July Favourites | 2017

Hola, everyone!

July for me was a good month. I have a few favourites that I wanted to share so here we go. I discovered a lot of new things, binge-watched television programmes and even achieved some goals, explored and had fun throughout. July was exciting, to say the least.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Theory test - All passed and ready to move onto my driving test. Took a lot of preparation and my advice would be to study for it. It might be 'common sense' but you learn more testing yourself before going in for the real thing.

New job - So throughout July, my new job started a few weeks earlier than planned. It's been an experience that's for sure. Juggling two jobs and a social life does become difficult but what gets me through it is knowing that I'll have enough income coming in before my operation takes place, so it'll be a stress-free two weeks of recovery! :)

Donating blood for the first time - Donating blood has always been something I wanted to do & it finally happened. As a first timer, it took a while to actually get prepared. It took two attempts to actually have my veins cooperate. I've always had an issue with my left arm veins acting up with blood tests so imagine a bigger needle trying to pierce it. Because of it dropping, we moved over to my right arm and SUCCESS... blood was flowing nicely. Although afterwards, I started to become lightheaded even though I had plenty of water & food... IT STILL MANAGES TO GET YOU. So if you're donating blood for the first time, don't try and leave if you feel unwell. This lasted a few days for me but I had annual leave so wasn't too bad. I'm booked in again for the 19th November & I can't wait :) You can sign up here if you're from the UK: NHS Blood Donation

ESSENTIAL FAVOURITES

Soap and glory hand food - my hands get really dry, especially through my job as a carer... there's no avoiding dry hands especially when you have to wear latex gloves (or powder free ones). I am obsessed with soap and glory, that's no secret. If you're new to my blog then check out previous favourites in the popular section and you'll see I'm not joking.
I carry this hand food everywhere I go, it's definitely keeping my hands less dry and icky. Couldn't recommend the stuff enough. You can find it here: Soap & Glory Hand Food

Dulcolax Tablets - I have a funny stomach. It's so temperamental I never know what mood it's going to be in. I guess you can say that about me too, being a Gemini and all ;) ha, jokes aside... if you're having trouble with bloatedness and indigestion, then try these. Take one at night time and it'll work wonders... 1 every 3 days should be enough and it's such a relief afterwards. A safer way than any other laxatives too. £1 from Asda Supermarket, can't go wrong.

Simple Wipes - Kind to skin & Radiance - face wipes can be irritable if you have weird skin. Welcome to my world if you do. I started using Simple after using the face scrub over a year ago and found the wipes cleared my skin. These wipes gave my skin a natural glow and cleared the excess dirt from my skin and OH MY GOODNESS, they're amazing. Do try them if you're looking for something to clear your skin, these help for sure.

Vaseline (cocoa butter) - Ok fine, you got me... I need to look after my lips more as I'm known for scraping the excess skin off when they are overly dry. We all have bad habits & that's one of mine. Recently, after stumbling over this cocoa butter vaseline, it's been my go to lip care and couldn't be more happy with the results. My lips haven't been as dry and this makes me happy, very happy in fact. Even my boyfriend said it smells nice and I guess if he kisses me, that's good right? haha.

MAKE-UP FAVOURITES

Rimmel London - Wake me up concealer - Nothing is more Godly than this product. I kid you not, it's literally saving my bags from imploding on my face. Fact.
I haven't used many concealer's but I more or less swear by this and use it every time I wear make-up without fail. You can find it here: Rimmel - Wake me up concealer

Lasting Finish Kate Lipstick, shade 30 - Every girl has a favourite lipstick. This has been my favourite since second year at University (two years ago... crazy!) I don't wear it very often, only for nights out, date-nights & family gatherings. I like darker shades as they suit more for my make-up looks and skin tone. The title says it all, it's a lasting finish lipstick and stays on for hours. I do sometimes have to reapply but then again that's very normal. You can find it here: Kate Lipstick - shade 30

Velvet Kiss Lip cream, shade Caramel 2 - If you're picky with matte lipsticks/glosses you'll adapt to this one very well. For £2.99 you can't really go wrong. I do wear this quite often and even picked up another one recently as it's amazing. Nude colours with a caramel hint are literally the best to finish off a simple or sophisticated make-up look. I'm not expert but if it works, it works... right? You can find it here: Velvet Kiss Lip Cream

PERFUME FAVOURITES

I don't usually wear perfume very much & if I do, it's always my Taylor Swift one... But recently, pondering through my wardrobe, I came across my "Golddigga Pink" perfume. I've had this since Christmas... I think. So I have no idea where it's from, but I assume it's relatively cheap. IT SMELLS SO GOOD, no joke. I'd highly recommend this if you're into the 'sweet' smells :)

TV FAVOURITES

Night Shift - If you have Netflix, do give this a watch. I love programmes where they focus on different types of medical aspects. With this series revolving around veterans who have served their country, it's quite inspiring and a very interesting storyline. As an ex- film and television student, if a programme has a good storyline & good intense plot, I'm sold.

Suits - It's no secret that I admire the law lifestyle, well the lifestyle television projects it as. (it's more or less how I imagine it to be) Suits is so addictive, very informative and it's got perfect dramatised plots... I AM OBSESSED. A few years ago within second year at Uni, I was very uncertain about watching it, at first I could get into it. Within final year of Uni, it was my hangover cure every other day (student life for you ha). Ever since, it's become apart of my routine especially because season 7 is now out on Netflix #notsponsored. I am loving how Donna is stepping her character up into a more challenging perspective, it's nice to see her in the limelight for once. She is literally a clear representation of my personality... sometimes.

Grey's anatomy - Where do I start? Last summer (2016) I got obsessed and it was unhealthy. Because my hours at work wasn't as hectic, every day becomes a "Greys Day" for me, with a cheeky dominoes on the odd chill day haha. I think the most emotional part of it for me was when George died... Like I couldn't fathom why they did SO LITTLE to save him. It still makes me angry even though they did what they could, it just seemed like they gave up on one of their own so freaking quick. This is how much it actually affected me... if you watch this & you cried, lets be friends.

That's all I have for now & this post has literally taken me a week or so to write haha. Can't wait to share my August Favourites in the next week or so!

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar 

xo

June Goals & Achievements * round-up * | 2017

Hola, everyone! *waves* 

So after not blogging for a month or so, it's about time I posted again, so here we go. 

I always try to set myself some different goals each month. Throughout June I didn't have much on the list to label as a goal really as I'm still progressing on last months which you can find here: May Goals 2017

1. Going in for my theory test... again

A lot of people project a car theory test as 'common sense' and make digs at those who don't pass the first time. I, unfortunately, failed mine by 3 marks and the feeling of utter disappointment is a huge understatement. I revised a lot and did lots of mock tests and got a good score. When it came to the actual thing, Hazards perception was so unbelievably daunting but managed to somehow pass that with 60/75 which to me is an outstanding result. You can do all the revision in the world although remembering it is also hard to do, especially if you're me haha. I got 40/50 on the multiple choice and it encountered 43 to pass so you can imagine how crushing it was looking at my result. HOWEVER, it hasn't and will not stop me from trying again. In fact... I re-booked another attempt and hopefully this time my score will be better than ever. Gotta have a little faith, right?

2. Turning 23 
A new age, new me right? ha no, I'm the same boring old' Jaydee everyone grows to love. Jokes aside, It was my birthday at the beginning of June. I had the best birthday ever, my best friend from University who I spent the entirety of my third year with, drove 2-3 hours just to spend a few hours with me on my birthday! Had the chance to finally introduce my two favourite people to one another which made me indescribably happy. Although on the actual day, going into Meadowhall for some birthday dinner I dropped my 4-month-old iPhone and it smashed at the top corner. Might've been happy on prosecco and wine so oops haha. I could be the only person to see this as an achievement but I've made it to 23... I'll tell you why it's amazing news for me. 
At 4 years old, I had meningitis. If you don't know what it is, it's a bacterial infection which spreads around your body, affecting your hearing, sight and could experience a loss of limbs. Luckily before it could do any of that to me, my mum rushed me straight to the hospital and the doctors/nurses tackled the virus before it spread around my body. 
At age 10, I got knocked off my bike. I guess you can say it was a near death experience as I passed out half way through then woke up underneath a van after smashing my head against the pavement. I was lucky to walk away with a sliced open ear, cuts and bruising and a shattered ankle. So making it to 23 after nearly dying twice within my life, is an achievement and I'm very grateful to wake up every morning to carry on living my life. 

3. Getting back on my feet
It's been a long time coming but I'm just glad the struggle is over. It's taken me since the age of 19 to learn how to budget properly and making sure all my bills are paid on time instead of going silly with my money. My rent is £33 cheaper (was £433) as I have switched to paying weekly and it makes it so much easier. Finding a stable ground with work has helped too, making sure I'm getting enough hours while training for my new job to earn extra income. I'm so close to the end of my driving lessons, when I say close I mean... doing mock driving tests, close. It's such a good feeling to finally be in control of the things that were once brought me down. 

4. Losing weight
Let's be honest, it took me the majority of May to stop dining out. Even part of this month (June), guilty as charged. But, I have started to get more strict with eating better, along with exercising. This week alone I have had plenty bought in to eat throughout the busy work schedule and so far so good. I can continue my journey with slimming down. It's honestly the best feeling keeping your body fueled properly. I ain't doing it for anyone else, just myself - due to certain things started to eat away at my depression and anxiety which, if you suffer from you'll know how infuriating and difficult it is to maintain positive. Since May 29th up until around 15th June, remembered to keep a record of how much weight had been lost. 6 1/2 lbs lighter and it's made me realise that it is A LOT of body fat... see below to see what an average of 5 lbs looks like. It's kinda gross but seeing what you're losing is quite motivating, well it is for me anyways. I've gone from 164.4 lbs to 157 lbs - great achievement for sure. Still, a long way to go, but in order to see results change has to happen.

5. Booked time off work - finally
Never go 10 and a half months without annual leave. Biggest mistake of my life, but did my employer offer it me before? Unfortunately not which has sadly resulted in me losing last financial year's holidays. However, I've stood my ground and actually worked like a dog (lol) in order to book two weeks off which is in fact very much needed. Being a carer is so mentally draining so taking my annual leave for as long as I am should sort me right out as I'll have time to relax, blog, exercise & eat properly - all the things that are usually restricted haha.

6. Became a blood donor!
For a few years now I have wanted to sign up. Due to some health complications like having a low vitamin D deficiency, it restricted into me helping those in need until my levels were stable. Finally, my vitamin D levels are stable and have finally registered to be a blood donor! The first donation is while I'm off work on the 11th July & I'm beyond excited to finally achieve one of my biggest goals! It will most likely make next months favourites ha.  

The month as a whole has been so exciting from start to finish. Although towards the end of the month I did feel a bit run down but the best thing about June was achieving some goals, learning from mistakes and celebrating my 23rd year. All in all, it's been a good month and I'm so sad to see the end of it. Just hoping July is just as good :) 

What have been your highlights of June?

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar 

xo

2 photo's from google.com - all rights reserved to them.

Unless stated otherwise all photo's are my own.

Monthly Goals for May 2017

Hola, everyone!

After being given a second weekend off for a bit of annual leave, it got me thinking what I wanted to achieve throughout May. I have had many goals this year and I won't lie, I have achieved quite a lot since my New Year's resolutions post. So this is more for motivation for myself and for other's who are wanting a little push to achieve their goals. 

1. Pass my theory test 

So I have been doing my lessons for quite some time & have massively put off my theory test as I wanted to get close to the end. Now it's near the end, approaching my test but unfortunately, I can't move forward with that until I pass my theory... After revising non-stop and it's given me a highway headache ha, jokes aside, hopefully on tuesday I can book in and finally pass in order to move onto the bigger and more scary test to actually get me out on the road. 

2. Have my operation 

This is indeed for medical reasoning - two years ago during the beginning of my third year at University I fell downstairs and smashed my face into a brick wall, therefore resulting in a badly broken nose (ouch, I know). After the last two months of having it rescheduled I have managed to ask to see a doctor who will then hopefully refer me for a "under the knife" surgery. I will more than likely post my experience of this in a few weeks!

3. Flat Hunt & Move out my shared house

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the majority of my time living in a shared property but I feel as if I'm ready to get my own place. Whether it's on my own or with my boyfriend, right now I just need to call somewhere home without feeling like I'm going to murder someone for being a disturbance... ha!

4. Manage my finances properly 

I have struggled for months, if not years with budgeting. So add paying bills to the mix, it more or less gets you down. Paying £400+ for a room in a shared house, actually sucks. I feel as if I never have any money left to do something for myself - or I've got so used to saving it and became tightfisted. So I've promised myself to get ontop of my finances, even if it leaves me with nothing each week, it'll be a massive weight off my shoulders for sure. 

5. Cook more - Eat out less

Eating out is great, I love trying new places. However, when it's making you feel guilty for spending money you should be saving, gaining weight and getting bored - it's time to break out and start trying to eat smarter and leaner at home. That is a big aim of mine to succeed with, as I do miss cooking and get more in shape. 

6. Have more "me" time 

I don't have much "me" time anymore as I love spending time with my friends and boyfriend. When I'm not with them, I'm at work looking after everyone there. I've recently been through a really difficult time and my depression played a huge part of it. But after having time to think about it, there's not been much time where I've spent a day alone, getting things done and enjoying my own company so I definitely need to make more time in order to do that. 

7. Exercise / Yoga 

Week by week I've said to myself "i'll start tomorrow" or do 6 days working out then I stop for a total of two weeks. I lack in motivation to help myself feel confident and look after my body properly. Don't get me wrong I have finally started shaping up and losing a few lbs here and there, but I want to keep it persistent as body confidence has a huge grind on my anxiety. Anyone who struggles with anxiety or body confidence issues will understand where I'm coming from, it's difficult. But it's a goal of mine to keep striving to do the best I can to feel happy within myself as well as my body. 

What are YOUR monthly goals??

Thanks for reading!

Find me here: 

Instagram: @jaydeekelly 

Twitter: @crashl0nelystar 

xo

The photo above is from twitter, 
all rights are issued to the owner. 
Writing added via befunky.com