Your summer reading list is here

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America, another woman, Atlantic, bold, breathtaking book, clever, clothes, cocktail, commute, compelling story, crying, dreams, drift off to sleep, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, emotional, empowering and heartfelt, enchants and captives, end, England, Faking Friends by Jane Fallon, feel good novel, first novel, first page, flat, focus, free fall, fun, funny, Gail Honeyman, Gail O’Porter, glasses, great reads, hilarious, home, inspiring authors, Internet sensation, iPad, Julie Cohen, Kindle, laughing, limit, long-term relationship, love, lunch, marrying, meal deal, mission, modern day life, Monday to Friday, moving, murkey waters, pain, paperback, penny drops, poignant, powerful, raw, reader, relatable, resonate, secrets and lies, single mum, Sophie Kinsella, Special, story, success, suncream, Surprise Me, The Cows, tissues, twists and turns, vodka, weekend, work, world famous blogger

Whether it’s found in a paperback, Kindle or iPad, having a decent book to read can help take the pain out of the commute, give you a focus away from work or help you drift off to sleep at night.

There are some really great reads out there at the moment from some inspiring authors and thought we would share some of our favourites with you.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine might look like a simple read about a women who seems to lead a pretty normal life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, buys the same meal deal for lunch Monday to Friday and has a thing for vodka, but there’s nothing unusual about that. However, as a little bit of kindness and compassion comes into Eleanor’s life, a raw, emotional, compelling story unfolds and the twists and turns keep you turning every page of Gail Honeyman’s first novel, to the very end.

If you are looking for a book you will not want to put down, Gail O’Porter’s, The Cows is the one for you. This brilliant story captures and entwines the lives of three woman all navigating the murky waters of modern-day life in a fun, clever way that will resonate with readers on so many levels. A single mum who becomes an Internet sensation, a world-famous blogger and a grieving twin might not seem like a cocktail for success, but O’Porter has created something very special that must not be missed.

Julie Cohen is a gifted novelist and her latest book, Together, is a bold, breathtaking book that enchants and captives the reader from the first page to the last. Robbie and Emily have been together forever and have a love for one another that has no limit. The story crosses the Atlantic from America to England and Cohen goes back and forth and across the decades with ease and transparency to create a powerful, moving and truly beautiful tale. Be warned, tissues might be needed at the end as secrets and lies are uncovered.

If you are spending a day by the pool, pack your sun cream, glasses and Faking Friends by Jane Fallon and you are good to go. Amy was on the verge of marrying the man of her dreams but when she pays a surprise trip home to London from New York it becomes clear that another woman has been making herself at home in their flat. When the penny drops, and Amy realises her best has taken over her life but rather than go into free fall she sets out on a mission to get her own back and he journey is hilarious, empowering and heartfelt – don’t get sad, get better.

Sophie Kinsella is the goddess of good reads and her latest feel good novel, Surprise Me, will delight fans old and new. This is an emotionally charged, witty read about love and long-term relationship survival and questions just how well we know our nearest and dearest. Funny, poignant and relatable, this can’t put down read will have you laughing, crying and even questioning what you think is oh so safe in your life.

Got a summer read you want to share, let us know, we are all ears.

Team Pure Beauty

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Love the life you are in

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21st century, a problem shared is a problem halved, activity, aggressive, alcohol, angry, attention, blood, body and soul, boost, bottle, brain, brighter, concerns, confidence, control, depressed, down, energy levels, enjoy, family, feel happier, focus, future, glass of wine, Instagram, journal, journaling, Keep a journal, lighter, lives, long run, meditation, mind, mindfulness, move, old school, overwhelming, oxygen, paper, past, peace, perfect, present, pressure, rule, scary, self-esteem, selfish, shiny, Sit quietly, sleep, sunny side, support system, thoughts, time well spent, world, worries, write

Life can be overwhelming in the 21st century and living in a world of perfect, filtered Instagram images it can be easy to compare ourselves to others even though this knocks our self-esteem and dents our confidence.

We have had a look at how to feel happier with your lot, however shiny everyone else’s lives might look.

Keep a journal
Yes, it might seem a little old school to write things down on paper but keeping a journal helps you get a better perspective on things and can make life look a little less scary. Buy a pretty notebook and make time at the end of each day to just write. There are no rules when it comes to journalling so just write and let the pages soak up your stress and you will see the sunny side of life again.

Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the buzzword of the moment and is quite simply a form of meditation that bring things into the present, and can be beneficial to your mind, body and soul. Sit quietly for ten minutes a day and move the focus of your attention away from the world, away from the past, away from the future and just focus on now. Doing this will help you relax and be at peace with your thoughts and while it can take time to really get into meditation, it is time well spent as it will be worth it in the long run.

Be number one
This might sound selfish, especially if you have a family, but putting yourself first is key to being happy and feeling more in control of your life. It can be hard to say no sometimes, but saying it will give you the time you need to look after number one and in the long run it will boost your energy levels and self-esteem.

Keep alcohol down
When times are hard and the pressure is on, it is really tempting to have a drink, or two. While it might take away some of those feelings of overwhelm in the short-term, it can make you feel angry and aggressive and leave you feeling down, depressed and hungover. Keep a check on how much you drink each week and if you feel like the odd glass of wine is becoming a more regular occurrence, look at what is going on and what you could do instead of heading for the bottle.

Move
As well as keeping you healthy and getting blood and oxygen pumping around your body, moderate exercise will release the feel good chemicals in your brain that make you happy. Find an activity you really enjoy, so it is fun not a chore, and you will find that you will start to feel brighter and lighter and as well as having more energy in the day, you will sleep better at night.

Talk about it
The old saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved, and that is so true. Holding onto worries and concerns can really get you down, so chat things over with your partner or a friend and feel the weight lift off your shoulders.

Of course, if things do feel too much, speak to your GP and see if they can help put a support system in place to make life easier once again.

Team Pure-Beauty

Make 2018 the year to go freelance

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accountant, activities, basics, best friend, Blogger, book keeper, boring, Breakfast meetings, buffer, business opportunities, business plan, cake, competition, creative, cylinders, daily commute, design websites, dream, equipment, evening event, excitement, finance, flexibility, fly solo, focus, freelance, full time freelancing, full-time job, growth, hard cash, holidays, HR, insurance, investment, IT, location, logo, love, lunches, magazine, Marketing and PR, marketing plan, mistake, money, name, new venture, offerings, out there, own boss, people, PR, professional, realistic goals, reality, research, school mate, skills, small print, social media, synergy, tax, think, unexpected costs, up and running, VAT, water cooler conversations, website

Fed up of the daily commute?

Had enough of mundane water cooler conversations?

Sick and tired of Sarah in IT and Jo in HR making your life a misery?

Then maybe it is time to go freelance.

While you might not have the security of a 9-5 role, a monthly salary or 21 days holiday a year, being your own boss does offer you flexibility and the chance to do what you love but on your terms.

We aren’t saying hand your notice in now, but have a think about what you want to do and if you consider the points below, we think you might start making that dream a reality.

Have a plan
Create a business plan that looks at finance, growth, location, activities and skills. This don’t need to be anything long or fancy but setting things out in black and white can give you a focus and realistic goals.

Network
Breakfast meetings, lunches and evening events are all greats ways to start making connections even if you are still in a full-time job. If you are nervous, why not go with a friend and then swap notes at the end of the session?

Contacts
The old saying, ‘it’s who you know not what you know’ is very true when you start a new venture. Maybe your best friend works on a magazine, your old school mate is a blogger or you know a couple of people who design websites or do PR? Make the most of the people you know and it could well be there is synergy between you and them that could lead to business opportunities.

Look at the Competition
You might be able to make a mean cake or write a really creative marketing plan – but so do loads of other people out there. Do your research, check out the competition and work out what makes you different and where your offerings would site in the market place.

Think About the Money
Let’s not beat about the bush, starting out requires hard cash investment and you are going to need this, so start planning. Look at how much money you need to start your business, what equipment you would need, and before you make a start make sure you have a buffer saved up for those unexpected costs and quiet patches. It might even be that you need to work part-time for a while to get things up and running and keep money coming in, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Marketing and PR
This is something you can do as you get ready to take the next step of full-time freelancing. Decide in a business name, get a logo, set up your social media feeds and ensure you have a website in place. All of this takes time, and money, but if you get the basics set up in the background, when you are ready to go, people will be able to find when you when you are open and firing on all cylinders.

Small Print
The excitement of setting up something new can mean the details get left behind, but this isn’t a mistake you want to make. Finding an accountant or book-keeper, registering for tax, considering VAT status and researching professional insurance might seem boring, but they need to be done and will make you more efficient and professional in the long run.

Location, Location, Location
When you work for someone else, you go to their premise day in and day out but when you fly solo it is a very different matter. You need to make sure you have a base to work from and one that is ideally close to local amenities, has a decent internet connection and phone support as well as good transport links.

Whatever you do, if you have a dream, go for it.

Team Pure-Beauty

There’s an app for that

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1Password, 24 hours, access, adore, agility, app, balance, bed, calm, camera, carpets, class, clean, control, cook, easy to use, exercise, flexibility, focus, food discovery app, free, friends, Handpick, hangout, hangover, healthy habits, Houseparty, inspiring, inspiring recipes, jot, journaling, live, love, meditation and mindfulness, mess, mobility, mood, Moodnotes, online banking, own pace, password, physical and mental, question, recipes, relaxation, safe, schedule, screens, secrets, secure, self-aware, shop, Smartphone, snow, socialise, sofa, stickers, strength, tasty meals, teaches, technology, tidy, trending, trending dishes, tube, video app, video messaging app, web, well being, work, work surfaces, world, yoga, Yoga 15

Ever noticed how often you ask someone a question and they tell you ‘there’s an app for that’?

Increasingly people are turning to technology in all parts of their lives and while having some downtime away from screens is a good thing, apps can actually really help with the way you live, work, exercise and socialise.

We’ve had a look at some of our favourite apps that we think you might like too.

If you love journaling, you will adore Moodnotes. This cool app lets you jot down your mood and thoughts in an online journal that is easy to use and look cute. As well as tracking how you are feeling, with this on your phone you can learn healthy habits when it comes to thinking patterns and overtime, you can use it to help feel upbeat, more self-aware and it can be a way of taking control of your well-being.

Ever tried to get into your online banking or order your weekly shop and forgotten your password? Well, there’s an app for that. 1Password is free, easy to use and remembers all your passwords and keeps them safe and secure. All you need to remember is that one password and you’ll never be left scratching your head again.

If you struggle to come up with tasty meals, you need the Handpick app. By putting this ‘food discovery app’ on your phone, you will have access to a tonne of trending dishes and inspiring recipes that have been sourced from around the world, and web, that will change the way you cook forever.

Love yoga but never quite make it to your class, then you need Yoga 15 in your life. As well as a great website, the brilliant app teaches agility, balance, flexibility, focus, mobility, strength and relaxation. The easy to follow videos let you take things at your own pace and each one enhances your physical and mental well-being and means you can check out of your schedule for just a little while.

If you like your carpets to be clean and your work surfaces tidy but still want to hangout with your friends, you need Houseparty in your life and one your phone. This handy app opens in your smartphone’s camera and allows up to seven friends to join you, hang out and party on your own terms but without the mess or hangover.

Want to be down with the kids? Well then you need to download SNOW. This is a creative video messaging app that’s already been snapped up by over 100 million users around the world. You can use this app to send stickers and funny vid’s with live face effects to your friends during calls. You can send notes while chatting and invite friends to a group chat so you can catch up and share your secrets, well for 24 hours at least.

Nothing new about this one but we love the Calm app. Thousands of people around the world are benefitting from meditation and mindfulness thanks to this easy to use app. Listen in bed, on the sofa, even on the tube and learn how to bring your breath into the moment and how to keep a handle on your stressful thoughts.

Got an app you love? Let us know what it is.

Team Pure-Beauty

Free your mind

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21st century, aced it, anxious, best friend, bigger picture, bottle, brain, breath, breathing, brisk walk, changes, chill out, close friend, count to ten, desk based jobs, destructive, dwell, endorphins, enjoy, every day, face to face, focus, free fall, free your mind, fresh air, fun, harder and harder, harsh, heart beat, ideas, inside, interview, job, jump to conclusions, laugh, Life is short, Live in the moment, living, long hours, look, make a list, manageable chunks, missing out, mode, month, more to life, mum, new job, on the ball, on trend, one step, over worked, partner, positive, quick swim, regroup, Relax, revolves, right now, sit back, situation, social media, step back, stop, stressed, talk, think back, time, tired, tomorrow, under paid, week, work, world, worst-case scenarios, you

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