NaNoWriMo Winner

I know that you guys must be getting sick of me going on about NaNoWriMo, but you'll all be very happy to know that it's over now. My first NaNoWriMo which consisted of 30 days of long nights and minor panic, when at the 6 Days left mark, I still had 18,000 words to write.

A few people didn't think I was going to be able to do it (myself included), but here you have it. My winning Certificate to say that I completed my challenge, and I have to say that I am pretty damned proud of myself :)

To completely finalise my challenge, I wanted to show a few things that NaNoWriMo has taught me, because it really has been an experience that I am so glad that I chose to take part in, and I'm over the moon to have finished it.

One. 

I am capable of writing and following through, with a novel.

One of my biggest problems, when it comes to writing novels, is that I often have to force myself to continue to believe in myself and my work. So often, I've gotten to a certain point and just absolutely hated what I've done so much, that I just don't carry on.

NaNoWriMo has taught me not to give in, just because I stopped believing in it. Okay, so it might be hard at the time, but if it helps skip ahead to a more interesting part.

No one said that I have to write a novel in the right order did they ;)

Two.

No Editing Allowed

I have to be honest and say that I found the No Editing Allowed Ban easier than I was expecting. Okay, so I occassionally did a quick spell check, but I amazed myself but not once reading my story back.

And that has always been my second biggest problem: Reading and re-reading until the story is unrecognisable and I've just completely lost my way with the overall story.

Three.

Not to Be Afraid of Continuity

"No one ever got published from their first draft"

That was something I read in a Pep Talk during NaNoWriMo, and it is so true. 

A lot of writers, me included, become obsessed with writing this perfect first draft, but no one, not J.K. Rowling, or J.R.R. Tolkien, or even Charles Dickens will have sent their first draft to a Publisher. Well, not unless they were just setting themselves up for rejection.

So, I learnt to accept that the first draft does not need to be word-perfect, it doesn't need to flow like a dream, with wonderful descriptions, and it doesn't even need to have perfect continuity.

Why? Because that can all be added later.

It's better to have a draft you can edit and work with, than to have no draft at all.

I learnt a lot of other stuff, I'm sure, but for me, these were the most important ones.


To close this topic completely, I just want to say a quick and HUGE Thank You to everyone who supported me throughout (you know who you are!).


Roll on NaNoWriMo 2012 ;)


PS- The blog will be back to normal tomorrow, I promise :D

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For anyone who is missing me...

Here is a picture of my NaNoWriMo Mascot Pupu...and yes, that really is his name, it's not one I chose, I promise ;)

Triple fairy points to anyone who knows who/what Pupu is ;P

PS - This is my taking a NaNoWriMo Sanity break....nearly there :D

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Mini Hiatus

Hey ladies,

Just to let everyone know that the blog is going on a mini hiatus, but don't worry it's just for the next few days.

The reason is because I've been doing NaNoWriMo this month, and I have two days left to write 7,000 words so I've decided to put all my attention into doing work for clients, and then whilst my blog normally comes next in the food chain, NaNoWriMo is taking it's place temporarily.

I hate putting the blog on hiatus, but I shall be back on Thursday with the usual thoughts, and normal blogging shall resume on Friday :)

But, so that you don't feel too sad...here's a funny picture :P

Sorry, I forgot where I found this image,
so if it is yours please email me
so I can give credit where credit is due.

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A Nearly Hungry Nail Polish...?

The Hunger Games is touted to be one of the biggest-selling films of 2012, and with a blanket of teaser posters, trailers and the placement of Districts, through the Capitol.pn website, we fans are certainly being spoilt in the marketing stakes. And if Lionsgate, the company behind this highly anticipated film had had their way, we could expect the mother of all beauty-related marketing tools to be heading in our direction, in the form of a China Glaze nail polish.

I say "if", because if the reports are true, American International Industries, who own China Glaze are planning on suing Lionsgate after the film company allegedly pulled out of the contract.

If the polishes had been released, these are what they are said to have looked like:

Image from here.

When I first heard this story yesterday, I really could not imagine what types of colours the range would have featured, but my speculation had included reds (for the flames of the fire) and golds (for the mockingjay) and dirty greys (for District 12), so I was really glad to find this picture of the collection. I was also glad to see that all of the shades, other than the red, was included, but I'm happy with the orangey shade.

I'm really hoping that Lionsgate figure stuff out with American International Industries, because I think that this China Glaze range would have been amazing, personally.

Marketing of films is always a tricky ones, firstly because you never know what is really going to do well. For example, look at the amount of hype that revolved around the making of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass in film form!); marketing went crazy, it had a pretty amazing cast, and unfortunately, it inevitably completely panned at the box office, with plans for the second two books to be adapted apparently disappearing off the face of the planet!

However, for films that are a huge success, tie-ins can be a brilliant supplement to the overall film, as film-goers strive to have a piece of the film that they can keep.

It might seem crazy to have film tie-ins that are beauty products, but when you consider that the fans for these films are probably predominantly female, it actually makes perfect sense. Take a look at some of the other beauty-related tie-ins that we've had over the past couple of years:

Review can be found here.

What do you think of the Hunger Games nail polishes? do you hope that they'll be released? And what about beauty/film tie-ins? Are you a fan, or do you not see the point? Which ones are your favourites, and which ones do you wonder why they bothered?

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What I'm Using Revisited

I seem to be on a roll for revisiting past topics that I've covered on my blog, but I think it's kinda nice to take a look at what I was using over a year ago, and see how my tastes and opinions have changed, regarding products that I'm using. That is exactly why I've decided to revisit this post.


Hair
Shampoo: VO5  Plump Me Up Shampoo for Fine, flat hair (review coming soon)
Conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light
Hair Mask: Sachajuan Hair Repair (review coming soon)
Styling Products: Schwarzkopf Heat Protection Straightening Spray (unchanged from last year!!)


Body
Body Moisturiser: Various, but recently I've been loving Olavie Chardonnay Antioxidant Body Butter
Deodorant: Sanex Dermo Invisible
Fake Tan: None (still), although I did try one that came in a beauty box, a few months ago, which was too dark for me (luckily I only tested it on the back of my hand!!), but at least I can now say that I've tried a fake tan!


Face
Make Up Remover: Green People Make Up Remover and Cleanser
Cleanser: Madara Delicate Cleansing Milk (I only have a travel-size of this, and I don't think I'm going to be able to stretch it out much longer eep!)
Exfoliator: Either Simple Oil Balancing Exfoliating Wash, Simple Oil Balancing Facial Scrub or Sanctuary Polishing Hot Clother Cleanser (I like to switch them about a bit, so that my skin doesn't get too used to one product!)
Moisturiser: Madara Deep Moisture Gel


Make Up
Primer: GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer
Foundation: Max Factor Ageless Elixir
Concealer: Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch: Light Diffusing Concealer
Blush: I don't tend to wear blusher very often, but I'll sometimes wear one from the Victoria Jackson Baby Doll Colour Kit.
Bronzer: None
Highlighter: None
Eyebase: Urban Decay Primer Potion
Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils and Rimmel Glam'eyes Liquid Eyeliner
Curler: Boots own-brand...very rarely used!!
Mascara: Rimmel London 3 Looks Mascara (I still love this product, and swear by it!)
Lipstick: Virgin Vie Peachy Kiss (this lipstick is getting old, but I don't care, I still love it) or I really love the All for Eve Red Lipstick that came in May's Glossybox, I just wish that I had the confidence to wear red lippie :)
Gloss: Rimmel Vinyl Lipgloss
Lip Liner: None, although I sometimes use one by Victoria Jackson.
Nail Varnish: OPI in Extravagance


Wow, it really is amazing to see what products I honestly do swear by, and which products I've stumbled upon and loved over the past 12 months.


What products do you use? 

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Bloggers Christmas Weight Loss Challenge

I make no secret that I need to lose some weight (probably quite a bit of weight really), so when I spotted that Katie over at The Bristol Beauty Blog was running a Bloggers Christmas Weight Loss Challenge, I felt that I really had to join in :D

The Challenge: Lose 7lbs by 23rd December 2011.

Ultimately, I need to be losing a great deal more than that, but as Katie says, it's best to start small and be sensible than throw myself head first into some unhealthy crazy quick-fix kinda diet.

Other Bloggers taking part are:


Katie, the Bristol Beauty Blog - Week 1: Lost 1 lb
Rachelle, Behind the Shoes
Ray, Who is She???
Mrs Ari
Missy Ellie, Ellie's Beauty Blog 
Hannah, Betwixt Beauty
Lucy, Beauty and the Blogger
Kat, Kat's Beauty Reviews Week 1: Lost 1lb
Elle, Beauty Abroad Week 1: Lost 2lb already!

Good luck to everyone else taking part, and if anyone else is interested, then you can get in touch with Katie over on her blog :)

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Batiste Dry Shampoo Revisited

Brand: Batiste
Type Used: Original
Price: 50ml is £1.52 from Boots, and £1.49 from Superdrug. 200ml or 100ml (dependant on which "flavour" you choose) is £2.99 from Superdrug.
Varieties: Original, Blush, Boho, Brit, Diva, Coloured Tones, Tropical.


My Past with Batiste: Back in June 2010 (although it seems like yesterday), I wrote a review of Batiste's Blush Dry Shampoo. I'd never used any kind of dry shampoo before then, and I hadn't really been very keen on it. However, move exactly a year forward, and I received a travel-size version in one of my Glossybox erm boxes.

As you can imagine, following on from my previous experience with the product, I wasn't particularly keen to give this one a try either. However, during a recent weekend away with the other half to Meadowhall, I decided to take a load of sample/travel-sized products with, as an opportunity to try a few bits out, and this was one of the products that I took with me.

How did I use it this time? The first time I tried out the Dry Shampoo, I'd attempted to use it as an alternative to washing my hair. Noting that I have hair that gets greasy very quickly, when I applied the shampoo, my hair was probably beyond the help of a can of a product like this.

This time, I used it in the evening, when my hair wasn't quite as full-on greasy, but more just starting to go a little bit oily at the roots. Really, I just wanted something to freshen my hair up so I didn't look scruffy when I went out for dinner.

And how did it do? Actually, it did very well. At first, I was sceptical because it didn't seem to be doing much at all, but when I scrunched my hair up a bit at the roots, I was really impressed with two things:

1. My hair didn't look or feel greasy 
2. My hair actually had a little bit of volume to it (not quite as much as the advertising tries to make out, but it was enough to be noticeable by me)

Would I purchase again? The travel-sized ones definitely, and I'd most certainly take them travelling with my again, as they are perfect for when you want to go out in an evening, but don't necessarily have time to have a shower. I can also imagine that they're great if you're going out straight after work. Definitely a handy little thing to carry around just in case of an emergency, rather than just because you're too lazy to wash your hair, as I tried in the past (live and learn I say :P)

Has Batiste ever saved your life (not literally) in a hair emergency? Share your stories below :)

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Why Charity Shops are a Beauty Bloggers Dream!

I've blogged a fair few times about picking up some great bargains in Charity Shops, not only with clothing, but also with beauty products. In fact, Charity Shops can be a haven for the skint Beauty Blogger. Here, I wanted to tell you guys why:

Products that can be found in Charity shops tend to come in four categories:

1. The Clear-Out Queen

Image found here.
Yeah, Marilyn Monroe was probably still alive
when some of these products were originally bought!!

These are products that someone has probably had in their collection for years, and they've decided to get rid of them as part of a clear-out or whilst moving house. Their aim may be to simply cut down on the clutter, but whatever, they no longer want to keep it.

The Bad Side: The problem with stuff like this is that a lot of the time, it tends to be stuff that is so out-of-date you probably wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, even if the Charity Shop paid you to do it!

The Good Side: On the other hand, this is potentially a great way to find products that are discontinued either because they were Limited Editions, or the brand just chose not to sell them anymore. This is of course going to be rare, but as my Nana always said "you never know what you might find in a Charity Shop".

2. The Hated

Image found here.

The title seems a bit harsh, but these are the products that most of us will purchase at some time or other. You know, the product that we bought because at the time, everyone seemed to be talking about it, so it was very much a "Hype Buy". Unfortunately, the product wasn't all it cracked up to be, it was hated, and ultimately ended up being passed on to the nearest Charity Shop.

The Bad Side: It's been used/tested/swatched, but let's face it, how many of us happily purchase used products from blog sales these days? Probably most of us, and I say that as long as you do all that you can to sanitise the product, it's unlikely it'll cause anyone any harm.

The Good Side: A lot of the time these products are still fairly new, hardly used and will probably be still available pretty much in the same condition in the shops, but these will be a great deal cheaper. In that sense, these are probably the best types of products to get your hands on, in a Charity Shop.

3. The Free Gift or Sample

Image found here.
We all like free stuff, but how many of us actually use it?

The Products sometimes come in fancy make up bags, or on their own, and they're typically miniature versions of products. These are quite likely the free gift that came with another purchase in Boots or where ever.

The Bad: The colours tend to be neutral, bland or "natural" tones, in a vain attempt to fit everyone, but unfortunately they are never going to suit everyone's skin tone or even their tastes.

The Good: Quite often they are barely touched, or even unopened, as they were probably never wanted in the first place. Buying these free gifts or samples is a nice way of trying a product without buying a large size one. So, in effect you're achieving the ultimate goal that the product had in the first place!

4. The Unwanted Birthday/Christmas Present

Or not...as the case may be...!!

I can imagine that the Boots Christmas 3 for 2 offer practically supplies the Charity Shops Beauty sections every year. Why? Because when we don't know what to buy someone, we always turn to the gift sets available in the Boots 3 for 2. It's a great offer: we can get points on our Boots Card, and of course the free gift we can keep for ourselves. The problem? Not everyone likes these gift sets, in fact, a lot of people seem to not like them, because by January 1st, the Charity Shops seem to be bursting with them.

The Bad: A lot of the Gift Sets can be a little naff, the one's that were obviously bought by an elderly Aunt that thinks you have the same tastes as her, but doesn't really get these "newer" brands. I hate to sound ageist, but it's unfortunately true.

The Good: We can find some really amazing Gift Sets, from top brands. In the past I've found some pretty expensive Body Shop-branded ones, or even some quite big brands. Personally, I'm a fan of the ones with bath bombs, purely because I hate buying them myself, because I can never choose ha!

I'm not going to deny that Charity Shops are full of complete and utter crap 99% of the time, but if you're happy to put the time in to keep checking, then I promise that it will be worth it ;)

Happy Hunting, and let me know if you find any awesome beauty products in your local Charity Shop!

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Girls Day Out: Newcastle Update

A lot of you are probably already aware that this Saturday will be our second Girls Day Out, which is taking place in Newcastle.

Unfortunately, due to illness, I'm no longer going to be able to make it, but I hope that some of you guys will be able to, because there are lots of lovely ladies to meet and Katie (LadyfromaTramp) has lots of amazing surprises in store, which I am gutted to be missing!

If you are planning on attending, then I strongly recommend getting in touch with Katie, either through her blog or Twitter, as there has been a change of plan with the meeting times:

Basically, there will no longer be a meet-up at 10am. However, there will still be a meet-up at the Grey Street Hotel at 2pm.

For more details, please check out the official Facebook page.

If anyone is intending to go along, and would like to write a guest post for me about it, then please email me and I'd love to share your experiences :)

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Thoughtful Thursday: 24.11.2011

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Simple Spotless Skin Anti-Blemish Moisturiser Review

Oh my gosh, yes, you read that right, this is an actual review! I know right, totally shocked! But, whilst you have a sit down and take that in, I just want to say that I didn't purchase this myself, but I received it, a good few months ago now, from the lovely Miss A who runs the Beauty Boudoir Blog. Basically, she'd found that the moisturiser wasn't working for her, and since she hadn't used very much she wanted to pass it on to someone who would use it. And that person just happened to be me :D

Simple and I: You might remember, back in September 2010, I reviewed Simple's Oil Balancing Moisturiser, as part of my campaign to find products for my oily skin, but I hadn't been too impressed by it, for a variety of reasons, including the smell, and since writing that review, I also realised that one of my issues with that particular moisturiser was that whilst no, it didn't have excessive amounts of oil in it, I did feel that it was too watery which I wasn't too keen on.


Initial Thoughts: Before I even gave this product a chance, I'd written it off in my head, purely because of my experiences with the Oil Balancing product, and because it wasn't designed for oily skin. For those reasons, it took me a long time to even try it out.


Looking back this seems ridiculous, perhaps because I'ma little more "clued-up" about oily skin, but considering the strong connection between oily skin and having spots and blemishes, it actually makes perfect sense to try a moisturiser like this!

Ingredient Breakdown: For quite some time, I've grown quite sceptical of brands who claim to only use ingredients that your skin "actually needs", because it's one thing to tell us that our skin needs something, but those of us who aren't in the business, well, how on Earth do we actually know that we need them? 

We live in a world where researchers are telling us what we should and shouldn't eat, on an ever-changing daily basis, so I'm afraid that I've grown a little distrusting. In some cases, this is probably justified, whilst in many it really isn't. But, to avoid prejudice, I wanted to breakdown a few of the "key" ingredients!

Simple says: ZINC PCA absorbs excess oil 

Research says: Apparently Zinc is a great ingredient for two main reasons: 1. It is an anti-irritant, meaning that it won't irritate your skin (obvious really), and 2. It's an anti-oxidant which is perfect for spot-prone skin.

Simple says: CHAMOMILE is a skin soothing anti-irritant 
Research Says: Similar to Zinc, Chamomile has wonderful anti-oxidant, anti-irritant and anti-spot properties.

Simple says: CORN STARCH mattifies shine all day long
Research says: Corn Starch isn't as perfect an ingredient, as both Zinc and Chamomile, however, it's still pretty darn good. It's most often used for it's absorbing qualities which leave a mattified look to the skin, which is definitely something that anyone who suffers from oily skin is going to be looking for.

Simple says: ALOE VERA softens and soothes 
Research says: All I could find about Aloe Vera was that there is no real proof that clarifies how Aloe Vera might benefit the skin, however, it is a product that so many people swear by to apply to skin that is sun-burnt for example, due to its cooling properties (even my Nana swears by using the liquid straight from her Aloe Vera plant, as only a Nana would ;P), so despite the lack of evidence, I feel strongly that Aloe Vera has it's uses.

Looking at the Ingredients: I feel more confident that Simple do know what our skin needs, and I'm happier to use this product. 


So, what did I think of the Product? I've been using this moisturiser on-and-off for about three months now, and I have to say that I am far more impressed by it than the Oil-Balancing one. It doesn't have any weird scents underneath, and it isn't watery at all, which I was happy about.


As to the overall result, I felt happier after using this product, because as the ingredients implied, it did leave my skin mattified and not at all shiny, which is what I would have expected from the Oil-Balancing moisturiser.


Would I buy this again? Definitely. And, I think that comparing these two products just goes to show that you do not necessarily have to go for the moisturiser that is "aimed" at your direct skin type. It also amplifies that what might work for one person, might not be so great for you, so next time you're looking for a product for your "skin-type" try and be open-minded to trying products that might not (on the surface) be for you.


Has anyone else with oily skin tried this moisturiser? I'd love to know how it's left your beautiful skin feeling :)

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A Little Pick-Me-Up

I'm feeling a little low today and completely unmotivated towards blogging, so I've decided to post this to cheer me up. And if it happens to cheer you up too, then I'll be a happy Kitty :)

I was only going to pick one, but these three are my all-time favourite Simon's Cat videos. If you haven't heard of Simon's Cat...where have you been??

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The Great Lip Debate

I have to confess that over the past few months, this blog has become less about "beauty" and more about body image and positivity, which has made me question my blogs name, so I sort of wanted to apologise to you all for that. I think I've just grown up a lot since I started blogging, which has taken my blog down a different path. Nevertheless, I have so many products waiting to be reviewed, and I know I've said this before, but I really need to get my act together and concentrate a little more on beauty, whilst still including the positive side of things, because that is all still incredibly important to me.

But, I though that I would get back into the groove with a little debate, which I'd love to hear your thoughts on, so here you go::

Whether you're at School/Work, going shopping with your mum, or a Saturday night out, the chances are that you'll have fab eyes, because let's face it, our eyes tend to be the number one thing that we all think about first, when it comes to make up. But, what about your lips? Personally, I don't really think much about what I put on my lips. It just isn't a priority. But, as I'm learning more about such things, I've found myself trying new things when it comes to make up, and lipstick and lip gloss are just one area of neglect that I've been looking at.

So, I wanted to start up a little debate! Which is best?

To get us started, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and opinions:

Arguments For and Against Lipstick:

• For: Colour. I've always found that the colour on lipstick tends to last longer than lipglosses, when you're actually wearing it
• Against: Fading. Whilst the colour does tend to last longer, it tends to gradually fade, and personally, I find this to be a real pain, mainly because, if you've applied lip liner, generally that's all you end up left with, and you start to look a little like Jacqui McQueen!
• For: Lipliner. Despite the fact that lipliner can potentially be all your left with, it's also important to note that there are ways of applying lipliner to ensure you don't look ridiculous. I also appreciate the fact that lipliners can complement lipsticks quite nicely.
• Against: Taste. Although formulas are vastly changing, I find that a lot of lipsticks tend to taste quite nasty. I know you're not supposed to eat them, but when it's applied to your lips, you're going to taste it, whether you like it or not.
• For: Colour. Going back to the topic of colour, I think that lipstick colour tends to be quite vivid and brighter than lipglosses.
• Against: Colour. Back on colour, I also think that it is very easy to put too much lipstick on, not only by being heavy handed, but also because the colours are quite bold. 
• Against: Longevity. Maybe it's just me, but my lipsticks never seem to last very long. I know that you're advised to apply lipstick using a lip brush, but I really hate lip brushes for a variety of reasons, but most predominantly they tend to 1. Tickle my lips, which I find irritating. 2. Take so long to apply, that I just can't be bothered, and 3. I just find it easier to apply it straight from the tube.
• Against: Application. I don't know if it's just me, but I find applying lipstick to be an absolute nightmare, because I have to really pay attention to not get it on the skin above my lips, especially with a red or dark shade.
• Comment: This isn't a good thing, or a bad, but it highlights a point in way. I think that many (of course not all) lipsticks tend to have more of a "matte" look to them, which makes them perfect for professional occassions, but personally, I don't think that a "matte" look is what I would be looking for on a light out.

Arguments For and Against LipGloss:

• For: Easy Application. I find lipgloss wands are more more easy to use than using a lipstick, personally.
• Against: Icky Stick. This has to be my biggest grievance with lipglosses, and I get sick and tired of how sticky lipglosses are.
• Against: Taste. I tend to find that a large amount of lipglosses have very overpowering and sickly tastes, that I really detest.
• For: Taste. Fortunately, brands appear to be tackling this issue, and since starting my blog I've really fallen in love with a couple of lipglosses from well known brands such as Rimmel that aren't too bad in that department.
• For: Appearance. I love how glossy lipgloss is (hence the name), and how this glossiness leaves the lips looking fuller.
• Against: Re-Applying. My second biggest grievance is that most lipglosses don't tend to last very long, so re-application needs to be done quite regularly.
• Comment: Lipgloss is great at vamping up a lipstick look, adding shine if nothing else.
• Against: Lipliner. You don't really have the option of wearing lipliner with lipgloss alone, because personally I think that it look a tad silly.
• For: Colour. Perfect for my tastes, the colour of lipglosses tend to be quite subtle which I absolutely love.
• Against: Hair. How many of us have been out wearing lipgloss on a windy day and found our hair sticking to our lips?? Yeah, do I really need to say anymore?

I have to admit that whilst I've found myself leaning more towards wearing lipglosses, I've begun gaining the confidence to wear lipstick more. However, I think that I'd have to say that lipglosses are still my favoured option, providing that they're not sickly and sticky. I'll just have to deal with the windy day scenario though ;)

What are your thoughts? Are you a lipstick or a lipgloss kinda gal?

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The Liebster Award

Soooo, Lindsay from The LC Issue gave me an award (thank you very much :D), which I wanted to share with you all. You might think that Liebster is someone's surname and they got a little bit vain with the naming of this award (you know, a bit like the Oscars....just me??), but "liebster" is actually German, and means "beloved" (can I hear you say "aaaww" hehe :P)

As Lindsay stated in her blog post about this, I genuinely hate re-spawning spammy stuff like this because it is so bloody irritating when you just see every single blog with the same stuff on it, but this was one that I really wanted to share.

Why Am I Sharing It Then?? Apparently the idea behind the award is share a little bit of love amongst us bloggers who have less than 200 followers, which is a really great idea, not only because I have less than 200 followers, but because there are so many blogs that i really love that have less than 200 followers, and I think so many people are really missing out by not following them :)

The Rules: As with most things in life, there are of course a few rules to the Liebster Award. You can't just accept it and go "haha, in your face losers", because this isn't about receiving an award, it's about sharing the love.

But, it's okay, there aren't many rules anyway:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment at their blog.
3. Post the Award on your blog.
4. Enjoy the love of some of the most supportive people on the Internet!


THANK YOU

So, first of all, a huge THANK YOU to Lindsay for awarding me with this...er...award (sorry, I used "award" twice in a sentence, and that didn't feel right haha!!). If you don't already know Lindsay, I might not be able to give her this award, but you really should check out her blog anyway. 

I AWARD YOU...

Blush, Pout and Pose.The first award goes to a blogger who has been alongside me pretty much from Day One of my blog. She was one of the first blogs I followed, and she introduced me to ELF which I am ever grateful for! B is also one of my Positive Beauty Pledger, so I am definitely more than thrilled to offer her the Liebster Award :D

B blogs about...All things beauty-based :)

Lady From a Tramp. The Second award goes to a blogger who over the past few months has very much become my Partner-in-Crime. Next Saturday sees our second Northern Blogger Meet Up. The last one took place in Leeds back in August, and this one is taking place in Newcastle. Everyone is more than welcome, so if you live in or around Newcastle, please do join us, if you can :)

Katie blogs about... Fashion, Beauty and Lots in Between.

Alliebunni. Another Partner-in-Crime, but in a very different way, is Allie, who is my NaNoWriMo writing buddy (alongside my other half!) and having someone else who has the experience of doing it before, and is doing it alongside me, has been a great motivation (even if that motivation is in a predominantly competitive manner on my part ;P)

Allie blogs about... Beauty and writing

The Budget Beauty Book. Another Positive Beauty Pledger, Rosie is my not-related, not-the-same-age twin in that we share the same birthday (hurrah!!) and she is such a lovely person who everyone should be following, because she's fab!

Rosie blogs about... All things beauty that is great for any budget

Big Beauty Blog. I'm always happy to find a fellow plus size blogger and Clare is certainly one of my favourites :)

Clare blogs about... Plus Size Fashion, and beauty.


Congrats to you all, and I am more than honoured to award each of you with the pretty badge :P

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100 Things that Make Me Happy: Part Four (Christmas Special)

Yeah, I know it's a bit too early to be blogging about Christmas, but as part of this series, I couldn't resist ;) So, here is my Christmas Special featuring ten things that make me happy :P

Thirty One.

Lights in Trees

Image found here.

Thirty Two.

Snow Globes

Image found here.

Thirty Three.

Christmas Trees

Cat preferably not included.
He'll be safely in the kitchen with the Turkey!!
Image found here.

Thirty Four.

The smell of Turkey cooking

Hahaha, good ol' Monica ;)

Thirty Five.

Cheesy Christmas Films

You can't have Christmas without
Buddy the Elf!!

Thirty Six.

Freshly fallen snow

Double fairy points for anyone who knows who this is ;)
And huge kudos to whoever created this masterpiece *jealous*
Image found here.

Thirty Seven.

Wrapping up in my My Chemical Romance Scarf,

and pretending I'm 24 again ;P

Thirty Eight.

Wrapping up Presents

Thirty Nine.

The Coca Cola Advert

You know Christmas is coming when you've seen this advert...true?

Forty.

Memories of drinking Orange Reef at the Christmas table,

But telling my Nana it was Orange Juice,

And she believed me....!!

Image found here.

What makes you happy about Christmas :)

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The Food Obsession: A Confession

Every single day the media is full of tripe regarding celebrities being too fat or too thin, or of beautiful young girls obsessing so much about the food that they put into their body (food, I might add that is a crucial part of human survival), that they allow it to control a huge part of their life.

I have to confess to being one of those girls. Aged 17, I looked like this:

Not slim, but what I would consider curvy, slim(ish) legs, I was a little bit overweight (we're talking pounds, not stones) and definitely not what I would have called a "large" teenager. So, why is it that at that point in my life I encountered roughly three or four people of the male species that would call me fat or told me that I should lose weight?

It's funny because I've always believed that girls are incredibly nasty to each other, but at that part of my life, it was actually boys, which at such a young age was absolutely soul destroying.

I will never deny to being an emotional eater, and I fear that since those naive days, I have gotten myself firmly in this trap of a Catch-22 situation where food is what makes me fat, but being fat makes me sad, so I eat to quell that sadness. Unfortunately, weight isn't the only thing that has the power to make a person sad. I think it has gotten beyond emotional eating, whereby I now eat chocolate because something in my body is just craving it...

For people like me, food has become like an addiction, very similar to smoking cigarettes. We know that we shouldn't consume it, we know that we're doing ourselves harm, but it becomes like a compulsion that even though our bodies do not want it, we crave it until we cave in.

I've gotten to a stage where I don't think that I have any willpower left, and I'm not really sure what to do to stop myself. I want to lose the weight so badly, for the sake of my own health, and because I might want to start having kids when I reach 30. Am I too weak to help myself?

I honestly wish that I could fly back to ten years ago, slap myself and tell myself to ignore those idiots who are not nice people. I was not fat then, I was curvy and I was beautiful.

By the way, for any haters that might jump on this post, this is not a self-pitying post and it is not a "feel sorry for me" post either. We always see the struggles of people with eating disorders in the other direction, but I can't help feeling that us larger women get ignored. Because obsessive eating in any fashion, whether you're eating too much or throwing it back up IS an eating disorder, no matter how you try to mask it.

And telling people to "stop eating" is NOT the solution, because that might be easy for you to do, but it's exactly the same as asking a smoker to quit smoking, they probably can't do it that easily. Why? Because they're addicted!

I'm just sick and tired of yes, let's say it, fat people, just like me, being put down for the way we look, when if we could learn how to handle this illness we honestly would.

Food controls my life, and I hate it.

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Thoughtful Thursday: 17.11.2011

Image found here.

To think, we spent all those years as children wondering what our toys were getting up to...and now we know!!!

But, the real question is...how many world-famous novels were in fact written by the authors' teddy bears...interesting, very interesting ;)

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Style Me Up: A Beautiful Classic

When I started my blog, never in a million years did I ever expect to become a plus size blogger, because fashion has never been something that I've taken to naturally. So when I was recently asked if I would like to review a product from a Plus Size online store, that was completely new to me, I had to think twice about whether or not to accept.

I have to confess that when it comes to being approached by unknown (to me) stores, I tend to run a mile. But, this time I felt intrigued to try them out, purely because they are a plus size retailer, and over the past few months, I've noticed that a lot of you guys seem to really enjoy my plus size related posts (Well, I seem to get a lot of good feedback from them anyway).

The Store: OneStopPlus

What I Picked: Trust me when I tell you that I spent a very long time choosing something from their incredible range. I went through boots, to jeans, to tops, back to jeans, back to tops, to coats, and back to jeans, and finally I settled on the tops.

The problem was that I wanted something that:

a. Would suit me, and that I would actually choose to wear on a regular basis
b. Something that I thought you guys might like in a "style me" kind of way, in the sense, that I wanted to be able to use it in a recommendation feature, which is of course, exactly what this post is all about.

So, what did I choose?

Apologies for using a stock image. My Camera currently has no batteries!!

Product: Cowl Neck T-Shirt
Sizes: 12-34
Price: £27


Sizing: Being a Size 22 "on top", I was torn between opting for the 20/22 or the 24/26, because when tops come in ranges like this is hard to judge if it will be a large 20, or a small 22 if you understand what  I'm saying. Nevertheless, out of fear of getting a top that was just far too big, I did indeed opt for the 20/22. This was a good choice, because it is a beautiful fit. It's not tight, and fits perfectly.

Opinion: Overall I love this top, although, I do think that the shoulder "things" are a little bit tacky. As someone who doesn't have particularly large boobs (I might have mentioned that before *cough*), I did find, however, that it was a little too big in that area, and I certainly would not be able to wear anything other than a black bra underneath it, as it tends to hang quite low on my chest.

But, if you're fortunate to have bigger boobs, then this probably isn't going to be a huge problem.

How They Would Wear It: I spent quite some time trying to decide exactly how I would wear this. The website recommends this look:

I do think that this is a really cute look, but if you have a larger tummy, I don't know about anyone else, but mini denim skirts don't really look that great on me. So, personally, this is a look that I would have to avoid.

How I Would Wear It: Again, I'm going to have to apologise for using stock images for this bit, but following from my birthday weekend, I'm temporarily out of batteries.

Personally, I think that this top would look fab with a dark coloured pair of jeans or trousers, not only because it's slimming, but because it would look fab together. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Straight-Cut Jeans

From: OneStopPlus

Price: £19

Sizes: 12-20

2. Inspire High Waist Bootcut

From: Inspire at New Look

Price: £27.99

Sizes: 18-26

3. Black Skinny Jean

From: Yours Clothing

Price: £19

Sizes: 14-28

Shoes: I definitely think that because this is such a simple look, and because it's dark colours, that it would look fabulous paired up with a pair of shoes that are bright and bold, either heels or flats, whichever you feel more comfortable in. 

What do you think? How would you style this top? 

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