How to De-Stress For a Perfect Nights Sleep

HOW TO  DE-STRESS AND PREP FOR A PERFECT NIGHTS SLEEP

There isn’t enough time in the day is there? We want to get everything done all at once before we get our vital sleep. Sometimes sleeping isn’t even a priority. I know I can completely relate, as a busy day for me will leave me with less than 5 hours sleep some nights. Obviously, this is terrible and I nearly ALWAYS end up crashing one day out of the week. All the missed sleep that week comes right back to bite me in the middle of the day, my skin will break out and I’ll feel even more stressed.

This is why I came up with a night-time routine to de-stress, relax and help me catch some major ZzZzzZZzzz.

DRINK A DETOX TEA

After drinking detox tea, I always feel refreshed. That same feeling after coming out of a shower, is the same sensation I feel after drinking this tea. My favourite is the organic detox by Pukka. A detox tea contains Aniseed, fennel, cardamom and licorice root, to help flush away those toxins while lightly catering to your  sweet tooth. Infuse for 15 mins and drink up!

 SKINCARE

I use the Clinique 3 Step system tailored for my own skin type, but what really makes the difference to my skin is my Magnitone LondonFacial Cleansing brush. I can clean my face, apply a facemask and more, but for some reason it still isn’t clean. When I use the Magnitone, I find that makeup and dirt slides right off my skin. You don’t realize how filthy your skin is until you see the dirt drip off onto the brush. It scrubs layers much deeper than your hands can get to making sure there is no left-over makeup or dirt left on your skin.

 I also use the Bubble-gum flavour lip scrub by LUSH. Before using this I would constantly have dry or chapped lips in the morning, I didn’t realise that a simple daily exfoliate could drastically improve the moisture and the colour of my lips. Following this I apply The Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Serum to my hair.

MULTI MASK

I always multi mask as my skin type VARIES throughout my face. I tend to break out around my jaw, chin and forehead, which is why I like to use the Retexturizing Rose Clay Mask by Origins. Due to my breakouts constantly causing acne scars, this mask is perfect for a deep clean and refining my skins texture. In all the other areas, I love to apply the Chinese Ginseng and Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask by The Body Shop. This mask is perfect for providing a deep clean and a soft finish.  

NIGHT TIME JAMZ

No routine is complete without the relaxing music to put me in the chill mood. I Made a perfect throwback R&B Jamz playlist to tailor to my night mood.  Making a playlist on Spotify is free and easy! You should try it, plus it's the perfect prep for your shower karaoke session.

STEAMY SHOWER ALWAYS DOES THE TRICK

Do you remember always falling asleep after a hot bath as a child? Nothing has changed as an adult. The hot water is soothing all over and will leave you begging for your bed. Personally, I prefer a steamy shower. Baths are time consuming and as I mentioned before, there really isn’t enough time in the day.

I Love to use the two-day moisture shower oil by Sanctuary SpaCovet Garden. It has a slightly warming effect (if your showers aren’t hot enough already). When you rub it into your skin it feels like you’re having a massage. It’s heavenly for sure, and my skin feels silky smooth after using it. It doesn’t quite last two days for me, as my skin is naturally dry and dehydrated. I found that the softness will last roughly 5-8 hours.

IMG SOURCE - LEESA MATTRESS

A COMFORTABLE MATTRESS

This is probably the most important part. You can’t get a good night’s rest in an uncomfortable bed! If your mattress is super uncomfortable (like mine) try laying on some fluffy pillows, or consider getting a new mattress. Leesa Mattress are five-star quality, fit for celebrities like Michael Phelps and of course the Kings and Queens you are! You should check them out!

SO THAT’S MY NIGHTTIME ROUTINE

What do you do to prep for a perfect night’s sleep?

*This is a sponsored post , all opinions are my own

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How to make the perfect summer Pimms- Tips from Bohemias head chef Steve Smith

How To Make The Perfect Summer Pimms

Summer in England has approached faster than we thought!  It’s time for the perfect BBQs , fun in the sun, family time and of course Drinks! In true English style you should celebrate with a refreshing jug of Pimms!

The quintessentially English beverage boasts a recognizable tawny colour and a delicious blend of citrus fruits, offering a familiar taste of summer.

But how can we make the perfect jug with an effortless taste?

Bohemia’s Head Chef Steve Smith has provided a round-up of top tips to ensure you’re serving the perfect party Pimms this sunny season.

• 1.    Fruit Fusion

Don’t overload your Pimms with fruit. Instead, pick a few strong flavours that complement each other. An unusual flavour combination that works well is Pomegranate and Basil. Alternatively, take your Pimms to super food heights with the quirky addition of trendy Acai berries.

• 2.    Herbal Remedy

If you’re using herbs such as basil and mint, crush the leaves before adding them to your drink. This will maximise the aroma and leave your Pimms perfectly seasoned.

• 3.     Cue the Cranberry

Those with a sweet tooth might like to add a splash of cranberry juice, or opt for flavoured lemonade for an extra boost.

• 4.    Ice, Ice, Baby

Get creative with your ice by freezing flowers into your ice cube tray. However, try to limit the ice to a few cubes to ensure the Pimms isn’t too diluted by the time it comes to drinking it!

• 5.     Sugar-coat it

Sprinkle a little lemon juice and sugar over the fruit before you add them to your drink. Let the fruit pieces stand for ten minutes so they macerate and then add them to the liquid at the last minute, to save them from going soggy.

ABOUT BOHEMIA BAR & RESTAURANT

Bohemia Bar & Restaurant provides unrivalled Michelin Star dining in the heart of Jersey. Head Chef Steve Smith, who has held a Michelin Star for over 15 years from the age of just 24, has created a truly outstanding dining experience with his ingredient and flavour driven tasting menus.

Bohemia Bar & Restaurant, Green Street, St. Helier, Jersey JE2 4UH, Channel Islands

For reservations please call: 01534 880 588 or visit www.bohemiajersey.com

National Picnic Week - Picnic in Style with Posh Hampers

As you may not know , this week is national picnic week . Family's across the U.K. Travel to the finest locations to spend lots time together having a good old fashioned picnic.  The Arch London , wants your experience to be that much more rewarding by offering its very own take-away picnic hampers for the summer. With a trip to London being less that 2 hours away by train , how could I resist?

I love to travel and would love to visit this 5* Hotel. It's located literally a stone throw away from the infamous Hyde Park, which is the perfect location to Picnic. Why would you want to bring warm sandwiches from home when you can grab The Arch London's Picnic hamper . It includes  a chilled bottle of Camel Valley English sparking wine; Homemade seasalt, lemon and sage crisps, English Cheddar with apple and raisin chutney on sun blushed tomato bread; Smoked salmon sandwiches with lemon butter and cracked black pepper; Coronation chicken salad; Jersey Royal potato salad; Raspberry and pistachio trifle; and Battenburg. (INSERT SHOCKED AND HUNGRY FACE HERE ) You get to taste Hunter 486 restaurant’s critically acclaimed Best of British inspired menu for only £95.

Its perfect for a cute romantic getaway date, proposal , or in my case a getaway family weekend with my daughter. It comes in an Instagram worthy posh hamper  that will make you not want to eat your food, in worry that you will mess up the aesthetic!

You would have to collect and return your hamper the same day unless agreed otherwise.

ABOUT HUNTER 365 RESTAURANT

Hunter 486 restaurant within The Arch London is named after the 1950s dialing code for Marylebone. Developed by Head Chef Gary Durrant, the menu at Hunter 486 is inspired by ‘Best of British’ recipes using only the freshest seasonal ingredients. The crowning glory of the
new menu is the use of the stone oven. As it operates at a very high heat, meat and fish are produced with astonishingly succulent results.
The Arch London, 50 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7FD
For reservations, please call: 020 7724 4700 or www.thearchlondon.com

-//-

So what will you be doing during this National picnic week? 

Exclusive menu tasting event at Café Rouge Mailbox

 

Hey everyone! 

This week I was kindly invited to a Summer menu tasting event at the prestigious French restaurant Café Rouge. It's located in the heart of The Birmingham Mailbox , with stunning views of the city center. 

 

We started off our night with a taste of their Gins , I tried out the Elderflower , then followed with a much greener alternative the Cucumber and Watermelon 👌🏾 

They then provided us with some mini starters which looked too good to eat ! 

Following this we grabbed a sampler plate of various meats and cheese, the perfect compliment to our gin . 

For my main I ordered the Sirloin Steak Frites , which was made to perfection . I like my steak well done and sometimes chefs can over cook the meat , then it becomes bards to eat . However this steak was fantastic . I paired this with red wine , honestly not my cup of tea , nevertheless it was nice to try . 

I then opted for a French Garden Fizz Mocktail , which was hands down the best drink of the night ! 

Following this we enjoyed a dessert sampler which featured a mini taster of their best desserts! 

Overall my experience at this restaurant was great and I could not recommend it more . 

I posted on my Instagram story throughout the night which you can watch here

An evening with @cafe_rouge 👌🏾 blog post will be up within the hour on steastylist.com

A post shared by Content Creator (@abbigaylewarner) on Jun 16, 2017 at 5:40am PDT

If you haven't been to Café Rouge yet , I suggest you check them out ! 

http://www.caferouge.com

TOP - NEW LOOK

JEANS - NEW LOOK

SHOES - PRINCIPLES

    

MADE IN BIRMINGHAM LIVE BEHIND THE SCENES EXPERIENCE

MADE IN BIRMINGHAM LIVE BEHIND THE SCENES EXPERIENCE

Made in Birmingham launched their first “LIVE in Birmingham” episode  last week. Guess what? It was live from our very own Birmingham Jewelry Quarter. The show was hosted by George Hancorn and Tafadzwa Mushipe .

Their personalities lit up the room and allowed us all to feel welcome right away!

The show itself featured :

• A live audience
• Special guests
• Sporting stars
• Gadgets and gimicks

Live in Birmingham was filmed in the gorgeously vintage decor filled, Ana Rocha Bar in the Jewelry Quarter. Businesses and professionals gathered to watch the live launch of Made in Birmingham on Sky guide 117. During the show guests were tweeting using the hashtag #livefromthebhm and sharing the great time they were having.

Having attended the event myself I was able to see what goes on behind the scenes of a live taping, which I found incredibly exciting. The crew were very friendly and organised and broke the ice with the audience, which made our overall experience much better than expected. We all had a great time, networked with each other and got involved with fun presenter challenges.

Of course we were offered wine and hot snacks, which were incredibly tasty. I couldn’t resist whipping out my phone and snapchatting the entire night!  

I think it’s fantastic that we now have a tv channel for our city that we can depend on  to give us local entertainment. I also feel that this could bring many more opportunities to Birmingham and could turn out to be something very big for our city!

If you guys missed the episode you can watch it right here !

Overall the experience as a blogger was fantastic and I look forward to the upcoming shows on the station!

Check out @TMushipe on this hover board! Find out what happens next by watching #livefrombham here https://t.co/qZVWwiDCoW pic.twitter.com/SRwQOIzD2d

— Made in Birmingham (@madeinbhamtv) January 19, 2017

The Birmingham bloggers are in the building 😊😊@madeinbhamtv #livefrombirmingham @The_Ting_Thing 🎥 pic.twitter.com/YnAJw5bep8

— Abbigayle Warner (@abbigaylewarner) January 17, 2017

Hopefully we can meet again for another live taping!

Check out the Made In Birmingham website for catch up episodes and their twitter account @madeinbirmingham for info of what’s to come soon!

NETWORKING - Five tips to work with a brand

 FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU STREAMLINE YOUR NETWORKING 

Networking with brands can be a daunting experience , especially if you don't know where to start. If you aren't quite comfortable going up to people and talking to them in person then there are loads of other ways to put yourself out there too! (... BUT eventually you will have to talk to them in person if you want to maintain the business relationship)

I literally woke up one day and said "what am I scared of? , the worst they can do is say no " From there I learned through trial and error the best ways to approach a potential client or business professional. That being said , here are my top five tips to networking like the pro!

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

I always say "you gotta fake it till you make it !" other people feel your energy as soon as you approach them . If you feel sad  , they know you feel sad , if you are happy , they will feel happy along with you . The most important rule in networking is to be HAPPY and make sure they KNOW you're happy. A simple smile followed with a handshake , eye to eye contact and a greeting.  

It could go something like this :

"Hello (with a big smile), lovely to meet you (shakes hand ) , my name is Abbigayle Warner and i'm a blogger and i'd love to chat with you regarding (insert topic here) . By the way I love (inset compliment here )"

I've found this always works for me,  they instantly feel comfortable and by changing the topic to something more casual instantly makes them feel like they are having a conversation rather than you trying to pitch them something, They know you have mentioned that you want to talk about your topic, so after the nice words have been exchanged get down to business! 

Be careful not to lead the conversation too astray , you could end up chatting about your pet cats and forget to bring up what you came over to talk about!

DO YOUR HOMEWORK! 

Although you may not always have the opportunity to research the company before you meet their pr person, as you could happen to meet them at an event; It's incredibly important to at least know something about the brand. We live in the 21st century and you can look up information in 5 seconds with quick google search! If you know something about at least one of their products, they may actually believe you when you say you love their brand and would love to collaborate with them. 

CREATE AN ELEVATOR PITCH

If you have never networked with anyone ever before, then I highly recommend you come up with a  really good pitch, write it in a word document and tweak it based on the person you are going to send it to. Treat it like a slightly less formal cover letter. Keep your greetings professional and always use professional writing skills to close,  such as "Yours Sincerely" or "Kind Regards". 

Start of small and start by email out to the PR department of the brands you are trying to work with.  

Most companies usually leave their pr email in the contact section of their websites . 

USE SOCIAL MEDIA 

Use social media and always attach the social media account that will appear the most impressive along side your blog. Brands want to know that your blog has a basic social media presence with at least one type of account. for example if you use something like twitter or Instagram , it's a great idea to tweet them, or leave a comment on one of their Instagram pictures saying something simple like

" hi, I really love your brand , would you be interested in collaborating for my blog?  i'm sure my readers would love it!" . Since this is a public comment, their PR person will usually get back to you within 24 hours , because they don't want to seem like they don't care about their consumers. from here they will usually refer you to an email or possible direct message you . You may even get a follow from them! If they refer you to an email thats also great because you can mention that you "had recently chatted on {twitter} and was referred this email address  ..."  

This a great line to add and has always come across well for myself. 

BE BOLD AND BE YOURSELF!

I think theres nothing better than a professionally bold personality. If a brand has a PR number, call it! Pitch your idea , them about yourself , say something interesting! The worst that can happen is that they say "sorry no" .. some may be blunt and purposely forget the "sorry"

Either way you are on their radar! You called them and stopped their PR person in their tracks to answer your call , after the call you blog name will be in their head , they may just check you out in their own time and reach out later when they actually have time to think! The point is that they will remember you because your call (completely unrelated to their work) happened in between their busy schedule! 

What i'm basically saying , is think outside of the box to do things other people may not have done! If you have purchased a product and reviewed it , send the link to the company's social media accounts . they may share your post to their bloggers , plus their PR team has caught another glimpse of you!

SO THATS IT 

Although I could literally write a list of about 100 Tips on how to network like a pro , these are my top 5 tips that I live by! I hope you enjoyed this post and found It useful when you start your networking journey!

Want more branding  and Business tips for your blog and life? Head on over to my Personal Branding for Business Blog for all of your business help! 

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Threadsence says goodbye | 10 Times they inspired my style!

Threadsence says goodbye! Here are 10 times they influenced my personal style

As you may or may not have heard , threadsense is going out of business and everything is final sale! I'm quite sad to see this store go as they were for sure one of my favourite sources for style inspiration!  I discovered their clothing brand back in 2013 when I originally wrote this blog post . I'm updating it now in honor of their final goodbye sale!

Below are my original TOP TEN PICKS from threadsence.com back in 2013, 

I stumbled upon this online website threadsense.com and i'm loving their clothing!they are a modern chic boutique for women , I would say aged 19-29. their clothes are amazing and after browsing the website for a good hour I found 10 outfits I would love to buy!These looks are all taken from their new arrivals! - ME, 2013

It's interesting to see how style hasn't really changed in the past three years! . These clothes are still completely wearable today! 

I have put together 10 times threadsense inspired my sense of style over the past three years!!  *THESE IMAGES ARE CURRENT ITEMS in the store inspired by the items I looked at throughout the years. 

1. When I wanted to update my summer wardrobe!
   Transitioning from Winter to Summer clothes is a serious task! Here are some examples of the kind of looks I went  for!
   
   
   
2. When I was in a fashion rut after having a baby and all I wanted to wear were oversized sweaters and leggings
   
   I think every mom goes through this post baby stage. Your body is never what it was before and you just want to cover up!  ( Don't worry it didn't last long)
   
   
   
3. When I started singing and performing again, I wanted a stage-worthy look!
   I think at this point I had completely ripped open jeans in every colour! lol
   
   
    
4. When I moved house. You know ... new house , new things! lol
   This was a pointless shopping time , I wanted a closet full of new clothes so I could make it look like what I see in the weheartit pictures I re-heart every day. I swtiched up my style .. which is actually still my current style , to oversized shirts and high waisted mini skirts. 
   
   
   
5. When I wanted to get serious about my blogs. I wanted a look to match my mood ! so I ditched the adolescent outfits and went for something more professional . For some reason Rompers Made me feel like a true Fashion blogger! . I'm waayyy over this stage now. 
   
   
   
6. When I had my first day of Uni
   Meeting new people and first impressions are literally everything!! Of course I wanted some new clothes so for that first week they would think i'm thebomb.com I wore a bodycon maxi dress with a cute hat like this ! 
   
   
   
7. When I was bored of my style after watching a marathon of Youtubers online
   How on earth these Youtubers can afford to buy these amazing hoards of clothing i'll never understand! Nevertheless, I always want to go on a shopping spree after watching their videos!
   
   
   .. needless to say ... what I thought looks super cute on them .. just diddnt look so cute on me!
8. When I had my first client meeting - Business attire ONLY
   
   
   I wore an outfit almost Identical to this . I Picked up an oversized cardi like this from monsoon and I STILL whip it out for client meetings! I've won over every client so far  so it's definitly my lucky charm!
9. When I wanted some new travel accessories- I found a cute backpack and a few other fun notebooks to inspire my travels!
   
   
   
10. When I went to Miami - Yes I sunned it up in MIA , SO OF COURSE that meant new clothes! yay! 
    
    My body wasn't even remotely ready for a bikini but I was feeling myself and rocked one anyway! Sunhat in toe! 

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What are your favourite websites for stylespiration?! leave a comment down below and let's chat!