This month I had the opportunity of trying out so many new products as I really went all out in Australia and definitely treated myself to some new bits that i've been wanting to try for quite some time now. I also have had a couple of products sent through that i've been absolutely loving, and couldn't give a small feature before properly reviewing them!

A brand that i've recently been introduced to is Osmology who are an online boutique candle store stocking a wide range of candles, and in celebration of their launch last week they have teamed up with the well know candle brand The Nomad Society on their Osmology Candle by The Nomad Society* (£15). I absolutely love the packaging of The Nomad Society candles as they have a vintage yet contemporary aesthetic that I just adore! I also love the scent of this candle, and although it's a little different to the usual sweet candle scents that I typically go for, it's nice to have a change. If you're wanting to get your hands on some new candles, then i'd definitely recommend checking out Osmology and their wide range of candles! To get yourself 15% off at Osmology make sure to use the code 'OSMOLOGY15E''at the checkout.

Moving onto the makeup items that i've been enjoying this month, and up there with my favourite product for every day has got to be the ABH Dip Brow Pomade (£15), which i've wanted for such a long time but not being able to get colour matched really put me off. I got colour matched in Australia, and i'd definitely recommend getting colour matched if possible as the shade I ended up getting turned out to be completely different to what I first expected. I honestly don't know how I ever did my brows before I bought this as my brows just look amazing! 

I picked up a few contour and highlighting products whilst in Australia, probably more than I need but i'm loving all of them this far. The Kat Von D Shade & Light Face Contour Palette (£37) is one i've wanted for such a long time and i've been using it non stop for two weeks, and it's definitely worth all of the hype that it gets! Another palette that i've been loving for on the go is the Tarteist Pro Glow To Go Highlight & Contour Palette (£20), which instantly caught my eye when I saw it and the shades are absolutely stunning! Finally for the highlighting products that I couldn't not mention is the Becca Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector (£32), which has got to be the most beautiful highlighter I have ever owned, and I absolutely love how this looks on my skin.

Finally the last product that I had to give a quick shoutout to is a recent release from my favourite high street beauty brand Rimmel. They have recently expanded their range of mascara's with the release of their Volume Shake Mascara* (£6.99) which is like no other mascara that i've tried. This mascara's innovative packaging is the first of it's kind that I know of, and is essentially designed to refresh the product inside by shaking the mascara to evenly distribute product onto the wand. I personally love this mascara, as it works wonders and doesn't leave my lashes clumpy or feeling weighed down. I will be reviewing this more in depth, but i'd definitely recommend checking it out!

A couple of months back the brand Zaful got in contact with me to pick out a few bits from their latest collection, and for such a long time now i've wanted a simple knit with a statement and on trend sleeve for such a long time now, so I got to browsing through the massive variety of styles that they have on offer!

I found myself browsing through Zaful's website for such a long time, and I found it really similar to ASOS in the sense that they stock so much and I came across so many things that I loved! I finally settled on this Ribbed Puff Sleeve Sweater* (£19.89) in this light grey colour as I personally love a lighter colour knit to coordinate with my typical choice of black jeans! I absolutely love the quality of this jumper as the knit isn't too chunky but still keeps me warm enough throughout the day. I also love the sleeves on this and it was everything I wanted a more!

As I mentioned I love styling the majority of my outfits with a black pair of jeans and recently i've been getting a lot of wear out of my Topshop MOM Jeans (£40), as I personally love a high waist jean as I find them to be a lot more flattering on my body shape. The only downside is that you can't eat to your heart content in these, which I guess is a good thing but seriously, food! 

Being the total boring monochrome lover that I am, my outfits generally don't pack much punch in terms of colour but I do often find that I like to add some detail through either my accessories, or through the lip colour that I choose to wear. I thought that a fun way to mix this outfit up was to style it with these beautiful Louisa Floral Print Ankle Boots* (£34.99) from Ego! I love the pop of colour that they add to an outfit, and embroidered boots are so on trend at the moment!

So that is how I am enjoying styling a statement sleeve, but keeping in tune with my typically monochromatic and non girly style!

What are your favourite trend pieces at the moment?

I always love popping into my local store as the sales assistants are always so lovely and helpful whenever I pay a visit. I was so surprised with how many new products they have released this year, so much so that I had to stop myself from spending anymore money, but i'm so excited to try out all of the bits that I picked up.

Starting off with the Mother's day collection I decided to pick up a few bits for my Mum as I absolutely love Lush and I thought it was about time I introduced my Mum to the world of amazing baths! I of course had to pick up the Mum Bath Bomb (£2.95) purely because of how cute it is! I also really like the scent of this with mixes of lemon and orange, and I thought my Mum would too! Also for my Mum I picked up the Baa Bar Bubble Bar (£3.95) as I love a good bubblebar and the scent of this was so lovely, and it instantly smelt like something my Mum would love! Hopefully she likes these products and gives her an excuse to have a well deserved pamper evening.

Moving on from the bits I picked up for my Mum for Mother's day, but I did pick up one more product from the Mother's day range which is the Elsie The Giraffe (You're Havin' a Bath) Bubble Bar (£6.95) as it was too adorable to not pick up. This year Lush have continued with their bubblebar wand products but this is the first that i've seen with a dual ended product, and I just absolutely loved the concept. I also absolutely love the citrus scent to this, as i'm a sucker for anything citrus so I can't wait to use this! 

Moving onto the bath bomb that I picked up from the Easter collection, and it didn't seem right to not pick up a bath bomb that resembled an easter egg. I decided on the Which Came First? Bath Bomb (£6.95), which I was totally sold on for it's citrusy scent and also just how cute it looks! The other bath bomb I decided on was the Over & Over Bath Bomb (£4.25) which they brought in for Valentines, and then added into their permanent line as it was so popular! What I love is that it has two sides to it, with the orange side being a wax that melts in the bath leaving your skin feeling so soft!

Have you picked up anything from their latest releases?

Whilst I was in Australia I took a grand total of eight flights in two weeks, which sounds horrific but really it wasn't that bad but it did mean that I was literally living out of my suitcase and back pack the entire time. With so many flights also came different weight amounts, so I really had to streamline myself when it came to packing, and it's definitely true when they say that you will always overpack no matter what! Having said that I managed to pack pretty much everything that I needed and everything I did pack came in handy one way another, so here are my top ten essentials for travelling Australia.

Ear plugs - Yep, right in there at number one is ear plugs and let me tell you that I did not sleep one night in hostels without these things firmly shoved into my ears! If you're staying hostels or have stayed in hostels you'll know that people are not quiet, no matter what hour of the night it is and some people also don't have any dignity and won't care about what you can hear. So take my advice, get yourself some ear plugs.

Sunscreen - If like me you burn easily then it's an obvious one to wear factor 50 at all costs, but the ozone layer is quite damaged around Australia so it's very easy to burn whilst you're there. The lovely team at Jurlique sent me their Sun Specilast SPF40 High Protection Cream* (£27) to try out whilst I was there, and although I still burnt i'd say this definitely helped in stopping my skin from burning any further, and it smelt incredible!

Padlocks - Again, this is really only if you're staying in hostels or taking a few flights but having a padlock became so handy for me as it meant I was able to lock any important or valuable items in my suitcase if I was going out. Also a lot of hostels have lockers, so again if you want to make use of those having a padlock is really handy.

Bikinis - You can't not go to Australia without a bikini or two, especially if you're doing The Whitsundays, Frazer Island or just any general activities that include swimming! I got so much wear out of this Zaful Chinese Painting Swimsuit* (£16.64) and I absolutely love the green tropical print to it. I also found that I could style it with the matching bottoms, but also with a pair of simple black bottoms which made it a lot more versatile. 

Portable chargers/plug adapters - As i'm sure you all know when travelling to other countries the power adapters or plugs are usually different to those used here in the UK, so ensuring you've got an adapter or two is a must! I also opted to take my portable charger, which turned out to be an amazing idea of my behalf as I used this practically every day! 

Travel wallet/organiser - One thing that I didn't take per say is a travel wallet, but I did have all of my travel documents in a poly pocket thing. I just found ensuring that all of my documents including my passport and flight confirmations were in one place made everything so much easier than having to fiddle around trying to find things at the last minute. A lot of brands now a days are jumping on the travel wallet trend, so i've linked a few down below for you to check out.

Sunglasses - For every second that the sun was out I think I had sunglasses on as it was so bright, and I think it's really important to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes! I personally loved rocking these Zaful Gold Crossbar Cat Eye Sunglasses* (£5.40) as they're so funky and on trend! 

Preloaded currency credit card - When it came to changing my spending money I opted for a Cash Passport which essentially works like a credit card, all you have to do is preload your money onto it before you go. I did all of mine at my local Tesco and it was totally worth it as it meant I wasn't carrying around a huge amount of cash on me.

So that is everything that I would recommend is a definite when it comes to backpacking around Australia as everything came in so handy for me!

What are your essentials when it comes to packing?

In Australia their drugstore shops are typically called pharmacies and sell literally everything typically you'd find in Boots but on much a larger scale, and most of their fragrances work out cheaper than what they'd be in the UK, so being the beauty addict I am I thought i'd pick up some bits to try out. Also, as I said I decided to spend the last of my dollars in the airport duty free as I wanted to stock up on a few bits that had broken whilst travelling.

Starting with skincare as I bought a few bits to try out as my skin had been an absolute mess whilst I was away, always the way isn't it! I'd seen a lot from the brand Essano and their Rosehip range as my friend was using one of their cleansers, and I just loved the sound of the brands and also the beautiful packaging! I decided to pick up their Rosehip Oil ($22.99) as i've not tried any specific rosehip oils and I love using oils to give my skin that little bit of extra moisture. So far i've only used it a couple of times so I can't really comment as to what I think at the moment. In addition to that I picked up their Rosehip Moisture Restorative Night Cream ($19.99) as i've needed a new night cream for quite some time now, and so far i'm really liking this! - (Sorry that i've only linked these in dollars, but the prices on Amazon are extortionate). Last for skincare is the Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate (£38), which i've wanted for as long as I can remember and whilst in duty free I just thought 'screw it, i'm buying it!'. I've only used it a few times, so I can't comment too much but my skin feels amazing the next morning after using this!

Makeup wise I didn't go too wild as i'd already bought quite a few in Sephora, but there were a few things that caught my eye. As for makeup brands over there they have pretty much everything we do, with the addition of Cover Girl and Nude by Nature, and I spotted the Nude by Nature Highlight Palette (£25) and I just had to get it. The palette itself is beautiful, containing a blush, bronzer and highlighter all with highlighting minerals to them for an illuminated look and the gold packaging is just to die for. I haven't used this as of yet, but i'll report back! Whilst in duty free I knew that I wanted to stock up on a couple bits from Benefit including their Goof Proof Brow Pencil (£20) as mine has broken/ran out, but also whilst travelling my Rockatuer Blusher (£24.50) completely smashed so I just had to get another. Lastly makeup wise I decided to treat myself to a new MAC Lipstick (£16.50) in the shade 'Faux' as I didn't own a nude mac lipstick and this one looked perfect.

Lastly I did pick up two fragrances, but I couldn't find them whilst I was shooting for this post. I decided to stock up on YSL Black Opium (£76.50) as it's my most worn fragrance at the moment and you can never have enough of your favourite fragrance in my opinion. Whilst in duty free I also decided to treat myself to Giorgio Armani Si (£69) as it's a fragrance i've wanted for quite some time now, so I thought why not!

Have you picked up any new products recently?

Anyone who knows me knows that I love capturing memories through the lens of my camera, but I rarely ever print out and display those memories or put them into a photo album to look back on. So when lovely team at Printiki got in touch about collaborating with them on their amazing yet affordable print services, it really excited me to have physical copies of my prints. With that came a few ideas of how to display my prints, and this where I came up with a few ideas that could make a lovely gift this Mother's Day. 

Scrap booking is something that i've never done, but i've always wanted to as I used to love putting together my sketch books back when I was in college and uni being the art geek that I am. I picked up this A4 Sketchbook (£4) from my local Tiger but you can easily pick them up in most stationary shops, and also some cute Pink Washi Tape (£3) from Paperchase which I used to stick the prints in place, whilst also adding a cute detail. The thing I love about scrap booking is that you can totally make it your own by adding things such as receipts or tickets to remind you of a certain day, or cute stickers to add character. I totally love what I was able to achieve with my scrap booking for this post and i'm definitely going to continue with this scrap book, adding memories that my mum and I share to look back at over the years.

One thing i've seen so much of is people hanging their pictures using cute brown string and teeny tiny pegs, which I think is so cute! I thought this would make a cute gift idea, but also something you can do for yourself and i'll definitely be displaying the prints of me and my closest gal pals this way. I ordered a Mini Peg & String Set (£1.88) from eBay but i've seen shops such as Urban Outfitters and stationary shops selling these, with some being more funky than others. I totally love how my prints look displayed using the pegs and string, and I so wish i'd done it sooner as it instantly reminds me of some great memories!

Ordering through Printiki was probably the easiest and smoothest of online services that i've used in a long time, and you can choose from a range of products including prints, books and posters which gives you so many different gift options to choose from. What I really liked is that you can upload your photos in so many different ways, from your laptop or device but you can also log into any of your social media accounts and have all of your photos at your fingertips to choose from. 

So those are a couple of cute yet really easy DIY gift ideas for Mother's Day, that I hope inspires you and possibly even saves you if you're still stuck on what to do for Mother's Day this year! 

What are your favourite DIY's for displaying photos?

With this being my first trip to Sephora I really didn't know what to expect, nor did I know the brands that were stocked in Australia so I was in my element once i'd walked in, and definitely had to restrain myself when it came to some brands. Now I know a lot of these products I can buy in the UK but I prefer to see products in the flesh, especially products that cost as much as some of these do and I'm so happy that I managed to pick up a few products that i've been wanting to try for some time now.

The first brand that I laid eyes on as I walked in was Kat Von D, and I instantly got that giddy feeling in my stomach as i'd never seen any of these products before. Now I did want to purchase a fair few products from Kat Von D but I limited myself to just two products that i'd wanted to try out for ages, and i'm so excited to try these out! Firstly I picked up the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick (£17) in the highly hyped shade 'Lolita', which was the shade I liked the most out of all of the shades in the collection. It's a shade that isn't like any other that I own and is one I can't quite explain but it's a nude with a somewhat red undertone that is just beautiful! I also picked up the Kat Von D Shade & Light Palette (£37) which was a no brainer for me as it's so raved about and I love the look of all of the shades in the palette. I am yet to use these two products, but I will be reporting back!

Whilst browsing the other stands I came across Huda Beauty which i've seen so many reviews on their liquid lipsticks, but I didn't realise that they did an array of other products also. I decided to pick up one of the Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick (£18) in the shade 'Muse' which is a nudey shade with a purple undertone that instantly caught my eye and is so pretty! What also enticed me to purchase this liquid lipstick was purely the packaging as I love the frosted effect to the bottle, and the box packaging is also like no other brand i've seen before. 

Moving onto highlighters, and it's safe to say I got a bit overwhelmed as I bought about three or four highlighters on this trip (sorry not sorry). Whilst browsing around I came across the Tarte counter and i'd seen a lot about the Tarteist Pro Glow Highlight & Contour Palette (£36), but as i'd already picked up the Kat Von D palette and I wasn't a huge fan of all of the shades, so when I saw the Tartiest Pro Glow To Go Highlight & Contour Palette (£20) which is essentially a mini version. I thought this palette would be perfect for on the go touch ups, as the shades are so me and I just loved everything about this palette! I then stumbled across the Becca stand and they only had one of the Becca Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector (£32) left so I just had to pick it up!

Last but most certainly not least is a product i've wanted to try for such a long time, but my issue was that I had no idea what shade I was and I didn't want to chance purchasing the wrong shade online. So whilst in Sephora I got shade matched for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade (£15), of which I am yet to try out but i'm so excited to see how this works as i've heard some amazing things!

So that is everything I purchased in Sephora, and i'm so glad i've finally typed up this post so I can use the products as i've been holding off all week!

Have you splurged on any new beauty items recently?

In the past few months i've really upped my game in terms of interaction across the majority of my social media apps, which with having a full time job is not easy and it's safe to say i've definitely run myself into the ground a little bit recently with trying to keep up. Having said that, there have been a select few apps that have just made upping my interaction so much easier, and I couldn't not let you in on which apps i'm currently loving.

IFFT - Now if you're the queen of scheduling content like me then no doubt you'll have already heard of IFFT, which I think I have briefly spoken about before. IFFT is essentially an app, and also can be used through their website to create recipes in order to schedule content to different social media channels. I mainly use this for automatically posting new blog posts to both Pinterest and Facebook, as I neglect these two platforms the most. I personally love this app, as it takes away some of the hassle and provides you with a bit of piece of mind.

Snapseed - In addition to the apps I mentioned in my previous post here, i've been trying out a few new editing apps and since learning about the 'dodge' tool in Photoshop from the lovely Claudia from Beauty and The Chic, I wanted to find an app that also had this tool just to allow a little extra whitening of dull images. This is where I found Snapseed, which is a free app and has so many amazing editing features to choose from, and i'd definitely recommend checking it out if I were you.

Preview - If like me you like to ensure you've got your Instagram somewhat scheduled for the week, but you're unsure of how an image is going to fit into your theme then Preview is an absolute life saver. It essentially helps you to plan you Instagram without uploading and deleting pictures to see if they fit. Again this app is totally free, and one i'd definitely recommend!

So those are just a few apps that i've recently been loving and would highly recommend for scheduling and planning content!

What apps do you enjoy using for blogging?

Over the last year or so I've definitely gotten into trying out more brow products, and I can even remeber back when I didn't actually do anything to my brows (what I was thinking i'll never know) and it's amazing to see so many brands releasing new brow products thay we've never seen before. This latest release from Rimmel definitely had me guessing, with their anticipated launch and once the new Brow Shake Filling Powders were released it had many bloggers intrigued as to how these worked.

I briefly touched on how much i've been loving these in my February Favourites, but I wanted to go more into depth as their the first of their kind, or so i've seen anyway and I thought they deserved their own little bit of limelight. The Rimmel Brow Shake Filling Powders* (£5.99) is essentially a powder based product that you apply similarly to a liquid eyeliner, using a soft and tapered nib in order create a defined and sleek brow look. These brow powders come in four different shades, to suit pretty much any eyebrow colour out there but I personally prefer to use their 'medium brown' shade as it suits my brows the best.

What I personally love about these products is the design of the packaging/applilcator as I find it to be the easiest brow product that i've tried in a long time, as many brow products these days require some sort of brush or separate applicator whereas this doesn't, and is amazing for on the go touch ups too! Typically I only need to apply this once in the morning and it doesn't tend to budge at all theoughout the day, but I do find that setting the product in place with a clear brow gel to help the product last even longer. 

When first trying out this product I will admit it took a few attempts to get the correct amount of pressure and product on the nib applicator, but I find that if you tap off some of the excess and start more towards the middle of your brow and then blend the product down the arch, towards the end of your brow, and then going back the start of your brows to be the best way to work with this product. Just remeber a little goes a long way with this product!

Overall I absolutely love this product and has fully replaced my much loved Benefit brow pencil, which is fab as it's so much more afffordable and works just as well, if not better in my opinion. If you're wanting to try out a new brow product without breaking the bank, then i'd highly recommend checking this product out!

Have you tried any new products from Rimmel recently? 

In the past year my taste in both lip products and shades have changed so much, as this time last year you'd never see me wearing a nude lip and instead i'd be rocking any plum shade going but gone are those days, for now anyway. Ever since the hype of the arrival of NYX to the UK and every blogger going mental over the lingerie liquid lipsticks I was sold, and have since gone on to add a fair few liquid lipsticks to my collection, majority of which are a nude shade of some description.

With NYX being the first brand that I tried of the liquid lipsticks I of course had to talk about them first. I've tried a fair few of the different NYX liquid lip products from the Intense Butter Gloss (£5.50) and also the Liquid Suede Lipstick (£6.50), but my favourite by far has to be the Lingerie Liquid Lipstick (£6.50). I just absolutely love everything about them, with the formula being quick drying and long lasting, but also the shade range is pretty decent if you're a fellow nude lip lover. I have two dhades from the range, that I get so much wear out of and it's very true when they get labelled a dupe for the Kylie Lip Kits, as the formula is very similar but a fraction of the price.

Moving onto the Kylie Jenner Matte Lip Kits, of which I have three shades but my worn have to be Koko K ($29) and Candy K ($29), which you can probably guess are both nudes. Koko K is your more pink nude that I absolutely love, it's the perfect pink nude for any skin tone in my opinion whereas Candy K is more of a brown nude, but has a slight red undertone that I find more wearable than a lot of true brown based nudes. I personally love the Kylie Lip Kits, and they are so worth the hype that they get even though they are a bit overpriced and pain to get a hold of. The formula is so long lasting and honestly doesn't budge in comparison to every single matte liquid lipstick that i've tried.

Finally we have ColourPop, a brand that is said to dupe the Kylie Lip Kits the best as they are made in the same factory apparently. Packaging wise they are definitely identical, just different branding as you'd expect and the formula is pretty similar but I do find the ColourPop formula to be a lot more drying into the lips and doesn't last half as long. I have a few of the ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks ($6) and I'd definitely say they are worth it in their own right as the shade range is absolutely amazing as they offer so many shades to choose from, and they are pretty affordable when it comes down to it.

So those are my three favourite nude liquid lipstick brands, all of which i'd highly recommend if you're on the hunt for a new nude liquid lippie on your life.

What are you favourite liquid lipstick brands?

As I've mentioned in a few previous posts, I tend to not really have a skincare routine as such as I just found my skin couldn't handle so many different products being applied to it at all at once, and I much prefer using products as and when I need to. Don't get me wrong I still cleanse my face everyday and slather it with some serum and moisturiser but other than that I try to leave it be.

Now I don't really suffer with acne anymore, but I do still get a few blemishes here and there of which are very painful so I always turn to products that I know are going to work at fighting those pesky spots. I've recently been trying out the new Garnier #PureActive range which is specifically formulated for those with sensitive skin, which I definitely do suffer with from time to time and I always love when brands consider us people with sensitive skin, as some products on the market are just too harsh for my skin to handle. So when I woke up a few weeks ago to a few new friends on my face I instantly reached for these products, as i'd been saving them to try out.

Firstly in the range we have the Garnier Pure Active Sensitive Anti Blemish Soap Free Gel Wash* (£4.99), which a new formula of zinc and witch hazel to not only be gentle on the skin but to also rid you of any unwanted blemishes, without drying out the skin. Now for me I often find gel washes to be unbelievably drying on my skin, so when this boasted that it doesn't dry out your skin I was really intrigued to see if this was true. Safe to say I absolutely love this face wash, as it's great to use as a general cleanser to stop any new spots appearing but it also soothes and current blemishes whilst leaving my skin feeling smooth and hydrated. Continuing on from giving my face a good cleanse, if I have got any blemishes I've also been using the Garnier Pure Active Sensitive Anti Blemish Clarifying Tonic* (£4.99) , which I've been using as a toner almost, but just applying to the areas it needs once or twice a week and so far it's really helping to clear up any unwanted blemishes.

When my skin is having a bit of mare it loves nothing more than a good moisturiser, and I've been using two different products in rotation so that my skin doesn't get too used to them. Another product from the Garnier range is the Garnier Pure Active Sensitive Anti Blemish Moisturiser* (£5.99), which my skin has been lapping up, as it leaves it not only moisturised but i've also noticed such a difference in the appearance of my blemishes and scarring thanks to this product. Another product i've been using around this one is the Merumaya Retinol Resurfacing Treatment* (£33.50), which i've spoke about once or twice but this treatment is like no other! It's essentially a really heavy duty moisturiser, but it feels so light on the skin which is what I personally love about this product. It's vitamin A enriched formula helps to boost cell turn over, thus removing any dead skin from the top layers of your skin and too thicken new skin cells, all whilst providing amazing moisturising to the skin.

Finally the last product that i'm praising as my hero product is another from Merumaya, and this is the Merumaya Concentrated Spot Treatment* (£14.50), which i've been applying directly onto any new blemishes in order to help soothe and clear up any spots. I notice that if I use this of an evening before I go to bed, my spots are so much less noticeable come the morning as it helps to reduce any inflammation and as i'm a nightmare for not leaving my spots alone, i've noticed this helps to reduce any scarring that I may get.

So those are a few new skincare products that i've been loving to specifically target my skin and any blemishes that i'm dealing with!

What are you favourite spot banishing skin care products?

Since starting up this little blog of mine just over four years ago I never thought it would give me the purpose that it does, and although blogging daily like I once did or as regularly as I do now is no easy task especially when working full time. Having said all of that, I can't help but feel some sense of achievement and pride in sticking at something for so long, something that a small selection of people actually enjoy and without sounding big headed i'm so proud to see how far this little space on the internet has come, and if you're a blogger like myself you should also feel a sense of pride for these few reasons.

Blogging brings so many new skills - One thing that in the beginning never occured to me was that blogging doesn't really require any type of skill set to begin, and if like me many bloggers start out without knowing what they're doing and sort of wing it with a little bit of help from google and other bloggers along the way. Looking back it's amazing to see how much blogging has brought me in terms of skills that I can actually apply to my career or future opportunities, and it's amazing that blogging can teach so many new things without even realising! 

Blogging opens you up to new opportunities - Back when I started blogging I never thought i'd find myself attending events where i'd get to meet brands, new and old, and also fellow girls and guys that also pour words onto a screen for others to read and love. Also getting the opportunity to work with brands is something that still blows my mind, and is something I will always be grateful for. Blogging is also something that has always gotten a positive reaction to when interviewing for jobs, especially with blogging being something new and upcoming, people are definitely interested to know more.

Hard work will always pay off - Whether it takes you a few months or even a couple of years working hard towards something will always pay off, and the same applies to blogging. In my experience of many things, not just blogging, if you're not dedicated to something it will most likely not work. For a good year I just plodded along with my blog and I didn't really get anywhere with it because I wasn't dedicated, my heart wasn't in it and that was okay. Since I began dedicating more time and working hard to get my content back on track i've seen first hand how far you can come, and don't get me wrong i'm not blowing my own horn because it was bloody hard, but it definitely does pay off in the end.

You grow and learn so much about yourself - For me personally blogging has improved my confidence so much! I was always the shy girl who never really spoke about the positive things in my life and I never thought i'd find myself attending events, meeting new people and doing things that were outside of my comfort zone. Whether blogging grows your knowledge or makes you care less about your flaws, for me putting your heart into a hobbie will always allow you to grow in some way.

So those are a few reasons why you should be proud of your blog, as I come across so many bloggers who somewhat hide, or are embarrassed to tell their friends and family about their blogs (which is totally fine, you do you boo) but in reality you shouldn't be embarrassed. Blogging is an amazing thing and gives you so much more that many people think.

What achievements has blogging brought you?

With the end of every month I of course had to post up my monthly favourites, and this month i've been trialling a few new products, that I will be reviewing more in depth soon, but I couldn't not give them a little mention as i've really been enjoying using these products pretty much on a daily basis.

Starting things off with probably the focal point of the image above, a fashion accessory that has recently come into my life from winning a little Twitter giveaway ran by the lovely Jayd Alice. This Missguided Nude Circle Trim Clutch Bag (£22) has been my ultimate accessory when it comes to the weekend, as it goes perfectly with many outfits. From night out's, dinner or just a few cocktails it is perfect and has enough space to fit everything that I need on an evening out. 

Moving onto the few beauty products i've been loving this month, and first up is a new release from Rimmel. A few weeks back my beloved eyebrow pencil snapped on me, which couldn't of come at a worse time so when Rimmel kindly sent over their new Brow Shake Filling Powder* (£5.99) to try I was instantly intrigued. Essentially this product reminds me of an eyeliner, yet the product is a powder form rather than liquid, which you shake to apply onto the nib applicator to then fill in your eyebrows. So far i'm really impressed with this product as it fills my brows in beautifully and allows me to get a really precise finish when it comes to the wing. The only thing that confused me about this product is that the 'shaker' is in the lid and not the bottle, which seems a little pointless to me.

This month i've been trying out a new teeth whitening brand called Whitewash, of which so far has really impressed me and it's opened my eyes up to teeth whitening again after some rather disappointing products. Although I will be posting a more in depth review of the entire range soon, I have been loving the Whitewash Nano Whitening Mouthwash* (£14.99), which probably might seem like an odd product to like but i've noticed such a difference in how clean my teeth and whole mouth feel after using this. If you're wanting to try out a new teeth whitening system then i'd highly recommend trying out Whitewash, and be sure to use my 10% off voucher 'STYLE10'.

A skincare product that is going to be getting a bit of blog love in the next few weeks is the Merumaya Retinol Resurfacing Treatment* (£33.50), which has been an absolute skin saviour these past few weeks. For a while now i've been trying to find a product that tackles my dry skin, and this product does exactly that. It's vitamin A enriched formula boosts new cell renewal, and helps to remove any dry skin that i'm suffering with. Finally the last product i've been loving this month is the NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick (£6.50), of which i'd misplaced and recently found, this reigniting my love for this liquid lipstick formula!

When the new year rolled in, I knew that I wanted to try and up my own content on Instagram but I soon became bored of forcing myself to post content I wasn't happy with to get a few measly likes, and it's so true what they say that once you stop forcing something usually it gets better and it's so true! In the past few weeks i've been upping my interaction more both in general but also through Instagram pods (which are the absolute bomb) and through this i've discovered some absolutely amazing accounts, so here are a few you definitely need to check out!

FRIDAY FAYE

Faye from Friday Faye is a total babe who I was introduced to through my first Instagram pod, of who has since started a blog that I absolutely love reading also! Faye's feed is literally the most perfect feed i've ever seen and is all things pink, pretty, girly and rose gold, of which i'm always swooning over and wondering how someone maintains such a beautiful feed! - Also Faye has got me on the hunt to find giant sized jammy dodgers that she always features in her posts! 

IRIDESCENT PLACES
Caroline from Iridescent Places is a blogger babe that i've followed for quite some time but is another Instagram pod gal pal also, and i've always had a secret obsession over her feed. I love how clean and minimal she keeps her pictures, whilst also featuring the most beautiful products! I always find myself adding lipsticks and colourpop eyeshadows to my never ending beauty wishlist, and if you don't already follow Caroline then you definitely need to!

LAURA MILLS MAKEUP
Laura from Laura Mills Makeup is another babe I was recently introduced to through one of the Insta pods that i'm in (sorry not sorry), and her feed is just absolutely stunning. Every single flat lay, selfie or picture of her gorgeous cat gives me all the heart eye emoji vibes! Lauras feed is exactly what I wish mine looked like, but alas I do not have the time or skills to perfect a feed like she does, so i'll just continue to swoon and dream!

FASHION BELLEE
Sophie from Fashion Bellee is a disabled blogger babe that i've followed for such a long time, and I absolutely love seeing her daily style looks that she posts as her outfits are always on point and so on trend! Sophie's feed is also beautiful and I love the mix of fashion, beauty and just general lifestyle content thrown into the mix, and every photo she posts just fits together so well, although i'd say she doesn't necessarily stick to a theme as such! Definitely one to check out if you love a flat lay and a good pair of leopard print boots!

SALLY OKELLY
Sally from Sally Okelly is an absolute stunner of a beauty blogger and not only is her blog one of my favourites to read, her Instagram is also one of my favourite feeds to scroll through! What I love about Sally is that she keeps her photos so individual to her own style and they are always so different to any other blogger out there, by using brightly coloured backgrounds and cute props, all whilst being so perfectly laid out! If you're wanting a new beauty blogger to follow, then definitely check out Sally's feed!

Who are your favourite Instagrammers?