LIFESTYLE, PARENTING
Back in January this year, I set myself some blogging goals. Now I know there is this huge *thing* about numbers and how it’s not the number of followers, but how engaged they are. And I totally agree! However, I have found that setting myself some goals for this year has really given me something to aim for personally to help keep me motivated and committed towards creating great content and posting regularly. So how have I got on so far?
When my lovely blogger friend Chloe, aka Lady Writes, got in touch to ask if I wanted to sample some beauty products for her day job role, I just knew I had to say yes! Chloe works at Ideal World, a TV shopping channel. I love finding hidden gems like this – Ideal World stocks loads of great beauty brands that you can spend hours browsing and reading reviews of. As much as I love the big, established brands that I am familiar with, there’s nothing better than coming across something new and being able to share it with your friends. So here I am sharing what I found, with you!
Cape Town is a truly beautiful city. With so much to do there, you are spoilt for choice! It is the perfect place to get adventurous in, whether that means taking a trip up Table Mountain, spotting penguins at Boulders Beach or scrambling along cliff sides at Cape Point. We visited the city on our honeymoon last month, when Cape Town was just coming out of winter and heading into the early days of spring. Coming from the 37° heat of the greater Kruger park, the cooler climes and occasional rain came as a bit of a shock to the system. I had no idea what to wear! So when Thomson asked me to create a fashion mood board for Cape Town, I jumped at the chance.
There are so many amazing places to go in the world, so how do you pick where you want to go for one of the most amazing holidays in your life? Andrew and I both knew we wanted to go big for our honeymoon. We wanted it to be the holiday of a lifetime. I can’t quite remember exactly how we chose to go to South Africa on safari, but it was a bit of a no brainer. There were a couple of other contenders, but going on a safari feels like a real privilege and is a really exciting trip to plan and book. Because there was so much else going on (planning a wedding takes A LOT of time!) we decided to take the pressure off and enlisted the help of Trailfinders. With their advice, we came up with a fabulous South African honeymoon itinerary.
Last week I had the pleasure of trying out one of Gateshead’s best kept secrets and didn’t think I could keep it to myself! Sidegate Gallery, a gorgeous shop and boutique in Sunniside has started to host monthly pop up restaurant. Each month they bring in chefs and offer a three course meal, with a different cuisine every time. This month was the turn of Thai food and Oodles of Noodles were the caterers of choice.
Anyone who knows me will know that I have really struggled with the idea of changing my name now I am a Mrs. I have gone into my settings on Facebook and typed in my new surname at least five times, but every time I go to click Save, I get a wobble in my tummy and I just can’t do it. It’s absolutely mad and I can’t explain how frustrated it is making me feel. What should I do? How can I make my mind up? I’ve spoken to a few people about what they think to try and help me make a decision. Here’s what they said and what I have decided to do!
In case you hadn’t noticed (and I wouldn’t blame you for not) then it’s currently the Great British Summertime. And occasionally, the sun emerges from behind the clouds and blesses us with its presence. When it does, I feel like I need to take on even more water and I find hitting the gym even harder than usual. I turn into a big, hot sweaty mess and find myself chugging back more and more council pop. But hydration isn’t all about H2O, as I learnt when I tried electrolytes from elete Holistic Hydrate.
Well, what can I say? We got married! Our wedding day, on 20 August 2016, was absolutely wonderful. Andrew and I both felt so emotional, so surrounded by love and just had so much fun all day long. I swear my cheeks were aching from smiling so much. There is so much to tell about our perfect day, I don’t even know where to begin! I suppose I will break it down into some smaller bite-sized chunks so I don’t become a dreadful wedding bore. In the meantime, here are some of my favourite snaps from the day. We don’t have our official pictures back yet so these aren’t the best quality but I love them nonetheless!
Since a huge NYX counter opened in Boots in Eldon Square, I’ve found myself creeping back there time and again. There is something about NYX that I really love. Not only is the make up cruelty free, but it is also really well priced and there are a load of innovative products on offer. If I’m looking for a high end dupe, or just to try something new, NYX is the brand I find myself turning to. I first discovered it when I was shopping in New York and someone had recommended I pick up one of their matte lip creams. I did (post here) and haven’t looked back since. I got a couple of bits recently just before the wedding and I’m loving them all. Check out what I picked up.
Primer is only something I added to my make up wardrobe in the past 12 months. I can’t quite remember where I first heard about it, but now I can’t do without it. If I want my make up to stay in place all day, then I need a good base. As extensive as my skincare routine is, primer just makes my make up look even better. But there are tonnes out there, ranging in price from really rather expensive to really rather cheap. I picked two of my collection to put against each other in a battle to the death. High end – Too Faced Hangover Primer vs. high street – cult favourite Nivea Post Shave Balm. Which one came out on top?