False Tan: A Love Hate Relationship

I go through phases. A lot of them. One week I'll love it, the next I couldn't think of anything worse. False tan is my ultimate on the fence beauty product. 

I love having a summer glow, I mean who doesn't? That golden transformation of your skin is just pure beauty, the "I've been away for 2 weeks" kind of look is my sort of style, but I still don't love false tan. 

Although false tan makes everyone and everything look healthier, and feel better, it makes outfits hotter, white dresses look prettier, sandals look nicer, and teeth look whiter, it also comes with so many downsides and negatives...

It smells... Like really bad. I haven't found one false tan product that has either no smell, or smells even half decent. It doesn't just smell on application, but for the whole time its on, no matter how many showers I take to try and diminish the smell, I can still whiff that odd curry, biscuit, cakey smell that seems to linger for days. 

It never applies perfectly even, I may be a little bit of a perfectionist, but even someone who isn't would still agree with me... there's nothing more annoying than missing a part of your body when fake tanning. Being left with a white line behind your knee, or under your arm, or that stupid round circle you cant reach on your back!

Not only that but without a decent tanning mitt, it always looks streaky. Cheap tan, expensive tan, to me it happens with them all. Those awful streaks that just seem to never rub in properly.

It stain everything! From hands to bed sheets to even a few of my tops! I find that it rubs off on clothes and doesn't easily come out in the wash. My bed sheets have turned orange many a times from wearing tan the night before and nothing seems to lift it. Hands, oh orange hands. No matter what protection I try and use (and believe me I've tried the lot) from hair dying gloves to layering tan gloves it still finds a way to leak through and stain my palms. 

Although there are all of these many downsides to false tanning I still use it, I just can't bare ghostly looking legs in summer or that pale white face when I have no makeup on. 

There are alternatives to false tanning, the likes of sun beds are widely used but are they really safe? We all know the dangers of UV raise and the risk of skin cancer. However most ignore these risks but why? I personally have never been on a sun bed for the risks that are associated with them, and probably never will, yet I'm still okay with lying on a beach abroad for a week baking in the sun's raise. 

Whilst having that perfect tan, that perfect summers glow, is not only mine but many girls, and guys, ideal look, there is no safe yet practical way of gaining it. The risks with sun beds and direct UV raise from the sun, should be educated more as many are oblivious to the dangers. Although I have a love hate relationship with false tan, personally I think I will be sticking to it, putting up with the stinky smell and the nasties that come along with it as it is much safer than the alternatives. 

I would love to know your thoughts and opinions on both false tan and sun beds. 

International Nurses Day

Happy International Nurses Day!

As many of you will know I am currently studying to become an Adult Nurse. I am in my second year of my degree, with just 11 weeks of placement standing between me and my final year. I am terrified, to say the least. 

I have always wanted to be a nurse for as long as I remember, there has never been another profession that appealed to me as much. I never had much contact with nurses when I was young, and had no exact reason as to why one day I'd want to train as one. To be brutally honest it wasn't until gaining my place at university, and well into my first year until I actually began to understand the true meaning of what it meant to be a nurse. 

Nursing is helping those who are vulnerable and in need, it is aiming to make the sick better and caring for the terminal and those at the end of life in the most compassionate and dignified way. 

Nursing is not only caring for patients, but also patients family and social network surrounding.

Nursing is treating a patient as a whole, attending to not only their physical health problems but their social needs, their emotional needs, their spiritual needs.

Nursing is assisting recovery, improving and restoring ones health.

Nursing is promoting the best possible quality of life.

Nursing is a relationship between patient and carer, it is allowing communication, personal skills, compassion, and empathy to aid trust and respect.

Nursing is caring for those who have terminal illnesses, caring for those who have lost, caring for those who are in need.

Nursing is not glamorous, it is challenging and demanding, it is life changing and dedicating.

Nursing is educating, teaching and promoting.

Nursing is treating everyone as equals, being non-judgmental.

Nursing is not easy, everyday I contemplate whether I can actually do this as a profession, it is physically and mentally demanding. It is hard work, there's early morning starts, and late night ends to shifts, there's night shifts, long shifts, and weekend shifts. You don't get amazing pay or benefits. It requires skill and knowledge and endless education. However I wouldn't want to be anything else.

Nursing is my life, its not just what I do but it's who I am.

I am proud to nurse.

Fitness Diaries #3

Just a quick update...

I have finally signed up for my first race, and not just any race, but the Race for Life! I'll be running to raise money for Cancer research, an integral charity that brings us breakthroughs in cancer care and treatment. How exciting, but also nerve wracking and scary!

My Race for Life Story:

I'm joining Cancer Research UK's Race for Life this year. On the 12th of July I will be running for my Grandma, who recently sadly passed away of Cancer. She was the most loving and caring woman and was took from us by this horrible disease. Like many families who are, and have been effected by cancer, we were all left heart broken. This opportunity will allow me to play my part in raising money needed for research. My target is £150, reaching this goal, or even exceeding it will help the fight against Cancer. 

My grandma was sadly taken from us because of what horrible and devastating disease Cancer is, so I'm hoping raising money and awareness for the illness will make her proud, and I hope to god she will be watching over me and give me all the good luck in the world with my training and the event itself! 

I have set a target of raising £150 for Cancer research, ambitious I know, but I'm hoping friends, family, and of course the blogging world will give me anything they can to reach my goal! Even the smallest of donations would be great! 

Donations can be made through my Just Giving page which you can find by clicking here. or by texting CBFX59 and £5 to 70070.

Another goal of mine is to run the 5K race under 25 minutes, considering I haven't been running long, this is also an ambitious goal. However I'm hoping that plenty of practice and training will allow me to achieve this aim. At the moment I have been trying to run as far as I can before stopping for a rest or needing to walk, at the moment it is about 2 miles before I my legs begin to wobble and my breathing becomes to heavy to manage. So a lot more training is needed before I will be able to run the full 3 miles properly.

I would love to hear from others running charity events, or those who have ran for charities in the past!

Thank you, El x

De-stressing

I'm a student nurse, studying a full time degree, whilst working unpaid to gain experience and pass key competences on placement, I admit, I get rather stressed. 

Stressful events for me include; living off the bare minimum, trying to support myself living away from home, having assignments after assignments after assignments to write, and working 12+ hour days on the wards unpaid. Alongside this I also try to maintain a social life, a relationship, and friendships, as well as keeping in touch with family, missing my parents, and home-sickness. And on top of all that I am moving house at the end of June and will be made homeless for a night. So plenty of stressors in my life currently.

I think it is vital to take time out now and again to relax and recover, to revitalise and have that all important "me" time. There are many ways in which I treat myself to some integral relaxation time, and thought I would share with you, my all time favorite ways to release tension and anxiety. 

One way in which I forget all stress and anxiety I am currently having is to get in contact with friends. Those you haven't seen or spoken to in a while can help you unwind and talk out all of your worries and concerns. When feeling particularly stressed I like to catch up with the girls by doing something fun. This usually takes my mind off university work, placement worries, or homesick I'm suffering with. Being around others who are sensitive enough to just sit and listen, and be there for you when you need them, is perfect in times when you just need someone to talk to. 

A second way I like to relax includes taking the biggest bubble bath ever, using my most beautiful smelling bath bombs and creams. I find having me time whilst dipped into a gloriously hot bath surrounded by bubble love can help my tension seriously just float away. 

Breathing relaxation techniques can also enable me to unwind, closing my eyes and focusing on breathing, making it deeper and slowing it right down allows me to clear my mind and focus on nothing else. With every breath out that I take I try to relax a different part of my body, starting from the bottom and working my way up towards my shoulders, then neck then head. 

Lighting lush smelling candles and playing soft music with dimmed lights and my comfy's on can also enable me to wind away that anxiety. At the end of a long day this is probably my favorite thing to do, it requires absolute 0 effort and can be enjoyed alone or with my boyfriend. I find this time perfect for reflecting on what I am worrying about and laying those worries aside. 

Okay, so now you know how I relax but why? I hear you say? why take time to relax when that time can be spent resolving worries or anxieties I have. Well relaxing for me is not only a way to relieve stress but also a way to forget about the world. There's so much going on around us everyday we can often feel like we have been swept into a whirl wind world of unknown, and it can be quite frightening.

Relaxing is beneficial physically, and mentally, it can restore and heal our heath and efficiency. Stress can take a turn on our bodies causing burn out, declining our physical health and playing with our emotions.

Without taking time out to relax and unwind it is likely that you will see an increase in uncontrolled, and unexpected emotions that may prevent the smooth running of social and work life. It is also likely that a loss of productivity will be seen. Having so much to do at one time often makes me feel like doing nothing at all resulting in no work getting done, resulting in me becoming more stressed! Taking that time out to relax can allow you to priorities and work through lists of jobs one step at a time, preventing a build up of worries.

How do you cope with stress in your life?