Being a Romantic

not my photo - Credit

 

Hey guys,

 

Today I wanted to just write about something that I've been thinking about for a while, and that's being a romantic.

 

It's a bit of a running joke amongst my friends that I'm a bit of a romantic, I believe in fairytales, and soul mates and I love all the cheesy rubbish. Why? I think it's an excellent way to live your life.

 

I believe that everyone comes into your life for a reason. That reason could be a few years of friendship, it could be that they are the one you are meant to spend the rest of your life with, it could be so you can learn a valuable lesson.

 

Some people have said to me before that if I believe in destiny and fate, does that mean I don't believe in free will? But I don't really think of it like that. I just think, if someone is meant to be in your life, then they will be, as long as you play your part too and appreciate them. I think that believing things like that just helps you have a happier life.

 

Say you were with someone and you thought you were settled and you would be happy with them forever, then for whatever reason, they decide they don't want to be with you. If you're not a romantic person you might just say, well I don't want my heart breaking again, I don't believe in soul mates, and i'm not going to put myself in that position again for a long time. But if you're a romantic you will still take it to heart, but even though it hurts, you accept that they were a lesson, not a life partner and now you can go and meet the one.

 

You might get your heart broken a lot, and you might feel like sometimes it isn't worth it, but for me, to feel that amazing feeling of being in love, getting butterflies whenever you see them and just being excited about right now, I think it's worth it.

 

Photo Credit

 

That's not to say you should fall in love with everyone you meet, I just think you should be open to it. I haven't had that feeling for a good 4 nearly 5 months, and i'm not in a rush to get it again tomorrow but I just think it's nice to know that it's out there.

 

It could that i'm naïve, but i'm just lucky to have lived a life surrounded by love. My parents have been married for 26 years, my grandparents have been married for over 50. I've only ever come across two people in my life who have lied about love, and only one was to me, and I think that's pretty good for 22 years.

 

It doesn't even have to be about the person you want to spend your life with. It should be about friends too. I'm always nice to new people that I meet, because one day they could be a friend you'll love dearly, and it would be a shame for you to miss out on that, just because you were too 'cool' or stubborn to talk to the new kid.

 

For me, I just think love is when the person you're with just makes you happy. When you just look at them and think, i'm really glad you're in my life. You'll probably have arguments but I once read a quote that said 'a relationship without arguments, is a relationship full of secrets' and I think that's very true. But love is getting through it, and realising that it's ok to disagree sometimes.

 

And i'm starting to go on a bit so I think i'll leave it there!

 

What about you guys, would you say you are romantics or more of a realist?

 

Love Amylou x

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Halloween Costume Inspiration

Hey guys,

Even though I've already decided my costume for Halloween this year, it still hasn't stopped me from looking around at all the different costume and make-up ideas other people have and I thought i'd share some of my favourite ones with you in case you're looking for a bit of inspiration!

I love Candy/Sugar skull looks. It's still being a skeleton but they are so colourful and so pretty! I think this could be what I do next year:

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I love when people really commit to their costume, put on the full make up and really go all out, these are a few of my favourites from Pinterest:

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Hair is always a pretty important part of a halloween costume, as i'm sure many bloggers do, I usually turn to youtube for a tutorial on how to do hairstyles and to inspire face paint and special FX ideas. I was recently sent an email about a website called coolblades and they have a page dedicated to 10 tutorials on different hairstyles for halloween from Bellatrix Lestrange to the Black Swan. It's good to have a few in one place! If you want to take a look you can visit their site here :)

I'm thinking of either crimping my hair or making it super frizzy this year, The Beauty Department has an amazing tutorial on this!

I love halloween so much, I love how creative people can be. Sometimes it's the smallest, simplest details that really make the biggest difference!

I still think this has to be the best costume I've ever seen though:

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What are you doing for Halloween this year?

Love, Amylou x

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The Liebster Award :)

This photo is from the Alice May blog :)

Hey guys!

The lovely Joy Michelle over at The Joyous Living nominated me for the Liebster Award! :) You can read her Liebster Award post and all the other lovely things she has over on her blog here :)

I know I've done one of these before, but it was a while ago, and I've discovered lots of new blogs to share with you, so surely it's worth reading just for that?! :)

Firstly i'll share the rules with you! :)

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you (surely you would do this anyway!)

2. Answer the 11 questions that they asked you

3. Nominate up to 11 bloggers with less than 500 followers

4. Ask 11 questions for the nominees to answer

5. Let them know you've nominated them! :)

So these are the questions that Joy asked me:

What made you decide to blog? I've always loved blogging but i'm not very good at keeping them going. I'd had a few when I was younger but i'd gotten rid of them. In January this year I decided that I would start a new one, I was going through a tough time, I was feeling very isolated and like I was being left behind and it was a lovely distraction. Now all of that is gone, i'm feeling happier and stronger than ever and now blogging is a lovely way to talk to other bloggers and somewhere to share memories to look back on and recommendations to send to friends!

What are your favourite ways to connect with fellow bloggers? I got involved in my first blogger chat on Wednesday as part of the #lbloggers chat and I loved it! It is my new favourite way to meet other bloggers and have a chat! I also just like to read peoples posts that they put links to up on twitter and comment on them! :)

What is your favourite holiday hotspot? The best place I've ever been is Las Vegas. I was so surprised. I was expecting it to be super tacky and really too in your face, and to be fair a lot of the strip is like that, but we stayed in the Wynn Tower Suites down towards the end of the strip near the malls and I've never seen so much marble or felt so serene in my life. The staff there really couldn't do enough for you and if you ever go, you HAVE to go for dinner in TAO in the Venetian, it was the best meal I had there and the staff were laughing and joking with us the whole night. It's not cheap so i'd go there as something special, but it's definitely worth it.

What was the last good book you read? I don't remember the last book that I read! I haven't had chance to read anything since I was in Mexico in July. I love girly books though and I remember absolutely loving the Pretty Little Liars series. I only have the first 4 but it took me less than a week to read them by the pool, I couldn't put them down!

What is your favourite clothing brand? This is a hard one! It depends on the occasion I think! For smart/casual everyday wear i'd say Lauren by Ralph Lauren, their tops are the softest thing you have ever felt and they always look nice. For super casual/gym/home wear i'd say Victoria's Secret and PINK by Victoria's secret. They make the comfiest sweatpants and yoga crops in the whole world. I haven't bought much recently as i'm not a fan of the nineties neckline on myself, I don't like jeans and most skirts are too short, and that's mostly what is in the high street stores at the minute! Though I did buy a gorgeous dress from topshop the other day, so I should go there more! For hoodies/jumpers i'd have to say Abercrombie and Fitch/Hollister, they are comfy and soo warm! When I went to San Francisco last year we didn't take any jumpers as we didn't think it would be cold and we bought so many hoodies from the Abercrombie and Fitch near the hotel!

What is your favourite restaurant in London? Meat Liquor. Everytime. I first went there with an ex and his cousin probably about 3 years ago? And I've never looked back. Their burgers are amazing. It's not fancy, you can't book and there's no cutlery but honestly, their food is just so good you have to go. Do it.

What has been the most surprising part of blogging? I think how many people have got in touch, emailed, tweeted and commenting on my posts just to say hi or to say they liked what I said. I knew the community was a strong one, but it surprised me just how quick it is to accept new bloggers who have no idea what they're doing and don't judge!

What has been the hardest part of blogging? Writer's block, and feeling like your posts aren't good enough. It's been taking me so long to finish my posts recently! I currently have 10 posts drafted, and I just can't seem to finish them off. I know that i'm not blogging for anyone else, i'm just writing whatever I want to write about, just because I want to, not to impress anyone or make anyone else happy, but it seems I put that pressure on myself anyway!

How do you market your blog? The only thing I do to promote my blog is to tweet a link when I post something new, and to leave my link with comments that I post on other blogs! It seems to be working as I get just under 900 visitors a month, and even though that doesn't sound a lot to most people who might get that daily, to me that's insane and i'm so thankful that they want to read what I have to say!

Name three of your favourite bloggers you look to for inspiration and advice. For advice I look to some of Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter's) posts, as a lot of them recently have been about feeling positive, having motivation and knowing that you are good enough. For inspiration I look to Rosie (The Londoner) as I love the way she blogs and everything she does sounds so interesting! For general everything I look to Hannah Maggs her blogs are so well put together, and the editing quality of her vlogs is amazing. I love the way she talks about products and she is always honest in both reviews and just generally about life, and it's the best way to be.

What is one of your goals concerning your blog? Honestly just to keep it going. It's something I love doing so much and I've got a big work load coming up soon with being over half way through my Masters and having to do my dissertation, and whist I appreciate my blog is going to have to take a back seat for a while, I still want to keep updating it as it really does make me happy to be in this community.

I probably gave much longer answers to those questions than necessary, but i'm just in the typing mood I guess! :)

Here are the bloggers I want to nominate and their bloglovin links :)

1. The Pyreflies

2. Mandarie

3. Chantelle Hudson

4. Coley's Opinion

5. Underland to Wonderland

6. Bows & Buttons

My questions to you are:

1. What do you love most about blogging?

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

3. What is your favourite thing about autumn?

4. What is one thing you want to achieve by the end of the year?

5. What accomplishment are you most proud of from this year?

6. What is your favourite quote/saying?

7. What do you like least about blogging?

8. If someone was to start a blog tomorrow and ask for a piece of advice, what would it be?

9. What is one thing that you couldn't live without?

10. If you could release any product or brand of your own, what would it be?

11. What restaurant, anywhere in the world, would you recommend the most to someone?

Thanks for reading! :)

Love Amylou x

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Pumpkin Inspiration

Hey guys!

Halloween is one of my all time favourite days of the year. Every year I dress up and every year I carve a pumpkin. The girls have convinced me to put away the excessive face paints and special FX make up for a year, and we are all going as black cats :D Even though i've got my costume sorted, I still need to decide on how to carve my pumpkin this year, I found a few photos and thought i'd show you my favourites!

I'll leave links underneath the photos to their original sources if you want to take a better look! :)

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By no means am I saying that I could actually do any of these, but they are so beautifully done! I might get some stencils this year and try to branch out a little more than just a jack o' lantern face! Though there is nothing wrong with tradition!

I think it would be good to mix it up a bit too, how about a halloween pineapple?!

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I think these are great, and I can't wait to go out and buy mine! Plus I really like homemade pumpkin and butternut squash soup too which comes in handy when trying to get rid of the insides!

If you're not a fan of pumpkins, I love this idea of using little oranges and filling them with mini smarties!

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Are you excited for pumpkin carving this year? :)

Love, Amylou x


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The Glamour Beauty Power List 2014 Box

Hey guys!

So a while ago I ordered a Glamour Beauty Box from Latest In Beauty and I thought i'd just tell you about a few of my favourite products from the box! It's been a couple of weeks since I first started using the products as I wanted to make sure that I used the products enough before giving my opinions! :)

The box included:

- Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence Spray

- Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

- James Read Sleep Mask Tan

- Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

- A Lipstick from the Maybelline Stripped Nudes Collection

- Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

- Eyeko Eye Makeup Remover Wipes

- One Year iPad Digital Edition Subscription to Glamour.

And it was only £15.99!

I've never bought a beauty box before, and what sold this one in particular to me is that I always buy Glamour magazine, and at £2 each that's £24 a year, so really it didn't make sense not to buy the box with that subscription saving!

I haven't used the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser or the James Read tan so I can't tell you about those, but here's what I thought of everything else in the box! :)

Philip Kingsley Daily Defence Spray.

This. Smells. Amazing. I can't even describe how much I love the smell of this spray. To me it smells like the products that we had in Mexico, and so all I can think of is beaches and sunshine when I smell it. I've been using it everyday to blow dry my hair and on the rare occasion that i've straightened or curled it i've used it then too. I don't know if it's a combination of using this and a new conditioner, but my hair has been so soft and incredibly shiny since i've starting using it! I'll definitely be replacing this when it runs out!

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer.

I fall in and out of love with using foundation primers, but this one is lovely. I don't use it everyday, I save it for when I need my make up to last longer or if i'm going to meet someone and want my make up to look its best! It is a thin formula and doesn't make you feel like you're just wearing more layers which some primers can, and it does give me a better finish as well as making my make up last longer. It's going to take me a while to finish as you don't need much and I don't use it everyday, but i'd consider getting more when it does run out.

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara.

I wasn't expecting much from this mascara as i've always used Chanel or Bare Minerals and I didn't think there was any way that this could be as good. But I was wrong! It can clump your lashes a little so it's best to use with a comb/brush as well, but it does what it says and my lashes do seem to look longer and they curl up more giving them more volume too. I've been using this every day that i've been wearing make up which has been most days and i'm really loving it. I think i'd still buy a Bare Minerals one over this, but if I couldn't get to Bare Minerals this would definitely be my next choice!

Maybelline Stripped Nudes Lipstick.

The lipstick in my box was the shade 740 Coffee Craze, and whilst I like the colour, I don't think this is my favourite lipstick. The pigment isn't very strong and the finish is quite slippery and shiny, more like a lip balm/gloss finish rather than a lipstick. If you like lighter coverage and a lighter texture then i'd say these lipsticks would be great for you, but I prefer a stronger pigment for a bolder lip personally, and I prefer a more matte and less shiny finish.

Eyeko Eye Makeup Remover Wipes.

I've only used these a couple of times as I'm not a huge fan of face wipes and prefer to use a wash/cleanser. I needed 2 wipes to get rid of my eye makeup as the wipes are quite small, though I did have a lot of mascara and eyeliner on on these days. They are good, but I wouldn't necessarily say they were better than the Johnsons wipes that I usually use if I need to use a wipe. They don't sting your eyes though which is good as I've found that some wipes can.

And of course I love my Glamour subscription as that was the reason for the box purchase! I'd say my favourite 2 things in the box are the Daily Defence Spray and the Mascara.

Have you bought a box from latest in beauty (or any other beauty box company) before? Which is your favourite box or box subscription?

All my love,

Amylou x


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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey guys!

So I was looking for a cookie recipe earlier and was inspired when I saw the photos on this blog post (link) so I just had to give them a go!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies is one thing that i've never quite mastered when it comes to baking, but these turned out so good, i'll definitely be keeping the recipe!

I've kept it pretty much the same as the linked recipe I just changed the chocolate!

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter

100g light brown soft sugar

125g caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

225g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

75g Galaxy chocolate chopped into chunks

1 Galaxy Ripple crumbled

Method:

(Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas mark 4)
1. Mix the sugars and cream together with the butter
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again
3. Gradually add the flour and salt until the mixture becomes doughy
4. Add the chocolate chunks and crumble the ripple into the dough and mix/knead together
5. Cut the ball of dough into roughly 20 pieces
6. Roll these 20 pieces into balls and place on a baking tray (I used 2 trays)
7. Bake for 7-13 minutes
8. Allow to cool and stiffen

(the recipe I used suggested 7 minutes but mine ended up taking 13 as I had to swap the trays over so they baked evenly)

I took the dough out of my mixer to knead in the crumbled ripple and chocolate chunks as it was easier than trying to use the whisk/dough hook on my kitchen aid!)

They were so gooey when they came out that they melted over the side of my cooling racks (at this point I had to just eat one to make sure they were as good as they looked - they were better)

So so delicious. 

A huge thank you to the SweetAsPi Blog for putting up this recipe in the first place, I definitely recommend that you try it!

I'm going to make some of these for halloween with some green food colouring, peppermint essence and then scratch the chocolate chips to look like spiders whilst they are cooling. I'm already excited to make some!

Do you have a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love Amylou x


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Hello, October.

Hey guys!

So it's already October, this year is going way too fast, and there is so much to look forward to this month! 

Firstly some specific things to look forward to in October:

My little sister turns 18! I can't believe my little sister is already 18, and at 22 she makes me feel so old! I can't wait for the cocktails and champagne bars to celebrate, afterall, you only turn 18 once!

It's also one of my best friend Joanna's birthday in October! Unfortunately she lives all the way down in London so I won't be able to see her on her birthday but we plan to make up for it soon! We always have a good time when we get together, so i'm excited to see her!

Halloween. Halloween. Halloween. I am obsessed. This will be the fifth year i've spent Halloween in Lancaster and each year is better than the last, and I know this one is going to be the best one to date. I still don't have a costume (which is very unlike me) though I think it'll be something along the lines of a cat. Putting the excessive face paints away for one year only!

Starting my fifth and final year at University. It feels like forever ago since I was a little fresher moving out of my parents house at 18 and going out to experience the world on my own. It has been the best four years, and I can definitely say that it was the best experience, and even though it had it's ups and downs i've never felt better, more confident in myself or really any happier than I do right now. University really is a life changing experience, and everyday is a chance to grow and experience something new. I'll be sad when it's over, though I am looking forward to working full time and not being a poor student anymore!

And then there are some more general things to love about October:

- Cosy fires

- Wrapping up

- Hot chocolates

- Crunchy leaves

- The beautiful colours of Autumn

- Dark nights

- Duvet days and movie nights

-Bubble baths

- More family nights

- More baking

- Pumpkins

- Autumn comfort food

- Crisp mornings

- Winter coats

-Fluffy socks

-Snuggling in blankets

-Nights in with friends

There is so much to look forward to. Sorry this was such a text heavy post!

I love this time of year. 

What are you most looking forward to in October?

All my love, Amylou x



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September Favourites

Hey guys!

So I thought today would be a good day to share my favourite things from September!

1. Favourite TV Show

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Usually I would always say that Revenge is my favourite show, but this month my friend Lauren recommended that I try Suits, and it is so good! Definitely my new favourite, the characters really bounce off each other and it's so enjoyable to watch. I'm not sure when it's shown on a normal TV channel as I watch it on Netflix, but i'd definitely look out for it! 

2. Favourite Hair Care

This is the Daily Damage Defence heat protection spray from Philip Kingsley and I actually got this in my Glamour beauty box from Latest in Beauty. I'll do a longer review of it when I review the whole box but I love this spray. It smells like sunshine, as soon as I used it I felt like I was back in Mexico. My hair has also been shinier and a lot softer since i've been using it, will definitely be buying a full sized bottle when this runs out!

3. Favourite Make-up Product

I love this lip gloss. It is from Charlotte Tilbury and is the Lip Lustre gloss in Unleash Me. It is part of the vintage vamp look:

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I have the lipstick and lip liner on order from Selfridges and I can't wait to try out the full look once they arrive. In the mean time I've been using the lipgloss just over a light red lipstick and I love it. It's just dark enough for an autumnal look without being too dark, and also looks good with my red hair which is something i've found difficult to match up with!

4. Meeting new people

I know this one is a bit different for a favourites blog post but it really has been one of my favourite things this month. I went up to Lancaster for the back end of freshers week and I had the best time. Obviously I knew Lauren before freshers, but it was so lovely to meet these guys. I laughed so much, drank too much and made friends that I hope will be in my life a lot from now on! It's amazing what a couple of days meeting new people can do for your confidence, coming home I felt like a different person, ready to start a new chapter and make the most of my last year as a student! (Drunken bathroom chats will do that to a person!)

Not many favourites to share, but I wouldn't want to include anything that I wasn't in love or obsessed with. Quantity over quality! 

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend

All my love, Amylou x

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