Why I Quit My Job | Journal

18 August 2016

Leeds, UK
This post is going to be reeeeaaaaaaallllly long. The minute I left school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Work in a standard nine-to-five and continue my passion for blogging while earning a steady wage. Well, after a year of that life; I decided to give it up. 

I remember the moment I applied, it was December 2014, and by January 2015, I was a Customer Service Advisor in the Head Office for one of the biggest building societies in the country. The job seems ideal at first, but I found it very difficult to fit in. After a month, I figured the team and managers are like this with all the newbies, eventually they'll be my good friends and going to work will feel like The Office. I was wrong. As my time there progressed, I began to realise I really don't fit in with this team and the managers have made it very clear they don't appreciate my work. But, this is common in workplaces so I continued working. 

When I was hired, I was a temporary member of staff for three months. To my leaving date, I never finished as a temp, my contract was just "extended" every so often, even though I didn't receive anything in writing to confirm this. In my view, as long as I'm getting paid, I'm happy to work. As ISA season rolled in, the workloads became unnaturally heavy and it was obvious the entire investments department didn't have a clue what was going on. After having the most successful ISA of 2015, this particular company didn't plan work thousands of pieces of work to flood in, which resulted in more temps being hired and staff moved all over the place. 

I was treated like a slave and workout from 7am to 6pm, with one break and plenty to do. Others didn't do as much as I did but they still one achievement awards. I was denied holidays and opportunities because my manager didn't like me or appreciate my skill. After a while, I sensed this isn't right. I approached HR and they did absolutely NOTHING. 

It was hard to handle the harsh reality of the nine-to-five, and the even harsh reality of dirty and unprofessional businesses. During the summer, there was no work - as in I would sit and stare at my lock screen all day. During the winter and spring, work would flood in and it seems to startle the managers every year even though it's a building society... of course ISA season will be busy. No one was ever prepared, and the department was incredibly corrupt. Managers had favourites, seniors were inappropriate with temps and the entire team would argue and gossip all day. How it still stands today is beyond me, thank goodness I never opened my own account with them. 
My mood was greatly affected by work, and friends and family began to notice. It started with headaches, and they were never subtle. The headaches were from the moment I woke up until the second I fell asleep. Nothing could shift the pain, and doctors put this down to stress and tension. In general, I was never in a good mood and unenthusiastic about everything - even Chris Evans. I never looked forward to the day and each moment was a countdown to 5pm. I'm a strong believer in happiness and doing whatever makes you smile. This job is the one thing that stopped me from smiling. Joking about an evil boss and nosey coworkers is fine, but dreading everything about employment is not normal. 

In many situations, quitting a job isn't an option, and this is something I considered all the time. "I bet there are loads of people that hate their job" was my reasoning and stopped me from crying at my desk every morning. However, I slowly realised, I have the option to leave this place and if it makes me so unhappy, why don't I take it? It's silly for me to feel guilty (even though I still do) about the circumstances of other people when there's nothing I could do to change them. 

After a long chat and plenty of tea, my mum and I constructed my resignation letter and I handed it in the next day. I can tell you, the moment I handed that letter in, my mood lifted. Towards the end of my notice period, the headaches went away. Even though my boss started to act nicely towards me because she knew the one employee who banks millions a day, would be gone. 

I now work with my mum, helping her to build her two amazing charities, Clothing Solutions & Beaneezy - please give their Facebook pages a like if you can, it would really help us! I've never been happier and can not blog basically all the time, and avoid the tension headaches and 6am trains to Leeds. 

Have you ever quit a job? 

Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation | Review

15 August 2016

Leeds, UK
For as long as I’ve been wearing makeup, I’ve struggled to find a good foundation. There have been some that work really well, but are slightly too dark, a little too light or have the wrong tones in. I’ve even mixed foundations to see if that works, but it is way too much effort for an early morning. My skin has also become a lot oilier since suffering from acne, which will also be due to the increase in moisturisers and creams I use on my face. After a while of struggling, I almost stormed into Debenhams in search of a new foundation.

My first stop was MAC, an obvious choice because it seems to be one of the most popular makeup brands in the world. One of the first reasons I didn’t buy from MAC is because the assistants are incredibly rude – they didn’t even help me! I asked for the most mattifying foundation and the young woman showed me some eyeliner. So immediately, I walked off and was kindly greeted by Lizzie at the Estée Lauder booth.
“What’s your most mattifying foundation?” I asked. Well, this was the beginning of something special. After using the foundation finder I received the best-selling Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup foundation, skipping home to try it out. My first impressions are really good, I like how well the product spreads and the medium-to-full coverage it provides. The great thing is, that you can build on each layer of the foundation, to provide full coverage. I used a brush to apply the liquid foundation, and one thing I’ve found is that it doesn’t stick to the fibres of the brush, making the brush easier to wash and the foundation easier to apply.

Estée Lauder promises the Stay-in-Place Makeup (SPF 10 – bonus!) has the ability to stay flawless for fifteen hours; through heat, humidity and non-stop activity. So far, so good. I’ve used the foundation during a busy work day, with and without powder, and it’s managed to stay in place the entire time. The best thing about Double Wear is that I never have to top up, which means I’m never worrying about creasing or any coming off. It was quite common for previous foundation to come off on clothes, and as I have dark skin, I never wore any white. Times have changed. Now I have Double Wear, I can wear what I want!
The only downside to the foundation is the price, it is £31.00 per bottle, quite steep in my opinion. I’m not much of a spender, so when I have to really splash out on something it’s worth it. I’m on my first bottle, so depending on how long it lasts, I’ll decide if I’d like another. The lid is very simple but doesn’t have any sort of applicator inside, so it’s all down to you. Luckily, not a lot of product stays in the lid (unless you tip the bottle upside down), so I just tip a little only my hand – apparently you’re not supposed to but it works for me.
My rating: LIFE CHANGING
I have to give this product five stars as it’s become my holy grail of makeup products. There are a crazy amount of shades available, and with the foundation finder – it must be impossible not to find the one for you. It’s without a doubt the greatest foundation I’ve ever used, no wonder it’s the best selling in the UK! Despite the opening, I love everything about this foundation, especially the way it dries so perfectly and can be applied even easier. The price is totally worth the product, and it’s Estée Lauder – how can I say no.


Have you tried out this foundation? What did you think?

How I Became a Morning Person

11 August 2016

Bingley, UK


A lot of the posts on Anika May begin with “I’m very lazy”, and honestly that hasn’t changed. I still like laying around and doing nothing. When I was working full time, I was never (ever) a morning person; in fact I dreaded the sound of an alarm each daybreak before the same routine into a chilly train station and miserable march to the workplace with a whole bunch of strangers. Since changing my environment, I’ve found it beneficial to get up earlier and get used to it, giving me more hours in the day and a head start on the healthy lifestyle I’m aiming for.

A protein-filled breakfast
I could easily have a bagel, pilled with Nutella and marshmallows for breakfast everyday but I know it’s not the best start. Although it tastes great, it’s stodgy, fatty food that only makes me lethargic and feel even lazier. Not only am I introducing myself to a firmer diet (which I’ll be documenting), but discouraging my love for no-no foods. A new breakfast cereal I’m becoming obsessed with is Weetabix – super simple. I could easily make a fancy Instagram-worthy acai bowl, but I just don’t have the time on a morning and I like something warm too.

Yoga, pilates and running
I’m growing more towards working out, but it’s still not my favourite thing in the world. I like to motivate myself using Pinterest boards and YouTube videos, some of my favourites include Yoga With Adriene, Blogilates and Fitness Blender. Working out in the morning gives me energy for the day, and a much better mind-set. I can listen to my favourite tunes while watching the sunrise and warm up easily in the winter. I used to work out in the evenings which meant taking off my makeup from the day and lazily doing sit ups until I ended up on my phone – not anymore.
Pep talks
Don’t get me wrong, waking up at 6am or before is not stress-free. Especially during the winter months when it’s a lot darker at that time in the morning. Although my body clock has adjusted now, I really struggled to abandon the warmth of my humble bed. To this day, I still have to give myself around 10 minutes to actually come round for a night’s sleep, but in the beginning it was all about pep talks. Pep talks lead to motivation and that’s the best method for me to actually start moving. Giving myself a real reason, really helped me to get up… “Let’s do this.”

Extra time
I’m forever complaining about the lack of time in a day. Sometimes there’s just so much to do and never enough time to do it! One of the biggest benefits of becoming a morning person is having the extra few hours in a day. I don’t work out every day so being able to get up and hop onto the computer to schedule a blog post of finish the odd report is so much better than lazily lying in bed trying type with one eye shut. The sense of accomplishment after a long day is unbeatable.

A better diet
As mentioned earlier, I’m really trying to bring in a newer, healthier diet and waking up earlier is incredibly advantageous. In the morning, I don’t eat an enormous meal so I’m already feeling better. Lunches can be a bit of a hit or miss, sometimes I just really need a burger. However, as I go to bed earlier, I never want to fall asleep on a full stomach so my dinners are much lighter – a massive improvement. I still need to work on the Sunday roasts… but I’m getting there.
Warm baths and showers
Isn’t being cosy just the best? Whether it’s day or night, a steamy shower is just what I need. I love to go all out when it comes to baths, and usually take them before bed if I have the time. Baths are amazingly relaxing, especially with a solid playlist and scented candles everywhere. A shower is the perfect wake-up call, as long as you can bare stepping into the ice cold artic that is anywhere outside of the bubble of happiness.

Rewards and treats
It can be really hard to get up sometimes, really really hard. I don’t always like it, but know it needs to be done. On the days where leaving the duvet seems impossible, but I managed to get through it, I give myself a little prize. Why not? On occasion, it may be a cheat meal, or rather a new dress from ASOS – just something to make me smile. It’s so important to treat yourself whenever you can, and I much prefer to do it when I feel like I have actually done something reward-worthy. If I plan a treat in advance, it helps put me to bed on time too.


Are you a morning person? 

A Little Like Goes A Long Way

9 August 2016

Bradford, UK
clothing solutions for disabled people, sandra hunt, sewing, clothing solutions, bradford, disabled people bradford
Many of my followers already know this (mainly because I never shut up on Twitter), but this year, I quit my full time job and started working part time to make life a little easier and blog more frequently. Since quitting the worst job in the world, I have been working for two amazing charities that help the community in an awesome way.
clothing solutions for disabled people, sandra hunt, clothing solutions, clothes for disabled people, disabled people clothes
Along with my mum, we run two charities, Clothing Solutions and Beaneezy. Although both these organisations have been operating for quite a while, we have recently launched social accounts for them and are working really hard to re-launch the Clothing Solutions website. One social network in particular we have been putting our focus on is Facebook. Personally, I was never a big fan of Facebook, but it's proven as a really easy way for customers to be able to find our charities. Check out the Twitter pages for Clothing Solutions & Beaneezy too!
clothing solutions for disabled people, the shuttle, clothing solutions, fabric shopping
Want to know what the charities do? Well, Clothing Solutions (for Disabled People) is a registered charity that designs and alters clothing for disabled people. It's very difficult for some people with a disability to find clothing that fits them just right, or clothing that they can wear and put on by themselves, allowing them more fashion freedom. Clothing Solutions also designs bespoke accessories such as bibs, hats and even slippers to suit everyone's needs. Using a unique computer system, our customers are able to have their very own design and finally wear any piece of clothing they choose. Many of our happy customers wouldn't having the correct fitting or comfortable clothing if Clothing Solutions wasn't able to create and adapt for them!
beaneezy beanbags, beanbags, clothing solutions, disabled people, children, kid's beanbags, beanbags for babies, babies furniture
Beaneezy began as a group of beanbags within Clothing Solutions, and slowly grew into its own charity. Beaneezy has a line of beanbag products available for an amazing price, but can also create unique and bespoke beanbags and cushions to suit the needs of all our customers. Recently, Beaneezy just completed an enormous order of our most popular beanbag, the Large V Arm Support for some of the biggest organisations in the country, including NHS, British Red Cross and MacMillan Caring Locally. Beaneezy is also able to produce memory foam cushions for our customers, out of some our cosiest fabrics. Beaneezy has also become immensely popular for athletes, children and new and feeding mothers too! 
clothing solutions for disabled people, clothing solutions, sandra hunt, anika may, body suit, clothing for disabled people, disabled people
Clothing Solutions and Beaneezy both have Facebook and Twitter pages which really need the support of more people. We don't receive government funding, so it's very important to us that we can spread the word through social media and keep our work alive. We rely solely on the donations of our lovely customers and wonderful funders, but aim to get our Facebook pages to at least 100 likes... and we're halfway there! With more likes, the pages are able to show up in search results and customers can find out details easier. The charities are not just for disabled people, children and elderly people love our products too! 

So, if you have the time, pretty (pretty) please could you pop over to the pages and hit the little like button? And feel free to invite others, the more the merrier! We have plenty of photos and information on social media, which is updated regularly! 

Clothing Solutions Facebook Page              Beaneezy Facebook Page

Each like or follow means so very much, and is incredibly appreciated.


Thanks!

Super Lazy Day | Wishlist

3 August 2016

Ilkley, West Yorkshire
goodnight
I always find shopping for nightwear to be so much fun. It could be two matching pieces, or random finds on the high street - I absolutely love to shop for brand new PJs and accessories to be worn for bed. I'm ridiculously lazy, no seriously, a day lounging around and doing nothing but watching hours of TV is a good day for me. Wearing comfy clothing is a total must for lazy days, and nightwear is the easiest of ways to ensure total comfort - it's foolproof!

The T by Alexander Wang tank top looks like it's the perfect tee for lounging around in. I don't tend to explore colour when it comes to a lazy day because I don't really have anyone to impress, nor do I need to stand out - so the simpler the better. This sleeveless piece is a linen blend, which means it's guaranteed coziness. Similarly, the Old Navy shorts look crazy comfortable! I've had them in my 'liked' list on Polyvore for as long as I can remember, and have always decided I will one day feature them in a wishlist. Although I have heard a few bloggers and vloggers discuss Old Navy and buy from there, I've never bought anything from the site myself. After having a brief browse, I think the store has the potential to be a new favourite! The clothes look to be a of really high quality, and are available for amazing prices. As much as I adore tracksuit bottoms and leggings, shorts are an ideal alternative because it means I can totally and completely surround myself with blankets upon blankets.

Anyone that follows my blog, knows that I am totally and completely obsessed with stationary. It's actually kind of scary. I once considered even signing up to a stationary subscription box, but sadly £40 a month was just a little too high for me. The Campus Gifts notebook is one item I would love to own. I think the font is really cool, and stands out well against the darker text. The phrase is unique and something I've never seen printed before; the large book would be amazing for jotting down blog post ideas or even write out posts on a snug day at home. I'm a huge fan of UGG boots, despite knowing a lot of people don't like them. Personally, I don't mind the style and love how warm they keep my feet. When I spotted the UGG Australia Knit Slippers, I knew they had to be featured on a cushy-themed wishlist. From wearing UGG boots for years on end, it must be made certain that these slippers must be crazy cosy. The colour suits this overall wishlist brilliantly, and although the price is high, I'm sure I could make an exception.

To check out the rest of items in this wishlist, click here!
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