Lifestyle

A Fresh Start

I can not begin to say how long I've wanted to do this. I have been blogging now for around three years, on and off, but never consistently. I love blogging, I have done ever since I found out about people like Zoe, Louise, Tanya... the list goes on. Over the years I have definitely discovered more people and have fallen even more in love with the idea of blogging.

My biggest problem however is that I am such a perfectionist when it comes to anything like this, and nowadays the standards are so high I feel, or I set my standards in regards to how I want my blog to look so high. Beforehand I never put money and/or enough effort into it, and somehow expected to get results, well I ain't guna get no results if I ain't putting in the effort now am I?

Hence the fresh start, I'm keeping the name 'xoxonads' mainly because I love it and secondly, I may as well not bother with my full name, lots of people already have trouble pronouncing it let alone spelling it, so something short and simple suits me. The fresh start is more in regards to how my blog looks and what I want to post.

I have invested in a new camera (which will hopefully mean some 'blogger-esque' photos) and I am no longer in a job where I don't want to be, this year I've decided to really focus on what I actually want to do, and if that means putting most of my spare time and efforts into this blog then, y'all can all guess what I'm going to be doing.


So here's a picture of me entering 2017 with a smile on my face, and all the best intentions for the year in mind. I hope you all get everything you want from this year as well, and I look forward to beginning this adventure with you all.

Thank you very much for reading,
hugs and kisses
nads


New Years Resolutions

Now I wasn't going to set myself New Years Resolutions this year, mainly because I never stick to them, but I think this is because I make them a bit too specific, or outrageous which means I end up keeping them for two days and just giving up. But as the year has started and I've felt really motivated and positive I have decided to set myself some resolutions. Some of them are a bit cliche and some of them are specific, but achievable... i hope!


Travel More
Last year I was really lucky in that I travelled a lot, and experienced a couple of my favourite adventures, most of it being off my own back as well and I honestly think spending money on travelling the world is so worth it, whether it's somewhere you've been before or a completely new place.

This year I definitely want to visit places I've never been before, last year I was fortunate enough to go to Bangkok, somewhere where before I'd of never put high up on my list, but it was one of the most beautiful and best places I've ever been. 


Be More Creative
I'd like to think I've always been quite a creative person, like when it comes to decorating cupcakes or making something look pretty, I will try my upmost best to make sure it looks as good as can be, but I never really put my creativity to the test, so this year I want to try perfecting Brush Lettering, which if you don't know what it is, is like calligraphy (i guess, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)


It's basically hand written fonts, and i have been loving Pinterest recently, and i constantly see journals, or cards with brush lettering on them so I really want to try that out this year.

Read More
One thing i love doing, but never do enough of is... reading! Whenever i read a book however i get engrossed, finish it within three days, then spend a week or two obsessing over it, basically i love reading when i do it, so i want to put more time into it.

I notice that the more i read the easier it is to blog, because it gives me a wider range of vocabulary, as opposed to me putting 'like' after every sentence, so I definitely think reading is important, and especially for me if i want to get the most out of my blog. 

Say Thank You More
Something I saw on Twitter towards the end of last year and loved was about saying 'thank you' more, the idea essentially was that instead of saying 'sorry for being late,' you'd say, 'thank you for waiting for me,' now I absolutely love this idea. I am definitely guilty when it comes to over apologising, as I can say sorry about five times in a minute if i turn up late. Obviously I'm not going to stop saying sorry, but when it can be replaced with a thank you, that's what I'm going to try and do.

Focus On Myself
This ones a real big one for me, towards the end of last year I gave myself a lot more me time, whether that was an hour long bath, or just chilling in my room with the fairy lights on whilst sitting on my laptop. I think spending time on yourself is so underrated but can make all the difference, so if it means taking an hour out of every week to put a hair mask on, put a facemask on, and relax in a candlelight bath, those hours will be so worth it by the end of the week when you're feeling rejuvenated.

Make My Bed Every Morning
My last resolution is to make my bed every morning. I am incredibly lucky in that if I don't make my bed my mum will do it for me (before anyone says it, i don't ask her to, she just likes keeping the house tidy and insists on making my bed) but one thing I am awful for is staying in bed all day, so I think if I make my bed every morning it'll encourage me to be more productive.

Have you set yourself any new years resolutions?

Thank you very much for reading,
hugs and kisses
nads

X


February Favourites

I probably say this every month, but how is it already March! This year is already going so quickly and what's even scarier is in two months I won't be a teen, I am not okay with this.

anyways... I have never done one of these posts but I've been loving so many products this month so I thought I would share them with you!

Beauty faves



Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (Shade 55 / Dark Beige )
This is new to my collection and, well I love it. I had been using the Bobbi Brown skin foundation, and really wasn't getting on with it, so I tried out the Bobbi Brown longer lasting and MAC pro-longwear foundations (just in little sample pots), when I came across this one in Superdrug. I have tried Bourjois foundations before, but there is just something about this one that is a great mix between healthy, and heavy coverage, my ideal foundation!

Bobbi Brown Corrector (Light Peach)
Under eye concealing has always been one of those things for me where I think if I just add more product it'll conceal.. realistically this is not the answer. When I was looking at foundations I popped to the Bobbi Brown counter and the really helpful assistant offered to match my skin. She explained to me that my under eyes were really dehydrated and thats why product seemed to disappear and why my under eyes were dark. She recommended the 'correct and conceal' products they offer and because I already have a concealer which I love, I decided to just go for the corrector. Correcting isn't something I ever gave much thought to, but it makes such a difference, and now it's a step I make sure not to miss.

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream
The Bobbi Brown corrector I don't think would've worked as well as it does if it wasn't for this little miracle cream. When the lady at the counter matched my skin she also gave me some (much appreciated) skincare advice. My skincare routine has got so much better, and I have seen an improvement in my skin (an updated skincare routine is coming soon, so I won't go into this too much) but an area of my face I never paid much attention to was under my eye. She explained to me that if your under eye is dehydrated, normal moisturiser won't rescue it, which is why my make up was creasing under my eyes. This little cream however, wow, I apply the smallest amount every morning and evening, and I love it!

Nivea Mens Post Shave Balm
I've been wanting to try this product for a while after hearing good things about it working well as a primer, and then I saw it in Tesco at a ridiculously good price, so obviously... I had to pick it up. I don't use it everyday, but on days I know I want my make up to last I apply this to my skin after moisturising and it does make so much difference.

Primark Rose Gold Eyelash Curlers
These little bargain finds are my new holy grail. I never really use eyelash curlers just because in my head I didn't think they made all that much of a difference, and whether they actually work or not I have found my applying mascara after curling them makes them look that little bit longer.

fashion faves

Topshop Boots
I haven't had many fashion favourites this month, and that's mainly because I've just felt really uninspired by retailers. Unfortunately I do not live close enough to a Zara (probably a good thing really) and so I haven't really seen anything I like that much. Although, I do love these boots! I picked them up in the Topshop sale at the end of January, and usually I am a trainer person through and through, but these boots just do something for me, AND they were only £10!

lifestyle faves

Netflix Originals
Onto the more lifestyle-y bits. I have been more addicted to Netflix this month than I have ever been. Realistically it's because I have way too much spare time but... The series I have been loving are the Netflix originals, in particular, Orphan Black (so I think this started as an American BBC but Netflix picked it up I don't understand it really) and Riverdale. 

I'll start with Orphan Black it's one of those programmes that has honestly never been done before and is just so filled with constant plot twists and surprises and turns, I don't want to give too much away, but essentially there are clones, and they're trying to find each other. 

Riverdale is a bit more a 'stereotypical' american, murder, high school, mystery, drama... saying that though I'm obsessed, and my favourite thing about it is, episodes come out every Friday which is great because I can't binge watch all four seasons in a week (I definitely did not (did) do that for Orphan Black).


What have been your favourites throughout February?

Thank you very much for reading,
hugs and kisses
nads

any products mentioned in the post x 

rose gold eyelash curlers - primark
topshop boots - sold out






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