Pledge #2 - Being an NHS care maker

Today's post is about spreading good health care information and care. I would like to give you an insight into becoming part of a community whom wants to provide good, honest care. So here goes.

Being a student nurse has many perks and being able to be involved in such an important campaign is definitely one of them. 

Being an NHS care maker is about much more than just attending events and spreading awareness, its about being part of a group who want to make a change.

So what exactly is an NHS care maker?

We are a select number of people in England who campaign and aim to promote safe and effective care. We do this by promoting the 6c's at any possible time.

The 6c's are:

Care

Compassion

Communication

Commitment

Courage

Competence

However, the 6c's are not exclusive to nurses! Everyone who works in an environment that cares for individuals can adopt and promote this simple yet effective vision. 

Anyways rant over. Here's the 6c's promotion video for you all to have a gander at.

Thank you all so much for reading. 

Lindsey xx

(As part of my role, I have pledged to write this post this year (2015) to provide awareness).

March favourites

March was a good month for trying out new products and splurging out on a few treats for myself - so it was definitely a bad month for my bank balance, oops. Here's some of my favourite buys of the month.

Garnier micellar water, (currently £3,99 in Boots!!)

There's a lot of hype about this product and I almost thought it must be an over reaction - how can a bottle of, what appears to be plain water, be so good? However, I bought a bottle anyway as I thought I may as well give it a go. The hype was 100% worth it! My skin feels great after using this product, and removing my make up is much easier - it just glides off. 

LOREAL true match foundation, £9.99

This is my ultimate go to foundation! I love that the coverage can be light to medium dependant on build up, without looking cake-y or cracking on the dreaded laughter lines, *shudder*. Also I am super pale so the N1 ivory shade is perfect for my skin tone, which is great as I always find it hard to find a light shade that still doesn't give me a orange tinge. 

Brown leather look skirt - River Island, £30

This skirt was definitely a love a first sight kind of thing. Its beautifully lined and is so versatile, it looks great with a jumper for a casual look or dressed up with a pair of heels and a black top. I personally like wearing it with a cream and black stripy cropped jumper.  

SEXY MOTHER PUCKER - soap and glory (shade - The missing pink), £9

My everyday lipstick goes to... Yes, you guessed it! Its one of those better than your own lip shades, the pigmentation is not strong, it just provides a natural looking layer, for added confidence. The only downfall of this lipstick would be the staying power, which is not very good - I really want to find a lipstick in the same sort of shade with a longer staying power! 

AMIEL medium handbag - Kipling (shade - black/grey), £55 or outlet price £38.50

I have wanted a Kipling bag for ages, but always convinced myself, when looking at them, that I didn't need one and carried on with my day. However, I recently visited an outlet store and could not resist this handbag! I am not sure exactly what it is about these bags that I love - maybe its the superb quality or the cute monkey? Who knows?! These bags are great for us women who like to carry our lives in our bags, there's about five different compartments and its water proof inside and out, I haven't used another bag since I bought it. This is my favourite purchase of March! 

What are your March favourites?

Lindsey xx

A little trip to Wales - Bluestone lodges.

 Last week I went to beautiful Wales to Bluestone - which is a man made village surrounded by a variety of different wood lodges. 

The lodges are separated into different sections of the woodland, and are named for ease - especially in the dark after dropping the car off!

The lodge which I stayed in was the grassholm lodge, which sleeps 8 consisting of 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms - fantastic for families.

Speaking of families, the activities available in bluestone is phenomenal, there really is something for everyone, even if you didn't want to venture away from the resort. 

Such activities include mini golf, swimming pool with slides, wave pool, lazy river and hot tubs which are included in the price of the stay. 

Other paid for activities include high rope, tournament field (archery), the well spa and mini/junior & Celtic rangers for the little ones. 

However, if you are not one for activities buggy and bike hires are available to take a ride around the glorious grounds - or you could just have a wonder on foot. 

There's plenty of places to eat too, catering for everyone from a grillhouse to an onsite bakery - or for something a little different, why not visit camp smokey - smores, need I say more?

 If you did happen to fancy a trip out of the resort, Tenby is a must. A twenty minute drive away from bluestone is home to this beautiful beach and town centre. 

I will most definitely be planning to go back again in the near future. 

Lindsey xx

(I was invited to Bluestone by the lovely Katie from Gold dust blog, after she was asked to review a lodge. All views and thoughts are my own). 

50% this - 50% that, 100% Actibalm.

I got this lip balm for free from a rep at work and didn't think much of it. I toddled home and popped it into my makeup bag and almost forgot about it. 

I re-discovered it (on a day when I grabbed any old lip balm on my way out) and I was thoroughly amazed at the quality and consistency of this balm.

It's literally what it says - 50% Manuka honey and 50% petroleum jelly. Heavenly. It's very thick and dark brown in colour, very much like treacle. If you've ever tasted Manuka honey you'll know just how lovely it really is!

It leaves a glossy clear shimmer on your lips and leaves them feeling super soft and smooth.

I am really really impressed with this balm and seriously happy that I re-discovered it!

You can purchase this lip balm from Amazon for around £4. Bargain. 

What is your favourite lip balm? 

Lindsey xx

Goodstock - the charity shop with a difference

The other week I went to a lovely event in the heart of Manchester to a charity shop with a difference. 

This store has a lovely warehouse feel and striked me as a trendy boutique-like-shop, which is refreshing to see from a charity store.

Goodstock prides itself in selling good quality items that just need a loving home - they sell both female and male - clothing, shoes and accessories. The money from the sales goes to a lovely charity called vINSPIRED. vINSPIRED help and train people aged between 18-25 to get jobs by allowing them to gain experience through volunteering in the store.

One arrival I was given a £20 gift voucher to spend on finding an outfit which was a great touch. I couldn't find an outfit so I picked two separate pieces that I thought would last the year. I found a metallic grey top originally from F&F and a pair of pretty patterned navy trousers originally from Zara.

As well as this there was a nail bar where I had the prettiest mint green and white coloured pattern painted on my nails. 

Goodstock also had a little sewing corner were you could get buttons etc put onto your new purchases which I thought was a great idea!

Have you visited Goodstock?

Lindsey xx

What every blonde needs

I have been having my hair dyed blonde for a couple of years now and I hate the period in between where it just doesn't look the same colour as it was dyed. It just doesn't look it's usual blonde self, instead I tend to feel a darker shade of dull - not good!

I have been using Pro-voke daily brightening shampoo and conditioner for a while and love the quality and the smell - especially the smell! But I just wanted that added extra that something that would give me longer lasting shine and colour. 

I started using the twice a week brightening shampoo and conditioner for around a month now and I am that impressed I had to feature it. To start it has the same beautiful smell its just a teeny bit darker looking in colour than the daily ones. I also feel as though I can last a lot longer in between colours which is fantastic for a poor student like me! 

As I was loving the twice a week products so much I thought I would try out more from the range. So I have also got the hairspray, dry shampoo and dry conditioner. 

The hair spray is great, long lasting hold and doesn't darken the appearance of the hair when sprayed on like many other hair-sprays do. The dry shampoo is a winner! Its just perfect and you don't have to apply much at all, unlike some others and it is really easy to brush in. 

The dry conditioner however I was really unsure about as I have really oily hair, and rarely use conditioner anywhere but the tips of my hair. I thought I would give it a go anyhow, and I am quite impressed it works in between washes to brighten the ends of your hair that become dull through blow drying etc and gives your hair a lovely shine!

I will definitely be purchasing more from the Pro-voke range in the near future! 

What are your favourite hair products?

Lindsey xx

Finding the right hand cream

Some of you may or may not know that I am a student nurse - which is thoroughly rewarding but does result in my hands being constantly dry and cracked from repeatedly washing my hands and using sanitising gel. 

Since I started my training I have been looking for the best hand cream to re-hydrate my hands without leaving them feeling sticky or greasy.
Here are my top five with number one being my top choice. 

5. Lush 'Charity pot' hand and body cream - this cream is light and smooth on the skin and does not leave your skin feeling oily, the only downfall is the smell - it's just to perfume-y for me. I find my self constantly wondering what the smell is when I forget I have applied it - not good.

4. L'Occitane lavender hand cream - it smells amazing, and the consistency is again light and smooth. The only trouble is, I find I have to re-apply this cream more often than any of the others. When I'm busy and on the go I want a hand cream with more staying power. 

3. Body Shop 'Honeymania' hand cream - this is one of those steal buys you can't help to love. It's smooth, light and smells pretty darn good. 

2. Soap and Glory hand food - this cream certainly differs from the rest as it has a much thicker consistency. This cream is perfect hand cream to apply first thing in the morning and last thing at night - anything in between and I feel as though I have a layer of film on my hands. It takes longer to dry than any of the others however when I apply this cream I love the smell, and the overall quality. It leaves my hands feeling pampered and silky soft.

1. No7 'Protect and Perfect' day cream -  this is my ultimate go-to hand cream - I love it. No oily feel, no film like feel, no waiting for the cream to dry for ages before I touch anything in my vicinity. It has that lovely No7 smell - you all know it! Did I mention that I love this hand cream? 

What's your favourite go-to hand cream? 

Lindsey xx