October means a number of things to me - sweater weather, spiced lattes, failing at carving pumpkins and an excuse to make everyone around me watch as many scary movies as possible. I still remember when I was like 10 I was secretly watching this vampire movie on TV and I was scared sh*tless for about a week. I've always loved horrors so I feel like I no longer have to run from point A to B in the house after watching one as it takes a lot more to scare me, I still fall for all the jump scares though.  If you're also a horror/thriller movie enthusiast, here's a Halloween movie for you to watch every day throughout October. 

1. The Conjuring - paranormal investigators help a family get rid of a devil or some paranormal entity in their house.  

2. Sinister - about a house that convinces kids to murder their family in crazy ways and video tape it. 

3. When a Stranger Calls - teenage girl babysits rich kid in a big house in the middle of nowhere and gets a call that someone is in the house to kill her. 

4. The Craft - a cool group of witches doing witchy things. 

5. Veronica - not the ghost that haunted the girl's bathroom in middle school, but a girl who plays the Ouija board and summons an evil spirit into her home (in Spanish). 

6. The House at the End of the Street - Jennifer Lawrence moves to a small town and finds that an accident happened (in the house at the end of the street) and then befriends the only survivor (who's also very cute).

7. It Follows - A curse that gets passed on after you have sexual intercourse with someone - I feel like this movie was a metaphor for STIs.

8. The Babadook - A little boy is convinced the creepy thing in his book is haunting him at night (the boy was creepier in my opinion). 

9. The Orphan - family adopts a 'little orphan girl' who then appears to be more trouble and full of secrets than they expected.

10. Halloween - A man who goes on a killing spree on Halloween night. 

11. Hocus Pocus - the second best Halloween movie. 

12. Lights Out - sister tries to stop the supernatural spirit haunting her little brother that appears to be connected to their mother. 

13. Mother! - couple moves into a new home and then random guests keep appearing - this movie made me feel so uncomfortable/anxious I almost left the cinema. 

14. Berlin Syndrome - girl goes to Germany, has a one night stand and gets kidnapped by the hot German guy.

15. Gone - girl's sister goes missing and she's certain it's the guy who kidnapped her a few years ago who's come back for her sis but the police don't believe her. 

16. IT - creepy clown who takes kids. 

17. Before I Wake - whenever this boy has nightmares the 'monsters' he imagines come to life in the house (this also got really sad really quickly). 

18. Gothika - psychiatrist has an accident and ends up being put in the asylum as a patient because they think she's crazy. 

19. Truth or Dare - truth or dare but deadly. 

20. The Boy - A nanny babysitting a life-sized doll who then appears to be more real than fake. 

21. Get Out - an African-American guy visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, but then he starts to notice a lot of strange things happening around him. 

22. House of Wax - bunch of teenagers camp out near a house of wax and things get waxy - Paris Hilton is also in this. 

23. Don't Breathe - 3 teenagers try to rob a blind man but then get more than they bargained for. 

24. One Missed Call - people start receiving voice mails from their future selves with details of their death. 

25. Blair Witch Project - three film makers go to a forest to document the Blair Witch legend and then leave the footage behind. 

26. Hereditary - a girl gets her head chopped off when she's sticking her head out the window and then some shit happens and then the family starts getting haunted and dark secrets are revealed. 

27. The Witch - A family in 1630s New England and a girl who gets accused of being a witch and using dark magic.

28. The Purge - one night of the year in America where all crime is legal. 

29. The Visit - two teenagers go stay with their 'grandparents' for a week and things start to get really really weird. 

30. Hush - an intruder in a deaf girls house.

31. Halloween Town - the best Halloween movie of all time. If you've never heard of it it's a Disney movie about a half mortal girl who crosses into another realm (HalloweenTown) to help her witchy grandma save the town from something evil.

Even for the most hardened of travellers, there really is no place like home. After a long trip away from family and friends, staying in a hotel with a new bed that takes you at least a couple of nights to get properly comfortable in, nothing beats the first night back in your own bed.

Your own pillows. Your own new sheets. Your own bedroom. While the offering of luxury boutique hotels almost makes a mockery of your own, more humble, habitat – the fact that it is your own belongings mean that it will always make for the best night’s sleep you could hope for.

When you have been away, spending a few days at home makes for the ideal way to relax and unwind after a long trip. With this in mind, it’s important that we look after our homes so as, when we step back through the door, we are welcomed back with open arms.

Clean Kitchen, Clean Mind

How demotivating is it to walk into your kitchen in the morning, only to be greeted by mountains of washing up? It sucks, so imagine coming back after days or weeks away with washing up that has just sat on the side. There is only one word for that.

Eugh. 

If you start your day having to clean up from the last, you are already on the back-foot. The first thing you should be doing when you walk into your kitchen is to pour yourself a nice warm cup of coffee and make some breakfast (scrambled eggs and toast, if you don’t mind).

Don’t leave empty packets on the side – clutter doesn’t make for great energy, so make sure any rubbish goes in the bin. If you want to be especially fabulous, ensure that your bin is a striking piece of décor in itself, such as these beautiful pieces.

Relax and Unwind

Home is where we retire to relax and unwind. Kick back and put your feet up on the sofa with your favourite series set up on demand. What would be perfect would be to have a beautiful LSA barware set which you can pour your favourite bottle of red into, but that would be being greedy now, wouldn’t it?

The best part about being at home is that you make the rules! Whether you fancy a duvet day, not getting dressed and lounging around the home in your pyjamas or binging on Netflix, the choice is yours! No one can tell you any different.

When on your travels, there is always a certain amount of pressure to venture out because you want to explore somewhere new. You haven’t travelled all that way just to sit in your hotel room watching Making a Murderer from start to finish. At home, this is your time to do whatever the heck you want and not feel guilty about it!

We Still Look Forward to Our Travels

While we love our homes, after those first few days we are once again planning our next trip. That itch is only momentarily satisfied before it rears its head again – oh the life of a traveller!

Almost as soon as we are back in the comfort of our own home, we are looking to fly the nest once more. As much as we look forward to exploring new and exciting places, still nothing beats walking back through that door, walking up the stairs and jumping on our own bed.

* this is a sponsored post,  however I make sure all sponsored posts are suited to my blog and audience*

G

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I want to start by saying to all my friends reading this, some of you may have inspired parts of this but I have also drawn from other experiences and exaggerated a bit for comedic effect, so please don't be offended (unless you think the shoe fits, kidding, kinda). I've had quite a few group trips over the last 2 years - including a press trip to India with 29 other bloggers, trips with my family, fast paced eurotrips with my best friends and even throwing my sister and two of my best friends (who barely knew each other at the time) in a group to go to Malta to fill our room of 4. They say you really get to know someone when you go on holiday with them, and I can safely say after returning I could have done with not seeing any of their faces for 2 weeks they all passed the test. Here's 6 types of people you're likely to travel with on holiday. 

Ok so I'm not that exaggerated, I draw the line at google docs and spreadsheets. This is the person who knows what time you're sitting down to have tea and cake and how long it's going to take you to walk from your hotel to the breakfast bar (because that's already been decided too) and probably learnt a few phrases in Japanese just for the lols. It may sometimes feel like you're on a school trip with them, but at least you'll know you won't be leaving Paris without tasting the best croissants in the city, taking photos in the most beautiful spots and drinking in the best bars. 

This person probably had Magaluf on their list first but you guys negotiated and settled for Ibiza. A hike or an afternoon exploring museums is usually not on their agenda. They just want to know what the local beer is, what parties are on and the hotel room is mainly used for sleeping off hangovers. The great thing about them is that if none of you are particularly 'feeling it' they'll be there to hype you up until you are. 

You can usually identify this person when the majority of their vocab on the trip consists of 'I'm tired' 'what time are we going back to the room?' and usually wants to be back in bed by 9pm. To make sure this person goes the distance, make sure they drink a cup of coffee at every food break. This person is useful because often you're probably in need of a nap too so you just need to wait for them to suggest it. You'll also want to thank them for stopping you from staying out until 4am if you've got a flight to catch the next day. 

This person likely said yes to the trip without even knowing where the hell on the map it is. They're easy to travel with in the sense that they're not fussy but maybe they wouldn't be the most ideal person to be lost in the middle of Athens with because they haven't been paying attention to anything the whole time. They probably trust you with your judgement and ideas which is good, but we all know collaboration is key! 

This person is either well travelled or spent 2 weeks in Bali to figure out who they are and now thinks he's the healer of the world. Every trip with them turns into a deep conversation about the world and how we are all connected and life is beautiful. Or chances are, you probably meet them in a hostel or bar and they'll be sure to drop in how they climbed kilimanjaro and about the time they almost died from rabies. 

If you really want this person to come along, then it's best to leave the airline you're flying with and hotel you're staying at until you land in the airport. The thought of staying at a hostel would repulse them, and the only type of street food they'd be fine with eating is bottled Fiji water from the machine. They probably have good taste though, so if you're looking to splurge on a fancy dinner one night they'll probably know where to look.  

Probably the best and easiest person to travel with. This person is usually down for whatever - pub crawling in Prague, trying 3 course local foods, fine with walking 40 minutes to a restaurant that ends up being below average and then doesn't complain, sees the funny side when things go wrong and also offers to use their 3G to google map directions.

When you travel in a group sometimes it's hard for everyone to agree on everything - from who gets to sleep in what bed to what cuisine you're going to have for dinner. Even if you were to have every type of person above in one trip, the chances are all the little bumps you have will make for funny stories later - as long as you don't have more than one of each, then things mights get a bit tricky. 

What kind of traveller do you think you are? 

G

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When I was thinking about what to write about for my next blog post, the lines were slightly blurred between ways I'm trying to save more money and how I'm planning to live a more minimalist lifestyle and I guess in the end both ideas overlap in some sense. Living a minimalist lifestyle is ' the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.' For most, it means minimising the amount of materialistic things in your life and the amount of meaning you give to them, and instead spend more time and energy focusing on our health, relationships, passions and personal growth. For me right now, it's looking around my room and thinking 'I have so much stuff here that I haven't touched in 6 months, why do I still have it?' Here are some small ways I'm trying to live a more minimalist lifestyle. 

This doesn't mean I'm going to go and throw away all of my Pandora rings because a. they're expensive and b. they're pretty - but will buying more of them add any value to my life? Not really. It just adds to more things I have to be careful of not losing (as I write this I just went to check if they were in my gym bag because I chucked them in there before). So going forward I want to make sure most of the things I purchase will either make my life easier, bring me joy or hold some sort of meaning. Note, I will never regret spending money on Kit Kat McFlurry's. 

In a lot of my goal posts I talk about wanting to read more books or aiming for X amount a month - which usually means more money and reading more 'at the surface'. I've been borrowing books from the library for the past few months so cost hasn't been the issue, but I have found I've been rushing books just because I want to hand them in on time and squeeze more in to the month. I'm getting a kindle for Christmas (finally) so that will minimise the amount of space being taken up on my shelf, and I want to take my time with books and not just read them to tick another one off the list. For some recommendations you can head to my post on all the books I've read this year. 

My mum would probably be happy to hear this one because she's constantly lecturing us about not buying any more clothes and throwing out old ones. I'm a bit of a hoarder in the sense that I'll keep a dress that doesn't even go below my butt anymore just because it was my favourite dress when I was 16. One thing I need to do this with is gym clothing - I have enough sets to last me two weeks and yet half of them are going unused (have been pushed to the back of the draw). So I am going to make it a point to throw away anything that makes me feel like a potato. 

This is something I've seen online a couple of times and have still yet to try. It's basically choosing a certain amount of staple items in your wardrobe (21 seems to be the norm?) and mix and match them. I guess this would save me time in the morning when I give myself 5 minutes to find an outfit for work because I'm too lazy to plan it the night before. 

I remember my first year of university my mum went through every isle of Asda with me and bought all the necessities I'd need for my first month or two at uni - mayo, 6 cans of tuna, sweetcorn, peas. When it came time to move out in June there were still cans of peas and sweetcorn sitting in the back of the cupboard. I had the bad habit of buying things on impulse without thinking what I already had left in my fridge/pantry. So now it's time to do the opposite and work from what I got. 

I'm actually pretty good at this already! The only excess form of make-up I own is eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks, because you can never own too many shades of reds. I'm all for testing new mascaras, eyeliners etc when I've run out of mine but I don't see the point in owning 5 at a time - it's not like I can apply them all at once!

I travel with hand luggage 80% of the time, unless I'm going further afield. I'm planning a 3 week trip to Japan/Philippines next year and I know it will make my life 100% easier if I can get through it with just a cabin sized backpack. It might mean recycling the same 4 outfits but it also means less weight on my back and being able to keep track of everything I have with me - and not pointlessly searching for things. 

So after my whole iPhone being stolen fiasco, I went into town and went into every electronic shop to make sure I got the best deal (because it was going to hurt my bank account enough) and managed to replace my iPhone for £90 less than what it was selling for at the Apple store - with a little help from my dad and his tactics. To minimise my spendings on 'materialistic' things I want to actually make it a point to use discounts and find deals - whether it be to find a cheap watch*, or savings at Aldi. 

I'm not talking about sentimental value, because I like looking back at letters, tickets etc. of life experiences and being reminded of the memory. However, how many times have you received a gift from someone and had no intention of ever using it? Probably not often, but it happens. So instead it's either time to say goodbye or donate it! (please don't try and regift it). 

I guess this is the whole point of materialism  - we buy things because they give us instant gratification and for some people it has a lot to do with how other people will perceive them. I sometimes hear people comment on how 'so and so' is always wearing the same coat or that their trainers aren't branded. Maybe they're just fine for what they need? Going back to point 7, travelling lighter also means that my Instagram is going to be full of the same 5 outfits and my favourite red bikini but hey! it's the view that counts right? (the location that is, not me). 

So that's it for now! I'd love to actually learn a bit more about it and if I do manage to stick to it I'll be sure to follow up in a couple of months about my findings...Have any of you ever considered or do follow a minimalist lifestyle? 

G

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* This post was written in collaboration with Latest Deals but all words and opinions are my own *

To be completely honest guys, I was meant to publish this post 3 weeks ago, but I've been putting it off because I haven't had time to take good pictures, and then my iPhone got stolen so I lost the beauty that is portrait mode, so I apologise if the imagery is less than above average. For me summer means one thing for my skin - grease lightning. It's been a while since I've talked about my skincare routine because I only really change it up when the seasons change as my skin needs a different kind of attention in the hotter months. I have quite an oily t-zone (which in the future will be great for preventing wrinkles ladies) so for the summer I've been using products (and devices) that are tailored towards that. I've got to work with some cool brands this summer and I think all of the products mentioned below are pretty innovative.  So without further ado, here are some of my favourite beauty products from this summer. 

I had a giftcard to use at Seruya so I thought I would use it to buy some nice skincare, as up until now I'd just been keeping it simple with Simple. The thing that drew me to this is that they come in travel size! Which means I can still keep my skincare up when I'm travelling with hand-luggage only, or you know if I'm on a long haul flight and want to cleanse tone and moisturise in the small plane cubicle. As I mentioned my skin is more on the oily side, so creamy cleanses aren't great for me. The face wash is really refreshing and leaves your face feeling tingly and fresh after, whilst the toner is definitely on the 'stronger' side and you can feel it's getting rid of all your impurities. I then use a dot of the moisturiser to finish off. It's not heavy and doesn't leave a greasy looking finish and one little squidge is enough to cover your whole face and neck. The great thing about Clinique is that their 3 Step Intro comes in different formulas for different skin types. I went for the combination oily skin. The 3 Step Intro travel size kit retails at £20.

I've been using this mask every Wednesday and Sunday to exfoliate my skin and I do look forward to it. It's an orange paste and is quite grainy so you can really tell you're getting a good deep exfoliation. The product is designed to exfoliate, detoxify and remove impurities and I can tell it's doing exactly that. I always feel like if I can't feel the grains on my face then the product isn't doing it's job. I leave this on for around 10 minutes, or if I'm washing my hair I put the mask on before getting in the shower, and once I've down everything else I rinse this off last. I do feel like my skin has less excess oil in it after use and is a lot smoother. I've been using this for about a month now and have noticed my skin tone to be a lot more even and brighter (my sister actually commented on it). The PCA Purifying Mask* retails at £49.00.

I was so intigued by this facial wash and my first thoughts were - how on earth do I apply this? Luckily my smarter friends on Snapchat pointed out to "just add water!". My first impressions of this product that it was fun to use and it smells lovely. It's a mild powder cleanser that is designed to be used daily and helps to eliminate blackheads. I have sensitive skin so this is great as it doesn't irritate it. I keep this in my gym bag and use it when I shower there so I can instantly remove all my sweaty yuckiness and walk out feeling fresh. The product helps to balance your pH level and contains baking powder, coconut and enzymes to help give you that hydrated glow. The Green Tea Powder Wash* retails at £18.

ZOE by QykSonic

This is probably the star of the show, firstly because it's beautiful and so compact that I can throw it in to any bag I'm taking with me. I opted for blue but the device comes in yellow, pink and a range of other colours. The product has multiple uses including massaging, anti-ageing, and can be used for the application of skincare. It's website describes the product as offering complete facial and body sonic cleansing, using micro-firming massage technique to improve circulation, whilst also minimising the size or pores and wrinkles without irritating your skin. 

The first thing I loved about this product is that it's so simple to use, you just hold down a button and the vibrations are good to go, and so far my device hasn't even run out of battery. You can also adjust the intensity when applying it on your face, so if you have sensitive skin you can opt for a more gentle exfoliation. The way ZOE is shaped means it allows you to reach all corners of your face, and really target the pores around your nose (and I also find it's good for scratching hehe). It's also super hygienic as it's made from medical grade silicone and washes off easily. 

I read on their website that when we use our hands to apply skincare we often end up 'tugging' our skin which can make you more susceptible to wrinkles. This was definitely news to me as a year ago I used my hands to apply everything - foundation, eyeshadow, skincare etc. and now it seems there's a tool for everything! The device is slightly on the pricey side, but you don't need to replace it or buy batteries etc and as mentioned, it has many many uses. The ZOE* retails at £150 but is currently at a discount price of £115. 






Since we are in summer, a good product to also invest in is a Vitamin C Serum, have you tried any of these?