Help

Friday 24 July 2020

LIFESTYLE || LOOKING AND FEELING YOUR BEST THIS SUMMER


Summer is finally here, well the season is definitely here if not the weather. With Summer comes the idea of getting into healthier habits, whether that means exercising more or eating better I will share with you my top tips for feeling your best this Summer.

There is no hiding the fact that we all like to look our best, we just all have different versions of that. However, health doesn't always have to do anything with the appearance and has much more to do with how you feel on the inside. We often neglect the time to take care of ourselves the way we used to when we had fewer commitments and more time to ourselves. Sadly, the days where we would soak in a hot bath for hours, relax with a face mask and take our time to get ready are gone. Nowadays we might be lucky enough to have an extra 5 minutes to ourselves other than being in the bathroom! Although I do not have any children yet, I can only imagine what it must be like for parents or carers having to sacrifice every minute of their day to other people! But all those things don't mean that we can't all be a little more health-conscious and use the Summer as the ideal time to focus on our physical and mental well-being. With that in mind, here are some of the small changes that can make a huge difference in how you look and feel this Summer.

Sunday 8 March 2020

HOW TO MINIMISE SPENDING & SAVE MORE EFFECTIVELY


I'm very new to saving money and spending less. If you've been following my journey on Instagram or blog you'll already know that I'm not shy when it comes to spending money. In fact, I spend more than I earn - or at least I used to.
I kept a spending diary for a year which made me realise that I was spending way too much on things that I did not need. Did I need an extra coat this season? No. Did I buy one? Yes, I did.
After carefully calculating how much money I spend on unnecessary items I have decided that enough is enough and that I will minimise my spending to only things that I actually need.

As I work in the beauty industry I do get a fair amount of discount across many brands (most which I use). Occasionally, I receive free items from the brand that I work for as well as PR packages from some of my favourite brands. This puts me at an advantage to minimise my spending as I have heaps and heaps of makeup and skincare products laying around my house! So far, I haven't spent any money on makeup or skincare this year so I'm going strong 💪🏻

So far I have spent around £100 on necessities such as new tights, work uniform, toiletries etc. I have a holiday coming up and I have been very tempted to order new clothes specifically for the holiday - but why do I feel like I need a whole new wardrobe for a few days away? Instead, I have listed a lot of my old clothes that I haven't worn in a while online and whatever money I get from selling them I will allow myself to buy something new. My only rule is that if I really really want something, then I will treat myself to it as I do believe that we should award ourselves with nice things for working hard.

These are some of the things that I have done and that you can do to help you get better with money:
-> Open a savings account
-> Create a 'Save the Change' account
-> Declutter monthly - try and sell unwanted items
-> Cancel memberships you don't use/need
-> Recycle your old outfits
-> Use recycling programs to get free products - e.g. Back to Mac or Origins Recycling Program
-> Get insurance from Compare the Market to receive 2 for 1 cinema ticket and meal offers
-> Stock up on products you need when there are offers


I'm still learning how to become the best version of myself and to save up effectively. I want to have a constantly growing income, so I've started reading The Richest Man in Babylon. It's quite hard to read but the lessons it will teach you are very important.

Another thing I have started doing is buying multipacks of drinks, chocolate bars and crisps and keeping them in my locker at work. I don't always bring a packed lunch with me so this is a great way of trying not to overspend in shops when I'm hungry. On average I would spend around £5 on my lunch if I didn't bring one with me but now that I have snacks in my locker I will only spend £1.50 on a sandwich from the nearest supermarket. Still, the best option would be to make a packed lunch every day (it's best to use slow energy releasing carbohydrates as then you'll remain fuller for longer, but that's a lesson for another day haha 😂).

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post. Let me know in the comments section if there's anything you can relate to from this post 🥰
Do you have any tips on how to save money? Comment them down below for others to see! 

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Friday 29 September 2017

10 THINGS I HAVE LEARNT AT UNIVERSITY


Going to university was very exciting for me, especially as I was a year behind all my friends because I change my A-levels in my second year of college. I started uni in 2015 and am studying Criminology with Social Policy which is a rather difficult subject if I do say so myself. I found university very overwhelming during my first week there as I kept constantly getting lost and felt awkward trying to make plans with people who had already made loads of friends with their new flatmates as I had lived at home and commuted daily, unlike the majority of the students who lived on campus.

1. GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR LECTURERS/TUTORS IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING
This is probably a piece of advice that I wish I followed during my first year as I found it pretty difficult to adjust to my new life as a university student - the coursework was different and a lot more difficult than A-levels.

2. DO RESEARCH BEFORE WRITING ESSAYS
I feel like I should have stuck to my own 'words of wisdom' before preaching them, haha! Always do research on a topic you're thinking about before you start your essay as you might find it halfway through that you would have done better answering a different question.

3.  BE NICE TO EVERYONE YOU MEET
This is definitely something that everyone should follow. I like to think of myself as a genuinely nice person and I'd do anything to make a person feel comfortable and confident. However, I have come across some very vile people who turned out to be a very big waste of my time but I'll save that for another post.

4. APPLY FOR AN OVERDRAFT
I was one of the (un)lucky people who has had a weekend job, so I always had that extra £200 each month, however, a lot of my friends struggled financially. I don't actually have an overdraft as I do not need one, but I would suggest looking into it, especially if you struggle with saving some pennies. The best deals that I found were opening a student account with Santander as you get a free railcard for 4 years and the overdraft limit starts from £150!

5. ALWAYS BE YOURSELF
My biggest pet peeve is when people try to impress others by not being themselves. It's fake and unnecessary, so make sure you're always being yourself as people will appreciate genuineness at this stage of life.


6. TAKE PART IN SEMINAR DISCUSSIONS
I was really scared to speak up and share my opinions on certain subjects, but once my tutor had heard what I had to say he showed gratitude and respect for my answer and never failed to get me involved in future talks.

7. NO QUESTION IS STUPID
You might be wanting to ask a question about something which might seem banal to others or look silly, but the truth is - there's no such thing as a stupid question! So, ask away as it's always better to be sure about something rather than staying quiet and confused.

8. RECORD YOUR LECTURES AND SEMINARS
Recording lectures will be your new best friend, especially on those days when you feel like crap and need lots of caffeine or you spent your night partying away! I always record my lectures and write notes as I go along so then if I made a note which I cannot remember, I'd listen to the recording and remind myself of the topic. - This is also a great revision hack.

9. DON'T LEAVE WORK UNTIL LAST MINUTE
Anyone who had been to school would already know this golden rule. I can't stress enough how important it is to do your coursework and revision on time and never leave anything important til last minute! I did this a few times during my A-levels and it did not help me pass one bit if you know what I mean... :|

10. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU MOVE IN WITH
I'm not saying this to sound like a fussy cow, but you need to consider who you're going to live with especially if you'll be sharing a kitchen and/or bathroom. The people I had lived with were sooo messy and it put me off cooking my own food! I found myself constantly cleaning up after others solely for sanitary reasons.

Are you a student? If so, what do you study?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Sunday 15 November 2015

Preparing for uni life

Hi guys,

Today's post is slightly different and I decided to share with you my honest opinion of my first semester at university with tips on how to survive and prepare yourself for the drastic change after college. Whether you're staying at home while at uni or living in an accommodation you will still need as much financial and social help as possible.


I was entitled to a grant as well as a loan so I did receive a large amount of money to spend on the things I needed for my studies. I have decided to spend my first instalment on everything I needed for the first year and then save the following two instalments for the future. I spent my money on an iPad Air 2 with 128Gb with a wireless keyboard and a new pair of headphones. That was a pricey investment but I'm very glad I bought it as it is a lot easier for me to take notes as it speeds up the process and automatically correct my spelling haha! It is also easier for me to carry as I don't have to drag heavy books around with me all day! 
The next product I splurged on was a new pair of straighteners - GHD coral edition. I needed new straighteners as my Vidal Sassoon ones broke after being a very dear friend to me for 5 years :(. I had to treat myself for getting into my first choice uni! I bought most of my books that I will need in order to pass my first year (duh, kind of the most important thing) and lots and lots of stationary! 
I also splurged on makeup and clothes for winter - so I'm warm and cosy all season round! On top of that I needed a haircut and was going to have a regular trim at one of the hair salons I usually go for, but I decided to go to Vidal Sassoon to see for myself what all the fuss is about and you'll find out soon with my upcoming post featuring their hair products! 


I do regret splurging so much and not saving enough money, however I have learnt from my mistake and have now been putting away some money to the side for whenever I might need it seeing as I do spend my monthly wages on random crap! I have realised that becoming an adult comes with a lot of responsibilities especially if you go to uni and stay at home. I feel more independent but not independent enough to take many matters into my own hands. I feel like I'm rarely at home and don't spend a lot of time with my family which is upsetting but I do have a lot going on with my uni work and my actual job as well as trying to maintain a social life and attend society events. 


The first rule is - pack all the necessities and more. You can never have too many clothes - bring everything that you need with you as you might not find the time to do your weekly wash, so you need to have some spare clothes to wear on laundry days! Make sure you bring a medicine cabinet with you (literally). Even though I live at home I have bought so many types of medicine, plasters, creams etc. To keep in my room away from everyone so they don't nick any of it and that its always available to me. I keep a packet of ibuprofen tablets and plasters in my handbag just in case I needed them. Next step -food. Make sure you have a lot of 'emergency' food such as baked beans, spaghetti hoops, soups etc. As you might not always have the time to cook a proper meal or lack ingredients, so this is the easiest way to survive! I would also recommend purchasing a water filter jug instead of spending loads on bottled water as it does taste exactly the same and is always available, saving you time on running to the shop for some water.  


Another rule is - you can never have too much stationary. I own tonnes of ring-binders, refill pads, pens, pencils etc. The only thing I want now is to have my own printer as I don't like to carry all the printouts from uni to my house, because when I do print out things there's millions of it and I'd hate for it to crease in my bag.


Make sure you join societies in order to make friends who share similar interests to you as this will help you gain needed social skills and make you more appealing to employers. Sports are also important as they keep you fit and you also get to meet a lot of people with similar interests and hobbies. I personally haven't joined any sport societies or clubs, but I am a member of the Sociology Society and Fashion Society. I just wish there was a Blogger society!!

I think what helped me the most to organise my free time and study time was creating a timetable of when I have my lectures and seminars and when I'd like to revise and ow long for. We are supposed to do 20 hours of independent work each week after all....


How have you guys prepared for uni? Are any of you staying at home while studying like me?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Sunday 12 April 2015

How to become more organised

Hey beauties!
I've never been an organised person in my life. Whenever I attempt to motivate myself to be organised at the beginning of an academic year it all goes down the drain pretty fast... I'm talking like a week tops. But the other day I bought quite a lot of stationary as I wanted to get organised just in time for my exams.
First of all, make sure you have a to-do list of things you would like to get done in a day/week/month and make sure you stick to it. I usually write down a bullet-pointed list of things I want to get done in a day, e.g. revision and coursework and then when I've done it I highlight or cross the task out so I feel like I've accomplished something great.
Another great idea is to buy a weekly planner and a packet of star shaped stickers like I've done. What I do with it, is write down daily tasks and put a sticker next to each task after I have done it so when I have a certain amount of stars at the end of the month I can treat myself to a high end products for working hard. So far it's been paying off slightly as I've become more determined to revise more.
Make sure you always have enough pens in different colours so you can annotate your notes in different topics etc. A refill pad is always helpful when you want to make a list of upcoming blog posts especially if you order them by dates or alphabetically.
I usually make posters and mind maps and put them all around the house so whenever I am doing something like brushing my hair I will look at my notes and revise them in my head. This is very helpful if your exams have a lot of context you need to learn so topics like history, psychology and geography.
Flashcards are the next best thing after mind maps. They are so helpful when it comes to revision as you can get someone to ask you questions about certain events or theorists which you then answer to ensure you know EVERYTHING. Also, make sure you keep all your files sorted out by topics and dividers in a folder, keep it all hole punched and stapled to keep all important documents together.

What are your favourite ways of keeping organised/revising?

Have you entered my MAC lipstick giveaway yet? You have until May 1st to do so!

Lots of love,
Maya xo
© VOGUE BY MAYA. Design by Fearne.