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Living in the city can play a detrimental role in our lives in more ways than one. You may already be aware of the toll living amongst a cloud of pollution can take on your overall well-being (increased likelihood of picking up a cough, clogged pores, dry skin...) but even if you don’t live amongst the bright lights, you could be experiencing a huge number of skincare issues that have their roots in exhaust fumes. Exposure to UV rays and pollution can wreak havoc on our skin, right down to its DNA; it's suggested that 80% of all signs of visible skin ageing are due to environmental aggressors, which means that we can theoretically prevent them if we change our daily routine. Sun exposure is well known to be a major cause, but recent studies reveal the need to also shield the skin from air pollutants (particularly in big cities) that can reduce our skin's ability to retain moisture and produce collagen. Elizabeth Arden's new Prevage City Smart SPF 50 Hydrating Shield can help play a fundemental role by protecting, preventing and strengthening our skin's ability to deal with aggressors while helping to reverse some of the damage that's already been done. It's a revolutionary product that I've been loving (read my full review here,) but it also starts a conversation about the little things we can do to #OutsmartTheCity.
Elizabeth Arden want to encourage us to collectively embrace ways to make our lives smarter, and use these 'life hacks' to #OutsmartTheCity at every given opportunity. There are lots of little ways to save money, time, effort and the environment, but these are my five personal faves... Why not embrace them and see what difference they can make to you!
BREW YOUR OWN BREW
I love a latte as much as the next girl, but stopping for a coffee every day is not only time consuming and expensive - but it means a lot of unnecessary packaging that ends up straight in the bin. Swap your Starbucks for an at-home brewed beverage and invest in a reusable (and environmentally friendly) cup that's way more stylish.
MULTI-TASKING CHARGE POINTS
It's way easier to drain your phone battery of juice now that we have ten different apps on the go at any one time, so embrace technology with an on-the-go charger that also doubles up as something else. Compact mirror phone chargers are all the rage and save space in your clutch too!
SHARE A RIDE
If your heels are giving you jip and you can't face the walk to your next meeting, hitch a ride with a fellow city dweller to save on money and pollution. Many of the taxi apps now offer a 'pool' function, whereby they'll pick up multiple customers in one journey to save on mileage - and they pass on the savings to you too!
SPOT A HOTSPOT
Save your data by hunting out the city's best WiFi hotspots on your lunchbreak. Most coffee shops offer free WiFi for their customers to use while enjoying a hot drink, while banks and shopping centres tend to have a connection available to anyone passing through. Thanks to investment on the underground, you can even pick up WiFi on the tube - so bustle through those emails while you're waiting for your stop.
PERFECT PLAYLISTS
Love listening to music but don't have time to curate a playlist to enjoy before you hop on the bus? There are tonnes of pre-curated selections available via the most popular music apps (including Spotify and Radio 1,) so just browse by genre or mood to fill your ears with pure joy without having to spend a penny.
Elizabeth Arden have also asked me to make a #PollutionResolution to help reduce the impact of my daily life on the world. This really got me thinking - particularly as I already recycle, am aware of excess packaging, walk 99% of the time to where I need to be and turn off lights religiously every time I exit a room. So what one thing can I do to make a difference? I'm going to start supporting and donating to the incredibly important charity 'Trees For Cities', who aim to plant one million trees in surburban areas by 2020. They've already planted over 630,000 to date and with our money they can continue to help cities grow into greener, cleaner places for people to live worldwide. As little as £5.00 can help a child to plant a tree somewhere it can thrive for years to come; how lovely is that?
Do you want to #OutsmartTheCity too? Well I've got FIVE Elizabeth Arden Prevage City Smarts to give away (worth £55.00 each) so you can do just that! Just enter via the widget below, letting me know the little things you do to outsmart city life, and you could be enjoying the benfits this little tube has to offer.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Elizabeth Arden Prevage City Smart SPF 50 Hydrating Shield is available now, priced £55.00
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Elizabeth Arden; all opinions are my own.
Features PR samples unless otherwise stated. To read my full disclaimer, click here.