I go through phases every so often where I either invest in new products and fall in love with them instantly, or end up rekindling my love for an older product within my beauty collection. This month I have some new loves in my beauty life. So I thought I would share the products I have been loving this month with you and hopefully somehow persuade you to also invest in these wonderful buys!
In one of my most recent posts, I shared a selection of photos and a little insight into what I got up to on my latest holiday away. But the areas that I missed out was the crippling anxiety I experienced throughout the trip. I suffer with anxiety anyway, so it was expected my anxiety would rocket sky high being away from home and out of my comfort zone. It was a tough week and took a lot out of me. But now I've been and survived the time away, I thought I would share with you some tips and things I found useful when I was on holiday to manage my anxiety. I'd like to hope that this will help some of you who also suffer and are worried about how you'll cope being away from home.
I think most people within the beauty world have gone slightly crazy for the latest lip release from Charlotte Tilbury, the Hot Lips collection showcasing 12 shades inspired by celebrities and 4 best sellers. When I found out that a Charlotte Tilbury counter was coming to my local area, I jumped at the chance of getting my hands on one of these lipsticks. Being a fan of the Kardashian's and also falling in love with the shade, I of course had to go for the inspired by Kim Kardashian West.
We all strive for success when it comes to blogging. Whether that's to inspire, create, develop and improve, we all have our own goals when it comes to blogging and want to make it the best it can possibly be, right? Everyone will have a different opinion on how they will define success and what it includes. But what does it look like to you? How do you know when you or another blogger is successful? Do we use these people to push us to grow our blogs? Do we view some more successful than others depending on what we deem as successful? What does blogging success look like to you?
Everyone need's their perfect go to lip that works best for everyday and fits into whatever their schedule involves, whether that's a busy day of work ahead or a fun day out with the girls. There are three shades within my collection that are all slightly similiar in colour, but are great for suiting whatever kind of plans you have for that day. I'm going to be sharing these rosy pink shades with you and hopefully inspiring you to find your perfect lip shade and finish to suit whatever lifestyle you have.
The first day of our holiday was mainly spent travelling and we arrived at the cottage we were staying at in North Yorkshire at around 5pm. The journey took longer than expected, so we didn't have much time to chill or even go out to explore the area. Most of the first day was wasted, which was a shame, but it meant more excitement to head out the next few days.
It wasn't that great of weather the next day (saturday), so we were limited on the things that we could do. But in the end, we ended up braving the weather and headed to the coast. We went to Whitby to take a look around the sea side town and also have a look at the harbour. I so wish the weather was better because it would have been lovely to be by the sea with the sun shining and some warmth in the air. But aside from that, it was a good way to spend the late morning and afternoon wondering around the local shops, popping into famous high street brands and taking a look around sea edge.
On Sunday we headed into County Durham again for a day of exploring, visiting the local shops and checking out the local attractions. The first place we headed to was the cathedral, which when we got there we couldn't go into because there was a service for the courts of justice. Instead, we decided to take a look around the outside and snap some photos of the cathedral. Also because of the service, we were unable to go into the castle, which was just a short walk across from the cathedral, because the after event was being held there. So we headed down to the shopping area, which of course suited me absolutely fine and also had a walk around the River Wear. I also purchased the most amazing Rolo cake from the Sweet Tooth stand located at the Cheveley Park Shopping Centre. I'd definitely recommend purchasing a slice if you ever visit the area or making an order as they offer a delivery service. They also do cupcakes, ice creams, brownies, waffles and cheesecakes which all looked amazing!!!!
On the Monday we headed to York, which was one of my favourite places of the whole trip to visit. It's such a lovely place to visit to and I'd actually quite like to live there. As we travelled in by bus, we decided to head to the National Rail Museum first as the bus stopped literally around the corner from it. I'm not a massive fanatic of trains, I don't mind travelling on them at all, but I wouldn't say I have an obsession with them. But this museum is honestly somewhere you need to visit if you're in York! It's free to get into, so you don't even have to worry about spending any money to get inside. It's interesting to take a look inside all the the different types of trains over different centuries, including those used by the royal family and ones used over the world.
In the afternoon, we headed more into the centre of York and headed to York Minster. However, we didn't pay to go inside, so it was the perfect opportunity again to stand outside and take a few snaps of the place. It's actually huge!
The next stop on our trip around York was to head to the Castle Museum. Again another amazing museum for everyone and not the typical museum I was use to at least to going to at least. It beats the Norwich Castle Museum hands down (sorry home city, love you really). There were so many interesting exhibits within the castle that really engage you in, such as the toy gallery showcasing children's toys throughout each decade, 400 years of fashion, food and life, a recreated Yorkshire street that is so lifelike and literally makes you feel like you're walking back through time, recreated period rooms, the prison cells and the 1914 start of the war exhibition showcasing how the world changed. Another one I'd really recommend going to and I'd go back in a heartbeat!
After all the tourist type activities, we headed down to the local high street and lanes to have a wonder around the shops. Again another winner for me who loves shopping. One of the streets we wondered down was one of the smallest oldest shopping streets I had ever seen. It's famously known as the 'The Shambles' with overhanging timber framed buildings, some going as far back as the 14th century. I love exploring cute little parts of towns!
The next day (Tuesday) was spent a little more relaxed and in the local area since we had quite a few busy days and had a busy day planned the next day. In the morning we headed into Yarm, which is a small town in Stockton-on-Tees and around a fifteen minute drive from where we were staying. We had a look around the local businesses and I spotted such a pretty flower display outside one of the florists. I, of course, being the blogger I am, had to take a picture of it and had to include it in this post. Who doesn't love a pretty flower display? After checking out Yarm, we came back to the cottage for the rest of the day to chill in the hot tub in the glorious weather that had finally decided to make an appearance. Now I'm back, I am missing that hot tub more than anything. It was such a great way to relax in the sun after a busy day!
On Wednesday, one of my other favourite days of the whole trip. I wonder why?! We headed into Newcastle, a place I have visited many times before. Fun fact (that probably really isn't that interesting...) I am actually a 1/4 Geordie. I so wish I was had the full blown accent. It's my absolute favourite. It's so lush compared to my Norfolk/Essex accent. Anyway, our first destination was the Metro Centre, a shopping centre I hadn't been to since I was little and clearly wasn't a massive lover of shopping back then. But years on things have definitely changed in that aspect of my life, I very much enjoyed having a little shopping spree and purchasing a few bits and pieces.
In the afternoon, my mum and I headed more into the centre of Newcastle and went to Eldon Square shopping centre, whilst my brother and dad went to St James' Park, the home ground of Newcastle United Football Club. I made my first visit to a Charlotte Tilbury counter in Fenwicks, which by the way is such a lovely department store. I couldn't stop snapping pictures on my phone of some of the gorgeous things they had in there and the food hall in particular was amazing. There were so many delicious treats. I wish I had got a full photo now. But as you can see, I did take a picture of the marble flooring in there (blogger goals!!!) and also the adorable classic biscuit set that look's so yummy! Also I had to have one of my favourite summer Costa drinks, the original ice lemonade.
Before we headed back to our cottage for the evening, I also made another first visit to Ikea. Back in Norwich, we only have a small Ikea, which basically has a few showrooms and only a select few items you can purchase, like fake plants or decorations. It's basically just a click and collect store. So since I had never been in an actual proper Ikea, I made the most out of the Newcastle one. I couldn't believe how long it went on for and how many great home pieces there was. It was like an interior lovers dream. I purchase the cutest flamingo glasses for 50p each, so I'm sure you'll be seeing them appear on my Instagram very soon.
The last day of our trip was another go out in the morning and then relax in the afternoon/evening sort of day, since we would be having a long journey back to Norwich the following day. We headed to the coast again and went to a place called Redcar, a small seaside resort and town. One of my mum's friend's actually recommended going there. It was your typical seaside town and had a gorgeous sandy beach. I hate it when beaches are all stoney and you can't sit on them properly, anyone else?
So there we go, a little photo diary and insight into what I got up to on my holiday to North Yorkshire/Newcastle. It was fun to explore places I had either not been to before or hadn't been too since I was really young.
Have you been away recently? What did you get up to? Or where are you headed on your travels?
Lauren x
When you're reading this, I shall be on my way back from my little trip away and hopefully will have hopefully used most of these products on my week away. It was only a four hour trip away to North Yorkshire/Newcastle for a few days with my family for the first time in years. This is the reason why this post is going up a day late (apologies for that.) So I thought why not share with you guys the products I have taken and (hopefully) been using over the week. Most of the products are used in my daily make-up routine, so I guess this is two posts in one in some way.
Supporting other bloggers is so important! Most bloggers will agree that one of the great things about blogging is meeting people who share similiar interests to you and being a part of a supportive community. I'm sure if you're a blogger and you're reading this, you'll at least have one blogger in mind who you have formed some form of relationship with.
Even if you haven't, there's thousands of us in the blogging world and sometimes because there is such a huge amount of us, like any community there will be the select few who hate and don't agree on certain things. This is normal. It's life. But instead of bashing each other down, we should be encouraging, supporting and being positive to to one another. Here's how we can do this on social media, on each others blogs and even in real life:
Getting back into blogging when you've been out of the game for some time can be a struggle. You'll find yourself not knowing where to start and the list of things you feel you have to do might just push you away from the whole processes all over again. The aim of today's post is to show you 14 ways you can get back into blogging and some areas you might want to consider working on to make your come back.
Within the past few years, my obsession for all things beauty and make-up has grown massively. It was one of the reasons what prompted me to start this blog. With an ever growing collection of make-up and a interest in trying out different products, I've found a few product types that I know I couldn't live without, whether this is applying them during my daily make-up routine or essentials I love to use to make a difference to how I look.
Denim skirts made a come back last year with the seventies trend being a big hit and a year on this trend is still very much a firm favourite upon the UK high street. For me I see the denim skirt as being a staple, a must have in your wardrobe and definitely one that screams versatility. Now it's summer, it's a great time to invest one if you haven't already. The great thing about this piece is you can continue to wear this kind of skirt all year round. In today's post, I am going to be showing you how you can wear a denim skirt through each season, as well as how you can style it to suit different occasions.
It is so important that when it comes to blogging that you really drawn in an audience and keep them engaged. This will ensure they keep coming back to your blog and support you as a blogger. You could have thousands of views each post, but a lack of feedback and engagement from readers can make you feel like people aren't taking you seriously. Today I am going to share with you how you can increase your reader engagement and create a community of people who always interact with you and your blog.