Take a break! ~Maya

Heya guys,

It's Thursday which once again means that it's Maya here. I would firstly just like to say about how I think I've suddenly developed a galaxy addiction. I don't usually like galaxy chocolate yet somehow I've already finished my second big bar this week -it definitely isn't healthy for me but it just tastes soo good! Haha

So anyways, today I thought I would talk to you all about stress relieving and why it's important to sometimes just take some time to relax and rest. I've only just managed to shift off this horrible virus/illness thing that I had for about a week and it made me feel so crap for the majority of it. But with all the extra pressure of sixth form and everyday life it all got on top of me and I just had to take some time out and have some well earned and deserved rest. But from this, I thought it would be a nice idea to share with y'all some ways in which I like to unwind when your extremely stressed out. 

Firstly, baths. I have an obsession with lush products and their bath bombs just help me so incredibly much. I stick my favourite one of them into a deep steaming bath, light some candles, grab a book and enjoy my lush soak with a mug of green tea. 

This then leads me on to green tea. I carry these tea bags round with me everywhere (within reason), especially to school. When things get to much for me I just like to take a 20minute break in the corner with a hot mug of green tea. I just find it soothing and relaxing for the mind and body. I would highly recommend this, more so for those who can tolerate drinking this unusual flavoured beverage. 

Following from this, it may sound really odd, but tidying my room up/having a sort out. Ever heard the saying (I don't even know if it's an official saying to be honest but it is in my mind) "tidy room, tidy mind"?? Well for me I just feel so much better when I'm in a clean and tidy room. I like to reorganise things and have clear outs and "de-clutter" draws and sides within my room. It's also a positive thing In the fact that not only are de-stressing and having some time out, but your also being organised and tidy. I would recommend trying this, even if you feel if it would just help your brain feel a little more organised, I guarantee this will help you.

Yoga. Now I don't do yoga regularly at all, probably not even more than once or twice a month. But I absolutely love it and would love to join a yoga class if I could find one! I just find it so relaxing and soothing and it makes me feel so good after an hours session of it. If you google it though you will probably find some online classes that you can do, I have done a few but I'm awaiting a new mat to do it on before I continue as I would really like to get into this.

A final thing I'd probably say helps me wind down and relax is sitting in bed, watching Netflix and painting my nails. Now I don't know if you knew, but I LOVE to paint my nails, I usually do it twice a week and to date I own 74 bottles of nail polish! I love experimenting with new shades and colours and patterns, and I find the possibilities endless with doing so. I'm not a creative person but I would happily paint my nails every day if they didn't take so long to dry that is!

So, once again I'm going to stress the importance of relaxation! You should really take a couple hours out of your life, at least, to just have a bit of a wind down and you will feel so much better for doing so. Please leave suggestions in the comments on how you most prefer to relax, I'm open to any recommendations to try as I need to learn to start relaxing for now. 

That's all for now and I'll see you next week, 

Love, Maya♡

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"Relaxation; A feeling of refreshing tranquility and an absence of tension or worry" 

Concert Review (My new obsessions)

Heya guys,

It's Thursday once again so here I am to inform you on how my week has been since I last wrote to you.

As many of you may already know by now, Monday night I went to see Sam Bailey in concert with Belle and Lollie. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE. She has one of the most spectacular voices and she is incredibly talented. I love her voice so much, and it instantly improves my voice. 

So yeah, it was an amazing show and I would definitely recommend and be buying tickets next time she's touring in my local area.

And following this, supporting Sam Bailey were an incredibly talented and beautiful duo named Daughters of Davis. Fern and Adrienne Davis are a sister duo who play music with an acoustic soul/folk vibe. 

I had researched them a bit before arriving after the concert (and by I I mean Lollie did on my behalf) and when I heard them on stage I was blown away. It's safe to say I have a new obsession, and their album British Soul (available on iTunes or Amazon) has been on repeat ever since Monday night. Following this, I'm now saving up for their other album, To The Water. Not only this, I think they're both incredibly beautiful and talented and would highly recommended you checking them out and following them on Twitter and Instagram. 

For me personally I find that their music is great for when I'm feeling a bit down and need a bit of inspiration and a "pick me up", but also just because their music makes me happy and smile.   

And on another brief musical-based note, I thought I would share with you all my current musical playlist for this week, with all the tunes I have been loving!

1. Footprints ~Daughters of Davis

2. Heartbeat Song ~Kelly Clarkson

3. From this moment on ~Sam Bailey

4. Up ~Olly Murs ft Demi Lovato

5. Love me like you do ~Ellie Goulding

6. My love is like a star ~Demi Lovato

7. Take me to church ~Hozier

8. Cool kids ~Echosmith

9. Catch me if you can ~Daughters of Davis

10. FourFiveSeconds ~Kanye West, Rihanna & Paul McCartney

That's all from me this week, Have a lovely week and I'll see y'all next week,

Maya♡

Delicious cookie in a mug recipe for you all- Love Maya

Heya guys!

It's Thursday already (again yes I know, where does time go aye?). So I did have an idea what to post today, had started to plan it. But unfortunately with the stress of sixth form taking its toll, I unfortunately haven't had a chance to finishing writing it, and rather than rushing it I thought I'd save it for next week for you guys. 

So instead today, I decided to post another baking recipe for you guys to try. This is a no fuss, disaster free, super simple chocolate chip cookie In a mug recipe. This is great for delicious and simple desserts, or simply as a snack when your hungry.

For this, you will need:

~A tablespoon of melted butter

~One egg yolk

~A tablespoon of caster sugar

~A tablespoon of light or dark (I prefer to use light) brown sugar

~Three tablespoons of plan flour

~Chocolate chips -of any sort and any amount, whichever suits your personal preference. 

1. So firstly, in a microwaveable mug, mix together the butter and yolk until combined. 

2. Add in all the dry ingredients (flour and sugars) and mix thoroughly.

3. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips, or if you prefer just sprinkle a few on top. Personally I find it nicer to mix them in. 

*TOP TIP* for those wanting an extra naughty treat, mix in a spoon of chocolate spread, melted chocolate or Nutella for an extra tasty treat!

Bake this in a microwave for about 60-90 seconds, depending on the power and quality of your microwave. Careful, your mug may be hot!

Leave to cool slightly, and enjoy!

Here's what is should look like. Hope you have fun baking these! They're so irreversibly gorgeous.

Until next week

Love Maya ♡

My Top 8 Beauty Products -Love Maya♡

Heya guys!

Once again it's Thursday, and again-this week has gone soo quick! Where does time go aye?

So today I thought I would share with you my top eight beauty favourites. This is both skincare and make up products. I do like to try my best in keeping my skin spot free, bright and glowing. However, there are times which I do have small break outs or redness within my skin.

8. My 8th beauty must-have would defiantly have to be my eyelash curlers. I unfortunately wasn't born with the luck of having naturally curly eyelashes. So I therefore swear by this tool. 

Top tip: I like to heat up my curlers using a hairdryer for 5-8 seconds, just to ensure my eyelashes hold the curl all day. 

7.  At number 7, my beauty recommendation would have to be the neutrogena spot stress control 3-1 cleanser. I bought this recently, around November time and ever since I have been in love with it! Whenever I have a break out I like to dab some of this on the spot with a cotton wool ball. I find it works wonders, in shrinking the spot and reducing redness rapidly.

6. At number 6, it would be the simple cleanser and toner. I have sworn by this stuff for years now. I tried using the combined toning cleanser, however I haven't found it as effective as the individual products. I like to use this product both morning and night as its light enough for me to do so. It's both hydrating and moisturising for my skin, and leaves it glowing and radiant. 

5. My 5th top beauty pick would be the Nivea lip balm sticks. I've always loved these as they are soo hydrating and never leave my lips feeling oily. However, towards the end of last year, I found they now do fruit flavoured, high shine versions. Not only do these taste delicious, but they also produce a slight tint to your lips which I think are great for an everyday lip when you don't want a full lipstick look. 

4. The next four products are makeup based. Firstly, the Rimmel stay matte pressed powder. I've used this products for years now. Even after trying other brands, I always revert back to this product. Even though I have pretty fair skin, I use the shade 006,warm beige. I love this product because it is really light on your skin but also produces a good, lasting coverage.

3. Into the top 3 now! At number three, I'd have to pick the Bobby brown gel eyeliner. Up until about this time last year (January 2014), I was never an eyeliner person. I found it to not suit me very well and quite frankly, I was always rubbish at applying it. But since experimenting with new makeup products, this rapidly became my favourite. I started to use kohl pencils and the felt tip pen style eyeliners, but I found these not very long lasting. I then branched out to gel eyeliners, and I have fallen in love with them ever since! My favourite currently would be the Bobby brown one, not only because it's long lasting and easy to apply, but because I finds it never dries up in the pot-highly recommended!

2. At number 2 would have to be the collection lasting perfection concealer. This is another product that I absolutely swear by everyday. Like it says in the name, it is very long lasting and it has fantastic coverage. I would never use and love a product as much as I have with this. I would highly recommend this to everyone as it is such a fantastic product!

1. And finally, we have reached my top beauty product. If you haven't yet tried this product, I would highly recommend you do so. It's the benefit high beam liquid highlighter. I always have and always will love benefit products, but this is by far one of my favourites. It leaves me with glowing and radiant skin. I've tried different brands and types of highlighters, but for me personally, this is one that works best for my skin.

And that's it for today guys, I do apologise if it was a bit lengthy. But I swear by all of these products and would highly recommend these to anyone. Most of the products I have listed are relatively cheap and can be found in any high street store/drug store. 

Hope you have a lovely week and I'll be back next week with some more tips and reviews for you all. Comment below some of your favourites, I would love to try some out!

Love, Maya♡

"It's just a bad day, not a bad life" -Love Maya♡

Heya guys!

Well, first things first, where has this last week gone?! Honestly, it feels like it was only yesterday I was writing a blog post for you guys. This week has gone pretty quick, with starting school back on a full timetable, catching up with old friends etc. So it's safe to say it's been a prettyhectic but okay week for me. 

Today I thought I would just (try) to inspire some of you. I'm not the most inspirational of people, and sometimes I don't really know what to say in situations to help people, but I like to try.

I'm the sort of person that loves quotes of all kinds. I swear and live by quotes, whether it's to remind me to be happy and love myself, guide me in tough situations (personally or for helping others) or just because I find them so accurate and true. Like Augustus Waters' Mum (from the fault in our stars) calls them, "encouragements".  I feel like there are some quotes that do give me a little bit of encouragement when I'm having a bad day. So I thought I'd share with you my 5 top quotes to brighten your day!

1. Nothing is impossible, even the word it's self says "I'm possible" ~Audrey Hepburn

2. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean your going to fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in your self, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie. ~Marilyn Monroe 

3. Success usually comes to those who are to busy to be looking for it. ~Henry David Thoreau

4. For what it's worth: it's never too late, or in my case, too early to be whoever you want. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same,there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope that you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life your proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. ~unknown 

5. Beauty is what you feel about yourself, not about what you see in the mirror. ~unknown 

Well, I could go on forever, but I think these are definitely some of my favourites, even though there are plenty more I have stored. But that's all for this week, and remember -smile, because happiness looks gorgeous on you!

Love, Maya♡

Lush Product Review

Heya guys

Well, it's safe to say this past week has been a pretty stressful week. Starting off the first week of term with mock exams - how fun (not!). But hey, I soldiered on through to earn the rest of the week off to chill, relax!

So anyways, enough about the boring aspect of life. I wasn't sure exactly what to write this week, so I thought I'd post a product review for you all.

For the last couple of months my obsession has definitely been with lush products. For all of you that may not know what lush is, it is a cosmetic store that sells handmade bath and shower products, soaps, makeup, lip care, hair care and plenty more. It is by far my favourite shop, everything in their smells soo good, good enough to eat at times!

I thought I would do a short product review on some of my most recent favourites!

1. Lush's exfoliating lip scrub. To use, you simply scrub your lips with this and follow up with some lip balm or tint for added softness and colour. This is perfect for those who get quite cracked and chapped lips as it leaves them feeling super soft and smooth. They currently sell this in three flavours; Mint, Bubblegum and popcorn -they also bring out a cola flavoured one at Christmas time! I own one of each, and even though it is a little sweet, bubblegum is by far my favourite.

2. Dirty Toothy tabs. Now, these may sound a little weird, but they actually make my mouth feel so clean and fresh unlike regular toothpaste. They're so easy to use, simply just wet your toothbrush, place a tab in between your front teeth and nibble to break it up. It will begin to foam and you then begin to brush your teeth following a rinse and spit. I like to use these In the morning for a clean fresh feeling, but use regular toothpaste in the evenings.  These also come in a wide variety of flavours, but my favourite so far would definitely be "Gorilla Perfume" because of its spearmint flavourings.

3. Shower gel. Lush create a wide range of shower gels, of all different scents and textures in order for you to find one that works best for your skin. My recent favourite has been "It's raining men".  With honey added to soothe and retain your skins moisture as well as sweet wild orange oils that just perk me up and lift my mood in the mornings. 

4. Bath bombs. My all time favourites from lush are their classic bath bombs. You simply just plop them into your tub of hot water and let them dissolve. With such a wide range to choose from, there are just so many that I fall in love with. I still have some new ones I received for Christmas to try out, such as Phoenix rising and cinders, but at the moment these have been my absolute favourites.

Firstly, my all time classic favourite would be the adorable butter bear. With scents of vanilla and cocoa, and cocoa butter pieces, your skin feels soo smooth after this bath.

My second favourite would be golden wonder. This doesn't just turn your bath a beautiful blue-green colour, it also has glitter and stars added, to leave your skin feeling all soft and shimmery. For me personally it smells sweet, but not over powering, and sort of a tropical scent.

And finally, my third favourite is twilight. This slowly turns your bath the most beautiful deep sparkling purple. It contains ingredients such as lavender, which help to clear your mind and soothe you. This is my personal favourite when it's been a long day and I'm tired, I'll use this in a steamy bath to follow up with what usually is a good nights sleep. 

That's all for now guys, see you next week!

Love, Maya♡

Happy New Year Guys

Hey guys!

First things first, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL:D

It's safe to say 2014 has had its fair share of up and downs. I've lost people that I'll dearly miss forever, but I can happily say that I've still got all the people I love and care about who make me happy still surrounding me. I've had so many good memories that I'll never forget and I know, alongside the rest of the seven sweethearts, that this year WILL be our year, our year of happiness, health and good fortune.

I'm not normally one for New Years resolutions, but this year my aim is to build my health up and become healthy, I would like to tone my body up a bit ready for summer, focus and study on my a levels a lot more, and just generally be happy and create so many more wonderful memories with my friends and family!

Let us know your new year resolutions in the comments below.

So I spent New Year's Eve going to see Peter Pan the pantomime followed by a quiet evening in with my family. Today's been a bit hectic, we had our family Christmas dinner which we missed last week and despite being ill it's been a good first day to the new year. Sorry for the short and probably uninteresting post, next week I'll be sure to blog something more exciting for you all.

That's all for now, love and best wishes for this new year. 

Maya ♡

Merry Christmas Guys!

Hey guys!

So first things first, Merry Christmas to you all, hope you've all been spoilt and have a lovely day! Its been a great morning so far, I woke up and went for a wander round the beach, went for a quick surf then came back to open my presents!

Im now sat in my pyjamas with my coffee and Christmas morning inspired muffins. These muffins are super quick and easy and taste delicious, so I thought I'd share the recipe with you all!

So first of all, you will need:
•250gramsplain flour
•2 ½teaspoonsbaking powder •½teaspoonbicarbonate of soda •100gramscaster sugar •1teaspoonground cinnamon •¼teaspoonground nutmeg
•2clementines
•approx.125mlfull fat milk
•75mlvegetable oil
•1large egg
•175gramsdried cranberries
•3teaspoonsdemerara sugar(for the topping)

Now to make the muffins, you will need to:
•Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6/400ºF.
•Line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin papers.
•Measure the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl; grate the zest of the clementine/satsuma over, and combine.

•Squeeze the juice of the clementines/satsumas into a measuring jug, and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 200ml mark / halfway between the ¾ cup and 1 cup marks.

•Add the oil (or slightly cooled, melted butter) and egg, and lightly beat until just combine

•Pour this liquid mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and stir until everything is more or less combined, remembering that a well-beaten mixture makes for heavy muffins: in other words a lumpy batter is a good thing here.

•Fold in the cranberries, then spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle the demerara sugar on top. 
•Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until light and springy to touch and serve warm.

I hope you enjoy these and have a lovely Christmas!

See you nex week,

Love Maya♡

Welcome to your Thursday blogger- Maya♡

Hey guys, I'm Maya, your Thursday blogger from the seven sweethearts. Not really sure how I'm meant to start this post, so I'll begin with a little bit about myself.

I'm 16 years old, living in a small town in the middle of nowhere in this miserable-weathered country we call England! I attend a Sixth Form College alongside the rest of the Seven Sweethearts. I study Food Technology, ICT, Maths and Spanish - Stressed is an understatement!

My hobbies and interests, well, I suppose you could say I'm your typical teenage girl. I enjoy hair, nails, fashion trends, baking, listening to music and the occasional reading when I have time. I think its safe to say I spend way to much time painting my nails and Fun Fact; I (to date) own 87 bottles of nail varnish.

But anyways, the countdown to christmas begins as Christmas is just one week away! Eeekkk!
Im so excited for christmas. This year, my family & I are going down to Cornwall for Christmas. We spend a lot of time down in Cornwall, going at least 3-4 times a year. Its my favourite place to visit, its so peaceful,quiet and simply beautiful! I love to surf and swim, so down in Cornwall is a great opportunity for me to do this. Therefore it means next week, on Christmas day I'll be blogging from the beach, even if it will be freezing cold in this glorious English weather (!).

Sorry its been a little short and brief, I kinda suck writing introductions of things.
So my future posts will probably be based around baking, nail/hair tutorials, Product Reviews and just whatever is on my mind at the time of writing, so I hope you enjoy !:)

Goodbye for now,

Love
Maya ♡