5 Elite Daily Articles That You Need To Read

Elite Daily is our latest online obsession. From news to gossip, it's sure to make you think of things in a way that you never have done before. Here's our recent top 5 that you simply have to read. 


Grow Younger: What We Can All Learn From Our Childhood Selves

Since moving out of our homes we seem to be lusting after our childhood more than ever. Responsibilities, worries and routines can zap the fun out everything and we could seriously benefit from adopting a childish mindset from time to time. Remember being completely fearless, celebrating with cake instead of booze and just feeling happy for absolutely no reason nearly all the time? We could do with some more of this kind of living and this article really does open your eyes to how different life could be if we lived like this more. 

A Woman Is Making History In Puerto Rico And The World Needs To Take Notice

OK fab article, but it does make you feel kinda crappy about yourself. We get we should be inspired by women like this, but when it's 3 o'clock and we are still in our pjs we can't help feel bad about how much we are not doing to save the world. This woman is practically a real life superhero, and at the age of 33. Stories like this are becoming more regular and this is absolutely incredible. Go girl power and all that... but we still aren't getting dressed today (no judging!)

You’re So Addicted To Cheese Because It Has The Same Effects As Opium

Finally, we can stop blaming ourselves for our outrageous addiction to cheese! There's science behind it, which means it is completely out of our hands, not our fault at all and therefore we absolutely cannot feel guilty about it. While it's an interesting article, we do just want to point out that it is in fact Cosmo that is right with it's reports of cheese being good for you. We refuse to believe otherwise, and you should to. 

Why Punishing Too-Skinny Models Isn’t Addressing The Anorexia Issue

This is something we are both seriously passionate about. We physically cringe at all the skinny shaming that is just about everywhere you go, and constantly find ourselves asking the question 'why is it ok to say that someone is too skinny, but not too fat?'. With any issues regarding self image, particularly when it comes to girls, the media is the first to be blamed. This means that solutions, like punishing 'too-skinny' models, are adopted but are they really the root of the problem? This article gives a great insight into why they might not be, and what else needs to be taken into consideration. 

Do Less: 10 Annoying Couples Ruining Your Facebook News Feed Daily

Every single day we send each other a screen shot or quote from social media, taking the piss out of a couple and the ridiculous things that they are posting. Why people feel the need to flaunt every part of their relationship we will never know, but one things for sure, it really does provide us with some entertainment (and some pretty long rants). It seems that a relationship is no longer between the two people that are actually involved, and instead one with the rest of the world (or Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pals). We would say that if you're one of these people that do any of the 10 things listed then stop, but actually you're really entertaining and we would have to find something else to laugh at you about if you did. 

5 Must Watch Documentaries That Are On Netflix

We have to admit we love nothing more than a good documentary. When we are completely overrun with uni work and get a spare hour we always find it impossible to switch off our brains... and this is where documentaries are our saviour. We have watched some fairly wacky ones in our most desperate moments (pretty sure Kirst entered a Google search consisting of 'monkey documentaries' once), but here are our top 5 that you can find on Netflix. 

1) Blackfish 

OK we know this is always everyones suggestion, but there's a reason for that. Following the story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale, this documentary will make you view SeaWorld in a whole new light. The scenes really are shocking, but something that we should all be aware of so if documentaries aren't really your thing then trust on this one, you still need to see this. 

2) Miss Representation 

Ignore what the name suggests, this is a must see for both guys and girls. This takes a look at how representation within the media is creating thoughts in our minds and the way we value ourselves. It looks at the pressure that the media places on us, and as a result the pressure that we place on ourselves. 

3) Fed Up 

Em is slowly working her way through all the food-related documentaries, but this new release is currently the most striking. It's main focus is on child-obesity (something we both find ourselves constantly being alarmed by), and where the blame mainly lies. It's truly shocking to see a) how little knowledge people have about food and b) how much the government and large corporations are to blame for this. Did you know that in America the School Lunch Programmes count fries and pizza as vegetables!? Told ya it was shocking... 

4) Louis Theroux - The Most Hated Family In America 

So just to be clear, any Louis Theroux documentary is worth watching. His are our go-to when we need something trusty, quick and light and there's always a topic he's covered that we are interested in. The Most Hated Family In America has to be one of the best though. Following a family that are at the core of the Westboro Baptist Church (an organisation that believes being homosexual is immoral) you will be completely shocked at just how outspoken this family are. 

5) David Attenborough - Africa 

Like Theroux you could pretty much pick any of Attenborough's sets and it would be a good choice. But as we move to warmer weather Africa has to be the pick! We don't need to tell you what you are in for here, as if you know of Attenborough then his work speaks for itself (if you don't know Attenborough then don't admit it out loud, instead lock yourself in your room and watch everything he's ever done). 

The Breakfast Club

I love breakfast. I honestly think a bit less of people if they tell me they never eat it, seriously how? I would have it for every meal if I could, and wherever I can use the typical breakfast foods for a meal, I do. 

So when in Shoreditch The Breakfast Club really was the only option when considering where to go for lunch! 

You know a place is good when it's a 12pm on a Friday and you have to queue out the door, but it was definitely worth the wait. 

When you walk in absolutely nothing matches. Not a chair, table or wall decoration and I loved it! When you go to a Nando's or a Pizza Express you could be in any location and the decoration is the exact same, it's boring! 

The menu is the absolute winner for this place. I'm sorry I was boring and just had a green tea (the drinks selection looked incredible), but after a morning of walking round London I was too thirsty! When I return (which I will) I'll be trying one of the smoothies, as they looked delicious. 

A few years ago I would always be the one to choose the sweet choice on the menu, but lately I've really grown to love a savoury brekkie. That being said I seem to have gotten into a trend of always opting for savoury, and on our quest to try new things I thought I'd go for a bit of both. Sweet pancakes, with maple syrup topped with crispy bacon. The other pancake option was mixed berries with maple syrup and cream. 

They were both absolutely delicious, the pancakes were exactly how they should be, thick and doughy and the portion sizes were overly generous! When I first saw the menu I thought that it was pretty pricey for what is was. Bills Restaurant was just next door, and seemed to offer similar food for much less. But when the pancakes were placed in front of us, and I watched the portion sizes the kitchen were dishing out, there was definitely a lot of value for money. 

In fact most of the people around us were unable to clear their plates (even I struggled and that never happens). If you love breakfast food, or even sandwiches, and you can handle a giant portion then this is definitely the place for you! But be warned, there are so many options that you'll want, you will be going back to try again. 

Emma x

Spring Saviour - Soap & Glory Hand Care

Spring is finally upon us! There's so many great things about spring and right about now you will probably be planning for your spring clean, and a fresh start for the warmer weather.

It's the perfect opportunity to turn your bedroom upside down, clear out any unwanted goods and have a good old scrub to welcome in the new season.

We absolutely love cleaning (no really, we are a bit OCD), but we aren't a fan of how much it ruins our hands. Exposure to cleaning products can leave your hands feeling dry, flakey and in need of some good old TLC, and we have the perfect solution.

If like us, you moisturise your hands everyday, only to have them feeling dry again within a few hours then you need to purchase this! 

Endless Glove (£6.50) is the best hand mask that money can buy and works for up to 12 hours after application. Apply it before bed, and sleep with the gloves on, and you will  wake up with what feels like a new set of hands.

 However if you do not have this product do not fear, as the good old Soap & Glory Hand Food (£5.50) works just perfectly. Both the products are rich, and intense in the damage repair that they do to your hands. 

As for the gloves, Em got these in a Soap & Glory gift set for Christmas last year, and we cannot seem to find them for sale separately. This does not matter at all, as the type of gloves you need are available everywhere. M&S offer manicure gloves for just £4 here and they will do the job just perfectly. 

There really is nothing worse than having dry hands, so make sure you take some time to treat them this spring. A mask is the perfect solution for intensive repair, and the Soap & Glory products are definite winners in doing so. 

Time to stop moaning about those dry hands and give them a good pamper!

Kitch - Delicious & Fresh - A Canterbury Favourite

This week we are back in our home towns for reading week, however this didn't stop Em from visiting just for one day! As previously discussed, we've banned ourselves from our typical, mainstream restaurants and are only allowed to try new (mostly independent) places to eat!

Kirst lives in Canterbury, Kent which is full of mainstream restaurants, from your ASK to Nandos - you'll find it here. But it is also crammed with independent coffee shops and cafe's, you just have to search for them. Recently, we read a post on BuzzFeed called 21 Delicious Things To Eat In Canterbury and at #2 was Kitch! So on Tuesday, Em drove to Canterbury and we finally took our Kitch virginity.

It's situated towards the bottom of Canterbury High Street (#2 St Peters Street if you would like to be exact) and is intriguing from the outset. With a cute grey theme and big windows it's certainly inviting. We were welcomed by two lovely ladies and invited to sit down and take a look at the menu's. Firstly, the menu isn't exactly large. BUT this doesn't mean there isn't much to choose from. Although the food menu isn't 7 pages long, the wide range of variety from each dish to another is just right. We would safely say there is something for everyone!

Now, what really interested us about Kitch is that it is one of the only places around that source all of their food locally, make it right there as you order & use natural, wholegrain ingredients free from refined sugars, flours and artificial flavours. Delicious and good for you!

We ordered drinks (Chai Latte and a Green Tea - predictable from us). Despite typically ordering our usual, we are quite fussy with them. Whenever Kirst orders a Chai Latte she usually ask how it is made, as she's not so keen when it is made with powder and especially when it's not mixed properly. However, Kitch's was lovely!

Next up was the food. We arrived at Kitch at 11.30am so just in time for breakfast! We both went for the Full English (originally at £8.00) however being the fussy eaters that we are, Kirst switched bacon for another sausage and Em switched sausage for avocado. Typically when we ask to change items (especially on breakfasts) we are met with a grumpy look and a reluctant "ok". This was not the case at Kitch - the waitress was happy to change whatever and showed no signs of grumpyness- yay!

The food was amazing! When ordering the breakfast you have a choice of fried, poached or scrambled egg, it's so refreshing to be offered such an option. The baked beans are made fresh by Kitch and the sour-dough bread was indescribable - simply delicious. Something so simple but so enjoyable was the actual butter! It was so nice to not receive margarine. The sausages were gorgeous and the mushrooms were insanely good. We even asked what it was that they had done to them because they were that good! 

We absolutely love a good fry up, and have had many in our time, but one thing we cannot stand is the feeling that you get after. You know when your mouth literally tastes of oil all day, and you feel sick and uncomfortably full? Well not with this one. Of course we were full, but we were full of energy (not the usual sluggishness you normally feel), and felt completely refreshed and ready for the day. 

The cake selection was far too impressive for our liking, how could we possibly choose!? It felt so nice to be able to look at cakes and know that the ingredients are wholesome, with nothing artificial (who knew cakes could come without the guilt!?), but not compromised at all on taste. 

We absolutely loved our trip and will definitely be coming back to try the whole of the menu. Not only did it taste incredible, but it was lovely to know that the food we were eating was real, and that everything was either homemade or locally sourced. Not to mention the lovely atmosphere, and friendly owner who made us feel so welcome throughout the whole time we were there. 

An Honest Liz Earle Review

A few months ago Kirst started hogging the bathroom more than usual, standing at the sink for ages and running up our water bill with excessive use of the tap. Intrigued as to what she was up to twice a day I probed her, and realised that the culprit was the Liz Earle Cleanser. 

I'd seen the product before (and all the hype that comes with it), and with a glowing report from Kirst, the next time I went into Boots I couldn't help but be tempted. I had been looking to update my skincare routine for a while, and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

I needed both a cleanser and toner, but somehow completely forgot about my student budget, and ended up purchasing the Daily Essentials Kit (£45.99). I got the normal/combination set, which is advised if you are unsure of your skin type. 

Despite the initial scare of the price of the whole set, when you add up each of the products individually (and the bonus of the exfoliator) the value is actually pretty good, and seems worth it for the amount you get. 

The first thing to note about the kit is that if you are lazy with your skincare routine, do not bother buying this. I am incredibly vigilant with cleansing and toning twice a day (no really, I can't count the amount of times I've woken up from a night out and my cleanser and toner have been on my bedside table with no memory of me using them), so the amount of steps didn't phase me at all. But I can't deny that it is effort, so consider this before you make such a pricey purchase. 

Included inside is two Muslin cloths (£4.50), Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (£14), Instant Boost Skin Tonic (£14.50), Skin Repair Moisturiser (£20) and the Gentle Faced Exfoliator (£11). 

First up, the Cleanser. One of the main reasons that I wanted a new cleanser was that my skin never really felt clean. I would take off my make-up with a wipe, then cleanse using L'oreal and a cotton pad, and would still wake up in the morning with make-up on my face. The Liz Earle cleanser completely eliminates this problem. It's gentle, but thorough and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean, and refreshed. I apply the cleanser, leave it for a few minutes, place the cloth in hot water and rub it off, lay the cloth over my face and then rinse my skin with cold water (opening and closing the pores). 

I really do love this product, but there is a BUT. It seems to have given me spots. I'm not sure if my skin is doing that whole 'get worse before it gets better' routine, so i'll have to hold out, but after 2 weeks I'm definitely more spotty than before. 

In terms of the actual product, I love the Toner. Like the Cleanser it really does work at making your skin feel refreshed, and as though all the dirt on your skin has been removed. My only complaint is that I dislike the bottle. You twist the top and tip the solution onto a cotton pad, and then twist the lid back down to shut it. In theory this sounds fine, but I find that solution comes out when you close the lid, and it just always feels as though it is going to leak. Apart from that though, it's a great product.

Kirst has the toner that sprays and absolutely loves it, so I would recommend this as a more practical option. 

For me, this is the best product in the whole kit. I couldn't even begin to count the amount of moisturisers I have tried. None of them worked, and they either made my skin look greasy, or did not provide any moisture at all. This one is perfect. I absolutely love the smell (I couldn't tell you what it smells of, it just smells clean), and it's the perfect consistency to spread well, without using too much. My skin looks completely hydrated, and stays looking so throughout the whole day. 

I usually hate exfoliators. When I think of exfoliating I think of the Clearasil ones that I used to use when I was in the shower, with the big beads, gloopy texture and the dry feel that they would always create on my skin. Well rest assured the Liz Earle exfoliator is nothing like these products. It feels more like a cream than an exfoliator, with just a slight rough texture that acts as a gentle scrub to revitalise your skin. Applied in between the Cleanse and Toner (I use twice a week, although it says use when necessary) it creates an even smoother touch to the skin. 

Overall I do love this range. My skin feels cleaner than it ever has done before, and the dryness that winter has created really does seem to have been eliminated. While it does take time to complete the whole routine properly I actually do enjoy doing it (it feels nice to look after yourself), so for me it's not a problem. 

Would I recommend? Yes 

Is it worth the price? The moisturiser definitely is, but I think the other products could be slightly cheaper.

Does it live up to expectations? Hmm it does, but it's not as perfect as most bloggers make out (sorry, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't have some moans!). 

Emma x 

Best of Benefit - Our Top 5

Between us we probably own near to everything that Benefit sell (we really are useless at a student budget). With all the hype around the new Benefit releases we thought that it would be good to pick our top 5 that we couldn't live without.

First up is "that gal". At £22.50 this is pretty pricey for what it is, but once again we were tempted by a free sample, and once it ran out it just had to go on the Christmas list. This product is used in between moisturising and applying foundation, and acts as a prep for the skin. It is silky, spreads easily and helps give your skin a fresh looking flow. The bottle has a bottom that twists and the primer then appears on the top, and then you apply with your fingers. It is worth the money? Hmm this is debatable, while we absolutely love it, on a student budget it does seem a lot to pay despite it being better than any others we have previously used. 

When you're a student the late nights really do catch up on you, and no amount of RedBull seems to work on the tiredness of your under eyes. Ooh La Lift comes in at £17, and works as an instant eye lift. You simply apply three dots under the eye, smooth it into the skin and the whole area is instantly brightened. It can be used in the morning, and re-applied throughout the day as you get more tired. As far as eye-brightening products go this is definitely the best we have come across (lecturers have no idea we've been partying all night).

This choice was tricky as between us we own both Hervana and Hoopla. At £23 the price is standard for a Benefit bronzer/blusher making the decision between the two even harder. While Hoopla is highly rated in the blogger world Hervana just got the edge with it's mix of colours. Each of the shades compliment each other and give your cheek the perfect blush. 

Finding the right concealer must be one of the hardest parts about buying make up. We can't even begin to count how many we have been through before finding one that is perfect for both coverage, and colour. Benefit Boi ing (£16.50) fits the best of both, providing a decent coverage without looking cakey or as if the skin is obviously concealed. It works well when applied to areas of the face that should be highlighted, removing any unwanted shine or blemishes. 

With the new release of the Benefit Roller Lash we wanted to make sure an old favourite isn't forgotten. Coming in at £19.50 this Mascara is pricey, but we've lost count of how many we have gone through (it's that good). It separates the lashes perfectly, and creates a long lashes that provide a length that creates a false effect. The brush is firm, and easy to apply and the results last all throughout the day. It can also be easily built up depending on the reason for the use, making it a staple in all looks.