New In From Soap and Glory

You guys know by now that I'm a BIG Soap and Glory fan, so nothing makes me happier than when a box of exciting new products drops through my door. That's a lie actually, the only thing that makes me happier is when the products drop through my door complete with a Soap and Glory Boardgame. Yeah, that's a thing. 

ANYWAY. Soap and Glory it seems are on fire this month, and as you're reading this, a whole ton of new products should be hitting the shelves of Boots. And my opinion? Well they've knocked it out of the park.

So what can you expect? Soap and Glory are dropping new brow products, cheek products, lip products and - excitingly - colour correcting products. Now I can't pass judgement on all the products, because I don't have them all, but I can give you my first impressions on a few things.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Matte Lips - These ROCK. Like no joke, you should go out and buy all of these immediately. We're talking creamy, pigmented, longwearing matte lip colours, that come in at under £4 each. 

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss - These aren't new but there are new shade additions. I've been wearing the shade Coral-My-Bluff for the last week and I really like it. If you're a gloss fan, check these out.

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Almighty - Possibly the easiest brow product I've ever used. A creamy taupey brown crayon that glides onto the skin. It's not super accurate but I just fill in the middle of my brows then use a spoolie to brush it out, which also works as a blending method! Thumbs up.

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Putty - A unique take on the brow powder - a tube with a built in brush and little powder pot - if you enjoy filling in your brows with powder (I find it gives the most natural effect) this is a great travel friendly option.

Soap and Glory Glow All Out Highlight and Sculpt Stick - A smooth and creamy highlight in a beautiful light champagne shade. I can't wait to use this in the summer for a natural sunkissed glow look. 

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Just Bright Tired Skin Concealer - A lilac toned concealer which, when applied under the eyes does a fantastic job of neutralising dark circles. It's made with coconut oil to moisturise, and when applied under foundation it really brightens up the complexion! 

I definitely want to try the other shades from the colour correcting line! 

Will you be picking up any of Soap and Glory's new products? 

An Erin Condren Update + My Favourite Accessories!

As My Erin Condren Life Planner and I approach the beginning of our third year together, I thought it was about time I gave you a little update. This planner is still my be all and end all, and I can't imagine a time when I won't repurchase it. It's just perfect for the way I like to plan my days, it's a great size, layout and quality too.

A lot of people have asked me if I think I will stray from the vertical layout and the honest answer is no. I've tried horizontal planners time and time again and they've never worked for me, and my work day generally carries on til two or three in the morning, so hourly is not really for me either. I'm not the type to plan out my day hour by hour, so I like having three main boxes I can use for whatever takes my fancy. Normally that's one box for to dos and two boxes for my schedule, but the great thing about these planners is their flexibility, so this is not a hard and fast rule.

The main difference in the way I plan since my last update is that I finally found a way to make my sidebar work for me. It's split into three sections, and I've varied the contents but this setup seems to work best for me. In the top I write my to dos for the week that aren't date specific, things like odd jobs and cleaning. The middle section is for anything important I need to remember - this can literally be anything from phone my grandparents to send an invoice. And then at the bottom, I jot down anything I need to remember for next week - important events that need prep, birthdays or even just to dos.

I get a lot of questions about stickers too. I found I was spending a small fortune on stickers, so I've been printing my own. I love the Etsy stores Miss Sabine Elise and Brittney Designs, and when I want pre printed stickers, I love SeaSaltandPaper, run by my awesome friend Charlie. It takes a little more time to print & cut them yourself, but I find it quite therapeutic to do whilst catching up with PLL! 

Because I don't generally plan out my week til the Sunday before, I use these sticky notes from Erin Condren to mark events and plans ahead of time. It's super handy to just have this clipped into the back of my planner, and makes it easy to change if plans change! 

It's taken me a long time to find the 'perfect' pens for planning, but I think I've got it down now! The majority of the time, I use my Kikki K Metal Rollerballs, I have this gorgeous rose gold one, and a pretty white one too. They aren't the cheapest option, but I love how they write, and how weighty they are! For colour, I have these double sided pastel pens from Anthropologie, which are such beautiful colours, and just the right amount of inky. The pencil case is also from Kikki K, and isn't it bloody gorgeous?

That's everything I can think of for now! Feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments, and if you're interested in getting your own Erin Condren planner, you can use this link to get $10 off! I think they're amazing, and worth every penny!

Are you a planner? 

5 Things You Need For Your Blog

Whilst chatting with a friend last week about my work as a freelancer and my blog, my friend said, "The blogging world is so odd. Its like MI-6, everyone knows it exists but finding info about what really goes on beneath the surface is difficult." and it really got me thinking. Because she was right, generally bloggers are secretive about their blogs, their success and how to get it. Now, I'm very much of the mentality, 'share and share alike', so I started to wonder why I wasn't sharing some of my knowledge.

So here we are! Today I thought I'd talk to you about some of the things you need to make a killer blog. These aren't physical things per se, but rather things that will only improve your blog, and how it is viewed by readers, fellow bloggers, and brands alike.

1. Strong, consistent branding. Brand is everything when it comes to your blog. Take some time to sit down and answer some questions. Why are you blogging? Why should someone read your blog? What are your core values? Everything on your blog should reflect the answers to those questions, and your branding should  reflect that too. Create logos you can use across your social media platforms so people will recognise your blog. Have a consistent theme to your photos, so people will look at a photo and recognise it as yours.

2. A blog email address. Whether you're talking to PR's, brands, fellow bloggers, or even the Bloglovin' help team (who, incidentally, are fantastic), you won't be taken seriously if your messaging from groovychick93@hotmail.co.uk. You don't have to splurge on your own email hosting if it's out of your budget, but a simple yourblogname@gmail.com will go a long way towards increasing your reputation.

3. A disclaimer policy. For brands who want to collaborate with you, and readers who want to know if you're genuine. A disclaimer policy should state your ethics really, and let brands know whether you're open to sponsorship deals.

4. A media kit. If you're interested in working with brands, or accepting advertising, you need a media kit. One document that will tell brands and PRs everything they need to know about your blog, so they can decide whether you'll be a good fit!

5. A clear profile photo on your blog, & a killer about page. All your readers want to know what you look like! It makes you seem more personable and has been proven to increase reader engagement! The same can be said for an about page. Tell your readers about you and your blog, what they can expect to find and why they should definitely follow you!

I hope you found this useful! Let me know if there are any other blog topics you'd like me to cover down in the comments! 

New In: Bourjois Base Edit

I'm always on the look out for new, affordable base options that tick all the boxes - good foundations don't have to cost the earth. I was totally taken in by two new Bourjois releases that hit the aisles of Boots and Superdrug this month, and figured I'd give you a run down today. 

I tend to steer clear of Bourjois foundations (with the exception of the healthy mix serum) because they tend to run a little dark for me, and they oxidise too, making me look a spectacularly unflattering shade of tangerine-oompa-loompa. Nice. However, I picked up the lightest shade, 01 Ivoire, in the Bourjois City Radiance Foundation, and it's a perfect match for my current skin tone. This foundation is marketed as a radiance-boosting, natural looking base with anti-dullness properties. Because of the description, I was expecting a dewy finish, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the moussey texture lends itself to a demi-matte finish. I am actually really impressed with this foundation, it's nice to see a demi-matte foundation on the drugstore market - it's glowy and luminous without being shiny, natural looking but still can be worked up to a medium coverage. At £9.99 it's a steal.

The other new addition is the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer - and I'll admit to being suckered in by the packaging on this one! It definitely looks more expensive than it's £7.99. Bourjois claim this concealer will mask imperfections, dark circles and puffiness, and boasts 'Mont Blanc Glacier Water and Hyaluronic Acid to visibly smooth wrinkles and fine lines, providing 24h hydration'. Whilst I'm not sure of all that, I can tell you that the concealer has quite a 'liquidy' texture, making it easy to blend in without caking, and offering a good medium coverage. It's definitely radiant, but again I bought the lightest shade and it's just a smidgen too dark to really brighten the undereye. I'd love to see this formula in a pink brightening shade!

Two thumbs up from me anyway - will you be picking up anything from the new Bourjois range? 

Thoughts On: Forcing Myself To Exercise

Confession time: I hate exercising. I hate running. I hate cycling. I hate lifting weights. I hate gyms. I hate aerobics classes. I hate sweating. If I were an animal, I'd like to be a sloth. Not only because you never see a sloth doing anything energetic, but also because - have you ever seen an unhappy sloth? 

I can get on board with yoga, and I've got years and years of intense dance training, but the late night Domino's orders and the cocktails with my blogging babes are starting to show, and this girl needs something a little more intense than sun salutations to keep her fitting in her Topshop Jamies. 

So over the last few weeks, I've been trying out a few different exercise options to see if I can find anything that'll stick. 

Connor and I downloaded the Couch to 5k app, and have been going for runs two or three times a week. The first run was torture, I was convinced I was drowning, and going to vomit, but they've slowly been getting easier. It's not my favourite form of exercise, but I get to spend time with Con, and it's free.

The awesome team at American Eagle invited my friend Tami and I to try a Reformer Pilates Class with Lottie Murphy at the beginning of the month and man did I love that. It was the best exercise class I've been to in a long time, it worked every muscle in my body but in a controlled, strengthening kind of way, and left me feeling amazing. Lottie was a fantastic teacher too, supportive and encouraging, whilst offering good alternatives for noobs like me with dodgy joints. Unfortunately, at more than £25 a class, I can't see this being a viable option for my budget. Sighs.

American Eagle also gifted me some gorgeous workout wear that I've been loving - to the point I've actually been looking forward to exercising just to wear them! In these pictures I'm wearing their Soft and Sexy Hoodie*, as well as some of their yoga leggings, and I love them. I love the ombre look to the leggings, they're the perfect pair for a monochrome lover like me who wants something a little different to plain black leggings. The hoodie has fast become a favourite too, it's super thin and incredibly soft, I've been chucking it on before classes, when I go for a run, and even when I go do a food shop! They also kindly sent me some tshirts and bralettes that I've been loving too - definitely worth checking their line out! 

If anyone has any top tips on working out when you hate exercise - I'm all ears! 

HOODIE: AMERICAN EAGLE // TOP: PRIMARK WORKOUT WEAR (AVAILABLE IN STORES) // LEGGINGS: AMERICAN EAGLE // SHOES: NIKE (OLD)

A big thank you to American Eagle for the class with Lottie and the goodies - you guys rock!