Pretty in Peach

Hi guys! It's been a while since we last talked hasn't it and I think it is fair to say that this whole Leaving Cert thing is taking its toll. It is so bitter that my time is literally taken up with school work and study that I struggle to find inspiration for prettyinpeach, but I am determined to beat school in this battle and produce just as much material as it does homework.

So, while it downpours outside at what has to be at least -100 degrees, I am snuggled up in my onesie waiting for X Factor to appear on my TV and I am going to guide you through looking after your skin in this horrible, bleak and numbing weather, which pretty much describes Ireland's four seasons.

Skin becomes particularly sensitive during the winter months. The cold weather, as well as the wind and rain, tend to dry out the skin leaving it feeling uncomfortably tight and prickly. Fewer lipids are produced on the skin's surface in winter, (my biology lessons coming in handy!), and consequently the skin barrier becomes increasingly uneven. The epidermal cells lose their capacity to retain water and the skin becomes dry and feels uncomfortable with tight, pulling sensations. Skin can become chaapped and cracked allowing external irritants that cause itchiness to penetrate the skin.

Here is a few simply and easy to remember tips to keep your skin hydrated this winter:

1. Thread Carefully
Use gentle, soap-free skincare products for your cleansing routine. If you use products that are too harsh, your skin can become extremely dry and feel very uncomfortable.

2. Get In The Shower
A shower is better for your skin than a bath, which tends to dehydrate the skin. Ensure the water is lukewarm rather than hot.

3. Pat Skin Dry
Rinse well to eliminate all traces of the cleansing product. Dry your skin by gently patting your legs, chest and arms with a towel. Avoid aggressive rubbing.

4. Moisturise Daily 
After gently drying, use a suitable cream to effectively moisturise your skin and restore the hydrolipidic layer. Be sure to really massage in your moisturiser to get the most out of it.

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With all of this in mind, make sure you have a really thick moisturising hand cream with you during the winter. After you wash your hands, trap in the hydration with a moisturiser. Always have a good lip balm on your person for the slightest hint of chapping. I highly recommend the legendary Carmex moisturising lip balm. It has never let me down on a cold and frosty morning.

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Build A Barrier
If your skin is damaged in any way - burned, cracked, post-treatment or post-wax - and it needs some extra protection, a barrier cream is a great way to minimise further damage. A product like A-Derma Epitheliate AH Skin Repair cream for damaged skin prevents further damage and aids healing, and for only €8.49, it's a bargain in a tube!

Preparation Is Key
The single best thing you can do in preparation for the colder months is switch to a richer moisturiser or introduce a night cream if you're not already using one.

Using oils on your skin when in the bath or shower is a great way of trapping hydration in the skin because the extra humidity is captured by the oil.

If you like to spend time outdoors in the cold winter months, especially if you're running, cycling or exercising, use an extra thick moisturising layer to protect your face. Bitterly cold wind can be just as ageing as sun exposure.

Skin can become more sensitised at the change of season too. Lovely as it may be steeping in from the freezing cold and heading straight for the roaring fire to warm up, it's best to avoid sudden changes in temperatures as they can cause irritation and dehydration.

Hands, nails and lips are particularly susceptible to drying out in the cold. Don't forget your gloves and use a rich multi-tasker.

I hope this post helped you to take better care of your skin or even get you stared from scratch. Either way I would love to know if it helped you and let me and your fellow peaches know if you have any other advice or tips on winter skincare.

                               

I'd also like to let you know that after my next post I am going to be taking the 09 out of my blog URL making it 'prettyinpeach.blogspot.ie' just simply to make it easier to find my blog by just searching the name. Don't panic if you can't find my blog after my next post, just take out the 09 and be sure to keep a look out on my twitter (@sammiedempo) for the change!

As always, thank you so much for reading!

Samantha x

Welcome back everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I have enlightened you on my happenings but I've been busy sorting my life out and settling back into school life, but that is a story for a different day! I'm just going to get right to the focus of this post because I am just exasperated at the latest YouTube scandal "Dear Fat People". This YouTuber, whom I will not mention simply because I don't want to increase her subscribers nor her views even though some people claim that this is what she may have been trying to do, but I'm sorry if you go as far as almost bullying people about their body shape and size it doesn't really give a loving, caring or kind impression of you and I think you need re-check what the word comedy actually means because you are by no means helping anyone to get motivated to be fit and healthy and I just hope you have not given the opposite effect. I can't tell you not to go and watch this video but I hope you aren't totes emosh like I've been lately, (I have no idea why!), because this is something you do need to be emotionally stable for unless you actually want to let this person get inside your head and destroy you. I'm not gonna lie, I am struggling inside my own body image issues and I know it's easier said than done to get up off your backside and get moving but it actually takes some motivation and inspiration.

I'm not going to rant on about how to get up and get moving because I think that is a personal choice and I'm no nutritionist! So instead I am just going to give you a few short tips on how to be comfortable in your body no matter your size or shape.


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* Don't take any kind of criticism. You might feel bad because people have said mean things in the past. But many times, when someone says something bad about you, it's only because they have nothing better to do, they are having a bad day or often have their own body image issues.

* Stop comparing yourself to others. Comparing yourself to others, especially celebrities, is a fine way to throw your self-esteem down the drain, as there will always be those who appear 'better' than you and those who appear 'worse' than you. In the end you will most likely end up wishing you were different with thoughts of worthlessness. It takes you nowhere, wastes a lot of time, and puts you in a psychologically terrible place.

* Be beautiful, inside and out. Beauty is not just something you either have or don't have. It is something you can nurture.


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* Think positively. You may think that some people are just naturally more positive than others. That's not necessarily wrong but don't let negative thinking keep you from making a decision to be more positive. If you want to feel comfortable in your own skin, then you have to start thinking about the best thing that can happen to you instead of always expecting the worst.

* Compliment yourself. (I should probably take my own advice!), you may suddenly feel great about yourself when someone tells you that you look amazing, or when a friend compliments an aspect of your personality. But the compliments will come and go, and at the end of the day, your self-worth shouldn't depend on what other people say about you, whether it's good or bad.

* Think of yourself as a beautiful person. It's great if your boyfriend, best friends, and everyone around you thinks you are beautiful, but that doesn't matter one bit if you are convinced that you are ugly. Even a supermodel can feel completely insecure and inadequate, and what you think on the inside is much more important than how people view you on the outside. Know that the first step to feeling beautiful is really thinking that you are beautiful, just as you are.

 
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* Spend time with people who make you feel good. A big part of embracing who you are and feeling comfortable in your own skin is being around people who support you and make you feel good about yourself. Dump those toxic friends who are always bringing you down, being negative, and ignoring you in favour of their own narcissism. Surround yourself with people who compliment you, care about how you feel, and treat you with care and love.

I hope this makes you feel even a little bit better about yourself, but hopefully a lot better. If you have any other tips or trick to feeling confident in your own skin please share them in the comments and help me and of course others reading this feel good about themselves.


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Thank you so very much for reading.

Samantha x

Hi there peaches! How are you all doing? I'm so excited writing this post because last week I received a phone call and I was offered some work experience at a local newspaper because, I don't know if I have already told you but I want to pursue a career in journalism, and so I thought this would be a great way to gain experience and an insight into the field and actually determine whether I want to be a journalist or not. It was one of my baes Gaby who currently has a column in that newspaper, who inspired me to ask for the opportunity so a huge shout out to her! I can't wait to get started and hopefully build up a portfolio for university and I might just explore other areas of the media, such as radio, too, who knows?! I'll let you all know how it goes but today I am back and it's time for a little rant!
          We all have things and chores to do that we dread but obviously it is for the good of human kind that we do them. Whether it is hanging out the laundry, (we don't all have tumble dryers), or doing chores around the house, we dread doing it but benefit greatly from doing them. We all have our own peeves but I'm going to discuss my top 8 and I'm sure many of you share them too.

1. Getting Up 
The moment every weekday morning when our alarm goes off and the realisation hit that yes, it's 7am and yes, you have to leave the most comfy, warm and cosy place on earth to put on a cold uniform or jeans and go out into the cutting wind. This makes me want to hibernate...forever.


2. Washing 
I'll never bemoan personal hygiene, oh no. But we mean washing our clothes. Why isn't there a clothes fairy that just arrives and makes everything clean, folded and back in our drawers? Oh and come to think of it, washing our hair? Pain in the hoop.

3. Internetting 
I'm not sure that's a word, but it covers a multitude. There are many occasions when you dread logging on to your email, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp. After a particularly fear-inducing night out, after you see a 'tagged in' alert....yikes!

4. Working Out
Sometimes there is nothing more painful than the thoughts of throwing on your runners and going for a jog in that weather but when we do eventually move our behinds, we are usually happy about it. Usually.

5. Cleaning
The place is in bits. There are empty milk cartons everywhere and you could make a wig out of the hair that is matted into the carpet. Time to clean. But oh, What's that? You'd rather shave off your own eyebrows than get out the hoover? Yes, me too.

6. Confronting
You know there's a problem there. It's eating away at you. Whether you are pissed at your boyfriend for something, or a colleague is annoying thee life out of you, confronting someone is a scary prospect. But it's gotta be done, so get your opening line ready...

7. Mondays
Yes. They happen every week, and every week we dread them. We hate that the weekend feels so short, (particularly when the fear sets in post-lunchtime on Sunday and you are stuck writing a six page essay), and we hate how much work there always seems to be. Monday we need to talk.

8. Dentist
We have been known to put off going to the dentist for decades. We dread even the most straightforward of dental treatments to the point of it being a little unhealthy. Same goes for any kind of...internal...examinations by a medical professional. We would rather not, ta.

So there are some of my nightmares and I'm sure you can relate to most, if not all of them. What are some other pet peeves that you have? Let me know in the comments and see if I share them too.


As always, thank you for reading,
Samantha x

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Welcome back peaches! How are we all doing? Since I've touched back down to reality in Ireland I've been suffering with serious Post Holiday Disorder, especially since it was a sun holiday it is totally understandable as this dear country of ours in known for only one week of sunshine per year and I can't believe I am wearing jumpers in the middle of July!! Hayfever has also played a big part in my summer so far. Oh my god I've never experienced anything like it this year. Most of the time my eyes are swollen and red and I literally can't breath. So I'm feeling a little sorry for myself right now. Apart from that all is good! Today I am back with a few tips to keep your hair healthy and luscious.

Healthy hair is in. It doesn't matter how thick, straight or styled it is. If it's healthy you'll be on trend.

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1. When blow drying, use a lower heat setting when possible. Lowering the temperature just a little bit can reduce breakage. A heat protection product is vital too if you're using heat on your hair.

2. When possible, let your hair dry naturally. Time is obviously a big factor with this, but the less you use heat the better for your tresses.

3. Use a comb to gently brush the knots out of your hair post shower. Using a vent brush or paddle brush will be too harsh on the knotted hair and make it break and fall out.

4. Try where possible to wash your hair as little as you can. It might be icky, especially if you're used to washing it daily or every other day, but the natural protective oils get washed away easily and keeping them around for a little longer does help. Use dry shampoo in the interim if you need a de-grease!

5. When styling your hair, don't pull sections hard from the root, tread gently the closer you are to your head. When the hair breaks from the top of the shaft, it makes hair look brittle and broken, and increases flyaways.

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6. If you've got hair extensions, you'll protect your hair health by following the guidelines given by your hairdresser. But a top tip would be to plait your hair before bed as sleeping on bonded extensions can make the hair mat into what feels like dreadlocks. Not ideal!

7. Make sure to do treatments (both leave-in and wash out) on your hair at least once a week. You moisturise your skin every night so why wouldn't your hair warrant the same hydration attention?

8. If you can, use a straightener with built-in protective properties. I recommend the Remington Shine Therapy one, the plates are coated and infused with oils that protect while they style. (I know it's one or two years old but it an ole reliable!)

9. Get regular trims. I know, I know. You want to grow your hair, (believe me I've struggled with it for years while my mother just kept cutting off the same two inches that had just grown). But honestly, the best way to keep your hair looking picture perfect is a little trim every six to eight weeks. Just to cut the dust off, as they say.

10. Embrace your natural hair. Instead of always trying to fight against your curls, or trying to create waves from straight hair, just embrace what you've got naturally and focus on shine and health.

Follow these suggestions to keep your hair in tip top shape and flaunt it girl! If any of you have any other tips or suggestions I would love to know.

Thank you for reading,
Samantha x

Hello peaches! How's everyone's summer going? As you probably know from the hundreds of updates I've been to a little place called Puerto Rico in the Canary Islands with a bunch of my family and it was just bliss, it was like I had died and gone to heaven....I can't even explain! Our apartment was like waking up to a palace every morning and the view was amaaazing! We had a pool, a beach, restaurants, bars (especially Irish bars), and even a shopping centre right on the door step. We enjoyed a fantastic day at Aqualand, the water park with millions of waving and winding water slides that were so fast you landed in the pool in the blink of an eye, but we also enjoyed a relaxing trip on the Pirates River flowing along on a float, (which took me a while to get into), but unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that day as we were all disconnected from the world for a few hours.