Eltoria

Saturday, 30 May 2015

Questions That You Ought to Ask Your Doctor| Health Week

Well I must admit that this is rather a different from what I normally post on a Sunday (usually you all get a weekly dose of YouTube) but this week I thought that this health post would be extremely informative and beneficial to most of you. Although World Health Day was last month, I thought that I'd continue to raise awareness through a post on medication safety and tips on what to ask your doctor when you next pay a visit. It has been reported that there are around 700,000 emergency visits each year that come from incorrect medication use, and of course, the first step to preventing this would be to ask questions to your doctor. Simple questions like: how much and how often? What is the duration I should be taking this medication for? Are there side effects? What are the recalls on this medication, could sincerely reduce the likelihood of having an emergency. I know that a lot of people refrain from asking these sort of questions because they feel as though they are wasting their doctor's time, but in my world there is no such thing as a silly question so you should never ever feel as though you shouldn't ask. Now I must disclose that I am not 'medical expert' nor am I GP or in a medical profession, but I am merely just promoting general awareness.

Click here to find out more information on food supplements

Here are some do's and don't when it comes to medication:

DOS: Take medication as exactly prescribed- create lists, set alarms on your phone, and be aware of any potential side effects. Remember to follow any special restrictions- check out certain foods, wear a tag, check out whether you need to avoid the sun or not. Know how and where to store your medication- does it need to be refrigerated? Does it need to be stored in a cool dry place? Store them out of the reach of pets and children.

DON'TS: Never take anyone else's medication- this is extremely dangerous and never should be done. Don't drink in excess only in moderation (or none at all)- not only can alcohol make some medications not work but mixing can also be lethal. Don't run out of medication- doing so can cause you to miss a dose which can weaken its effectiveness. Don't keep old expired medications- but make sure you dispose of them safely. Do not stop taking your medication due to expense- reach out to health care programmes.

Asking and providing general health and information to your doctor could considerably improve your care as it can help to build trust up the doctor and patient relationship, which can then lead onto better results and satisfaction (it's almost like a team effort between yourself and your doctor). Not only can asking questions help to sort out one problem, but it can also answer many more like general well being. When ever I go to the doctor/nurse I always like them to check out my blood pressure just in case there any abnormalities. I also like to tell my doctor any other problems that I am having just in case they are all linked to one another- the more information your give the easier it is for your doctor to give a diagnosis. You can also change your diet and lifestyle off from your doctor's feedback so take the opportunity whilst you can (because it usually takes forever to get another appointment here in the UK). So here are some general questions to ask your doctor when you next pay a visit:

♥ Am I overweight/underweight?

♥ Is my blood pressure/BMI/Cholesterol normal?

♥ Could this be due to family genetics?

♥ What is this test for? When will I get the results? What are the alternatives?

♥ Why do I need this treatment? What happens if it doesn't work?

♥ Are there any side effects? I have X allergy, does this medication have this in it?

♥ Will this medicine interact with medicines that I am already taking ie: contraceptive pill?

♥ How many times have you done this procedure? What are the complications?

Be sure to check out some of my other health posts by clicking here and subscribe to GFC (click) if you liked this post!

What questions/tips do you recommend?

Much Love

Eltoria x

Mini V Nutrition By Vicky Pattison

If there's one thing that I have massively changed in my life that would be the way I eat. When I was at university I used to eat the quickest and not necessarily the healthiest things in the world: Heinz soup, Super Noodles, Cereal, and the odd salad now and again (I'm not even joking when I say that I used to live off from these things!). Since graduating away from the books and the not so great diet, I have changed my ways and have gotten myself into a much better routine. Now before I move on, I must stress that changing my eating habits was incredibly hard and it has taken me a while to get into a solid routine (I'd say around 9 months). Breaking a habit doesn't exactly take over night to conquer but if there's one thing that Vicky Pattison and I have in common, that would be that we are two motivated ladies! What made me want to try Vicky's Mini V range is the journey that she has been on- I have been a major fan of Geordie Shore for years and seeing Vicky grow from a kebab eating kind of girl to a fitness body inspiration is extremely admirable. Whether you change your lifestyle for a bit of body tonage or to be that little bit healthier, I will guarantee that doing so will make you feel a hundred times better (I do!). So shape up your summer body desires with a little bit of help from the Mini V range!

Now there's one thing missing from the picture above and that is the Mini Bar, and one very hungry and protein craving boyfriend decided to scoff it even though he was under strict instructions not to (I even hid it in all *sad face*). So without me trying it, I guess I had to quiz my boyfriend on the taste and what he thought of it. This bar (apparently) tastes just like Terry's Chocolate orange which also has the typical texture of a protein bar which is quite dense (so it is very different from what I consider to be a normal chocolate bar). The sweet edge of the mini bar will sure banish any sweet cravings whilst its high protein count will help to repair and build muscles (think of that tonage ladies!). Talking of protein as you can see below, I am quite gracefully trying out my Mini Shake and OMG it is quite literally the best protein drink that I've ever tried (click here to check out my YouTube video). It was only a few weeks ago that I was turning my nose up at a lot of protein powders and I even tried disguising it in my Weetabix one morning (which only ended up in the bin). The shake that I tried was called Chocolate Silk and it was like drinking a healthy chocolate milkshake but with lots of protein inside a tiny bottle (28g!). Mini V Shakes are available 2 other flavours and I love just how mobile they are (pop one in your gym bag and go).

Now time for a confession ladies and gentleman because I have completely fallen in love with Mini Collagen and Mini Detox food supplements. Collagen fortifies your blood vessels which helps to improve circulation throughout the body to your skin, resulting in healthy radiant and youthful skin, hair, and nails. A few weeks ago some of you will remember that I posted a post on Damaged Nails (click here) and I must say that that Mini Collagen sure helped towards that amazing result (do go and check that out if you want to see cracked nails transform in just 2 weeks!). Additionally my hair has also grown in length and my skin has stayed spot free which is amazing seeing as my skin has gotten a little oiler in this hotter weather. Mini Detox on the other hand is a great supplement before going to bed because removes unwanted toxins from the body which makes you feel much more energetic in the mornings (perfect for a hangover cure I must say). Admittedly I didn't try out the Mini Burn food supplement because I personally thought that the caffeine content was way too high for me (656mg). A high caffeine content helps to burn fat and to give you that additional energy that you may be lacking through your diet. However this high content can cause undesired effects on the body like shaking and crashing if you don't control your food intake. It is also known for some people to experience heart palpitations, increased sweating, and panic attacks through caffeine packed supplements so please be very careful before taking any food supplements with your diet (especially something like Mini Burn), and I strongly advise that you contact a nutritionist or a GP before doing so.

Mini Bar: £1.99, Mini Shake: £2.99, Mini Collagen*: £24.99, Mini Detox*: £24.99

Mini Burn*: £24.99, *Mini Pack (x3 food supplement pack): £49.99

Overall I absolutely loved trying out the Mini V range and will most definitely continue to use Mini Collagen, Mini Shake, and Mini Bar. Will you be trying out the range by Vicky Pattison? What are your thoughts?

Much Love

Eltoria x

My Festival Look| Ft Evercreature Wellies

With festival season just around the corner, I thought that I'd share with you all my 2015 festival look. Now I must admit that I'm not exactly the typical 'festival goer', but usually I feel inclined to dress up for the occasion (especially when Glastonbury comes live on the tellie!). I know I'm such a festival fraud! Anywho, on one shopping trip to Bristol I picked up some amazing pieces that would be perfect for a festival, meaning, picking up pieces that were not expensive and finding affordable jewellery to jazz up my outfit. I was sent some amazing wellies by Evercreature and I have to say that I am totally in love with them. Although Evercreature stock a wide range of styles and colours, I opted to go for these plain black ankle wellies because I thought that they were so different (I had never seen wellies like this before!). I think these wellies would be perfect for a festival because they are extremely mobile, comfy, water tight, and not to mention ideal if you don't like wearing wellies in the first place (they are like wearing ankle boots!). I also must mention that I am now obsessed with head chains so watch out for my head chain post because I've just bought many more!

Top: H&M £7.99

Shorts: Primark £10.00

Wellies: Evercreatures Wellies £31.99

Head Chain: New Look £2.99

Socks: M&Co £2.00 (click here)

Rings: Primark £4.00

Are you going to any festivals this year? What will you be wearing?

Much Love

Eltoria x

My Experience Working at LUSH| Pros & Cons

Happy Sunday Y’alllll! I really apologize for my lack of blogging recently- last week I was suffering from a very bad cold and I was travelling around London with work (which made me want to move to London even more!). Anyway, some of you will remember that a few months ago I posted a video on how to get a job at LUSH (click here) and since then, that video has had around 20,000 views (I know madness!). Some of you have also been emailing me with some of your questions regarding working at LUSH, so I have noted all of those queries down and thought that I would also share my responses with the rest of you. I decided to make this video into a Pros and Cons kind of video because that way you guys can see what I thought was good and bad working at LUSH. Although I worked in 3 different LUSH stores here in the UK, these experiences have been collated from each store and these views are purely of my own (thumbs up for my little disclaimer there). If you are keen to get watching this video then please click here.

Click Here to check out my LUSH Bathbomb and Bubblebar post

So if you are too wondering what it was like working at LUSH this YouTube video will answer the following:

♥Staff Discount &Training

♥Christmas Staff Box &Free Spa Treatment

♥Working Hours& Expectations

♥And Many More Interesting Pros and Cons!

Click Here to read about LUSH showergels

Overall I really enjoyed my experience working at LUSH and I believe that it is a very good job to have if you are someone who loves natural products and of course beauty. I personally found that it was particularly a good job to have if you are at university, in school, or if you are just wanting a part time job (I can’t exactly comment on the full time career aspect because I didn't experience it). If you would like to watch my video please do so by clicking here or on the thumbnail below. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me at eltoriasecrets@gmail.com.

Will you/have you applied or worked at LUSH?

Much Love

Eltoria x

10 Healthy Snacks Under 100 Calories

With summer just around the corner, I have noticed that a lot of us have been stepping up our exercise routines and cramming in a last minute diet (it’s like January all over again). Over the last few months some of you may have noticed that I have been incorporating in a number of health and fitness posts/videos amongst my beauty and fashion things (click here to check out my Health and Fitness posts). Fitness has become a huge part of my life since graduating from university- I have been able to join a gym, join a Boot Camp Club, and not to mention building the confidence to enter the London Marathon and Race for Life (I have even started my training for both…eek!). So with a fitness regime now carefully carved into my daily routine, the key to body health and success doesn’t strictly just depend on a good exercise routine (don’t get me wrong it certainly does help). So what is the other secret behind the ultimate healthy body do I hear you scream? Well here it goes ladies and gentleman (although you might not like it!).

Check out my January Healthy Snacks post by clicking here

It isn’t hard for most of us to admit that now and again we all enjoy a ‘cheat day’, ya’ know, those days where ordering a Dominoes and eating a whole tub of Ben a Jerry is deemed acceptable (sounds all too familiar?). We’re all human and we all have these days, but the key to leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle is to also ensure that your diet is the best that it can be. So with the title of this post kind of giving you a massive clue, your snacking habits is a major area to reassess when it comes to eating healthier (and trust me ditching the chocolate digestives for carrot sticks has been incredibly hard). Whilst it has taken me a while to snap out of bad habits, exploring and trying out new healthy recipes and ingredients has been quite exciting (for example before changing my habits I absolutely hated hummus and olives and now I love them!). Change is something that many of us struggle with but once you take the plunge and get into a routine, you will feel so much more better for it. So to help you all out a little, I have come up with my own 10 healthy snacks that are under 100 calories! Check them all out by watching my YouTube video by clicking here (or clicking the thumbnail below).

Check out my Healthy Smoothie Post by clicking here

I hope you all got some inspiration by watching my video! I would also like to apologise for not uploading this video on Sunday and for being rubbish at posting blog posts this week- I've been travelling with work and also suffered from a horrendous cold at the weekend. But don't worry I'm all mended and shall be resuming back to normal (woop!).

Click here to watch the video!

What's your favourite healthy snack? Please do share with your links and suggestions.

Much Love

Eltoria x

Little Ondine| Morning Glory

It's a Friday (woohoo!) so I thought that I'd share you with you my weekend nail colour. Seeing as the weather here in England is hot once again (I know our weather goes cold to hot in a heartbeat) I thought that I'd treat my nails to something a little more summery. Little Ondine stock the most gorgeous range of nail polish colours and they each hold the 21st century secret when it comes to the nail varnish revolution. Wanna hear? Well go on then. These nail varnishes are odour free, quick drying (around a minute), and can be easily peeled off when you fancy a change in colour (I know amazing right?). This has totally made life for the working girl a hell of a lot easier, I mean, we can now polish our nails on the train without stenching out a carriage (how 'on the go' is that?) .

The colour that I am wearing is called Morning Glory and it is a gorgeous turquoise/blue colour. I applied a base and top coat before and after using this nail polish, and I have to say that its durability is quite impressive as it doesn't chip easily like some nail varnishes do (I'd say that it lasts for a good 4 days). However I would say that you have to watch the tips of you nails when you go about your daily duties (like cleaning) as it can prompt the peeling process (but as said, the varnish is hard to chip). What I mainly love about this nail polish is that I can easily peel it off when I feel that as though it is looking a little chipped and untidy, so the chore of finding some nail varnish remover has had its day with Little Ondine. I've had many compliments that my nails look very gel like which to me screams classy and professional.

To finish on a sweet note, isn't the story behind this colour so cute?- "The sun gleamed into her cozy breakfast nook, where she sat with the Sunday paper and a stack of homemade blueberry pancakes. She lived for glorious mornings like this, where she could anticipate the day ahead"- someone take me to this place... now? You can pick up a Little Ondine nail varnish for £8.40.

What colour would you choose from their range?

Much Love

Eltoria x

Roger & Gallet| Hand, Body, & Nail Creams

A few months ago I reviewed Roger & Gallet's Sorbet body lotions (click here to see that) and I must say that they have been my favourite body lotions to use this Spring. Considering that I had an awful experience with some ginger stuffing a few years ago that put me off ginger for life, I would say that Gingerombre (featured above in the tall purple bottle) has to be one of my favourite body lotions of all time. However saying that, Gingerombre isn't entirely just ginger as it has subtle wood tones which gives this body lotion a fresh edge (so if you too have a bit of a phobia of ginger don't feel put off my its name). Bois D'Orange is somewhat incredibly Summery and I admittedly haven't used too much of it yet but I know that I will do this Summer because it smells ever so fresh. What I particularly like about these body lotions is that they don't leave a greasy residue on your skin after use. They are also incredibly hydrating and leave a beautiful and unique smell on the skin for a very long time after application (which is nice because I think that many body lotions out there tend to smell very similar to one another). These two beauties are just the perfect Summer body lotions.

Roger & Gallet's Hand and Nail creams have to be hands down the best smelling creams out there on the market at the moment (I really cannot tell you how amazing they really smell). Like Gingerombre above, I too have a favourite and it has to be Fleur de Figuier. Fleur de Figuier which is featured above on the left, reveals the lighter delicate dimension of the fig flower, whilst the harmony of green and unripe notes portray the purely raw dimension of the fruit (or in Eltoria's words, it smells mighty fruity and damn fine!). What excites me more is that they also have this scent in a perfume, so I most definitely will be putting that onto my wish list this Summer! Bienfaits on the other hand contains 5 red fruits: blackcurrant, pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry, and cherry. I would say that this cream doesn't smell as potent as the other, but it smells extremely fresh and I like to pop this cream onto my hands and nails before bed time.

Like Roger and Gallet's body lotions, I love how non-sticky and greasy these creams are. The texture of these creams particularly reminded me of LUSH's hand creams (especially Helping Hands) because they are ever so thick and full of goodness. These hand creams contain shea butter, aloe vera, vegetable glycerine, and natural essential oils which treats the skin in moments of thirst and soreness. After alternating between these creams for a few weeks now, I have particularly noticed that my nails look a lot more stronger than they were before. So its always handy buying a hand cream which also treats the nails very well too. You can buy these hand creams for only £6.00 each by clicking here.

Which one of these creams tickles your fancy? Do you have any creams that you'd like to recommend?
Much Love
Eltoria x

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New HTML: You can now find me at http://eltoria.com
I post every Sunday, Tuesday & Friday

YouTubers Hit Gravity Force Trampolining Park| Ft Chip Daddy, Becca Lammin, Stephanie Nala, ariamark & Klynch

Recently I had an amazing day at Gravity Force with some other amazing YouTubers, but first, let me introduce them to you. If you have watched my 'Boys Do My Makeup' video, most of you will probably already know Chip Daddy (click here to check out his channel). Chip is an awesome yet very kind YouTuber who has helped me a lot in the start of my YouTube venture (so do go and check him out because the boy is a babe!). Some of you will probably recognise Stephanie Nala from two very popular TV shows: Xfactor and Britain’s Got Talent. Steph is such a lovely and down to earth girl and it was really lovely getting to know her (and of course we danced to S Club 7 when it came on haha). Becca Lammin is such a hilarious and lovely girl and her videos really capture her personality (you will definitely laugh at her videos). So do make sure you go and check out Steph (by clicking here) and Becca (by clicking here). After the photos below were taken, we were later joined by two other YouTubers Aria Mark (click here)- who impressively speared me into the foam pit and Klynch (click here) who wrestled with by boyfriend because they both like the UFC (boys will be boys hey).

If you have never heard of Gravity Force in Surrey before, it is a huge trampolining park where you can pretty much live your childhood dreams- jumping into a large foam pit, reacting the Dodgeball film, and shooting hoops like Michael Jordan (need I tempt you more?). It was a lovely day and we bounced on the trampolines filming for around 6 hours; I was absolutely shattered after it all! If you interested in booking yourself and your friends for a session please check out their website at http://www.gravityforce.co.uk/. You will not be disappointed! Anywho, you can check out our Gravity Force session by watching my YouTube video by clicking here or, by clicking the thumbnail at the end of this post.

Who do you reckon' was the best trampolinist? Let me know in the comments below!

Much Love

Eltoria x

New HTML: You can now find me at http://eltoria.com
I post every Sunday, Tuesday & Friday

ROMWE| Summer Necklaces

Now I must admit, I had never heard of ROMWE until the vast amount of advertisement that invaded my Facebook news feed (must of cost a lot). I also noticed that there were a number of bloggers that were also advertising the brand in their side bars, so on one 'snoozy Sunday' I thought that I'd check out this little bit of fresh meat. Instantly I noticed their very appealing '% off' banners and if you are someone like me who loves to shop in dollars, it doesn't take a genius to workout the brilliant deal that you will be getting if you are paying in English pounds (when I say genius I mean Google currency converter). Along with five necklaces that are displayed below, I also bought a number of outfits too. Now here I have to be completely honest with you all because I wasn't entirely impressed with the clothing at all. The zip one of the dresses was broken, a supposed 'dress' was in fact short enough to be a t-shirt, and the threading on pretty much of all the garments were pulling away from its stitching. Although this is my own opinion formed from an unfortunate bad experience, please do not be put off because their necklaces and jewellery are brilliant value for money. So have a little snoop at what I got (I'm all prepared for Spring and Summer now).

On average five necklaces of this size from your typical high street shop would cost you, let's say, £8.00-£10.00 per necklace? So if we average that at £9.00, altogether these necklaces should of cost me around £45.00. Well my little fashionistas sit down because you are going to be shock- these necklaces altogether cost me around £20.00! (that's like £5.00 each!). The quality of these necklaces are also very good and they have the ability to make any outfit look glamorous (I've already had many compliments on them). Many of you will know that I love a huge statement necklace so I love the fact that you can also pair these different styles together to make them look even more effortless (see first image above). The necklace below has to be my favourite purchase, and what makes it even better is that H&M were selling this necklace for double the price a few months ago (amazing!). I must also add that I again received one of these necklaces damaged but my boyfriend reckons he can fix it so fingers crossed.

The only other thing to say on ROMWE is that their delivery time isn't the quickest (it took around 3 weeks for my goods to come). I'm guessing that this is due to their products being shipped directly from the US to the UK, so if you are needing something quick for the weekend, I wouldn't say that this is your safest bet.

Where will you be getting your Summer jewellery from? Any recommendations on any good sites?

Much Love

Eltoria x

New HTML: You can now find me at http://eltoria.com
I post every Sunday, Tuesday & Friday

Study Tips| Dos and Don'ts

Ut oh it's May and that means one thing... exam season! Now I know some of you will be preparing for GSCEs, A Levels, High School Finals, and University/Collage exams, so I thought that I would give you all on the load down on the dos and don'ts for exam preparation. Fortunately for me this is my first year in 7 years that I haven't had to study for exams because I have pretty much done all of the named above. I graduated from university last year (click here to read about that) and I have decided to give myself a year (or two) out to decide what direction that I want to take in life. So who knows whether or not I will have to re-visit the dreaded exam revision again.

I wanted to create this video because I pretty know all about the dos and don'ts of exam revision. At GCSE I didn't really take revision that seriously (I was the girl who just talked and giggled too much in class) but I still managed to get really good grades. At A Level my whole attitude towards revision completely changed- I became obsessive and I was totally focused. In my AS exams I walked out with AAABB (when I predicted C's and D's) and in A2 I attained AAAB and got a place at Law School at the University of Reading. I was extremely chuffed with my grades but looking back I would certainly change a few things. Throughout my A Levels I would study for like 12-14 hours a day and I would even study 5-6 months in advance. There are so many reasons other than 'wanting to go to uni' that made me so motivated, but putting those reasons to one side, I felt like that I was losing that giggly and chatty girl that I once was. When I got to University my obsessive attitude towards revision continued until I realised that there were other ways to being successful at revision other than spending 14 hours a day on it. However it was here where I changed my ways and walked out with a 2.1 in my Law degree whilst obtaining a first in my finals (so my changes were most definitely for the better). Therefore if you are in need of a few tips, please watch my Study Tips: Dos and Don'ts video by clicking here or on the thumbnail below.

Click Here to watch my YouTube video

Do you have any studying tips that you would like to share?
Much Love
Eltoria x

New HTML: You can now find me at http://eltoria.com
I post every Sunday, Tuesday & Friday

Eltoria

Saturday, 30 May 2015

Questions That You Ought to Ask Your Doctor| Health Week

Thursday, 28 May 2015

Mini V Nutrition By Vicky Pattison

Monday, 25 May 2015

My Festival Look| Ft Evercreature Wellies

Saturday, 23 May 2015

My Experience Working at LUSH| Pros & Cons

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

10 Healthy Snacks Under 100 Calories

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Little Ondine| Morning Glory

Monday, 11 May 2015

Roger & Gallet| Hand, Body, & Nail Creams

Saturday, 9 May 2015

YouTubers Hit Gravity Force Trampolining Park| Ft Chip Daddy, Becca Lammin, Stephanie Nala, ariamark & Klynch

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

ROMWE| Summer Necklaces

Sunday, 3 May 2015

Study Tips| Dos and Don'ts