Ladival Summer Sports Giveaway

As you may have seen, I'm a Ladival Sports Ambassador and I've teamed up with them to offer one of you lucky readers the chance to win one of their summer sports bundles which include some great prizes (I'm very jealous of whoever wins it!)!

#BloggersBall

                     

Last Saturday I headed solo to London to go to the Bloggers Ball, hosted by Scarlett London, at DSTRKT. This was my first big blogging event and it was also my first time ever going to London on my own but it was so worth it as I feel so much more confident now and I also had the best time! It was so nice to be surrounded my like minded bloggers and feeling the love for what we were all doing; the blogging community really is a great place with great people!

Why I'm #VoteRemain

Tomorrow, June 23rd,  marks a very important day; we choose to stay or leave the EU. Politics is something which really interests me and after studying EU law this year at university, I feel really passionate about the EU referendum and passionately believe in staying in the EU.

I very nearly didn't write this post as I wasn't sure if it 'fit in' with the topics I write about but then I thought why not; some of you may be unsure of all the arguments for the EU, I mean David Cameron has done a good job of scare mongering, but I don't think he's actually given many genuine reasons for why we should stay! Before I get into this, I just want to say that these are my opinions and of course, you are free to make your own mind up on this, but I just want to give my thoughts and maybe help a few of you who are still on the fence.

JUNE: Ostomy Outfit of the Month

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you'll have seen be banging on about how I went to the Bloggers Ball on Saturday! I had such a good time but I thought I'd share with you what I wore for the event as it's a little more dressier than some of the posts I've done and I think it's a really nice summer outfit which you can dress up or down.

My First Physiotherapy Session

Ever since coming out of hospital over a year ago, I've really been struggling with joint pain. I had kind of thought that it was due to loosing so much weight and muscle and been in bed for over two weeks and the pain was due to that and that once I started getting active again, the pain would eventually go. 

Fast forward a year and I was suffering from pain in my ankles, knees, hips and small of my back so I decided to go to the doctors and get it checked out. Because I'd been on steroids, have ulcerative colitis and have a family history of arthritis, I had all the blood tests to see if that was the case and luckily (and quite surprisingly!) I don't have arthritis! 

However, I do still have pain which kind of sucks. So I've been sent to physiotherapy to see is that helps before they send me to have more x-rays see consultants so last Thursday I headed to my first physio session. 

I had one of those annoying moments that the day I go to physiotherapy is the first time in weeks I've had no pain or stiffness at all. Typical! I first had a chat with my physio, discussing when and where I get the pains, my medical history etcetera etcetera. I then started doing some exercises such as touching my toes (which I've never been able to do!) and then I had to do things such as using my legs to much against things. 

Turns out I have pretty weak joints. That's what we learnt this week. So I've been set homework to do one exercise everyday. I have to stand on one leg and bend 10 times on each leg and do three sets of that a day. It may sound pretty simple but it's actually quite hard! I'm also looking into starting pilates as it's really good for strengthening your joints and muscles! 

So there's a little health update for you all and my first time physio experience. Let me know in the comments if you've ever had physiotherapy and what you thought of it.

Making Beach Waves with the Irresistible Me Diamond Flat Iron

I'm pretty sure my life long quest has been to find some way to tame my hair. That's a pretty bold statement, but it's true. I have unruly, thick, sometimes curly and always big hair which people always say they wish they had but if they knew the reality, they would not. That's because I have NEVER been able to do much with my hair by myself. Before I cut it all off, I would always have it in either a pony tail or a bun and when I was little my mum would french plait it too but I was no where near skilled enough to do that! Something which has rarely worked on my hair is hair straighteners...until now!

Recent Make Up Buys Haul

I realised recently that I have bought A LOT of make up recently, way more than is necessary, so I thought I'd do a little make up haul and first impressions as I've used all but 2 of these now and there is a general consensus that I'm pretty much in love with the majority of these and they all are part of my normal make up routine.

What to do after Graduation

It may be another year till I graduate but I'm already trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do once these three (very quick years) come to an end. For some of you, you'll be graduating and may or may not know what you're doing so I thought I'd share with you some options which I'm aware of and considering once I've finished.

• Doing a masters/post grad/professional course: There is always the option of staying at university and carrying on with your education either with the course you're currently doing or something different. For me, I'm actually considering getting my professional qualification so I can practice as a solicitor so I'm thinking about the LPC. If you are interested in law but haven't studied it, you can do the conversion course, GDL, where you do another two years! It's meant to be really hard but if it's anything like the LLB, which I do, it's really interesting. I love learning so carrying on in education is definitely something I'm really interested in doing! 
• Get a Job: Lets be honest, this is why we went to uni, to get access to graduate jobs (and to put off getting a job at 18, learn some new things and get to do some cool stuff!). Uploading your CV to recruitment agencies, such as Spotlight Recruitment, can really help you find jobs in the sector you want! If you are still at uni, it might be worth going to your careers hub and see if they offer any CV tips (I know that MMU do!) to help you enhance your CV and make you more desirable to recruiters
• Go Travelling:  After 3 (or more) years of university, you might want a bit of a break so why not go travelling and see the world! I know a few people who have done this and they absolutely loved it! Even if you just go over the summer or work over the summer, save up some money then go! 

So there are some options of what you can do after graduation! Let me know in the comments of any other options (I'm sure there's loads!) 

This is in collaboration with Spotlight Recruitment

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How My Ostomy Made Me More Confident

I know it probably sounds a bit weird; how can having your bowel removed and having two bags constantly stuck to you possibly make you more confident? Well, it takes time but I have definitely become a lot more confident, in more than one way, since getting my stoma which really surprised me! 

Summer Drinks With Cranes Cider

Cranes Premium Cider is a unique brand I've come across which is a healthier alcohol which is perfect for people who are trying to have a healthier lifestyle. Yes, you read that right, healthy alcohol!

The base of the drink is crushed cranberry and it comes in three flavours; cranberry, raspberry and pomegranate and strawberry and kiwi and let me tell you, as someone who is not a huge fan of cranberries, this drink tastes amazing! It's fruity and zingy however not overly sweet, which I really like.

The drink is made of 100% natural ingredients, only has 5g of added sugar and has 99 calories which, in the grand scheme of alcoholic drinks is really good! I'm not a big drinker but I do love the odd cider and I will defiantly picking one of these up again on a summers day because I really did love the taste of the drink.

The colour of the cider really appealed to me too; it's so vivd and bright and really captures the summer feel!

Let me know in the comments what your go to summer drink is because this is defiantly mine!

This post contains a sample.
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My New Favourite Evening Dress

How beautiful is this dress from Little Black Dress?! I often find it hard to find an evening dress which I'm comfortable in however this little number feels so special but I still feel like me in it. I think part of that is down to the skater cut of the dress which is definitely one of my favourite cuts of dress. 

The dress is the Kendall dress from the LBD and I just love the simplicity of it. The simple design with the mesh chevrons make a classic little black dress just that little bit more special and different. 

A note to ostomates, this dress is brilliant as it flares out at the waist and is therefor not tight where your bag is. As I was looking on the website, I noticed they do have a few which won't be too tight on the bag area, but I can highly recommend this dress if you're looking for an evening dress. 

I think that the back of his dress is equally as beautiful as the front; I love the little strap detail! The way the dress moves is beautiful and it feels really flowy, even though it's knee length and I think that's a reason why I like it so much. 

Side note, I wore these pale pink/flesh coloured heels from Clarkes but they were so uncomfy! I have no clue how I wore them to prom two years ago!! (FYI how was my prom two years ago?!?!). Though it might have something to do with the fact that they are now a size too big for me seeing as my feet have shrunk; I definitely still need to find a good pair of heels to wear with it; leave your suggestions in the comments below. 

Little Black Dress are currently running a Graduate Competition where you can win any dress from the BLACK and LBD ranges, including the Kendall dress! You can head over to their website to find out all the details on how you can enter. 

This post contains a press sample

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I'm A Ladival Sports Ambassador!

I'm really excited to announce that I am now a Ladival Sports Ambassador!

Ladival are the official sun protectors of British Tennis this year and their aim is to support and encourage safer play in the sun. Nearly 61% of young people aged 13-24 avoid using suncream in order to get a better tan however this can lead to skin damage and cancer later in life.

Ladival is launching this great campaign called the #LoveSPF Rally where you take a sport selfie (hopefully in the sun!)  with the hashtag and tag some friends and build awareness and create a rally of selfies between you and your friends! For every selfie, Ladival are going to be donating £1.00 to Teenage Cancer Trust.

As you can see this is a great campaign and I'm going to be getting involved and starting a #LoveSPF Rally on 6th June and hopefully you'll all join in too so we can raise lots of money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Keep your eyes peeled on the blog as I'm also going to doing a great giveaway where you can win a bkr 250ml water bottle, Adidas Graphic Tote Bag, Nike 2.0 Lightweight Armband and a summer supply of Ladival Sun Protection SFP 15, 30 & 50 Lotion & Spray!

National Smile Month

May 16 - June 16 is National Smile Month and I thought I'd use this to raise awareness of how important it is to look after your teeth. I've had a lot of work done on my teeth, a lot, and they are definitely something I like to take care of. 

5 Make Up Tips for Glasses Wearers

Glasses : Ray Ban, Top: Primark

I feel like when you wear glasses, there's so many conflicting tips for how to do your make up. Mascara or No Mascara? Coloured eyeshadow or neutral? Seeing as I wear make up, and I wear glasses, I thought I'd share with you my top tricks for wearing make up with glasses.

May In Photos

• Had a lovely day in Leeds in the sun
• The blossom came out so I had to take an obligatory blossom and blue sky picture
• It was mum's birthday this month so we had dinner at the manor to celebrate
• The lake looks so pretty in the sun
• I did the Crohn's and Colitis walk
• All my exams are now done but walks in the sun definitely helped with stress levels!
• It was World IBD Day so I obviously took a #GYBO selfie
• Bank holiday's are made for lunches al fresco style
• Spent the afternoon at Brougham Hall for a craft fair with Arthur