until the sugar and butter dissolves. It is important to stir constantly during this process to ensure the mix does not stick to the pan and to avoid crystallisation on the sugar. (Is also a great arm workout) 

Once the mix has dissolved, add the vanilla extract, then bring the mix to the boil. Continue to cook whilst constantly stirring until the mixture looks similar to thick bubbly lava. 

You will then need to break the chocolate into small pieces and add to the mixture. Continue stirring I until the chocolate has melted and mixture starts to cool, thicken and goes from shiny to matte in colour. 

Pour the fudge onto the greased baking tray and leave to coolly at room temperature. Once the fudge has set, cut into small cubes and store in an air tight container.

I will be having a go at Jamie Oliver's tasty fish tacos later so will do a small post on the outcome. 

Sunday funday

I rounded this weekend off with a day at work supporting runners competing in a mud run. I spent the day looking after some local press. It was nice to meet some new people and familiarize myself with the local press. Seeing everyone covered in mud was worth the early start and I was slightly jealous I didnt get the chance to take part. 

The run was held at Elveden estate which has such a cute cafe and farm shop. I couldn't resist going into have a peek. Amongst all of the cute jars and amazing looking cakes I found a fudge counter. I do have a slight weakness for fudge and couldn't resist trying some. (The Eton mess one was my favourite). 

LDN

This weekend I spent a night in London Town for a friends birthday. We stayed in the grange tower bridge hotel and it was probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in! Bold statement there. The moment I stepped in the door I knew it was going to be a nice hotel. The staff immediately greeted us and offered to take our bags. After checking in which was a quick and easy process we headed up to our room. The room was spacious and had just about everything we could need. One of the girls forgot to bring a toothbrush but a quick call down to reception and someone was straight up with a dental kit which included a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. The bathroom in the room was spotless and was by far the cleanest bathroom I've ever seen in a hotel. I happily did have a shower and would have even gone as far as having a bath. Anyone that's knows me will say I am very picky with hotels and will stay away from having a shower, as they are normally dirty and covered in mould so it's a big step for me to shower in a hotel and be happy with it! 

The next day we headed down the make use of the pool, jacuzzi and sauna. They did have spa facilities however being pushed for time we sadly could not have any treatments. The pool area was clean and tidy, the staff again we so friendly and helpful. Having a jacuzzi after a heavy night was just amazing..just what I needed! 

After checking out the hotel we wandered around tower bridge to have lunch. We settled on all bar one...the food was good and the waitress we had was so nice too! (A weekend of lovely staff put me in a great mood). I had to be a typical tourist and take a picture of the shard as we were so close. 

Where have you been

So it's been 2 months now since I last posted and I can't quite believe how quickly this year has gone so far. After getting my new job things have gotten a bit crazy working long hours on some pretty amazing events has majorly distracted me. I truly have been blessed this year with an amazing job and boyfriend...yeah my reign as a single lady is definitely over. 

This is the year I turn 25..eeep! It is probably time I start sorting my life out I guess. I have started saving for a house or travelling whichever takes my fancy and I finally have my career on track and with an amazing man by my side. I do feel like things are staring to fall into place. Although it has not all been so plain sailing as last year unfortunately was not my best, however I did get to go to Mexico and swim with dolphins 😁😁😁. 

So what exactly have I been up to? Well settling into my new job has been my main priority. I have met some pretty AMAZING people over the past few months at work and I am very happy bunny. I have learnt so much in such a short space of time (2 months) that I feel I have grown up a lot! The other spare moments I've had I have spent in the gym (yes I am finally sticking to working out) or with my other half...you really can't beat a good date night. And pretty soon I will be the proud mummy to a new fur baby. I promise I will post pictures as soon as I have her/him. I do have a litter of 3 kittens to choose from. I feel this may be too hard of a choice and I may end up taking home all 3 fur babies. 

I have learnt lately to stop and appreciate the little moments and that's the reason by the beautiful sunset picture on this post. 

2016

Happy New Year!

We are only three weeks into 2016 and my life has changed so much and for the better. I have just been offered such an amazing exciting job!!!! (Which I am over the moon about), so I'm sure I can be forgiven for neglecting my blog over the past few months (oops). 

I spent most of 2015 unhappy and feeling rather defeated. I graduated from University in 2013 and felt like my career was really not going anywhere after applying for what seemed like millions of jobs and getting rejected left, right and centre I had pretty much given up all hope of ever getting anywhere with my career. At the end of 2015 after coming out of an unhappy relationship I decided I needed to take back control and focus on myself and getting myself happy again. By the end of 2015 I was finally on a better path and decided to apply for one last job before taking a break from the job hunt and I only went and got the job!!!!! I really do believe everything does happen for a reason as I can't wait to start and it does seem like the perfect fit for me. Everything has finally started to fall into place and I couldn't be more delighted about it. 

So my new mantra for 2016 is don't ever give up on your dreams! Be patient it will happen maybe not tomorrow but you will get what you want if you work hard. 

I heart Kiehl's

After reading a lot of positive things about  Kiehl's earlier on this year I decided to pay my local store a visit. The staff in in store (and online) are really helpful they really do know their stuff!! When you go in the do offer to give you a consultation to find out what your skin type is (mine is very dry) I don't feel it was really necessary for me as I knew I had dry skin but I let the lady go ahead and give me consultation anyway. This confirmed what I already knew....I had dry skin. Although it did give me a good first impression as clearly the guys at Kiehl's knew a lot about skin! 

I sat down with the consultant and spoke about my skin issues and she recommended the ultra range for me. I initially just got the ultra facial cream as I did just want to try it before making anymore purchases. After a few days my skin improved massively! It was no longer felt tight dry and flaky and I could finally wear foundation again! YAY!!! After a few months I did go back and purchase the ultra toner and cleanser and they do all work really well together and leave my skin feeling baby soft. 

This year as winter approached my skin again was very dry and flaky and I slowly gave up on my trusty Kiehl's cream. After around a month of just using cocoa butter I was having major breakouts that just kept coming back with a vengeance. If finally gave in and went online and spoke to a very helpful lady on the Kiehl's chat. I told her my concerns and asked if she could recommend a product for me. She did suggest that my breakouts could be a result of my skin being so dry that excess sebum being produced was causing my quite nasty spots and well she could not have been more right! She suggested I try hydro-plumping re-texturizing serum concentrate so I read through all the reviews and well I didn't see any negative comments and with 20% off in the Black Friday deals I decided to give it a go. I do not regret my purchase AT ALL. It has truly been amazing!!!! After only a few days use my breakouts have stopped and my skin feels so soft and just more healthy. I got a little pot of ultra facial cream as a free sample too and when that runs out I will purchase more!

I do highly rate all Kiehl's products I have tried. It's the only skin care brand I have gone back to! If you have never heard of them I suggest to go research now! Or pop into your local store for advice. You really won't regret it! 

* Disclaimer. I was not paid to write this post or given any free products. All opnions in this review are genuine and based upon my own purchase 

Single in the city

I am now well into my twenties and having recently come out of a relationship the thought of the unknown kinda scared me. I mean I have had a couple of serious long term relationships and have kind of accidentally never had much time alone. My friends would say I am a relationship type of girl but I have always been ok alone it gives me time to focus on myself and work towards my goals without distraction...which right now I have no idea what my goals are.

After a brief liaison with an ex (probably the only one I have loved unconditionally) which has now come to an abrupt halt. We were definitely an opposites attract kinda love story. I found myself single and freaking out. With everyone around me settling down and getting married, buying their first home or popping out babies I do sometimes feel like I am being left behind. 

I then decided to brave tinder. Honestly tinder is a weird concept to me and make me into a very vein picky person. I got talking to one guy and decided to meet up however I did back out and swiftly deleted tinder. Call me old fashioned but the idea of online dating does not appeal to me. Was was wrong with the days of actively going out and meeting someone. As for tinder guy he seemed nice and genuine but honestly I probably wouldn't have been able to spot him in a room full of people, that along with my dislike of dating just meeting a complete stranger had me running for the hills. 

Whilst I am now taking some "me" time I really do feel the pressure to settle down. Surely I am not the only one...

Florence Emily 2.0

The past few weeks have definitely the time of change. I have recently had a change of hair colour and style and I have to say I LOVE it. My blog has also undergone a makeover which I feel looks a whole lot better (I am slightly bias) but I hope you all like it too. Sorry if anyone has seen visited during the makeover process however it took slightly longer than I expected as I am not a html wiz (unfortunately). I have also decided to get my bum back in the gym. After loosing a pretty impressive stone and a half I have now hit a bit of a wall. I will keep you all updated on my progress or lack of progression. So with so many changes and a busy schedule it has taken me away from blogging hence why it has taken me so long to write this post. 

Anyway back to my hair makeover. Here is a picture of the finished product! 

Like most people this time of year for autumn (or fall) I have darken my locks. Ombré is a lot easier to maintain and with the lack of sunlight over the winter months there is no worry of my colour fading too quickly. I have also decided I need to start taking better care of my hair so I have picked up some heat protection spray which I will be revewing shortly. I love how my hair looks when curled and I can curl easily with my GHD's so I am now making a promise to myself to stop being so lazy and to style my hair properly. 

My Top Tips For Saving

I have recently just brought a brand spanking new Mini...(eep). Whilst they are expensive cars getting one on finance offers you the chance to own your dream car which for me was a Mini. I have spent the past year lusting over Minis and often found myself checking out cars in the Tesco car park. After A LOT of research and thinking I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a Mini.

Hair Of The Day

I hope everyone had a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend! Personally I had a four day weekend to attend a friends wedding and an after wedding BBQ the next day. I decided to get my hair done and had it put up by a friend at Desimone Hair. And here is the finished product....