The Joy Of Early Mornings

Since going back to university in September (and stupidly deciding to commute every single day), I have had my fair share of early starts. With 9am lectures, I end up having to leave the house by 7am before driving, taking two trains and then catching the university shuttle bus. And although I definitely don't consider myself a morning person at all, there is something quite nice about seeing the sun rise and all the hustle and bustle of the city center. Plus there's the well known saying "the early bird catches the worm" right? Of course there's nothing nicer than a lay in when you have nothing to do or nowhere to go, but I have surprisingly been enjoying getting up that bit earlier. So I thought I'd share with you what I'm getting out of waking up that little bit earlier (besides being on time and a better car parking space). 

You get more done

This is kind of a given thing as your days are longer, but in my 2015 reflection post I mentioned that since starting my second year of university I have had such a much better work ethic. All my assignments have been finished weeks in advance and I have a whole new outlook on life. I think all this is down to having to wake up really early, as I start the day with a mission to get things done and be proactive with my time. By starting things earlier, it means I get to finish earlier - so there is plenty of time for relaxing, and winding down before it's time to go to bed. 

You can do whatever you want

Ok... maybe not whatever you want, but if you have got up earlier than you need to you can do whatever you want to do with the time that you have. I make sure I set off in plenty of time to catch my train, and I usually end up getting to the train station about 20 minutes earlier. Before I leave I usually make a cup of tea in a little travel mug/ flask, and I use this time to properly start the day off. I'll sit in my car with a cup of tea and I'll read a book or catch up with the news - whatever I feel like doing at the time. Sometimes I'll treat myself to a muffin or some breakfast from Starbucks, and I'll just use the time to sit and watch the sunrise whilst I eat.

Peace

I'm not one for rushing around as I get really anxious and stressed out when I'm running late. But by getting everything ready the night before, I can start of my day with ease and don't have to worry about things like deciding what I want to wear or where my keys and books are. This means my mornings always start out super chilled and I'm ready to take on the day. Waking up early in the morning is nice because you get to experience the world before it has properly awoken. All the shops are still shut, the birds are chirping at the start of a new day, and there are generally a lot less people around.

Control

By dedicating time in the morning to plan out your day, you can choose exactly how your day is going to pan out. Obviously there are going to be some things that you can't control, but there are so many things that you can decide early on the day. I like to plan out my day to start off in the best way possible. I'll try and do things that I enjoy early on the day (like reading a book), so I start off in a better and happier mood. By doing this I never 'dread' the start of the day, I see it in the same way as I do getting to relax at the end of the day. 

Are you a morning person? What do you like about getting up early?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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Taking A Time Out: An Update

Hellooooooooo! First of all NO it isn't Sunday, and this isn't my regular 9am Sunday post - you haven't got today off. I'm posting this incase you missed yesterday's usual post and the first couple sentences in it. So just incase you missed it - I am back. I repeat I AM BACK! I have a real urge to write out the lyrics to Without Me by Eminem, but I will resist that urge as I feel it is way too cliché and I don't want to be that person. (Guess who's back, back again, Charlotte's back, tell a friend...)

In case you are waaaaay out of the loop, haven't tuned in for a while or whatever.... a month or so ago I announced that I would be taking a well overdue break from blogging to focus on my health and well being. After almost two years of twice weekly blogging, I obviously found it extrememly hard at first to go cold turkey as it was part of my weekly routine. I kept checking up on my comments and page views, and had an overwhelming urge to write a schedule a few blog posts. At the start of my break, I was disappointed that my page-views had dropped dramatically, but I guess that was going to be a given thing considering I wasn't really blogging. Statistics aside, my health has improved dramatically - my stupid eye twitch has pretty much stopped twitching, but not entirely. When I am in a stressful situation, working out, or in times where I can feel my anxiety spike, my eye likes to let me know that it's still in it's socket! After my break I feel a lot more relaxed, insanely happier, back to my crazy organised self - and all together more myself. I've enjoyed kicking stress in the butt, and I will continue to try and keep my stress in check. (Also if you're interested in a few stress related posts - let me know!)

Although I am back, I will be gradually easing my way back in, dipping my toe into the water gradually. I don't want to waste the sheer amount of effort it took me to feel ok again, and end up having to take another month or so off. I also want to point out that I am sitting some end of year exams in April, so my main focus will be revising for them as opposed to worrying about getting every. single. post. up. on. time. So if one day there isn't a post up, please understand why.  

It's really nice to be back, and I will try and get a few posts written and scheduled this week! 

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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Favourites From February

First of all, I just want to mention that my blog is back in business. Some of you may remember that towards the end of January I took a bit of a break from blogging after everything got to be a little too much for me to cope with. And whilst posts still went up, I wasn't technically here, and checking up on stats and replying to comments. But after a bit of time off, the stress has subsided slightly and I want to get back into blogging slowly - easing myself in so it's not a shock to the system. I thought the best place to start would be with a monthly favourites post as they are by far the quickest and easiest to write. But can you believe we're in March? Like whaaaaaaaat? Seriously, it will be 2017 before we know it at this rate. 

So on that note, I'll dive straight in. First up is this gorgeous daisy necklace from Whistles. As much as I've eyed things up from Whistles, I've never bought anything from them as they are so expensive! This necklace set me back £25 (£22.50 with student discount), and is by far the most I have ever spent on a single piece of jewellery. The necklace that I usually wear on a daily basis was looking a bit tarnished and grubby so I treated myself to this when I saw it. I fell head over heels for it and from the moment it arrived, it has only left my neck whilst I sleep and shower. It is so dainty, and is perfect to layer with my other necklaces!

Speaking of pricey items, the Charlotte Tilbury Chic To Chic Blush in 'Love Glow' has been my go-to blush throughout February. I've been breaking my rule about only wearing premium makeup when I go out-out, and have been treating my face to more luxury items on an everyday basis. I love that if needed, it can double up as two different blushers as the 'pop' shade looks gorgeous by itself! On the opposite end of the beauty budget, I have loved teaming the blush with the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Eastend Snob'. It took me the best part of a year to track down and purchase this particular shade, and I have certainly been wearing it to death to make up for that fact. It looks soooooo gorgeous by itself so even if you don't fancy layering it with a lipstick, you can still have gorgeous lips. It has quite a matte finish, and I'm excited to bring it into Spring and wear it with lighter bases and quite minimal makeup. 

Another favourite has been the Lush Twilight Shower Gel. I'd completely forgotten I owned this, and found it stuffed at the back of my collection at the start of the month. It was a limited edition/exclusive product in a Christmas gift set, and I have loved pairing it with the matching bath bomb as a weekend pamper treat or by itself as a weekday pick me up. I'm absolutely gutted that it is only a 100ml bottle, as I've only got a little bit left and I won't be able to repurchase it when it's all gone! *cries into Lush filled bathwater*. 

And finally! Is the Prada Candy L'eau perfume. Purchasing this was a complete accident as I was actually trying to repurchase the Florale version of the perfume that I had used up. But as perfume is usually non-returnable I thought I'd try it out anyway - and spoiler alert I FLIPPIN' LOVE IT. Now it is completely different to the Prada Candy Florale, so I don't get why they share the same name. Ey Prada? I'm terrible at describing perfumes so I'd suggest going to a shop to smell it for yourself, but I'd say it smells quite fruity - but not a fresh, girly type of fruity. It smells more musky than the Prada Candy Florale, and is more suited to autumn/winter unlike the Florale which I prefer in spring/summer. 

What have you been enjoying over the last month?
Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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