Read up on feeling great this January

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anxiety, balance, balanced, be happy, Be You, Becky Goddard-Hill, best books, body and soul, brilliant business advice, change, changes, cheer leading, Chillpreneur, criticism, cup of tea, Denise Duffield-Thomas, dip in, dip out book, Down-to-earth, downtime, Dr Chatterjee, easy to do a, easy to read, Everything is Figureoutable, Feel Better In 5, five minutes, good book, Good Lives, Good Vibes, gurus, hard work, imposter syndrome, inspire, Insta, Insta guru, journal, kids, lasting happiness, library, Marie Forleo, millionaire mindset lessons, mind, money, money mindset coach, motivated, negative emotions, New Year, New York Times bestseller., pen, Penny Alexandra, perfect, positive, progress, resolution, right foot, round-up, spark a little joy, success, teenagers, time, time poor, Vex King, young adults

We all set out to be the best we can at the start of the new year.

While no one keeps to every resolution, sometimes a good book and a little cheerleading can help you get off on the right foot, and stay balanced as well as motivated to change.

We have done a round-up of what we think are the best books out there, and hope one or two will spark a little joy (no, we haven’t added ‘that one’).

Denise Duffield-Thomas is a fantastic money mindset coach, but it’s her humour and down-to-earth wisdom that sets her apart from other gurus. While she has three books out there, in Chillpreneur she shares brilliant business advice and millionaire mindset lessons that help you become a success, the chilled way. Yes, you have to do the hard work, but this is perfect for anyone who wants to be a success but likes to have a little balance and downtime as well.

Unless you have been hiding out at home, you will know about Marie Forleo, and now you can learn that Everything is Figureoutable in her New York Times bestseller. By the end of the book you will be able to deal with criticism and imposter syndrome, bouncing back from hard times will seem possible, and you can start to see how you can overcome a lack of time and money. You might not become perfect, but you will make progress.

If you are time poor but really want to make changes in your life this year, then Dr Chatterjee‘s third book is for you. Feel Better In 5 is a daily plan that helps you get the life you want, in only five minutes of your day. Easy to read, easy to do and with real life case studies and fun exercises, this can help get your mind, body and soul in shape and in less time than it takes to make a cup of tea – peppermint of course.

Be Happy, Be You, says it is for teenagers, but this great little book can help pretty much anyone out there who needs a little bit of a boost. Penny Alexandra and Becky Goddard-Hill have created a dip in, dip out book that helps kids and young adults deal with anxiety and generally live a better life, the fun way. Get a pen and journal and this could be the start of something new and exciting.

Last but not least, 2020 is the time to learn to love you. Insta guru Vex King has overcome adversity and uses his personal experiences to inspire others. If you want to transform negative emotions into positive ones and find lasting happiness, then his book, Good Vibes, Good Lives is for you. It’s not that long but by the time you are done, you will start to look at the world, and your world, in a new way.

As always, try your local indie bookshop or library and get books there rather than online, and this will help you feel good, too.

Team Pure Beauty

The smart way to get your family screen free

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addictive nature, age appropriate, apps, aviator glasses, balance, battle, bed, bedrooms, binge watching, block, box sets, breakfast, catching up, changes, children, clay masque, cook, couple of hours, digital age, digital detox, drastic, easy, eating together, emails, Facebook, Facebook feed, family, family time, filter usage, five minutes, friends, glaring lights, hour, impact, Insta, interact, Internet, kids, kitchen diners, laptops, less time, memories, monitor, movie, Netflix, no screens, Open plan living, park, passwords, pesto pasta, phones, photos, pizza, play, Practise what you preach, protests, reminder, remote, restrictions, rules, screen ban, screen break, screen free time, shows, smart, Sunday, swim, table, tablets, take back control, talking to, time limit, timer, treat, turn it off, TV dinners, TV screen, virtual reality, walk, watch, weekend, work

Let’s face it, many of us spend far too much time on our phones, tablets, and laptops, so now and again we need a reminder to take a screen break.

Yes, they help us work and play, but their addictive nature and glaring lights do little to help us rest.

We have some ideas of how you and your family can get back on track, spend less time online and interact with each other rather than living in a virtual reality.

Have a time limit
Five minutes on Insta can quickly turn into an hour, so having time limits early on is a great idea. No screens before breakfast, a couple of hours at the weekend, nothing an hour before bed and a screen ban in bedrooms can all help to get the balance right and save squabbles later on.

Keep an eye on the remote
In our digital age we often forget the impact of the mere TV screen, but you should monitor this as well. Does the TV really need to be on all the time? Is binge watching box sets the best use of family time together and do the kids watch age appropriate shows? Decide on family rules about the TV, don’t leave it on just because it’s easy and if all else fails, hide the remote!

Rethink TV dinners
Yes, a pizza and movie at the weekend is a treat and can bring you all together, but TV dinners every night might not be the way to go. Open plan living and kitchen diners mean that it’s super easy to eat a bowl of pesto pasta on your knee as you watch Netflix but eating together at the table and catching up on your news can be so much better, and if you cook together that is even better!

Digital detox
There might be protests, but even an hour of screen free time on Sunday can help make some big changes. Putting down the phones and tablets and going out for a walk in the park, having a swim or meeting up with friends will give you time together as a family and while you might not get any photos for Facebook, you will make some lovely memories.

Take back control
When it comes to kids and devices, you do have the option of taking back control and putting restrictions in place. There are various apps out there that allow you to block and filter usage and you can put a timer on the internet, or just turn it off altogether. While asking for passwords might not be your thing, knowing what they are doing online and who they’re talking to, is probably a smart move, even if it is an unpopular one as they get older.

Practise what you preach
If you’re looking at your emails or Facebook feed while you eat breakfast, your children are likely to think they can do the same. If you want your family to agree to changes, you need to ensure you are following the rules as well or you might have a real battle on your hands.

We don’t say you have to do anything drastic now, but doing one or two things differently could bring you closer together.

Team Pure Beauty

Top Tips for Returning to Work

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achievements, back in the saddle, battering, best, bloom, Boss, capable, celebrate, certificate, changes, coffee, compressed hours, confidence, connecting, CV, daunting, desk, Excel, experiences, extended career break, family, filters, first aid, Flexible Working, friendly, go back, goals, going back to work, help, HR Manager, important, life, LinkedIn, lost, maternity leave, missed out on, new staff, part-time hours, people, perfection, picture perfect, positive, recruitment consultant, redundant, research, salary, self-doubt, seminar, Skill Up, skills, social media, Step back in time, style, support, Take It Easy On Yourself, team, time away, up to speed, Value Yourself, who you know, wins, wondering, work contract, working from home, working game, worth, you

Whether you’re going back to work after maternity leave, have been made redundant or have taken an extended career break, going back to work can be daunting.

We have had a look at how to embrace change and go back to what you love in style.

Confidence
Be it six months or six years, time away from your workplace can leave you feeling a little lost and wondering who you are. Many people find that some of their confidence has gone and a loss of career identity leaves them feeling out in the cold. It’s normal to feel this way, but it is something that you can talk to your HR Manager and team about. If you are up to speed on changes, new staff and anything else major you have missed out on, it will help get you back to your old positive self.

Step back in time
Now is a great time to think about your past achievements and experiences as well as looking at your CV. Focus on what you have done, what you do know and get used to recording new wins and goals. While your confidence may have taken a little bit of a battering, you are still very capable, so when the self-doubt creeps in, go back to that list and celebrate YOU.

Value Yourself
It is really important that you value yourself in all parts of your life when you go back to work. Be sure you ask for the salary you want, as well as the support you need and don’t sell yourself short. If you aren’t’ quite sure what you are worth, do some research, speak to a recruitment consultant and look at sites like LinkedIn so you can get a feel for the land.

Flexible Working is Out There
If you’re looking for flexible working, you need to know that this is possible and there are companies who do offer it. This isn’t just about part-time hours, but compressed hours, working from home, starting the day early or working term time only. Not everyone will offer this but just think about how working life needs to look for you and go for the right fit.

Skill Up
Depending on just how long you have been out of the working game, you might want to get some new skills that will take you further in your career. Whether it is an updated first aid course, a social media seminar or a refresher in Excel, do what you can to make the transition as easy as possible.

Leave Perfection at the Door
No one, absolutely no one is perfect, don’t even go there. Yes, social media feeds will show ‘picture perfect’ people at their desk with manicured nails and a whiter than white smile, but that’s all about the filters and the good days. Do your best and that is more than enough.

Don’t Say Yes To It All
You will want to please your employee, your friends, family, and colleagues, but where do you fit into this picture. Look at your work contract, your hours, obligations and take it from there. Do the shopping online, share chores with your partner and if you need to delegate – do it.

Network
As the saying goes, it’s not what you know but who you know and this is pretty true when it comes to working. Connecting with old colleagues, bosses, HR teams and suppliers can be super helpful and just meeting for a coffee and catching up can lead to the unexpected, and in a good way.

Take It Easy On Yourself
Just as it took time to get used to being off work, you will need to give yourself time to get used to being back in the saddle.
Take each day as it comes, one step at a time and as the days, weeks and months pass by, you will find a new rhythm and even a more confident version of you will start to bloom.

Team Pure Beauty

A bath a day….

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aches and pains, Advanced technology, Alpine Lavender, amino acids, aroma, bath, bed, Birch, Blue Chamomile, botanical extracts, care, changes, Clary Sage, cleans, clove, concentrated glycolic acid, conditioned, Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, dirt, dry skin, Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak, Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath, exfoliating particles, Frangipani Body Oil, gardening, Golf, gorgeous products, haven, high end product, Jan Marini Bioglycolic Hand and Body Lotion, Jan Marini Bioglycolic Resurfacing Body Scrub, Japanese camellia oil, juniper, lavender, love, Milk Protein, mind, minerals, muscles, oft, orange, outside, plant collagen, progressive improvement, R&R, Relax, rich, Sandalwood, screens, sea salt, Shea butter, Shea Buuter, shower, silky water, skin friendly formula, skin-conditioning botanical cleanser, slumber party, smoothed, soak, soap-free Quillaja Saponaria, softness, Spa, stresses and worries, sun, swimming, Tahitian Monoi oil, texture, visibly younger, vitamins, washing, Wild Thyme

While a shower might refresh you after a long hot day in the sun, there is still something special about having a bath before you go to bed.

As well as washing away the dirt of the day, a soak can help you to relax, ease aches and pains and also help you to deal with stresses and worries as screens will be out of the way and there will be no one to bother you.

At Pure Beauty we sell some gorgeous products that will turn your humble tub into a spa haven so you can get some much-needed R&R.

Let’s get this slumber party started with the Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath. This amazing Milk Protein based product is super rich in Vitamins, Amino Acids and Minerals which makes it perfect for dry skin that needs a little extra love. Plant Collagen from Japanese Camellia Oil and Oat Extract means that your skin is nourished the moment you sink into the silky water and when used use every other day for nine days, you will really start to see a difference in softness and texture.

Whether it’s because of swimming, golf or being outside gardening, if your body is tired then add the Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak to your bath each evening. Energising extracts of Birch, Juniper, Clove, Alpine Lavender, Wild Thyme and Blue Chamomile have been mixed with Sea Salt for a blend that warms muscles and recharges the body and mind. Adding just three capfuls of this powerful aromatherapy deep heat treatment to your bath water will help ease the aches and pains caused by exercise and hard work and thanks to the head clearing aroma you will feel ready to sleep when you get out of the bath.

While great when you want to jump in and out of the shower, the Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash is perfect for the bath too. This rich, skin-conditioning botanical cleanser contains soap-free Quillaja Saponaria so while it cleans the skin, it doesn’t stipe away essential natural moisturisers. Sandalwood, Lavender, Orange and Clary Sage essential oils have been added to soften the skin so that when you get out of the water, your limbs are soft, smoothed and conditioned.

Using the Jan Marini Bioglycolic Resurfacing Body Scrub in the bath can help you get incredible looking skin. This high-end product combines concentrated glycolic acid with exfoliating particles and botanical extracts so that skin is not only silky smooth but also glowing. While results can be seen from the very first use and you will see progressive improvement over time that we think you will love. You can further harness the power of this product by using the Jan Marini Bioglycolic Hand and Body Lotion. Glycolic acid has been mixed with Shea Butter to hydrated the skin so it looks visibly younger. Gently apply the lotion to your skin once or twice a day and you will soon feel and see the changes.

At Pure Beauty, we love Elemis Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream which can be used in the bath and the shower. Advanced technology has been used to create this exceptional skin friendly formula that gently cleanses the skin without stripping protective oils. Tahitian Monoi Oil and Frangipani Flowers come together to ensure your skin not only feels soft and supple but is also delicately scented. If you want to add a little extra love after bathing, simply dry off and apply the Frangipani Body Oil which is quickly absorbed and offers dry and mature skin extra care.

If you have any questions about these, or any other products we sell on the site, or would like to try some samples, get in touch and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty

Free your mind

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Stressed?

Over worked and under paid?

Tired?

Anxious?

Far from being words that are banded around for the sake of it, for many of us this is the reality of 21st century living.

We are expected to be on the ball, on trend and down with the kids 24/7 and sometimes, things can get a bit too much.

We have put together some easy ideas of how to free your mind so you can relax and chill out once in a while rather than constantly having your brain in free fall mode.

Breath
Before you do anything else, sit back, count to ten and breath. Focus on your breathing, feel the air go into your body and out and just stop for a few minutes and regroup.

Talk
After breathing, comes talking. If you bottle everything up, then it is only going to get worse and seem harder and harder to deal with. Open up to your partner, mum or a close friend and they may have ideas about how you can make changes and find a positive way forwards.

Live in the moment
Whatever is making you anxious right now, isn’t going to last. Breakdown what is bothering you into manageable chunks and tackle it one step at a time. For example, if you are moving house you might feel overwhelmed, but step back, make a list, work out what needs to be done and if you can, delegate.

Not this again
If you are worried about an interview, think back and see if was the same the last time you went for a new job? If it was, and you got the job, what are you worried about? You aced it last time and we bet it will be the same the time round too.

It’s not all about you!
Harsh we know, but not everything that happens in this world is about you. Yes we can all feel put upon or have our sensitive days, but thinking every situation revolves around you in some way can be really destructive and you could be missing out on a lot of fun.

Look at the bigger picture
Ask yourself whether the issue that is on your mind right now will still be there tomorrow, in a week or in a month. It is unlikely it will be, so regroup, relax and look at what is going on in the world and see there is more to life than a difficult boss or messy flatmate.

Preparing for the worst
I will lose my job. He is going to dump me. She doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore. We tend to jump to conclusions and dwell on the worst-case scenarios and this can lead to stress and depression. It is far better to talk to the person involved face to face and find out what is really going on before you make yourself ill believing the world is about to end.

Take some exercise
Social media, long hours and desk based jobs mean many of us get less exercise than ever. Try to get some fresh air every day and even if you have a brisk walk or a quick swim, your heart beat will go up and the endorphins will pump good vibes around your body.

Laugh
If nothing else, remember to laugh. Life is short so make the most of it and enjoy every single day you have.

Team Pure Beauty