A-Z Guide to Happiness: P

P

Photography

I love love love photography, for me it is a hobby, I believe that I have got an eye for it and I am capable of taking a good photo, and I never believe that I'm good at anything! So having confidence in this is a big deal. My only set back is that I couldn't do it professionally as I do not have the technical knowledge i.e f-stops and lighting etc.

I did try to learn this when volunteering at a photography studio, however I was not taught what to do, the photographer 'teaching' me would set up the lighting and camera and get me to do the shoot, but I already had the eye for what looked good, the right positioning of the model and the camera, I had an issue with making it happen technically. I also tried reading up on it but I just didn't understand it, I learn much better by doing and putting stuff into practice.

Here are a few of my shots..

What makes you happy?

Much Love

LJ Xo

A-Z Guide to Happiness: M

M

I had a few for this, but I think the one I am going to go for is Make Up!

So, I'm not going to say you should cake yourself in makeup because I think looking natural and being comfortable in your own skin is so important, even if you still use makeup but as a natural look to enhance your features.

However... I find that if I am feeling low in general or about myself, playing with my makeup often cheers me up! Partially because it does take some concentration depending on the look you're trying to achieve, and also, if I'm being totally honest, it does make me feel more confident.

I absolutely love playing with makeup and I think its amazing the different things that people can do with it, I truly do see it as a form of art.

Here's some pictures from when I was experimenting a little a month or so ago, I've never done a look quite like this before and I also tried on false lashes for one of the first times! I've never been brave enough to wear them out though as you often see that drunk girl with her lashes hanging off her face or something, I don't wanna be that girl!!

What makes you happy?

Much Love

LJ xo

How to be happy

Hey strangers!

Firstly I apologise for the inconsistancy of my blog. I don't want this to be a place that I fill with negativity but most of the time when I feel like writing, it's because I'm in a negative place. I think as a new years resolution I will maybe set myself a goal of posting once a week... what do you think, sound realistic???

So how was everyone's Christmas day??

I got lots of bits and bobs, my main present this year was a robot arm... yes you read right... a robot arm! I know this sounds very odd but its an inside thing with me and my mum. Basically whenever I'm feeling low or fed up and she asks what I want to do, I always say build a robot. Random I know, but how cool would it be building a little robot?!

Xmas day was kind of quiet this year, I come from a reasonably big family but my siblings have moved out, one sister moved up north with her partner so now lives 4 hours away and my other sister moved to Australia so is a good 24 hours away! My brother only lives a short drive but he works a lot of long shifts so we don't get to see him to often. My mum works on Christmas day too which isn't the best but it could be worse! So yeah, if everyones home with their partners too then we have a full house of 9 people! but this year it was just me mum and dad mostly, except the few hours my brother came over in the morning.

What did you guys get for Christmas??? I think the best thing for me was spending time with my mum and dad, shutting out the rest of the world and playing board games and having a laugh. Things have been a struggle recently so doing this was just what I needed.

So I've called this blog post "how to be happy" but honestly, I don't think there really is any one answer of how to be happy. I think a good start is surround yourself with the people that make you happy. For me, thats my mum and dad. When things get tough home is where I want to be.

Another thing I would recommend is reading. I love reading because I get so into the story that it takes me out of reality and the story is all I am thinking about. My favourite book that I've read in the last year is Nothing Left to Lose. I would definitely recommend it!!

Tonight I've been feeling a little low so I've lit my favourite scented candle, opened up a tub of jelly tots and I'm going to play some Grand Theft Auto.

Surround yourselves with the people and things that make you happy, it's ok to take yourself out of reality from time to time, but don't run from it. Eventually you will have to face it again, but if things get too much, go to your safe place :)

Have you got any ways that help make yourself happy? Write them in the comments... lets try make this a positive space.

I'll write again soon (hopefully!!!). Remember, live life for you.

Toodles.. xoxo

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Barry M .... Again!!

Hey guys!!

Apologies again for the lack of posting!:( I really am rubbish - most evenings after work I've been with my mr as he's now gone away for the next month. Also I'm not really too sure what type of things you would like to read? any requests/suggestions just tweet or post a comment below!!:)

So... those of you that have read my blog before know that I'm kindaaaa obsessed with nail varnish - especially Barry M. I purchased my first magnetic nail varnish from Barry M a fair while ago after seeing it was a lot cheaper than the other magnetic varnishes and I knew Barry M was good so thought i'd give it a shot!!

I had actually forgotten how much I loved this product until a couple of weeks ago when I used it again - which then lead to me buying a new one... and then yesterday another one.. woopsie! lol :) here are some pictures of the outcomes....

These are all £4.99 each. - I love how they come out, I feel that because of the pattern/2nd colour drawn out by the magnet it gives your nails a more manicured look - but obviously is a lot cheaper than going to get them done professionally, they also end with quite a glossy finish too which adds to manicured look. I will admit I was a LITTLE bit disappointed with the black one - which is my newest one - because the pattern that was drawn out did not stand out as much as it did in the other colours - but I do still like it :)

Hope you liked the post guys - remember if you have any suggestions for things you'd like me to post about just post below or drop me a tweet!:) Thanks for reading

Toodles ♥

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Shhh!

Hey Hey!

Sorry I've been very quiet over the past week or so! as you know last week I was away on holiday, then the day I got back my boyfriend also returned after 3-4 weeks of not seeing him so I've been pretty much glued to his side for the past 2 days!

I decided against trying sun-in Spray whilst I was away as it has hydrogen peroxide in it- which i'm pretty sure makes your hair green when mixed with chlorine - but I'm going to try it out now that I'm back!:)

Heres a picture of the view from near our room! was a bit of a hike going up and down the steps everyday but hey ho the rest of it was lovely! It was CRAZY hot though. Like usually its around 35-40 and I can bare it.. but it was 44 degrees C and hotter! my parents spent the whole time in the shade so I spent most of the time sitting by the pool on my own reading - I read 6 and a half books in one week!!!

If you like Romancey type books that aren't full of mush but a fair bit of drama - Lindsey Kelk is an AMAZING author. I think the first one of hers I read was a whilst ago and I think that was the Single Girls To - Do List, then I read the I heart series (I heart New York , I heart Paris etc) and finally I read another one called About A Girl. If you like one of her books you'll like them all as they all have similar plots just with different twists:)

If you'd like to see more pics then comment below! Are you going anywhere this summer???

Toodles ♥

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Summer Holiday - Mini Clothing Haul!

Hey Hey!

Soooo, My dad has been pretty stressed out with work and there's this one place in Greece that we always go back to when we go away, and we've not been in 3 or 4 years, then the otherday he decided he wanted a break and there was one room left so we booked a last minute holiday. Which then came with the issue - what on earth do I have that I can take on holiday?

Luckily I had recently bought about 6 of the bargain strap tops that Newlook sell so that was my daytime wear pretty much sorted along with a pair of shorts! But I didn't really have anything for evenings so I still needed a few bits.

Skirts

The skirt on the left is a very bright, fluorescent skirt that I picked up from Primark for a bargain £4

The skirt on the right is black, white and a coral/peachy colour, and I picked that up from Select for £6

The top I bought a while ago from asos - pretty sure that was £4 also, so with that top and one of these skirts, I've got an outfit there for under £10 - Wonderful!:)

Dresses

I've never worn a dress like this before, but I really liked the way it fit top half, even if I'm still not quite used to the floatyness of it!:) I got this from the sale in Select for £10.60 I believe!:)

Okay, as you can tell I've decided to step out of my comfort zone a little bit and go for a bit more bright and patterned style clothing to what I'm used to, it seems to be in at the minute so I thought I'd try it out! and I surprisingly liked this dress! The pattern on the front is slightly different to the one on the back which is why I took a picture from behind too :) This was £18 from Jane Norman

Bikinis!!!!

Well for a lovely summer holiday to Greece - of course a bikini is an essential!;) 

This is a beautiful almost mint green bikini - I got this from Tescos - the bottoms were £5 and the top was £9

This aztec bikini is white, black and neon pink. I purchased the skirts above the next day, and when I brought them home I discovered this bikini top actually is quite similar to the 2nd skirt apart from the pinks are different tones - but I think I'll still be able to get away with it :) This set is also from Tesco, the bottoms were £5 and the top was £7

Shorts & Accessories

So my eye sight is AWFUL and I'd been trying to hold off getting a pair of sunglasses as really I needed a pair of prescription ones - which are pretty damn pricey! But as we're going away I had to get some, I 'd been searching round for ages and couldn't find any that I liked then I found these and surprisingly I liked them! They cost £12.50 - which is a lot for me - usually I pay about £6 for sunnies, but they were needed !These are Foster Grants ones you can get them from places like Sainsburys, Superdrug etc

The shorts I picked up from Primark for a bargain £5!!! I almost got another pair but they didn't have the colour I wanted when I went back sad times :(

I didn't have a nice little bag that I could take out in the evenings when all I really would need is a camera and money (not all my books and music and stuff like I do in the day whilst I'm chilling by the pool:P) then I saw this little baby in Tesco for just £5 so thought I had to ;) 

Sandals

I forgot to take a picture of these (my bad) so I took the picture off the website. These are from tescos and cost £12.50 - I can't usually wear sandals like this as my feet are quite wide, but these are REALLY comfy! definitely recommend them!! 

Anyways I best be off now! Hope you enjoyed this post! I'll see you all in a week! 

Are you going away this summer? Where are you off to and where did you find your summer clothing bargains?!:) 

By the way I am Guest Posting on A Scottish Lass' blog on Saturday 27th July - so go check that out too when its up!:) 

Toodles ♥

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Shop Shop Shopping!! :)

Hey hey!

So today my plan was to go and treat myself and buy some pretty summer clothing as my clothes are a bit old! BUT, mother dearest said that I needed interview clothes - so byebye money - hello work clothes :(
I also needed a dress for a wedding too so atleast that's something a bit more fun :P So anyways... I thought I'd show you guys what  I bought!:)

This grey blazer was the first thing I decided I wanted to buy - It's a slight chiffon-like material and is a gorgeous fit! Looks really good with a baby pink colour, however I'm having difficulty putting it with anything else so I think this might be going back as I don't have the money to spend on stuff I can't wear :( even if it is really pretty :( Oh and this cost £11 :)

Next up is this pretty lil thanggg!! This is a 3/4 sleeved black blazer with a tailored fit, very flattering for the figure. I got this for £15, its a thicker material than the previous blazer but I shall be keeping this one as black  is a much easier colour to work with! Especially with formal/office wardrobe.

This dress I bought for the wedding and it is a babypink colour and again is a chiffon material, this costs £14. I'm uncertain about this dress, when I put it on I felt like it made me look a bit childish and I wasn't that comfortable in it, but looking at this picture I'm growing to like it.. I was going to take it back as I preferred the 2nd dress I got, but now I'm uncertain :P 

andddd... this is the 2nd dress, some of you may have seen it on Zoella's recent vlog - Primark Haul, I watched the video and thought ooh that would be perfect for the wedding! and when in Primark today I caught a glimpse of it then just had to have it! This cost £17, I've never worn anything with a collar like this before, but surprisingly I actually really like how it fits me! I was hoping it would be suitable for interviews also but the parents have said it's not long enough :( sad times! Definitely keeping this beauty though!:)

Finallyyyyy I bought myself a little treat as I've wanted a new purse for AGES but can never find one I like or bring myself to spend stupid money on a purse because then I won't have any money to put in the purse! but I picked this up for just £5, bargain!:)

Anyways I shall blog again soon!! Toodles ♥

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How Much Is My Face Worth?

HeyHey!

I've seen a couple of beauty bloggers do this post and I am intrigued to see how much mine is worth as I have said in previous posts that I'm more like the 'budget beauty blogger' so lets see how this turns out...

p.s a few items of mine were gifts or from magazines and things like that so I'm not sure if they count or not so I will count it, but I'll put (Gift) next to it:)

My everyday makeup,
Starting off with just my face:

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - £6.99
MUA cover and conceal (concealer) - £1.50
Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder - £3.99
Natural Collection Bronzing Pearls - £1.99

So that's just a total of £14.47

I could not find any prices for the blusher I've been using so I've put the one that I used until it ran out and I thought I'd use this up to save money!

Eyes!!!
Lulla & Belle Cosmetics Smokey Eyes - (Gift) - £5.99 (according to someone on ebay as I can't find it anywhere else)
Avon Little Red Dress Mascara - £2.50 (Gift - considering it's an Avon product i'm shocked by this little bargain!)
MUA Every Lash Mascara - £4.99
Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara (the one in orange packaging) - £6.99 - I got this either for free or cheaper on sale with some 3 for 2 deal or something!:)

Eyes adds up to £20.47 - 2 of these were gifts though and 1 on sale... so still not too shabby!

Lips (obviously I don't wear all 3 of these at once, but it depends on what I'm wearing with which one I choose)
Miss Sporty Hollywood Lipgloss £2.99
MUA Lipstick - £1
Avon Moisture Seduction Lipgloss - £3

anddddd the Lips section totals at £6.99


Right then.. In total, my Everyday Makeup adds up to £41.93
And that looks like (minus the lipgloss/lipstick)....

If I do my going out makeup I only add 2 extra things and they are:
Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner Collection 2000 - £2.50
and
the Pretty In Pink 81 Colour Eyeshadow palette that I mentioned in my everyday smokey eye post - £14.99

So adding that on it would make my total for my going out makeup £59.42

and my Going Out Look, looks like...

It's pretty much the same, just with smokey eye makeup too :)

So... I think that's not too bad actually! Yes I definitely would like to have MAC and Bobbi Brown makeup, and other expensive brands, but unfortunately I cannot afford that at the moment! So if you're wanting to keep your makeup on a budget, I'm your gal ;)


Thanks for reading! Any questions feel free to comment, I will always reply :)

Toodles ♥

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Hair Dye

Hey Hey

So.. I mentioned in my previous post that I have never dyed my hair, its all natural and it tends to highlight itself so there's lots of different blonde tones in it, however as I've not exactly seen much sunlight over the past couple of years (YEY ENGLISH WEATHER) it's got a bit darker now, and I've been trying to lighten it with shampoos and conditioners and stuff. But today my sister brought some of her hair dye over...

Do you think I should leave it as it is, or lighten it a bit?
(you can see the colour in this pic:) )

Only thing putting me off is I like being able to say its natural and stuff like that, I don't know why but I do ^.^

Hmmmm what to do ??!

Help!!
Toodles;) ♥ xxx