Amazing Advertisers // October

Hi guys! So its that time again - the end of yet another month. October has whizzed by in a flash and I can't quite believe its the 1st of November tomorrow. I am excited though because November is the month I start to get really really really excited for Christmas. My boyfriend and I have booked a week off work mid-November and we're so excited to go Christmas shopping and to the local Christmas markets. Only one more month until our Christmas tree goes up too. Words can't describe how excited I am about that! So without me babbling on about my excitement for Christmas any longer, let me introduce you to some wonderful blogs and websites that have been sitting over in my sidebar for the past month. As always they're a fab bunch and I'd highly recommend checking them all out ...

Vicky from Beauty Blogging Brunette

Hi everyone, I'm Vicky and I blog at beautybloggingbrunette.blogspot.co.uk. I've been passionate about writing for as long as I can remember and as a trained makeup artist with over two years industry experience, I live and breathe beauty! Beauty blogging enables me to combine the two as well as share the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way with everyone.

I'm on the verge of dipping my toes into the world of YouTube soon to explore the more interactive side of beauty - I'm so excited to share my makeup stories with you all!

Blog || Twitter || Youtube

Charlotte from Bercie Baby

Hi Guys, My name is Charlotte & I’m a Parent/Lifestyle blogger over at bericebaby.com. I blog about being a first time mum to my baby boy Hayden, Fashion, Beauty, everyday products and everyday life. I am somewhat of a part-time vlogger over on my youtube too HAHA.

Stop by and say Hi – Love meeting new people!

Lotte xo

Blog || Youtube || Twitter || FaceBook || Pinterest || Instagram

Website - Yuko

YUKO Permanent Hair Straightening was created in Japan in 1996 by Yuko Yamashita, a passionate hair stylist and salon owner who, after witnessing as a child the happiness a haircut gave her mother and sister,decided to make other people just as happy by dedicating her life to hairdressing. Throughout her years as a stylist, Yuko was shocked to discover that only 5 out of every 100 people were happy with their hair and a staggering 75% were concerned because their curly, unruly, sleek or thick hair was not to their satisfaction. In just the same way that most people are unhappy with their bodies and would change something if they could, Yuko committed her passion to find a solution; a way of giving people the opportunity to have the hair they desired. In pursuit of this, Yuko began a project with Japanese health, sports and beauty giant Phiten to develop her own perm solution, alongside having developed a successful solution, YUKO now also has a successful and comprehensive homecare range suited to treat all hair types.

YUKO can be purchased online at www.yuko-london.com.

 Facebook || Twitter

Stacie from Life Is Worth The Fight

Hi I'm Stacie and I write "Life is Worth The Fight". I'm 22 years old, currently doing my history degree and also waiting for a heart and double lung transplant. I starting writing my blog last year as a way to write things down as I went on this lovely journey of mine. Then the more I got into to more it made me want to raise awareness for disease and organ donation in general. 

As I have come to realise with more exposure to this world people my age don't tend to think about this type of stuff unless they are directly affected and I just feel like I have a responsibility to get the word out there as much as possible. "Life is worth the fight" is really just my little place where I write down everything I'm feeling, collect memories and talk about the things I love, and if I help raise awareness for PH and organ donation then that would be wonderful too. 

I also hope that inspires others who are maybe newly diagnosed or something happens to them that life will always be worth the fight no matter what situation you are in :) 

Much Love Stacie xoxo

Adrienne from Late Night Nonsense

I'm Adrienne and I blog about beauty, fashion and lifestyle over at Late Night Nonsense. I'm constantly on the lookout for products and gadgets to make insomnia a thing of the past and to hide those dark circles with my sleep deprived skin. I write a lot on sleep issues, as I believe this is my niche but it doesn't stop there. Come check out my blog for a little dose of realness with a hint of perspective. I also have a Youtube channel where I blabber on about anything and everything, so make sure to give that a look if you'd rather see my face and hear my voice. I'm on Twitter too if you feel like dropping me a tweet!

 Blog || Youtube || Twitter || Bloglovin

Cat from Cattface

Hiyaa! I'm Catt, a 22 year old part-time writer and full-time cat lady from the glorious north west. cattface is my little corner of the internet to basically think aloud. I can't honestly say that I stick to one thing with my posts, its a real mixed bag - there's a bitta fashion, a bitta beauty, but mostly its just me having a good rant about things in my life!

I love to write, and blogging is slowly but surely becoming my obsession. Why not come over and say hi - you might just read something useful and/or amusing. Maybe. Love Catt xxx

Blog || Bloglovin || Twitter || Lookbook

Zoe from Zoe Georgina

Hello, I'm Zoe a beauty and fashion blogger from Devon. I started my blog six months ago, after reading other blogs i felt like it was something i'd love to have a go at myself. It's been amazing turning my passions into a hobby, definitely one of the best decisions i've made! Come and say hello over at zoegeorgina.blogspot.com where i do outfit posts, nail tutorials, beauty hauls and reviews. I would love for you to stop by. 

Zoe

X

 Instagram || Twitter || Bloglovin

Rebecca from Dizzee Darling

My name is Rebecca and I live on the South Coast with my parents, Gran and cat, Flossy. I work in marketing department for a local company and absolutely love my job even though it can be quite stressful at times!

I started Dizzee Darling for two reasons. One is that I've been an avid reader of blogs for years now and thoroughly enjoy finding out what everyone has been up to! The second is to save my long suffering boyfriend some earache as I ramble on about that coat/dress/nail varnish I saw today!

I'm really looking forward to meeting lots of new people and making new friends so please feel free to come and say hi!

Amy from Amy Lauren

Well hello there! I'm Amy Lauren and I'm a writer and enthusiast of ALL things beauty, fashion and lifestyle related (Which pretty much covers anything and everything!). One night, I decided to combine my two passions in life - Beauty and writing and in that moment 'Amy Lauren' was born! I write everything from beauty reviews to little motivational blogposts for when you're having one of those days! I hope you like my blog! A, XO.

I hope you found some new reading material! Let me know if you pop over to follow any of these blogs - I'm sure you'll love them all as much as I do!

Lots of Love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

Bullying - My Story

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I’ve wanted to write this post for a long time now but I guess it’s a hard subject to approach and its pretty distressing for me to talk about too as it brings back horrible memories from my past. I also don’t want anyone to be mistaken and think I’m writing this post to gain sympathy as that is the last thing I want - I’ve come out of the experience I’m going to discuss as a stronger person and although it was terrifying at the time, I look back on it now with a new perspective and that perspective is what I’d like to share with you guys. I know a lot of people who read my blog are teenagers who are still at school or college and I know how hard those times can be. You’re transitioning from girl to woman or boy to man (I don’t know if any guys read my blog but you’re more than welcome of course!) and your emotions and hormones are running high. Perhaps you don’t know what you want to do with your life, perhaps the person you’re head over heels with has ditched you for someone else or perhaps your friends aren’t being as supportive as you'd like them to be. Or perhaps you’re being bullied. 

Before the age of thirteen and pre high-school, I was always a happy, confident and care-free girl. I loved school and was always smiling. I didn't really care what anybody thought about me and I always took it upon myself to treat other people how I'd like to be treated. Of course I still live by that motto now and that aspect of me definitely hasn't and never will change. However, the confident and care-free side to my personality was soon gone when high-school bullies made me feel worthless, vulnerable and scared. I'm not going to go into it too much detail about the people I'm referring too but lets just say there were various girls at my high school who just didn't like me from the get-go. They hadn't spoke to me and they didn't know anything about me - they just decided to make assumptions about me (apparently I'm a barbie doll, fake, plastic and a sl*t just because I have blonde hair and blue eyes) and shower me with hatred. These girls made my school life a living hell - I couldn't walk out of a lesson without being shouted at in the corridors, I couldn't enjoy break times with the few close friends I had because these groups of very intimidating girls would approach me. Occasionally I couldn't even walk home from school without being followed. Instead of being the care-free young girl I'd always been, I was soon shy, withdrawn and quite frankly, petrified of being at school.

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There's a few memories from school that still stand out vividly in my head, times that I still find quite traumatic and I'll share a few with you now so you get an idea of the type of bullying I'm referring to in this post. I once got followed home by a girl who took it upon herself to shout and scream various derogative names at me all the way home. She was right there behind me the whole way, getting closer and closer as if she was about to pounce. I was terrified. Her abuse was so loud and so intimidating that my mum actually heard this girl shouting from her bedroom window and came outside to see what all the commotion was about. I ran into the house crying (like I did most evenings) and was left feeling scared to go to school the following day. On another ocassion I got followed home by a girl shouting 'you're next Kayleigh' - the same girl that had severely beat up my best friend only days before. For no reason at all. Another few stand out moments would be the time a girl specifically came to find me during a break from lessons to throw a drink all over me, the time a girl threatened to burn all my hair off with a bunsen burner and the time a girl pushed me down the stairs because she said I was lying about my mum having cancer. For the record, I wasn't lying. I was a 14 year old girl upset at school because I'd just found out my mum wasn't very well. Luckily it wasn't a serious form and she's perfectly fine now but still, what a disgusting thing for that person to do just because they didn't like me. This bullying didn't finish when the school bell rang either, it would continue on social networking sites. People like to be keyboard warriors when they get on the internet and it can be a vile place sometimes. They think its acceptable to hide behind a computer and spout abuse and quite frankly, its not. The amount of stories you read in the news about young teenagers killing themselves because of things like this makes me feel sick. Think before you speak people or it could have horrible consequences. It also continued when I went to college, this time with a new group of girls who again, immediately hated me for no reason, no matter how friendly I was towards them. A moment I'll never forget is when I left college and one of these girls decided she would speed up her car as she saw me crossing the road (I used to walk home for lunch as I couldn't bare to face these people in the canteen) and slam on the breaks an inch in front of me. She did it with the intention of scaring me as I thought she was about to run me over. I was absolutely petrified and all she did was laugh. Disgusting.

As you can imagine, after dealing with incidents like the ones mentioned above day in day out throughout my school and college years, my confidence and self-esteem took a serious beating. That's what these people don't realise when they're taking it upon themselves to bully someone - you're affecting that person not only physically but mentally too. As I'm sure you all know, I suffer with bad anxiety and panic attacks and part of the reason behind this is because of the bullying I endured when I was younger. I struggle to trust anyone, especially other girls and I feel uncomfortable in situations where I'm surrounded by large groups of girls (outside of my family and friends) because it brings back too many memories of how I felt as a vulnerable teenager. Although I can stand up for myself these days, the fear is always there.

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So now I've told you all my story (well, a small snippet of it), let me move onto something a bit more positive. I guess the reason I'm writing this post is because I want people to realise that no matter how hard it gets, no matter how low you feel, it will get better. It always gets better. You cannot let the bullies win. You also need to realise (something I didn't when I was younger) is that these people have their own problems and perhaps their way of dealing with their own lack of self-worth is by belittling other people. Maybe that makes them feel better? That doesn't make it acceptable in any way shape or form but you need to remind yourself that its not you that is the problem, its them. I think that would be the biggest thing I've learnt from my experience. If you can pride yourself on the fact that you're a good person who is kind and caring to those around you, you've already won. No matter what these people say about you, that's just their own negative perception of people and the world translated onto you. If they don't actually know you and have never held a conversation with you, their opinion of you is just that, an opinion. Is their opinion a fact? Does that opinion matter? Absolutely not. The only opinions that matter are from those people close to you - the people who know the real you, not judgemental bullies who make assumptions. That's something I wish I could go back and tell my 14 year old self. Instead of dwelling on the comments these people made, I wish I'd held my head up high, laughed, ignored them and carried on with my life as normal. After all, these people don't deserve any tears or heartache. They're not even worth a flicker of worry. Trust me. 

The reason I know these people aren't worth a second thought is because I've been there, I've been through it and I still came out on the other side. I still managed to get good grades at school and college. I still managed to go on to university and get a good degree. I still managed to get a full-time job. I still managed to live in a nice city and a nice apartment. I still managed to find an amazing boyfriend and I still have the best family and friends a girl could ask for. When you put things into perspective like that, where does that leave the bullies? It leaves them stuck in the same place they were all those years ago because that's what happens to people who surround themselves with hatred and negativity. They stay trapped in that vicious cycle instead of making the best of themseleves. I truly believe in the saying 'you get out what you put in' and if you're a negative, spiteful person, your life will reflect that. However, if you're a positive and more importantly NICE person, you can achieve any goals you set yourself. Another hugely important thing to remember is that you're never alone and there's always someone that's willing to help. Whether its your parents, your teachers or even a helpline, there's always somewhere to turn. Its so important to remember that.

I've actually seen some of the people who bullied me since leaving school/college and all I see now when I look at them is pity. Pity that they felt the need to behave like that and pity that they wasted their school years inflicting pain on other people. However, I've also forgiven them for the things they did because there's no point in hanging on to that period in my life and resenting these people. The best way to deal with it is to continue living a happy life and always strive to be the best person I can be. The counsellor I see for my anxiety once asked me what I'd say to these people now if I had the chance and I seriously wouldn't say a thing. Actions speak louder than words as far as I'm concerned. However, if I did have to say something, I'd quote my favourite Taylor Swift song and say - "one day I'll be living in a big old city and all your ever gonna be is mean, why you gotta be so mean?". Enough said.

I really hope sharing my story has helped at least one of you out there. I hate the thought of anyone getting bullied but if you are one of those people currently suffering, please remember you are NOT alone and you WILL get through this.

Stay strong and look to the future. The only way is up, take my word for it!

Lots of Love,

 

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

Cath Kidston Rose Boquet Washbag

If you've read my blog for a while I'm sure you'll know I have a pretty big makeup collection. I did a whole post about how I store my stash here and although I love the set up, I still like to have an every day makeup bag to keep some of my most used products in. I just find this easier than rummaging through my whole collection every day and it means I can keep my current favourite products to hand so they're easily accessible each morning when I'm getting ready. I also do a lot of travelling so a makeup bag for carrying my makeup, brushes and skincare in is essential.

For a long while I was using a small makeup bag from Primark and although I loved the cute design, it just wasn't big enough or suitable for travelling. With that being said, I decided it was about time I bought myself a new one for my everyday beauty stash and travel needs. I didn't really have anything specific in mind but when I spotted this Cath Kidston Washbag on ASOS, I fell in love. Its exactly what I was looking for - a good size, spacious inside with two see-through zip compartments, a handle for carrying it around and a cute floral design. I'm a big fan of all things Cath Kidston as I love the girly designs so I knew straight away this would be ideal for popping on my dressing table. After all, we want our makeup bags to look pretty as well as being practical.

As I said, this is a very spacious washbag so its clearly designed for travelling and keeping toiletries in. However, it also makes for a great makeup bag as the clear compartments allow me to see where everything is when getting ready in a morning. This prevents me from becoming stressed and pouring the contents of my makeup bag everywhere to find that specific lipstick lurking at the bottom of my makeup bag. You know you've all been there ladies! Thankfully I haven't had any of those dilemmas since switching to this bag so the clear compartments definitely get a big thumbs up from me. I also love that there's two compartments meaning I can keep makeup in one side and brushes or skincare in the other side when I'm travelling home for the weekend. Ideal. Another couple of bonuses are the fact that it has a handle (again, great for travelling with) and that its made from a coated wipe-clean fabric. If you're anything like me and a totally mucky pup while getting ready, this is very handy indeed.

The only downside of this bag is that the zips inside get exceptionally dirty - as you can see from my final image, I've already managed to get foundation and god knows what else all over them. I think this is pretty inevitable when dealing with messy makeup but it does ruin the overall appearance of the bag. I kind of wish the material surrounding the zip was plastic like the rest of the bag to avoid this.

So, other than the inner zip mess which I can overlook, this is the perfect makeup bag if you like to store a lot of your favourite products in one place or travel a lot. I'd highly recommend it!

What do you think of this makeup bag? Its available to buy for £12.50 (reduced from £!6.00) here on the ASOS website.

Lots of Love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

YSL Touche Eclat - Worth the Hype?

One of the most famous beauty products of all time, holding a 'cult' or 'holy grail' status amongst many beauty lovers is the YSL touche eclat. Known for its highlighting and illuminating properties, its the classic beauty product used for injecting some light and radiance to the face. Its something that had always been on my never ending beauty wish list but due to the high price tag, I just couldn't justify the purchase. However, my nanna and grandad were recently visiting my dad over in Australia and when they arrived home, they handed me a little package from my dad. Inside there was two beautifully packaged YSL products - the touche eclat and a rouge volupte lipstick. I was so excited to see these products as I absolutely love the rouge volupte lipsticks and as I said, the touche eclat had been on my wishlist for such a long time.

Firstly, I must point out how incredible the touche eclat packaging is. Like all YSL products, the gold packaging makes it so luxurious but the touche eclat has an even more luxurious feel to it due to the pen applicator being completely gold with the touche eclat lettering engraved on the side. I would definitely say its the most beautiful packaging I've ever come across and its such a pleasure to pull out of my makeup bag everyday. I also love how the product is dispensed from the gold tube via a click button at the bottom of the pen - its very satisfying to click and wallah, the product is dispensed onto the brush applicator. I think its the small things like this that take a product from high street to high-end!

Now we've gathered that I love the packaging and style of application, do I actually like the product itself? Is it worth all the hype it receives? Well, I have to say, my opinion is mixed. As much as I enjoy using this product and have used it every single day since I received it, I don't think its worth the high price tag. The shade I received is 'Luminous Ivory' which I believe is one of the lightest shades you can get and it works very well with my pale skin tone. I also find it has a slight salmon undertone too which is great for counteracting dark circles. I apply this in a 'V' shape under my eyes (I picked this trick up from Kim K's makeup artist) and I find it does a great job at brightening my dark circles and highlighting my face. It blends into the skin effortlessly too and instantly makes me look more awake. However,   I've tried high-street products that have given me the same effect for a quarter of the price. That's why I feel like this product doesn't do anything miraculous enough to my face to warrant the  £25.00 price tag. For this reason, I wouldn't repurchase. As I said, I've used products that have done the exact same job as the touche eclat, in particular the Loreal Lumi Magique highlighting pen which is known to be a dupe. Seriously, it does exactly the same job. Okay the packaging isn't as nice and it doesn't have a cool 'clicky' button but other than that, the product creates the same effect. It covers and brightens my under eye circles, and acts as a highlighter on any areas of my face I want highlighting (down the centre of my nose, brow bone, cupids bow etc). With this being said, as much as I'm thankful to my dad for buying me this and as much I've enjoyed using it, I just couldn't justify spending all that money on repurchasing it. I think if I was going to spend £25.00 on a concealer, it would have to make me resemble a supermodel after application. Doubtful, I know.

Have you ever tried the touch eclat? Do you think its worth all the hype it receives? You can find it online here.

Lots of Love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

October Love Me Beauty Box

Love Me Beauty Box* | £10.00 & p+p | Link

Another month and another Love Me Beauty box. Since receiving my first LMB (formerly Beauteco) box back in July of this year and falling in love with it, I’ve been super excited to receive my box of beautifully wrapped beauty goodies through the post each month. It’s such a nice treat to receive every month and although there’s no surprise element as Love Me Beauty allows you to choose which box you’ll receive, I don’t mind. In fact, I think I prefer it this way as I know what to expect and know that I’ll more than likely enjoy using each product inside. I chose menu two from the options available this month as I’ve been after a new daytime moisturiser and liked the sound of the Amie one up for grabs in this box. Keep reading to see what else I received in my October box ...

Lord and Berry Smudge Proof Eyeliner in Smoke (full size) | RRP £7.50
Lord and Berry Scuba Mascara in Black (full size) | RRP £12.00
Balm Balm Detox Bath and Shower Oil 5ml (full size)| RRP £6.00
Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo 18ml (sample)
Amie Skincare Morning Dew Matte Finish Moisturiser 100ml (full size)| RRP £4.95 

As you can see, I received a great selection of products this month, four of which are full size. Considering this box only costs £10.00 a month plus p+p, I'd say its definitely value for money. As I said earlier, I was really keen to try the Amie moisturiser this month and on first impressions, I really like it. Its light, hydrating and smells yummy too. I think I’ll do a full review on this so keep your eyes peeled for that. I was also really excited to see some Lord & Berry products featured as I received a lipstick and lipliner from the brand in my July box and absolutely loved them. However, I have to say I’ve been left a little disappointed with the eye offerings from Lord & Berry. When I opened my mascara to give it a try, it was completely dried out and the eyeliner didn’t transfer to my waterline what so ever – again, I assume its dried out. This was really disappointing to see as they were the products I expected to fall in love with in this month’s box. I was also quite surprised to see the Balm Balm bath and shower oil is full size - its teeny tiny at 5ml so I presumed it was a sample. I'm excited to give it a try in the bath though, it smells divine so I bet its lovely and relaxing. Finally I received a sample size of the Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo - I love trying new hair products so I'm looking forward to giving this one a try.

Other than the Lord & Berry products, I'd say this is another great box from Love Me Beauty. As I said earlier, I love getting a box of treats through the post every month and Love Me Beauty never disappoints. Its definitely the best beauty box I've come across and I'm already looking forward to November's box!

Are you signed up to Love Me Beauty? What do you think of this months box?

Lots of Love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

The Blogger Programme

Goody Bag c/o The Blogger Programme - Tan Leather Bag from Baia, Crystal Necklace from Delilah Dust, Sunglasses from Red Hot Sunglasses, White Leather Journal from Stylish Life, Bath Crystals from Lemongrass House, Cleansing Milk from The Natural Skincare Company, Contact Lenses from Coloured Contacts Hut, Cosmetics from Scentsational Perfumes, Earrings & Voucher from Goddiva, Voucher from The Bohemian Collective, Voucher from Excel Clothing, Voucher from Okika Handbags, Voucher from Apple Cart, Voucher from il2l and Jewellery from Love Clothing.

When an email landed in my inbox titled 'The Blogger Programme', I was instantly intrigued and wanted to find out more. After reading the email, I was right to be intrigued as its a very exciting new concept indeed and something all bloggers can get involved with. Social Network Solutions have created a platform called 'The Blogger Programme' that aims to bring brands and bloggers together with ease, allowing them to work together on collobarations. Sounds pretty cool right? All you need to do to sign up is head over to their website here (which is super cool by the way - I love the sleek layout) and pop in some info about your blog and your contact details. You can also upload a profile photo, all of your social networking sites and a description of your blog. Its essentially like an online blog CV where brands can find you with ease and get in touch if they'd like to collaborate on a review or giveaway for example. Its a win win situation, brands can find the kind of bloggers they're looking for with ease and bloggers get to work with some cool new brands. There's over 250 brands signed up so there's bound to be something that takes your fancy. 

Talking of brands, I was one of the lucky duckies who received a goodie bag from The Blogger Programme to showcase some of the brands us bloggers will get the opportunity to work with if we sign up. I absolutely love everything I received, especially the Baia clutch, stylish life journal and delilah dust necklace. I'm also eyeing up a phone case from Apple Cart. So cute. If you want to know where everything else is from, click on the links I've added at the start of the post.

I think The Blogger Progreamme is a great platform for blogger and one you should definitely consider getting involved in if you want to work with some cool brands.

What do you think? Does this sound like something you'd get involved in?

Lots of Love,

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

10 Blog Post Back-ups When Writers Block Strikes ...

From time to time, we all have those moments where we just don't have a clue what to write about on our blogs. Maybe we haven't been trying any new products or haven't done anything particuarly interesting to write about. Or sometimes, maybe we just can't string a sentance together. Lets face it, most of us bloggers have a busy life outside of blogging so it can be hard to maintain our motivation when everyday life gets in the way. I find myself having these moments every now and again and I'm really hard on myself for not being able to think of fun and interesting posts to write. With this being said, I thought it'd make sense to develop a little list of 'back-ups' I can refer to when dreaded writers block strikes. I've come up with 10 posts that can be wrote when I'm lacking inspiration and of course I want to share them with you guys to help you out too. If you're currently lacking motivation, I hope this post will give you the little boost you need ...

1. Instagram/Photo collage 
I’m a total nosy parker so I love reading Instagram posts and having a look at cute photos put together in a collage. I also find it helps me get to know the person behind the blog that bit better as is a good chance to show your readers a glimpse into your everyday life or to tell them about anything exciting you’ve been doing. If you don’t have instagram, don’t worry. You can still put together a collage of photos from your phone. My favourite website to use for these type of collages is Ipiccy!

2. Wishlists
Whenever I’m stuck in a rut and lacking in post ideas, a wish list post always pops to mind. Lets face it, most of us have wish lists, especially us beauty bloggers who are constantly bombared with new beauty releases that we 'need' to get our little blogging mitts on. There's different kinds of wishlists you can do too if you want to mix things up a bit. For example - '(Inset brand here) wish list', 'Autumn Fashion Wishlist' 'High end Beauty Wishlist' and so on. The possibilities are truly endless.

3. FOTD/NOTD/OOTD 
Just incase you don’t have a clue what these are and you think I’m just writing some random letters – these abbreviations stand for face, nail and outfit of the day. Most of us do our makeup and get dressed every day so why not take a few snaps and share them on your blog? Or if you're someone who is always changing your nail polish, share that too. Admittedly I don't do these kind of posts as often as I'd like but I know I can always turn to them if I need to.

4. Life 
One thing I love to read on blogs is a really deep and meaningful lifestyle post. You might not be one for sharing your feelings and emotions and that’s absolutely fine but why not write about something you’re passionate about? I always find these posts get the best response as they come from the heart and spark up conversation. For example, I wrote a post called ‘The dress size debate’ which was about clothing in shops becoming increasingly smaller and unrealistic, leaving us women feeling poopy about ourselves when we go shopping. I didn't necessarily 'plan' this post, it just came to me one day and I thought, why not share my thoughts about this on my blog? The post got a really positive response and it was interesting to hear other peoples views on the topic.

5. Tags

Tags have to be one of my favourite 'go-to' posts when I'm stuck in a blogging rut. If I'm feeling completely uninspired and don't have the foggiest what to write about, I can always rely on a tag to get me back into the swing of things and leave me feeling motivated. There's millions of tags flying around online so all you need to do is have a little google, find one you'd like to do and get writing. Most of the beauty blog tags relate to beauty or blogging in one way or another and I find writing about the reasons I love blogging or my favourite things really helps to give me a boost and realise why I love blogging so much. I actually made my own tag last year called 'Blogging Love' which you can find here - its all about sharing the reasons you love blogging so if you haven't done it yet, get involved. I'd love to read your answers.

6. Top fives
I've done a few 'top five' posts on my blog in the past as they're fun to put together and interesting for your readers to read. The possibilities are endless with these kind of posts - you can do your top five blushers, lipsticks, lipglosses, eyeshadows, bronzers, foundations, highlighters, hair products, body products, nail polishes, perfumes - you get the idea right? These posts are nice and easy to write too as it isn't hard to talk about your ultimate products and the reasons why you absolutely love them!

7. Currently Loving -  As beauty bloggers, most of us are always trying new products on a regular basis. If you're not feeling inspired or you're lacking ideas, why not share the products you've been loving lately? I always like having a nosy at the products people are loving as it gives me ideas for things to try when I next feel like treating myself.

8. What's in my ... ?
Ah, good old 'what's in my ...?' posts. There's a whole host of these you can get involved in when you're stuck for ideas. A few include what's in my bag, what's in my travel bag, what's in my makeup bag, what's in my clutch bag, what's in my gym bag - the possibilities are endless. I've even seen people do 'what's in my iphone' type posts where they show a sneak peek at the apps they use and what not. I find these posts really fun to read as I'm a nosy parker and like seeing what people stash in their bags! If you want to see what's in mine, I wrote a post  here a little while ago.

9. Share the Love
There's nothing nicer to see in blog land than fellow bloggers supporting one another and one way to do this is to share your favourite blogs in a 'share the love' type blog post. I've been featured in some of these posts myself and everytime I get a tweet informing me I've been featured in this kind of post, I smile from ear to ear. They're just so lovely and uplifting to read and they also give your readers the chance to find some new blogs to read themsevles. I haven't actually done one of these posts myself yet but its been on my list of things to do for quite some time now. I just have the huge problem of deciding who to feature as I have SO many favourite blogs. Maybe I'll make it a monthly post so all my faves get the chance to be featured. Keep your eyes peeled!

10. Guest Posts
Finally, if you really don't have the time/energy/motivation to do any of the above and fancy a little break (we all deserve a break from time to time), why not rope in some of your favourite bloggers to write some guest posts for you. This will enable you to take a little break while you re-charge, keep your blog full of great content and give fellow bloggers the chance to gain some exposure to a new audience. Its a win win situation!

So there we have it, my suggestions of posts to write when bloggers block strikes. Lets face it, we've all have those moments where we feel totally uninspired and can't string a sentance together but that's life and its normal to feel like that, especially if you have a busy work and home life to deal with on top of blogging. I guess my final piece of advice would be to not let it get you down. If you need to take a break from blogging be it a couple of days, a week or even a month, so be it. If your readers truly enjoy reading your blog, they won't mind waiting a while for your next post. Sometimes its good to give yourself a break and clear your head.

I hope this helped guys! Can you think of any other posts you turn to when bloggers block strikes?

Lots of Love,

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