When it comes to creating the perfect online dating profile, it is likely that your profile photo causes you the most stress. What type of photograph should you choose? How many photos should you upload? Should you go for your best photograph? What if it does not really look like you? How recent does your photograph need to be? There is no need to fret; read on to discover how to nail the perfect online dating profile picture.
Think about the type of person you are trying to attract – The first rule when choosing the best profile photo for your online dating profile is to think about the type of person you want to attract. For women, smiley, colourful photographs work really well. This doesn’t mean you need to be wearing every colour of the rainbow; simply smiling in front of a colourful background will do the trick.
Be honest – It is better to stay away from photographs that are overly flattering or are several years old. The key is to give an accurate representation. After all, isn’t it better for someone to tell you that you look better than your pictures in person, rather than the other way around? You may be worried that people won’t contact you, but the truth is, honest photos are the key to securing first, second, and third dates. Misleading photos may secure you more first dates, but you probably won’t get the second. Stay away from the Instagram filters, and stay true to yourself. After all, you want someone that is going to love you for you.
Choose quality over quantity – It can be very tempting to include as many photos as possible because you feel this is the best way to show your true self, and because you simply can’t choose between your pictures. However, every photo counts, and so it is vital to be careful with your selection. Carefully study all of your photos and choose a select number of your favourite shots.
Use photos to spark conversation – A headshot that shows what you look like is vital. However, for your other shots, use them as an opportunity to create an interesting conversation. This could be a shot of you on holiday or a photo of you doing a sporting activity, for example.
Remember the big turn-offs – Last but not least, you need to be wary of the big turn-offs. Is vaping or smoking more attractive on Tinder? Well, actually, it is probably better if you don’t include either in your profile photo.
Hopefully, you now feel more prepared for creating a winning online dating profile. Follow the tips that have been provided above and you should have no trouble selecting the perfect shot to attract potential suitors. And, most importantly, don’t stress about it! Online dating is meant to be fun after all.
Mother's Day in the UK isn't far away but there's still time to find the perfect gift! I've already published a Mother's Day gift guide focusing on sweet treats from Treats Direct, Bomb Cosmetics and Sudio Sweden which you can check out for more ideas but today's post is focusing on more inexpensive, practical and spring-time gifts for mums, guardians or grandmas from Home Bargains and Naissance.
*Home Bargains Hanging Heart (99p)
Let's start with the Mother's Day gift ideas from Home Bargains! I do love home bargains for inexpensive home items and essentials and this hanging heart is one of my favourites. My mum loves anything like this, we have a couple in the house and the summer house already and the colours of this one will be perfect for the kitchen.
*Home Bargains Chocolate Heart Lollipop (59p)
Speaking of sweet treats, chocolate is always a safe, easy gift for Mother's Day or any occasion and how cute is this pink foil chocolate lollipop! It's suitable for vegetarians and it's made of milk chocolate (there's a full ingredients list on the back). It would be great to include within a card or to add to a Mother's Day gift hamper.
*Home Bargains Vanilla Fudge (99p)
The final sweet treat is an adorably packaged set of vanilla fudge. My mum doesn't have a big sweet tooth but she does like fudge and chocolates so this would be perfect for her. It is so inexpensive but I love the packaging and as with a lot of these items, it could be added to a gift hamper to make a special, personalised gift hamper this Mother's Day.
*Home Bargains 'Best Mummy' Keyring
Next up is an adorable keyring which features a cute grey bear (similar to the Tatty Teddy bears that were everywhere when I was growing up). It would be ideal for a hamper or card and it would also be great for a new mum.
*Home Bargains Mum's Treats Tin
Another adorable gift idea and this one is very practical (we all know by now how much I love practical but aesthetically pleasing gifts). This tin could be a great gift on it's own or it could be a gift and container for home baked sweet treats to surprise your mum on Mother's Day with! It would be the ideal size for mini cupcakes or muffins, cookies, biscuits, scones or if you are a skilled baker, lots of macarons! I know my mum would love this cute floral tin!
*Home Bargains Mother's Day Bunting (79p)
One thing I've never really thought of for Mother's Day is decorations! I usually print out photos to pin up around the house for birthdays but I've never decorated for Mother's Day but it will be easy with this cute floral bunting. It's so inexpensive but it looks great and I'll definitely be hanging it up over the fireplace on Mother's Day.
The final item from Home Bargains is a very Ted Baker looking tote bag which features a gorgeous, very spring-like floral design. The colours are definitely my kind of thing and I love the simple design. It's huge so it could be used for work, groceries or even the gym. It's an almost plastic material so it's easy to wipe clean and it could be used as a gift bag for other Mother's Day goodies. Thanks for much to the generous people at Home Bargains for these cute Mother's Day gifts!
Last but definitely not least for this gift guide is a little more of an unusual, unexpected gift from the super lovely people at Naissance. They make amazing products and gift sets that are more natural and cruelty free and some of which are organic and vegan. I was very kindly sent their lovely lemon fizz bath bomb kit which contains all of the ingredients and products you need to be able to make your own bath bombs! I know so many of friends and family members who'd love this kit!
I love the packaging, it's well laid out, the instructions are very simple but comprehensive and it will make a very unique, hands on gift for Mother's Day but not only do you get a fun experience out of the kit, you only get relaxing bath bombs to use whenever you want so it's the gift that keeps on giving.
The kit comes with everything you need to be able to make luxurious lemon, geranium and rose bath bombs, there are even rose petals included in the kit so you just know that the bath bomb in action is going to be so pretty. The kit also contains organic virgin coconut oil (we all know how good coconut oil is for our skin) and lemon and geranium rose essential oils which smell incredible.
There are various 'Made By You' kits to choose from such as the lip balm, bath salts and body scrub kits as well as a second bath bomb kit in a grapefruit and bergamot scent which sounds amazing too. I'd recommend checking out the Naissance website as they have an amazing range of natural cruelty free and vegan products as well as gift sets essential oils and certified organic products, so many of which would be perfect to treat your mum with this Mother's Day.
What do you think of my Mother's Day gift guide? Have you bought anything from Naissance?
Laser Hair Removal is something I've been interested in for a few years and while I've tried numerous at home devices including the Silkn Glide HPL System and the Love My Skin Laser Hair Remover, both of which worked to an extent but I'd love to try professional laser hair removal.
Dore Aesthetics offers a wide range of treatments from cellulite removal, tattoo removal, acne scar removal, pigment removal, wrinkle reduction and various cosmetic procedures that don't require invasive surgery. Additionally, they also offer laser hair removal that has been used by over 2,000 customers from influencers to celebrities.
While laser hair removal is something I've tried at home, it isn't something that I have looked into how it works! Laser hair removal involves intense light that is absorbed by the hair follicle and the heat destroys follicles which in theory should prevent the hair from growing back again. It is a safe treatment and it doesn't damage the surrounding skin in any way, it is only effective on the hair follicles.
Laser hair removal is the most effective for those with pale skin and dark hair and it might not be able to be used on certain skin tones or hair colours - a consultation is always needed. I've used various at home treatments and they have been effective and that might be in part because my skin tone is ghosty pale...the only benefit of almost glow in the dark skin.
It's a non-invasive hair removal treatment that has been a popular choice for many years and it's offered at various prices so always look for the best deal. The before and after photos on the Dore Aesthetics website are very impressive and make me want to book a session! Shaving is such a chore and I always manage to cut myself so not having to shave would be amazing and save money in the long term.
Have you gone through laser hair removal? Or is it something you'd want in the future?
It's Chinese new year today! While, I won't really be celebrating, I will be making some delicious vegan Chinese inspired meals using the amazing Very Lazy ingredients which I was very kindly sent. I have actually bought the Very Lazy garlic previously and I definitely recommend it but I was also sent the chopped red chillies, ginger, lemongrass paste and chilli paste.
*Very Lazy Chopped Garlic (£1.85, 190g)
Let's start with my favourite product of the five that I want sent! I love garlic, I add it to almost everything I cook but it is such a pain to prepare so recently I've been using the Very Lazy garlic and it's so much more convenient to use as it's pre-chopped so you can add it straight to your pan.
These are two options that I haven't tried from them - both of which will be perfect for any Chinese new year meals today! All of the jars state that the are suitable for vegetarians and vegans on the label. I've only used the ginger in this recipe and I'm too much of a spice wimp to use the chillies just yet!
This is just a very basic recipe that I've been making quite a lot recently as it is so quick, healthy and very easy especially using the Very Lazy chopped garlic and ginger. It is suitable for vegans and vegetarians but you could obviously add in any extras that you want. I'm not adding measurements to this recipe as you can change it depending on how many servings you want to make.
Ingredients
Veggies (carrots, green beans and spinach)
Brown rice ramen noodles
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Very Lazy garlic/ginger
I've chosen carrots, green beans and spinach for my recipe but you can use whatever veggies you want - bean shoots, water chestnuts or sugar snap peas could be added too. Also I've used brown rice noodles, it's my first time using them and to be honest I wouldn't recommend them - stick to rice noodles or egg noodles.
Firstly, I cooked the veggies in some spray coconut oil along with the Very Lazy garlic and ginger but make sure they're still fresh and crunchy. I then cooked the brown rice noodles, added them to the cooked vegetables and stirred in some sesame oil, soy sauce and seasoning including salt, lime pepper and fresh chervil.
I cannot recommend the Very Lazy garlic and ginger enough! They're all perfect to make a quick, easy and fuss free Chinese new year inspired meal. I love the chopped garlic and I've used the lemongrass paste before in a Thai coconut soup that I'd definitely recommend.
Last year we went through a huge kitchen redesign and since then we've been slowly redecorating and updating all of the other rooms and next on the list was the second living room which looked awful with white walls, a faded skirting board, old curtains and compared to the newly redecorated rooms around it, it looked horrendous!
Thankfully the wonderful people at Little Greene have helped to transform an underused, tired room into a cosy, homely and gorgeously decorated space that we actually want to spend time in. I was very kindly sent the paint and wallpaper from Little Greene a few weeks ago and now it's finally complete.
Little Green was establish in 1773 within the outskirts of Manchester and now provides a high quality selection of paints and wallpaper with a unique depth of colour that alters depending on the light to give it a complex, unique appearance that you won't find anywhere else.
Their products are manufactured in the UK and are environmentally friendly, for example, the wallpaper I chose has an emissions rating of A+. Little Greene, throughout their entire product range from paints to paper, are as environmentally friendly as possible without compromising quality. The paper is obtained from sustainable forests and their paint tins are made from 50% recycled steel which can be recyclable again which is amazing!
The wallpaper I chose is from the new Archive Trails II collection which includes patterns from various archive material sourced from "precious remnants discovered and conserved by English Heritage and Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery". I opted for the gorgeous Crowe Hall Lane design from the collection which is composed of sustainably soured stock and printed using water based inks which are environmentally friendly.
The design is also featured in a curving stairwell in Crowe Hall, a Suffolk manor house. Little Green work with English Heritage and the National Trust to discover true historical colours and Little Greene wallpapers have been used in the restoration of various historic buildings within England. In addition, a percentage of the sale of any of the English Heritage items will contribute towards English Heritage’s work in preserving our ancient buildings and landscapes.
I adore the wallpaper design which features exotic birds and botanical illustrations in an almost pencil sketched design. It's available in various colour options but I chose the Nuage colourway as it suits our adjoining kitchen and utility perfectly. The colours are ideal for the room, I adore the minimal iridescent and shimmery finish to the wallpaper and the quality is amazing.
The wallpaper was very easy to hang, the paper was much thicker than the paper used in previous rooms and for two walls, the paper was a perfect fit with three rolls. Despite the large pattern, the design was quick and easy to match up and the room was painted and papered fully in just one day. Unlike other, cheaper wallpaper we'e used, this one had little to no air bubbles.
I was also very kindly sent a 2.5 litre tin of paint to finish off the room. I wasn't sure which colour option to go for as it will look a little different online but thankfully Little Green have an option on their website where they suggest paint colours to compliment each other as well as paint options to match their wallpaper designs. The paint shade Shallows (223) was matched with the wallpaper I chose and they are a perfect combination.
There are numerous paint finish varieties to choose from but I chose the intelligent matte emulsion which is an environmentally friendly, water based paint which is ideal for walls and ceilings and can even be used on woodwork and radiators. I have the 2.5 litre size but there's also a 1 litre and 5 litre option. I wasn't sure if the amount would be enough for two walls but the coverage was fantastic and it was even and opaque with two thin coats and a little left over.
Overall, we're so impressed with not only the wallpaper design, range of paint finishes and shades, the environmentally friendly ethos of the brand and the quality but also the finish and opacity of the paint and how easy the wallpaper was to hang. I cannot recommend their products enough!
What do you think of the makeover? What do you think of the Little Greene products?
I have been taking part in quite a few blog tours this year with various publishers and today's post is another! I was very kindly sent an early copy of this book from Transworld books which is an imprint of Penguin. I couldn't wait to read it so I did finish it last month - it was one of the quickest books I've read in a while!
*The Owl Always Hunts At Night by Samuel Bjork (480 pages - available now)
Nordic noir and Scandinavian crime dramas are some of my favourite TV shows to watch but I haven't read many books of that genre...that needs to change. This book is categorised as a psychological thriller/mystery on Amazon and it already has so many fantastic reviews online so I was excited to give it a go.
We follow Holger Munch and his team of detectives including the mysterious and troubled but intelligent Mia Kruger, as a gruesome crime is revealed when a women is found dead in the woods covered in bird feathers and surrounded by satanic, ritualistic objects...
I haven't read anything by this author before (there is a previous book in the series that I haven't read but they can be read as standalone books) but I'll have to look out for more of his books in the future. The writing style was so quick, easy and compelling! I found myself reading for what seemed like a fairly short period of time but in that time I'd managed to read over 100 pages so if you're looking for an extremely quick, compulsive mystery thriller set in the wonderful, atmospheric country of Norway then check it out.
The setting was fantastic, as I read it, it felt like episodes of a Nordic noir crime drama rather than a book. The mystery was intriguing, if a little disturbing and I wanted to find out how the book would conclude. Now onto the couple of negatives, the first is minor but something that is so unnecessary - so many of the main characters have fairly similar names - Munch, Mia, Marion, Miriam, Marianne...WHY!
I think it was typical of Scandinavian and Nordic crime dramas, whether books or TV shows, so it wasn't wonderfully unique but still well worth reading, particularly if you like that genre. Overall, it was entertaining, super quick and compelling but not quite as incredible as I hoped it would be; however it is definitely still worth checking out!
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Will you be picking up this book? What are you currently reading? Do you like Nordic/Scandinavian crime dramas (books or TV shows)?
I'm a university graduate, coffee drinker and beauty, book, lifestyle and fashion blogger from little old England - posts marked with an (*) contain products sent for review or sponsored posts Read More >>
