Spilling The Tea On Sleep with Pukka Herbs

I haven't been sleeping right for months - but even as I write that, I wonder, surely everyone has the same complaint, since we're living in a global pandemic. I have no trouble getting to sleep, but staying asleep is the hard part. I wake up at least twice nightly. With this in mind, when Pukka Herbs reached out to ask if I'd like to take part in their Sleep With Ease programme, I said "sign me up!". 

Image: PukkaHerbs.com

I've been a big fan of herbal teas for a long time now, even going so far as getting myself known in an old office workplace as the one with the "smelly tea"! 

Before we get into this, I will preface the rest of this blog post with the following: I work from home for a company that deals with US timezones almost exclusively, I exercise gently (I miss the gym!), and I have gone to great lengths to ensure my bed/sleep environment is exactly the way I prefer. I've been trying to read more so that I can unwind without any screen time, but it can be quite hit and miss. 

Now, with all that said, I have been incorporating the Night Time tea into my routine for the past week and here's what I've noticed. 

I loved the smell of it, first off. A good smelling tea is a really pleasure, though I usually opt for more fruity and spicy (think ginger, not chilli!) teas, this one was incredible with lavender and chamomile notes. I found it very palatable, not very strongly flavoured at all, which is a good thing in the evening if you ask me. Taking some time, even ten minutes, in the evening, to sit with a cup of tea, drink it mindfully, and clear my head helped me to se the intention of a night of restful sleep. 

Since Pukka Night Time tea has Valerian Root in it, which is a natural sleep aid, and it actually helps anxiety. If you check out Velerian Root on t'internet, you'll sometimes see it mentioned as a sedative, but I didn't find this tea made me particularly sleepy. It helped me to relax in a mindful manner, but it didn't knock me out. I'd say if you were to chew on the actual Valerian Root you'd miss your alarm, but in tea, it's much milder. 

To that end, it's worth mentioning that in the last few days, if I felt stressed with work, I would step away, make a quick cup of this tea and sit for a few minutes to decompress. It helped to take some time away from my dual-monitors and work environment, take some breaths, sip something delicious and gather myself. 

All tucked in for bed! 

Combining this tea as a de-stresser during my work days and with a pre-bedtime ritual of turning on some soft lighting, and either watching a movie or reading in bed has helped immesurably - even when I read true crime, not what you'd call relaxing content!  

Drinking the Night Time Tea has made it so that I'm much more mindful in my bedtime routine and I don't feel like I'm simply finishing a list of tasks, taking a restless nap and then waking up to repeat the cycle. It unwinds me so that I'm not waking up between 2am and 4am nearly as much as I did. 

I hope that this was helpful to you guys! I'd highly recommend trying the Pukka Night Time tea, and combining it with a mindful bedtime routine for a more restful sleep. Give it a few days, create a habit, and sweet dreams. 

My favorite mug! 

You can snag it on Holland and Barrett HERE if you fancy picking up a box - safely, given lockdown! 

Let me know how you get on, if you try it out. 

Love you guys

Amy 

xo

This post contains items sent to me by Pukka for review - All opinions are my own. 

Christmas Gifting For Him with Thomas Clipper*

I've got a special one for you today! The good folks at Thomas Clipper sent me a sample of their new Rough And Smooth Soap Set. The thing is, I think it would be much more fun to have Mr Wench review and give his opinion on them! 

Before we get into it, let me give you some at-a-glance facts: Given the state of the world, people are shopping small and local. Founded 2014, Thomas Clipper is a small team based in London. Their scents and soaps are developed in Grasse, the heart of French fragrance country. Mountain soap is vegan, uses organic ingredients, and handmade in the UK. Mountain soap is hand poured in runs of just 5 soaps at a time, 

Made by people, not machines, this artisan soap is chock-full of natural organic ingredients like Italian volcanic pumice and smells incredible with notes of Vetiver (a scent I adore enough to have in the form of a gorgeous candle) and aromatic spices. 

Let's start from the outside: I was very pleasantly surprised when the parcel arrived and it was completely packaged in recyclable materials. Even the soaps themselves were packaged in such a way that negates the need for cellophane! Given that Christmas is a time that creates so much extra waste, it's amazing to have a gift option without plastic. 

Inside the box, these soaps are really minimal in their design, and since they're solid, they deliver exceptional functionality. These are the hallmarks of modern luxury - travel friendly and compact at home. As someone who works in designer luggage, I appreciate any product that you can pop into your suitcase and take with you places, without fear of leaking, immensely! 

The guys at Thomas Clipper believe that after a day exploring the peaks, ‘Mountain’ prepares you for an evening relaxing into a red wine by a roaring cabin fire. 

Rugged and refined, Vetiver, guaiac and cedarwood provide a seriously smokey base with zingy bergamot

and aromatic spices, bringing freshness and balance. 

Now, lets here from Mr Wench! 

"It smells really good. Super clean smelling, just light enough on the senses to not be overpowering but speaks of rich man or competent man or similar. There’s something about this type of scent that just resonates with me as a man that I can’t get enough of. Thankfully we are in COVID season so I have had no end of hand washing and of lovely smelling hands as a result! My bathroom area is quite dominated by this smell now but it’s not a bad thing it’s actually quite nice. The effect on my hands has been un-noticed, they’re not dry and not itchy in any way. I don’t feel like it’s imbalanced my skin in and the scent sticks for a long time. 

The shape of the bar (such a small detail really) is actually a nice design choice, embossed with the logo on one side the soap shape is quite chunky and pointed. This isn’t a bad thing however, this just feels more like a handful when using it which for my hands is great! I think in my hands it fits well enough. The same is true for the shower scrub which I’ll mention in a moment but other soaps tend to slip quite easily in my grip with their oval shapes thus having something almost brick shaped is actually refreshing!

The shower scrub is a different game, smelling much the same as the Mountain Soap, in that it smells great. It fits in my hands well and doesn’t slip in the shower in my grip with its big block shape (though the run off is quite slippy on the shower floor I found out!). It was however, quite scrubby. I wasn’t prepared for that feeling at first. On the first use I felt like my skin was rubbed a little too roughly and ended up having to smooth it out after a couple strokes with lathering actions. My skin afterwards felt and smelled amazing, no two ways about it which had me thinking maybe the scrubbing wasn’t that bad. For the second use I have to say I’m glad I gave it another chance, the scrubbing was much less gritty on second, third+ washes and much more enjoyable. It is in fact possibly the exact type of exfoliator style scrubber I have been wanting for a while now. I was super happy to use in the shower each time I had it and have enjoyed the product over all.

Packaging wise few small comments worth pointing out, it’s minimalistic which pleases my man-tendencies as the product isn’t screaming at me to pick it up with loud garish colours. The wrapping is simple and the product is good enough to stand on its own legs in the testing. All in all, I rate these soaps highly, easily an 8.5/10. I am even considering this as a Christmas gift for other guy friends and family in my life." 

So there you have it, hopefully myself and Mr Wench have helped you decide on some amazing body products for the loved ones in your life! 

*Contains gifted items from Thomas Clipper. All opinions belong to myself and Mr Wench. 

Tips For Working From Home

Hello hello my dearest ones! How goes it, out there in the weird, wild world? 

I've been lucky enough to secure a job working from home. I've been waiting for this job for a while and I am delighted to have gotten it, and be so happy in a role. It is certainly a nice change of pace. 

The best bit of my new job is that for the moment, we are all of us in the company, working from home. I count it high among the number of blessings I've got in my life right now. Not having to risk my health or the health of my family on public transport, or working in a public-facing role is quite the luxury. 

I've noticed though, that the learning curve of working from home is steep enough - it's got so many perks, but one of the pitfalls can be the lack of a defined routine. So, with that in mind I'm going to go through some of the things that I've learned that make it much easier to go from the bedroom to the desk (whatever that looks like for you, no judgement if you're working from the sofa!) with some level of ease. 

1. Get Dressed. 

I know, I know, it's so easy to just roll out of bed, grab a coffee and just get straight down to it, but it's a bad habit to slip into. Get up, get dressed (even if that looks like putting on track pants and a tshirt) and make the mental switch from down-time to get-down-to-business time. For me, I wear some kind of gym leggings or track pants, a nice t-shirt or top and I feel very smug that no matter how good I look or what I'm wearing in the viewfinder of a Zoom call, I've got my Ugg slippers on! 

I work for a company where it's totally acceptable to be in a hoody or no makeup on the daily Zoom calls, but I still try to look somewhat put together. It helps. I promise. Though, in saying all that, how will we ever revert back to officewear?

2. Create A Workspace - if you can.

When I got this job, for the first week or ten days, the space I was working in wasn't conducive to an efficient and productive working space. So, over the weekend I took initiative and I got a new set of shelves that coordinate with my desk, and I completely overhauled my working area. Now, I feel like I've got a designated space to sit down, do my job and do it well! I've got my Mac on a stand, a widescreen monitor, my keyboard and mouse, notepad and my beloved Hufflepuff coaster where my ever-present mug of coffee lives. 

3. Draw Your Boundaries - and Respect Them!

For me this looks like getting up early, maybe fitting in a run of some kind, coming home and getting ready for my day. Before I sit down to work I make sure to do two things: make a cup of tea or coffee, and go to the loo. Here's the thing - sitting on a two hour Zoom call is torture if you've the pressing need to pee but you can't get up to leave.  

When it's time for lunch or between calls, grab something to eat. And for the love of God, don't take it al desko!! Take time for yourself just like you would if you were in the office. Take your time, even if it's only 30 minutes, and don't worry about your email inbox - it will keep. 

Other things that help are, if like me, you've a few things to log into in the mornings, bookmark those pages and organise them in a folder on your bookmarks bar. I've got a dozen things book marked, from tools to spreadsheets, and it's all in a folder denoted only by the initials of the company I work for. Likewise, on my desktop, I've a folder sitting there with PDF's and so on that I've got saved, once again labelled with the initials of my work. 

When you finish up for the day close every single work-related tab and don't think of them again til the morning. One of the hardest things about working from home is that the line between your job and your private life is blurred. If you can close your laptop and put it in a drawer, close the spare room door, whatever the case may be, do so. Create a visual barrier and respect it. 

4. Time Off Is Just That - Time. Off. 

Please for the love of all that is good in the world, don't push your work email to your phone. Just do not do it. Mute the group chat on WhatsApp. Remember that you are not obligated to your work outside of your working hours. Of course, it's good to do your employer a solid, and of course if you work for yourself, you've got to factor in the grind, but every single person in this world is entitled to a break and that, my dear reader, includes you. If you go for a run, go for a run. If you take a week off to hike the Wild Atlantic Way, just turn on your "out of office" and don't pay it a second thought. If something happens and you're needed, you'll be contacted, otherwise, just enjoy your time off. 

5. Recognise How Lucky You Are 

This probably comes off preachy, but you should take a moment every day to recognise how awesome it is in these times to be able to work remotely, to work from home. So many people are out in the world, our healthcare workers, frontline workers, people in the service industry. You are so lucky that you can sit down in your comfy warm house, with your slippers on and keep your job. 

Up until I started in this position, I hadn't been to work in sixteen weeks. That's insane. Now, I'm earning my money, making a difference in a company who value me and I feel blessed every day to be in this position. I try to show appreciation for everything in my life, from people to things, and that doesn't change just because I'm working from home. Working from home means I get to hang out with my family more, I can go for a run on almost no notice, I have gotten to hang out with my new baby nephew and best of all, the hours I keep are in line with my peers now, so I've all the time in the world over weekends to see them should restrictions allow! 

So there you have it, lovely folks of t'internet! Some tips for Working From Home! 

If you have any working from home tips, let me know in the comments. 

<3 

Amy

A [Realistic] Day in my Diet and Exercise Routine [Covid Edition]

Since I've been eating clean again, training (at home, sadly, I'll be delighted when the gyms reopen) and getting back on a decent routine, I thought it might be fun to share an average day with you.

Before we get into it, I just want to note that my mentality is to favour a morning workout over an evening workout, but if that works for you, go for it. We are all doing our best, and that's what matters. While I'm here, I want to say that just becuase this is how I'm chosing to spend my time during this awful moment in history, I am not trying to shame anyone for coping in whatever way they see fit. This is my outlet and my distraction. 

Every day starts the night before, when I lay out a bottle of water, my workout clothes for the day (if it's a workout day, that is) and put my tech on charge. That means my phone, my watch and my headphones! If they're ready to roll, then I will be much more likely to just get up and at it. 

I've had an alarm set for every day since lockdown began, for 8am. Now, I don't always get up when that alarm chimes, but I try to. 

Once I'm up, I put on that workout gear I've laid out, lace my trusty Asics, put my hair up tightly, and get to it. I try to get an hour of Chloe Ting workouts in, and the days rotate based on the challenge day. Once that is done, a big glass of water and then I try to get out for a run or a cycle. If I go out cycling it's usually because I have errands to run in the village, and usually that entails groceries of some kind. I switch up the running routes I take once I get to the top of my road, and from there I just run. As for what I'm listening to on my runs, I've a running playlist that I am always adding and removing songs from on Spotify, or a good true crime podcast, like True Crime All The Time. 

Because I'm doing intermittent fasting, when I get home, I just have a pint of water, and get ready for my day as normal. I use Fushi Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash that I get in my local zero-waste shop. As soon as I'm dressed, I make a coffee with almond milk and get to preparing my breakfast. For me, with I.F, breakfast is at 12pm. If I'm ahead of myself time-wise, I'll eat at 11am, it's not a big deal really. 

Breakfast:

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100g Glenisk Natural Strained Protein Yogurt, 6 sliced strawberries, a sliced banana and a tablespoon of honey. Coffee with almond milk. 

Lunch: 

Egg-white omelette filled with 2 slices of turkey breast, two tablespoons of mature cheddar cheese with steamed vegetables and a coffee. I try to get a bottle of water into me also. 

Dinner: 

Chicken breast (usually rubbed with some kind of spice, like garam masala and garlic) a half a stuffed pepper from Supervalu (the stuffing is pictured, but the pepper disintegrated), and some veg. 

This is usually a one tray dish. I like things to be easy to clean up and as efficient as possible. Sometimes, I make a second chicken breast and use it in place of turkey in the next days omelette, and other days I will have fillet steak instead of chicken. 

Snacks:

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love snacks. I still snack, just a bit better than I used to. Usually in the evening, just before 8pm (which is when I start fasting again, I'm doing the 16:8 routine) I will have a bowl of cereal, either All Bran for a kick of fibre, or Special K for something a touch sweeter. I use unsweetened Alpro Almond Milk either way. Honestly, it's actually not as boring as it sounds, and it leaves me feeling full for the evening, which means I'm less likely to dip into a bag of Haribo until it's cheat day time! 

I try to get a walk in during the evenings, just a slow, leisurely walk with my friend or my niece and her dog, sometimes I'll just go alone and get some breathing space if it's been a day, but I think, like most of us, the new normal is Skype, Zoom, Google Meet and so forth. So I do try to get a video call in with various pals, ideally every other evening. Either way I try to drink another bottle of water and put myself to bed around 11pm. 

That's my average day of diet and fitness, pandemic edition. 

I hope it's been even vaguely interesting, and if you want to share your thoughts, tips or what you've been doing to keep sane during covid, please comment and let me know! <3 

If you want to follow my progress thus far and in the future, follow my instagram, @red_lips_red_hair 

xoxo

Amy

Things That Have Been Getting Me Through Lockdown

Lockdown sucks, can we all just agree on that, first? I haven't seen my friends, I barely see my family (beyond those I live with) and I am bored senseless from not being in work. Basically, I am ready for lockdown to be over. However, there are things that have been keeping me sane and in a routine that I am grateful as hell to have, which I will be sharing with you all today. 

So, I give you, in no particular order: Things that are getting me through lockdown. 

Animal Crossing New Horizons / The Nintendo Switch:

I bought myself a Nintendo Switch at the start of quarantine, and I've been playing it pretty much non-stop. Animal Crossing has become my obsession, and I've been working very hard on my island, Wench Cove. I have also been playing some other games, Assassins Creed 3, Crash Bandicoot N'Sane Trilogy and a few others, but ACNH has been my ultimate escape from the terrible reality.

Fitness Routine:

I have been doing the Chloe Ting Shredding Programme, alongside my usual running, and cycling. I've been eating as clean as possible, tracking my food, my water, and at the time of writing this post, I'm doing intermittent fasting too. The IF wont be a permanent thing, but I'm finding that teamed with the shred challenge, I'm getting closer to my goals with that bit more oomph! 

The workouts are tough, but I'm enjoying them, seeing real progress and feeling amazing! I have not, and will not be weighing myself, as losing or gaining doesn't matter to me, simply I want to feel stronger, healthier and look a little better too. So far, it's going well! 

Dynasty:

Guys, please let me have this one, okay. I know it's trash, but it's so fun to watch! I am blazing through it on Netflix and only just found out recently there's a whole new season. I love watching this in the evenings, and I'm trying to only watch a couple of episodes per evening so I can really enjoy it, but it's difficult, because it's so addicting. 

The Ordinary Skincare: 

As well as getting back into a solid health and fitness routine, I've been getting back into my skincare. I'm using The Ordinary to get my skin back on an even keel. I've been using The No Brainer Set, the Glycolic Toner, AHA/BHA Peeling Solution and a few other products. The purging breakouts have started to subside, and my skin has never looked or felt better. Call me converted! 

I'll leave it there for now. 

What have you been doing to keep sane during quarantine? 

xx

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Whats in my Commuter Bag? [Fjallraven Kanken]

Well, well, well. It's been a while, readers! I hope there are still some of you out there.

A lot has changed since I last wrote a blog post... I've recently gotten a new job and I'm commuting again - lucky me!! (There's a reason, I'll reveal all soon! For now let's just say that I'll be doing a bucket-list item soon) 

Since I'm commuting more I'm also making the effort to be more mindful about the things I do and the stuff I use so as to save as much time, effort and money as possible. With a bit of forethought and planning, it's been quite an easy adjustment. Without further ado, I give you my work commuter bag - The Fjallraven Kanken in Fog. 

I wanted to get something simple, hardwearing and that combined spaciousness with compact dimensions, and that led me to the Kanken. Now I will say, that I was torn between this and the Fjallraven Re Kanken, which is made from recycled plastic bottles, but I decided to opt for the original. Most people agree, no matter what the option, that the originals are always the best.

In one of the two side pockets, you'll find my yellow water bottle, which I picked up in Dunnes Stores for €5. I've popped some stickers onto it, and will probably apply more as I get them, just to personalise it a little. The other side pocket is home to my Zojirushi Flask, which I got in Tokyo, and I adore. It has a handy lid that locks with a sliding mechanism, and you can drink straight from it because of the ergonomic shape of the mouthpiece.  It's worth mentioning that the pockets on the sides of the Kanken are long and narrow, so not every water bottle or flask will fit in them.

In the smaller pocket I have my wallet and keys. 

Inside the main pocket I have my tiffin tin, which I got in India. It has three compartments for my lunch, which makes it so easy to meal prep for my lunches, and keeps me on a short leash, because if I was out buying lunches every day of the week, I'd be broke and I'd be eating crap. The tiffin cost me 700INR or around €9, in the local Star Hyper Supermarket. If you look on Amazon, you'll find them for €15-ish. The tiffin is in a neoprene Kilner bag that I picked up at Christmas in Blanchardstown for €5, and I have a stainless steel knife, fork, spoon and travel straw in a cloth sleeve tucked into the side. I really only use the travel straw on rare occasions, but it's more of a "just in case" than a necessity! 

I carry my green leather journal, my glasses case (which I also tuck my daily pills into), and my all-important make-up bag which amongst other things, contains a mini hairbrush, deo, a folding toothbrush and mini toothpaste and perfume as well as a pair of earrings. Some days I wear makeup, other days I don't - and since I started tinting my eyebrows at home, I don't have to carry three products just to look like I've got an expression! 

Arguably the most important part of my "everyday carry" are my glorious Senheisser Wireless Headphones which keep me sane on the commute to and from work everyday! I love podcasts, mostly True Crime All The Time, TCATT Unsolved and Those Consipiracy Guys, but I also listen to a few soundtracks too - at the moment Call Me By Your Name is the OST on my heavy rotation.

One good thing that I love about this bag is that it doesn't seem to ever get full, and even when it's heavy it's not uncomfortable. I can't honestly wait to take this bag down the country or abroad in the future. It's just such a great bit of kit! 

While this is a pretty good example of most of the things I carry, sometimes I bring my laptop and on short days I don't bring the tiffin, and so on, but for the most part the contents don't change.

So there you have it! My Commuter Bag, in all it's glory. 

What do you carry in your commuter bag? 

Amy 
xx