HAPPY EASTER/ BLOG BIRTHDAY MAC GIVEAWAY!

Hello lovelies! Happy Easter! I hope you've all got lots planned and are going to have a lovely day eating lots of chocolate. Just a quick post, as it's Easter and Chloe's Way's first birthday is coming up (April 6th to be exact!) I thought I'd hold a little giveaway for you all. This is going to be my first rafflecopter giveaway so we'll have to see how this goes!

The prize is going to be any MAC lipstick of your choice! The only rule is that if you would like a limited edition lipstick or one from a collection, you can choose that, but as I may not be able to get my hands on any limited edition ones, you must choose one from the permanent collection too so I have a backup plan if you win! This giveaway IS international, ends 14th April 2013 - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SWEET FEET

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all having a great weekend and have some lovely plans for Easter tomorrow! I'm not really doing too much, but Darren and I will no doubt be watching films and eating chocolate (I'm feeling Shallow Hal), because it's Easter so it's allowed. Anyway, I recently received these Ted Baker flip flops* and I had to put them on my blog right away! They came in a really gorgeous box, which I thought was a nice touch. You never keep the shoe boxes really but I'm such a sucker for things like this!

With the summer not so quickly approaching, it was refreshing to receive something as vibrant and lovely as these, makes a change from black shoes and boots! I won't be able to wear them over here any time soon, but I definitely can't wait to go on holiday this year and wear these bad boys around the pool. I usually just wear a pair of £3 Primark wonders around the pool and on the beach on holiday, so something a little more luxurious like this will be a welcome change.I love that they have the classic Ted Baker bow and the horse design on them, is very different to anything I've ever seen before, love it! I also love the fact that they're this plastic-y material, as they'll be super easy to clean - nothing looks worse next to your beach bag like a grubby old flip flop! I've been a little scared of the neon trend before now, but I think this is a good way to ease myself in! I think these will look great with a tan, just need some sun to go with them!!

What do you think of these 'luxury' flip flops? Could you be converted like me? ;)

*These were sent to me from ASOS c/o Leo claims: Medical Negligence. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE PERKS OF BLOGGING/ DEALING WITH PR COMPANIES

Hello lovelies! Some of you might remember that couple of weeks or so ago, I did a post called 'Blogging, What's the Point?', in which I explained my thoughts on 'the point' of blogging. In short, I explained why I blog, getting past what others think about blogging and what you may get from blogging. However, while I covered the longer term benefits of blogging, i.e. job opportunities, I didn't go into the 'perks' of blogging. So that's what I'm going to do this post! This is a touchy subject as some people don't agree with or understand bloggers accepting PR samples, freebies or sponsored posts etc, but I personally have no issues with it at all. However, I do think there are good and bad sides to the blogging 'perks' and and that's pretty much what I want to address in this post.

What are PR samples/ Freebies? How do you get them?
Sometimes, as a blogger, companies might get in touch with you ask to send you a product, in return for a review. There is no real 'way' to get freebies, as your blog progresses, companies are bound to get in touch eventually. However, if you've started to blog purely for the freebies, you will be disappointed. The first company that got in touch with me was about 5 or 6 months into starting my first blog - I had no idea companies even did that! So for me, it was just a lovely surprise and nice little 'reward' if you like, for all the work I'd put into blogging. So really, if you love blogging, keep doing what you're doing and see the freebies as a lovely bonus, not a right!

Dealing with PR people.
It's difficult to know how to deal with it when you receive your first email from a PR company. I still struggle now! It should be super straight forward, they say, do you want to review this product? Then you say, yes please or no thank you. However, sometimes, you might want more information on the product or company before accepting, so you're sure it's right for your blog and other times, it might just not fit your style. Most companies will be perfectly fine if you wish to decline, but you do get the odd ones that can be very persistent, or sometimes just plain rude! Luckily, I haven't come across this too much, but you have every right to decline and product and ignore or block any rude emailers! That said, you do need to treat the company with the same respect you expect from them. I personally will never accept a product I have no intention of reviewing or posting about. That said, I will always write a completely honest review, so if a product does not impress me, I have the right to say so - and so do you!

What is a sponsored post?
Occasionally, you might get the opportunity to do a sponsored post, which generally means a company will give you anchor text that will link to a page on a company website and you will be paid either in cash or store credit. There may be other kinds of sponsored posts, but these are the only kinds I've done and I don't want to tell you anything I'm not sure of! A lot of people don't like it when bloggers do sponsored posts, but I think if it fits the theme of your blog and you think your readers will be interested in, then why not? Obviously if I was asked to do a sponsored post on mountains or car parts (does that ever happen? you get my point), I'd probably give it a miss, but if it was about a fab clothes shop that I loved, then I'm probably going to say yes I'd love to!

Staying true to your blog style.
As mentioned above, if you've got a fashion, beauty, lifestyle blog like mine, and you come up with a post like, hey guys look at this really cool fish food I was sent! I might think you've sold out slightly (sorry), but I see no problems with bloggers being sent products that genuinely interest them, or doing sponsored posts for companies they believe in. At the end of the day, the decisions you make are entirely yours. Not the PR companies, not your readers, just yours. You have the right to review what you want and no review what you don't. You should never feel as though you can't say no to a company, but equally, you shouldn't feel bad for reviewing a freebie or doing a sponsored post. It's cheesy and clichéd, but if you stay true to yourself and genuinely want to write about what you're writing then you can't go wrong!

So that's my little insight into PR products and things. I didn't go into heavy details as I don't really know enough to do so, but my point is, I don't think PR samples and sponsored reviews should be as big a deal as they are. As long as that's not the only reason you're blogging, I think it's fine!

What do you think? What are your views on the 'perks' of blogging?

SOLEIL TAN DE CHANEL REVIEW

Hello lovelies! Hope you're all good and are having a nice start to the week. It's still massively miserable and not at all spring like here in the UK, sob. So this product came at just the right time for me. Soleil Tan De Chanel translates to Chanel Sun Tan, so something as luxurious and gorgeously summery as this is definitely the perfect pick me up when you have a case of the Winter blues. That's my excuse anyway!

I feel like we all need a little bit of luxury in our lives at times and that's exactly what this product is. It's £31, which seems like a lot and sort of is. BUT, it's a 30 gram product and you only need the teeniest, tiniest amount of it, so it's going to last for ages so you'll definitely get your moneys worth (don't you just love blogger maths?). I was in desperate need of a new bronzer as my old Rimmel one was coming to an end and I knew I wanted to try something a little more high end, as by the end of the day, my bronzer was always pretty much completely gone.

After reading through a ton of blog reviews, I decided on Soleil Tan De Chanel as I've never tried a cream bronzer before and have always found that cream blushes last longer on the skin than powder ones do. It was an exciting day when this arrived in the post, you may have seen my various excited tweets (well it is fancy). At first, I did wonder how to use it, but to be honest, I just use it as I would any other bronzer, I love using my real techniques contour brush or buffing brush. I actually find it pretty easy to use and think you could even use your fingers if you wanted.

I really love the colour of this, its pretty light when blended out as you can see in the photo, but definitely buildable depending on your skin tone. I do think this might be a bit light for darker skin tones, but it's definitely great for pale to medium tones, as it can be blended out the be very light and subtle, or built up for a deeper look. I absolutely love the colour of this, it literally is a 'bronze' colour, not too orangey or muddy looking. It is definitely true to it's name as you literally look as though you just have a bit of a sun tan! This is perfect for contouring, or just a little all over colour if you feel you need it. I love using this to contour, but I also apply a little to the areas of my face the sun would naturally hit, so I look a little more summery!

Overall, I'm very impressed with this product, it's lasting power is fantastic, it literally lasts all day long. The colour is gorgeous, it's really easy to use once you get used to it and the packaging is just gorgeous. I'd definitely recommend giving this a go if you fancy treating yourself. If you're unsure, you could go to your nearest Chanel counter and swatch it to see what you think. I'm sure you'll fall in love just as I did.

Have you tried this? Would you like to? Let me know your thoughts!

NOT ON THE HIGHSTREET

Hello lovelies! Hope you're all having a fab day. A note to all the lovelies from the UK, on a scale of 1 to 10, how sick are you of this snow? Is it not supposed to be spring?? Being about a 15 out of 10 myself, it really cheered me up to come home to a pile of parcels waiting for me after a delayed train home from work and a pair of very soggy, frozen feet. I was recently contacted by Not on the Highstreet, asking me if I'd be interested in trying and reviewing a few things and with it being a site I constantly browse through, in awe of all the adorable things, I jumped on the chance! These all arrived today, packaged in separate parcels (which for some reason, makes it ten times more exciting). They were all packaged really well and very securely, which is great. There's really nothing worse than a squashed, dented or broken item due to rubbish packaging.

So, the first thing I chose was this gorgeous Initial Wash bag by Alphabet bags. I knew I had to have it as soon as I saw it, it's so cute! It's the perfect size for my everyday make up bag (which I will, do an updated post on soon, promise!) and the design is just so simple and lovely. It's got a waxy, coated finish and is lined with black fabric, so the outside will be easy to clean and the inside won't show horrible makeup stains too much. I was in desperate need for a new makeup bag so this came at just the right time, love it!

Next up, is this adorable little notebook by James Ellis. I love notebooks a bit too much and get through them like mad with work, blogging and life. I'm a lists person, so I need a notebook handy at all times. I'm not one for any old pukka pad or WH smiths jotter, I have to have a pretty notebook in my bag so this is perfect. I love how it's personalized, I think it makes it just a little extra special. This would make a fab gift for someone, like myself, who loves a good list.

And finally, the ridiculously cute pug earrings by plain jane pugs, because why wouldn't you want silver pugs in your ears? These are already my favourite pair of earrings that I own/ have ever owned/ will ever own. They're sterling silver, which is fab as it means I can wear them for more than a few hours without my ears getting sore. I love fashion earrings, but cheapy ones have a tendency to make my ears a bit sore and red, but these shouldn't be a problem, which is great.

Overall, I'm very impressed with Not on the Highstreet, all the products I received are fantastic quality and I'd recommend them to absolutely anyone! Perfect when you want a gift (or treat for yourself!) that's a little bit different.

What do you think? What's your favourite thing of the three things I chose?

HOW I GROW MY NAILS, LONGER, STRONGER, FASTER

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all having a fab day! I was requested some time ago to do more beauty tips or how to posts, because for those of you who don't know, I am a qualified beauty therapist, but to be honest, until now I've been kind of hesitant  to do so. This is because while I have been trained and I do 'know my stuff' in a sense, I've always been worried some of you might think I'm telling you to do things a certain way. So, with this in mind, I thought I'd start with something that I'm fairly sure will work for most people and that is growing longer, stronger nails. Of course, regular manicures is the best thing for keeping your nails in tip top condition, but for those of you who can only afford manicures as a treat every now and then, these are some tips for at home that will keep your nails in the best condition you can.

Before I started taking better care of my nails and learning what I needed to be doing to keep my nails nice, they were very short and they'd peel like crazy. If I let them grow, they'd just break right off again and it drove me mad! But I learnt a few tips that are easy to do that have seriously helped my nails to grow and that's what I'm going to share today.  I should also mention that while my nails may not look massively long in the photo this is because I don't let them grow too long! Having very long nails gets in the way of life sometimes so I like to keep them a nice medium length.While all nails are different and some nail types need little extras and different treatments, these tips should work for pretty much anybody. Even if you have lovely long nails already, these tips will help to keep them in great condition!

Keep your Cuticles Neat.
I always keep my cuticles pushed back and trim off the excess skin when I need to. This is because untidy ragged cuticles can not only make the nails look scruffy, but they can catch on things and tear the skin and if the cuticle becomes damaged, the resulting nail growth may not be so great either. The nail is made up of hard keratin, the oldest part being at the very tips of your nails and the newest right at the cuticle. The cuticle protects the new, soft keratin as it grows onto the nail, meaning the cuticle plays a very important role in the overall condition of your nails. Keeping your cuticles neat and pushed back will not only keep your nails looking lovely, but in better condition too.


Cuticle Oil.
On the topic of cuticles - cuticle oil! I preach this to everyone, friends, family, clients, but it really is a miracle worker. I've been using the CND Solar Oil but there are loads of great ones out there, the Jessica Phenomenon Oil is fab, as is the OPI Avoplex Oil. You can also try high street cuticle oils, but any oil is going to do your nails good. The nail you can see is the nail you are stuck with, but keeping your cuticles nourished means the resulting nail growth will be stronger and healthier. Think of your nails like your hair, if the hair you have is already damaged, you can try to maintain it, but really, your only hope for truly healthy hair, is new hair growth, which will be healthier if you look after it from the very beginning. The cuticle area is the beginning of your nails, so you need to take care of it! I keep my cuticle oil on my bedside table so I always remember to apply it just before bed.

Hand Cream.
As well as applying cuticle oil, it is a good idea to apply hand cream throughout the day, as this not only keeps your hands soft, but will nourish the cuticle area too, keeping it from drying out. I love the Soap & Glory hand creams as they are moisturising and non-greasy, but any hand cream will do really. Just make sure that when you rub it into your hands, you rub it into your nails and cuticles too.

Keep them Covered.
A mistake a lot of people with weak nails make is thinking they should stay off wearing nail polish, but it's not true! While nail polish - without a basecoat - can discolour your nails and regular use of strong nail polish removers can weaken them slightly, wearing nail polish won't damage your nails. Infact, if you find your nails bend, peel and break easily, wearing nail polish to protect them is probably a good idea. My nails used to be very weak and one thing that's really helped to strengthen them is keeping them painted to protect them. I use shellac or other gel polishes most of the time, as regular nail polish can get in the way when I'm doing clients nails. The gel polishes in particular form a thick, hard layer over the nails, not only keeping them protected, but making them look lovely too! I've heard horror stories about gel polishes and some people seem to think they damage nails. However, gel polishes such as shellac, jessica GELeration and OPI Gel colour need to be soaked off by a professional, people try to pick and peel them off at home, which is what ruins peoples nails. So if you want to go for Gel, go to the pros! If not, keeping your nails painted with a basecoat, colour and topcoat will keep your nails looking lovely and they'll be slightly more protected too.

Keep your Nails Shaped.
I always make sure my nails are filed, as ragged tips can lead to your nails catching on things and breaking off. If you've spent time and effort growing your nails, the last thing you want is for all your hard work to be ruined because you forgot to file away the scruffy ends! I generally keep my nails filed to a rounded off square shape, as this keeps them neat and tidy, with no pointy edges that can catch on things. The shape you want your nails is entirely personal preference, but this is what I've found works for me. Nails that are filed too square will have sharp corners, that can catch and break and nails that are too rounded, or pointy at the top (i.e. pointy nails or almond shape), can be weaker as the tips will be very narrow and therefore will bend more easily.

So, those are my quick tips for healthier nails!
I really hope you enjoyed this post and let me know what you think about these kinds of posts. Would you like to see more?

THE PROCRASTINATING BEAUTY BLOGGER TAG

Can I just start by saying I spelt 'Procrastinating' right first time without copy and pasting it. Little bit proud of that. Anyway, I was tagged to do this post by the gorgeous Aly from Wonderland Beauty and I absolutely loved reading her answers and this tag seemed like a lot of fun, so here we are!

1. Name a beauty regime that you rarely do.

Fake tan. I'll use it once or twice and love it and promise myself I'll keep up with it and be lovely and bronzed forevermore, but no. I'm a total flake. In the meantime, I'll just pretend I'm embracing the pale look.

2. Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly? 

When was the last lunar eclipse again...? Not really, I'm not that bad. But seriously my brushes are lucky to be washed once a month. But do you ever look at your brushes and think ahh they're fine they can go another day, then whoops! A day becomes two weeks. I've not got any dirty brush related skin diseases just yet though so I can't be that bad, right?

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?

I just won't. I rarely wear regular nail polish because it gets in the way when I do clients nails, I usually have gels, but when I do, the minute it chips, it comes off. I hate chipped nails.

4. How long do you put off buying/replacing a beauty or nail polish product even if you need it? (i.e purchasing a new topcoat, or a new foundation etc.)

I repurchase before it runs out if it's something I absolutely can't be without - i.e. foundation, eyeliner. But if it's something I have several of like a blush or lipstick, I'll only replace it if I really start to miss the specific product. To be honest though, I'm fickle with most things (bar a few holy grail items), so I don't always replace, I'll try something new. All for the sake of blogging and reviews, of course ;)

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

I don't have any bad habits as such, but I'm stuck in the cat eyeliner rut, which is sort of a habit and one I wish I could break! I love the winged eyeliner look, but I do wish I didn't feel so naked without it. Going out without black winged liner is just unthinkable. You know those dreams when you're naked in front of everyone you know? Yeah, that.

6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?

This is weird, but getting ready for bed. Not in a childish way, but everything I need to do before bed, like take off my make up, moisturise my whole body, put hair oil in, brush my teeth etc etc etc, gets left to the last minute when I'm so tired that I'm brushing my teeth with one eye closed. The problem is, I cannot fall asleep without doing all of these things first. I will never learn.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not?

If it's work, or something else that's pretty important, then no. If it's just shopping, a night out, seeing friends/ family, basically anything where I'll be forgiven for being late then absolutely yes. It drives my boyfriend mad, just yesterday we were going out for dinner and instead of getting ready to leave I was trying to get him to play a 'guess the song by the intro' game. It was a fun game mind you.

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

I've never tried but maybe. I think if I was working a lot and had distractions then sure. I'd also have to be banned from reading blogs, you guys are such a bad influence! ;)

9. How organized is your makeup and nail polish collection?

So so, I have my everyday makeup bag, which is a bit of a shambles but it has everything I need (and then some), so I know what I'm looking for and its sort of easy to find. The rest of my makeup is better though, all my face products, lip products, eye products and nail polishes are in separate boxes so I know exactly where to look when I want to find something.

10. What is the longest amount of time you have gone without writing a blog post?

I'm not too sure, maybe a week or so. I'll generally write a little something if I'm feeling uninspired, just so no one sends out a search party, which would absolutely completely happen. It wouldn't. What I actually did last time was posted a picture of a sad dog apologizing for my absence.

Rules:
1. copy and paste these 'rules' into your post when you write it!
2. You must state that this tag was created by Laura from The Beau Bow.
3. You must thank the person who tagged you at the start of your post, follow them if you're feeling nice and at the end of your post state who you tag, and comment on their blog  to let them know you tagged them.
4. Title this post 'The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger TAG' .
5. Have fun! :)

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing this post, thanks again to Aly for tagging me - you're a babe!

I tag:
Ariel
Jess
Jo
Katy
Kassie

And anyone else who wants to do it! Just say I tagged you!

Oh and P.S, my Soap & Glory Giveaway closed last night, the winner is Jen from Kitsch N Sync!
Well done Jen, I have emailed the winner and her prize will be on it's way soon.

DAINTY DOLL COSMETICS

Hello lovelies! Well it's been a funny couple of days hasn't it? All this google reader business has given us all a bit of a scare! I've heard plenty of horror stories about how GFC will be disappearing too, or how it'll still be there but blogs won't show up in your reading list, but I've also heard that GFC won't be affected. If someone knows the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I'd love to know! Leave a comment if you do! So if the worst is to happen, I want to be prepared. I've already transferred all the blogs I follow over to bloglovin, which you can do here or hello cotton here, just import from Google Reader and all the blogs you follow will be safe and sound and you won't miss an update! It'd be fab if you could all follow me on bloglovin' here, just in case, I don't want to lose my lovely readers! You can also get regular updates through my twitter and facebook page if you'd like.

Anyway! Ramble aside, let's get onto the exciting part of the post! I mentioned the other day on twitter that I'd ordered a few Dainty Doll bits from Fragrance Direct, as I'm sure a lot of you already know, they're selling most of it for just £1.99 or £2.99. A lot of people were worried about if this was legit stuff but I've never had any problems with Fragrance Direct before so I ordered them without much thought! So the few bits I ordered arrived yesterday and I was so excited to come home from work to these little beauties. I was very good and didn't play with them too much before taking photos though! If you don't already know, Dainty Doll was created by Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud and it's aimed toward girls with pale skin. Now my skin is by no means the palest, but it's not very tanned either - especially in the colder months! I'd heard great things from a lot of people who appeared to have similar skin types to me so I thought I'd give them a go.

After a lot of browsing through swatches and reviews, I decided to go for the Loose Mineral Powder in shade 3, Concealer in shade 2 and Lipstick in shade 6 Baby Doll. I've given everything a go now and I'm so happy with what I bought. I'd seen a few hit and miss reviews so I was a bit worried, but I think I've made pretty good choices if I do say so myself! We'll start with the Mineral Powder and this felt like a bit of a gamble when I ordered it. I've never had much luck with any built in brush powders, mostly because they usually feel more like built in hedgehog than built in brush. However there is nothing hedgehoggy about this brush, it's super soft and lovely. The powder doesn't come out too fast, but comes out just enough, which is fab. This is supposed to be a foundation on its own really, but I use this as a setting powder and I love it. It makes my foundation last all day long and adds a little extra coverage too, which will be great for a bad skin day! This is great for on the go too, as you wouldn't need to bring a powder and brush.

The concealer is fab too, I don't often wear concealer on a day to day basis as I'm fairly lucky with my skin/ can't really be bothered with it. But I thought I'd get a slightly lighter one for the days where my undereyes need a little lift. This is great for undereye circles, and I also had a bit of redness around my chin, not quite figured out why that was, but it meant I could try this on it - silver lining and all that. It worked really well for that too so that was great. It's not overly creamy and has pretty good coverage. I like to use this under my foundation as it is a little lighter. For £1.99 it's definitely worth a try!

And finally, what is for me, the star of the show - Lipstick in Baby Love. This is gorgeous. My photo does not do it justice at all. It's basically a my lips but better/ nuder/ pinker, which I love. Nude lips are sort of my thing, I do try to venture out into brighter colours and I do sometimes, but for day to day this is the perfect shade. It's a nice natural nudey colour, with a hint of pink. It's not too blue toned which is nice as it makes it look more natural and suits me much more. This has that typical 'lipstick' smell, which isn't for everybody but for me it's so nostalgic I can't help but love it! Another thing that wowed me with this was it's lasting power. I put it on at 8 in the morning then after work at about 3:30 there was still a wash of colour there. It's not glossy, but not overly matte either, just a lovely, natural finish. LOVE.

Overall, totally recommend this brand - especially for the price! You can check out the range here if you like.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if you've tried this brand/ if you'd like to in the comments!

ROSE GOLD ON A BUDGET

watch - £16.99 - missguided

gecko braclet - £7.50 - topshop 

spike bracelet - £3.75 - dorothy perkins

bunny necklace - £5 - dorothy perkins

Hello lovelies! I hope you've all had a great start to the week, mine's been pretty busy with work and life and it doesn't look like that's going to stop anytime soon. Darren and I are going to go out for dinner tonight, which is a bit of a last minute plan, I have work and my Grandparents over tomorrow and then my Dad's birthday on Friday and goodness knows what else! But it's nice busy things so it's all good!

Anyway, I've wanted to do this post for a few days, as my watch arrived a little while ago but I had to get it adjusted and didn't want to ruin the pretty photos with a watch that was falling off my wrist! The whole idea behind this post is 'Rose Gold on a Budget'. This is because we all see rose gold floating around the blogiverse and it's all Michael Kors this and Marc Jacobs that - and all the gorgeous high end brands are all well and good, but what about us everyday girls who just can't justify a casual £200 plus spend on a watch or piece of jewellery? That said, if I'm going to wear rose gold, I want it to look cute and not cheapy. What some of you might not know is that alongside working at the salon, I also do a couple of days working for the jewellery company that stocks topshop, dorothy perkins, matalan and some other stores, so I actually get a monthly jewellery allowance and so I decided to make it my mission to find great quality, cute rose gold pieces on the highstreet for prices that won't make your bank account weep.

I found this super cute bunny necklace in Dorothy Perkins today and I'll let you in on a little secret, this was originally going to be a Rose Gold on a Budget 'arm candy' type post, but I had to have this adorable little bunny so he hijacked the post. I'm sure you'll all forgive him. Even though this was only £5, I don't actually think it looks that cheap at all. I think the quality of highstreet jewellery can be really fantastic for the price, especially if you're one to change up your jewellery a lot. The chain on this necklace is nice quality which I like, a bad chain can really cheapen a necklace, but this one is lovely.

Onto the star of the show, my new love, the Missguided Mis Chronograph watch! I mentioned this in a wishlist a little while ago, and even though in said wishlist, I preached waiting a few days to decide whether or not to buy something, I actually went ahead and bought it that evening! It was only £16.99 though, so not breaking the bank. I just can't justify an expensive watch, as much as I love them, I just forget to wear it enough! This watch is fab quality, particularly as it was only £16.99. It's a semi-matte rose gold, which I like as I don't do shiny watches, they feel P-Diddy and I'm far too blonde and British for any of that. I love that every other number is replaced with a cross, peace symbol or heart. It makes it a lot more girly and fun - you don't get those on a Michael Kors!

Then to accompany my watch, I have two lovely bracelets. The spikey one is actually on sale in Dorothy Perkins now, so definitely worth a peek if you like it! I love spike bracelets and I have several colours/ types/ metals but this is my favourite by far. I love how it looks with the watch as this one is a shiny metal, so it mixes it up a bit. Then finally, my other little rose gold pet, my gecko bracelet! The excitement when I saw this was nothing short of childish hysterics. For some reason, jewellery with little lizards on it makes me squeal with delight, I don't know if its the fact he looks like he's climbing across my arm (though if this happened in real life, it'd be an entirely different sort of hysterical), or the fact that he's covered in little rhinestones, but either way, I love him and I love him even more now as he looks so fab with my watch!

So that's it, bit of a random post, but I just wanted to share my finding with you all!
Let me know what you think, would you wear any of these pieces?

BLOGGING: WHAT'S THE POINT?

Hello Lovelies! Today, I thought I'd do a bit of a different style of post as I mentioned in the #bbloggers chat on twitter last night that I'd quite like to do some more chatty posts. I like to do something a bit different from beauty and fashion every now and again so I'm going to give it a go and see how it goes/ if people like them etc.

So, the topic of this post is 'Blogging: What's the point?'. This might sound like quite a negative thing, but it's not at all! Infact, it's quite the opposite. What I want to share with you all is my views on blogging, why I blog, the benefits of blogging, getting past what other people think etc. I thought this might be quite a useful post for newer bloggers, or maybe even a motivational one for some of the more experienced among us! Of course, I am in no way saying I am the master of blogging, nor do I think my views are all 100% correct and revolutionary, but I think even if I can help just one person with this post, then that's a job well done! This may be a long one, so if you stick around, you get a top reader award.

Why do I blog?
Starting off with the big question, why do we blog? I suppose we all have our own individual reasons for blogging, but mine is purely because I love it. When I first started blogging, I had no idea what it involved. I didn't have a clue about the incredible blogging community I would be involved in, I didn't realise I'd talk to so many lovely people and I definitely didn't think it'd give me all the amazing opportunities it has. So you can safely say I didn't start blogging because I wanted to go to events and get freebies (I didn't even know blogger events existed!), I just wanted a hobby and something to put on my CV - which we'll come back to later. So that's why I started, but now, I continue to blog because of all the things I didn't think about at the beginning. I continue because of the amazing community, because of the lovely people, the sweet comments and emails. While followers don't matter to an extent, I probably wouldn't have done this as long as I have without the support from my readers. I don't have the highest number of followers but I don't mind, the fact that nearly 700 people have even the slightest interest in what I have to say is really cool. Though to be honest, even if I had 10 loyal followers, I'd be happy. Just one lovely comment absolutely makes my day and that's what it's all about for me.

Shall I start a blog? What will people think?
I've had a couple of bloggers say I've inspired them to start a blog, which is literally the best feeling in the world. Blogging is such a great thing and knowing you've inspired someone to start and become part of the blogging community is amazing. However, I've also had a couple of emails in the past from girls saying they want to start a blog, but are scared of what people will say or think. This is such a common thing, I constantly see bloggers saying their blog is a secret and that they don't want their friends/ family/ people at school to find out and it makes me so sad! I started blogging in College, so I was out of School, but it wasn't like I waited until I was out of School, I just hadn't thought about it at the time! I would definitely have started blogging in School and sometimes I wish I had. Although I do see why some girls worry about blogging while at school. I've been lucky myself and haven't had to face any of the negativity from people (not that I know of anyway!). I didn't make a huge thing of my blog, but I didn't hide it either. I was never really embarrassed about it because I saw no reason to be. Anyone that did know either wasn't bothered or thought it was quite interesting. However, I'm not going play dumb and pretend the nastiness doesn't happen, because I know how bitchy people can be, particularly while you're at School. All I can say, is that if you can get past that, then the blogging community is a great one to be part of. You'll talk to loads of like-minded people and get a great new hobby. If you want to start a blog but you're worried about what people will think, don't be! Even if there are bitchy girls at your school, you're the one who'll have loads of new friends, a great hobby and something to be proud of.

What will I get out of blogging?
Let me clear things up straight away, by this, I do not mean money and freebies. Those do come in time and when they do, it's great! But that's not what I mean by this and that's a topic for another day. What I mean, is what you get out of blogging in the long term. Blogging can open so many doors for you in so many ways. Through blogging, I've started talking to and becoming friends with so many girls all over the country and even over the world. I love writing and rambling on about things and my blog is like my outlet for that. It gives me something to do and look forward to doing in the evenings after work, which brings me onto my next point. Work. I'm a Beauty Therapist and while this is related to beauty, I never thought my blog would directly link to my job. While I am a Beautician at the Salon, when I'm not with clients, I also write their blog for them and do their advertising online. My blog was a big part of why I got this job as they were really interested in my blogging experience. And this is something I did myself, I didn't have to take any journalism, advertising or IT courses, I just started up a blog and taught myself the ins and outs of the internet and hey presto! So now, thanks to my blog, my job consists of both the things I love, blogging and beauty therapy and that's really cool. When I first started my blog, I didn't even think about putting it on my CV, but I'm so glad I did and you definitely should too!

In Conclusion...
I guess my point overall, is that yes, there is a 'point' to blogging. There are plenty of reasons to get involved and if you're thinking about starting a blog, don't hesitate. Just give it a go and I'm sure you won't regret it!

So, I hope you enjoyed this rather long and very different post - definitely let me know if you'd like to see more like this!

SOAP & GLORY PULP FRICTION REVIEW

I picked up this body scrub a little while ago as Soap & Glory was on 3 for 2, like I need an excuse! I'd tried the Sugar Crush scrub, The Breakfast Scrub, Scrub Em and Leave Em and Flake Away (phew!), but hadn't actually noticed this one so I thought since I'd tried most of the others, I'd give this one a go too to see how it compared.

I really love a good exfoliator as my skin, particularly on the backs of my arms, can get quite dry sometimes. I've found in the past some exfoliators can be too rough and scratchy, others are too gentle and don't seem to do anything and others leave that horrible 'film' over your skin that doesn't rinse off properly which I hate! So, you could probably say I'm a tough one to please when it comes to exfoliators, although I had high hopes for this, as Soap & Glory have yet to disappoint.

What drew me to this, (packaging and the fact I'm a Soap & Glory addict aside) was the fact that it said it was a 'foamy' body scrub. I've never tried, or even found  a foaming body scrub before so I was really excited to see if this worked. Even though I hadn't finished my beloved Breakfast Scrub, I had to give this a try right away and it definitely didn't disappoint on the foam! It lathered up like a shower gel and smelt lovely and fruity, which made it feel really luxurious. This is quite a grainy scrub and it exfoliates really well, however the way it lathers up makes it feel quite gentle, which is really nice. The grains are also pink and blue, which is a cute little touch! The scent fills the bathroom while you're using it which I really like and it stays on the skin for a little while after too.

Overall, I really loved this scrub, I think you kind of get the best of both worlds because it exfoliates really well, but as it's foamy, it feels quite gentle. It also smells gorgeous and makes you feel really clean and fresh! If you're in need of a new scrub, or don't like scratchy body scrubs, then this is definitely worth a go.

Have you tried this scrub, or would you like to? Let me know!

HOME SWEET HOME

clock - print - owl

dresser - candle

First off, sorry for that lack of my face on the blog lately, I wanted to get an outfit post up today but my face was just having none of it. So today, I decided to do a homeware post. I've been looking at homey bits a lot lately and I thought I'd share them with you. I've always pictured a fairytale style bedroom with a huge bed with pretty bedding, a lovely white dresser, like the one above, with a big mirror, a fancy chair and space for all my makeup. Perhaps a revamp with some colour paints. A girl can dream!

As well as the dressing table, (which is a bit of a pipe dream at the minute!) I've been loving little home accessories. I think the clock is so cute, even though it'd look totally out of place in my current bedroom!
The Love artwork is really simple but cute and the little owl is just adorable! I've seen a lot of people with ceramic owls on dressing tables and things and while it has absolutely no point whatsoever other than to look cute, I still really want one.
I really love lilyflame candles too, my mum has this one and it smells beautiful. I'd never seen them in the larger size before though, only the small tins. I really like the glass jar though, it's so pretty!

I actually really like doing slightly more lifestyle posts like this sometimes, let me know if you'd like to see more of them!