Hand Luggage Essentials

I'm going on holiday to Greece TOMORROW so I thought I would do a little hand luggage essentials post for you. I'm trying to cut down the amount I take with me in my hand luggage and I think that this holiday I might have finally cracked it!

Introducing #StomaChat

If you hadn't realised, I started a Youtube channel a week ago as an extension of my blog and I've started a new segment on there called #StomaChat. It's going to be a fortnightly series on my blog talking all things stomas; from what they are to reviews and demos of products to tips and tricks.

What to expect on your first day of university

So it's your first day and most likely your first lecture/welcome thing is at 9am Monday morning. You have no clue where you're going and you know no one and it's fair to say you're possibly feeling like you're having an existential crisis. Stop right there; don't panic because everyone is feeling the exact same way.

Studying with a Stoma

University can be hard. Add into it a chronic, long term illness and a stoma then sometimes it can feel impossible. But it's not, I promise.  Last year, I wrote a post on going to uni with a chronic illness and it was really popular so I thought I would do a similar post focusing more on stomas and the trails and tribulations which come with been a student with a stoma and how to combat them!

What to take (and what not to take) to University

I am one of those people who thinks I need to take everything with me to university to find myself with an over cluttered room and unpacked boxes which stay under my bed for the whole year - true story. It's very easy to get sucked into the thinking that you need to take every worldly possession with you because how can you not live with it! So I thought I would give you my packing list, of which I too will be sticking to this year!

How To Survive Fresher's Week

So you've got into university so the next thing to think about, Freshers Week. In case you have no clue what freshers week is, it's the first week (often fortnight) of university where there's lots of events going on, some ran by the university and some not, which help you get to know the place where you're at and meet lots of new people! So here are some tips to make the most of your freshers week!

August Glossybox Unboxing

Subscription boxes are always exciting and add a little something different to your normal mail. I recently started my Glossybox subscription box because, who doesn't love getting sent skincare and make up each month eh?!
 At the beginning of the week, I did an unboxing on my Youtube channel (yeah, I started a YT Channel!!) and today I'm going to do a first impressions kind of post and go a little bit more in depth for you as well as give you a code so you can get a free gift!

Bloggers Who Are Killing It Right Now | #1

I feel like lately the blogging community has been feeling a bit down; from claims of negativity (which I personally haven't seen at all) to people having bad experiences at meet ups and some bigger bloggers getting to big for their boots (Vix wrote a great post here explaining it a bit more!). I always feel really lucky that my twitter feed is full of positivity and blog love and I thought I'd share with you five bloggers who I am loving at the moment and who are killing it right now at the blogging game!

Why I Stopped Bullet Journalling

Remember back in April & May when everyone (myself included) was obsessed with bullet journalling and every man and his dog was super organised with their LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebooks. Well, I hate to break it to you all, but I have stopped using my bullet journal.

Stomas + Hot Weather

Shop the Look: Dress from Mango

Hot weather and stomas don't necessarily go together well however you shouldn't let your stoma stop you from travelling and visiting warm countries! Some of the problems which you can face whilst you're in hot weather is your bags not sticking as well and the big one, dehydration.

I thought I'd give you a few little tips on how I stay comfortable and well in the heat - if you have any more tips, I'd love to hear them so let me know in the comments!

• Keep your bags out of direct sunlight and preferably keep them in a cooler place (but not the fridge or anything!). Maybe if you have one room more air-conditioned, keep your supplies in that room instead. This just helps keep the adhesive sticky. 
• Change your bag daily some of you might already do that; I personally change every other day if I can. This way, you're less likely to have leaks, especially if your adhesive isn't as sticky, and it will also help you feel more comfortable too because if it's really hot, you can feel really sweaty (especially under the bag!). I know, it's not pleasant, but WE ALL SWEAT PEOPLE! and changing your bag daily will just make you feel a lot better. Trust me. 
• Keep Hydrated well duh, that sounds super obvious, but make sure you're drinking plenty of water throughout the day and night. If you're looking for ways to keep hydrated I wrote this post last year which you might find useful
• Stay off the alcohol I know a lot of ostomates don't drink anyways, but if you do maybe don't drink too much, or at all, when it's really hot - especially if you're already struggling to keep hydrated as alcohol makes you dehydrated. 
• Get some rehydration sachets these can be absolute lifesavers and I don't go on holiday without them now because I know that if I'm feeling dehydrated and haven't drank enough I can have a sachet and I'll feel heaps better. I use these ones  but if you find yourself with none, get a lucozade and a packet of crisps and that helps restore the salts in your body (I got that tip from my stoma nurses!) 

So there are some of my tips for keeping comfortable in the hot weather with your stoma. Don't forget to leave your tips in the comments below because I'd love to hear more! 

Ostomy posts are sponsored by SecuriCare and CliniMed

The BEST high street setting spray

NYX seems to be every bloggers favourite high street brand at the moment, and quite rightly too. I'm a huge fan but I feel like everyone obsesses over the lip products and has completely overlooked what is almost definitely my favourite product from the brand; the matt finish setting spray.

Sephora Haul

Sephora; the holy grail of make up shops! I genuinely stopped in my tracks when I saw it whilst we were in Palma because I didn't expect to see it and I got so excited and a tad overwhelmed. I kicked myself when I realised I didn't have my Sephora list with me and when I went in, I had no clue where to turn to and what to put in my basket. Never fear though, I found a few things I wanted and I'm so happy with my purchases!

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

My birthday was last Thursday and seeing as it coincided with the start of Edinburgh Fringe Festival, me and my mum headed up for the day to see some theatre and comedy and just have a good time! I love Edinburgh and I love the Fringe festival; it's just full of so much creativity and you really never know what you're going to see. We decided not to pre book anything before we went (I couldn't decide what I wanted to see because there was just so much choice!) and would see who gave us flyers and what seemed interesting.

MUSIC | FMA by Grace

Remember when I said that I was desperate to find new music to listen to and fall in love with? Well, you know when you're flicking through the recently added tab on Spotify and you just happen to click on an album then fall in love with it; well that happened here!

I thought I had never heard of Grace but it turns out it was her who sung the "you don't own me" track on the house of fraser ad at Christmas - which, FYI, I was OBSESSED with - but I hadn't put two and two together.  I was absolutely blown away by her voice on the album and loved the mix of track she had, ranging from soul to a hint of R&B to ballads. Her voice instantaneously reminded me of Amy Whinehouse with a real depth and grittiness to her voice.

This album is one of those ones which you wouldn't get sick of listening too - I'm definitely not after two weeks of listening to it - and is perfect to have on in the background whilst you're doing other things. T's actually currently my must listen to whilst blogging and I've switched off my blogging playlist and opted for this for a while. I think it's the mix of genres on the album which really makes it stand out and why I really love listening.

Three favourite songs from the album : Hell of a Girl, Boyfriend Jeans (Remix) & Coffee

Let me know in the comments below if you've been listening to Grace and what you think!

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Mallorca Outfit Diary

As you've all seen from the travel diaries I've been doing (I hope you like them!!) I've been to Mallorca and we all know that going on holiday = getting new holiday clothes! I feel that on this holiday, my style changed quite a bit and I wore A LOT of dresses and playsuits (I didn't even own a playsuit till last summer!) and a lot less shorts, which is definitely a novelty. I think one of the reasons was it was just so hot, I couldn't bare anything tight on me!