April 2018 Favourites

Due to the recent redesign of my blog, I have decided to make my monthly favourites a regular occurence. I really enjoy sharing the things that I have been loving in the hopes of inspiring other people and using these recommendations to connect with other people; as they do say, sharing is caring.

For me, April has been a month where my stress levels have begun to crank up a notch (shoutout to first year Uni exams and coursework) and I have therefore been focussing on de-stressing myself, maintaining my concentration and my motivation, all of which my favourite things this month do indeed reflect.

1: Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba

This month I have really sunk my teeth into this extremely intriguing book which, helpfully, is actually extremely relevant to one of the modules I am taking this semester (big up PL10949). An extremely well-written and informative non-fiction, I have taken a lot away from reading this and continue to find myself unable to put it down once I've picked it up. It also makes for some excellent reading on my train journeys when I visit home! Oh and of course, it's about Paris so what's not to love?

2: Tropic Skincare

Through being introduced to Tropic's skincare products (thanks, mum!), I have noticed a drastic difference to my skin. I wouldn't say I suffer with particularly problematic skin, but I do find I tend to get dry areas and redness, which these products target perfectly. In particular, my favourite product to use is the Brightening Polish, which exfoliates your skin extremely deeply and I have found it's reduced the dryness of my skin in the long-term. It's also worth mentioning that the ingredients they use are 100% natural and they do not test on animals, which is such an incentive to invest in them as a brand.

3: LOTD.com

As you may know, being a student means the bank funds do not come in abundance, therefore, clothes shopping has to be done on some sort of a budget. LOTD.com is an online retailer that sells contemporary, on-trend pieces at minuscule prices, making it my sort of safe-haven for online shopping. Whats more, the quality is perfectly acceptable, which means the value for money is absolutely incredible. I couldn't recommend this online store enough!

4: Biker Shorts

Seeing as my days revolve around working and revising for my upcoming university exams, wearing comfortable clothing to study in is absolutely important for me to stay focussed and biker shorts are just the thing for it. What I find the most wonderful about them is the incredibly soft, comfortable material but also the pure ease of wearing them, paired with a t-shirt or sweatshirt. I scored my navy blue pair from - you guessed it - LOTD.com for just £5 and let me tell you they were a pretty solid investment.

5: Twinings Apple & Pear Tea (with my beautiful anthropologie mugs)

I am one of those that will choose Green Tea over any other tea, any day. Drinking green tea enables me to feel replenished, refreshed and it provides me with a burst of energy, something extremely essential to have whilst studying. Twinings never fail to impress me with their interesting twists on Green Tea and this Apple & Pear concoction has swiftly become a firm favourite. The tea really bursts with a refreshingly fruity sensation and it also smells unquestionably heavenly. Served in one of these beautiful mugs from Anthropologie and to me, that's a good ol' cuppa.

6: Primark Sunglasses

As lovely as it is to invest in an expensive, branded pair of sunglasses (I would recommend Chanel and NO, I'm not being biased!), it's also handy to have a few pairs on the more inexpensive end of the spectrum. Having the pair from Primark that I bought is perfect for casual, everyday wearing and you guessed it, they cost me a mere £3. I decided to hop on the bandwagon of teeny-tiny sunglasses and I have not looked back since. Ideal for shielding my eyes from the sun whilst driving or to just wear in order to feel that bit edgier (not certain whether it's 100% effective), these sunglasses are decidedly my favourite purchase of this month.

7: "Peaceful Piano" Spotify Playlist 

Whilst studying, I enjoy having soft, classical music to be playing in the background as it's calming yet also stimulating for the brain. The "Peaceful Piano" playlist on Spotify is perfect for this as there are no distracting lyrics, just smooth, melodious piano tunes to help accompany all of the hard work going into revising. I tend to keep my phone away from me in the attempt to curtail any form of disturbance, so I usually play it through my laptop or I place my phone on my speakers, on the other side of my bedroom. Simple yet effective techniques like this can drastically change my productivity levels.

8: Sketching Pencils

I have always been an avid drawer, whether it be for part of my A Level Art or just as a hobby to pass time. I find it an immensely relaxing, soothing activity that also stimulates my brain. Whenever I'm not studying, I still like to feel as though what I am accomplishing instead is equally as productive. After a while of not picking up my sketching pencils, I decided to reignite my passion for drawing and I haven't looked back since.