Selfie Factory

What:

We visited the Selfie Factory an interactive pop-up experience. At the selfie factory, you get the opportunity to take lots of image of yourself and friends in the unique photo-friendly rooms. Perfect for your Instagram feed and lots of fun.

Here is a list of the selfie rooms:

The Pink London Tube Train

The 2D Room

The Bath Room

The Rainbow Nelly Room

The Sofa Room

The Safe Room

The Pink Supermarket

The Flower Cove

The Mirrored Crouch Room

Plus a range of walls including; Angel Wings, Donut Wall, Floral Seat etc….

Location & Times:

ICON Outlet The O2, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX. The Selfie Factory runs until the end of November 2020, check online for opening times.

Pros: 

Great fun, interactive and defiantly a must-visit for selfie fans

Cons:

When we arrived we were a little surprised how compact it actually was inside, But after spending time in the selfie factory we realised it was compact, but the size didn't compromise the actual experience.

The time we have was more than adequate to get the shots we wanted.

Price:

£11.99 per Person for a 60 mins time slot 

Further Information:

https://selfiefactory.co.uk

Current Covid Guidelines:

We had a temperature check on arrival, signed in via QR code, there was hand sanitiser on entry and the staff cleaned surfaces in between usage.

Overall Rating:

4.5 

Great afternoon, worth a visit

Shake Your Beauty Holiday Advent Calendar Set

It’s the gift we’ve been waiting for all year! and its a gift I would love to receive Benefit’s holiday advent calendar set.

Inside you will find 12 of the bestselling & fan-favourite beauty treats which come in purse and mini & fun sizes. Open one present a day for 12 days to reveal a beautiful new fave.

The Shake Your Beauty holiday advent calendar set will cost you £58.50, but if you use Benefit products and love them like us, you'll know its money well spent. Check it out  https://www.benefitcosmetics.com.

5 EXPERT TIPS FOR EXERCISING SAFELY IN THE HOT WEATHER

Whether taking advantage of the warmer weather to enjoy a run or cycle in your local park, meeting up with friends to play sports or heading to your local gym to help squeeze into last year’s holiday wardrobe.
It’s important to establish the effects of heat on the body, in particular where exercise is concerned. 

Exercising in a high-temperature environment, whether that be outdoors or in the comfort of your own home, can lead to two main issues which can affect exercise performance and safety; body temperature and dehydration.

Training In a hot environment increases our core temperature which is what we know as hyperthermia. This increased core temperature can inhibit muscular endurance - the muscles’ ability to contract efficiently and repeatedly over long, sustained periods of time – and can also increase the rate in which we burn energy.
Exercising in warmer temperatures also increases the risk of dehydration which can have a huge impact on our bodily functions and performance, causing muscle cramps, confusion and increased heart rate to name a few. It is a big contributor to heat-related illness and is especially prominent when exercising in high temperatures.

With this in mind, below are 5 tips to help you avoid the pitfalls of exercising in the heat, stay safe whilst training during the warmer months: 

• Know your Limits: New to exercise or kickstarting your fitness journey? Take extra caution when exercising in the heat. You may have lower immunity to heat so take regular breaks and lower the intensity of your workout or make use of the weather forecast to plan outdoor activity for cooler spells. High temperature and humid environments are known to cause increased blood flow to the skin’s surface and blood pooling in the limbs which can lead to a drop in blood pressure and feelings of dizziness. Know your limits and understand that even avid fitness enthusiasts struggle to operate at their best in higher temperatures, so listen to your body and know when reduce the intensity or stop altogether.

• Hydrate: Loss of fluid can have a direct effect on our gut’s ability to keep up with the rate of water expenditure and can cause a drop in our body’s ability to utilize oxygen effectively, which leads to lower energy levels as well as reduced endurance and exercise sustainability. Staying hydrated helps our bodies to sweat, leading to a cooler core temperature. Hydration should be top priority when combatting the heat so ensure you drink plenty throughout the day and whilst exercising, and not just when you feel thirsty.

• Dress Appropriately: Black gym wear is best avoided in warmer temperatures as these darker fabrics absorb heat which can put more strain on our bodies during exercise. Instead, opt for something that is both light coloured and light weight; lighter coloured gym wear will help with the evaporation of heat, keeping you cooler for longer. 

• Avoid Peak Day Temperatures: If exercise or training outdoors is something new to you, avoid midday sun as it tends to be peak temperature and seek out areas with plenty of shade to protect you from the sun. If this is the only time you can train, exercise in a well air-conditioned gym or head to your local swimming pool to help keep you cool. If your training times are more flexible then opt to exercise in the morning or evening, when temperatures tend to be cooler. 

• Adjust to the climate: If you’re new to exercising in the heat, build up slowly as it can sometimes take a week or two to adjust to the climate. As you adapt, you can slowly increase the intensity over time or keep the intensity same and just increase the duration, try not to increase both at the same time. For example, you may go for a 30-minute cycle, walk or jog one day and increase to 45 minutes and so on over the coming weeks. Or choose a less intense cycle ride for the first couple of weeks and increase the intensity on a hillier route. Lower intensity bodyweight workouts such as yoga and pilates can also be cooler options for exercising in higher temperatures, due to the slower nature of the movements.

Steven Virtue, Fitness Content and Programming Manager at Total Fitness, the North’s leading mid-market health club, shares five tips for exercising safely in the hot heat.

 

Our Visit To Covent Garden

We decide to head to Covent garden we had spent a lot of time locally and was really looking forward to exploring a bit further afield now that some of the COVID restrictions had lifted.

Covent Garden looked very different, the usual hustle and bustle had gone, no street traders or entertainers insight, the cobbled streets seemed bare and for the first time ever I could see across the entire square. There were just small groups of people wandering around, probably wanting to get out and about like us, the shops were open but empty.

But we were so happy to hear that Milk Train in Covent Garden had re-opened so we made our way to get our long-awaited ice cream fix, the menu is currently limited, but there is still plenty to choose from. at the time we visited the seating area had been removed and the usual flower wall had gone, but it was nice to be back and experience the new normal.

We opted for a tasty vanilla ice cream with rainbow drops, chocolate sauce and of course sprinkles, It’s was nice to get out and experience the new normal pre-COVID.

Visiting Covent garden was strange after covid restrictions were lifted, it has to be one of the strangest experiences, but yet it filled us with a sense optimism of the return to normal life. We missed you Covent Garden and can't wait until you return to the hustle-bustle place that we all know and love.

Please note this post was our experience on 26 June 2020, we are defiantly looking forward to returning again.

EMOTIONAL FIRST AID

We know that we need to put a plaster on a cut or a cast on a broken arm, but how many of us fail to give the same care to our emotional health? Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not as important! It’s not a case of just getting over’ psychological wounds, which can be just as crippling as physical ones. Leading UK life coach Carole Ann Rice shares 5 tips for emotional first aid.

1. Recognise it – the first step to dealing with emotional pain is to recognise it when it

happens and treat it early. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring it and hoping it’ll go

away – it’s likely that it’ll only become worse.

2. Change your gut reaction – it’s very easy when you’ve been hurt to let your feelings

spiral into other, more painful or even unrelated feelings. To stop this kind of emotional

spiral, learn to change your gut reaction.

3. Take care of your self-esteem – be compassionate to yourself. Self-esteem is like an

emotional immune system that buffers you from emotional pain and strengthens your

emotional resilience. Treat yourself as you would your best friend or loved one.

4. Use positive distraction – when your thoughts are getting you down, interrupt the

pattern with positive distraction. Habitual rumination isn’t healthy or helpful in any way.

5. Know yourself – pay attention to yourself and learn how you deal with common

emotional wounds. Get into the habits of recognising the signs and giving yourself the

love you need, at the right time.

Thank you to REAL COACHING Co for this post - Carole Ann Rice from Real Coaching Co is one of the UK’s leading life coaches and personal development experts. She helps people all around the world discover the best version of themselves. 

Are You Hot Or Not - Nails Inc

My sister gave me this amazing new Nail Inc nail polish never seen duo Are You Hot or Not both fabulous colours are heat reactive and change colour depending on how hot or hold you are.

I put the pink colour called Hotter Than Hot a stunning pink shade after a few minutes on my toes it began to turn into this lovely white shade.

The grey colour You’re Hot Then You’re Not which changes to a pinky nude. It's amazing to watching the clour hue change throughout the day.

The VOGUE Challenge - How To Create Your Own Template

The VOGUE challenge is yet another fun viral internet craze sweeping across social media, you may have noticed it in your Instagram or Tik Tok feeds, where users are becoming the face of VOGUE magazine.

This exciting challenge has gone viral and gives us all the chance to be a star in our social media feeds, at least for a day or so.

  

 

Here's how you can join in with the challenge:

• Take a selfie or use an existing image you have of yourself
• Use a mobile phone app such as PicsArt or Photoshop or cheat like me and use Photolab 
• Photolab has a ready-made VOGUE cover available, head into the categories section approx twelve images down you will find the pre made VOGUE cover (the only problem is that you cannot adjust the pre-written text, but its quick and simple option (see image above)
• PicsArt - Upload your image, then in the sticker selection you will find ready-made VOGUE stickers that you can layer on top of your image, simply adjust to your desire, PicsArt defiantly has more options available, plus you can add your own text and fun make it more personal.

Crop, adjust add additional text or logos and you're ready to be on the face of VOGUE, Don't forget to add the hashtag #voguechallenge and you're ready to join the craze. Go and have some fun.