Since being a “single mum” (a term I really dislike) I think my motivation has mostly been on strength and at the end of the day or week being able to look back and feel like I achieved something. I made a rule to be kind to myself and to never really put too much pressure on getting things done, so I don’t mind too much if my housework slips, if we have a lazy dinner or if bed time is a little later than usual.

With my job my motivation is to have happy customers and to tick off my to-do list, but with my blog I am motivated by keeping it updated and to feel as though I am writing content that I am proud of.

It would have to be tweezers I think. I’m quite happy to go without make up but can’t really stand having completely unruly eyebrows.

That’s a really lovely compliment, thank you. I think it’s really important to be open about my mental health and having lived with depression and anxiety since I was 14 it has obviously been a big part of my life. I’m the type of person who wants to understand why I feel certain things, what has affected me and what still affects me, and to try and understand what I can do to help myself.

I’m not ashamed of my mental health and of how I am and if talking about my own mental health helps someone else to feel better, to feel normal or to seek help then that makes it all worth it.

My biggest beauty tip used to be to shave your legs using baby lotion. I now either use baby lotion, coconut oil or a thick body scrub, I find it leaves the skin smoother for longer and makes me feel a lot more confident.

I share my children with their dad so they only live with me half of the week. The other half of the week I am a crazy cat lady really and love having my cats keeping me company. In October/November last year I rescued my black cat, Ainsley. He was around 4 or 5 months old and at the time I was having a really hard time with my depression and feeling unloved really. Ainsley completely fixed that and is the most affectionate, loving cat.

I’ve always been really picky when it comes to hairbrushes and absolutely love the paddle brush. I have quite thick hair which is why I have always been quite fussy and I find this brush perfect to cope with any knots or stubborn waves.

We absolutely loved getting to know Lauren and her blog better - isn't she such an inspiring young lady? We love her strength and her determination and of course, we can truly relate to her crazy cat lady status! If you'd like to learn more about Lauren and her blog you can find her writing here, as well as her Insta snaps and her Facebook and Twitter feeds!

To thank Lauren for her wonderful interview, we are offering her readers - new and returning - a special Bella&Bear discount code! Simply enter code 'SFWHOW15' in our online store for 15% off of your order throughout March!