Lifestyle & Advice – Miniature Milk

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS AND POKEMON IS ONE

I think I’m addicted to PokemonGo

Now if you’re here because you want to know what the owner of Miniature Milk gets up to in her spare time – you’ve come to the right place! BUT BOY IT AINT GONNA BE PRETTY. If you’re here for a good giggle, I aim to please and if you’re here because you want to laugh at me for being a sad little creature then I salute you!

Let’s face it PokemonGo is taking over, I’ve spent more hours on PokemonGo this week than I’d like to admit but let’s get down to the nitty gritty and talk about Pokemon Problems.

Let’s talk Pokemon problems…

1. Number one is going to touch on a very important issue when pokehunting – you ALWAYS need GPS (yeah we know that Imogen) Let me just explain. Because this week I got VERY excited playing Pokemon Go on the tram (we will get to that stupid part later) – My Pokey girl walked past a gym with a substantial amount of pokemons with low CP (if you don’t know what CP is, it’s basically their health and power or some shit). So, I thought ‘you know what, I’m gonna give this a go!’ There I was with my raticate ready for a fight, I win 2 rounds and the 3rd round begins… THEN THE TRAM PULLS OFF, EVERYTHING GOES BLACK AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT I’M IN A TUNNEL WITH NO GPS! You can see where I’m going with this one can’t you… Don’t think you can have a quick sesh in the gym while you’re on a tram, or any moving vehicle for that matter! You’ll thank me later…

2. We all love a good Poke stop being turned into a pretty pink fluttery stop because you get never ending pokemons to catch but come on Pokemon, give us more than just a Drowzee!! This happened the other day to me, I must have caught 12 Drowzees in one go!!

3. If you haven’t already downloaded Pokemon, I would suggest you don’t, number 1 it consumes your life (and the secret real reason is so it stops it crashing hehe!)

4. That pesky Jynx- oh why are you so hard to keep in that god damn ball!? Am I not spinning hard enough? Do you not think I will train you well enough? Please give me a reason, I need a little closure.

5. Once you’re past level 5 you start to make excuses to family and friends, justifying that the app is not just a game, you get more exercise (especially when you want to hatch your eggs muwhaha!)

6. Don’t you ever let anyone tell you that you’re wasting your time! You catch those rare pokemons, fight those battles and walk your little arse off (you never know, you might also get that summer bod before the end of summer and to those of you who already have it well done you, you get a shiny gold star).

7. Relationships now have extra people in them. Those pokemons won’t catch themselves – go ask your boyfriend / girlfriend if they want to go for a pokehunt walk see what they say #datenight

8. Pokemon has been so popular since it came over to the UK, it’s had its fair share of issues. How many times do I have to catch a Pokemon and right after the second ‘gotcha’ appears on the screen my phone crashes. Great! I think POKEMONGO owes us all at least 20 rare pokemons each for the ones we did catch, before a frozen screen appears!

9. Pokemon Go is so sociable! I’ve spoken to so many people while I’ve been Pokeyhunting, people I would have never, ever had the pleasure of meeting…

10. Although I’ve said it’s sociable, it did cause a little bit of uproar in my family.. My brother defriended my dad on Facebook (so 2016) due to a misinterpretation of a status he put up about Pokemon hunting. Say no more, maybe discuss your Pokemon hunting with the under 40s because some people will never be happy you’ve caught 223 pokemons while walking around a children’s play park at the age of 29!

11. When you find a GREAT Pokemon to catch but then you run out of Pokey Balls – #lifeover

So go grab your pokeball and get hunting guys. If you agree with half of these give this post a little share and spread the Pokey love…

Thanks for reading xxx

miniature milk

BANISH NEGATIVITY

Top tips on banishing negativity.

Banish Negativity - How to be a more positive person

Hey everyone!
I wanted to touch upon something this week that I’ve tried to implement throughout the latter few years of my life – and that’s banishing negativity.

Some people, unfortunately just ooze negativity. I’m sure we’re all capable of the odd negative thought or comment but I’ve noticed some people just give off that negative vibe. Having friends, partners and family members who constantly pull you down is not what you need. Everyone needs compliments, advice – and constructive criticism at a push. I think as you get older you learn who your friends are and it’s no longer about that mighty friendship group. It’s more about the select few amazing individuals you can rely on for support, advice and who you can be your weird little self with. In the past I’ve had best friends / partners that have put me down, although maybe not always intentionally or maliciously. I always try and see the best in people and put it down to the way an individual has been raised or what kind of people they may surround themselves with. It’s horrid being made to feel inferior, being put down constantly and emotionally blackmailed. There’s banter and then there’s down right rude individuals. I don’t want this to turn into a negative rant (ha how ironic!) so I want to jump right in to tips on how you can distance yourself from these kinds of people and how to surround yourself with positive and happy people who want you to be successful and help achieve your dreams.

1.Get rid of negative people.

If someone is doing any of the above I mentioned; may that be: showing signs of jealousy, telling you you won’t be able to achieve your dreams, making you feel guilty for seeing other friends / family members instead of them or putting you down ect simply get rid of them. Just because you’ve known someone for years and met them in school doesn’t give them the right to have such a negative influence in your life. Trust me I’ve been there and it can be difficult at first to cut people out of your life but in the long run both of you will move on. Some friendships and relationships just don’t work out, people grow apart and that’s OK!

2.Communication is key – This ties in to the first one. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes if your in a routine of being negative, thinking negatively, talking negatively – you might not even notice they’re doing so. Communicate with others, if someone is being too negative tell them. They may not realise what they’re saying effects you the way it does. After you’ve had ‘the chat’ and nothing changes then like I said in number 1 – get rid.

3. Look for others who share the same dreams, aspirations and hobbies as you. That way you know they will be supportive of you because you can be each others support mechanism and help each other grow! Two heads are better than one. I always find when I’m around creative people I can bounce off their positivity.

4. Compliment others. Compliment and praise your work mates, friends and family. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine and take your nearest and dearest for granted. Leave little positive notes around the house for your boyfriend / girlfriend / mum / dad / sister / brother to find. Just let them know you’re proud of them. It will make their day I swear! I’m also guilty of getting caught up in routine. I’ve been living with my boyfriend for over 18 months and it’s easy to rely on that person for everything but sometimes you take it for granted when you get caught up in everyday life.

5. Create a dream board! This is where you can get creative. Make or buy a pin board. Write down your short and long term dreams. When you’ve achieved one keep it on the board and make it a different colour or circle it with a colour to show how amazing you are!

6. Have dreams and goals as a couple. This one is for all my fellow couples out there (sorry singletons but you’ve got it easy, you’re independent and can chase all those dreams on your own, now go be sassy until number 7.) Create dreams with your partner, and write these down too! You can make a couples wish list in order to keep the excitement alive and for your relationship to flourish. Routine gets the better of you and it’s good to add spontaneity to your life.

7. Stay mindful – and I mean in both senses be mindful of your environments and surroundings but also practice mindfulness. Exercising, meditation and getting creative are great ways of keeping your mind stress free.

Remember that you can make friends at any age and don’t stay around someone because it’s the only option – we only have one short life so smile more, be silly and dream big! You’ll get there, promise 🙂
Lots of love xxxx

Miniature milk sign off

TWITTER @Imrose1

YOUTUBE Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM @Miniature_milk

FACEBOOK Miniature Milk

TAKE THE STEPS TO BECOME CONFIDENT – MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Mental Health Awareness Week: My Story

Hey guys!

I just wanted to have a little catch up with you little lot! This week is Mental Health Awareness week (16-22nd May) so I thought I’d share something to raise some awareness and hopefully give you a little confidence boost along the way.

Recently I have been uploading to YouTube, I’m creating beauty and fashion videos at the moment but I have a few other ideas up my sleeve which will hopefully be super fun! This month I bought the Blogger Beauty Box for the second time and I was SO happy with some of the products I got. The box was packed with beauty goodies and even included a Makeup Geek blush pan! As I did last time I will try out all the products and review each of them in a few weeks so keep your beautiful eyes peeled for that. Anyway, I hear you thinking ‘where is this going?’, ‘And how is this going to boost my confidence?’ Well I hear ya..!

I started creating YouTube videos last month, at the tender age of 23. Now, for those of you who have met me will know I’m pretty shy so for me to do something like this may seem way out of character…But, I’ve wanted to create YouTube content for over 5 years now but I’ve NEVER had the confidence to. I’ve filmed and even part edited videos but never plucked up the courage to press that upload button. Being afraid of being judged in the real world stopped me from following through with what I was passionate about, I was always conscious of what other people might think of me, or what other people might say and that’s so sad…why should we live our lives a certain way because we’re worried about what others think? But I suppose that’s the anxiety speaking, the constant worry of what others have to say about us, the cloudy head, the feeling of wanting to shrivel up into a tiny ball, to run away from our thoughts. Nothing was stopping me from uploading videos to YouTube five years ago other than my mind! And we need to break the thinking cycle, train our minds to fight instead of flight…to help and support one another. 1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health problem each year – 1 in 4!!! That’s a hell of a lot of people. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to speak out, the chances are someone you know will either be going through a similar thing or know someone going through a similar thing. The stigma surrounding mental health will shrink dramatically if we speak out and as my mum used to say ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’.

If you’ve missed opportunities because anxiety has had the better of you..Try to put yourself out there, one little step at a time. It’s so easy for me to sit here and tell you that but practise honestly does make perfect and the incredible sense of achievement after for pushing your boundaries will make the next time ten times easier. If you want any tips on how to be more mindful click here

If you want to head over to my channel and subscribe that would mean SO much to me, you can keep up to date when I post weekly vids 😀 CLICK me to sub 🙂

Creating this channel was a MASSIVE step for me, confidence wise…and the only thing I regret is not starting one sooner. I hope this little post has some what inspired you to go and push your boundaries and if any of you ever need to talk, my virtual door is always open…

TWITTER @Imrose1

YOUTUBE Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM @Miniature_milk

FACEBOOK Miniature Milk

7 THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS WITH DEPRESSION

Things you shouldn’t say to someone suffering with depression

‘There are people much worse off than you’ – By saying this, you will probably make someone you love feel ten times more guilty and worthless for feeling low, try something like : I can see that your struggling, how can I help you?

‘Cheer up’ – Being told to just ‘cheer up’ can often make a person feel like their anxious and depressive thoughts shouldn’t be expressed, although you may not mean it to hurt it can quite undermining. Try saying : ‘I need a walking pal, will you come with me?’

‘Stop crying’ – If someone is expressing how they feel let them, it’s better out than in and sometimes a good cry can make you feel ten times better. Nobody needs to feel the pressure to stop expressing their emotions.

‘You’ll just have to deal with it’ – People who suffer from depression deal with it, every day, saying something like this undermines them and might them feel worthless. Instead you can tell them their not alone, and that you’re here to help.

‘You’re just being selfish’ – People who suffer from depression or an anxiety disorder are already extremely hard on themselves there’s no need to isolate someone further. Depression isn’t a choice.

‘What do you even have to be depressed about?’ – Depression isn’t always caused by a sad or traumatic event sometimes it just happens, this doesn’t give the right to pass judgement you may not know what’s going through someones mind.

‘You just need to get out of the house!’ – When someone feels low they often don’t want to move anywhere let alone get out the house and potentially bump into people they know. Offering support by asking them if they need company is a better way of showing you care.

It’s difficult dealing with depression but I promise it does get better, take each day as it comes and practising mindfulness and meditation can help cope with these thoughts but if you would like further info or help these websites may be of use :

(And if not I’m always here to lend an ear 🙂 )

https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/

http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/depression/

https://miniaturemilk.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/suffer-from-anxiety-you-need-to-see-this/

Just remember, behind every face something may be going on, let’s make someones day by giving them a smile and spreading positivity… #justsmile

You will find silky soft black head free skin underneath! Give it a go now!

Keep up to date with my daily life on my Social Media Links:

YOUTUBE Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM @Miniature_milk

TWITTER @Imrose1

FACEBOOK Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM ME

Photography in a week

Just a couple of photos I wanted to share from my Instagram!

Keep up to date with my daily life on my Social Media Links:

YOUTUBE Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM @Miniature_milk

TWITTER @Imrose1

FACEBOOK Miniature Milk

TAKING SMART DRUGS TO BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER?

This is not click bait people…keep your eyes peeled for the Smart Drugs and I’ll be on to that later!

Having creative block is super annoying when it comes to blogging! I think we’ve all been there! No matter how hard you try to get motivated sometimes it’s just too much! Whether it’s life stuff in general that gets in the way, your mental health playing horrid tricks on you or that creative spark just isn’t igniting, sometimes no amount of guilt will get you back on track. But I’m here to hopefully give you a helping hand, a little nudge in the right direction! Here are my ideas, tips and tricks to help you get out of your rut!

Read a magazine! Sometimes reading a magazine like vogue or instyle can give you an idea for a fashion styling post, they also feature lifestyle pieces which may spark an idea for a tagged or list post! And if you need to save on pennies (like me!) then I’ve listed some magazine type websites to get those creative juices flowing!

VOGUE

IN STYLE

THE SUNDAY TIMES

ELLE

STYLIST

GQ MAG

MENS HEALTH

WOMENS HEALTH MAG

I also love to look at other bloggers for inspiration, sometimes you can find someone who’s on a similar level to you are or they may have similar interests, tips and tricks – Where better to find inspiration!? None other than bloggers themselves! I’ve listed some of my favourites in topic order! Please feel free to write in the comments who your fav inspirational bloggers are.

http://www.poppydeyes.com/

Poppy Deyes writes about Travel, food and Lifestyle but I go to her for some serious photography inspiration, also I love her layout!

http://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/

If you want some travel inspiration look no further than Will’s blog ‘The Broke Backpacker‘ – claims he spent travelling around Asia on $12 a day including flights! Now if that doesn’t get the travel bug going I don’t know what will! (See what I did there, Don’t know what Will…Will’s blog, Will writes The Broke Backpacker, No, OK.

http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk/category/travel/

OK, so some of Tanya‘s posts are totally unattainable from my point of view because, YOU KNOW, I unfortunately don’t have a spare couple of grand to travel to the Maldives, New York or go on an African Safari. BUT, I love Tanya’s travel posts none the less and if anything Tanya gives me inspo to get my saving hat on, it’s Tanya!

http://skinnedcartree.com/ | http://slimmedcartree.com/ | http://geekedcartree.com/

Corinne from Skinned Cartree is one of my all time favs, i’ve learnt SO much from her blogging tips and when I feel like I’m in a bit of a blogging rut, I know if I turn to her site I come away feeling like MR T! She’s like a blogging queen!

Watching YouTube can be a massive inspiration depending on your blog niche. There are plenty of YouTubers creating creative DIY videos, beauty, fashion and travel content. Watching someone else might spark an idea. Here are some of my favs…

Jazzy Bum – DIY / Lifestyle

Soph Does Nails – Beauty, nails and DIY

MamaMia Makeup – DIY and Makeup

Sometimes life gets the better of us and we simply just need a break from blogging. Try not to feel guilty and put pressure on yourself if you need a break, your blog is your blog and no-one elses that’s the beauty of having your own space! In order to be more mindful and maintain a clear mind why not check out my post on how to stay mindful HERE

Lastly I’m going to touch upon smart drugs. I use the term lightly… because obviously this is going to extreme lengths and I’m neither for them nor against them, I simply don’t know enough about them. But I wanted to touch upon these as i’ve only recently heard about them through a BBC documentary, but increasingly hearing about people taking them around exam times or performances. Apparently, Modafinil is the only safe smart drug on the market which enhances your concentration for hours, makes you wake up earlier and supposedly makes the brain work ‘quicker’. Cons can include becoming unsociable, mood swings and people have noticed a difference in their mental health when taking it (feeling depressed / feeling anxious). It can be used for narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness but a growing amount of people are taking it as a performance enhancing drug. So yeah, weighing up the pros and cons do you agree with students / workers and athletes taking such drugs to enhance their working performance?

Let me know in the comments if you agree with people taking ‘smart drugs’ to get ahead.

Keep up to date with my daily life on my Social Media Links:

YOUTUBE Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM @Miniature_milk

TWITTER @Imrose1

FACEBOOK Miniature Milk

SUFFER FROM ANXIETY? YOU NEED TO SEE THIS

Tips on how to cope with anxiety

People have very different ways of dealing with stress and anxiety levels, for some going for a walk to clear their head may help, others a little bit of meditation may help. For me, as well as meditation I love practising breathing exercises so when I stumbled across this GIF which has been circulating the internet I couldn’t help but get mesmerised / excited ( a little sad, maybe – but wait until you see it!)

The shape starts out as a triangle, into a square, then a pentagon, hexagon, octagon and so on before folding back into itself – making it extremely satisfying to watch!

Breathing extremely slowely can help with clearing the mind from stressful situations and can often soothe the symptoms of a panic attack. Have a go see if you feel calm and more relaxed!

If you want any more tips on how to stay motivated and be more mindful read my post here – Let me know in the comments how you may cope with anxiety.

Keep up to date with my daily life on my Social Media Links:

YOUTUBE Miniature Milk

INSTAGRAM @Miniature_milk

TWITTER @Imrose1

FACEBOOK Miniature Milk

PROUD GIRLFRIEND ALERT

Are men under pressure to look a certain way?

Everyone is proud of their loved ones, so I thought I’d dedicate this post to my loving boyfriend. My boyfriend, Liam works for BBC RAW. If you haven’t heard of BBC RAW, it’s a scheme set in place for young film makers to showcase their work. He produced a short film for RAW exploring the pressures men face to look a certain way.

As women, we face pressures on a daily basis. We’re constantly surrounded by beautifully toned women in magazines and on the television, adverts showing the next new diet fad. The celebrity culture lately has turned reality stars into faces of fitness campaigns and I don’t know about you, but I beat myself up for not being my ‘ideal’ weight. Going shopping for jeans is my biggest bug bear especially being one size in one shop and two sizes up in another.

Now, it’s common knowledge women suffer pressures to become this perfect figure but what about men? Do men now face the same pressures that we do?

Reality shows only feature men who are tanned, toned and hairless, possibly portraying a ‘new’ modern man. With new bulking / slimming products being released all the time, often aimed at men too.
Liam wanted to find out more on this, to see what lengths men go to in order to look good, expect stripping off, lots of pain and a few minutes of your life you’ll never get back.

He recently wrote an article on this subject on The Huffington Post, if you fancy it you can give it a read here:

Liam’s Article on The Huffington Post

Follow BBC RAW on Facebook for more short films HERE

Follow BBC RAW on Twitter HERE

Subscribe to their YouTube channel HERE

Follow Liam on Twitter HERE

In the comments below – Do you think men are now facing similar pressures to us ladies?

DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY: WIN CHERRY DIVA JEWELLERY AND FLASH TATTOOS

Giveaway Time! Win huge haul with 6 rings, flash tattoos and nail art set.

Hi my lovelies!

WINNER : EMMA MASTERMAN – WELL DONE!!!

SO…It’s giveaway time! I’ve been in touch with Cherry Diva which are a fabulous jewellery and accessories company. They stock quirky jewellery to get you festival ready and they’ve been kind enough to gift* me some items which I’m giving away to one of you guys!!

It’s March, summer is fast approaching (I cannot contain my excitement!) In honour of my love for the festival season I thought I’d give one of my lovely readers a festival ready pack containing some gorgeous Cherry Diva ring stacks and lots of Metallic flash tattoos from Buookie!

Rules to enter this giveaway – I am going to keep it really simple!

ENTER USING THIS RAFFLECOPTER

CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE ^
YOU MUST FOLLOW MY BLOG VIA EMAIL
YOU MUST FOLLOW MY TWITTER
YOU MUST FOLLOW CHERRY DIVA STORE ON TWITTER
YOU MUST SHARE THIS BLOG POST ON TWITTER

If your keen, you can get Extra entries from the following:

FOLLOW ME ON BLOGLOVIN
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM
SUBSCRIBE TO CHERRY DIVAS EMAIL
VISIT MINIATURE MILK ON FACEBOOK
FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM
VISIT BUOOKIE ON FACEBOOK

PRIZES

Gorgeous ring stack includes Cherry Diva Rings
Metallic wrist and necklace Flash Tattoo set
Pretty Aztec Nail Art set
Metallic Mr Pineapple Flash Tattoo

What if I don’t win?

Winner or not everyone gets a 20% off voucher for Cherry Diva with the discount code IMOGEN20

Terms & Conditions: The rules must be followed in order to be winner – I will be checking. This giveaway is going to be a worldwide giveaway, and will run for the month (Ends 12th April 2016). The winner will be picked at random by rafflecopter and announced here – I will also contact the winner directly.