4 Tips for That Work Life Balance

That work-life balance; do you have one? For me, I often remain in the office later than I should, work through my lunch break and check my work Facebook pages at the weekends. But am I complaining? No way. I love my job and I am willing to work as hard as I can to make the most of my career. 

In fact, my job is something I'm going to start talking about a little more on this blog - keep an eye out for my post with my tips on how to use your blog to get into marketing! However when Calibre Furniture asked me about my work-life balance, I had to admit that I do sometimes struggle to separate the two and so I wanted to put together some tips for you and myself!

Switch Off Your Work Phone
Switching off my work phone is a big one for me; I can't help checking my notifications and emails when I'm out of the office. The easiest way to stop this is to put your phone away or even switch it off over the weekend - and leave the house without it so you can't be tempted to check those emails!

Make Time for Exercise
I've said it before and I will say it again; exercise for me is just so important. Despite the fact I work for a chain of leisure centres, going to the gym is still a break from work. Getting my trainers on and heading to the gym for a tough workout allows me to de-stress from the day and spend some time focusing just on myself and my health.

Get Offline
The problem with blogging as a hobby is that it's practically a full-time job in itself. Sometimes coming home and blogging isn't the break from work I need - it's simply a new set of deadlines, emails and tasks to complete. I have to make sure I get outside and away from the screen, otherwise I would go crazy!

There's More to Life than Work
Finally, don't forget there's more to life than work. As much as I enjoy my job, I don't want it to be the only thing in my life and having a hobby (like this blog) is vital to keep me busy in lots of different ways.  Plus it gives you something interesting to say to that dreaded "so what did you do at the weekend?" on a Monday morning!

Do you have a good work-life balance? How do you switch off from work?

*This is a sponsored post*

Jess

- Bloglovin . Twitter . Instagram -

5 Beauty Tips for Glasses Wearers

I feel like I'm becoming an old lady because as time goes by, I am relying more and more on my reading glasses. I never used to wear them at all but now I find myself reaching for them whilst at work - staring at a screen all day means my glasses are a must! As a result, my make-up look has evolved to work with my frames and I wanted to put together some tips for those of you who wear glasses and contact lenses in the UK, using some of my favourite products.

1. Don't Forget to Curl
I always make sure I curl my lashes if I'm going to be wearing my glasses. My lashes are short and straight, so curling them is a must to open up my eyes and curl my eyelashes eyes away from my lenses. By their very nature, glasses draw attention to your eyes so I find it so important to make them look as awake as possible.

2. Line up
Eyeliner is another must when wearing glasses and contact lenses. I prefer a brown shade at the moment and I am obsessed with my Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl eyeliner, accompanied by lashings of her Full Fat Lashes mascara. Both give me sexy and glamorous eyes with minimum effort, which look great behind my thick retro frames.

3. Cream is Queen
I tend to stay in my comfort zone when it comes to eyeshadow anyway and I always keep my eyeshadow neutral when I'm wearing my glasses. I also stick to cream eyeshadows so I don't need to worry about fall out - especially if you are a contact lenses wearer! My current favourite is this Rimmel shadow stick, which is perfect for scribbling on my eyelids in the morning when I'm too sleepy and lazy to bother with a palette!

4. Frame your frames
You may be wearing frames, but don't forget to frame them - using your brows. Brows are so important when wearing glasses and I have recently been using the Brow Wow pencil from Barry M. It was a bargain at just £3.99, has a spoolie and it is the perfect shade to define my brows.

5. Go Bold
When I'm wearing my retro glasses, I love my makeup to reflect the vintage look of my frames, so I can't resist pairing my neutral eyes with a bold lip. It draws attention away from your glasses if you aren't so confident about wearing frames and I always feel so much more put together if I am wearing a nice lipstick. I am completely obsessed with the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, in particular the deep red Monte Carlo, and I have recently discovered they are stocked on Asos - which means soon I will probably have every shade!

How do you adapt your make-up routine when you are wearing glasses? I'd love to hear your tips!

*This is a sponsored post*

Jess

- Bloglovin . Twitter . Instagram -

Never Skip Breakfast Again!

I am terrible at eating breakfast. I simply never make time in the mornings to eat anything, despite how many times I am told that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." I'm really making an effort with my diet at the moment and the biggest challenge for me (apart from resisting delicious unhealthy food) is actually eating breakfast. 

Overnight oats are a great way of preparing breakfast the night before so I can simply roll out of bed, pop it in the microwave for a minute or two and my breakfast is ready. It's great way to save time if, like me, you aren't a morning person and leaves me with no excuse to skip breakfast. 

You will need:
35g porridge oats
200g 0% Greek yoghurt
1 scoop of Motion Nutrition Organic Raw Cacao whey protein powder
Splash of skimmed milk
Fruit on top

First, I added a scoop of Motion Nutrition Organic Raw Cacao whey protein powder* into my porridge oats. This protein powder is packed full of nutrients and amino acids as well as being both gluten and soy free. Despite its various benefits, however, I simply don't like the taste compared to my other protein powders so adding it to my breakfast means I get the results without needing a shake. 

I couldn't resist layering my breakfast in a pretty mason jar. I added some Greek yoghurt first, followed by half my oats and I then layered the rest of my yogurt and oats in my mason jar. I then added a splash of milk to soak the oats and popped it in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, I simply pop the overnight oats in the microwave for about a minute and a half until the oats are piping hot. I then add some fruit, normally banana or raspberries, stir up the oats and yoghurt and my breakfast is ready! It's quick, easy and tasty and perfect to set me up for a long and busy day.

Are you a breakfast person? Let me know if you try the recipe!

Jess

- Bloglovin . Twitter . Instagram -