Hellooo Everyone!
So today's blog post is a bit different for me because I was actually approached by a company to write this post! Now its exciting enough for any new blogger when they receive comments on their posts or receive more followers but it's different kind of excitement when you start receiving emails from companies telling you that they enjoyed reading your blog and want to work with you! So a representative from Casper emailed me asking whether I would be interested in writing a post on 'What I wear to bed' and at first I was dubious as to whether I should accept. Although I have accepted PR gifts in return for review previously (which you can see here and here), my blog generally is just for my personal enjoyment and a way to express my own beliefs. However this particular request had left me thinking, what do I wear to bed?
Honestly, I have never really given it much thought. My Bed and I share a very close and intimate companionship. When I went off to university we spent many many hours together and often there were many mornings I would awake in the clothes I had worn the day/night before - shameful, but true. I do have a few pyjama top and bottom combos from Primark and my all time favourite thing to wear to bed is a large oversize Drake t-shirt that I occasionally pair with shorts if and when I can be bothered. After graduating and returning home my bed and I became almost inseparable. However this resulted in a further neglect of my nightly appearance as I took our relationship for advantage. But now that many of my hours have been stripped from me as I have entered cold harsh reality of a concept called work it's time for me to start making an effort to make the small moments we still share together as special as possible. Although I will still resort back to my beloved Drake T-shirt often here are a few other pyjamas that caught my eye.

Asos £89
 SO I Literally fell in love with this hoodie top until I saw the price. As adorable as it is I don't think I'm that much of a baller to be spending 90 odd quid on some pyjamas (but that is the goal). If anyone has seen something similar for a quarter of the price tag you must let me know!


Asos £21 each

One of the more affordable night wear on asos I just love oversize tops as pyjamas as they are so comfortable and freeing. Also just another note, I never wear a bra to bed and if you do then you should stop immediately! One, I don't understand why anyone would, they are so uncomfortable and secondly it's just not good for you! People claim that if they wear one to bed it will stop sagging but I definitely do not have that problem and I'd rather have a good nights sleep tbh.

F&F - £14
I think I am just going to have to buy this. It looks suuuuper cosy and cute I mean come on how can I not?!

I have to say I have really enjoyed writing this post and it was nice to do something that I may have no previously thought of doing. However I was happy to do it as I was able to write the post in a way that I enjoy and still express my personal thoughts. I also will be redecorating my room shortly and getting a new bed so may consider a Casper mattress as they claim to be "obsessively engineered mattress at a shockingly fair price"

withloveAmrit 

Just to clarify that although I was given the title 'What to wear to bed' by Casper, all thoughts feelings and ideas were purely my own. This post is not sponsored and I will receive no money for any purchases made as a result of this blog post.


8

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Now that I am settled into my job I feel super productive at the weekends, hence it's already time for another blog post! How exciting! This is probably going to be one of my personal favourite blog posts as I get to share (thereby making it more acceptable) all the make up I've purchased this week. Normal people would wait until they've been paid at least once after starting a new job, but not me. I've managed to spend over £100 on make up this week just because I like to make myself feel special :)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit | Cult Beauty | £39.99
Unless you've been in hibernation for most of your beauty life you'll know the excitement I felt when this amazing purchase was delivered. I've wanted this for over a year but just never had the money to buy it. I still don't have the money to buy it but I couldn't resist any longer and HAD to purchase it. I've already given it a light trial which you can see at the bottom of this post in a lovely selfie! I got this palette in Medium. I'm already in love!

Beauty Blender | Cult Beauty | £16
I already have the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge that I have used and loved for a while and didn't realise until recently that it wasn't the same thing as a beauty blender. So I've taken the plunge and splurged out on this apparently unbeatable sponge to see if it truly works.

Solid & Liquid Beauty blender Cleanser | Cult Beauty | Free Gift
One thing that was very beneficial about buying my beauty blender from Cult Beauty was the fact that it came with both a solid and liquid beauty blender cleanser. If anyone saw the current state of my Real Techniques sponge they would be having kittens as it is literally disgusting. I definitely will be giving all my brushes a good clean tonight!

Dr. Dennis Gross SkinCare Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel & Aesop Coriander Seed Body Cleanser Cult Beauty | Free Sample
Again Cult Beauty is a pleasure to buy from as they also give you two free samples with your order. I chose these to products because I enjoy face peels ( it reminds me a bit of peeling off PVC glue at school) and also the coriander seed sounded interesting. On a side note I would like to say that I really recommend anyone in the UK to use Cult Beauty if they want some of these big names brands as the shipping was free (on orders over £55) and also came literally within two days.

Mac Lip Pencil in Stripdown | House of Fraser | £12.50
Since I discovered Mac Lip Liners nothing else really compares. They last so long and have a nice matte finish which makes lipstick stick to them a lot more. Strip down is a very nude colour that I found works so well with my skin tone and gives the desired look I cringingly tried to achieve when I was 14 with 'foundation lips' eeek!

Mac Satin Lipstick in Faux | House of Fraser | £15.50
Everybody has their go to lipstick and for a few years now this has been mine. If I had to wear one lip product for the rest of my life it would have to be this. It's a pinky nude that works so well with my complexion and just feels so nice to apply! Mac lipsticks are the best lipsticks I've ever tried.

Mac Lustre Lipstick in Viva Glam V | House of Fraser | £15.50
So the Viva Glam range are very popular and therefore I decided why not purchase one myself. I have tried Viva Glam II which I loved but decided to go for number 5 as it was shimmery which is something different from my current lip collection. I'd the colour is slightly more pinky than Viva Glam II which suits my complexion more but still more nude than Faux which gives it a slight difference (making it more justifiable!)

No7 Highlight and Contour Brush | Boots | £14
So I'm in desperate need of make up brushes. It's the one thing that is severely lacking in my makeup collection and needs to be changed. I want to invest in a good set of brushes but have no idea which ones to get or how to go about getting it. But one thing I really needed was a good brush to apply my sheer cover make up which is a loose foundation. I therefore invested in this two in one brush as Boots were having a 'Buy one get one half price deal' on all No7 products.

No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in Dark | Boots | £11.50
I previously had a pressed powder which I loved and lost on a night out in Brighton. Some lucky girl in Shoosh now has a very good powder! I love this for setting my make up and leaving a matte finish. Although the colour is in 'Dark' its actually quite a translucent powder and can be used on medium skin tones.

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Feline in Extra Black | Boots | £9.99
So I've raved on about how much I love Volume Million Lashes mascara previously, and as my mascara was running out I thought it was a good opportunity when I was out to buy some more. I was very confused when I got to the L'oreal section to see three variations now of this mascara. The usual one which I normally get, with the addition of "Couture" and "Feline" as other variations. Feline was the newest version of this mascara the difference being the shape of the brush. The picture apologetically isn't very clear so you may not be able to see but it is thinner with an arch. I've decided to be adventurous and see how this compares to the original so will probably comment on that soon.

Selfie of me creating a naturalish look with the ABH contour kit
Doesn't really show of the contour but just liked the picture :)
As you can see I've had a pretty successful week yet I am no where near reaching my goal of the perfect make up set. I really need to get some makeup brushes as mentioned as well as Ben Nye Banana Powder in the UK. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know in the comments!

withloveAmrit 

4

Hey Guys!

Cheers to the frickin' weekend! This is the first time in a very long time that the weekend has meant anything to me. Now that I am in full time employment it feels like heaven to have days when I can wake up after 7am! So today I have another exciting product for my lovely readers. Aren't you lucky? ;). This time I've been asked to review a nail product called Fuse Gelnamel.

Now I'm completely torn as to how I feel about this product as in some ways it is absolutely fantastic, and in others not so much. So without further a do letstalknails...

At First Glance...
Fuse Genamel | Boots £19.99


You get a LED Lamp (that claims it adjusts for toes, although I haven't tried this yet), a very pretty polish , the power cord you use to plug it in, a mini double sided nail buffer, a little wooden manicure stick for  cuticles, a few thin "lint free" wipes, and a small bottle of cleanser.
I liked the fact that the set was quite cute and miniature and thought it would be cute to give to younger girls as a present. I thought the LED lamp may be battery operated due to the size which would be very convenient but unfortunately it wasn't which was slightly disappointing.

lint free wipes | double sided nail buffer | manicure stick | fuse LED lamp|
power cord and plug | gelnamel polish | cleaner




What the Product Claims...

The product is meant to be the at home solution for Gel nails, and better yet, a simple all in one solution. This means that no base or top coat are required as it is all in one which makes the product much more efficient. The main selling points of this product are


- "all in one formula"
- "one coat coverage"
- "30 - second flash dry"
- "anti- chip technology"
- "megawatt shine that lasts"

Now I can say that the product does do exactly what it claims. The only thing questionable was the 'one coat coverage'. I found that I needed two coats, but I admittedly have weird nails. By this I mean that I have tiny nail beds, meaning I have to grow my nails particularly long to have decent length nails, and therefore have a lot of  the "white bit" compared to others. 

Other than that it did exactly what it stated. It really did take 30 seconds to dry and was virtually impossible to chip. I even got something sharp and scratched the surface and it didn't chip which had me feeling impressed. The polish was also very shiny and I had high hopes for the product.


The Problem...

A non chip fast drying nail polish you say? what on earth could be the problem? Uunfortunately there were a number of things about the product that let me down. First of all, although the polish takes 30 seconds to dry you have to do one nail at a time which as you can imagine isn't the fastest of processes. However I happily admit that I'd rather that, then wait 20-30mins for all my nails to dry like I normally have to do. Well normally should do but never do and therefore always have chipped/smudged nails.

The big major problem was that although that it didn't chip, the nails only lasted one day. This was because the colour literally fell off. You may be a bit confused  here, and trust me so was I to wake up with only 2 nails still painted and a bed filled with little films of colour. It was as though that I had stuck on the colour to my nails and it had just popped off. Now I don't want to blame the product completely for this. I didn't really prep the nail to the extent it suggested and I did have two coats on when it specified "apply one thin coat to that nail". The consistency of the polish was quite gloopy making it quite difficult to control. If I had more time it may have been a different story but as I was in a rush to go out I just did this as quickly as I could.
Fuse Genamel | Boots £19.99
I feel as though the main problem with this product is that it claims to be quick and therefore I decided to test the product when I was I was in a rush. However in reality you have to take time and effort when applying this product but with the advantage of it being very difficult to smudge or chip.

Honestly, I wouldn't discourage anyone from using this product as it does have some advantages. It's cute appearance and packaging as well as the novelty factor of it would make a great gift to someone with young daughters as it would make a great mother -  daughter bonding session or a nice addition to a girly sleepover. Also if more time and care is taken then the outcome of the results may vary. I wanted to review this product based on my own personality and way of getting ready as I feel this gives a more accurate representation of a product.


Let me know what you think of the product. Would you still buy it? Have you tried it and had different results or did you have the same problems as me? Let me know I'd really appreciate any feedback on the product.

withloveAmrit 


1

Hey Guys,

So life has been so hectic atm so I thought I'd do a short blog post explaining my current happenings. So firstly you may or may not have seen from a previous post that I graduated recently which meant time to enter the real world. Of course I was in denial for a good few weeks before I managed to get my shit together and started applying for jobs. Well today was my first day at a new professional job! I am extremely lucky to have been given such a fantastic opportunity to work for a excellent company in the west end of London in the industry that I want. I'm so excited to fully get stuck into work but also I am finding it incredibly exhausting so therefore blogging is going to have to go on hold for a bit... Sorry!

Talking about blogging I also want to say a massive thank you to all my readers. I've recently had an influx of comments that I will definitely reciprocate before next Monday (bear with me a bit) and also I reached 100 likes on my Facebook page! I really would like to thank everyone so much and I will be returning Facebook likes to all those who have liked and given their page urls (again give me a week). I really do appreciate every single reader who takes the time out to listen to my babble. 

And before I finish I want to give a special thanks to http://kiralcurtis.blogspot.co.uk/ who  has sweetly nominated me for the versatile blogger award. A few months back I was nominated for the award so didn't want to do another post but I couldn't just ignore this wonderful sentiment by Kira, especially since she took the time to also write some kind words describing my blog. Greatly appreciated!!

So guys I solemnly promise to reciprocate comments and likes soon and also have two excited blog posts to write but at the moment I am so tired I couldn't even muster the energy to turn the laptop on so this is written from my phone. Therefore sorry for the bad formatting I'll also update this when I'm more awake. 

With Love Amrit x
2
New Look Shoes |Urban Decay All Nighter | Bare Minerals Prime Time | Sheer Cover Conceal and Bright Trio | OPI Nail Laquer in Sweet Heart | Aussie Beach Mate Shampoo and Conditioner | Pandora Moments Single Woven Leather Bracelet |
Hey Guys

So I know I said the next post would be pictures of the wedding but I thought that it would be nice to do something different before then. Now that I have come to my 5th Month of blogging I thought I'd do something that I've seen alot of bloggers do, which is a monthly favourites post!

MUSIC
Ok so the headphones are there to signify the fact that I love music and every month I have a new favourite. August had me loving two songs both are from artists that I have a strong loving for. The first song is Hotline Bling - Drake. I've not actually seen that many people talk about this song but my brother showed me it quite early on in the month and since then I have not stopped playing it. That may or may not be due to the fact that I have an unhealthy obsession with Drake though...

The second song was released right at the end of the month and it is no other than Justin Bieber - What Do You Mean. Now, I know the music video is extremely cheesy, and seriously Justin what are you doing with your hair?! But the tune is sooo catchy and also I have got to admire the lead up and promotions team for this track!

JEWELLERY
Pandora Moments Single Woven Leather Bracelet - I actually received this as a 21st Birthday gift from two of my cousins and I adore it! It took me a while to start wearing it properly as while I was at university I avoided jewellery as it always got lost or went missing. However I put this on rather recently and it has become a staple part of my wardrobe. This is due to the fact that it is so lightweight and I forget its there, but it adds elegance to any simple outfit and goes with everything!

HAIR
Aussie Beach Mate Shampoo and Conditioner - As you may have noticed in some of my most recent posts, I have mentioned that I have been using this duo. For almost a year I had been using L'Oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening products but it isn't good for your hair to continuously use the same products so I switched to Aussie products after trying them on holiday. The reason I love this shampoo so much is that it is very light which is good for someone like me who's hair can get greasy fairly quickly. Also it smells define and leaves my hair feeling silky soft!

BEAUTY

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - Now I have not mentioned this product but it is one of my all time favourite beauty products. I cannot rave on about this enough. So you may be wondering why I haven't really mentioned it before and why it is now only just appearing on my August favourites. What happened was in around March time I lost the bottle! It was such a sad time for me as I didn't even have the money to go out and replace it. However I then found it again in July and have been using it ever since! It is the one thing that makes my makeup stay on literally all night! 

Bare Minerals Prime Time - Normally I use the benefit porefessional primer as a base but when I went to use my Sheer Cover foundation I realised that it was in powder form and felt as though the porefessional primer may be too dry to work well. So I decided to take the opportunity to try my mums Prime Time and I think I may just have to buy my own. The consistency is very silky and a little bit goes a long way.

Sheer Cover Conceal and Bright Trio - I think you guys must be sick to death with the amount I've spoken about this product so I won't go on. All I will say is that if I could only recommend one of their products, this would be the one, as just a tiny bit of concealer gives such a good coverage. If you haven't read the original post you can find it here.

OPI Nail Lacquer in Sweet Heart - Although it is painful to spend £11.50 on one nail varnish, I have to say it is worth it. The quality of these nail varnishes are superb and I especially love this colour. It is the perfect neutral yet girly colour as we approach the end of spring. It is also elegant and classy, and it was the colour I wore to my job interview!

 FASHION

New Look Court Heels - So I invested in these shoes to wear to a job interview although I ended  up being to stressed to wear heels and ended up in flats. I have loved wearing these shoes as often as I can though as they are super comfy and I can last a bit longer than usual in them. Plus they are the perfect mix of smart and casual making them suitable for literally any event!

I'd love to hear what your August Favourites were! Let me know in the comments and/or send me a link to your August Favourites post if you have one!

 withloveamrit
11

Hey Guys,

How was everyone's bank holiday weekend? I had my cousins wedding which I have to say was one of the best wedding's I have ever been to! BUT I'll save that for my next post. This post is actually a week behind but I have been too busy to write a blog post! So last Sunday was my cousins pre wedding party which means part two of my new segment called 'Asian Amrit'. Still not sure if I like that name though so let me know if you can think of anything else better in the comment section!


 MAKE UP:  Face Base: Prime time by Bare Minerals; Foundation: Sheer Cover Concealer: Sheer Cover Contour: Hula by Benefit Brows Brow Archery by Soap & Glory to line and Browzings by Benefit to fill using Chelsea Boutique Brush Eyes Prime: Urban Decay Primer Potion Lids: Sleek Palette in Storm; Lids Liner: Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner; Waterline: Rimmel Soft Kohl; Lashes:  L'Oreal Million Volume Mascara Lips MAC Relentlessly Red Finish Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray


HAIR: I washed my hair using Aussie Beach Mate Shampoo and Conditioner. I then blow-dried my hair using Pro Speed 2100 Salon AC Hair Dryer and curled using BaByliss Curling Wand Pro 2285CU





Shoes - Primark
 The venue was also beautifully decorated, all to the taste of the bride and groom.




Stage, Dance Floor and Head Table


The beautiful Bride and Groom to be..


And here are some family photos as well :)



after all the dancing the tikka (headpiece) just had to come off!




 I hope you enjoy these photos and I am very excited for my next post which will be of the wedding day! Make sure you come back to have a look!


 withloveamrit



1

Hey Guys,

So firstly I would like to say sorry for my appalling behaviour in previous posts. It has just come to my attention that I never greet my readers, ever. I go straight into topic, assuming you'd like to listen. From now on I will definitely be more welcoming.

Anyway, anyone who knows me would be aware of my love for food. Its not just a love for eating but actual love for food itself, I live to eat, I love flavours, I am a self-confessed foodoholic! So when my parents suggest we go to Bluewater for the day I say yes because I know, somewhere in the itinerary there will be food. And of course I was right.

So we've had a little look around the shops, and mum says we need to do a food shop from Marks and Spencer so maybe we should have a light snack there before heading home. Now, I was a little disappointed as eating in Marks and Spencer is not what I had in mind, but then she informed me there was a little area where champagne and platters were served. She had been before with dad and they both said it was really nice so I had to try it.

I was little dubious walking towards M&S but was pleasantly surprised when I actually got there, sat down and looked around. I had noticed it before but not paid much attention to it.

As we only intended to have a light snack we chose two of their platters to share between the three of us (they are portioned as a large lunch for one). There was the option to upgrade and have a glass of cava or Prosecco which obviously we selected. Well, actually I tried to be good and ordered water to begin with but after finding out that Prosecco was in fact low-carb (I know, unbelievable) I just didn't have a reason to say no.


My mum and dad had been previously, as I had said, and had really loved the 'Shellfish' platter. This was "1/2 a lobster in lemon & parsley dressing, dressed Orkney crab, Madagascan prawns, oak smoked Lochmuir salmon, watercress".

Shellfish Deli Platter - £19.95
I think this platter was really nice, especially the crab paste and the lemon and parsley dressing. The salmon also had that 'special' taste, where you could tell it was high quality food. I think that the overall flavours were good but a too delicate for my liking and could have tasted stronger. BUT I have to admit that I was hungover during this experience and this could have affected my taste buds. This seems likely as both my parents found it delicious and flavoursome.

Ploughman's Platter £10.95


Again this dish was beautifully presented and consisted of Wiltshire cured ham,  Barber's Cheddar, Melton Mowbray pork pie, 'soft-set' Scotch egg, sweet pickle & piccolino vine tomatoes. The sweet pickle is what made this dish as it had a beautiful balance of sweet and spice. Although I enjoyed this platter I felt like it was something I could make at home and therefore though £10.95 was a lot to spend. However all the ingredients were Marks and Spencer quality and you can purchase all the ingredients within the store too!



Both platters were also accompanied with some soft bread. As I am on a low carb diet I avoided this as much as possible but it smelt so good couldn't resist one bite. I think the guilt got to me too much though as I couldn't properly enjoy it.

I'd recommend eating here if you are in a rush in Bluewater and fancy a nice quick lunch or snack. The service is faster than that of a normal restaurant and the food is of good quality. They also serve main meals that I am tempted to try at some point also!

withloveAmrit 

0

Hey Guys,

It's come to that busy period that occurs in many Asian families during August time which is Wedding Season. I don't know why, but this is the time when all weddings seem to fall, and those of you who don't know about Asian weddings there is a lot that goes on. I come from a Sikh Punjabi background, and this Friday was the Ladies Sangeet for my cousins wedding. Now normally the ladies sangeet is for the brides family as this is when henna is applied to the bride and close guests, however on occasion the groom side also has one. There is a lot to know about Asian weddings which I may or may not discuss in the future but this post will just be so you all can see how I do my hair and make-up for certain events and also what I wear.


 MAKE UP:  Face Base: Prime time by Bare Minerals; Foundation: Sheer Cover Concealer: Sheer Cover Contour: Hula by Benefit Brows Brow Archery by Soap & Glory to line and Browzings by Benefit to fill using Chelsea Boutique Brush Eyes Prime: Urban Decay Primer Potion Lids: Urban Decay Naked Pallet; Lids Liner: Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner; Waterline: Rimmel Soft Kohl; Lashes: Sheer Cover Lash fibres with L'Oreal Million Volume Mascara Lips L'Oreal Liner Couture in 630 Beige au Nu, Sexy Mother Pucker by Soap & Glory in Half Naked Finish Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray


  HAIR: I washed my hair the night before using Aussie Beach Mate Shampoo and Conditioner. I then combed my hair whilst wet and put it in a plait. I left it in all the next day until I was ready to do my hair. I did not brush my hair. I then used some Batiste XXL volumizing spray (not dry shampoo) and Vo5 High Volume hair spray. I pinned the sides up by using some Bobby Pins.


  OUTFIT: Custom made, material bought from a shop in Green Street, Ilford (one of the go to places for Asian clothes). Shoes: Garage Shoe in Bluewater; Earrings: Clare's Accessories; Necklace Clare's Accessories


This is a  more simple outfit and look as this event is fairly small compared to the rest of the festivities. However I thought it would be nice to share something from my own culture with everyone. I will also be doing blog posts on other wedding events so make sure you come back to see more!


 withloveAmrit


4
I haven't previously mentioned this on my blog but I am currently trying to lose weight through exercising and some pretty big changes in my diet. During my quest to obtain the perfect body I have spent many hours on Google researching good diets, healthy meal plans, what to eat, what not to eat and it is pretty conflicting I must admit. I can't really give too much advice to anyone who may be in my shoes as I haven't been too successful at the moment. But one thing I can inform you on is some healthy alternatives to snacks and foods you may consume all the time without thinking about. I can't guarantee that these foods will help you lose weight but they should make you healthier and therefore workouts more productive. They may also seem obvious to some but not to others.

Fruit Juices  à  Actual Fruit
You may not think there is much difference between drinking a glass of orange juice with bits not from concentrate and eating an actual orange but you'd be wrong. Fruits are high in sugar which we all know is cbad. BUT fruits also are high in dietary fibre and contain some other nutrients that make that intake of sugar more acceptable. These nutrients are significantly reduced in juice form yet the sugar content remains high. 
An average orange may contain 3.1g fibre, 12.2g sugars and 1.2g protein  but an average glass of orange juice contains 0.5g fibre, 15.9g sugars and 0.6g protein. I'm guessing if you like orange juice you also like oranges so this shouldn't be too much of a difficult switch.
           Image Source: Pinterest
Fizzy Drinks à Water
This one may be more difficult to do, especially at first but you do get used to it. There are many different reasons why you should switch all drinks to water as often as you can. For one, it helps reach the 8 cups of water goal we are constantly reminded to drink. Water is also the most hydrating drink and often when we feel hungry it's because we are dehydrated, so drinking more water should suppress hunger pangs. Carbonated drinks cause bloating and make you feel full temporarily which means you are more likely to snack in between meals. In addition they are often high in sugar, or if they are diet, high in artificial sweeteners which in large quantities are carcinogenic (cancer causing). Water has 0 calories, and if you add ice to it you actually consume -1 calories as your body has to use energy to regulate the water temperature. I also like to have boiling water with lemon and a dash of paprika which I find really delicious and also increases metabolism and digestion. I'm not saying that you should just drink water for the rest of your life but if on a daily basis you drink water and save other drinks for social events, special meals or even just the weekends you'll be doing your body a whole lot of good!

Adding ice and lemon makes water a lot nicer to drink!

Bread/Buns/Wraps à Lettuce
This is particularly effective if you are trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake but is a healthy alternative anyone can try. I only recently discovered this is a thing and I totally love it. All you have to do is use lettuce leaves as a carbohydrate substitute! So you can still enjoy the family barbecue by wrapping the bun and cheese within two lettuce leaves and have a guilt-free (well, kind of guilt free) Mexican night by putting the delicious fajitas filling on top of lettuce leaves instead of within a wrap. As a society we have diet that is high in carbohydrates and although they are necessary for everyday living they are also big contributors to weight gain and bloating. Although they make you feel full at the end of a meal they also significantly increase your appetite resulting in bigger portion sizes. Small changes such as this means you can still enjoy food and not feel like you are stuck within a diet but still look after your body.
           Image Source: Pinterest
 I originally set out to do around 8 tips but this post ended up being more wordy and technical than I expected. I would have liked to make it more fun but when it comes to eating/drinking, the only fun I think of is chocolate fountains and large glasses of wine. I do think people need to be more aware of what they put into their bodies though.

If you have found this post informative please share and/or comment below and I may do another 3 tips soon.

withloveAmrit

A healthy outside starts with the inside - Robert Urich
8
Are you constantly looking for ways to hide dark circles, scars, markings or pigmentation? Or are you just looking for a natural airbrushed looking skin? Maybe you want fuller, longer looking eyelashes without the weight and irritation of false eyelashes. If any of this appeals to you must read this post!
5

There is a common misconception surrounding blogs, which is when you start you must have money to spend. Money to spend on buying advertising or having a top of the range Mac, a DSLR Camera and high-technology photo editing software such as Photoshop. As much as I would love to be able to have access to all of  those things, I have managed to get by on a very old Dell, my iPhone camera and a number of free services. I have to admit, blogging isn't easy and can be very time consuming. It is also a slow process trying to get viewers and I am only just about nearing 3000 viewers in total. But once you get into the swing of things and with the help of these low budget tips and tricks, becoming a blogger may be more than just a dream!

Social Media
First of all I think it is important that you have an audience that you can begin with. If you already have 500+ friends on Facebook and 1000+ followers on Instagram your chances of getting a few viewers on your first post are already looking pretty good. I personally use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram a lot and therefore hit 100 views on my first post fairly quickly. Apps like Instagram and Pinterest are also excellent sources for ideas and inspiration!

Bloglovin'
Again, another sort of social media platform but this one is specifically for bloggers! This is an excellent website to use to start broadening your audience, seeing other peoples posts and people actually following your posts! This is a must have for any blogger who hopes to one day have a very large following.

Third-party templates
Once people click on a link that directs them to your blog you want them to stay there. Although we say don't judge a book by its cover unfortunately this isn't always the case and the way your blog looks will leaving a lasting impression on your bloggers. Although you can tweak around with the default templates provided by your platform, after a while you will probably want to venture out and find more specific templates to your taste. Luckily if you search on Google you will find a whole selection of free templates of various layouts and colours!

Dafont.com
To further personalise your blog you may want to look at creating a banner for the top of your blog or a signature to go at the end of your blogposts. In addition you may want to explore different fonts rather than sticking to Arial, Comic Sans or Times New Roman. Dafont has a huge selection of different free fonts that are easy to download and install.

Dropbox
I have found this little app incredibly useful for transferring over pictures from my phone onto my laptop quickly and efficiently to upload on my blogs. This is handy if you only have one or two pictures that you want to upload. If you have a folders worth you will probably better off doing this manually or I use iCloud sharing for iPhone.

Gimp
Once you have your photos you may want to edit them to make them more interesting for your blog. For ages I've been trying to find a product like Photoshop to use but couldn't seem to find one anywhere. Therefore I was delighted to come across a programme called Gimp that is totally free to download and has plenty of features to help created a banner, or editing pictures. For example I took one of my simple holiday pictures.


and with a little editing and adding one of many quotes that I love from Harry Potter I made a picture more meaningful ( I definitely will be creating a blog post about this quote!)

Picture taken on iPhone | Quote taken from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Imagination and Creativity
This is where things start getting more expensive, and no I don't mean you'll be out of pocket. Rich content is what is going to make your readers really come back over everything else. If you write a post that you are passionate about and that contains personality then people are going to enjoy your blog. Don't hesitate to be yourself and don't just follow the tone of your favourite blogger because that;'s them, not you!

Time
Probably the most expensive yet most important requirement of blogging is time. You need time to put into your posts making sure that they have great content, well written text, interesting photos and a good presentation. Also it takes a lot of time for your followers and readers to grow. Sometimes you have to be proactive and get people to look at your blog, whether it be bringing it up in conversations, sharing on social media, following other bloggers and commenting on their profiles in the hope they do the same; it all takes time. I'm still waiting for a good set of readers but slowly I am getting there!


Are there any other free tips and tricks that you have found useful that you would like to share? If so leave a comment and if I think they are particularly good I may add them to this post or create a post number 2 (with credit and link to your blog of course)

withloveAmrit

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” - Brian Clarke

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