Life Update | Finding that work/social life balance!

Hello Creatives!

So I have now started week FIVE of my new job! How on earth has that flown past so quickly?! I adore my job and everything that comes with it – the people, the atmosphere, learning something new everyday… it’s fantastic!

The one thing that I am still learning however, is how to cope with seeing less of my better half. I get up in the morning at 7am, head off to work at 8am then don’t get home till around 6.30pm. George makes me dinner every night, we talk about our days, and by 9pm I’m already tucking myself into bed because I’m just so tired! I finally appreciate weekends!

Also, having to go to public places on weekends because that’s the only free time you have to go shopping is horrible.. I can’t handle the crowds!

I also find that with having to dress myself up and look presentable everyday of the working week, I just want to be in comfy clothes for the weekend.. my casual sense of style has flown out the window!

And lastly, but definitely not least, I HAVE NO TIME TO CROCHET! This makes me so sad. I have mittens I’ve made Georges brother (I say made but they’re not finished yet) that are the colours of the football team he supports that stare at me every evening but I just don’t have the energy to pick them up! They were originally for Christmas, then for his birthday (which is tomorrow) and now it looks like they’ll just be a ‘oh I made these for you for no special occasion’ present! (Which isn’t such a bad thing).

Adjusting to full time working life as well as a brand new location at the same time is hard. I won’t lie, there’s been a fair share of tears that George has had to wipe away and tell me everything will be okay, but I just don’t love this place as much as I loved Nottingham. Maybe that’s because I don’t know it yet and I’ve not had the chance to explore? Maybe it’s because it’s so much more expensive due to it being commuter belt to London? Who knows. I know I love my job and I know I come home everyday to the person I love, so what else do I really need – I shouldn’t be greedy.

Anyway, once I FINALLY get my act together (or you could say settle into a routine) and finish the mittens/gloves, I’ll be sure to show you them!

Life update complete!

How do you balance your work and social time? Any tips? Also, enjoy the picture/featured image of our new kitchen… it’s pretty dreamy. (P.s. we now have the worlds smallest washing machine – more on that another time – and bar stools!)

Until next time,

Love Lana xxx

Plantastic IKEA Haul

Aloe there!

After recently moving into our furnished apartment, George and I felt like there were a few things missing that we didn’t have, such as side plates, a bookcase, and wine glasses among others, so we decided to take a trip to IKEA! You’re probably expecting me to go on about these items, however the majority of what we came home with were PLANTS!

Having previously lived in shared student housing, purchasing decorative items for any room other than my bedroom, nice kitchen appliances or plants were just a massive no no! Everything would get lost, broken whilst drunk or die. So for the FIRST time, I was able to enjoy shopping for home items, for my own home.

Currently (and im honestly not sure how long they’ve had these or how long they will still have these) IKEA has been offering a set of three different potted baby cacti. They come in green, lime green, baby pink and white. I personally didnt select them on the pot colour but the specific cacti within the set. Some gave me goosebumps and were all hairy, others looked cobwebby, and the ones i seleced were perfect.

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3

CACTACEAE £4.50 for 3 different cacti. Pot colours can beseen in the image above.

My colllection!

They just seem to make such a difference to the room, and i think they’re to blame for the the rest of the haul. It’s an addiction.

After walking around IKEA and collecting all the other items we needed we continued to the tills. Right before the store room was the plant section… 3 steps in and I had my sights set onto a shelf of baby aloe vera plants! You may or may not know that aloe vera plants are relatively expensive and have many usages, from beauty to lifestyle.

 

ALOE VERA £2.50

ALOE VERA £2.50

SOCKER 12cm £1.25

ALOE VERA £2.50, SOCKER 12cm £1.25. I placed my ALOE VERA into the SOCKER  tin to give it a nicer finish for the house. The SOCKER tin is also galvanised to protect against erosion.

Aloe Vera has many benefits, i know it has soothed me through a few burns!
Ive done a little bit of research so you don’t have to and have listed some of these benefits below.

So, according to Marie Claire, aloe vera juice is:

1. Detoxifying
2. Supportive of the immune system
3. Able to lower cholesterol & blood sugar levels
4. Excellent for digestion (and constipation)
5. And easy way to boost your vitamin and mineral intake
6. Good for burns, acne and hydrating your skin!

Read the article HERE

According to Prevention.com it can be used as:

1. A make up remover when used in the form of pure aloe vera gel
2. A shaving cream
3. A soothing ice cube
4. A face wash
5. and many more!

Read more from Prevention.com HERE

And finally, according to Healthline.com, aloe vera can be useful for:

1. Heartburn – Consume 1-3 ounces of pure aloe gel. As aloe vera has a very low toxicity level, it is very safe.
2. Keeping ruit nd vegetables for longer – by cating them in aloe gel, it keeps bacteria away making your fruit and veg freshers for longer!
3. Use as an alternative mouthwash – I will block plaque and also provide pain relief for sore gums. It also contains vitamin C.

And to read more interesting facts about aloe vera, just click HERE

There are so many websites that will advise you on the uses of aloe vera, as well as suppliers of aloe vera houseplants and gels, so go have a look and make use of its wonderful properties! I know i will!

Lana xxx

Snack On Life!

In order to be able to open up on this blog, i realise the more you know about me and this blog itself, the eaiser it is to relate. So lets start with this blog. I previously posted about my struggles with finding my feet with this blog (and i guess the fact that im still figuring it all out).  You can have a read here if you fancy!

The name of this blog was originally (and still in the URL) BlueHillSpace. You’re probably wondering whyyyyyy?  Well, honestly, picking a name for a blog is super duper difficult as youre stuck with it FOREVER (kind of..). I wanted something with meaning, something that would catch on, and something that i wouldn’t regret. It originated from the street that myself and my other half lived on in Wales when we started this blog up. It was called Brynglas Road, “bryn” meaning blue, and “glas” meaning hill. Pretty straight forward right? I guess it had meaning, and will always tie this blog to its birth location, and “space” highlighting the blog as a space for creativity.

Honestly, i guess i grew out of it in a way, especially when the clothing line ‘Zero Space’ came to an end. And i changed (the header name, as the URL is unchangeable) to Snack On Life, Freshie. I thought “freshie” sounded ‘cool’ and connected the blog to university life more, urgh such a bad idea, and as you can see i got rid of that preeeeeeetty quick. I also added the tag line of ‘what do you do when everything’s new?’ quite simply because it rhymed, nothing was new, i was in a very familiar place doing the same old familiar things…

“Snack On Life!”

Snacking is probably one of my favourite things, and although the message behind the slogan “Binge on life” would have been a lot more meaningful, i like snacking, it means you can take a break and when you feel like it, snack again.

“What do you do when everything’s new?”

Only recently coming back to this blog have i found my tag line VERY fitting. I will be moving to a new city, a new university, and a new living situation (although having lived with George for the past two years, we are now in our own apartment rather than shared accommodation!). Everything will be new, even down to having my first new car!

So what DO you do when everything’s new? Well, what im going to do is blog about it! Take it all in and blog about the experience.

Are you starting something new? Let me know! I really want to engage more!

Here’s to NEW,

Love Lana xxx

 

Im new to this, and this is a big step for me…

So, although very known to those who know me in person, those of you who don’t know me should know that make up is not my friend. I don’t understand it, i don’t know what works with my face, and i feel very claustrophobic pancaked up.

I embrace spots, and i’m someone who enjoys making homemade face masks, and the natural look. But there are times when i want to go out with all my glammed up friends who look stunning, and i wish that i could get my face to look that way; currently i do the winged eye liner and mascara… and thats it… nothing special in the slightest.

Whilst at my latest cheer competition, i had multiple hours to wait before competing, and wanted to play around with my friend Amy’s make up and see what creation i could come up with on my face, just to look good in the photos! And i think i may have opened the door, knocked down the nerves, and made it that one step closer to the world of eyeshadow (i was using her naked palette though…)

To top it all off, i’ve finally found a BB cream in my colour, which saves me from the world of foundation! I’d like to greatly thank Nivea for their medium to dark shade of BB cream – you’ve made me feel more girly, and are my new favourite replacement for a foundation! (not that i wore any previously, but you see where i’m going with this!). I’m wearing it in the photos below!

Instead of throwing myself in to the overly priced deep end of the eye shaddow world, and purchasing myself a Naked Palette, i went for a cheap £2.99 palette (usually £3.99, but was on offer), called eyes uncovered in nude, by Collection. I know you beauty bloggers will be screaming, but i’m so new to it, that for now, this will do!

I started using the third one in (called “biscuit”) and then worked in the darker tones towards the outer edge of my eyes. Below are a few photos of my first attempt! I know theres so much room to improve, and any advice would seriously help me!

i apologise for the lack of eyebrow game, as well as the hair leaning towards the greasy side, oops…
I think i’m getting there with this make up thing, slowly slowly…
Id love your opinions and ideas for me to try next!

– Lana xoxo