Blog Writing

BEST WALKS IN BRITAIN

WHAT

Lifestyle article for online fashion brand

FOR

Henmores.com

WHEN

Winter 2017

There’s nothing better than a crisp, fresh walk to take in the beauty of the changing seasons here in the UK! With the days getting shorter and weather colder, it’s no reason to stay indoors – we’ve found some beautiful spots that will have you excited to get out exploring – just remember to wrap up warm!

Here are 5 of our top picks here in the UK for beautiful winter walks!

1 | Beatrix Potter Walk, Sawrey, Lake District.
Sun or snow, this walk is a truly beautiful one to take! This area inspired the works of Beatrix Potter – so expect stunning woods and quaint little villages. You can even walk up to her house – Hill Top in Near Sawrey. Covering 13 miles, you can use shuttles or buses to make the walk shorter if needed.

2 | The Long Walk in Windsor Park, Windsor.
This impressive 3 mile long trail is surrounded by stunning grounds, trees, and red deer which are easily spotted. They’re used to seeing visitors too and will remain fairly close by if you want to take photos! With iconic views of Windsor castle, it’s a pretty and easy walk you can even take the kids on.

3 | White Cliffs of Dover, Kent.
Take a bracing stroll along the cliffs with magnificent views of the sea towards the famous lighthouse. If you get too cold, refresh and warm up at the visitor centre with a hot cup of cocoa while watching the boats pull into harbour.

4 | Attenborough Nature Reserve, Beeston, Nottinghamshire.
This award-winning nature centre was opened by David Attenborough himself over 50 years ago. It has great vantage points to watch a host of wildlife. Taking a walk around here is tranquil and quiet – there’s plenty to do and see, and it’s one the kids will adore too.

5 | Loch Ness, Highlands, Scotland.
Stunning views combined with ancient folklore make this a highly attractive place to visit, summer or winter. With views overlooking Urquart castle, it’s a beautiful trail to walk – and you never know, maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of the famous monster of the lake…!

WHAT

WHY WE AVOID MICROBEADS

Beauty article for online subscription company

FOR

Friction Free Shaving

WHEN

Feb 2018

Why We Avoid Microbeads in ALL Our Products

We regularly get asked whether we use microbeads in our products. With the rise in natural, more ethically sourced beauty, we strive to listen to our customers and provide you with a product that keeps the environment safe and you happy. In a word? No – we don’t use microbeads!

If you’re concerned or even just wondering what microbeads are, here’s the lowdown.

Microbeads are small circular plastic pieces regularly added to your favourite beauty products. Brush your teeth this morning? Exfoliate? Cleanse your face? You may have unknowingly used a product containing microbeads. They’re designed to wash down the sink - one shower can result in 100,000 microbeads entering the ocean.

They’re damaging because, in large quantities, they accumulate in oceans and lakes, causing havoc on the environment and animals. One tube of facewash can contain 330,000 microbeads, and at .5mm in diameter, most sewage facilities don’t have the ability to capture these synthetic particles, meaning it all ends up in rivers and surrounding soils.

They can’t bio-degrade either, and a single bead can absorb up to 1,000,000 times more toxic chemicals than the water around it. Microbeads have been found in all oceanic gyres, gulfs, bays and seas worldwide – and it’s affecting 663 species of marine wildlife due to ingestion or entanglement. This type of plastic has been found in fish, shellfish, and even birds.

To avoid microbeads, simply check the ingredient – the beads are made from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon. You can normally tell if a product contains microbeads as the plastic can be easily seen – try rubbing a small amount between your fingers to check the texture.

Love, The FFS Team x

WHAT

NATIONAL MARINE WEEK

Article for online beauty company

FOR

Naturally Better You

WHEN

Aug 2017

National Marine Week is hosted by The Wildlife Trusts with the aim of educating people and celebrating our amazing oceans. This year, they’re asking people to explore their own relationship with the sea; things we do every day can have a negative effect on our seas, and it’s important we all make changes to reverse it. Already our oceans are under a lot of strain; more than 8 million tons of plastic is thrown into the sea every year, where it remains permanent and indestructible, for years. Over 90% of all seabirds are found with pieces of plastic in their stomachs, and 1 in 3 species of marine mammals have been found entangled in marine litter. Marine litter effects safe sea transport, fisheries, tourism, and recreation, as well as wildlife and the environment.

Reducing, reusing, and recycling is one way to easily help our oceans; plastic cups, straws, bags, and bottles can all end up in the sea. Or you can make a more conscious effort to avoid products with microbeads, which also have a detrimental effect on the sea. Whatever your pledge, share it along with the hashtag #TheSeaAndMe to share your ideas and get friends & family involved… if we all make an effort to make one small change, we can keep our oceans clean and safe!

Here are some of our most effective marine-based products to get you inspired. All these products contain no microbeads and are all natural, so that should keep your mind at ease!

Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash harnesses the power of the ocean with marine extracts for a deep, cleansing experience. Sulphate-free and gentle, it deeply cleanses to remove a daily buildup of toxins and make-up, leaving skin fresh, clean, and soft.

Wake up and revitalize skin with Alba Botanica Sea Salt Body Scrub, a purifying scrub made from Pacific sea salts! Other ingredients include jojoba, macadamia, avocado and sweet almond oils to intensely moisturise and soften skin.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Algimud Active Seaweed Face Mask blends mud, salt and mineral extracts from the Dead Sea to create a satisfying peel-off mark that leaves skin hydrated, repaired and soothed!

Pacifica Kale Detox Cleansing Face Wash is another fantastic sea-inspired product from Pacifica! It contains seaweed and blue seakale. A great defense against blemishes and breakouts, this daily cleanser removes toxins and impurities for consistently clean, beautiful skin.

Faith in Nature Seaweed Shampoo & Conditioner contains wild harvested Seaweed & refreshing lemon for a truly cleansing, nourishing experience! Seaweed is known for its conditioning and strength-giving properties, so it’s ideal for hair that needs softening and strengthening!

FITBITS & FITNESS GADGETS

WHAT

Article for fitness & sport website

FOR

Dynamic Supplements

WHEN

June 2017

Unless you’ve been hiding in a closet the past couple of years, you can’t have failed to notice the recent surge in popularity for Fitness Gadgets. From FitBits, to the app MyFitnessPal, to Apple Watches, it seems like everyone has their own personal dietician and personal trainer, all within arm’s reach! Before, this information was only accessible to top athletes and trainers, but now we’ve become our own mentors, tracking our calorie intake and mileage with our trusted little gadgets.

So what are the pros and cons to this fitness technology?

Pros

Goal planning is made easier. You can track your calorie intake, measure your heart rate, and track how many miles you’ve covered. It’s the perfect device for planning goals, and knowing when you’ve reached them.
It’s motivating – if you don’t usually work out with friends or can’t afford a personal trainer regularly, investing in a piece of equipment to help will help not only save money in the long run, but provide you with the constant motivation sometimes needed to push that little bit harder. It’s also quite addictive, allowing you to see your fitness levels as a sort of game and motivating you to push harder each time in order to better your last data.
It keeps you on track. Some people require numbers and graphs to track their improvement, and these gadgets can display your progress numerically at the touch of a button. This makes it easier to see where improvement is needed, too (and more importantly, how to incorporate it!)
Friendly reminders to stand up or take deep breaths to stretch and relax throughout the day mean this little deice is not only good for your fitness but also your posture, flexibility, and mental health, too.

Cons

Tech problems. They’re a nuisance at the best of times, but imagine you’re nearing the end of a brutal run and you’re certain you’ve beat your previous record… only for your watch to die! Or maybe your results aren’t syncing up properly as they should be. Either way, it can be a total pain and add unnecessary stress.
They’re addictive. This is mentioned in the pros too, but there is a flip side; people become so obsessed with their data they totally forget to actually enjoy the exercise they’re doing. Exercising should be fun, so when you start feeling stressed at the idea of not beating your last time, you can actually be putting yourself off! Which leads to my next point…
The feeling of failure. You’re consecutively beaten your time for the past 3 weeks, but this week you’re struggling. You can’t beat your last time, and you feel the sinking feeling of defeat. Exercising is better than not exercising at all, so failing to best your last time each and every time you get out there is not a failure! Being constantly monitored can be exhausting.
Constantly wearing a wrist band is annoying. It can be annoying and cumbersome to wear such heavy, clunky jewellery to bed. No matter how svelte and light your Fitness Watch is, it still feels strange to be sleeping with something on their wrist.
Price. A fitness device is pretty pricey, and many people see it as a waste when a phone can do a very similar job.

Having a fitness device can help you become healthier and fitter. However, it’s easy to get bogged down in the data – it’s important to take a break from your device once in a while so you can focus on your exercise, take in your surrounding and, most importantly, enjoy yourself!