New Year, New Start...

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At the end of 2014 me and Dan had some pretty big life changes, we bought our first house, I was made redundant and we found out that we are expecting our first little baba! So where my New Years resolutions are usually to do with my health, fitness and career aspirations, this year, they are similar, but with a twist...

1. Become Healthier...

So if you missed the statement above, nah I didn't think you had, myself and Dan are expecting our first little baba this July! If anyone would like me to do any pregnancy related posts, please do let me know, I may do a few and some posts may include some baby related content but I'm not going to overtake my beauty blog with baby stuff completely, don't worry. 

Being pregnant means that exercise isn't the top of my list this year, however being healthier is! With Dan working shifts, we often don't get to eat together, which usually results in me sat on the sofa with crisps and chocolate, munching, to avoid actually cooking for one, it's just not the same!  I aim to plan and prep more meals so that all three of us can eat healthily and get the nutrients and vitamins we all need. I've already bought a juicer so that I can prep and freeze a batch each week and I plan to purchase a slow cooker so that I can makes stews and casseroles, that way I can prep in a morning before doing house work etc and both me and Dan can eat a nutritious meal, even if we eat it hours apart.

2. Enjoy My Pregnancy...

So far I have already had 3 scans and I'm only 14 weeks pregnant, I've had a few worries but now I'm past the 12 week mark, I would love to just enjoy it! It's so easy to worry about every ache and pain, especially when the odds are against me, however I need to stop the worrying and appreciate this amazing milestone in our lives, after all this is my first baby and I don't want to be wrapping it up in cotton wool before it's even here.

3.Document the hell out of 2015...

With the house and the baby, this would be the perfect year to document till my hearts content! I've always wanted to do Project Life and after Lily Pebbles revealed hers at the beginning of this year, I'm sure you've all seen and heard plenty about it, if you hadn't already. I actually discovered it a couple of years ago, but it is a pretty expensive 'hobby' and I could only lust after all the ideas and images but with the hype surrounding Lily's I too got sucked back in and thought what better year to do it than this year? It will be a nice keepsake, especially to show the baby when he/she is older and will be nice for me and Dan to look back on in years to come.

I want to document my pregnancy, now that I'm starting to show, I want to do bump photos each week and document how big both myself and baby are growing throughout. Thanks to Pinterest, there are plenty of bump photo's that I want to photograph, I think they make it all the more exciting and I want to do it with my first, as I probably won't have the time with the next.

4.Be more Organised...

After being made redundant on New Years Eve, 2015 has been the perfect definition of 'New Year, New Start' My boss did give us 3 weeks notice, however just before Christmas wasn't great timing for any of us and with work actually being manic at Christmas and our boss wanting us to stay until the end, it left us all in a bit in limbo about finding a job. All the jobs going at Christmas are mainly temp jobs in retail and finding one after, has meant we've all left the job with nowhere to go, add the addition of two of us being pregnant on top of that and we were all pretty down come NYE.

However, things happen for a reason and so I've decided to take this as an opportunity to work from home, both with my blogging and my nails. This means that I need to become super organised, this years job titles will become endless, Nail Technician, Entrepreneur? Beauty Blogger, House wife and soon to be Full Time Mum. I aim to set my work/blog/housework days into a timetable and create a routine in which they are all split sufficiently, in order for me to work to the best of my ability in all of them. I have worked since I was 15, never leaving a job, without having another lined up, I even worked 2 jobs alongside my degree, so I'm guessing being at home will prove difficult, but I'm ready for the challenge.

5. Up my Blogging Game...

Last year was a great year in terms of blogging for me, I may not have come as far as the majority of bloggers, however I learnt far more last year than I thought possible!

I bought a blog domain, 

I bought a blog design,

I started a few fashion posts which I loved doing, but with Dan's shifts, sadly I can't keep right now,

I did my first giveaway for a milestone and even did a giveaway with another company,

I learnt how to use twitter AND reached over 1,000 followers,

I learnt to connect with brands and was kindly sent samples to review,

I improved my photography with the camera Dan so kindly bought me last Christmas

and so much more....

However towards the end of the year, my blogging reduced gradually and my followers stopped increasing, because I became so tired and poorly, which turns out was because I was pregnant, I had family members fall poorly and then I had the stress of moving house, so I just didn't have the energy or motivation to blog. Now I'm ready to get back at it but I have no internet until the end of January, so any posts I manage to complete, will be a miracle of some sort! 

I do aim to get my blogging into a scheduled routine, introduce some new topics maybe, feature fresh content and really get back into it all. My blog is my baby and I'm proud of it and I'm not about to give it up any time soon, this year I want to reach new milestones and see just how far I can push myself! I'm ready to up my blogging game!

So there you have it, a New Years Resolutions/Big announcement/Where I have been post! I hope it hasn't been too rambly?! How has your life been lately? Have you made any New Years Resolutions?

Love

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Baker Days Letterbox Cake Review + Giveaway...

Baker Days are an innovative company who have developed 'a truly versatile colour and decorating process' which allows you to personalise their printed designs for your friends and family whilst making the cake 'actually taste just as if you made them yourself.' From smaller letter box cakes to larger cakes, a variety of flavours, designs and tailored to suit your dietary requirements, these are the perfect gift for your loved ones, especially for Christmas! 

I was kindly offered a letterbox cake (5 inch) in a Christmas design of my choice, I chose the Reindeer Collage Cake and chose the Gluten free option. I have to admit, I wasn't sure what a letterbox cake would be like, the obvious thoughts crossed my mind, would it be dry? would it get ruined in the packaging when posted?  how small did it have to be to fit through a letterbox? Luckily, I needn't have worried! The cake comes in a gorgeous tin so it is well protected and is a great size, although stated as 3-4 portions, I think you could get more as those 4 portions are quite big so the sizing is generous for a 'smaller' cake.

Thinking of ordering one for someone special? Order before 2pm 19th December to guarantee delivery for Christmas!

The lovely people over at Baker Days are giving one of you the chance to win your own letterbox cake, simply enter the Rafflecopter below...

• The first three entries are mandatory,
• This is a UK only giveaway,
• The winner will be chosen at random by rafflecopter and the winner will contacted by email after all entries are checked.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good Luck!

Love

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Review | My Little Cosy Box...

My Little Box, in my opinion, is the best subscription box to have reached the UK, albeit not so long ago! This little box fills me with such happiness each and every month and when I get that text from my Mum to say my box has arrived, it makes that long day at work a little more bearable, sad, but true! I love the variety of products in this subscription box and I get just as excited about the lifestyle extras as I do about the beauty products, I can always guarantee there will be something I love and so far I've loved it all!

Once again My Little Box succeeded in creating yet another awesome themed month for November and it was certainly a 'cosy' one! Focusing on brightening up these cold, dark and rainy days, the box featured a variety of products from waterproof makeup to a microwavable beanbag, they covered all aspects to make for a very 'Cosy November.'

The prints are the first thing in the box and they always get me excited, each one is so meaningful and something you can relate to, perfect for framing, I think every MLB subscriber's office/house will be full of these prints in no time!

The lifestyle pieces were my favourite items this month, who doesn't want a miniature mug to make tea breaks more chic, especially when it says 'how is your day gunna be?' on the side and at the bottom of the mug it says 'happy' could it be any sweeter?! The microwavable bean bag has been a life saver just lately, my stomach has been giving me a lot of hassle so I love heating it up at night and using it to keep me warm in bed whilst helping to ease the pains. 

I was really impressed with this month's beauty items, which focus on a seasonally appropriate smokey eye. I don't think I have tried anything from Yves Rocher before but I have heard good things so I am excited to give this eyeshadow in 112 Brun Cafe Mate (£13.20) a whirl, a gorgeous deep brown that looks perfect for contouring the outer crease, I can see this being promoted to 'the everyday makeup bag' very quickly. The Star Liner by Arcancil Paris (£5.50) another brand that I am unfamiliar with, and I call myself a beauty blogger?! is actually pretty good, a soft kohl pencil that is highly pigmented and once applied, stays put, it already has a thumbs up from me! This month's product from MLB's own beauty brand My Little Beauty is a mascara, now it's not my favourite product from the brand but it's ok to use as a backup, just don't cry with it on, it stings like hell!

Have you subscribed to My Little Box yet? What are your thoughts so far?

Love

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Review | Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan...

Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan £7.99*

During the colder months, I think we all get a touch of the the winter blues, with dark, cold, rainy nights, it's normal to feel a little under the weather, not to mention a little less confident with all those baggy jumpers, they sure don't flatter me and my pale skin, if like me your not lucky enough to have been on holiday recently. So when my friends text me on a Saturday afternoon or evening asking if I want to come out for a few drinks, my first thought is always what the hell am I going to wear? I'm always far too pale to wear a skirt or dress and then I usually decline the offer or go out sulking because I'm pale! So when the opportunity arose to test out a product from the Cocoa Brown Tan range, I knew immediately that the 1 hour tan would be perfect for me. 

The Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan aims to give you 'beautifully bronzed, radiant skin in just 1 hour' with the product continually developing, meaning that you can leave it on for 1 hour for a light glow, 2 hours for a medium glow or 3 hours for a deep glow and the product still continues to develop after being rinsed off, aiming to last 5-7 days. With a vegetable derived tanning agent and preservative, this product does not contain any parabens and is very gentle on skin, even sensitive skin, therefore this product is suitable for both the body and the face. 

I have to be honest and say I don't fake tan all that often, I'm far too lazy and I just don't go out all that much but the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan has really changed my views on getting bronzed up! What I love the most about this product is how easy it makes a night out, not only is the product so easy to apply, but it also allows me to tan after working all day on a Saturday and I still have time to wash it off before I go out, anything that makes my life simpler gets a thumbs up from me!

I fell in love with the formulation of this product straight away, the mousse is so smooth and so easy to apply, I simply squirt it into the glove and massage the product into the skin in circular motions. It doesn't streak at all and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the product fades so evenly without any tell-tale patches in sight, it was nice not to dread the flaky, patchy skin that follows the fading of any other tan, its not a look I aim for! The only claim I have to disagree with on this tan, is that it doesn't smell like fake tan, I feel a lot of company's try their best to make their tan smell better but after all it is still fake tan and I still have yet to come across any that doesn't even smell a little like it's true form.

I like to exfoliate any dry patches thoroughly the night before tanning to avoid the tan sticking to these patches and therefore drawing attention to that area. After having a shower I simply apply this all over and allow to dry whilst I do my hair and makeup, then I rinse off after my desired time and moisturise. I usually keep the tan on for 3 hours to gain a nice deep tan, however I have fallen asleep with it on, on more than one occasion and have found that the products still works perfectly.

I could not recommend this product enough and I cannot wait to try more from the range, have you tried the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan yet?

Love

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* PR Sample, please see disclaimer for more information