I'm such a spring/summer girl and get so excited about everything to do with these months of the year, including the change in the fashion as you go from winter into spring. Spring fashion is hands down my favourite season of the whole year for fashion. Everything just looks so much prettier and I fall in love with so many gorgeous pieces. Everything seems to fit me so much better and I feel so much more confident in the outfits I throw together unlike in the Winter where everything drowns my petite frame and I get so bored of wearing layers and coats. Today I thought I'd share with you some of my top picks on my spring fashion wishlist right now.
Do you ever get those moments when doing your makeup or carrying out your beauty routine where you just feel like you wish you could be better at doing something? It's not that your terrible (I am actually at winged liner...), it's more that you can't perfect it like most people do or you struggle with your application, but can just about get away with the finished results. I thought it would be fun to share some of those beauty things I wish I was a lot better at and for you guys to see if any of them are similiar to the things you struggle with too. I'm sure there's going to be at least one!
Can you believe we're already nearing to the end of March?! I can't believe how fast this year is going. Christmas seems like forever ago and it will be shortly be Easter soon. But before that, we have Mothers day, which is just one week away now. If you're making plans or thinking of ideas of what you could do to treat your Mum this Mothers day, then keep on reading because I've got 10 ways you can do so!
One of the main reasons I never started a blog sooner than I actually did was because I was scared. I was scared of judgement from those I knew. It wasn't of those closest to me that I was worried would judge me. I have a group of supportive people behind me who back me with whatever I decide to do. But it was more the people I used to know and those from school who knew me. I guess I was lucky in the sense that I started my blog two years after I had left school, so these people I was so worried would judge me I didn't even have to face every single day. But still I felt like these people I knew would mock me for putting my voice and myself out online for the whole world to see.
After going through depression and anxiety, I surprisingly learnt to really not give a crap about what people thought about me, because in some ways I stopped judging and caring what other people were doing. To me none of that stuff mattered anymore. I didn't have to speak nor did I have to face any of them ever again, so why did it matter if they knew or they found out and teased me for it? Surely the problem would lie with them instead of me, knowing if they did it meant they would be taking time out of their own day to judge me for something I've had the guts to do and worked bloody damn hard on!
Ever since I published my first blog post in 2015, I haven't kept my blog a secret. I've happily shared it with my closest loved ones. I don't care if people from school come across it and decide to judge it. Go ahead. Because I'm loving it and I'm not going to stop because of you. And If I meet anyone knew, I'm not afraid to be like 'hell yes I am a blogger and I have my own blog, so what?!'. If you're reading this and thinking 'oh my god, I can't bare to share my blog with anyone', then here are some reasons as to why I've never kept it a secret and they hopefully might help change your mind to pluck up the courage to just go for it....
Creating a blog, working hard on it every single day behind the scenes and publishing content for the world to see is something that should be congratulated. You should congratulate yourself on throwing passion into this hobby and trying to make it something you're really proud of. I'm proud of my blog. Yes, it may not be the most successful with pretty pictures, high quality writing and thousands of followers behind it, but it's my space. It's my online voice. It's what I created not for anybody else, but me and overtime it's become something which I love to share to other people. I've produced and published content that I am proud of. It's what I have achieved based entirely on my own work and dedication. I am proud of how I have grown not only online, but also offline. Blogging has helped me in so many ways. You shouldn't have to just congratulate yourself alone. Get other people involved and let them share the same admiration you have for this amazing thing you've created called your blog!
I mentioned briefly how blogging has helped me in so many ways. It's given me confidence online that I never had and confidence I am lacking in the outside world. But one area where it has helped me in the past was when I was well enough to apply for jobs. I want to potentially work in social media and digital marketing. A blog is perfect for those two areas because a blog essentially touches on some of the things that the duties someone in this career sector would carry out on a day to day basis. But it's not just the digital side of things where having your own blog looks good. Showing on your CV that you run your own blog shows a whole wide range of skills and presents to a potential employer what your interests are and how you spend your free time. It also shows experience. So don't be afraid to hide it to even those people in more higher authorities. It could benefit you greatly and help you stand out amongst other applicants!
Now you can let your loved ones celebrate with you and potential employers get a real taste of who you are, that only leaves all those people you use to know and those strangers you might potentially get to know in the future. I know it's so so so hard to not care, but seriously stop caring about what other people are going to think. It's your blog. If no one likes it or has anything nice to say about it and yourself, then don't listen to them and move on. If people can't admire you for your effort, then are they the sort of people you want in your life? If you're seriously doing what you love and enjoy it so much, then just keep on going and stay focused! Don't let someone elses opinion throw you off from what doing what you want to do. If you do meet someone who doesn't get the whole blogging thing, then try sit them down and explain it to them. If they have any sense, they'll change their mind and see just how passionate you are!
I hope this post comes across in the right way. No way am I having a go at anyone who keeps their blog a secret. I do see why people would and I don't have anything wrong with it. But I just wanted to put a point across about why I've never kept it a secret and how much happier I feel I am with blogging by just being open. I hope this does encourage you to take the plunge! It's not as scary as you may think and it will be 100% worth it :)
How open are you about having your own blog?
Lauren x
Is it just me or is anyone else super excited to be swapping their dark winter hues for more fresh and light spring picks? Nail's are always the one place I start when it comes to changing up my colour choices as we move through the seasons. I love spring. You'll probably have gathered that if you've been reading my blog for a while, but if not you will soon find out with the new exciting spring content coming your way over the next couple of months. Because of my love for spring, I've got lots of gorgeous shades within my nail polish collection that I'm going to be reaching for over the course of the next few months that I can't wait to share with you!
Instagram is the one social media app I have a funny relationship with. I can sometimes go days without uploading and hardly venturing onto the app, the changes and the lack of inspiration I feel being enough to turn me off from it. Where as, there's other times when I will be crazy obsessed with it, which will include me planning and uploading lots of new exciting content and constantly scrolling through my feed and engaging with everyone's posts.
When I am feeling Instagram a lot more, I really do get reminded of why I joined the app in the first place and why it is just so great for blogging. I've discovered so many wonderful accounts over the past couple of years and realised I've never shared any of them over here on my blog. So I thought that I better change that. These accounts I'm sharing are ones that inspire me and I believe deserve way more recognition for the fantastic content they upload on the regular!
First up is Cally from cally_oneill - one person I truly believe deserves way more recognition than what she gets in the blogging world and over on her Instagram account. Cally takes some wonderful shots of mainly beauty products and occasionally some lifestyle ones are thrown in too. They're bright and so well styled and positioned. She has a consistent theme white theme running throughout with pops of colour and I honestly just love the photos she takes. I can spot her photos from a mile away! Plus she's also a really lovely girl and uploads some fantastic blog posts too!!
A fairly new discovery is Faye from fridayfaye, but one I so wish I had discovered sooner and was shocked when I realised she hadn't been uploading for very long and that she also had only just started a blog. You would never know when you look at her feed or over on her blog. She's a complete natural. Her theme is so girly with dusky pink vibes running through a range of beauty and lifestyle images. It's so fresh and flows so effortlessly. Her flatlays are also so good. They're my main point of inspiration right now. She seriously needs to teach me her ways!
On the topic of inspiration, Vanessa from flipandstyle is also someone who inspires me. She has my favourite colour theme running throughout her blog and Instagram. Pink, white and grey. It has such a luxurious feel to it and I love how she shows a ray of images, not just beauty or flatlays. They're a good mixture of different things from real life to personal style and beauty picks. She also includes little motivation quotes which I love seeing come up on my theme. I love a good quote! You definitely need to check her out.
One person who has a swoon worthy feed is Laura from lauramillsmakeup filled up lots of pretty makeup and beauty images. It's so pink and girly too. She takes such high quality and amazing photos that I'm so jealous of. Her theme feels so genuine and real too. I love her makeup of the day images she uploads almost daily. She has such a wonderful makeup collection too. Laura's also just started a blog recently and I'm loving it. It's one of my new go to places for makeup and beauty tips.
LabelsForLunch is a someone you can clearly see works super hard on making her feed the glory it is! It's so bright and colourful. Her images really catch your eye and stand out. I recognise her images on my feed so quickly. I got introduced to her account in a blogger comment pod I'm involved in and I'm so glad I joined because I love her images. They're so fun and creative. There's a mixture of different things included so you're always in for a surprise!
Another account I came across in one of the comment pods I'm in is Amy from theauburnagenda. She has a white and airy theme made up of a mixture of different shots. She shares beauty, fashion and lifestyle images, so there's something for everyone there. Amy also posts some wonderful makeup looks and she has a great talent! Her cut crease eye makeup she created is so good. She needs to teach me how to do it!
Which Instagrams are you loving right now?
Lauren x
You don't know happy it makes me to know that Spring is on it's way and to say goodbye to the cold and miserable winter months. As much as I love snuggling down in the evenings under a blanket, I much prefer the warmth of the spring/summer, days out in the sunshine with the family and of course being a blogger way more blog photo opportunities due to the better photo lighting. Here's a little to do list of the things I'm hoping to achieve or want to do throughout Spring:
1. Read three books - I'm currently reading Sunshine On A Rainy Day by Byrony Fraser, so hopefully I'll be able to finish that soon and move on to another one. I've recently got back into reading and I've honestly missed it so much.
2. Start exercising again - It literally disgusts me when I think back to the last time I did a solid good workout or went on a run. It's seriously been that long, but due to health problems it's sometimes impossible. But I want to try push myself and start exercising again. I love doing workouts for home and going on early morning runs on the weekend when no one is about. It's pure bliss.
3. Swap dark hues for light hues in my makeup collection - Whilst I've been obsessed with wearing dark plum colours on my lips and copper shadows on my lids and will be very sad to say goodbye to them for the next few months, I can't wait to start wearing lots more lighter based makeup and spring shades. Mac's snob will be making a swift return to my lip wardrobe.
4. Continue to improve my photography - I have been working super hard on my blog photography lately. I've actually properly learned about my camera settings, invested in some new blog props and backgrounds, as well as taking my time with it and experimenting. I personally feel like I have improved slightly, so hopefully that will come across to you guys also. But I still have a long way to go, but I'm actually enjoying it for the first time ever!!!
5. Eat more fruit - Is it just me or is fruit way more appealing in the warmer months of the year? I can't wait to eat strawberries, apples, grapes and raspberries a lot more regularly again. How yummy!
6. Buy flowers more regularly - Flowers just make a room feel so much fresher and airy! Tulips are my absolute favourites. They're so pretty. Spring is the perfect excuse to purchase lots.
7. Add some new spring wardrobe additions - Spring and summer fashion is my absolute favourite. Everything's just so much prettier and sweet. I find clothing pieces are way more flattering on me and don't even get me started on all the shoes! I'm all over pink suede mules right now.
8. Go for a walk everyday - Walking is one of my favourite ways to clear my head during a stressful time or to just simply enjoy getting out in the fresh air. When the weather starts getting better, I definitely want to go on more walks and preferably at least once a day.
What are your plans for Spring?
Lauren x
Growing up I was always known as the stationary addict to my family. Everytime we would go out to the supermarket, I would be purchasing a new notebook or set of pens to add to my already overgrowing stationery collection that I had ended up housing over time. When I got into blogging and started taking it more seriously, this old love of mine seemed to be reignited and after many years of not being too fussed about stationary, my obsession for it has come back and I cannot resist purchasing all the pretty stationary. Of course this can be quite an expensive habit, so if you like me and want some cute ass stationery in your life, then keep reading because I've got some of the best places to shop for affordable stationery right here!
Building a makeup collection can be something that happens unintentionally overtime to any beauty or makeup lover out there. Not only does it take time to achieve a collection that you absolutely love, but it also means dedicating your own money to funding your collection and putting the effort in to actually experiment with a range of products, to eventually find the ones that are going to stick with you. Here are some of my top tips for building a makeup collection based on my own experiences.
Buy products you actually want to buy - When it comes to investing money into makeup products and trialing out different ones, it can be easy to fall into the trap of buying only hyped about products or those that someone has recommended to you. Of course this is fine and I personally appreciate it when people do recommend genuine great products to me, but if you're just buying a product to please someone else or to have all the popular products everyone else has got, then you're building a collection of products you're probably not even going to really like. Instead buy what you want, rather than what you feel like you have to own.
Give yourself a budget and stick to it - As you are probably aware, buying makeup can be expensive and creating a collection you love will be pricey. But instead of having to worry about how you're going to afford things, make yourself an affordable budget that works for you. Do your research before hand. Look out for more affordable dupes of expensive items you have your eye on and find out whether the majority like a product enough to buy it again. Also consider that if you do want to splurge on a higher priced item, then save up as much as you can before doing so. Or go for cheaper yet good quality products that work as well as the more expensive ones.
Be practical with yourself - Know what is and what isn't worth the investment. Consider what items you can save some money on and what items you can spend more on. Products like mascara, brow products, concealer and liners will be used up more quickly, so you'll probably want to aim to spend less on these. The products that are more worth spending on include lipsticks, shadows, brushes and foundations (only if you don't wear foundation every single day.).
Invest in some good storage - With a growing collection, it's a good idea to invest in some storage to keep all your makeup products organised and well looked after. You want somethings that provides ease of access if you wear makeup a lot, because no doubt you'll always need to be in reach of it in your daily routine. This will also help to make it easier to get ready. If you're someone who wants to have your makeup on display so you can admire it, then perhaps invest in something that shows your collection off to it's full advantage and goes well with the rest of your room decor. I have 7 makeup storage ideas here if you need some further ideas and help.
Have patience - Building a makeup collection that you 100% love takes time. You need to be patient with yourself. Don't splurge on a load of items at once and instead consider that budget you have in mind. Alternatively, remember to save and spend on those worthwhile items that won't end up going to waste. It isn't going to happen over night or even a weeks time, it will probably take several months and maybe even years to get to where you aim to be.
Don't compare your size to someone else's - Everyone's makeup collections will be different. Not everyone's will have the same products or the same size. We all have to start somewhere. Some people prefer a minimalistic small collection of products they really love and get a lot of wear out of all of them. Whilst other people like to build a huge collection up and are able to provide themselves with a greater choice of products from their collection. For me personally, I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm practical with my purchases and only purchase items I need, but I do like to have a splurge on a random item or two from time to time. It is always nice to treat yourself!
Experiment with it - I touched briefly on this area and highlighted that it is important to be patient when you're building a makeup collection. You're going to be experimenting with different products for quite some time. Most products take a good couple of weeks for you to trial and test out, so you can see why it can become time consuming. But experimenting is definitely worth it since it will help you to find those products that you love and ones that actually work best for you. It's also a good idea to have a clear out every so often, to ensure you're getting rid of any unused or unloved products, which you can donate to friends or family. This will make way for new products.
Apply the one of each rule - If you solidly want to build a collection and be organised with it, then sticking to the one of each rule is essential. First start with gathering up the basics to create a full face of makeup that you can wear on a day to day basis. Remember these need to be ones you 100% love and will use a lot. Then you can move onto trying out new products and building your collection from your basics. Take into consideration the types of formulas and finishes you have in your collection, for example you might have one foundation that provides a full coverage with a matte finish and then an additional foundation you could add to your collection to build it could be one of a more dewy natural coverage.
How have you built your own makeup collection?
Lauren x