Abbie's Favourite Teas

   I drink tea everyday and I thought it could be interesting to write a little bit about it. Besides, who doesn’t like tea?! It’s not even seasonal, it’s great for summer because you can have it cold and on winter it warms you up.

         I’ll get started with showing you my favourite one. This is Continente Black Tea Strawberry Flavour and it’s just marvellous, I’ve never drink anything like this, it has an amazing strawberry flavour and it just makes me want to drink more.

         My second favourite tea is They Tea Sylvester Fruits or Lipton Peach Mango Flavoured Black Tea, I really can’t decide. They’re just wonderful, you definitely have to try it.

        I also absolutely love Lipton Green Tea Classic. Besides the fact that it has many health benefits, it also has a weight loss capability because it contains antioxidants in greater number which helps stop the growth of fat cells.

         And Lipton Rooibos With Delicate Natural Flavour I only like to drink it on winter. I don’t know why, on summer it just doesn’t taste as good as it does on winter. It’s a really spicy and aromatic tea.

Today

Let’s just laugh the same old laugh. Let’s just sit through the night and dream the same old dream. Today, let’s just shed a few tears and think it’ll be fine. Let’s just hold each other tight, it’s okay. Let’s just act like kids. Let’s just smell the rain and dance endlessly. Let’s make each other laugh, crack silly jokes, and make funny faces. Let’s write poems. Let’s have a coffee together. Let’s drink and get high. Let’s just talk your heart out. Let’s look into the mirror and dress up. Let’s look good. Let’s eat the same old north Indian at one of our fav restaurants. Let’s try and make sense out of everything.  Let’s just become characters of a story. Or, may be actors on stage? Let’s break it all and recreate. Let’s just boil water and make tea.  Let’s find reasons to stay together. Let’s narrate stories. Let’s just talk about fairy tales and happy endings. Let the hope rise in our hearts. Let’s sit quietly, and watch life happen. 

5 beauty tips

1) Sudocrem

I've had this cream all my life as it's great for cuts, grazes, rashes etc. I'd even used it on individual spots before realising that applying the cream to the whole of your face at night leaves you with an even skin tone the next morning! I've personally found it reduces the redness of spots and even enables me to avoid foundation sometimes. Wash your face before using it and apply a thin layer (I usually just put it on my T-zone), leave overnight, wash your face with a gentle cleanser the next day (I use garnier grapefruit wash) and voilà!

2) Spoons

So this tip came from my best friend a while ago, and it only just occurred to me to share it (sorry!). This is covering the problem ofeye bags by the way. So you can either put the spoons in the fridge the night before or in the morning (for about 20 minutes). Either works for me, although the spoons tend to cool down quicker the less time they're in the fridge for. Place the back (that's the curved outer side) of the spoon on each eye and hold until the spoons have cooled. The cold temperature reduces the appearance of eye bags and leaves your eyes feeling fresh and awake!

3) Cold water

Cold water isn't going to do much just by looking at it, the idea is that when you've put conditioner on your hair, you turn the shower temperature down as low as you can bare to rinse it off. The cold water locks in moisture and leaves your hair silky and healthy looking/feeling!

4) No7 Pore Refining Serum

There are a lot of different serums and creams out there that claim to do all kinds of things and fix beauty problems we're not even sure we have! However, I've been using this one for about 9 months now and the improvements have been fantastic. My face used to be very shiny all the time, and when I used products that claimed to reduce oily skin my face would dry out and foundation would look patchy instead! I apply this serum every day whether I'm going to wear foundation or not. Although your skin type is down to your hormones and own body to some extent, my pores genuinely have been reduced, my skin tone is more even and my T-zone (where I apply it) is much less oily! Hooray!

5) Replacing fizzy drinks with water

My mum tried for many years to persuade me to drink water rather than squash, juice and various fizzy drinks before I finally came around and decided that I actually wanted to drink water over other drinks! Water has many benefits and our bodies need it, but what you might not know is that it acts as a natural detox. That means it has the ability to flush away things we don't want. For example, spots. Alcohol, Fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate, it all fills our bodies with things that are going to increase your chances of getting spots when consumed regularly (they also help your body avoid achieving a flat belly!). There's a reason models are on such strict, healthy diets, because they have to stay skinny and their skin must be clear. Drinking more water actually works for me and so does avoiding fizzy drinks (not all the time of course!) and the more you drink it the more you begin to enjoy it as a drink too, if taste is a problem for you!

5 things to expect this autumn/winter

Ankle wellies!

I honestly do not know why these haven't been invented before. I think they're great! Perfect for the stylish dog walker rather than the wild river runner!

mid-length coats

oversized knits

Suits

 

The Return Of The Polo Neck

5 artists

Walk The Moon

Walk The Moon are an american all male band (not a boy band, a real band with instruments!) I recently discovered on YouTube after they released their début single 'Anna Sun', complete with video. In fact, it was almost the video which sold the band to me so well in the first place. The pop-rock/indie sound of the single is undeniably easy to fall in love with, casting me into an upbeat and happy mood as soon as I hear the catchy melody and lead singer, Nicholas Petricca's distinctive voice. It's quite obviously a happy song, and the video only enhances the vibe with utterly ridiculous flash-mob style dance routines, colourful paint and refreshingly averagely attractive extras. That being said, 'Anna Sun' is not all this band has to offer, Singles 'Lisa Baby' and 'Tightrope' both offer variation and are two personal favourites from the album.The band are a refreshing take on what defines indie music today. They've got the instruments, the talent, the style, but they make sing-along music which exudes happiness. They don't take themselves too seriously and if you watch their other videos, you'll soon find that getting big groups of people involved in the terrible dance moves and undoubtedly fun videos is a habit of theirs. This band clearly loves music and what they do, and what they do is pretty damn good! Check them out on YouTube with the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/user/WalkTheMoonVEVO?feature=watch

Michael Kiwanuka

You've probably heard this man's début single 'Home Again' (if not where have you been?!) but lets face it, his name isn't the easiest to pronounce let alone remember, making it all too easy to think 'What a nice song' then forget about it soon after. However, forgetting is not something I plan to do any time soon with this artist (thanks to songs 'I'm getting ready','always waiting' and 'rest'). His music reminds me of a certain Jack Johnson yet with his own soulful, unique and exquisitely beautiful twang over it. His music definitely has a calming effect over me and I'd imagine Home Again is the perfect album to whip out when suffering from everything from a broken heart to a boring Sunday afternoon.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelKiwanukaVEVO?feature=watch

Paloma Faith

The return of Paloma Faith to the music scene with new album 'Fall To Grace' was by all means a welcomed one. This woman's beauty oozes out of every pore. She's elegant, classy, exceedingly talented and versatile too (she played the Goth in St.Trinians!). After seeing her live briefly at Glastonbury before I would even class myself as a true fan, I fell in love. Her voice is just as piercingly good, if not better, live and something about her performance bought tears to my eyes. Her music is emotional, relatable and most importantly 100% her. No ass shaking, no risqué stripper outfits just talent and a love for music.

Her début single from the new album 'picking up the pieces' is powerful and yet easy to listen to, something I rarely come across and I am genuinely excited to hear what else Fall To Grace has to offer.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PalomaFaithVEVO?feature=watch

B.o.B

I've always loved B.o.B and felt he was unfairly underrated. And now, well he's back and in my eyes just as good (and verging on better) than before. He breaks stereotypes. He raps...yes. But not about sex, drugs, or drinking (not all the time at least!). His music has real meaning, is about real life and that's what leads me to appreciate him over other current male rappers. The man can rap and carry a pretty good tune with his soulful and Idiosyncratic vocals making him even more of a special find. He has a distinctive music style, much of his earlier music never made it to the ears of the wider public and yet still he comes back with catchy songs of good quality, launching him straight back to his earlier success. And oh my god, a collaboration with Taylor Swift?! I did not see that coming, and I certainly did not see it being as good as it is! An odd pair but none the less they compliment each other on the track 'both of us' perfectly, creating a deep and powerful vibe through the mixture of rap and sweet, feminine vocals. His other latest hit 'So Good' has over13million views on YouTube and has a much more pop-like sound to it than his previous albums I've owned. Yet, it still has his voice, a good beat, a happy melody and nothing less than cute lyrics. Annnnd, on top of all of this, B.o.B's sense of style needs to be appreciated. The guy can pull of a beret for gods sake! Can we just give him a knighthood already?

http://www.youtube.com/user/bobatl?feature=watch

Josh Kumra

You may recognise this husky yet oh-so-pretty little voice from thewretch 32 song 'Don't go' which I saw performed about a year ago now. Don't get me wrong, Kumra was great but I didn't picture him being half as good as he is now just one year on. Modestly understated in the music world, Josh Kumra produces slow, sentimental and truly beautiful songs (I am yet to find one I dislike). His music takes a simplistic turn, mainly featuring his voice and guitar and little more. My personal favourites have got to be The Answer and Oak Tree (Stand Your Ground), what about yours? Check him out here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoshKumraTV?feature=watch

Leopard Joins The Race!

I thought I'd try out a super cheesy, blogger-type title for this post? Thoughts? Completely Awful? Yes, I thought so too. Moving on, I suppose you already know that I am not going to write about actual Leopards today (no offence to the Leopard community) but rather about their FAUX FUR. 

After a lifetime of being deemed everything from 'tacky' to 'slutty', Leopard print is making a steady comeback. I am not innocent when it comes to judging leopard print clothing, but, to be perfectly fair, it is only this year that designers have really worked with the print to take it from 'cheap' to 'classy'-whether that is by the materials, styles, or cuts used. I am yet to discover an 100% leopard dress I'd wear, and jeans and tops are a still a bit of a no-go zone for me personally, but the selection of leopard print footwear out there on the high-street is quickly expanding, and I genuinely am falling for leopard print! 

So have the designers of 2012 done enough to resurrect leopard print and put it's shamed past behind us? Or will you be staying clear of this particular trend in the hope it won't last?

Either way, check out my picks from the high-street and see if your judgement can be swayed, and if so, by which designers/shops:

Cedrina By Aldo at Asos

Chukka Boot Slim Boots By Vans

Marrakesh Desert Lace-ups At Topshop

brown leopard print studded slipper shoes at RI

Blue Patchwork Tote Bag

Thanks for reading Love Abbie

Little haul

Hello today I've got a little haul for you hope you enjoy :)









First I picked up this herbal essences deep nourishing intensive hair mask this smells amazing it has Hawaiian coconut and orchid extracts.



Then I picked up these 2 tins of lip balm from b&m only got these for the tins :) as I love hello kitty :)






Then I picked up the boots natural collection apple & lime body spray if you have not tried this you must it smells amazing.






Then from tkmaxx I picked up this physicians formula bronze booster.












Then I picked up my first revlon just bitten lip stain in cherish and I'm very impressed so far I must pick up some more now :)









Then I picked up these 3 technic nail polishes they were only 99p each so I could not resist them :) the first one is called bedazzled and the 2nd one is called carnival and the last one is called orchid mist.
So that all I got this weekend
Hope you enjoyed xoxo