Lemon Water: A Love Affair

Ah lemon water. I have been an avid drinker of lemon water for a while now and I am soaking in the benefits of its citrus-y goodness. To begin with, I thought I’d explain how I, myself, like to drink it, since I have seen various different methods across the internet and this one I have procured for myself is by far my favourite.

You Will Need

1 Lemon

1 Jug

1 Mason Jar or Glass

1 Knife

Step One

Grab the lemon and cut it in half. 

Step Two

Carefully cut a thin segment off of the end of each half and place them in the mason jar or glass. This will help to add flavour later on.

Step Three

Take one half of the lemon and squeeze all the juice you can into the jug. Then wrap the other half in cling film and place it in the fridge for safekeeping until you’re yearning for a second jug.

Step Four

Fill the jug with cold water, pour the lemon-y mixture into your chosen drinking utensil and voila! Hello hydration!

Secondly, for those of you who haven’t already perused through a million blog posts on this topic (like me), I thought I’d go over just a sample of those lovely benefits I mentioned earlier.

Morning Wake-Up Call

I’ve made it a habit to drink a jug (around a litre) of lemon water as soon as I wake up and before I devour my breakfast. Not only does this aid my digestion when I do come to feast, but it also gives a great boost of energy, without the problems of a mid-afternoon crash that caffeine oh-so-loyally delivers. 

Hello Nutrition

Lemon water consists of an abundance of lovely nutrients, here are just a few: it’s packed with vitamin C, which boosts the immune system, protecting us from pesky viruses; it flushes out toxins and balances the body’s pH levels; and it is a fantastic source of potassium, which is great for the heart, brain and nerves. 

Increased Fluid Intake 

This may seem like a rather silly and unscientific one compared to the rest of the list but, nevertheless, I’m going to run with it. Drinking enough fluids has always been a great problem of mine. I honestly believe I’ve spent the majority of my life dehydrated, as I have to make a conscious effort to force myself to drink something. I feel that the delicious and refreshing taste of ice lemon water has done wonders for me in this area. For the first time in my life, I want to drink 3 litres of water a day…as long as it has that gorgeous citrus-y aroma. 

Post-Workout Replenishment 

If, like me, 2015 is all about getting that ‘bikini body’ you’ve always wanted and finally feeling happy, healthy and confident in your own skin, lemon water should be your new best friend! A glass of this citrus-y goodness helps to replenish the salts our bodies lose after a vigorous workout.

Skin Problem Solver

Lemon water is bursting with lovely antioxidants, which act to prevent pesky blemishes and wrinkles from forming (yet another great benefit for me as a long-term sufferer of acne!). 

Tension Reliever

This last one is very important to me as I suffer from anxiety and am always searching for ways to combat it or, at the very least, ease the symptoms. I only recently discovered that lemon water has been found to reduce anxiety and depression, which only makes me want to chug down the magical substance more!

Are you a lover of lemon water too? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Bye Bye Bad Skin #1: August

The last thing I did before drifting off to the land of nod last night was watch a YouTube video from one of my favourite YouTubers and also one of my biggest inspirations in becoming vegan and starting this blog in the first place: Essena O'Neill. In her video, "Get Healthy With Me (Episode 1)", it is clear Essena hates to upload something on a topic that many would label ‘superficial’ in contrast to the strong messages she would usually give out (though I, personally, think the way she handles the subject is extremely insightful and brave). She discusses how, instead of sitting around, feeling sorry for herself, moaning about her body and bad skin and hiding from the world, she will do something about it. She has decided to heal her body from the inside by eating healthily and working out and is going to use YouTube to document her progress.

Since I’m going through a similar phase in my life, I’ve decided to follow her lead and start my own series of blog posts documenting my progress in clearing my skin: enter “Bye Bye Bad Skin”. This series will (hopefully) be comprised of monthly blog posts in which I will (hopefully) detail the steps I have been taking to clear up my skin and how effective they have been. For example, any new skincare products I am using, how often I have exercised and how my healthy eating has been going. To accompany this information, I will also include some photographs of my face to illustrate how much better or worse my skin has gotten after implementing these steps. Including these photographs will take a lot of courage as I hate the idea of anyone hiding behind their computer screen and talking about how disgusting my face is, etc. But I think it is a key component of this series and, if nothing else, may help me to feel more comfortable in my own skin and care less for the opinions of others.

To get you up to speed with where I am in my acne journey at the moment, you should probably be aware of a couple of things. I’ve had acne my entire teenage life. Though it has varied in severity (and never gotten as bad as many teenagers) it has always affected my emotional state, leaving me extremely self-conscious, upset and frustrated. After becoming vegan three months ago, my skin began to clear up a little, the redness evened out and I became hopeful that veganism would be the answer to healing my acne. At the beginning of July, I went on holiday with my family for two weeks to the Greek island of Crete and by the time I came back, my skin had improved drastically – to the point where it was almost completely clear. However, after being back for a few weeks now, my skin is getting worse each day, my confidence is deteriorating and my mood is affected once more. Have a see for yourself…

From this rollercoaster of events, I have concluded that the mix of a healthy diet and regular exercises should help to improve my skin. I ate extremely well before and during my holiday but latched straight onto a heap of vegan junk food as soon as I returned. Furthermore, the heat in Crete meant I was sweating pretty much all day everyday and I honestly believe this helped to clear out the nasty gunk filling my pores and creating spots (as long as I continued to implement good skincare). Leading me to the belief that I need to get a good sweaty workout in as many days a week as my body feels able, while maintaining my skincare routine.

So that’s the plan for now, come back and see me in September to see how I’m getting on! And feel free to leave any tips/links to your own blog posts on this subject below.

Product Review: Lush "Love Lettuce" Face Mask

 For my first real blog post, I thought I'd write about something very close to my heart - Lush Cosmetics. I've always loved Lush and their gorgeous products, I mean who can genuinely walk past a Lush store without being enticed inside by the magical aroma drifting out? However, since I became vegan, this company has become even more important to me. As a vegan, I only use products that are cruelty-free (i.e. not tested on animals) as I believe that in the twenty-first century we should have evolved as a species enough to realise that poisoning, starving, blinding, paralysing, mutilating (the list goes on) innocent animals so that we can 'look good' is very far (to put it mildly) from, what I would define as, 'humane'. Therefore, I am always looking for new companies that promote the cruelty-free message but, so far, Lush remains my staple brand when it comes to toiletries. 

Today, I'm offering you a product review of my most recent purchase from Lush: the 'Love Lettuce' face mask. 

You should probably know that I've struggled with acne my entire teenage life and since becoming vegan nearly 3 months ago, my skin has cleared up more than ever before - yet another (perhaps more superficial) reason for you to make the transition! So I decided to add a face mask to my weekly skin routine and began browsing the Lush website for one that suited my skin type. Since I have oily/combination skin, this appeared to be the mask for me as it boasted French lavender to "balance the skin's sebum production" and "gently exfoliating almond shells" to get rid of the layer of dead skin occupying my face.

I've now used this face mask a good few times and I can honestly say that it is the best one I have ever tried. You can see from the picture to the right that, despite my frequent use of the product, the tub still holds a good amount. This could be due to the fact that I use a lot less than I have seen other people use - many tend to spread it on very thick but I find that it works just as well with a thinner layer. I will continue to use this product until the tub is empty and am extremely likely to purchase it again immediately. I simply cannot fault it. 'Love Lettuce' smells absolutely incredible, each time I smooth it onto my face and sleepwalk through to my bedroom to allow it to set for 10 or 15 minutes, I begin to drift off as the calming smell of lavender fills my head. After this episode of relaxation, I wash off the product with warm water and, as I do so, I can feel the almond shells gently exfoliating my skin, leaving it baby-smooth when dry. This is one of the first products I've tried that genuinely does even my skin tone and calm my blemishes, rather than aggravate them. 

If you're in the market for a good face mask, I would definitely recommend this one! Has anyone tried it or any of Lush's other face masks? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Saying Hi

I suppose I should begin by introducing myself. My name is India, I'm twenty years old and I have no idea where my life is heading. For the first time since I can remember, I don't have a substantial plan for my future and the strangest thing is: that doesn't worry me. I feel so content with everything just how it is at the moment and don't feel the slightest urge to get everything "under control" and on a set path. I've started blogs before but always with the idea that "it needs to be successful" or "lead to a career". Silly, trivial thoughts that have the power to consume your entire being. This time I am starting this blog purely because writing and editing media are two things that I am passionate about and wish to pursue only as a means of enjoyment and improving my skills. This blog, I've decided, will be a positive influence on my life and outlook. 

My content will, most likely, appear to be a little "all over the place" for most people as I hope to write about everything and anything that interests me. Beginning with veganism (one of the newest yet most important factors of my life), stopping off at health and fitness, and ending with a little fashion and beauty. If this interests you then please do follow along and let me know of any ideas you have for future posts or any advice for creating good quality content.