April Favourites

Hello again, another month has passed us all by which means it's time for another favourites post. April is also my birthday month, so some of these favourites were naturally birthday presents; I got the Britney and Vera Wang perfumes from my nana and my boyfriend, but I've been loving these books this month too; they're honestly the best books that I've read in a really long time, I recommend them to everyone, even if you're not a reader! The cover artworks are so beautiful too, definitely the nicest part of the images below. As you all know that I love perfumes, you won't be surprised to see several perfumes in my favourites, alongside my boyfriends aftershave which is literally heaven, it has the loveliest smell; I can always tell when he's been in a room by the smell of his aftershave and I love it! I've completely used up by Shower Glaze from the Zoella Beauty range, which I'm gutted about as it was a part of the Christmas collection so I doubt I'll be able to repurchase it... I love the gingerbread smell and how soft and creamy it feels on my skin, it was a surprise love as my skin is so sensitive I wasn't expecting it to react well to a non-sensitive shower gel, but it was actually really nourishing. I've also being relying on lip balm constantly since having an infected lip, as well as dry shampoo for those days when you need to give your hair a little bit of a boost. What have you guys been loving this month?

 

The Muse by Jessie Burton - Daisy Dream Blush by Marc Jacobs - Gingerbread Shower Glaze by Zoella Beauty - Baby Lip Valentines Fresh Pink by Maybelline

 

Midas Touch Highlighting Palette by Sleek - Blush Dry Shampoo by Batiste - Fortune Favours The Brave Eyeshadow Palette by MakeUp Revolution - Amor Amor In a Flash by Cacharel - Skinwear Limited Edition Aftershave by Ted Baker

 

iPod Nano 2nd Generation (Product) Red 8GB - Skullcandy in ear Headphones - A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman - Princess of Hearts by Vera Wang - Maui Fantasy by Britney Spears - Baby Lip Valentines Fresh Pink by Maybelline

 

Princess of Hearts by Vera Wang - Maui Fantasy by Britney Spears - Soft Matte Lip Cream in London by NYX - Pink Lip Balm by Ted Baker - The Age Rewind Eraser Eye Concealer in Light by Maybelline - The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara in Very Black by Maybelline

 

A month in instagram #10

Hello again; one of my favourite things to do every month is look through all of the photographs that I've taken and shared throughout the month. April is always a nice month for me as I love chocolate so Easter is always a good time of the year, but this year I spent the first few days of the month in Poland with my boyfriend, which was an automatically amazing start to the month as being on holiday always guarantees a good mood. One sad part to the month was one of my cats dying (she was thirteen) so I found some kitten photos of her to remind me how much time we spent together over the years. April is also my birthday month so if I'm honest I am usually a bit naughty food-wise during April; e.g. I seem to have a lot of treats, oops. I spent a lot of time during April exploring the world, both in Poland and in England and I honestly feel like the world is beautiful now. I want to see so many things, discover and photograph so many different places. I love Spring as a season and I've enjoyed spending a lot more time outside, enjoying views and seeing nature at its best. April for me represents the start of summer, the hope of nice weather and spending time with friends and family as the year starts to suddenly disappear as soon as April comes and goes. I'm excited for summer, I'm looking forward to many more memories being made and always enjoy sharing snippets of my life; blogging definitely pushes me to keep on the positive side of life!

 

 

 

 

Favourite Instagrammers #10

Hello again! I've found that throughout April I've not loved instagram as much as I did for the last few months or so, mostly because of some of the scandal surrounding it, but also because I'm getting fairly irritated with the whole follow to unfollow game. As a result, I've actually been on the app a lot less as I've found twitter instead, oops. That being said, I'm now trying to refind my love for instagram as I do love the ideal of enjoying visual posts; there's something satisfying about liking visually lovely photographs, especially during these spring months as I love watching nature and lifestyle photographs develop; as the weather improves photography seems to look so much more appealing!

 

elleanorwears

I've only followed Elleanor since the past month (or thereabouts) and one of the reasons that I really love her instagram feed is that she doesn't follow a theme; every post feels real and a true reflection of her life, whether that is a cake, a burger (basically lots of foodie bits), books, various flower bouquets and the occasional selfie. I like how she posts whatever she's doing or loving at the time, often with a short, simple and sweet caption, for example 'bright and early morning' which is fab as I'm not one to read long, long captions unless I'm having a chilled out scroll before sleeping. Her instagram is often an advertiser for her blog, which is similarly down to earth.

 

charlottesmakeupblog

I followed Charlotte fairly recently, but one of the reasons why I like her instagram feed is that I really enjoy seeing other people's make up collections, as well as what looks they create; she definitely loves make up as her collection is pretty huge! I also like the motivational quotes that she posts, a little bit of postivity in everyday life never goes amiss. Alongside beauty posts she also posts fashion based posts, such as styled outfits, new shoes and new bags. The majority of her posts are beauty posts, whether that is new make up from Charlotte Tilbury, NYX or MAC; or swatches of different products, any make up lover will enjoy seeing her photographs as they're super informative for anyone with a pale skin tone.

 

thebeautysanctuaryblog

Jessy is another blogger who I recently followed on instagram, mostly because of her understanding of mental health and beautiful photography. Much of her feed focusses on different make up products, stunning architecture and spring in bloom. I like that her feed doesn't follow a rigid theme, mixing up all of the said themes; from pastel-lay, princess pink make up flatlays to vibrant city architecture in various countries spread accross Europe, such as Budapest in Hungary. There are also some lifestyle posts thrown in, for example photos of food, skincare and books. Overall she's an all round instagrammer with lots of different interests.

 

jodiekeig

I'm loving Jodie's photography at the minute, particularly as it's incredibly artistic with very carefully laid depth of field; there are many beautifully framed photos of nature, such as roses, tulips, cherry blossom and dahlias. As well as various lifestyle images, including old cameras, a dog, cakes, perfume and fashion magazines. She has a really lovely eye for photography and every single image looks perfectly planned and nicely laid out, which just proves that the idea of the instagram theme is fairly pointless. Some of my favourite photos by Jodie are summers by the sea, cliffs, boats and sea shells galore, giving a glimpse into life by the coast.

 

forever_september

Lucy has a relatively small instagram following, which seems bizarre as she has such a lovely feed; on the whole her photographs are fairly pastel based, with lots of white in the images but there definitely isn't a strict theme as such. I like seeing a mix of beauty, architecture, nature and fashion, which Lucy does effortlessly. Photos of spring, such as cherry blossoms, blue skies and sun are frequent, as are flatlays of beauty products and stationary; her feed is pretty much a bloggers paradise with some lovely fashion pieces featured, all for those on a budget, perfect for people like me, who are forever on a budget!

 

Favourite Blogs #9

 

http://lifewithbbb.blogspot.co.uk/

I found Beth on instagram after she followed me, as well as on twitter. During April I've been loving her blog as she's super down to earth and posts some great advice pieces, for example what to do when you're unemployed and why alcohol isn't a necessity. I'm really enjoying getting to know smaller bloggers like myself and she's such a good beauty and lifestyle based blogger. Her lipstick comparison posts are great as she has pale skin like me (which means I get some fantastic lip colours) and I've also been enjoying her travel posts as she's visited Amsterdam, a city that I'm desperately dreaming of visiting. I'm such a nosy person that I love blogs where you get to see snippets of a persons life, such as Beth's mac lipsticks collection or her skincare favourites of the month and I would highly recommend looking at her blog!

 

http://planetwhispers.blogspot.co.uk/

I found Soph's blog through twitter (my new favourite app to find other bloggers) and I've been scrolling through millions of her posts ever since. As I've previously mentioned I'm massively nosy so I love get a look into other people make up collections; she has some incredibly detailed posts of her collection which she's broken down into eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, highlighters, blushers and bronzers (etc.) which are great as they feature mostly drugstore products which are super affordable. I also really loved her book reviews as I've read many of the books too and enjoy seeing different opinions to mine, as well as discovering potential new reads. Soph is also incredibly supportive of other bloggers, myself included for which I would really recommend following over social medias!

 

http://themymanylovesblog.blogspot.co.uk

I found Amy and her blog through instagram and I enjoy her posts as they're most beauty related; whether that's skincare, make up or focussing on specific brand testing. Aside from beauty, her posts also cover lifestyle, for example apps you need as a blogger, what blogs she's loving and monthly favourites, as well as dabbling in fashion and music. I like that she writes about items that she's really into, for example what make up she likes regardless of the price; her £1 liquid lipstick collection was a great post as it shows that it's not all about how much you spend but about the quality of the posts that you write.

 

http://www.heldtogetherbypins.co.uk/

I've been following Paige and her blog for at least the last two or three years now, which seems like such a long time when it's written down! It's been nice watching her grow so much in past year in particular and recently I've been loving her music and fashion posts. Ever since I discovered blogs, back when I used to be afraid to start my own, I always liked bloggers who posted mainly DIYs and personal style at the heart and as a fashion student Paige always has, and often. At the minute I'm enjoying her lifestyle and interior posts, seeing how she's restyled her bedroom and desk space. Paige's blog definitely inspired me to start blogging myself and I would definitely recommend following her on all of her social media as she's so friendly and approachable.

 

http://louiselovesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

As the name of the blog suggests, Louise is a beauty blogger and regularly posts make up hauls. One of my favourite posts was a NYX haul, a good drugstore and most importantly, affordable brand. Alongside make up hauls, she also posts what her favourite ever products are, reviews of new make up products from well known brands such as L'Oreal and some travel posts, such as a weekend in Brighton. I life how she features lifestyle posts every so often, like 20 things you've learnt over 20 years. I've only recently found her blog and social media, but I enjoy seeing little snippets of other people lives particularly when it involves beauty and fashion, which is why she's been included in this post.

 

Happy Things #17

 

1. I'm looking forward to the end of the week as it's my birthday as well as my weekend off. I'm planning to spend some time with my boyfriend, best friend and my family throughout the weekend, which will be nice.

2. I'm excited about only working three days this week, it makes the week feel so short compared to how the last few weeks have felt for me. In fact having five days feels like a mini holiday. I'm hoping to spend some time exploring the city.

3. I honestly can't believe that I've aged another year already, I have no idea how it's disappeared so fast; but here's to having a much better start to this year than last year was for me. I'm now looking towards what I want to achieve for the coming year.

4. I still haven't sorted out my gym membership so I'm literally planning to force myself to do that tomorrow and start making the effort to be happier, even if it means forcing myself to find the time to actually go to some classes like yoga or ballet.

5. I really want to keep up with my blog and try my best to improve my content and overall blog photography. I'm feeling so inspired by other bloggers and I'm planning to see through this hobby and continue enjoying getting more involved within the blogging community.

 

Book Review: A Year of Marvellous Ways

I decided to read this book because I absolutely loved Winman's first book, When God Was A Rabbit. Her second novel is just as surprising as her first; her linguistic style is incredibly unusual and therefore rather unconventional. Throughout the book Winman refrains from using quotation marks so that the dialogue between characters is laid out within the overall sentences, which is slightly confusing to start with. However as you continue reading you somehow adapt to its unconventional format and begin to forget about it. Winman's writing style is utterly beautiful; her descriptive phrases read as a wonderful form of poetry. I understand that this isn't for everyone, because as a reader her books can be a struggle to follow at times; they are not books to be sped through, they're effectively leisure books, ones to read for pleasure and thoroughly.

One of the reasons why I was so drawn to this novel is its gorgeous cover art; when reading the book its very easy to appreciate how cover visually represents various written symbols described in many of the chapters throughout the book. In fact I would say that symbolism is what gives this novel its power; this is not a novel for everyone. It's an uncharacteristically artistic novel through and through; from the naming of characters (for example: Marvellous Ways, Paper Jack, Francis Drake, Peace, etc.), the view of life from all ages, young and old. At the start of this novel I felt the structure was a little too out there, too disjointed for my liking as none of the characters are officially introduced and the story unravels itself to a degree; the chapters are well written, poetically and gently but it took a while to get into the writing style. Whenever the narrative structure shifted, the shift wasn't declared; as a reader you need to be fully aware of which character is leading throughout the novel as it does change often, and often at a rapid pace.

This is a rare novel in the sense that I doubt I will ever read anything like it again; there is a such a wide range of perspectives, lessons and multi-faceted narratives it was a difficult read. However, I found it a rewarding read as it made you (as a reader) aware of the importance of learning. Miss Marvellous Ways at her age had a lot of life to give as well as a lot of life lessons to teach, Winman delivered her character effortlessly using literal brilliance to do so. The use of multi-narrative was not only clever, but an excellent way of interpreting the variety and vibrancy of  characters; their differences in age, gender, experience. Miss Ways is very special character in the sense that her age and life experience provides her with a maturity and an innocence at the same time. She understands people in ways that they don't even understand themselves. I would describe her as an eternal giver; giving Drake a place to live, space to heal, her time and company.

What all of the characters have in common are two main sources of pain: loneliness and grief. Drake, found and lost a lover, he struggles to regain himself after the war. Peace, a young lady who is madly skilled but struggling to brake into the world alone. There are other character introduced throughout as more and more stories are effortlessly executed, although be warned that this is a novel that breaks the norm of grammatical standards. There are parts where this does feel like an average historical novel, but it is the way that the prose is delivered that makes this novel simply unforgettable. If you choose to read this, then be sure that you're in for a pleasure, but it is a pleasure that you will have to persevere and enjoy; this is not a book to simple be read, as a reader you will need to be invested in the story, to feel the story to truly understand it. I've fallen completely in love with the authority that Winman's words have, which was unexpected to me, as I found this book to be a difficult one to love at first, but as I reached the end I realised how powerful this novel really is.

 

How I Found Happiness

 

I learnt to be confident 

Over the past year or so, I realised that I've always envied those people who come across as super confident, content individuals. When I thought back to School, University and even my working life I also realised that I was at my happiest point in my working life. It sounds crazy but I absolutely loved my work; I developed skills and friendships, I got promoted and I was confident and happy within myself. I'm not saying that every day was perfect because no one in this world has a perfect life. However, this was when it occurred to be that I was happy because I was confident. The reason that I was confident was because I learnt to fake it! I wasn't always right, in fact I was often wrong but I was never worried about what others thought of me and that was the key. During the past few months I changed jobs and I kept that lesson with me; even if you're nervous pretend you're not. The only thing holding yourself back is you.

I ditched the diet

I'm the first to admit that I'm not 100% happy with my body shape. I had an eating disorder growing up so I'm very aware of my body image but at the same time I've learnt not to dwell on it. The reason that I'm not a size 4 is because my body isn't supposed to be and that's ok. At one point I was doing my best to eat clean and stifle cravings, but that actually made me feel really rubbish. So I decided that if life is to be lived, I'll eat a cake, I'll have ice cream and I'll definitely chew down a nice greasy burger if I want to! I'm not saying that I eat bad food everyday, but I don't deprive myself of the things that I want anymore. After all, the naughtiest food tastes the best and looks the best on instagram so that's always a bonus too! I like going for catch ups with my best friend and eating good food and drink, which would be impossible if I didn't relax.

Restructured my friendship group

When you've been severely depressed to the point where you reach rock bottom, it sounds so typically cliché but you really do learn who your true friends are. Those who couldn't be bothered to make an effort with me, I stopped begging for effort and attention from. I don't even miss them as I have a much better group of friends right now; I've also rekindled some friendships that I needed to work on from university and school; people who I had really missed having in my life. Now I concentrate on those who were there for me at my worst and they're the ones who deserve to know me now that I'm feeling better. I understand that it's hard when you're not well but at the same time, when you're down you need support from those closest to you.

I engaged in a hobby

I actually started this blog back in 2013 and never really pushed myself to post regularly. However, at the suggestion of my boyfriend I decided to indulge in a hobby to keep my mind busy. So, I decided to get back into blogging and completely overhauled my blog last summer. I changed the the username and the layout and began to actually make an effort to post regularly. As I studied Fine Art at university, blogging is a fantastic way of using my creativity again. Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, I started spending my time planning and writing blog posts instead which not only filled up my time but actually gave me something to focus on and see improvements from. The more I started posting, the more readers I got and I saw the benefits of making an effort gave me. Plus, I've enjoyed getting more involved within the blogging community, there are so many amazingly supportive people in this world.

I found love 

My boyfriend has honestly been the most supportive person in my life during the past year. I was thinking that no one old ever love me, that I didn't deserve anyone or anything, but he's changed all of that. He literally encourages me every step of the way to be more positive and life my life without any regrets, through being more confident and seeing friends more often. He's introduced me to a different way of life and I'm ever grateful to him for that. I never thought I'd see different parts of this world and now I've seen things that I had never imagined.

Ultimately, I found myself. From within myself I found my happiness.

 

April Moodboard

Hello again guys! Just a little disclaimer, none of these images are mine and I'm not pretending that they are in any way, shape or form! All of the images below were found through the power of Google image search, I used a variety of keywords and chose a variety of images that I really liked; for example Cambridge Satchel Company, Orla Kiely watch, Cath Kidston dress etc. This is how I found all of these images and if you do the same you'll find so many similar images available. The collages were made by me, to reflect the kinds of style and subjects that I'm loving at the moment. Many of these images are also viewable on other platforms such as instagram or Pinterest, I'm not using any of them for anything other than this appreciation post.

As soon as the season of Spring arrives, I like shopping around for pretty handbags and this year I've become obsessed with the across body sized Cambridge Satchels as they look so versatile, classic and lovely with any outfit, in any colour. One of the reasons why I love reading other blogs is gaining inspiration for my own looks and blog posts, I've definitely found the love of these bags from the blogging community, one of my favourite satchel looks comes from sophieetc and I adore every single one of the looks created by Rebecca on her blog aclotheshorse who I've featured at least twice in the range of collages below. One of my favourite ever brands is Cath Kidston and I've found so many beautiful vintage style designs on the blog featured on their website which suit all kinds of body shapes with their 1950s style flare cut. I definitely dress much more feminine in the warmer months, wearing dresses and accessorising much more than in the winter months. I'm looking forward to trying to make an effort and recording my outfit choices and posting them onto my blog as I enjoy seeing what others have worn on their blogs. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Things #16

 

1. So, these posts are all about finding happiness in the smallest of places. This week I've woken up with a sore throat and a horrible cough. However, I'm grateful that I do have today off due to the bank holiday, which means it's recovery time. Hello, bed. I've missed you.

2. Over the past week or so, I've realised that however much I want to be thinner, prettier etc. these things will not directly contribute to my overall happiness; I'm finding happiness in doing things, planning things. Planning doesn't always see itself through, but setting goals isn't a bad thing.

3. Fingers crossed that this week will be the week that my gym membership finally goes through! I've recently found it that the membership I've applied for includes classes so I'm looking forward to trying out yoga or getting back into dancing. I loved dancing for around fourteen years so it would be lovely to rekindle that love for something.

4. I'm going to start painting my nails again, everything about my hands looks nicer with pretty nails. I don't have the biggest nail varnish collection, but it's cheaper than getting false nails. Plus, I like reading a book whilst my nails are dying so it's a good way to read more, too. My reading list is growing longer and longer by the day, oops.

5. I won all of £3 on a scratch card yesterday. As well as 6 chicken nuggets on McDonald's monopoly. Sometimes the smallest of wins makes you feel a little more positive in what can be a hard world.

 

Essential Apps for Bloggers

 

Phonto

Although it's not an app that I reach for constantly, it's a useful app to download. It's an alternative editing software app, but the main reason that I've included it on this list is because it's great for if you want (or need) to add a watermark to your photographs. As you'll see in the screenshots above, I've added an @apearlydream in white to show you how it can be used. From a text-based perspective, this app is fantastic as not only is it free, but it allows you to choose the colour of your and font of your text, but the size, shape, angle... It's great if you want to make a watermark work for any photo and I suspect many of the millions who watermark on instagram will use this app as it's so easy to use and very customisable.

Facebook

This app is not a must unless you want to make use of your page within the app. I, myself have only recently got back into making an effort on my Facebook blogger page. I admit I don't love it as much as I've started to love Twitter, or my beloved instagram but it is a great way of updating your social media. Bloggers can advertise for free on Facebook and other social media so I feel like any form of advertising that's free should be something utilised fairly frequently. One downside to having a Facebook page is that it's harder to reach out to new followers unlike on instagram or twitter, but it's another great way of registering a business, brand or website.

Repix

Personally I think this is a really useful app, it's definitely an essential for me. When I'm taking photographs for my blog I always edit them afterward and this app is great for adding little girly touches to photography. It's free to download but some of its features are only useable via a purchase. I've never purchased anything as I like the free 'flares' that you can draw freehand onto images for a nice effect. If you look at the screenshot above, you'll see that there is a lot of the photographic bokeh technique across the blog photograph; the reason why I love this app so much is that it adds a special something to photographs without having the need to be a fantastic photographer or use fancy equipment. It's so easy to use, you literally select flares and then pull you finger across the image. I feel like it makes my blog photography a little more interesting.

VSCO

I never used to see the point of VSCO as I felt that whatever it could do, could be done via instagram as it's ultimately a filter app. However, now I don't think I'd be able to create nice blogger photographs without it; I love how it converts bland colours into bright, vibrant textured photographs with simply the choice of a filter. I like the studio aspect of the photographs too as this means I can plan how to edit my photographs so that they have a similar layout and colour scheme; I'm not massively keen on themes but I do like to have some consistency. The filter F2 is my favourite, although I love how easy to use VSCO is. With the touch of a finger on a screen, it's simple to change the brightness, contrast, crop, saturate, temper and grain an image. It's a basic version of photoshop that even allows you to choose the size and quality of your edited image. Since I've rediscovered this app, my blogging photography has improved so much without the need to buy expensive equipment.

Twitter

I've only recently joined the twitter hype, several years too late... I've learnt in the past few months how much utilising various forms of social media can really help with exposing your blog to more traffic; since becoming more active on twitter, not only have I found many more interesting bloggers within the community to follow and blogs to enjoy, but also a way of engaging with others easily. It's also free promotion for your posts and a great way to gain inspiration through following those such as @Bloggeration @FemaleBloggerRT @TheGirlGangHQ or @BBlogRT to name a few accounts that promote your blogs to their followers, basically free advertising from within the blogging community. I deliberately made my twitter handle the same as my blog and other social media so that all of my accounts are easy to find and there's a consistency in all areas.

Instagram

This app is definitely an absolute must for any blogger; there are so many bloggers, new and old, of all kinds of genres from fashion and beauty to lifestyle and fitness all over this app. It's such a fantastic way to put yourself and your photography, your blog, likes and opinions out through using a mostly visual layout. As blogging is such a visual way of expressing yourself, it works really well alongside instagram as a way of promoting your work for free. It allows you to build up a network and focus on your branding; I'm not a huge fan of instagram themes, but I do like to have some consistency in my feed which will ensure that the search option will suggest profiles and feeds that match with mine, that will interest and inspire me. Likewise with my other social media, it made sense to match my profile name to my blogging name as it does make it clear where to find me across all areas of the internet.

 

Favourite YouTubers #4

Hello again, it feels like April is rapidly disappearing. I feel like as I get older, weeks and months slip away from me and I barely even notice... Is that bad? Oops. Over the past six months or so, I've started to really enjoy watching YouTube videos, although for me I don't think I've ever want to start a channel; I definitely prefer the format of blogging. I like watching YouTube usually when I'm in bed, having a relax before going to sleep. I tend flick through my subscriptions first, before looking through similar videos that I might like. I do prefer beauty and lifestyle videos, but recently I've started to really enjoy vlogs and seeing everyday life. Maybe I'm just nosy? Either way, vlogs have definitely become my go-to viewing lately.

 

Jessie B

I found Jessie's channel very recently, through a suggested video; I absolutely love her accent (Irish accents are always awesome) and I like her down to earth, I'm not little miss perfect vibe. Her channel is still quite new, but I like how she's becoming more confident and getting her viewers involved by asking for Q&A questions and replying to comments often. She's actually incredibly pretty, but doesn't seem vain; her make up videos are always funny but also not too out there; the make up looks that Jessie creates are wearable for everyday. The main reason that I enjoy watching her is that she doesn't feel fake, she's easy to relate to as she's a young, excitable teen who is working out what she wants from her life.

 

Roxxsaurus - RoxxsaurusVlogs

I've been loving Roxi's vlogs for the last month or so, I really like how she shows her everyday life, from decorating her house, styling outfits, buying furniture or going for a meal it all feels real and like you're getting to know the person behind her YouTube channel. I even watched her videos with my boyfriend as they're both Polish so visiting Poland vlogs were super interesting for us to watch. I've also been watching her main channel videos a lot as I like how she posts easy to follow hair and make up tutorials on long hair and pale skin. She comes across as being a normal girl and it's nice to see that she has friends not involved in YouTube and shows them in videos too.

 

meowitslucy

One of the reasons why I like Lucy's channel is that she has a very educated, very structured point of view but isn't afraid to talk about a variety of topics. The first video that I saw of hers was one about struggling with alcohol; I agree that controversial topics are extremely difficult to talk about, mostly because there's often a massive backlash with many people questioning authenticity and likeability. I like watching Lucy's videos as she's incredibly articulate; she makes me think about life and achieving and makes fairly sensible statements. Whether we as viewers, like or not, the YouTube generation are role models, in both good and bad ways. I enjoy watching Lucy because she's so perfectly imperfect, which translates well into videos, there is definitely less of a pressure to fit into that perfect mold when watching her.

 

sophielouisebeauty 

Sophie comes across as super down to earth and is constantly giggling, which I like as I feel relaxed whenever I watch her make up tutorials. Her make up looks are always lovely, but I enjoy seeing her make mistakes, laugh it off and somehow still make the look work. For me personally, I like it because it's a comfort seeing that not everyone is fantastic at make up but it's also good to try. She's also relatable in the sense that she often posts Primark hauls, uses drugstore make up and seems to be really honest about not only herself but her likes and dislikes. I like watching her pamper, night and day routines as they don't feel fake, they feel believable. She's genuinely nice to watch as she's always really chatty and in a good mood.

 

RhiannonAshlee - RhiannonAshleeVlogs

I've been watching Rhiannon for literally years, ever since she was fashionrocksmysocks and I've always loved her style. It's mad to think that we're the same age and that she's a mother, but I honestly love her vlogs so much. She definitely shows the difficult side of being a parent for the first time, but she also shows some of the loveliest things that Delilah does too. She's not one of the most fancy YouTubers as she doesn't have millions of subscribers but I feel like she's one of the more honest vloggers and I do really like how laid back her vlogs are; if she's not doing much she still vlogs and it's nice to see a normal person with a normal life. It's so strange to see people grow up through the internet!

 

Book Review: Paper Towns

 

After reading The Fault In Our Stars, I had incredibly high hopes for Paper Towns. Overall the book was fairly slow, not boring but slow at times. Told from the perspective of an adolescent male, you would expect to be this fantastically gorgeous, confident young man. In reality, Q is reserved and enjoys routine in an almost extreme sense. That said, there is a stereotypical infatuation with one of the female characters. However, despite this standard male/female adolescent role play the characters are some more than that. Green has a way of making characters feel real, even if they have a specific gender role to play out. As this novel is centred around finishing school, growing up and discovering themselves. The novel feels focussed around the ideal of escapism that is so desirable to teenagers; there are a lot of stereotypical aspects to the storyline to begin with, but as you read on there are more aspects to the characters and you definitely realise that everyone is multi-faceted.

Some parts of the novel are pretty melodramatic, to say the least. I would put this down to teenage hormones flying around. That being said, I felt as though Green really reflected the mood swings that teenagers always seem to have, alongside a lot of overthinking. In short, one of the characters is incredibly self-adsorbed and does everything possible to ensure that she inadvertently ruins graduation for a whole group of teenagers. Margo is a character that's forever talked about, but one that, as a reader you never fully get the opportunity to understand. She leaves 'clues' to the main character, Q to find and attempt to solve after a mysterious disappearance. Although the disappearance was at the heart of the novel, I honestly felt like it was dragged out a lot, with a lot of teenage boy overthinking throughout. Margo was definitely made out to be some fantastically beautiful, unattainable being which ultimately emphasised how much a crush can affect someone. Margo is essentially the product of two very uninspiring parents who misunderstand creativity as rebellion, as well as having fake friends and ultimately a fake life.

Throughout the novel, you see Q mature a lot; changing from a fearful, repetitive, game playing 'geek', to a confident, spontaneous and ultimately intuitive individual. I never understood why he had such an obsession, such an dying love for Margo but I guess at eighteen that's how emotions work; alongside this, as a reader you also see his relationships with his friends develop during a short space of time, as well as how their relationships with girls develop. Hormones definitely play an avid part in growing up, as does beginning to understand sexuality and desire. Desire undeniably played a massive part throughout the novel, Q makes it clear she's been in love with Margo since they were children, only towards the end of the novel does the reader discover if those feelings are reciprocated. I have to say, I was thoroughly disappointed by the lack lustre ending; I felt as though there was so much drama, so much tension building up to that point and then it simply ended as quickly as it began.

There was so much potential in this book but it really didn't work for me, for a number of reasons. I liked each of the characters but they weren't written in depth enough for me, as a reader we only really got to know one character fully, which was Q and even then I would say there was room for more. There were many interesting ideas, but the story was generally bland, unfortunately. I would describe this book as being solely intent on the journey as opposed to the destination; the end result didn't live up to the excitement of the plans, the underlying childhood truama they experienced. From another perspective, I suppose you could say that the point of having such a lacklustre ending is that it correctly displays how adolescent feelings have a tendency to exaggerate the truth, to push the limits of authenticity. In short, Margo and Quentin were not these marvellous beings, they were simply human and learning how to grow up and I guess Green did an excellent job of showing this as his writing was fantastic as always, I just didn't love this novel as much as I'd hoped I would.

 

April Playlist!

 

1. Heartbreak Down - p!nk

2. Payphone - Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa)

3. Treat You Better - Shawn Mendes

4. Stay - Zedd & Alessia Cara

5. Shine Ya Light - Rita Ora

6. Franklin - Paramore

7. Hotel Ceiling - Rixton

8. Helium - Sia

9. 22 - Taylor Swift

10. Helena - My Chemical Romance

11. City of Angels - 30 Seconds to Mars

12. Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus

13. I Don't Wanna Live Forever - Zayn & Taylor Swift

14. Breathe Me - Sia

15. This Is Me - Joe Jonas & Demi Lovato

 

Happy Things #15

 

1. I'm looking forward to the weekend, I've got 5 days off and I'm seeing my best friend for a good old catch up, which is always exciting. I've had a bad start to the week as my cat was super unwell and unfortunately didn't get better, so it's nice to have something positive to think about doing.

2. I'm in love with this sunny, warm weather at the moment. I'm not a fan of sunbathing at all, but I do enjoy the days being longer and the blossoms growing around the trees. I love going for walks in this weather.

3. Fingers crossed my gym membership will be active by the end of the week so I'll finally be able to start trying to improve my health. I want to exercise my mind and body, I'm hoping this will really help my mental health and keep me positive.

4. I'm enjoying the book I'm reading the at moment, hopefully I'll finish it this week and write a book review on it. It feels like it's been a while since I've read and written a book review and I've actually missed reading and letting my mind travel to another place.

5. So ready for a day off, as I've worked six days in a row now, I want to just sit back and relax. I'm ready for some quality time with my family and boyfriend, I'm planning to watch Paper Towns and Fantastic Beasts sometime during this week.

 

Life Update // POSITIVITY

 

Spring has most definitely sprung and I do feel like better weather generally equals a better frame of mind; ever since I was little I've loved seeing the beauty of spring, how nature suddenly develops and blooms. I'm doing my absolute best to continue blogging as much as I can as I do really love it, it's definitely giving me something positive to focus on. I've had a bit of a relapse in terms of my mental health recently and so at the minute I'm focussing on what I enjoy; I really enjoy blogging. I blog for myself, because I love writing and I love photography. I studied a creative arts degree and so this blog is such a fantastic way to utilise my creative side within my everyday life. I like sharing my images, my interests and ultimately myself with whoever reads my blog.

In terms of blogging, I've actually made a fairly big step in terms of my blogging journey! I actually have an official .co.uk domain now, which I'm actually really excited for as this now means that all of my social networking matches using the apearlydream branding. I may not have the most page views ever, but actually I'm not fussed; I want to constantly improve my content and enjoy getting more involved in the blogging community. I'm proud of how far my blog has come in the last few months and having a domain name really reflects how happy I am with where I'm currently at with my blog. Right now, I do feel more settled within my everyday life and I'm enjoying having a new job which is helping me learn more about myself and challenging me in a positive way. 

Throughout this month I'm planning to explore more of London and capture what I see; I used to carry a camera everywhere when I was younger and I definitely used to find beauty in the most unexpected of places. I want to refind that determination to be constantly creative and look for the interesting within the everyday. I've been actively trying to get more involved within the blogging community, taking inspiration, liking and commenting on posts which has given me so many ideas to move forward with. April feels like it will be a good month.

 

MOTD: Smoky Eyes feat. Nude Lips

Hello again, sorry for the delay in posting this as this was actually a post that I meant to upload during my holiday in Poland but somehow it never really happened, oops. I actually have been wearing less make up recently, but when I really want to make an effort and look nice I do wear quite a bit. During the time spent in Poland with Piotr and his family, I wanted to look and feel nice so make up definitely made my skin look a lot nicer. I don't suffer with very spotty skin but it's not a flat colours, there's a lot of dry red patches which I like to colour correct whenever I want to look and feel flawless. None of the images below have been edited, so to show the power of the make up worn. To start I use the Maybelline Baby Skin Primer to prep the skin for the make up. Priced at £7.99, it's not only good value it makes my skin look poreless and smooth. After, I use the Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in the shade ivory, which priced at £2.99 is very cheap but it's concealing power is fairly basic. I use this concealer as a base on top of the primer around my eyes and nose to set on top of the primer and preps for the bb cream I put on next.

My preferred base is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream in the shade ivory which I love. It feels super light coverage wise, and does an excellent job of covering my uneven skin tone. I literally pour some into my palms and rub it on top of my skin with clean hands. The next step I take is using the Maybelline Age Rewind Eye Concealer in shade light (which is £7.99) I press the concealer into each of my under eye bags in a triangle shape and press into my nose and brow bone, as well as any spots. I use the Real Techniques concealer brush to blend it into my skin before using a RT expert face brush to set my full base with the Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Power in shade ivory all over my skin. It's my favourite powder and reasonably priced at £3.99 too. The next step I take is to contour my face using the Kate Moss for Rimmel Sculpting Palette in shade #002. (Priced at £6.99) I start by using the bronzing powder using a RT setting brush to place some colour under my cheekbones, along my jawline and across my forehead. I use a small brush as where I'm so pale I try not to over contour my face. Next, I use the blush from the same palette and another RT setting brush to gently brush it along the apples of my cheeks. Then, I blend in using an RT powder brush so that it looks more natural on the skin. The next step I take is to use the Sleek MakeUp Brow Kit in the shade light, using the powder to fill in my brows (with one of the brushes provided in the kit, which is £8.49) which are naturally quite thick and dark. 

 

 

 

 

I then use the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche La Palette Rose 2 to blend a natural pink matte shade into my crease before a shimmery pink toned eyeshadow over my lids as my skin is pink toned, so the pink complement the look well. The palette is £14.99 for 10 different shades, so extremely good value for money as they're super pigmented. Next, I use an MUA highlighter in the shade iridescent gold swept on my brow bone and on the tops of my cheeks, my Cupid's bow and along the bridge of my nose, using a RT setting brush. For £3, it's highlight is super blinding and packs in a lot of glitter onto my face. I do blend it in using a RT powder brush to make the glow look far more natural. I then go back in with the Sleek Brow Kit to fix my brows with the wax using a brush provided in the kit. This means the brows won't move and will look flawless throughout the day. I then use the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade London (priced at £5.50) and put it onto my lips. It's such a gorgeous nude shade and makes the whole base of my face look much more natural and I adore this lip product so much, it glides on my lips.

Finally, I wanted to create a smoky eye but as I'm so pale, it made more sense to create a smoky eye using eyeliner. My preferred eyeliner is the L'Oreal Paris Super Slim Eyeliner in intense black and it's so easy to use, it's pen style nib flows along the lid and creates a lovely line. (It's the best I've used and only £6.99) It's blackness makes up for the light eyeshadow that creates a nice contrast to the nude lips. I used a black eyeliner pencil by MUA to fill in my waterline and pushed it a little underneath to add an extra smokiness for the bargain price of £1! Finally, I used the Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express mascara in very black which was £7.99 and it is an amazing mascara, it lengthens, separates and volumises my lashes so much and it really finished the whole look off nicely. This was my go to make up look throughout the holiday and I felt so feminine but fierce.