Am I A Real Woman?

Since I don't think anyone ever really reads my little corner of the internet, I thought I'd blog today about something that's on my mind. Body Issues.

To give you a bit of background... I'm 5ft7, generally a size 10 but sometimes an 8 on top, and I'm pear shaped. I'm not tall or skinny enough to be a supermodel in a magazine, nor am I big enough to be called a "real woman" by the media either. But I am healthy.

I go running, I do pilates, I balance my love of cupcakes and carbs with lots of veggies. My BMI is in the healthy zone. But somehow, I've been made to feel awkward about it by society. The pressure to look a certain way is crazy. Sometimes I feel like the media looks down on me for not having perfectly chiseled abs like Cameron Diaz and at the same time says I'm not a real woman because I don't have "curves". I feel awkwardly in between.

I'm all for body confidence. I love it that the media mentality of "skinnier the better" is being broken by plus-size women. But please don't forget me, the girl who's somewhere in the middle. Please don't tell me I'm not real because my curves aren't as big as yours, because I am. We are all real, and we all come in different sizes.

My dream is to be celebrated for being healthy. I want ALL women to be celebrated for that. Regardless of size or shape, I want to be able to say that healthy is beautiful, because it is. What's more, healthy is universally achievable, women aren't all the same and we will never all fit the same mould. But we can all be healthy. I can be healthy, supermodels can be healthy, plus-sized ladies can be healthy.

Until the media stops selling size as important and starts selling health as important, there will always be someone left out. But that's just my thoughts... What do you think?

5 Reasons Why I Love Working in an Office

Yesterday marked 2 weeks of me working at my summer job in an office and so far I've loved working in an office. Maybe it's just that the one I work in is great (it is), but it's made me wonder if I might like to work in an office in the future... Without further ado, here are a few reasons why I love offices.

1) The Stationary - I'm a bit of a stationary addict I'll admit. I love coloured planners, post it notes, to do lists, anything that's highlighted - they're kinda my thing. An office is a place where it makes me feel organised and motivated, instead of silly and a procrastinator.

2) The Dress - I love that I can dress smartly at work, it's such a nice change from the typical uni dress code! It's crazy how amazing doing my hair and makeup properly makes me feel! 

3) The Constant Coffee - Working on the phones constantly gives me a great opportunity to drink lots of coffee to keep passionate and engaging!

4) Getting to Chat to People All Day - I guess this is probably just due to the phones and being in an office full of other bubbly people, but I love that it's rare that I'm not talking to someone!

5) Being part of a Team - I love that everyone in the office, regardless of their job or department is working towards the same goals and that in my department I have people there that I can encourage and also be encouraged by.

So to sum it up, I love offices. Can you tell?

First-year Thankyous - Beware, mush awaits you!

Yesterday I officially became a tenant of a house and I am so darn excited! Maybe it's the new house contract, or maybe it's just that time of year, but either way I'm feeling a bit mushed up and nostalgic. Prepare the sick bucket guys... Here's my thank you to just a few groups of people who have made my first year at uni awesome!

The Future Housemates

I'm honestly not sure if I would have survived this year without this lovely bunch and I cannot wait to live with them next year. Thank you Ryan for giving the best advice and for being awesome fun to hang out with. Thank you Meera for being the kind of person who cheers up everyones day instantly by laughing and smiling all the time! Thank you Reesha for always being honest with me when you know I need to hear it, and for giving me an excuse to sing along to cheesy pop like 1D and Nicki Minaj. Thank you Georgina for being the kind of person I can always talk to about stuff, for being my German buddy and for helping me out with Dutch! And finally Tom, for being the kind of person I can talk to about anything, for encouraging me to go for the things I want to achieve and for your awesome dinosaur impersonation!

The German Lot

Thank you for being so much fun on nights out, for all the laughs, and for being the kind of people you always feel you can talk to and depend on. Thank you girls for the fun girly chats and movie nights, and thank you to the guys for being such a good laugh to have around! Ich habe für sie Liebe.

The Church Crew

I cannot thank my friends at church enough. Thank you to my mid-week core group for making me feel like a part of the church family and for being there for me through thick and thin. It makes me so happy to know I have such an awesome group of people to laugh and cry with. Thank you to the other students for being such a laugh and fun to hang out with. A special shout out goes to Hannah for the constant lifts to things, and to both Hannah and Marilyn for being people I can confide in and trust with anything and everything!

There are so many others that I totally don't have space to write about, but they're also very awesome and I love them. I just thought these 3 groups needed a special mention!

10 things before I'm 20.

In just over 2 months I'm turning 20. Yeah, 20... I know that being 20 doesn't particularly mean anything except a new number, but with the whole summer in front of me before then, I thought I'd write a list of things I'd love to achieve over the summer. I'm totally a list person, I find them so motivating!

1) Get into the habit of regularly spending more quality time with God.

2) Finish reading "Le diable s'habille Prada" aka a french copy of The Devil Wear Prada.

3) Find an awesome 18th Birthday present for my sister's birthday in August.

4) Experiment and find some new cheap, healthy dinner recipes. Pasta and Noodles can only go so far...

5) Bake Brownies for Judy. She's awesome, always been there for me and totally deserves some.

6) Exercise 6 times a week for between 1/2 an hour and an hour. I've been doing this a while, but really don't wanna get lazy with it now I'm home from uni for the summer.

7) Go charity shop shopping to find awesome things for the house next year. I would love to find some tea/coffee/hot chocolate pots!

8) Upload blog posts more regularly. I love doing it, I just want to be more consistent!

9) Get better at saving things. This blog post is the second thing I've accidentally not save and lost in two days, ridiculous!

10) Find little ways to show love to the people I care about. I want to be someone who shows people that I care about them, and why not start now!

Woah, this seems like a lot, I hope I can achieve all of them! Have you got any things you want to achieve this summer?

The One About Growing Up

A week today, I will be preparing for my first day at work. After 19 years of life, I finally have what I like to call a "grown-uppy office job" Mature, I know. Despite this job, in reality, only being a part-time summer temp job, I can't help but feel hella grown-up. The idea of being professional and mature excites me to no end.

Which makes me wonder, when on earth did I become an adult? Sure, I've been living independent from my parents for a year now at uni. But I just don't get it. Even just yesterday, on holiday with my family I reverted back to a younger version of myself... Daddy, pleeeease can we get the big curly sausage? Despite that, it feels like I've suddenly entered the world of adulthood, and even though inwardly I feel the same as I did at age 14, people seem to be treating me as an adult. Trust me, it's weird.

Maybe growing up is just a thing that kind of happens. Silently, without you realising, you change from the little girl you used to be, to the woman you're going to be. And maybe that's okay. Maybe it's better that we have no idea that it's happening, 'cause if we did, we'd cling tighter to all the things we're leaving behind, instead of being excited for what's to come. But growing up doesn't always have to mean moving on, somethings will forever remain. I will always secretly want to be a famous rapper, I will always think my mum's lasagne is the best lasagne in the world, and I will always, always choose the most chocolatey pudding on the menu. It's kinda what makes me, me.

I think growing up is a good thing. I just hope that "past girl me" has helped "present me" to become the kick-ass, strong, independent woman that I one day hope to be.

Product Punch-up: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation vs. Serum

I thought I'd give a bit of a comparison review today. I've been using Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation regularly for the past couple of years and really love it, but I'm running out of it and they only had the serum version at my local Boots so I thought I'd give it a whirl! 

Anyway, let's get into it...

Feel: Neither foundations feel heavy on the skin, but the serum feels like pretty much nothing on the skin, which if you're anything like me is awesome!

Coverage: Now coverage is a difficult thing to judge as everyone has different preferences. The foundation has higher coverage, but still on the medium spectrum, whereas the serum has a lighter coverage, more similar to what I'd expect from a tinted moisturiser for example.

Finish: Both are fairly naturally dewy (dewy not shiny!), however I prefer the serum as it looks more natural... and I'm definitely a natural girl at heart

Application: Now hear is where the serum really wins for me, it applies like a dream and is really easy to blend. 

Smell: Both have very fruity smells, however the foundation smells slightly more tropical and the serum smells more like forest fruits.

I think if I had to pick which I'd take to a desert island I'd definitely pick the serum, just because it's gorgeously natural!

Have you tried either? Both?

#NOTD Natural Days by MUA, and my life right now!

If I had to post a picture of my life right now... this would be it!

Revision, revision, and exams... It's Dutch that I'm revising above!

To me times like these call for natural, no fuss nails... the kind that you can chip a little bit and it's not super obvious! So enter MUA Natural Days! I love this colour because it's girly and natural and isn't likely to clash with anything I wear (hint: leggings and a hoody, hey I'm revising!)

If you fancy reading about MUA nail polishes in general, and they really are amazing, then I'm leaving a little link here. 

Until next time,